Review Rn Boatswain Crimea 1854 - Paul Blaber Miniatures

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Nap

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Hi to all on PF ,

The Crimean period has many intersting and unusual uniforms and lots of characters , not only the Army served in the war but a big part was played by the Royal Navy , manning the guns both on ship and on land .

The Naval personnel itself were the recipients of many bravery awards including the VC (with a blue ribbon before it was changed) .

The sublect is an Other rank ..a boatswain a respected and senior member of the ships crew , our subject wears the distinctive sennet hat , this remained in use till approx 1920 .

Have alook at these pictures before I go onto the model .

Continued in next post:

Nap
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Lets look at the model itself now:

I ordered this and another from Paul early evening and received it 1 days later ...well packed and a very fast service .

Details of the model:

Subject : RN Boatswain Crimea 1854

Reference: PBB02

Scale : 1/9th

Material : Cream Resin

No of Parts : 6 (4 resein together with some lead foil for the hat ribbons and a rear view picture.)

Sculpting and Box Art: Paul Blaber




The model itself is packed in a stout cardboard box with a full colour picture of the painted version by Paul (this is a front view.matching u p with the rear view included inside)

All parts were packed in bags and surrounded by bubble wrap .... the parts consisting of : torso, head, hat, some lead foil and a rear picture.

Continued in next post:

Nap
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Looking now at the pieces in the box, firstly the main chunk of Resin the torso :

This has been sculpted with him wearing the sailors rig and distinctive collar and knot worn by these sailors .

Prep needed was the removal of some remnants from the casting process on the undersides ....I tried to find any casting lines and could find none on a super smooth surface .

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The jacket has really nice folds put in with the collar knot being particularly well done , good undercutting in all area's with the distinctive 3 white lines on the collar being sculptd on ..well done Paul ..a good aid to painting these .
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Lets have a look at the face now ......this is so so Victorian , the only prep needed was removal of casting plugs from the top of the head to allow correct fit of the hat , fit into the recessed area of the neck on the torso involved no filler being needed .

The facial features are great , nice detailing all over the face looks like its seen many a Baltic storm , his mutton chops or sideboard add that something special to the piece (Paul painted his as blonde)

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As you can see the face looks really good and will be both pleasure and a challenge to paint .

On now to the istinctive cap the Sennet , this is what makes this piece stand out the look of it is very good , there is a casting plug on the rim , this will need careful removal so as not to damage the thinner brim , there is a ribbon around the crown with a bow at the back ready for the ribbons to be attached using the foil provided (some might prefer to use sculpting putty to produce these) .

Note no ships name has been put on the ribbon allowing you as a painter to put your own name on it (just google ..lots there!!)

Fit onto the head is good minimal filler will be needed .

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Now to the supporting piece the base this is a nicely formed pedastal type of various levels , prep needed just involved removeal of 2 small casting plugs and a bit of sanding on the underside there is a lug to fit into the torso but for me I plan to remove this and pin the base to the bust for additional security .

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Finally my conclusion:

I like this subject , presentation is very good , with minimal prep work needed , at the end of it you will have a distinctive and interesting piece for the display cabinet ..having first had value for money (just look at Pauls website for prices ..very reasonable) and hours of enjoyment in producing the completed model .

I for one will be looking out for more from Paul and I thank him for his work and releasing this and the others in the range .

Here's Paul at work
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.......and here is a picture of the piece painted by the man himself :




Have a look at the website@ www.paulbalber1.moonfruit.com ...you will not regret it .

Nap
 
Hi Guys ,

Just thought I would bring to your attention some great books on the Royal Navy Uniforms al which give you loads of info on the Senior Service , the first is full of colour of totally original uniforms and clothing , the others are of course from Osprey ....again well up to their usual standards.

Nap



DRESSED TO KILL
British Naval Uniform, Masculinity and Contemporary Fashions 1748-1857
by Amy Miller




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9781855323346-th2.jpg




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Hi Dennis ,

Not a problem , glad you enjoyed the review ......my mate Jimbo has kindly done somethimg with the Staffordshire bust for me ...I will post this soon (y)

Nap
 
Great character face on him,I would like to see this one converted into shore party dress & kit, there's an idea for you Kev, great review mate.
Cheers
Jim
 
Great character face on him,I would like to see this one converted into shore party dress & kit, there's an idea for you Kev, great review mate.
Cheers
Jim


Cheers Jim .........shore party dress & kit Mmmmmm ...with cutlass perhaps..what sort of equipt?

........."there's an idea for you" ....surely you mean you mate;):whistle:

Nap
 
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