Iron Man - Rudolf Berthold

[NigelR]

I'm back to focusing on figure painting and trying to relearn everything I've forgotten since I've been building aircraft models over the summer. Here's my take on the Aviattic "Tron Man" pairing that depict Rudolf Berthold being helped from his aircraft after one of his many crashes. The figures aren't on a base because I intend to put them in a diorama depicting Berthold's crash on October 10th 1917 - I'll be using a Roden kit for the battle-damaged Pfalz DIII he was likely flying that day. I'll have to apply some artistic licence because he was probably pulled unconscious from the plane, but this pair is full of action and will look great in a small diorama.

As they are not on a base, I posed them in front of a picture of a crashed DVII replica that was in Berthold's colours. They are painted in acrylics with oils used for Berthold's jacket and boots.

[DaddyO]

Fabulous Nigel, can't wait to see them in the finished diorama 

It's possibly the angles of the photos, but Rudy's left eye appears to have a very slight droop so you might want to adjust the lower lid slightly.

Have a great Christmas
P

[macsporran]

Words fail me.
Wish I could manage something like that, I'd be very proud!
Sandy

[NigelR]

Fabulous Nigel, can't wait to see them in the finished diorama 

It's possibly the angles of the photos, but Rudy's left eye appears to have a very slight droop so you might want to adjust the lower lid slightly.

Have a great Christmas

Thanks very much Paul. Still lots of areas for improvement but I am learning with every figure I paint. I agree, in the photos Berthold's left eye is a little off. It's a combination of the way I painted the eye and the sculpt. It's not really noticeable on the figure unless you look at it closely head on, so I think I will leave it for now as I don't want to risk buggering it up! I will see how it looks in situ in the diorama....

Happy Christmas to you as well 

Words fail me.
Wish I could manage something like that, I'd be very proud!

Thanks very much Sandy, I appreciate that.

[gedmundson]

Really impressive work here, Nigel. Your use of oil paints on the pilot's jacket & boots worked well too - I like the effect it made and great to see different mediums in play to achieve a great result. I saw you're planning the Pfalz D.III for the eventual display, and are using a Roden kit. You're all out of WnW Pfalz D.III's?
Cheers,
Gary

[NigelR]

Really impressive work here, Nigel. Your use of oil paints on the pilot's jacket & boots worked well too - I like the effect it made and great to see different mediums in play to achieve a great result. I saw you're planning the Pfalz D.III for the eventual display, and are using a Roden kit. You're all out of WnW Pfalz D.III's?

Thanks Gary, I've experimented with doing leather in different ways but always come back to oils because on the natural richness of the colours and the slight sheen they leave. The jacket was underpainted with yellow acrylic, a trick I picked up from Mike Butler's book.

I'm using the Roden kit because I am a rivet counter. It's not certain what plane Berthold was flying when he was shot down on October 1917, but it was either an Albatros or a Pfalz DIII, and most recent commentators think it was the Pfalz. Although Berthold also had a Pfalz DIIIa, it was likely he got this machine when he came back to active service after recovering from this wound, so the Roden kit it is (theirs is a DIII, WNW is a DIIIa....) 

[gedmundson]

Although Berthold also had a Pfalz DIIIa, it was likely he got this machine when he came back to active service after recovering from this wound, so the Roden kit it is (theirs is a DIII, WNW is a DIIIa....) 

Ah yes - different versions of course! And well done on your research - it's those elusive bits of history that keeps us checking & re-checking various documents. Looking forward to seeing your build on the Pfalz.
Cheers,
Gary

[Dirigible-Al]

Excellent job Nigel.