Hi to everyone ,

We have all some knowledge the knight .... the equivalent of a modern day battle tank in the early part of 11th century .....one of the most famous and well known was a group called the Teutonic Order and this is the subject of a recent release from the Korean company Nutsplanet .

This is what I will be sharing with you in this review ...a TEUTONIC KNGHT .



Let us have a bit of background to this order of knights who still are in existance today:

Some forty knights were received into the new Order at its foundation by the King of Jerusalem and Frederick of Swabia, who selected their first Master in the name of the Pope and Emperor. The knights of the new confraternity had to be of German birth (although this rule was occasionally relaxed), a unique requirement among the Crusader Orders founded in the Holy Land. They were drawn predominately from the noble or knightly class, although this latter obligation was not formally incorporated into the rule until much later. Their blue mantle, charged with a black cross, was worn over a white tunic, a uniform recognized by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and confirmed by the Pope in 1211. The waves of German knights and pilgrims who followed the Third Crusade brought considerable wealth to the new German Hospital as well as recruits. This enabled the knights to acquire the Lordship of Joscelin and, soon thereafter they built the castle of Montfort (lost in 1271), the rival of the great hospitaller fortress of Krak des Chevaliers. Never as numerous in the Holy Land as either the Hospitaller or Templar Orders, the Teutonic knights were nonetheless a formidable power.

The knights were divided into two classes, knights and priests, the former being obliged to take the triple monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as well as promise to aid the sick and fight the Infidel.




The knights lived communally, sleeping in dormitories on simple beds, eating together in a refectory, the fare modest and no more than was sufficient. Their clothes and armor were likewise simple but practical and their daily duties included training for battle, maintaining their equipment and working with their horses.



Armour was of course vital and this often included great helmed headwear and chainmail and with the image of white emblazoned with insignia the order was distinctive in appearance.




The Order carried on under various leaders and is in existance even now as a result of :

It being formally revived back into a Chivalric Order of Knighthoood, thus making a seperate Chivalric Arm of the Teutonic Order from the present Clerical Papal Arm of the Order in Rome, By His Imperial and Royal Highness Prince Karl Friedrich of Germany, on Christmas Day in the year of Our Lord 2001, by Imperial Decree. His Imperial Highness, assumed the Grand Mastership of The Imperial Teutonic Order - Deutscher Orden, on the 1st day of Janaury, 2002, thus becoming the 60th Chivalric Hoch-undDeutschmeister of Teutonic Order of Saint Marys Hospital in Jerusalem - Deutscher Orden.


Books are available and make good reading and of course reference material .



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Before we open the box lets have the model details:

Title: Teutonic Knight

Reference:NP-B 006

Scale: 1/10th

Material: Resin

No of parts: 6

Sculptor: Jun-Sik Ahn

Box Art: Myeong-Ha Hwang

Nutsplanet have proven from their previous releases that presentation is part of their remit with quality in this area vital to make sure the cusomer enjoys the purchase ...and this trend continues with ease in this release , boxed up in the distinctie blue strog cardbard box with the parts safely sandwiched between sponge foam layers , filling the box to the top allowing no movement so no damage....on the box top and side we have full colour repoducions of the great box art ...stunning painting and just goes to show the quality from Nutsplanet ...all very inspirational stuff.

Parts includes are the main torso (less head) , 2 head options ( one bareheaded the othe on the helmet) , the 2 helmet side pieces and a base.

Removal of casting plugs will be needed from underneath the torso and bare head version and from the top of the helmet , the 2 helmet pieces have excess resin to be taken off from the lower edge and a tiny plug from the top end , the base needs cleaning up around the lower edges ...all well within the capability of the modeller but be careful of any sharp knives!!!

If you choose the helmet the the wings will need fitting ..I suggest pinning , like wise with the base if you choose to use this .

