TBLeague 1/6 Egyptian Gods line

[lordnastrond]

Okay so here are some 99% complete picture of my latest 1/6 Greek God collection:
Poseidon Pontomedon - 'Lord of the Waves', God of the Sea and Earthquakes

 

[lordnastrond]

So, as you can see I have done things a little different for Poseidon...
I was originally going to get normal flesh-toned bodies [probably Phicen TBH] and heads for Poseidon/Hades/Zeus - I bought a knock-off sculpt of Thor from Endgame for Zeus, and was thinking of buying a bearded Andrew Lincoln/Rick Grimes head for Poseidon and was on the lookout for a suitable head for Hades...
Then, I came across these really interesting 1/6 classical art statues by ACI where they make 1/6 bodies out of coloured plastic to resemble bronze [like this Poseidon] or marble/stone and give them heads/accessories to match classical statues like Rodin's Thinker or Michelangelo's David.

I thought instantly that these would be a fantastic direction to take these Greek God figures in, I loved the idea of these Gods being something like living statues come to life, as a way to represent them as other than human and divine, as opposed to the more typical depictions which just makes them super-hot humans.....
There were a couple of problems however - 1: ACI has not done any female figures in this range which would make Athena stand out and not match the rest of the line; 2: There were only 4 male figures and I intend to do at least 5 male gods - Ares, Poseidon, Zeus, Hades and Apollo.....
But then I thought about it and I thought I couldn't let these strange and unique pieces slip me by and I REALLY liked the idea of the "Greek Gods as living statues" concept and decided that I would represent the "Big Three", the Sons of Kronos, the Rulers of the Universe, as these living statues concept and the other gods as the flesh-toned more normal beings.
My reasoning was that the 3 brothers are a generation older than the other gods under discussion, closer to the Titans and Protogenoi who embodied physical aspects of the Universe - With Zeus, Poseidon and Hades essentially embodying the Sky, Sea and Underworld - whereas Athena, Ares and Apollo each represent HUMAN qualities and aspects of civilisation like War, Wisdom, Art, Music etc..
This way the Gods represent part of their aspects in their appearance - Poseidon, Zeus and Hades look less human as they are Gods of inhuman domains and timeless, ageless forces - whereas Ares, Athena and Apollo all look more human as they embody part of the Human psyche and experience.
This also has the effect of distinguishing the Sons of Kronos from the rest of the Gods and making them appear more Ancient, eldritch and powerful - as they are less relatable and more divine in appearance - as is befitting the 3 chiefs of the Gods.
I chose to use the Artemision figure for Poseidon - not only is the original statue itself considered a statue of Poseidon [or Zeus, they are identical in most statues and can only be differentiated by what items they hold] which is appropriate, but I felt the oxidized bronze look would work really well for Poseidon on multiple levels, firstly in colour palette I felt the blue green of the oxidized bronze would really pop with the blue cape and the watery/wave base I had in mind for Poseidon, but I also chose it as a little historical in-joke to myself - with the Bronze statue representing Poseidon indicating how in the Greek Bronze age POSEIDON not Zeus was considered the King of the Gods before the Myceanean Dark Age/Bronze Age collapse wherein all writing/culture collapsed and afterwards the myths/gods had all been completely changed and now Zeus was considered the King of the Gods in the Classical/Hellenistic period - a period famed for its marble statues/figures, which also informed part of my choice to use the ACI Hercules figure as the base body/head for Zeus.
I also chose the Hercules figure for Zeus as the Marble colour palette will better go with the White/Gold palette I intend to use for Zeus, the white also better signifies his association with the Sky, the Classical/Hellenistic Period in which his Cult was solidified as the King of the Gods, and also nicely differentiates him from his two brothers, given I intend to give Hades the Body/Head of Rodin's The Thinker, making them two a bronze and Zeus Marble - giving some visual difference for The King of the Gods from the other Sons of Kronos.
I chose Rodin's Thinker for Hades as I consider him a more reflective god in the myths, he isn't as iconically bushy bearded as his two brothers, I hope his slimmer head will allow me to fit the Helm of Darkness I have in mind on his head and he appears to be a slightly darker/less oxidized bronze than the Artemision figure, allowing for some visual difference from the blue/green appearance of Poseidon, representing that his "bronze flesh" being closer to the centre of the Earth recieves less oxygen and appears closer to its raw form.
If Hades' body doesn't work with whatever armor I choose for him due to the skin tone then I might just paint him a dirty gold colour to represent his role as the god of riches.
Its worth a try anyway - I goth these ACI statue figures for a good price.

 

[lordnastrond]

Apologies for the quality of the photos above BTW - I should have waited for natural daylight but I got excited when I got some deliveries this evening!

Poseidon isn't 100% done - I intend to replace the hessian weave I'm currently using as a proof-of-concept "net" with a small hanging net for pet birds from ebay - which not only is a bit larger and should drape naturally, is of higher quality but also resembles the typical weave/knots of a rope fishing net.

