Miniart 1/16 Spartan Hoplite

[Guest]

I've been very inspired by Dave W's excellent Athenian Hoplite build, so I thought I'd have another go at Miniart's Spartan as I don't currently have it in my collection.

Here's what you get in the box:



Miniart's three Greek figures are basically the same figure with a different second sprue in each. There are two shield decal options - I will use the lamda design, which the Spartans started using in the C5th bce, in time for Thermopylae.

Some reference:



I intend to follow the colour scheme in the above illustration, as the Spartans tended to be less ostentatious dressers than some of their contemporaries. For that reason I'm ditching the pesky cuirass skirts, which will also have the advantage of presenting a shorter and stockier figure:



I forget every time just how much work these kits take to build into a reasonable state for painting. There was quite a lot of flash, and the mould lines were very prominent in places, to the extent that they caused steps between parts to be joined - not good on a naked forearm or leg. I spent hours filling and sanding, especially the limbs, which need a perfectly smooth finish. I plan to have the helmet over his face, but that depends on how well it paints up given that a lot of filling was needed there also.

[Guest]

The head is finished:



I felt that the helmet turned out well enough to be worn over the face, though I'm not particularly thrilled with the finish. Hopefully this will be a 'sum of parts' figure, though it's never going to be brilliant - these figures turn out to have a lot of lumps and bumps on the detailed parts that only show up when painted, which is annoying.

[Steve Jones]

You do like a challenge Mr Day!! :smiling5: I hope this Miniart offering makes it to the end. The head gear looks very nice to me

[Guest]

Hi Steve.

I'm determined to finish this one.

[SteveH]

Morning Peter

Your metalwork is always top notch, the head was a little too ugly?

The arms and legs do seem to have seams in all the "wrong" places too!

The weather should be getting better?

The news is just getting more and more depressing!

All our social events have been cancelled as March is a massive birthday and anniversary month for us and family.

All delayed to celebrate at a 1/2 year mark in September, if its all settled by then?

The news seems to indicate perhaps not!

Have a good day with the body and stick to watching the planner and You Tube, its more fun!

regards

Steve H

[Jim R]

Hi Peter
I'm sure that with your skills this will cross the finish line.
Jim

[Guest]

Steve - The head on these Greeks is not too bad, but I really wanted the helmet down on this one. It's usually the case that the helmet is not up to standard and looks better pushed back.

The news is enough to get anyone down, so I have been getting in a little U-Tube therapy. Seems I've inadvertently created a play-list - Heavy Metal Kids, Humble Pie, Kevin Ayres, The Pretty Things, Family, Small Faces etc. What an old hippy I am!

Jim - Fingers crossed....

[Dave Ward]

Peter,
Spotify is my background! I've listened to stuff that I would never have dreamed of, ranging from Eminem to B-Tribe, as well as my usual favourites, Pink Floyd, OMD, Ultravox & P!nk. OK, with the free version you have to put up with ads, but I can handle that!
Dave

[Guest]

Good stuff Dave. I don't have music on when I work, just when I need cheering up in the evenings (or doing the ironing!).

[Guest]

I've managed to get quite a bit of this done today:



The cuirass and greaves were first given a coat of matt black, which was then sealed with matt varnish. I then dry-brushed on a couple of layers of Vallejo Bronze, then re-defined the shadows and lines with thinned German Camo Black/Brown. Finally, the highlights were picked out with Old Gold.

The flesh was kept relatively dark (for me) by avoiding adding any white and using pure Flat Flesh as the lightest colour. Red Leather and Black Red were mixed with the Flat Flesh for the darker tones.

[Guest]

Looking good Peter :smiling3:.

[Guest]

Cheers Ralph. It's turning out to be pretty enjoyable so far (not got to the shield yet!).

[Guest]

The next stage:



I've now painted and attached the sword and provided him with a sword belt. I also attached and painted the cuirass clasps - having sacrificed one to the carpet monster, I had to make a new one out of sprue, now fortunately hidden under the left arm. The base is a Verlinden plaster affair.

Next the shield and spear...

[Guest]

One finished Spartan:



The final session involved painting and attaching the shield and spear. Shields are always tricky as they have two sides that need equal attention, so it's a case of finishing one, protecting it, then working on the other.
I worked on the front first, making the little triangles out of paper, attaching them with Pritt, then painting them. I decided to use the alternative, more complicated decal, as I felt it was needed to add more interest and hopefully distract from the dodgy edge. The back was then painted in various shades of brown, then the cords added with painted, glue-soaked embroidery thread. Finally the tassels were added and painted.

An enjoyable build, though at times the poor fit and soft detail were a trial.

[Jim R]

Hi Peter

An enjoyable build, though at times the poor fit and soft detail were a trial.

Not only enjoyable but a fine finish. I like him a lot.
Jim