Hi Guys ,
Despite being in the total chaos of moving house , I am delighted to still be able to review (at least till we loose the internet next week!!) .

This time we have one of the early releases from Linjo Models , the subject :Varangian Guard.

What I enjoy about reviewing is also the chance to research the subject so lets have a the traditional history notes first and then move onto the model itself .

Who were the Varangians .....well the Byzantine Empire employed mercenaries throughout its long history. Perhaps the most famous of these mercenary units were the elite Varangian Guard. Armed with double edged swords and battleaxes, these fearsome Nordic warriors served as the Emperor’s personal bodyguard from the tenth century onwards.

The term ‘Varangian’ comes from an old Norse word meaning ‘plighted faith’ and was given to those Russianised Vikings whose forefathers had sailed across the Baltic and up the rivers of northern Russia, dominating the slav tribes of the interior as they advanced. They first appeared in Constantinople as a fighting unit sometime in 989 AD for the emperor Basil II.

The Emperors sister , one Anna Komnena writing in ‘the Alexiad’ claimed that the Guard were far more reliable and trustworthy as bodyguards than native Byzantine troops saying :

“They regard loyalty to the Emperors and the protection of their persons as a family tradition, a kind of sacred trust and inheritance handed down from generation to generation; this allegiance they preserve inviolate and never brook the slightest hint of betrayal”


Pay was considerable higher than the average mercenary soldier,they seem to have received as much as ten to fifteen nomismata per month (one and two-thirds to two and a half pounds of gold per annum) as well as special gratuities and a large share of the booty taken on campaigns.

One of the most famous senior commanderes was Harold Sigurthorson (also known as Hardrada), given the title of ‘Spathorokandidates’ he died at Stanford Bridge in 1066 leading an invasion of England.

In modern times the Varangian has been the subject of a book by Rosemary Sutcliff called Blood Fued published in 1976, together with
music albums and several games for PC users all of these emphasise the fightig qualitys of the Varangian which are also today displayed by reenactors.

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Hi to one and all,

In my last post I mentioned reenactors , thought I would share some pictures , as you can see they display as authentic as possible equiptment ..all great reference.

The 1st picture shows a guardsman wearing ringmail, a mail coif and splint limb armour, and apart from his longshafted Danish axe is armed with a sword and a knife.

The 2nd shows the Varangian protecting his head with a mail coif and helmet. This spangenhelm has a very large decorated nasal with “eyebrows” and is obviously of northern origin, but similar helmets of Byzantine make would also have been widely worn. Pictorial sources also show ringmail worn under a smaller corselet of scale or lamellar armour. Note the fixing of the swordbelt passing over the right shoulder, as the Varangians usually wore it. Apart from Scandinavian swords they also used single-edged weapons from Byzantine armouries.

The 3rd shows the leg protection because of the weight, the mail corselets of the Byzantine army were usually relatively short with elbow-length sleeves. They were therefore combined with steel vambraces and greaves, by both Byzantine troops and the Varangians. The greaves illustrated are made from steel strips or “splints”; they are bent at the top and bottom to allow easier movement, and for a better fit the maker has used two different widths of strip.

The 4th shows the arm vambraces are of the same splint construction as the greaves; note strips of different length, the longer ones running up the outside. The sword belt supports the leather- covered wooden scabbard on the left hip, with the waist belt passing over it to keep it steady. The small leather pouch to the right of the scabbard might typically contain a pair of scissors to cut the beard and hair; a knife also hangs from the belt.

The 5th shows a rear view showing the fastening of the greaves, the leather mounting straps being buckled behind the calf. Under his ringmail he wears a thick woollen tunic with triangular gussets for additional width. To carry his personal belongings he has a pouch fastened with a horn toggle slung from his belt; it might carry flint, steel and tinder as well as a spoon and a cup.

And finally a couple of other reenactors !!!!

Sorry guys couldn't resist sharing these !!!

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Now then lets get down to the review model :

As stated the subject is a Varangian Guard product details as shown:

Subject Title: Varangian Guard

Scale : 200mm

Material : Resin

Reference Number : LJ 200002

Sculptor : Chunmei Zhou

Box Art : Hongwei Qin

As I said this was only Linjo's 2nd release , but it was a great subject to choose , it came packed the review model was packed in the standard used strong cardboard box ,a distinctive black with a full colour picture on the front of a painted model , colour representation being very clear even on the early boxes showing us that quality matters with this company , the box art also gives the modeller some suggestion for painting .

On opening the box up I found that all the box consisted of 9 pieces (cast in a cream resin) which is safely kept in place by pieces of thick foam ...good protection against the ravages of the shipping companys !!!

The pieces consist of the head(in helmet , the torsp , the right arm , the shiled, sword blade, nasal bar and helmet front piece(these 3 in a separate bag) , together with the small base and also a resin nameplate (this is the only model I have seen with this)

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Starting off with the Torso first :

Sculpted wearing chainmail with a chest plate depicting the Byzantine Cross as depicted in Rune stones (see picture) held in place with leather straps , over his shoulders he has a fur cloak , under the chestplate he has lamenellar armour ., there is also another strap going across the body .