The net I'm using to represent Poseidon's role as God of fisherman and also acting as a visual reference to the "Retiarius" gladiators who wielded a Trident and net in the Roman Coliseum from whom several pieces of this armor for Poseidon was sourced, given these Gladiators were visually themed after the sea/fishermen these armor pieces were often sylized with sea creatures and other aquatic motifs - such as the crabs, krakens, anchors, rowing paddles, dolphins and tridents seen on the shoulder armor and leg greaves.
Both of these armor pieces are from different Haoyu Toys figures - the shoulder armor is from the Silver version of the "Scissor Gladiator" armor and the greaves are from the "Hunting Gladiator" figure, both pieces are diecast and really high quality.
The greaves were originally a much more rusted looking colour, however I gave them a little dry brush with metallic silver and a blackwash to better match the torso armor of the figure and contrast against the dark oxidized bronze skin.
I left the shoulder armor the colour it came as due to appearing either silver or light copper depending on the light, visually tying in the colour pallettes of both the copper helmet, the body armor, and the trident which mixes both colours.


Also - apologies for the essay length rationale explanations for anyone who isn't interested, I'm including them for @Nagoya who shares my insanely nerdy love for attention to detail and symbolism!

 

[Nagoya]

Holy cow. This might be one of the most amazing looking figures I’ve seen. I adore the choice of the net! Not only for the traditional Roman gladiator pairing with the trident, but because it naturally makes you think of a fishing net!
And that bronze body was such a smart choice, he looks incredible and extremely unique. It almost reminds me of the giant statue from the old Jason and the Argonauts movie; a little creepy but also otherworldly and overall it makes him look extremely powerful—and that all really lends itself to your idea of using those bodies as the “original” trio of gods.
As usual, the amount of thought you put into this is insane and it works so, so well.

 

[lordnastrond]

Holy cow. This might be one of the most amazing looking figures I’ve seen. I adore the choice of the net! Not only for the traditional Roman gladiator pairing with the trident, but because it naturally makes you think of a fishing net!
And that bronze body was such a smart choice, he looks incredible and extremely unique. It almost reminds me of the giant statue from the old Jason and the Argonauts movie; a little creepy but also otherworldly and overall it makes him look extremely powerful—and that all really lends itself to your idea of using those bodies as the “original” trio of gods.
As usual, the amount of thought you put into this is insane and it works so, so well.

Thank you so much - you flatter me sir!
Talos! I loved him in that old Argonauts movie! One of my favourite HarryHausen creations and as soon as I saw that Artemision figure I knew what I wanted!
I probably put TOO much thought into these - but honestly I love it, I've never kitbashed or modded/customized figures before but I am having so much fun with the Osiris and these Greek God figures!
I love mythology and the chance to represent these figures with all these historical levels and references just makes it that much more fun for me!
Also I love talking about it - so thank you very much for inspiring me!
I've edited my last comment to include where the retinarius armor pieces come from so I'm not leaving you hanging on what comes from where like last time
I'll finish up the what/where/why in another post

 

[lordnastrond]

So to finish up the write-up for @Nagoya

The base is the same one from the TBLeague Spartan Commander, to help tie it visually to the other Gods and also lend it some more height to match the EXTREMELY tall Ares figure!
The watery/wave base is from the Hot Toys Aquaman figure, symbolising his mastery over the sea and to add some more blue to help the blue-green of his skin pop more.
The Shirt and chest armor come from the Haoyu Toys Prince of Troy figure, I chose them because I knew I would use a bronze or gold design for Hades and wanted a contrasting colour between the brothers, plus silver is a colour often associated with the sea, I liked that the skirt had a different shade of blue in it as well as some copper highlighting patterns - helping to tie it visually to other components of the armor.
The battle skirt has diecast metal squares for detail - the same as on the chestplate itself, preventing either piece feeling too random.
I chose the chest armor not only for the silver colour, but I also felt like the intricate square pattern gave off a crude fishscale aesthetic, plus it had that lovely blue cape attached. It is also completely diecast.
Sadly the chest piece was a little too small for the body [or any body] due to a too-tight hinge, so I removed the hinge and its pins and stretched out the metal plates so it could now fit the body and used the puncture holes in the metal left for the hinges to sew silver wire between the armor pieces, acting as lacing for the armor.
The trident is from a "Scaled alloy Orm/Ocean Master trident from the Aquaman movie" by Factory Entertainment, while not listed as 1/6 scale it serves effectively in that range. Made from a nice diecast material, the paintwork subtly changes in gradient from a purple-like colour to silver to copper to silver to purple to silver to copper again - including all the colours present in the different armor pieces of the figure.
I forgot to add an armor piece in the other pics! I also had this diecast arm bracer for Poseidon from the Haoyu Toys Roman Gladiator "God of War Edition", I though it would go well due to being silver and having the fish-scale design on the armor
I only decided to have it on the one arm as I liked the asymetrical look and thought the other arm with the shoulder/bicep armor would look too busy with this bracer as well.

