The Great Cyclops of Polyphemus

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It seems I've developed something of a reputation for being able to find gold.  Charity and pound-store gold to be precise.

Because I'm a fantasy gaming fan, and because I love a bargain, I will always take the few minutes when available to poke my head in an Oxfam, Mind, or Heart Foundation store, or any bargains shop with a toy aisle, to see if there is something of use.  If you are a fantasy gamer and you aren't using Schliech and Papo models, you are missing out on some of the best value fantasy models out there.

A while before lockdown I was following the lovely lady around a few charity shops , when I chanced upon this wee chappie:

Helloooooo!

Now, he looked a bit goofy, and hardly threatening, but he was a hefty lad, and had the added bonus of costing a mere £2.  Well worth taking a chance on.  Fast forward one pandemic later and, my how he's blossomed!

Finished: front

The painting for this guy was greatly aided by the new Airbrush, and initial undercoating and fleshtones were done swiftly.  All the rest was painted by hand.  The whole of the flesh got a layer of homebrew glaze, followed by some retouching.

Left arm, rusty bracelet and Turtle Pauldron 

A lot of the model was inevitable going to be leathery skintones and browns, so the Turtle shell shoulder pieces and the loincloth provided good options for some contrast.  I went to nature for the Turtle shell, and the sea for the underwear!  Sailcloth is likely the only readily available material large enough to cover such a derriere!  And this is often preserved with a red pitch to help protect it.  So red pants it was, ideal for the army he'll be joining.

Rear 

On the back of the model, most of the work had to be done, with a lever action for one of the arms, a carrying strap and a bunch of screw holes needing modification and filling, resulting in a modicum of re-sculpting.  Nothing too challenging as I'm not really a sculptor, but plenty of it.

Right side, Join the Club. 

In the same manner as previous models, nature makes the best stone tools.  The huge mace he swings is a carved twig, a piece of slate and some string, all basically sourced from the garden.

A hefty lad lefts his mark 

The base is made to match the fantasy elements to augment my Ancient Greeks, giving them a Dragon Rampant option.  On such a large base there was room to express his scale in a new way.  I added a footprint by raising an edge in the filler base, and painting inside it darker and semi-gloss, as if the compression of the foot squeezed moisture to the surface.  The grass in the footprint was deliberately pressed down into the glue to give the impression it had been flattened by tonnes of weight.

Grrr! 

For a toy, you can't fault some of the detail here.  This was once an Early Learning Centre toy (weirdly violent for them), and they could obviously afford to get a decent sculpt done.  Look at that expressive face; far less goofy looking now!

And as for scale, here is a family shot:

His 40mm cousin to the left, his 32mm scale boss on the right

He stands 7.5 inches (about 19cm) tall, foot to eye.  With the Club adding another inch or two.  I think I've put about 10 hours in to fixing and painting this chap, and I reckon every minute was now worthwhile.

Also, there this:

Until the batteries die, that's an added bonus I doubt anyone's £80 GW giant is likely to offer.

Onto the next project....

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