Sculpting is clean and crisp , particularly the fur , beautifully represented , the ties linking the armour plates together are extremely well done with the mail being shown in a fine detail , undercuts are very well cast , a credit to both the sculpting and casting processes.

There is a casting plug to remove from the left side but as usual easily done with snips and sanding blocks , also present are 2 locating holes for the shield .

The pose is one of the right shoulder being raised ....more on this later .

Let the pictures do the talking I say :


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Looking at the head next :

In one word "brilliant" , wearing a helmet less nasal bar and helmet front piece (allowing the painting of the face with no concerns) under this he wears mail , as with the torso sculpting is spot on , good and sharp all the was , there is a casting plug to remove at the back .

Once this is remove the headpiece fits snugly into the torso with no visible ned for any filler on my review model .

The face is something else ..full of character and agression , detailing of the eyes are very good but what is the icing on the cakes is the flowing beard ..wonderfully sculpted ....for me this calls for special consideration for painting , washes and drybrushing to bring out all the fine detals.

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Now lets look at the arm and the fitment of this together with the resulting pose :

The arm is nicely sculpted , the folds are well shown , making painting easier , there is a casting plug to remove from under tha arm but as before no worries on that score .

The hand has been sculpted wearing a heavy leather gauntlet , detailing on the hands which are gripping the sword handle are very good (it looks like he is actually holding the sword)

On the end there is a small lug that fits in to the shoulder piece (I personally will be putting a pin in mine) , fit is very good indeed with minimal filler being needed .

The pose is one of a raised arm with the sword in a striking move to the front , I like the idea but for me it doen't work as well as it could , it might be the angle but in some views it looks contrived and a little unnatural (IMO I hasten to add) .

When I come to do this bust I will probably be tempted to leave the arm off and rework the lower shoulder ..but its my review thoughts as I said the pose seems a little unnatural but it is adventurous and I salute Linjo for this , obviously everyone has their own thoughts on this but if you do keep the arm you will have a great display pose .

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It time to open the little bag up and look at the shield , inside this bag is the :

Nasal bar , the helmet front piece , and the sword , looking first at the helmet pieces :

Both are nicely done but be careful when removing the casting plug on the nasal bar and make sure the carpet muncher doesn't get hold of it ..its small !!! The helmet piece also has a plug to remove , carefully now with the saw and sanding blocks ..lots of very fine details on this piece .

Once the plugs are remove fit is very good with a minimal amount of filler being needed (be careful though on that fleshwork you have worked so hard to achieve!!!)

The sword blade is nicely shaped and not warped in the review model ...if yours is slightly off center and needs straightning a quick dip in very hot water (careful now) will sort this out . A casting plug needs to be removed and although there is a locating lug I would definately recommend drilling and pinning this .

Moving on to the shield , this is a very small half moon which has been sized to run with the lower edge of the bust , the front is plain with a nice wooden plank design sculpted on the back , 2 lugs are provided on the back and when the small castingplug is removed and its fitted absolutely no gaps could be seen .

As I said this is a small piece and I am sure that some would want to discard this and replace with a larger piece to allow a design to be painted on , adding more interest to the shield area

An idea I would think about is replace the shield with a larger one and also the sword with a axe (after a bit of rework on the arm or maybe put it at the back)


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Finally the 2 pieces left the base and the nameplate :

As with all of Linjo models the base is a small pedestal type , I would suggest pinning this if you use it or just replace it with a turned brass rod .

The nameplate is something I like the idea of (although I have not seen this on any after this release) . simply a resin plate with the subject name on it (in Chinese and English) , there is a small amount of excess to remove , the idea is a good one and one I would like to see continued giving the modlelr an opportunity to use he piece ..perhaps in a finely ebgrave metal sheet (as in the Seil busts)

how would I paint this .....

Chaos Black base from GW followed by Tin Bitz , followed by Burnt Umber washes , then drybrushing with a gold ..finally Satin Varnish ..just an idea if you use this .

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Final thoughts from your scribe:

This was only the 2nd one released by Linjo and even then it showed quality and thought for the customer both in subject and presentation .

The concern with the arm is my opinion and if used will not detract from the finished model which when painted will produce a fine display piece.

I would have preferred a larger shield piece but this is easily reworked if you so wish .

A really good release from Linjo , well researched and produced , well presented providing a quality model at a quality price for which you get some of the best sculpting and casting seen for a long while .

Thanks to Linjo for the review model , this is one I would recommend to all.

The different areas, the flesh (what a beard!!) the chainmail (drybrushing to the front) , the chest plate , the leather straps , all giving the modeller hours of enjoyment from the time the box is opened to displaying in the cabinet .

In the UK it can be got from El Greco of course at a cost of £30 plus shipping

Note El Greco are the sole distributor in UK

Phone: +44 (0)1280 840364

Email: info@elgrecominiatures.co.uk

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


or direct via the Linjo website at www.linjomodels.com or contact them by e mail at linjomodles@sina.com


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Hi John ,
Thanks for the comments , house in total chaos ..modelling table now no more ...internet holding on !!!

Off to pack some books !!!!

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Hi Guys ,
William and Ron , as always its good to get feedback good or bad as it means I can hopefully improve !!!

Ron,
Another one to the list ...good man ...never have too short a list ..have you any of Linjo stuff as WIP ?


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