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Review Michael Roberts - latest release -Pirate

Discussion in 'Reviews , Video Reviews and Open Book' started by Nap, Apr 11, 2011.

  1. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Hi to all on PF ,
    Think of the seafaring 16th/17th centurys and inevitably you think of pirates , swashbuckling , looking for fortunes and at times just looking to stay alive , full of characters many legends in their lifetime albeit most ending at the end of a hangmans noose and on show in a gibbet .

    So I was pleasd to see that Michael Roberts had released a pirate in their bust range , he looks like he is a hard fighting and drinking man with the sea running through his veins .

    You can see the origins of this on PF by going to this link:

    http://www.planetfigure.com/forums/showpost.php?p=372052&postcount=1

    Lets move onto the model itself :


    Subject: The Pirate c 1700

    Reference: Ares - BU 10

    Scale:1:12th

    Material: Resin

    Sculptor: Gary Dombroski

    Box Art: NA

    The model is cast in a cream resin , consisting of a total of 6 parts , the head , the tricorn hat , the torso , the hair and the base plus a small piece of wire to make the earrings , also included is a general assembly and painting instructions (but as stated "use your imagination-It's pirate") .

    All of the resin pieces are enclosed in a plastic bag which is then put in a strong cardboard box with a black and white picture of a built up version

    As expected from Gary sculpting is 1st class as is the casting , there is a little work to do to put this together before priming and geting the kolinsky out , the base needs a little sanding to remove the small remnants of the casting plugs as does the hair piece , in addition to a casting plug and line situated o the back of the torso and asmall plug on the tricorn but no real concern with any of these I feel.

    Dry fitting proved the quality and minimal filler will be needed , indeed fit was so good that I used no blu tac fitting the pieces together for the final pictures (see later post)

    continued in next post:

    Nap

    Attached Files:

  2. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Lets look at the bits now firstly the torso :

    Gary has sculpted this in traditional pirate garb , a coat flapping open (perhaps when his ship is closing on a victim on the high seas) , waistcoat , neckerchief , bandana (partly concealed under the tricorn hat) , all areas are nicely detailed and easily identifiable thus aiding your painting routine . Folds are very smoothly done with all the clothing he is wearing sitting very naturally.

    As mentioned on the back there is a casting plug and line to deal with but this should not be too much of a problem , underneath is a locating hole that provides a tight fit for the base .

    Lets have the pictures now ......

    continued in the next post:

    Nap

    Attached Files:

  3. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Onwards and upwards moving onto the Head now :


    Full of character , wearing a bandana, a cracking moustache and a weatherbeaten face , he looks the part . details are spot on , particularly the lines on the face (the furrowed brow) , the eyes and ears are also worthy of note .

    I think the way the head also give the modeller the opportunity to build up the bandana and leave the hat off if required , whatever you choose it will look great .

    continued in next post:

    Nap

    Attached Files:

  4. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Onto the bits and bobs now:

    Firstly the hair , a small amount of work to remove the flashing left from casting will result in a clean fit to the back of the head , looking very effective , sculpted on the hair is a nice bow which fits in well .

    Now the Tricorn , as stated there is a casting plug and line to remove from the back , the make up of the hat is very good indeed , for me personally I will be adding a cockade as well just to add a little more interest to it . Fit to the head is excellent and well formed producing a very good result .

    Finally the base itself , , a small amount of sanding is required underneath , I really like the style of the base , distinctive , and dry fitting into the locating hole underneath the torso produces a tight fit .

    All of these help produce a great lttle bust .

    continued in next post:

    Nap

    Attached Files:

  5. Nap Moderator

    Country:
    England
    Finally lets have my final comments :

    Conclusion:
    Michael Roberts have produced a bust that is full of character , there is a bit of prep to do but the end result will be a great model , in painting you have no restrictions with colours so just enjoy it .

    Perhaps it would be nice to have coloured box art but a minor thought and the current picture does nothing to detract from the quality .

    I am sure that there will be a comparison with the bust produced by Warriors in the distant past bust but the subject is based on a Pyle drawing which many have seen .

    I have pleasure to recommend this to to one and all..I look forward to seeing more both from Gary and Michael Roberts.

    The bust can be obtained in the US direct from Michael Roberts via their website: www.michael-robertsltd.com at a cost of $34.95 plus shipping


    In the UK it can be got from El Greco of course at a cost of £22.00 plus shipping

    Phone: +44 (0)1280 840364

    Email: info@elgrecominiatures.co.uk

    Home Page: http://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk

    Finally some pics of the bust together plus a close up of the torso front showing the great details by Gary

    Nap



    Nap

    Attached Files:

    kaz6120, gordy and Guy like this.
  6. gordy Well-Known Member

    Country:
    United-States
    Thanks for the review Kevin and Gary has outdone himself with this piece (y)
  7. Sambaman Well-Known Member

    Country:
    United-States
    I bought this piece from Mike at the ATL show, it's a beaut!

    Jay H.

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