As mentioned elsewhere on this forum, i have enrolled in a 'Modelling in a Day Workshop' for people wishing to improve their Figure Face Painting skills. Now i am the first to admit, my current level is zero, so any improvements will be welcome . Probably a bit harsh, but it's something i've never really done before. Soooo...I decided to do a little research into what i wanted to achieve.

My thoughts ran along the lines of ' well, i need a strong male and female face to work with as a starting point', and this led me to today's topic, Young Miniatures 'The Viking' 1/10 scale resin bust. I also bought Life Miniatures 'The Queen' as the female face, but will go into that in greater detail in a separate post.

So, first impressions of The Viking?
Well i think we would all agree that the box art is stunning! Even in black and white it creates a stunning image. Opening the box presents us with a well packaged product, and our first glimpse of what the miniature could look like once painted. The double sided card, with images painted by Kirill Kanaev, shows amazing attention to detail.

Once the kit is out of the box, you can see just how detailed this resin casting is! Starting with the head, the hair and beard are truly detailed ( i really hope it shows thru on the photos). The other facial features are just as impressive. The two rings in the ear, furrowed brow, and facial musculature and scarring stand out.

The cape on the torso takes this to another level! The fine detail in the fur is very evident. The necklace is a well detailed touch that adds extra interest, as well as the definition of the chest muscles.

The hand that grips the sword even has evidence of veining

Overall, this is an impressive resin casting, that shows the skill of the original artist and their methods of reproduction. Being as there are only 7 pieces to assemble, the lack of instructions is understandable, as the box art shows how the figure should look.

So, my opinion? Gets a 10 from me and i am looking forward to seeing what i can learn on the course and put into practice on this miniature! These aren't cheap (this one was £45 + p&p), but money well spent if you ask me. And if i make a hash of the painting? Well i can always re-primer it and start again

Thanks for the advice Del, I’ll certainly have a look at those brushes
As a complete novice with this type, I’ll gladly take any advice or tips given.

Cheers Gray

This miniature painting lark is actually quite interesting once you start delving into it! Some of the resin casts are truly outstanding.

That large military figure sounds interesting too Mark. Can't wait to see you start on that (having seen your dioramas I know you'll make a grand job of it).

I'd better start saving up for some decent brushes then