Neil-Andrythal
1/7th scale Cold Cast Resin kit from Newmanoid Models
Painted in 1998
This is another big model kit, and one that I bought at the Birmingham NEC Memorabilia show a years ago.
It’s made out of cold cast resin, and weighs about 5lbs ( 2.5 Kg ). I’d seen it advertised in an American modelling magazine, and from the black and white pictures, just had to have it.
I eventually managed to track it down, but it cost me £ 125.00.
It comes really well protected, as there are specially made polystyrene blocks in a large box with the shapes of the parts cut into the polystyrene to keep them separate and free of damage.
As with many Garage kits, this one had a few assembly problems, the main one being the way in which the sculptor has chosen to have the parts separated. He’s cut the arms mid-way through the bicep, and the joint is really difficult to hide.
It is the only problem with this kit, the fit of parts into each other is fine, and the casting and detailing of them is excellent.
I particularly like the detail on the large branch that he’s carrying, and the inclusion of a large groundwork base.
As he’s supposed to be a Neanderthal man, I thought I’d have mine trudging through some snow, part of the way through an ice age. Making the scene was a bit of a problem, as I’d not tried to render snow before.
In the old days, many years ago, I used to use sugar on the bases of GW models, adding this to layers of either varnish or paint ( acrylics don’t dissolve sugar ). The unpainted sugar, particularly on varnish looked a lot like snow. Also I can remember my Mum putting icing on Christmas cakes, and it looking a lot like snow too ( especially with a tiny Santa and a snowman made of plastic strategically placed on the top of the cake.
I thought that there might be possibilities with using a combination of these methods to make the snow.
Having painted the model, with a combination of Humbrol enamels through the airbrush, and oils in either thinned washes or painted on ( as in the base ) and then wiping off the excess, I began to add the snow.
I made up a really thick mixture of icing sugar, and then spooned this onto the base, being careful to make it droop and flow like semi melted snow. This took ages to dry in a warm room. Once it had hardened though, it looked like the form that snow would take, but didn’t sparkle in just the right way. To remedy this, I then painted it with some gloss varnish, and then sprinkled on some caster sugar.
Not bad for an off the wall experiment.
Finishing touches of icicles were added by gluing on stretched “Hot Glue” from a glue gun.
Final thoughts
It’s a very large model, possibly 1/7th scale, maybe a little larger, depending on how tall you think a Neanderthal Man was.
The casting is excellent, and although the joints between parts – particularly the arms – take some care in hiding, it’s well worth the effort.
I’ve taken this to a lot of shows to put on my displays over the years, and it always draws attention.
Granted the used of sugar on the base does need attention occasionally, as over time – a couple of years usually, the sugar takes on a brown cast.
I do wish that Newmanoid Models still produced kits, they’re so well sculpted and cast that I’d be interested in buying further offerings.
From what I can tell though is that the sculptor – Mark Newman - is tending to produce large, “one off” sculptures or short run “bronzes” that are for a high-end market.
A shame, because his garage kit offerings were superb, and whilst the expensive pieces he now produces are very, very attractive, they are out of the range of most modellers.
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