The helmet is from the CooModel 1/6 Friedrich 1st [Copper edition]

I chose this because I knew I wanted each of the three Sons of Kronos to have some sort of headpiece denoting their Kingly status over their own domains, for Zeus I will give him a golden laurel, for Hades a helmet for his iconic Helm of Darkness, but for Poseidon I struggled - I wanted a coronet in a style similar to Triton from the Little Mermaid or Lady Liberty but was unnable to find one in the right scale and high enough quality to match the rest of the armor. I then decided to look into helmets and caps and found this piece, I loved that it had a large fish-like aquatic sea monster on the helm and waves and waterwheels and other aquatic themes on the back of the helmet and on the panels of the helmet.
I also liked that the sea monster in the helmet had a strong resemblance to Medieval art of the Greek sea monster Cetus who Poseidon sends to destroy Aethiopia/devour Andromeda when Cassiopeia insults the Nereids - giving a strong connection to both Poseidon and the sea that befits his crown-like regalia.
Sadly the original helmet was waaaaaay too small for ANY 1/6 head I could find, let alone the Artemision head I had chosen for Poseidon. So I resolved to cut away the lower part of the helmet with a hacksaw and stretch the helmet out with some pliers so it could fit ontop of Poseidon's head, I also liked that by cutting away the lower section the helmet began to resemble more of Greek phrygian cap design over a traditonal helmet, allowing for more differentiation form Hades' helm of Darkness/Invisibilty.

 

[Nagoya]

Woah, it actually didn’t register at first that the base was identical because the Aquaman diorama piece on top gives it so much added character.

I also liked that by cutting away the lower section the helmet began to resemble more of Greek phrygian cap design over a traditonal helmet

It’s actually funny that you needed to modify the helmet that way so it could fit over the head—so many classical artistic representations of Greek heroes have those Phrygian or attic-style helmets that rest far back on their head and I’ve rarely ever seen those cheek guards depicted in artful renditions. But seriously, I thought it was the original design because of how authentic it looks!

As for the forgotten arm guard, I noticed the bare arms on the figure, but again, honestly thought you might have intentionally made a decision to leave them off since they could prohibit a swimmer’s agility or some other creative reason But that new vambrace couldn’t have been more perfect!!!

I love all of the contrasting textures and designs over the armour as well, not just because they all look roughly scale-like like you mentioned, but the rigid plates on the torso randomly reminded me of geo squares, like on maps and certain embroideries, which made me think of shifting tectonic plates, and finally how the Greeks perceived Poseidon as either the cause of earthquakes or the god who controlled them!

 

[lordnastrond]

As for the forgotten arm guard, I noticed the bare arms on the figure, but again, honestly thought you might have intentionally made a decision to leave them off since they could prohibit a swimmer’s agility or some other creative reason But that new vambrace couldn’t have been more perfect!!!

Hahah - I'll do this next time, pretend Im making "creative choices" instead of mistakes"

I love all of the contrasting textures and designs over the armour as well, not just because they all look roughly scale-like like you mentioned, but the rigid plates on the torso randomly reminded me of geo squares, like on maps and certain embroideries, which made me think of shifting tectonic plates, and finally how the Greeks perceived Poseidon as either the cause of earthquakes or the god who controlled them!

LOOOOOOOOVE THIS IDEA!!

I've changed Ares' Head sculpt - I grew to dislike the other head, the hair was getting out of control, the shouting expression looked a tad goofy under the helmet and I honestly didn't think he was handsome enough.
So I swapped it for a Henry Cavill head - Ares is typically depicted as beardless and handsome [in fact he is often considered the most physically handsome of the gods, but the most repellent in nature/personality] so Cavill seemed like a good shout.

 

[lordnastrond]

Okay @Nagoya , so I've been cooking and I'm probably gonna bombard this page with different pictures today so here we go!
I have finished my Athena and I'll be uploading some pics of her next, but firstly I want to share some changes I've made to Ares...

I found a new helm from the Haoyu Toys Greek Heavy Infantry figure and its just perfect for Ares
I couldn't imagine a better fit for him, the elaborate large snakes/vipers supporting the crest of the helmet is ideal considering that venomous snakes are Ares' sacred animal.
The intimidating nature of the snakes and the negative/evil associations they have better denote Ares as a treacherous, villainous deity - as is his characterization in myth, with one look you now know that Ares is a malign presence and a being to fear and avoid, which is fitting as the god who represents humanity's worst traits.
The lions on the cheek guards could have a number of meanings, firstly given that the lion is a symbol of courage and that courage is one of the only positive domains Ares is responsible for this may be him representing another aspect of himself in his armor. It is also a possible tribute to his mother Hera or grandmother Rhea both of whom have lions listed among their sacred animals [Rhea moreso than Hera], with the association with Hera being through her patronage of the Nemean Lion - which would have a number of associations that would suit Ares, firstly in that it would be yet another monster represented on his armor for intimidation purposes, secondly in that is honors his mother, and thirdly in that is spites Herakles who most consider to be Zeus' favored son [definitely preferred over Ares] which would suit his reasons for also including a gorgon/medusa on his armor to spite Zeus' favored divine child - Athena.
The crest's Greek meander design visually ties it to the trim of his tunic and cape, also the red plumage better suits the tunic and cape and further establishes him as a god of bloodlust, I also like that the crest and plumes on the helmet are somehow EVEN MORE ELABORATE than the last helmet, both adding to his visual intimidation aspect but also suggesting his prideful nature.
This new helmet also has a more reddish hue to the gold, as opposed to the very yellow gold of the last helmet, which I feel is more appropriate for Ares and ties it in well with the rest of the outfit.

