If you say "RP Models" to people in our miniature world most will either reply 1 of 2 things ......

"Detail & Textures"

or ....

"Dynamic and action packed"

Some might also say "Porta" after meeting Hugo at shows ...like the makers of the drink the owner Hugo Pereria is a man who is passionate about the end result .....

So its my pleasure to share my look at a release from 2017 which itself as a year was busy for Hugo t say the least , he attended and passed his military promotion and yet incredibly still released both busts and 75mm figures , the latter is what I will look with you ( the bust version will be later)

Its important to say Hugo does not sell his releases , having many trade outlets over the world but contacting him he will as many already know gives customer service above and beyond .

The release is this :




The release was announced by Hugo here and on social media

http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/75mm-viriatus-figure.112364/

Lets have a little bit of background on this maverick of the ancient world

Viriatus (also spelled Viriathus; known as Viriato in Portuguese and Spanish) (died 139 BC) was the most important leader of the Lusitanian people that resisted Roman expansion into the regions of western Hispania

Described as a shepherd who became a hunter, then a soldier, thus following the path of most young warriors, the iuventus, who devoted themselves to cattle raiding, hunting and war.

Viriatus was one of the few who escaped when Galba, the Roman consul, massacred the flos iuventutis, the flower of the young Lusitanian warriors, in 150 BC.



Two years after the massacre, in 148 BC, Viriatus became the leader of a Lusitanian army

Cassius Dio said of Viriatus:

"He carried on the war not for the sake of personal gain or power nor through anger, but for the sake of warlike deeds in themselves; hence he was accounted at once a lover of war and a master of war."

Rome knew that the Lusitanian resistance was largely due to Viriatus' leadership so Quintus Servilius Caepio bribed Audax, Ditalcus and Minurus, who had been sent by Viriatus as an embassy to establish peace.

These so called ambassadors returned to their camp and killed Viriatus while he was sleeping.

The writer Eutropius claims that when Viriatus' assassins asked Caepio for their payment he answered that "it was never pleasing to the Romans, that a general should be killed by his own soldiers.", or in another version more common in modern Portugal and Spain, "Rome does not pay traitors who kill their chief".

Quintus Servilius Caepio was refused his Triumph by the Senate.

After the death of Viriatus, the Lusitanians kept fighting under the leadership of Tautalus

Books are available here are a few;

Continued in next post

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Open the box time:

Details:

Title: Viriatus( Ancient World Series)

Reference: RPM-75-01-0002

Scale: 75mm

Material: Gray Resin

No of parts: 13

Sculptor: 3D

Casting YS Castings ( Yiannis )

Box Art: N/A

The parts were in good strong box with a new style box art , no box art as such but that does not matter in my opinion as the brand of RP is enough and of course we will see versions by painters at shows.



Nice to see that thanks said to Miguel Viconte and some other bloke !!! on the side for our research on the subject

The parts were in a clear bag with this in turn being wrapped in a bubble wrap bag , nice to see that the spear was stuck using tape to the underside of the base so no chance of damage ...must admit I thought the spear was missing !!!!!...but happy when I found it ...another example of RP's thought for the purchaser



Also included is information sheet with a background on the subject on one side , on the other the number of the release in the run .......and all are personally signed by the man himself ...Hugo .




.....Remember all RP releases are limited in number of castings so when they are gone they are gone , no additional castings will be produced.

Parts consist of Base, Spear ( underneath base) Main figure, 2 arms, head. shield, 2 swords, 1 dagger, cloak, 2 ends for the legging straps



Prep

Main figure...Remove heavy casting line from back of left leg, flashing between legs and on right foot

2 arms...Remove casting line on left arm , nothing on right and fit

Head...Slight casting line and a flat spot on top of head( sorted with putty) then fit

Shield..Nothing apart from fitting

2 swords and 1 dagger...Remove flashing and fit

Spear ( underneath base)...Nothing but be careful removing from under base!!

Cloak...Remove flashing at edges ( fit this before head)

2 ends for the legging straps ...Remove carefully from casting blocks and fit to rear of legs

Base... Remove spear !!! and then sand around edges

Note: on review piece the fit of figure to base was slightly off at the rear feet so remove the cast on location and pin is my suggestion)

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Let begin to look over the resin

In this part I will look at the main figure, arms and cloak

Main Figure

Having seen the bust the first thing I see is nothing but TEXTURES on the 75mm piece , obviously with the 3D this is possible , the clothing has the weave of the cloth making painting both challenging and interesting .

