GOD WILLS IT!
Ok, so I've had more time to pla... err, study my new Ignite Teutonic Knight!
My first impression is ratified: it is a beautiful figure!
These knights will certainly catch the eye in anybody's collection, no doubt about it.
Let's do a quick review.
1. Body/Articulation
I know I said it sucked, but it doesn't suck
that much. The one big flaw that made me think it was unredeemable was the fact that the wrists only have a swiveling joint. I suppose the reasoning behing this is the weight of the metal weapons. Other than that, it is a perfectly reasonable body. It reminds me of old DML bodies: perfectly serviceable. The overwhelmingly positive thing about it is that it has a brilliant balance! The figure holds difficult poses (with heavy metal helmet on) with no problem, balancing metal axe and metal sword in each hand. Very nice.
2. Headsculpt
You know, I was surprised at how much better the HS looks in person than on any photo I have ever seen. It is a loooong way from my personal faves, the last generation pale-faced DML headsculpts, but it has character and the paint apps are very clean. I will have it repainted for sure, but it is not a throw-away sculpt. Oh, and mine has a spot where the paint rubbed off on the tip of the nose. Maybe it was the helmet (take it off before doing anything to the figure, otherwise it just bag around against he HS)
3. Uniform
I'm extremely impressed with the uniform. The ammount of layers of clothing this guy has is phenomenal, and all the materilas used are top notch quality. The tunic has a rough feeling to it, which makes it look perfect as some kind of heavy/coarse fabric. The cape on the other hand is made of some shiny and heavy material, but Ignite has used it inside out (my guess) so that the shiny part is inside, but you still get the beautiful drape and hang of a real cape on the figure. The chain mail looks much better in person than in photos, it is a very thin material (it is actually translucent, you can see the fabric of the uniform underneath), but it looks very durable. Still, care in handling it is probably in order, to prevent it from snagging anywhere. It is shiny, there is no going around that, but it doesn't look bad. It's not the Mego chain mail...
All the other stuff he has underneath looks equally impressive, but I did not have the stomach to undress the figure, as there are no fasteners on the tunic... it is a real tunic! I'm guessing the chain mail is the same, just a slip on affair, just like the real thing...
4. Gear/Weapons
Let me gets this straight out: the shield is a work of beauty! Simply beautifully made and detailed, the wood grain on the inside and the whole arrangement for holding it are simply awesome! My only gripe would be that there is a bit of bleed on the paint apps of the metal frame. Oterwise it is perfect. I don't know why it is so shiny, but all of the gear is pretty shiny. I guess the Teutonic Knights were a vain buch.
The sword and dagger sheaths are also very shiny and devoid of any texture. Why this is so, I have no idea, but they look like the scabbards (is that the word?) for japanese katanas so smooth and shiny is the finish (would these guys use lacquered wood? not likely). I would like to think about some weathering for this, but first I'd like to understand what would be usual for these Knights.
The belts are a very rubbery plastic. Which is a shame, 'cause the spurs are made with a very nice red pleather! I wonder why Ignite didn't go with pleather for the belts as well (all the stuff on the shield is pleather too). Again I guess they feared the weight of the weapons would stretch it too much.
And on to the metal bits!
The helmet is fantastic! Probably a bit too big, but it looks fine to me, very detailed and with decent weathering. The winged horns are plastic, but the paint apps are identical to the metal. The sword and axe are nice and hefty, the axe's handle has a nice woodgrain texture, but the paint apps could be improved. The sword's hilt is a bit plain, but very cleanly done and painted.
So that's it.
Don't get me wrong, there's lots that can be improved on this figure, and I don't think I will ever pay full price for these Knights, but if you can find them inbetween 50 and 60 bucks, they are simply awesome!
I think Ignite is where DML was a few years ago: kings of their niche, and having made improvements that nobody had ever thought of, they can get away with a lot...
I can only imagine if DiD ever decided to do Knights. Knowing their penchant for using real materials (metal, wood, leather), I bet they would make quite an impression on this particular niche.
A few more pics just for the hell of it!
I wish there was some way of making the chain mail sit better on his head...
And next to our good old Gondorian, Boromir.
Sorry about the rough pics, but lighting conditions were appaling and I didn't want to use flash...
Hope you enjoyed!