 

[lordnastrond]

Presenting to @Nagoya and anyone else interested:

ATHENA Promachos - 'She who Fights at the Front', Goddess of Wisdom, Strategy

 

[lordnastrond]

Here is Athena in some more dynamic poses:

 

[lordnastrond]

Athena with the other gods:

 

[lordnastrond]

So, this Athena started taking form the moment I saw the Helmet from the Haoyu Toys Black and Gold edition of the Greek Infantry figure, the design was a classical Corinthian helmet with crest and plume in the exact style Athena is universally depicted with.

But best of all were the little details that made it ideal for Athena, the little owls on the cheek guards were perfect for her as the Little Owl is her sacred animal and is perhaps the most famous god-sacred animal association in the Greek Pantheon with only Zeus and his association with the Eagle coming close, also the owls were depicted in the Athenian art-style which is again just perfect for her.

The helmet also had another little detail that made me decide to make it central to the entire design of the figure: the wreath design on the helmet, which not only denotes her divine status, but it is specific to Athena as it is NOT a laurel wreath but is in fact a wreath of olive leaves as can be seen by the longer and slimmer leaf shapes. Given that the olive is Athena's sacred plant and is the center of perhaps her most important myth - her patronage of Athens - I knew I HAD to make this helmet the keystone of Athena's design.

So when I had a closer look at the figure it came from I knew I wanted to use the body/armor for Ares, and in a very happy coincidence the shield from the figure came in the style of the famous Aegis, Athena's shield with Medusa's head attached/as a motif and perhaps her most important regalia aside from the helmet and spear.
I felt the Aegis was not only more accurate in art-style than TBLeague's, but larger, more practical and overall more impressive and suitably visually impactful for such an iconic piece of the goddess' attributes.
The Aegis is the only weapon/piece of armor that isn't diecast.... but considering the insane weight it would be if it were... I think its for the best!
So when I bought the Black and Gold Haoyu Greek Infantry figure I set aside the helmet, spear [which I didn't end up using] and of course the shield for Athena.

Consequently I was locked into a Black/Gold aesthetic and searched for pieces to match that were appropriate and in a different aesthetic to the Black/Gold of Ares' armor design.
I first came across the spear you can see in these pictures and decided it was a better match to Athena than the one from the Infantry figure, this spear came from the COOMODEL Athena from its Pantheon series, is black/gold in design, but better yet it was more stylized/unique than a common spear - befitting a goddess' most iconic weapon, and it even had Athena's own name inscribed on it in Greek.
I then came across the cuirass and thigh armor which came from a POPTOYS Guard Europa figure, I liked that the armor while being Black/Gold had an entirely different colour ratio and aesthetic to differentiate it from Ares, the armor also was in a more medieval/renaissance western european style which I felt was appropriate considering Athena/Minerva was embraced as a cultural image by Europe perhaps more than any other god of the Greek Pantheon and whose likeness was adopted/adapted for many of the personifications of different European countries and was featured in much renaissance art.
I also liked that this armor on the shoulder and hip guards stylized itself after wings and feathers - further likening Athena to her sacred animal and her association with the element of air and its associations with the mind and intellect.
I liked that the Eagle on the breastplate could symbolize Zeus' favoritism of her, and his unique role in her birth, by prouding emblazoning herself with his symbol.
The owls are actually the Little Owl [Athene Noctua] itself! They come from the Eaglemoss 'Country Birds Collection' by Andy Pearce and are made from polystone and hand painted, they are also almost to scale [slightly too big for 1/6 for these owls, but given how small the Little Owl is they would look odd at true-scale] which is perfect. I think they are high enough quality and the little touches like the small plinth base make it a fine match for the figure's presentation overall.
The sandalled feet are from the TBLeague Spartan Commander figure and I liked that they held feminine touches like the silver flower clasp while also being functional, as is the plinth base.
The dress is a fairly cheap white dress of eBay and the body is a Phicen S16A [which I had already], the head is a knock-off Princess Leia from eBay which I bought for a few reasons, the pale skin match with the body, the molded braided hair making the head big enough to prevent the helmet being loose, and I felt the face/expression just "fit" for Athena, can't really explain why.

 

[Nagoya]

Jesus mate, this is starting to feel like waking up on Christmas morning The more you do these the more exciting they’re getting. I can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into the part finding!!! I wouldn’t have ever imagined that there was so much variety of available parts available to have this much variety. I love that each of them have their own colour schemes and unique identities.

The lions on the cheek guards could have a number of meanings, firstly given that the lion is a symbol of courage and that courage is one of the only positive domains Ares is responsible for this may be him representing another aspect of himself in his armor. It is also a possible tribute to his mother Hera or grandmother Rhea both of whom have lions listed among their sacred animals [Rhea moreso than Hera], with the association with Hera being through her patronage of the Nemean Lion - which would have a number of associations that would suit Ares, firstly in that it would be yet another monster represented on his armor for intimidation purposes, secondly in that is honors his mother, and thirdly in that is spites Herakles who most consider to be Zeus' favored son [definitely preferred over Ares] which would suit his reasons for also including a gorgon/medusa on his armor to spite Zeus' favored divine child - Athena.

