Hi to one and all

As I said in my last look at a RP release ...Hugo and the team have been busy ....this time we are off to a battle famous for the main combatants.....George Custer being one ......he had several friendly Indian Scouts working with his troops including the subject of this release .

Announced by Hugo here : https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/us-cavalry-indian-scout-curley.665212/

I will do the actual 1/12th bust first then show the additional pieces included to make a full figure in both 120 and 75mm

Being a 3D sculpt the items in the bust have been scaled down accordingly and are all exactly the same but of course smaller .....but no difference in the quality or details seen on the bust

A little about Curley ( sometimes spelt without the “e” ), he was from Crow race and his Indian name was
Ashishidhe .
He’s said to be the only survivor of the actual battle of Little Big Horn but it’s said he denied actually seeing the fighting ......a man of mystery , perhaps the truth is lost in the sands of time .

Indian Scouts were tough fighters , often wearing a mix of both Indian and US Army clothing , not keen on discipline with their loyalty in doubt at times

Some good books to read up on




References used by the sculpting team @ RP

Reference used by the sculpting team @ RP







Cavalry Guidons , the first being Custer’s HQ , the second the US flag



The Little Big Horn ....artists impression

Continued in next post

Nap

Onto the actual resin

Details of release

Title: US Cavalry Indian Scout “ Curley”

Reference: RP-06-B-0001

Scale: 1/12th

Material: Dark Gray Resin

No of parts: 11 plus information insert

Sculptor: 3D

Casting : (In House using the latest Hi Tech Printers)

Box Art: N/A

Note: As with previous release this is a limited run of 150 worldwide
All stock is with RP partners only with UK stockists being SK MINIATURES and EL GRECO Miniatures
Non UK suppliers include include BERLINZINFIGURE, WENDY's and many more

As with all RP releases in a stout box the parts in resealable bags enclosed in bubble wrap , on top the information insert ( signed and numbered personally by Hugo )

Curley is depicted holding a guidon in his right hand hanging over the shoulder with a rifle pushed through his belt

Parts on the bust consist of full torso & head , 2 arms, guidon , lower post of guideon pole in a hand , hat, feather, rifle in 2 parts , holstered pistol and a sheathed fighting knife

When you want a figure in 75 or 120mm then in those boxes there are 2 additional pieces ...the legs and a base the others parts are the same as the bust

As with my previous review , prep is minimal to say the least , suggest you dryfit before committing

Let’s look at the torso ....

The largest of the 3 D pieces , Curley wear a jkt , collar standing up and unbuttoned and opened centrally to reveal a well defined and muscled body , at the neck some nicely formed beads

At the waist there’s a US belt with good details on the plate sharply worked , the belt pulling away due to a weapon being fitted through, the jkt buttons and button holes are well shown

The textures of the jkt and the leather belt look good with the right lower edges sprayed out , the left hangs down

On each side there are cutouts to fit the knife on his right and the holster on the left

The neck and facial features are good with nice muscle definition, the eyes are cleanly worked and full, the lips, nose and ears ( with earring on each ) are again well done ...painting will be a pleasure with this great profile

The hairstyle is long and cascades over the shoulders front and back like a waterfall , the strands are cleanly done and sitting naturally

At the shoulders we have a location area for each arm , dryfitting the review item showed a need for a slight use of putty on each ...but very minimal , possibly a primer might infilled enough ....a personal decision

On the head there is a substantial fitment piece the lower edges levelled out ...fit is excellent , on the underside there’s 2 holes from production methods , with space in between to drill a hole for a post to be used for display ...no base is included









The Arms ....

Both are showing the long sleeved , again we have tge texture of the rough material , on each there are rank stripes of a Cpl ...personally would have preferred them lower on arm but saying that they are well shown

The fitment at the shoulders ease into the torso nicely , at the cuff of the right a very clean opening to take the hand with the lower pole being held

The left arm has the hand sculpted on it sitting cleanly against the belt when in place , nice work on the cuff with the hand clenched , good finger work





Continued in next post

Nap

The final pieces and a look at the additional items with the figures .........


