Hospitaller Knight II
90mm White Metal kit from Pegaso
Painted in 2024
It isn’t very often that I paint a model twice.
There’s a few reasons for this, one being that on the occasions that I have done it, the second version never turns out to be as good as the original one – or so it seems to me.
Another reason is that there are so many great kits out there - OK, many of them are in my loft – that painting the same thing twice, robs me of the time that I could use to paint something different and “new” to me.
However, this particular Pegaso kit was different.
I’d been asked to paint one for a commission and I was very pleased with the finished piece, even though the recipient didn’t acknowledge receipt, let alone say whether he was pleased with it – strange.
And I actually regretted letting the model go. As I’d got a second kit in stock, I thought I’d paint one for myself, or at least have a go.
I’ll not detail all the painting, that followed the exact same path as the original one, and there’s been an article here about it already.
I think the only differences were a little more weathering on this one, slightly different groundwork and a slightly shorter haft on the axe.
I did take this up to the show held at Leeds, just across from the Armouries, and I can highly recommend that you visit the show if you haven’t already, it’s well run, lots of traders and in particular the competition judging is very good indeed.
Why do I make a point of the judging ?
Well, I di win a few gongs, but what impressed me was that one of the judges noticed I’d missed something on this – I’d not painted the small knot holding the cloak in place on the figure’s right shoulder.
He – quite rightly – gave the model a lower medal, and took the time to let me know I’d missed something.
I liked this not simply because I’d made a mistake and he cared enough and took the time to point it out; but because it showed he, and I think the other judges too, were looking carefully at the pieces in competition, appreciating the work put in and awarding merit where it was due.
Judging is a thankless task, it’s time consuming when the person could be out, enjoying the show and chatting to friends, buying kits and just generally having fun. Caring about the results being right, giving fair and considered feedback and taking the time to actually LOOK a the entries really does matter, and I congratulate the judges and organisers at the Leeds show for all of that.
Final thoughts.
Regarding this model – perfection from Pegaso.
Imperfection from Hopwood.
Nothing more needs to be said.