But best of all were the little details that made it ideal for Athena, the little owls on the cheek guards were perfect for her as the Little Owl is her sacred animal and is perhaps the most famous god-sacred animal association in the Greek Pantheon with only Zeus and his association with the Eagle coming close, also the owls were depicted in the Athenian art-style which is again just perfect for her.

The helmet also had another little detail that made me decide to make it central to the entire design of the figure: the wreath design on the helmet, which not only denotes her divine status, but it is specific to Athena as it is NOT a laurel wreath but is in fact a wreath of olive leaves as can be seen by the longer and slimmer leaf shapes. Given that the olive is Athena's sacred plant and is the center of perhaps her most important myth - her patronage of Athens - I knew I HAD to make this helmet the keystone of Athena's design.

The owls are actually the Little Owl [Athene Noctua] itself!

But omg, no matter how many parts out there exist, the ideas behind each piece is where the majority of the fun really comes into play, from my “audience” point of view . The sheer amount of symbolism you’re assembling makes them each feel so much more uniquely special and incredibly authentic. These are miles better than any of the official TBLeague figures tbh; the attention and hunt to get everything down to this level of detail is simply unparalleled anywhere else. Not to mention, your personal touch of customisation to a few parts have already allowed your design ideas to come that much more to life. Wish more people were here to appreciate these guys but hope you recognise your own phenomenal talent.

I’m starting to instantly look for the depictions on the armour pieces you chose and immediately loved the owls in the helmet and chestplate. I can’t BELIEVE you found those perfect poly stone owls for the base. Seriously, these look like they’re made for each other!!
I never actually knew the olive was Athena’s sacred plant, so you’re even getting deeper than some relatively surface level knowledge I have about all of this stuff

Also, Ares’ new helmet even reminded me of some Norse mythology seeing those two snakes looking at each other—for some reason I immediately thought of the ouroboros, the snake which eats itself, and how it’s representative of an endless cycle of life and death—an exact symptom (or self-fulfilling prophecy) of War.

Funny enough, I’m loving your creations a lot for a completely unrelated reason too, which is that they’re showing a lot of each gods’ “darker” side of their personalities so well. Ares, with the flamboyant, almost blood-stained helmet. Poseidon, equipped with literally gladiatorial armaments. And Athena who subverts the bloodier look in favour of the graceful and wise appearance, almost enough to convince that the enormous spear and shield wouldn’t end something’s life in a heartbeat. It’s a completely different tone than most other common/classical depictions, but all of it is still extremely authentic and accurate to the mythos. I’ve always wondered why more Greek gods weren’t shown adorned with weapons and on battlefields, other than Ares, naturally, but instead they’re always stoicly posed in lightweight robes, with helmets tilted way too far back on their forehead like with your Poseidon. I’m sure it gave the common populaces more confidence, or “nostalgia” more later on during the Renaissance, to think of the gods as more benevolent beings who gave off every assuage of luxury and grace… (if not give the artist’s a way to show off their skills carving out a meticulously detailed face), but the sheer feeling of power your figs present makes them inherently more interesting when it isn’t the “traditional” way of representing their traits, per se.

But really, these are turning out to be so amazing and I love that you’re continually improving on them as your knowledge and scavenging skills go up. I’m willing to bet you’ll start painting metaphoric designs and creatures yourself soon. You’re absolutely killing it with these.

 

[lordnastrond]

Jesus mate, this is starting to feel like waking up on Christmas morning The more you do these the more exciting they’re getting. I can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into the part finding!!! I wouldn’t have ever imagined that there was so much variety of available parts available to have this much variety. I love that each of them have their own colour schemes and unique identities.




But omg, no matter how many parts out there exist, the ideas behind each piece is where the majority of the fun really comes into play, from my “audience” point of view . The sheer amount of symbolism you’re assembling makes them each feel so much more uniquely special and incredibly authentic. These are miles better than any of the official TBLeague figures tbh; the attention and hunt to get everything down to this level of detail is simply unparalleled anywhere else. Not to mention, your personal touch of customisation to a few parts have already allowed your design ideas to come that much more to life. Wish more people were here to appreciate these guys but hope you recognise your own phenomenal talent.

I’m starting to instantly look for the depictions on the armour pieces you chose and immediately loved the owls in the helmet and chestplate. I can’t BELIEVE you found those perfect poly stone owls for the base. Seriously, these look like they’re made for each other!!
I never actually knew the olive was Athena’s sacred plant, so you’re even getting deeper than some relatively surface level knowledge I have about all of this stuff

Also, Ares’ new helmet even reminded me of some Norse mythology seeing those two snakes looking at each other—for some reason I immediately thought of the ouroboros, the snake which eats itself, and how it’s representative of an endless cycle of life and death—an exact symptom (or self-fulfilling prophecy) of War.