The hat is a good shaping as seen in references , the work on the texture is really good on the actual item with a band around showing a touch of wear on the edges , at the rear there’s a location hole for the feather

The underside has a well formed cut out to fit onto the head on torso ...this is a first class fit ...note the hat needs to have the cutout on the back right



The Guidon

This is sculpted with some movement , the folds and resulting material looks good when being in place it sits well

The actual surface has fine lines to guide the painter resulting in a version of the US guidon , glad to say these are not over done .....you could of course replace this version with your own in order to show the HQ guidon , either form your new shape or swipe some putty over the cast lines ...or sand back smooth

On the lower part of the post is a hole to fit the lower part

The finial is a sharp pointed spear style with the actual post showing wood effects nicely



The left hand grips the lower edge of the guidon post and looks like it actually is the fingers gripping tightly the thumb across , on the post the good wood effect continues

Fit to the guidon is very good and stays without a glue , you could also pin into place for further security



The Rifle comes in two parts and fits accurately both above and below the belt , details on the weapon are very well shown with the actual barrel being shaped 6 sided and is nicely drilled out , the loading mechanism is very close to the originals seen



The pistol again based on research and is a good shape, the surface is textured well with the securing strap in place , the US marking on the main holster shows up well, the pistol inside has a correct shaping with the trigger being seen ....you could almost take this out to fire !



Onto my favourite piece the knife , again based on originals , the actual knife is in the scabbard , with this being a finely worked item , patterned and beaded , at the edging there are flowing cords , again well done

The knife adds a lot of colour and interest depending on the pattern and style the painter chooses



To finish the bust parts off we have the hat feather , the detail on surface is good with the fit to the hat location enjoying its position



The additional pieces with the figures ( no matter what scale )

When purchasing either 75 or the 120mm versions , you get the same as the bust but plus the addition of a pair of legs ......

These are wearing textured trousers , showing good folds and creases especially where the knee bends , there’s a front abdominal covering with suitable creases , at the sides we have a line of cords on the edge of a stripe seen on cavalry trousers ...these cords are very well done , adding interest

Curley has acquired issue boots , these are well represented and wear creases look good , he wears spurs as well , these are something I feel might not be worn by a Indian ...but perhaps maybe !

The boots do as said look good but it might have been a idea to give him moccasins...my thoughts only ...would have added a bit more ‘indian’ , having said that the figure in boots looks good all painted up ....see below

The waist area has a cutout formed to take the torso with ease , with the left boot having a good sized post to fit to the base



The Base provided is a simple rounded piece , textured with a group of rocks that the right foot sits on



I mentioned a painted version of the figure this version was done by PF member PAULO.....ENJOY ......

For more details on RP releases contact via

sales@rpmodels.pt

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RPmodels

E mail: hpereira@rpmodels.pt

or you can contact Hugo via this site using PM

Enjoy whatever you paint

Happy benchtime

Nap

Thanks Smithy , not at the moment !

Nap

Superb review Kev, and some excellent references to go with it.

I bought the 120mm full-figure version of this piece off Steve Kirtley at Easingwold on Saturday and I've bookmarked this for when it hits the bench, so many thanks!

Specific to the 120mm version: My dry test fit revealed that the two halves of the guidon staff will definitely require gluing and/or pinning. I suspect that the larger scale of the bust makes for a more secure dry fit.

As an aside, do we know definitively whether or not Custer was wearing buckskins at the battle? I know that traditionally that's usually how he's been portrayed (in movies, art etc.) but sometimes we see depictions of him without, and you've posted one artwork with and one without! I suppose it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, just something I'd be interested to know. Maybe someone with detailed knowledge of the subject might know.

- Steve

All good here Hugo, thank you. I always look forward to your new releases. Always quality, and always something that's just a little bit different.

Hugging you back my friend!!

- Steve