Roman Velite

by Adrian Hopwood Full gallery at the end of the Article Company – El Greco Price – £22.00 Scale – 1/12th scale Material –Resin Code – EGM-BU05 Sculpted by – Matt Grech Seems to me that there’s a few sculptors popping up all unannounced, and offering some super little pieces to tempt money out of your wallet or purse. This is one such, And where’s this Matt Grech fella appeared from ? Actually Matt is the same Matt, who - along with his wife Celine – own El Greco models. So does that mean I’m going to be nice with this review – well no, I’m going to be honest, because that’s what a reviewer should be, no matter how much he thinks of a sculptor as a friend. Having said that, it’s going to be easy too, because it’s a good sculpture. There’s a couple of things form a painters point of view that could be done to make things easier, but there’s nothing “wrong” with the offering. Roman Velites were a light infantry, with minimal if any armour, using speed and manoeuvrability to allow them to throw the several javelins they carried at enemy lines, then to possibly engage the foe with hand weapons once the thrown missiles had softened the opposing lines. This bust is a good example of one of the lightly clad warriors, sporting a helmet covered by a wolf pelt, the cheek-guards of the headgear being tied back to reveal more of the face. It’s nicely sculpted, with character in the face, and plenty of detail in the clothing to allow the painter to ad some interesting shadow and highlights. Criticisms……Hmmmm. From a sculptor / caster’s point of view, both have worked hard to get this model to the state it’s in so that the painter can do his stuff. Certainly getting a detailed lump of resin like this out of a mould in one piece speaks volumes of the mould-makers skill. However, I do think that with it being in one piece, and whilst that makes the item a lot cheaper for the modeller to buy, it does make it slightly more awkward to paint some of the areas, particularly the right side of the face and neck. Don’t get me wrong, adding paint in that area will not be impossible, just a bit more difficult than if the side of the wolf pelt had been cast as a separate part. It’s a small niggle, and to be honest I feel bad saying it, but a lot of painters will recognise this once they get the piece, and would question why I’d not mentioned it. There’s quite a few more busts in this range being released, all of which seem to be unusual subjects, although one or two ( and certainly in the case of this offering ) that will fit in with broader historical interests. Overall, this is a nice model, one that gives plenty of different textures for the modeller to render, and with enough character in pose to make it interesting to the observer once it’s painted up and either on a display stand or in a cabinet. Adrian. El Greco Miniatures 63 Glebe Drive Brackley NN13 7BX United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0)1280 840364 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Home Page: http://www.elgrecominiatures.co.uk