Funny enough, I’m loving your creations a lot for a completely unrelated reason too, which is that they’re showing a lot of each gods’ “darker” side of their personalities so well. Ares, with the flamboyant, almost blood-stained helmet. Poseidon, equipped with literally gladiatorial armaments. And Athena who subverts the bloodier look in favour of the graceful and wise appearance, almost enough to convince that the enormous spear and shield wouldn’t end something’s life in a heartbeat. It’s a completely different tone than most other common/classical depictions, but all of it is still extremely authentic and accurate to the mythos. I’ve always wondered why more Greek gods weren’t shown adorned with weapons and on battlefields, other than Ares, naturally, but instead they’re always stoicly posed in lightweight robes, with helmets tilted way too far back on their forehead like with your Poseidon. I’m sure it gave the common populaces more confidence, or “nostalgia” more later on during the Renaissance, to think of the gods as more benevolent beings who gave off every assuage of luxury and grace… (if not give the artist’s a way to show off their skills carving out a meticulously detailed face), but the sheer feeling of power your figs present makes them inherently more interesting when it isn’t the “traditional” way of representing their traits, per se.

But really, these are turning out to be so amazing and I love that you’re continually improving on them as your knowledge and scavenging skills go up. I’m willing to bet you’ll start painting metaphoric designs and creatures yourself soon. You’re absolutely killing it with these.

Thank you so much!!
Gosh you flatter me! Honestly I just love the chance to share my weird obsession with little mythological nuances with an appreciate audience and I can't thank you enough for your kind comments, insightful perspective [love that idea of the Ouroboros and the endless cycle of war!] and enthusiasm. I can safely say you have inspired me to really "get into" this whole kit-bashing/customising thing - and oddly enough you are right and I have started painting some pieces for my Hades figure and have plans to stitch together a cape/skirt out of a snakeskin for my Apollo figure [my idea being he skinned and wore his eternal/famous enemy Python after slaying him at Delphi] and who knows what for the future!

Love that idea about the "darker" presentation of the gods versus other depictions, I really wanted to reach the more "accurate" mythological tone of the Greek Gods as mighty, universe-controlling forces, ones that exist beyond human concepts of good and evil and instead play with the lives of mortals for their whims - there is undoubtedly a "sanitisation" of the gods in most modern [and early modern, renaissance etc] depictions to match more modern moral sensibilities and align with the post-Christian 'god is good' mentality, Athena's more benevolent appearance/and adoption by european culture reflects her role as the benefactor of heroes and her role as one of the more moral of the gods [though instances like those with Medusa and Arachne would suggest otherwise - and are hinted at in her appearance] so I am so glad you picked up on that!
I wanted to capture the essence of the original Greek perspective of their gods - or as close as you can - and it sounds like I am achieving that end!
I just want to thank you again - I always love to hear your analysis and perspective, you bring a really critical, informed and creative eye to these pieces and I could happily chat mythology with you all day!

 

[lordnastrond]

@Nagoya

Help me with a conundrum - I am working on my Hades figure and am stumped for some symbolically relevant armor to match the design I have gone with for him.
I picked a new breastplate that I really like, but now I'm starting to think about swapping some armor pieces with Ares, giving Ares the new breastplate and finding some new greaves for him, and giving Ares gorgon breastplate and demonic greaves to Hades - my thinking being this armor with the cthonic monster designs is more thematically appropriate for Hades.
Plus the new breastplate is quite apropos for Ares, being a more traditional warrior design, but also the deep bronze rust colour being reminiscent of dried blood [and not bearing the symbol of his most hated divine enemy - my early reasons not-withstanding]
I've included some pics to help
I would really value your opinion.

 

[Nagoya]

Oh boy, decision making and deliberating. Two traits I don’t have that prevent me from wanting to kitbash my own figures….

Just kidding, well, kind of but I think an argument could be made either way.

First off, love the helmet on Hades right now. Totally unique and giving that 3rd party Sauron a run for its money in badassery.

I think the gorgon on Hades’ armour is a great concept for multiple reasons on top of what you already mentioned re chthonic monsters.

To preface with a thought, depending on the source, Hades’ realm is often synonymous with Tartarus. Personally, and probably due to its depiction in more recent media, I’ve always viewed it as a sort of… mid-point between the mortal world and Tartarus which sort of feeds off the latter’s darkness that Hades himself can wield to some degree to enact his power, but I imagine his actual realm is still independent.
Anyway, with that being said, having a Gorgon emblazoned on his torso gives me the idea that Hades is leaning into the darkness and utilising all monsters born out of Tartarus—the realm that gave birth to Gaia who created the Gorgons and also Typhon who in turn bore Cerberus. While Hades wasn’t the downright stereotypical villain that he was a la Disney, the idea that he’s reaching into the more sinister side of things is still completely in character and representing those types of monsters fits that side very well. Leaning in on those characteristics would be a great start and almost all of that can be traced to Tartarus at some level.
Also, my mind goes to his roots, being physically swallowed by Kronos, and it would make poetic sense his armour would literally depict something terrible brewing in his own gut. Sins of the father, Isolationism in the underworld giving way to being les enfants terribles, and all that (I swear this isn’t meant to be the Metal Gear reference that it sounds like ). Not to mention, ingesting the food of the dead seems to have some sort of powers, as Persephone was essentially bound to the underworld after the pomegranate Hades had her eat.

