Thank you so much - you flatter me sir!Holy cow. This might be one of the most amazing looking figures I’ve seen. I adore the choice of the net! Not only for the traditional Roman gladiator pairing with the trident, but because it naturally makes you think of a fishing net!
And that bronze body was such a smart choice, he looks incredible and extremely unique. It almost reminds me of the giant statue from the old Jason and the Argonauts movie; a little creepy but also otherworldly and overall it makes him look extremely powerful—and that all really lends itself to your idea of using those bodies as the “original” trio of gods.
As usual, the amount of thought you put into this is insane and it works so, so well.
It’s actually funny that you needed to modify the helmet that way so it could fit over the head—so many classical artistic representations of Greek heroes have those Phrygian or attic-style helmets that rest far back on their head and I’ve rarely ever seen those cheek guards depicted in artful renditions. But seriously, I thought it was the original design because of how authentic it looks!I also liked that by cutting away the lower section the helmet began to resemble more of Greek phrygian cap design over a traditonal helmet
Hahah - I'll do this next time, pretend Im making "creative choices" instead of mistakes"As for the forgotten arm guard, I noticed the bare arms on the figure, but again, honestly thought you might have intentionally made a decision to leave them off since they could prohibit a swimmer’s agility or some other creative reason But that new vambrace couldn’t have been more perfect!!!
LOOOOOOOOVE THIS IDEA!!I love all of the contrasting textures and designs over the armour as well, not just because they all look roughly scale-like like you mentioned, but the rigid plates on the torso randomly reminded me of geo squares, like on maps and certain embroideries, which made me think of shifting tectonic plates, and finally how the Greeks perceived Poseidon as either the cause of earthquakes or the god who controlled them!
The lions on the cheek guards could have a number of meanings, firstly given that the lion is a symbol of courage and that courage is one of the only positive domains Ares is responsible for this may be him representing another aspect of himself in his armor. It is also a possible tribute to his mother Hera or grandmother Rhea both of whom have lions listed among their sacred animals [Rhea moreso than Hera], with the association with Hera being through her patronage of the Nemean Lion - which would have a number of associations that would suit Ares, firstly in that it would be yet another monster represented on his armor for intimidation purposes, secondly in that is honors his mother, and thirdly in that is spites Herakles who most consider to be Zeus' favored son [definitely preferred over Ares] which would suit his reasons for also including a gorgon/medusa on his armor to spite Zeus' favored divine child - Athena.
But best of all were the little details that made it ideal for Athena, the little owls on the cheek guards were perfect for her as the Little Owl is her sacred animal and is perhaps the most famous god-sacred animal association in the Greek Pantheon with only Zeus and his association with the Eagle coming close, also the owls were depicted in the Athenian art-style which is again just perfect for her.
The helmet also had another little detail that made me decide to make it central to the entire design of the figure: the wreath design on the helmet, which not only denotes her divine status, but it is specific to Athena as it is NOT a laurel wreath but is in fact a wreath of olive leaves as can be seen by the longer and slimmer leaf shapes. Given that the olive is Athena's sacred plant and is the center of perhaps her most important myth - her patronage of Athens - I knew I HAD to make this helmet the keystone of Athena's design.
The owls are actually the Little Owl [Athene Noctua] itself!
Thank you so much!!Jesus mate, this is starting to feel like waking up on Christmas morning The more you do these the more exciting they’re getting. I can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into the part finding!!! I wouldn’t have ever imagined that there was so much variety of available parts available to have this much variety. I love that each of them have their own colour schemes and unique identities.
But omg, no matter how many parts out there exist, the ideas behind each piece is where the majority of the fun really comes into play, from my “audience” point of view . The sheer amount of symbolism you’re assembling makes them each feel so much more uniquely special and incredibly authentic. These are miles better than any of the official TBLeague figures tbh; the attention and hunt to get everything down to this level of detail is simply unparalleled anywhere else. Not to mention, your personal touch of customisation to a few parts have already allowed your design ideas to come that much more to life. Wish more people were here to appreciate these guys but hope you recognise your own phenomenal talent.
I’m starting to instantly look for the depictions on the armour pieces you chose and immediately loved the owls in the helmet and chestplate. I can’t BELIEVE you found those perfect poly stone owls for the base. Seriously, these look like they’re made for each other!!
I never actually knew the olive was Athena’s sacred plant, so you’re even getting deeper than some relatively surface level knowledge I have about all of this stuff
Also, Ares’ new helmet even reminded me of some Norse mythology seeing those two snakes looking at each other—for some reason I immediately thought of the ouroboros, the snake which eats itself, and how it’s representative of an endless cycle of life and death—an exact symptom (or self-fulfilling prophecy) of War.
Funny enough, I’m loving your creations a lot for a completely unrelated reason too, which is that they’re showing a lot of each gods’ “darker” side of their personalities so well. Ares, with the flamboyant, almost blood-stained helmet. Poseidon, equipped with literally gladiatorial armaments. And Athena who subverts the bloodier look in favour of the graceful and wise appearance, almost enough to convince that the enormous spear and shield wouldn’t end something’s life in a heartbeat. It’s a completely different tone than most other common/classical depictions, but all of it is still extremely authentic and accurate to the mythos. I’ve always wondered why more Greek gods weren’t shown adorned with weapons and on battlefields, other than Ares, naturally, but instead they’re always stoicly posed in lightweight robes, with helmets tilted way too far back on their forehead like with your Poseidon. I’m sure it gave the common populaces more confidence, or “nostalgia” more later on during the Renaissance, to think of the gods as more benevolent beings who gave off every assuage of luxury and grace… (if not give the artist’s a way to show off their skills carving out a meticulously detailed face), but the sheer feeling of power your figs present makes them inherently more interesting when it isn’t the “traditional” way of representing their traits, per se.
