Wednesday 18 January 2017

Tintin Two!

Introduction

It wasn't so long ago that I finally made a start on collecting some figures for a Tintin league, probably for use with the Pulp Alley rules:
At the time of the latter, I bemoaned the fact that 1st Corps had hinted they would release some "not Tintin" figures in the near future - just after I'd gone to a certain amount of effort to find a suitable figure to represent Captain Haddock!  Well, for completeness (and because they have produced a lovely model of Professor Calculus) I just had to have some...

1st Corps Nosey Youth and Companions


For the very reasonable price of £5 (plus postage, of course), 1st Corps now produce this set of 4 models.  I'm not going to pretend: they do look a great deal like Professor Calculus, Captain Haddock, Tintin and Snowy to me.  However, they are listed in the catalogue as "nosey youth and companions", so if you want to find them then search for that instead.



I'm not very familiar with 1st Corps as a manufacturer and so I have no idea if these are representative of their sculpts or not.  Overall, I'd rate this set as "good" rather than "excellent", I think.
  • Professor Calculus: This is easily my favourite figure from this batch.  He has a goatee & glasses and is wearing his trademark coat and hat.  One hand is holding an umbrella and the other is reaching for his fob watch; quite the absent-minded academic!  If I had any criticism at all, I'd say that I always thought of the professor as a rather small man, whereas this miniature is of average height.
  • Captain Haddock: A perfectly acceptable figure; the captain is slouched and listless with his recognisable large, flat nose and slightly shapeless clothing.  Possibly the trousers have too sharp a crease for the not-exactly-elegant Haddock, but that's a bit nit-picking, really.  I'd have preferred the model to be carrying a bottle rather than a gun, mind.
  • Tintin: Of the three humans, I think that this is the least successful sculpt.  Whilst it's immediately identifiable as the boy reporter, the head is a bit too much egg-shaped for my taste.  Also, Tintin's ears are overlarge and his eyes too high to be believable.  Mind you, I'll still use the figure; he's good enough for my games!
  • Snowy: Finally, we come to the dog.  Snowy is a Fox Terrier; this model is usable as such, but it isn't brilliant.  In fact, it's a bit of a blob.  I'll use it anyway - I'm not over-fussy - but purists might seek elsewhere.

Conclusion

For the record, here are the earlier figures that I painted:


This previous Tintin is from Copplestone Castings (now sold through North Star) and my Captain Haddock is a converted fisherman from Black Cat Bases.


So, now I really need Thomson and Thompson - but models of bowler-hatted, moustached city gents seem very hard to find...

29 comments:

  1. Wonderful! What a great set and beautifully painted.

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    1. Thanks, Michael. I don't think they're the greatest figures ever sculpted and I don't think this is my best painting ever, but they're good enough!

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  2. Given that these figures are based on characters from a cartoon book I have no problem with how they look. Tintin, in particular, looks like he has stepped right from the books' pages.

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    1. Well, being cartoon characters gives them a certain leeway, I agree. Still, I prefer the Copplestone boy detective to the 1st Corps one, I think.

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  3. They look great. For Thomson and Thomson, could you sculpt moustaches on some of the many not-John Steeds that are knocking around?

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    1. Perhaps I could, Kieron. Although I'm hoping that 1st Corps will find these miniatures successful enough to warrant producing another set of figures for the same genre :-) .

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  4. I must admit C6 I prefer your earlier versions but they still look the part

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    1. I'm not sure about Captain Haddock. The newer, 1st Corps figure is a better representation of the cartoon character than my converted fisherman, but not such a good miniature overall (if you understand what I mean).

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    1. Thanks, Herbert. They're certainly going to be useful models!

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    1. Well, I think that "stunning" is going a bit far for my paintwork :-) . It's competent rather than superb, I believe.

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  7. I think i prefer the Copplestone not-Tintin sculpt, but think your Captain Haddock is easily equal to 1st Corps one.
    Kieron beat me to it with the 'Steed' suggestion, as Artizan Designs, Crooked Dice and Nexus Miniatures all do one, although they are carrying umbrellas rather than canes. Of the three, only Crooked Dice's is available separately and this would probably be the least easy to convert, due to how he's holding his brolly.
    Might be worth looking at Heroclix singles, as some of the civilians might be easier to convert - adding a bowler hat and cane to a suited Tony Stark might work - and would work out as a cheaper alternative.

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    1. Kind of you to say that about my Captain, CC.
      Canes/walking sticks are very easy to scratch-build, so all I really need are a couple of gentlemen in suits - preferably *not* in a highly-animated, action pose!

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  8. All immediately identifiable andgreat sculpts, though as you imply, Tin-Tin is probably the weakest of the four.

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    1. My feelings exactly, Joe. They're entirely useable, but Tintin just isn't quite right.

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  9. That is a nosey youth all right! While I was never a Tin Tin Fan. (I was encouraged to read it for French at school and I was of course rubbish, turns out I am dyslexic so reading in a forign language is more than doubly hard!)

    That life scars aside they do look good and for the price I am almost tempted to get them myself!!

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    1. Sorry if I reopened old wounds, Clint :-) ! If you're looking for classic Pulp adventurers with a slightly less frantic style than Indiana Jones then you couldn't go far wrong with Tintin.

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  10. Nice painting and review!
    I actually think that Calculus/Tournesol is holding his beloved pendulum, rather than a watch, in his left hand, btw.

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    1. Ah, I think you're right: Calculus did have a pendulum for dowsing, didn't he? My mistake in describing him, but it doesn't detract from the model.

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  11. More Tin Tin goodness, Hugh, and I like the comparison piccies at the bottom of the posting. Great review of the minis too :-)

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    1. I'm just hoping that 1st Corps produces more in this vein; I'd buy them in a flash!

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  12. Nicely done , I like them .

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    1. Thanks, Dave. They're perfectly serviceable miniatures, if not exquisite ones.

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  13. Fantastic - I would love to see the twins too, as I can not good at modding figures.

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    1. Ah, we can hope, can't we? The more interest that people show in this range, the better the chances that 1st Corps (or someone else) will produce these figures, I think.

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  14. Great Tintin miniature work! Really nice.

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