Lets start with the larger of the pieces the torso our knight is depicted wearing a surtout under which he has chainmail , around his shoulders we see a mantle of animal fur over a cloak, at his neck we have a crucifx .

Sculpting of the clothing is very natural and the folds seem to flow so well , there is no design on the surtout allowing the modeller to paint as he chooses ..either plain or with a motif (see the box art).

Jun-Sik sculpting of the chainmail is IMO nothing short of an amazing representation (as in the previous Knight of Heavan release) , to us mere mortals I am gobsmacked at the amount of fine details included in this area all will benefit by careful painting , on his sleeves we see armour plate overlapping lovely undercuts throughout .

His cloak flows out from under the shoulder fur , it looks like the wind is catching it , this is particularly noticeable at the back ...with the casting bring out this and other details in a fine way .

The shoulder covering is yet again another area full of great sculpting and textures , plenty of chance to get the washes and drybrushing techniques going , this is held on the body by a chain , 2 rows of well worked links , at the end we see 2 clasps ..the details on these are brilliant ...crying out for the brush.

On now to the head we are given the option of 2 lets look at the helmet first ...the thing that instantly leaps out are the eyes that have been sculpted into it ...I ask myself how did they do it ...the answer ..pure skill both in sculpting , concept and ofcourse the casting ....careful painting will be needed naturally but what a fine piece of work the end result will be .

The helmet has 2 pieces that will need to be fitted into the recesses ....pin them for safety ...the result will be a eye opener and very impessive indeed, the actual helmet is another area of fine work with a cross being seen on the centre , really good definition with air vents on either side ......fit into the neck recess is excellent and really brings the piece to life ..imposing in Resin so who knows what it was like to be on the receiving end of these knights in battle.

We have the option of a bareheaded version as well ..the decision will be very hard ..for me it will be the helmet (after my cogs in my brain moving around!!!) but the bareheaded sculpt is awesome , at his neck we have the rolled down coif , again lovely work on the mail and undercuts .

He looks to his right , square jawed with strong features , mouth tightly together proud nose , eyes beautifully done , his left ear peeks out from under his flowing locks of hair ...the hair is an incredible part full of movement , blowing across his left cheek and with the right side away from the face ....this fellow is a good looking(bit like your reviewer!!!) , with a stubble growth being worked and very effective this is when painted ...

If you choose not to use the bare head the might I suggest you fill the underside in and paint it up a separate piece ..that's what I plan to do ...so in effect you have 2 busts for the price of 1 ....you could of course do the same with the helmet version as well and use the bare head.

Continued in next post:

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On now to the final parts :

Now to the 2 helmet sides , nicely worked , totally smooth , the structure is great with each segment forming the sides along the edges of the horns.....pin these in ..the end result will be amazing ...If you are so inclined you could also just have the actual horns by carefully taking off the sides.

Now to the base ...a pedastal type as before ..again pinning is recommended , surface is nice and smooth

Final thoughts:

What can I say except yet again another AWESOME piece of work , brilliant sculpting with matching casting , very high quality presentation ...Nutsplanet have again proved themselves to be at the in the top 10 with this release ....we all expect the best for our hard earned money and that is what you get with these releases ...THE BEST .

Very highly Recommended

For more details on this and other products in their range (not just busts either..something for everyone) visit the website at :

www.nutsplanet.com

or F/B at www.facebook.com/nutsplanet

Thanks to Nutsplanet for the model for review and ...

of course to you dear members for looking in

Hi guys ,

Thanks for the comments ,.......

.. as to why the Bruce Quarrie simply because it might be of interest in the fact that the image of these warrior spilled over in the divisions mindset ...nothing else ...and it's also a very interesting book IMO.


Kurt Russell ?..Mmmmm yes suppose it does a bit but what's great sculpt anyway ....another potential use for the head if not used.

Nap
Nap

Hi guys,

No problem thanks for the responses.

Rikardo,
Good to have you with us WELCOME to PF ...looking forward to seeing your work

Nap