The clothing has really good folds with due to Hugo's meticulous desire to get it right are all in the right place in relation to the very action packed pose.

The pose is dynamic to say the least , this is not a figure full of fancy armour details as with RP's Hardrada bu still it has a very impressive look , legs astride the right at the rear slightly raised , the left pushing into the ground gripping with the upper torso slightly back in a throwing position



There are straps across the torso , nicely shown and defined well , around the waist there is a heavy belt with really good buckle details , the belt siting into the waist correctly .

The lower legs are covered/wrapped in fur and held in place by strapping ...nice textures on the fur and the straps all gripping into the legs itself,.

Moving slightly upwards we have the very muscular thighs , really good tone here ...research on the muscles was confirmed by Hugo ( well he is a doctor!!!)

Looking underneath and between the legs we see......he has "undergarments" on ...love it ...keeping those vitals warm in the mountains...lol







Arms

These are simple to fit into place with no putty required , the arms are both outstretched the right to the rear the left balancing the action to the front , both are well muscular in sculpting , the left has no hand as this is cast onto the spear , the fingers on the right are positioned just at the moment of throwing the spear with the fingers well shaped and positioned., both arms have the short sleeves



Cloak

This is a sheepskin or goat fur or maybe a wolf's, one thing for sure it kept him warm , the underside is smooth for the skin with the outer being a mass of detail and TEXTURES on the fur tufts , the cloak is billowing out at the rear in 3 sections , fit is easy but as said do so before the head is in place .

Again this is full of action in relation to the pose , adding a good focal point as well .





Continued in next post

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Onto the remaining pieces

Head

What to say except I thought I was looking at a larger scale ..the head is excellent , bearded , the features are very well done , the facial muscles scream at you with the action , his teeth are gripped together , great nose and eye work , but whats more impressive is the movement achieved of the hair ...blowing in the wind in relation to the action ...fit is simple and easy once the cloak is in place.

let the pictures show :





Shield

Circular as in the statue in the reference , made of wood , with the texture of the grain being very evident , nice circular central boss on the outside , on the inside we have the large hand grip with the straps cast on ready to fit to the 2 cutouts on the torso



Weapons

3 weapons are provided , a Roman Dagger or Pugio , a Celtic type sword and also an Iberian Falcata type , all show the diversity of weapons used , I am sure also Roman Gladius were put into use as well , needless to say the detail on these are very good .

There are additional fighting knives/blades on the scabbard of both swords with the Clet having the 2 rounded style pommel , the Iberian having a horse head , nicely done , the dagger is in aplain scabbard .

All fit well onto the figure .again adding more interest to the built figure



Note: Spear is on the underside of base and includes the left hand gripping it very tightly.... seconds away from the release into some poor enemy soldier.
Finger work is detailed and shows well with the spear itself being wel,shaped ...and not bent ( it is is a slight use of hot water or a hairdryer will sort it)



Strap ends

These confused me until I realised what they were ( not that it takes much eh!!) , they are held on thick casting blocks and are delicate so be careful removing , once fitted they add movement to the rear of the legs ( fit is into cutouts )




Base

This comes with the spear carefully sellotaped under so be aware !!!

This is a really good bit of basework , rocky and mountainous , elongated and the right size as well , it could be easily incorporated into a larger base perhaps with roman enemy .




Final Thoughts

So we have the 2nd release from RP in 75mm , a brave move as its not full of intricate armour but it has a real attraction in the simplicity of the pose and the story behind the figure release and the history of course.

Details are as expected very well done with the textures shining through on the materials , the fur and of course the muscle work , presentation is good with this being a labour of love and dedication ( due to Hugo's schedule in 2017) so I say WELL DONE

Recommended to all

Lets have a couple of pictures from RP



For more details contact:

www.rpmodels.pt

sales@rpmodels.pt

www.facebook.com/RPmodels

or you can contact Hugo via this site

Thank you for looking in on this little write up hope you found it of use and interest

Nap