But really, these are turning out to be so amazing and I love that you’re continually improving on them as your knowledge and scavenging skills go up. I’m willing to bet you’ll start painting metaphoric designs and creatures yourself soon. You’re absolutely killing it with these.
Ha! I know the feeling all too wellOh boy, decision making and deliberating. Two traits I don’t have that prevent me from wanting to kitbash my own figures….
Just kidding, well, kind of but I think an argument could be made either way.
First off, love the helmet on Hades right now. Totally unique and giving that 3rd party Sauron a run for its money in badassery.
Excellent point regarding Tartarus [which is often considered part of Hades domain in the Underworld and his role as the jailer of the damned, the monsters and of course the Titans in Tartarus, LOOOOOVE the idea of him adopting some of that darkness for his own power and reflecting this in his image, as you say Hades wasn't a villainous entity [indeed from a modern perspective of morality he is among the more virtuous of the major deities] but he was FEARSOME, the Greeks feared and respected him, his power and the dread of his presence.I think the gorgon on Hades’ armour is a great concept for multiple reasons on top of what you already mentioned re chthonic monsters.
To preface with a thought, depending on the source, Hades’ realm is often synonymous with Tartarus. Personally, and probably due to its depiction in more recent media, I’ve always viewed it as a sort of… mid-point between the mortal world and Tartarus which sort of feeds off the latter’s darkness that Hades himself can wield to some degree to enact his power, but I imagine his actual realm is still independent.
Anyway, with that being said, having a Gorgon emblazoned on his torso gives me the idea that Hades is leaning into the darkness and utilising all monsters born out of Tartarus—the realm that gave birth to Gaia who created the Gorgons and also Typhon who in turn bore Cerberus. While Hades wasn’t the downright stereotypical villain that he was a la Disney, the idea that he’s reaching into the more sinister side of things is still completely in character and representing those types of monsters fits that side very well. Leaning in on those characteristics would be a great start and almost all of that can be traced to Tartarus at some level.
So yes, it seems the gorgon armor swap is far more appropriate!... and pale fear seized me, lest august Persephone might send forth upon me from out of the house of Hades the head of the Gorgon, that awful monster..."
Wow! That is some messed up but BRILLIANT analysis/visual metaphor - Hades might need a therapist.... especially given that either he or Hestia is usually depicted as the eldest of the first generation of Olympians and therefore spent the longest time trapped within his father.....Also, my mind goes to his roots, being physically swallowed by Kronos, and it would make poetic sense his armour would literally depict something terrible brewing in his own gut. Sins of the father, Isolationism in the underworld giving way to being les enfants terribles, and all that (I swear this isn’t meant to be the Metal Gear reference that it sounds like ). Not to mention, ingesting the food of the dead seems to have some sort of powers, as Persephone was essentially bound to the underworld after the pomegranate Hades had her eat.
Thanks for the suggestion mate, I'm thinking I'll give Hades the Gorgon armor and the demonic greaves - which I have only just recently noticed when you look closely appear to have wings as suggested by the lines flowing from their arms and hair in ringlets, suggesting these figures are fearsome winged women and therefore are likely the dreaded Erinyes/Furies, the punishers of the damned and servants of Hades - to Hades due to them fitting him better than with Ares.So in other words, the ideas are absolutely there and it would be perfect symoblically, imo. And it he’s shaping up to look great already.
Unfortunately I don’t have the parts knowledge to really recommend what to do with the armour choices for Hades. The best thing, however, is you have some extra artistic liberties this time around borrowing armour from other civilisations, as Hades wasn’t just god of the Greek underworld, but reigned over the world of the entire dead. You could easily branch out to other designs for his accoutrements while still retaining a centrally Greek theme. You could also think of borrowing more from his less considered trait. He is both the brother of Hestia (family, structure) and is the most important prison ward in the world. Order, structure, and conduct is this guy’s bread and butter and his full attention had to be on maintaining ordinance of the dead. Not sure if that really helps, but food for thought.
Great suggestion! But I just found these greaves which are a perfect match for his bracers - the EXACT same snake motif, colour palate and everythingI will say that Ares, on the other hand, definitely looks just as great with the more blood-stained bronze look on the chestplate.
I’m wondering if it’s possible to swap the original shoulder plates back to Ares—they match the pteruges he wears too well! Also if you’re looking for another set of greaves for him, the trojan “first warrior” battle damage set might be a great match:
View attachment 662575
Oooooh thats nice!Lastly, I wouldn’t know what to do with Hades’ leftover shoulder pads. It’s hard to imagine the resulting design language at this stage when there’s a lot of options to consider yet. This might be way too modern looking, but maybe flipping something suggestively monstrous similar to these could help bridge the design between the helmet and aforementioned foreign and Tartarus-esque motifs:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/305079299086
Thanks man, really appreciate the insight, Hades is giving me a little trouble ATM but I feel much better about his direction now.Hope any of these help give some ideas even if I don’t know any of the available parts out there atm
And as always, super excited to see how you continue
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