So in other words, the ideas are absolutely there and it would be perfect symoblically, imo. And it he’s shaping up to look great already.
Unfortunately I don’t have the parts knowledge to really recommend what to do with the armour choices for Hades. The best thing, however, is you have some extra artistic liberties this time around borrowing armour from other civilisations, as Hades wasn’t just god of the Greek underworld, but reigned over the world of the entire dead. You could easily branch out to other designs for his accoutrements while still retaining a centrally Greek theme. You could also think of borrowing more from his less considered trait. He is both the brother of Hestia (family, structure) and is the most important prison ward in the world. Order, structure, and conduct is this guy’s bread and butter and his full attention had to be on maintaining ordinance of the dead. Not sure if that really helps, but food for thought.

I will say that Ares, on the other hand, definitely looks just as great with the more blood-stained bronze look on the chestplate.
I’m wondering if it’s possible to swap the original shoulder plates back to Ares—they match the pteruges he wears too well! Also if you’re looking for another set of greaves for him, the trojan “first warrior” battle damage set might be a great match:

Lastly, I wouldn’t know what to do with Hades’ leftover shoulder pads. It’s hard to imagine the resulting design language at this stage when there’s a lot of options to consider yet. This might be way too modern looking, but maybe flipping something suggestively monstrous similar to these could help bridge the design between the helmet and aforementioned foreign and Tartarus-esque motifs:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/305079299086

Hope any of these help give some ideas even if I don’t know any of the available parts out there atm

And as always, super excited to see how you continue

 

[lordnastrond]

Oh boy, decision making and deliberating. Two traits I don’t have that prevent me from wanting to kitbash my own figures….

Just kidding, well, kind of but I think an argument could be made either way.

First off, love the helmet on Hades right now. Totally unique and giving that 3rd party Sauron a run for its money in badassery.

Ha! I know the feeling all too well
Thanks! I really fell in love with this helm when I saw it, I loved that it was this nice metallic black, a mix of a helm and a crown, had skull motifs in the crown and the shape of the nose guard and eye holes and overall that it had such visual presence - which is appropriate given its his iconic regalia and counterpart to Zeus' thunderbolt and Poseidon's trident.

I think the gorgon on Hades’ armour is a great concept for multiple reasons on top of what you already mentioned re chthonic monsters.

To preface with a thought, depending on the source, Hades’ realm is often synonymous with Tartarus. Personally, and probably due to its depiction in more recent media, I’ve always viewed it as a sort of… mid-point between the mortal world and Tartarus which sort of feeds off the latter’s darkness that Hades himself can wield to some degree to enact his power, but I imagine his actual realm is still independent.
Anyway, with that being said, having a Gorgon emblazoned on his torso gives me the idea that Hades is leaning into the darkness and utilising all monsters born out of Tartarus—the realm that gave birth to Gaia who created the Gorgons and also Typhon who in turn bore Cerberus. While Hades wasn’t the downright stereotypical villain that he was a la Disney, the idea that he’s reaching into the more sinister side of things is still completely in character and representing those types of monsters fits that side very well. Leaning in on those characteristics would be a great start and almost all of that can be traced to Tartarus at some level.

Excellent point regarding Tartarus [which is often considered part of Hades domain in the Underworld and his role as the jailer of the damned, the monsters and of course the Titans in Tartarus, LOOOOOVE the idea of him adopting some of that darkness for his own power and reflecting this in his image, as you say Hades wasn't a villainous entity [indeed from a modern perspective of morality he is among the more virtuous of the major deities] but he was FEARSOME, the Greeks feared and respected him, his power and the dread of his presence.
Yeah, you just inspired me to refresh my knowledge of the Gorgons and it turns out they have a VERY strong association with the Underworld in several origin stories, often as the children of Gaia and Tartarus as you say and are usually considered as living near the enterence of the Underworld - as they are often depicted in recent movies like the Clash of the Titans remake [cant remember if thats the case with the original, been a hot minute since I last saw it] and there is even a passage in the Odyssey where Odysseus fears Persephone, Hade's Queen, might set loose the gorgons on him for straying near the entrance of the Underworld

"In the Odyssey, the Gorgon is a monster of the underworld into which the earliest Greek deities were cast:

... and pale fear seized me, lest august Persephone might send forth upon me from out of the house of Hades the head of the Gorgon, that awful monster..."

So yes, it seems the gorgon armor swap is far more appropriate!

Also, my mind goes to his roots, being physically swallowed by Kronos, and it would make poetic sense his armour would literally depict something terrible brewing in his own gut. Sins of the father, Isolationism in the underworld giving way to being les enfants terribles, and all that (I swear this isn’t meant to be the Metal Gear reference that it sounds like ). Not to mention, ingesting the food of the dead seems to have some sort of powers, as Persephone was essentially bound to the underworld after the pomegranate Hades had her eat.

