[The Crusades Knight of Heaven from Nuts Planet] by Kevin

We have all seen the previous releases from Nuts Planet who have very quickly established themselves as one of the top manufacturers of Resin figures this time they have took a visit to the big silver screen for inspiration and released a knight from the crusades . What are we looking at in this Review:

Title: The Crusades Knight of Heavan Reference: NPB004 Scale: 1/10th No of parts: 7 Material: Grey Resin Sculptor: Jun-sik Ahn Box Art: Myeong-ha Hwang Now you don't have to be a film critic to see the film that inspired the sculptor it is of course "Kingdom of Heavan" starring Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson and the rather dishy Eva Green , the film was directed by Ridley Scott (he of Gladiator fame) and released in 2005 and tells the story of Balian of Ibelin (played by my stunt double Orlando ) who travels to the Holy land and finds himself as defender of the people of Jerusalem ...well I suppose you would!!!! the film has plenty of action scenes and lots of sword swirling and head chopping and gives you a chance to eat popcorn as well!!!

I am not going to dwell on the film as we are interested in whats in the box so ice cream down , sit comfortably and here we go . We are all aware of the quality that has come from previous releases from Nut Planet and they have set the bar very high indeed ...did they do the same with this release ...a most definate YES . Bullet points will suffice: Presentation: 1ST CLASS Sculpting: AWESOME Casting: TOP NOTCH Box Art : TREMEMDOUS As with other releases in the bust range the packaging is the distinctive strong blue cardboard box with box art on the top and one of the sides . Parts are all secured safely in between foam layers ..keeping the contents safe and sound. Casting is done in a super smooth light gray resin which has allowed the sculpting details to be immaculately reproduced

Parts consist of the following , the torso , the right arm the head , the helmet, the shield (or rather part of it) a wicked looking sword and a pedastal base.

Prep needed was the removal of casting plugs from the pieces . all easily done as they have been carefully positioned for ease , the sword blade had a bit of a casting plug to remove so be careful not to go wild ..use the sanding pads ...having done this small amount of prep (taking no longer than 45 mins I reckon ) you are left with super quality pieces ready to put together and paint up .

Lets look at the main piece first , the torso the lower edge is set at an angle with the right shoulder area being ready to receive the arm

...fit is spot on . the clothing he wears is extremely well sculpted lovely natural creases and folds, the belt across his chest is a fine piece of work sitting correctly into the clothing

, his left arm is cut off to the same angle as the undersides and is wearing mai

....my goodness this is superb work the links are so well done with the folds again looking really good on the back we have a locating hole provided for the shield.

On now to the right arm , the same comments apply to this piece regarding the mail ...fine work Nuts Planet , once the casting plug has been removed ..fit is assurred to be spot on , the wrist has a tiny plug to remove before fitting the hand (with the sword)into the recess (I would suggest you pin it) . The mail is as I said spot on and will provide a challenge painting this but there are lots of references of the box art to look at ...good chance to get those washes out

Looking at the head (almost like in a mirror for me such a likeness ...as if!!!) now we are treated to a strong defiant face full of features , the facial tones of the muscles are great , good definition on the eyes , a strong nose with a bit of a beard ....does it look like our hero in the film .....I think so , the head is surrounded again by mail , excellent in detail , fit into the neck area needed no filler whatsoever , and after removal of the casting remnant on the top you are ready for the helmet

The helmet now this has been sculpted and well cast with a nasal bar , super smooth all over , carefully removing the casting remnant from the inside area and the one on the outside as you don't want to loose the shape ....fit onto the head is very nice (I use Mr Surfacer to seal any minute gaps if needed..there were none on the review model )

Lets see what he is armed with ...a very wicked looking sword , the right hand is cast holding it, removal of small plugs will be needed from the pommel, the guard and the hand ...all easy to do with a sharp knife , for the one on the blade...sanding pads . I must admit I was very pleased that the sword was not bent ( often found with these in kits) , it is very strong considering its resin, well formed with a blood channel running up the middle.

The pommel and guard are as per the film and look good ..you certainly wouldn't want to argue with this knight!!! The hand is cast on and fit into the wrist area is excellent , the hand is gloved ..good chance to get those leather painting techniques on the go .

Now to the shield , remove the casting plug from the edge and drool at the wood details on the inside

...amazing , lots of opportunity to go wild here with some of the products currently available ................the front is left clean with no design ..good idea that ...the surface is as expected smoother than my bottom when I was a baby!!!..lovely casting (on the shield I hasten to add)

Finally we have a substantial pedastal base which is more than sufficient to mount the bust on (again pin it) ...even with this piece no prep was needed , fit onto the underside is good . Final Thoughts: Another 1st class release from the guys at Nuts Planet , well sculpted , and well presented , you will have hours of fun painting this , especially the mail and the face ..so ENJOY yourselves .