Harry Potter in 25mm... finished

Wow.

Finally done:)

Well, as anyone who has read anything on this blog in a while already knows, I've been working for some time on my wife's Christmas present... a set of Harry Potter miniatures in 25mm scale.

Now, there are no such miniatures around, so in a VERY kind move Soapy decided to clear enough space to take on the job of crafting the three main heroes of the books and films... Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

After a few months they got here just a few days ago.  In the meanwhile, I worked on creating a display base for the miniatures.  I wanted it to really be a beautiful piece, and really went beyond any previous work.

The display base had a few firsts for me:

1)  It was the first piece I have done in a plastic display case, requiring me to plan and matte out a large portion of it.

2)  It was the first piece that used electricity and lights... the fireplace was done using a fire LED kit that considered of three different LEDs, along with a painted piece of celophane.  I had to not only wire it all up (very simple!) but also make it able to be turned on and off with a switch I worked through a hole on the side.

3)  It was the first time I've had to match bases exactly up with a floor pattern.  The floor, which is a patterned piece of paper, really worked out well.

4)  It was the first time I had a window scene with an attempted secondary light source, so that it really stood out.  Above the windows but OUTSIDE of the wall is an opening for light... that way the outside feels lit independently (i.e. by the moon) and is not dependent on the main light source!

5)  It was the first time I've tried to paint something that is invisible!  The Invisibility Cloak, which is draped over a large armchair, was a real challenge.  Sculpted out of green stuff, I had to paint it in such a way as to give the impression of invisibility... not an easy feat!  I settled on the angle I thought it would get the most views (dead on) and then tried to paint a shelf and book through one part of it, along with some impression of brown floorboards and the pattern of the chair itself.  This was a SERIOUS challenge, but I think worked out fine.

Note The Marauders Map sitting on the floor... as a reader suggested, it looks almost as if the cloak and Map were being used on some nefarious night mission...!:)

And lastly...

6)  It was the first time I had to paint commissioned figures... better not screw it up!


Hedwig the Owl was a later planned addition, and only made possible by a donation of a GW Owl from Lloyd in Sweden!  He sent it across as a bit from his son's GW Dryad set, and it just fits in perfect.  Above Hedwig hangs a painting my wife and I bought on our last trip to Italy, which hangs in the center of our dining room.

 

The Sorting Hat, which sits under a portrait of Professor Dumbledore asleep (clearly after his death) was made with green stuff, and turned out really sharp.  The fire also turned out awful sharp.

Now, when they finally arrive, the three figures looked pretty good!

Harry was excellent.  The hardest part was capturing his good will in his face... the glasses, which in real life do not obscure his eyes, really made it tough to paint convincing eyes, which I think are essential to really getting a character across.  The casually untucked shirt and the loose tie really help connect Harry to his "prep school" roots at Hogwarts.

Hermione I thought was the best.  The hair of the sculpt really connected the piece to Emma Watson, who is the first person you think of when you visualize the brainy heroine.  I made sure to write, on the cover of her book, "Spells & Charms"... she is clearly ready to rock!

Ron looks excellent.  With his red sweather (A Weasley sweater?  A Gryffindor sweater?), along with his broom from his later Quidditch adventures, really helps tie the character together.

Here are a few random shots....

A shot of the cover of Hermione's book... "Spells & Charms".

A shot over Hermione's shoulder, showing both the writing in her book as well as the scrolls in her pouch.

One more shot of Hermione...



A shot of Harry from the front... the scar was SO carefully sculpted it was crazy:)

A shot of Ron from the side... he is a very dynamic figure, really looking ready to roll, broom out!

Another shot of Ron...

A shot of Harry straight on... notice the Gryffindor patch.

\
So!

A very, very long project, thankfully finished up.  The wife ADORED the gift (her only gift, other than an iTunes giftcard for a few songs and a DVD.)  It was a lot of fun to work on, although waiting for the figures to make their way through customs was NO fun at all.  Overall I am happy that she now has a one-of-a-kind set of 25mm Harry Potter miniatures, unique in the world.

Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by... I hope it was an enjoyable project to follow!