Wow! That is some messed up but BRILLIANT analysis/visual metaphor - Hades might need a therapist.... especially given that either he or Hestia is usually depicted as the eldest of the first generation of Olympians and therefore spent the longest time trapped within his father.....
Seriously though, brilliant idea and I am hooked immediately

So in other words, the ideas are absolutely there and it would be perfect symoblically, imo. And it he’s shaping up to look great already.
Unfortunately I don’t have the parts knowledge to really recommend what to do with the armour choices for Hades. The best thing, however, is you have some extra artistic liberties this time around borrowing armour from other civilisations, as Hades wasn’t just god of the Greek underworld, but reigned over the world of the entire dead. You could easily branch out to other designs for his accoutrements while still retaining a centrally Greek theme. You could also think of borrowing more from his less considered trait. He is both the brother of Hestia (family, structure) and is the most important prison ward in the world. Order, structure, and conduct is this guy’s bread and butter and his full attention had to be on maintaining ordinance of the dead. Not sure if that really helps, but food for thought.

Thanks for the suggestion mate, I'm thinking I'll give Hades the Gorgon armor and the demonic greaves - which I have only just recently noticed when you look closely appear to have wings as suggested by the lines flowing from their arms and hair in ringlets, suggesting these figures are fearsome winged women and therefore are likely the dreaded Erinyes/Furies, the punishers of the damned and servants of Hades - to Hades due to them fitting him better than with Ares.
In fact just looked up some ancient art of the Erinyes and they seem quite similar to these greaves with the large demonic smile/tongue out design

I love the link you sent me to the shoulder/arm pieces and to be honest I was thinking I might have to branch out of the Greco-Roman aesthetic to finish his look [I was looking at Nazgul/Ringwraith armor but couldn't find any for a reasonable price]. Gonna be a hunt but thats part of the fun!
I have been having fun with his other aspects, I went with the gold skin colour to both better contrast with the Helm of Darkness but also to reflect his aspect of Hades Plouton 'The Lord of Riches'.
I have a Cerberus for him on the way which I hope comes out okay!

I will say that Ares, on the other hand, definitely looks just as great with the more blood-stained bronze look on the chestplate.
I’m wondering if it’s possible to swap the original shoulder plates back to Ares—they match the pteruges he wears too well! Also if you’re looking for another set of greaves for him, the trojan “first warrior” battle damage set might be a great match:
View attachment 662575

Great suggestion! But I just found these greaves which are a perfect match for his bracers - the EXACT same snake motif, colour palate and everything

Hmmm it might be possible to make the shoulder pieces swappable, the Ares armor can be removed at will by a hook and eye system, it shouldn't be too difficult to put the same sort of fastening on the new armor shoulders.

Lastly, I wouldn’t know what to do with Hades’ leftover shoulder pads. It’s hard to imagine the resulting design language at this stage when there’s a lot of options to consider yet. This might be way too modern looking, but maybe flipping something suggestively monstrous similar to these could help bridge the design between the helmet and aforementioned foreign and Tartarus-esque motifs:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/305079299086

Oooooh thats nice!
I hate waste so if I find a way to add hooks/eyes to the shoulder pads from the new armor I might add them to the Gorgon armor.... but these make for a tempting other option... might have to have a think on it.....

Hope any of these help give some ideas even if I don’t know any of the available parts out there atm

And as always, super excited to see how you continue

Thanks man, really appreciate the insight, Hades is giving me a little trouble ATM but I feel much better about his direction now.
Got Apollo and Dionysus well on the way - got some cool and pretty out there ideas for them I'm excited to share.
Great catching up

 

[lordnastrond]

Okey dokey!
So - got a LOT of pictures incoming today for you @Nagoya and any fellow Greek Myth enthusiasts!
Firstly, I've changed the armor for my Ares and have successfully added hooks/eyes to swap the shoulder plates, the new greaves for Ares have arrived also. He needed a new body as the new armor was too heavy for the HHModel body to hold up on its own [the knees were too loose] so he has a M34 Phicen body now. Sadly in the process of swapping bodies the hand with the decapitated head shattered into pieces, so I used an electronic nail file to sand the old hand away completely and create new finger grooves for a phicen hand - it ended up working so well that the hand now grips the head without the need of any glue! I then repainted the hair of the head.
I must say I think Ares looks even better now - the armor plus the shoulderplates from the Gorgon armor and the other snake+black+gold armor pieces all look really good.

 

[lordnastrond]

@Nagoya

Secondly, I've updated my Poseidon figure:
- I felt the colour palette of the figure was too dark, so I firstly decided to attach some new light blue velvet material stripes on the battle skirt to help the colour pop more.
Secondly I decided the paint the figure with a genuine bronze patina paint, this paint work through actual bronze oxidisation in the paint, so it has the texture of real rust patina also [because it is]
I then scrubbed some of the paint away with a toothbrush to add depth and inconsistency to the paintjob by having some of the darker bronze colour still coming through the rust, giving it a more authentic bronze statue look.
I had to hand weave a net in the end as the bird net that came was far too large a weave for a fishermans net in this scale.
I have plans of potentially adding [after customising it] a large Hippocampus statue formy Poseidon display for him to ride, but the seller hasnt dispatched it to me yet and I'm starting to think they might not plan to do so.