Sunday, April 26, 2015

Series 77 Greek Hoplite

Here is another figure which my fellow Hawaiian expat, James (Kimo) had unpainted for a few decades. I picked it up yesterday when I dropped off the Poniatowski figure. Jim has mass quantities of unpainted lead - from 15mm to this 77mm (approx.) figure. It looked so cool sitting on the shelf that I told Jim I'd like to paint it up for him - to which he agreed. So here he is after simple block painting and staining with Minwax - and highlighted over a Testors Dullcote finish.
Series 77 was a leading military miniatures company back in the day. Although by today's standards, it lacks some of the more intricate details of modern sculpts - they have a charm all their own. The two-tier base was/is a trademark of the line. I'll let Jim finish the base - as well as adding the sword and scabbard which he couldn't find yesterday.
The helmet is of the type called (by modern-day historians) Chalcidian. It is similar in appearance to the fully enclosed Corinthian type, but with separate check pieces. The shield is the Boeotian type with cut-outs at each side.
The picture below shows the figure amongst a couple of 120mm resin figures, as well as a 100mm Spartan to which I added extra limb and groin armor; a 28mm 1st Corps Hoplite is also placed next to them for scale reference.

24 comments:

  1. Nice figure Dean - how nice is it to paint larger scale stuff? Provides a real challenge and a welcome change from 28mm - you can really go to town with your technique. Your shading in particular really stands out on the larger figures. Nice job indeed.
    Cheers, Doc

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mahalo, Doc! Appreciate the kind comments. These older metal ("lead") sculpts hold a nostalgia for me that makes them really enjoyable to paint. Aloha, Dean

      Delete
  2. Beautiful work Dean! There's really no where to hide on these larger figures, but you've certainly done it justice :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Paul. Appreciate your kind words. The painting is more for overall effect than precision. Warm regards, Dean

      Delete
  3. Very nice work! I especially like the muscle definition wrought by the stain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jonathan. I went over the stain with a bit of Vallejo ink wash to soften the darker stain. Also highlighted it, but the staining helped define the muscles. Regards, Dean

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Thank you very much; appreciate the visit and great comments. Best, Dean

      Delete
  5. Great painting on the hoplite Dean, I have a Series 77 Roman figure from back in the day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mike. A classic range - the Roman figures not the least. Best, Dean

      Delete
  6. A very impressive result just using block painting and minwax. The 77 range is really nice - imagine what this size of metal miniature would cost to produce/purchase today... No wonder many have shifted to resin for the large scales.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the great comment, Soren. Resins are nice, but the heft and mass of lead still impresses :) Regards, Dean

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. Thanks again, Christopher! Warm regards, Dean

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. Thank you, Phil. He was another nice break from wargaming figures, but I think I will turn my attention back to 28's right now. Best, Dean

      Delete
  9. Hi.
    Good work and a magnificent collection.
    Why Hoplite looks much "better" than the Roman soldier
    :)
    I like blue-white colors

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, MM! Lol! About the Roman Soldiers; it might be because they are so overly represented, including Hollywood versions. Warm Regards,

      Delete
  10. Wonderful job, these figs must be a nice change of pace.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jason. A nice diversion sometimes - especially when the figures have been around for too long unpainted or otherwise neglected. I just don't like seeing nice figures unpainted - even if they aren't mine :) Warm regards, Dean

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. Appreciate the visit and nice comment, Sam! Best, Dean

      Delete