Childhood eh? I blame my parents. Or more specifically my Dad. At some point in my childhood he introduced me to Spaghetti Westerns (or Italian Westerns made in Spain - which doesn't quite have the same ring to it).
I'm sure everyone here has heard of the Dollars Trilogy or Once Upon a Time in the West. If you don't know the films then you surely know the soundtracks! The first LP I ever bought was the Dollars Soundtrack by Ennio Morricone. To this day Morricone remains my favourite composer.
The Dollars Trilogy ends with Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo or for those who prefer the English title "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly". Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, perfectly cast. As an aside this film introduced me to the American Civil War and to this day it's a period I am fascinated by (but that's a different story).
The final 3-way shootout in the Graveyard is a stunning piece of cinema. The music is phenomenal. The close ups are brilliantly done. And as it builds to a crescendo a single shot rings out!
Right. Where was I? Oh yes. Childhood.
Here then is my homage to my Childhood Icon: il buono.
That said it was an easy choice for the Childhood Bonus when I found him lying at the bottom of a box!
I've applied some artistic license to the colours on the basis that I don't normally paint "historical" figures and thus I get easily confused when trying to follow a painting guide... although that might be my age.
I don't have a game in mind for him so for now he'll take pride of place in the display area. I'd say display cabinet but it's more of a shelf. And there's no door.
He stands 32mm high which was a surprise as I thought he'd be a lot shorter...
And yes he even has his signature cigar...!
So there we are. My trip down memory lane is complete. But allow me one final indulgence... if you fancy watching a Spaghetti Western then why not skip the Dollars and Once Upon a Time films and try something else on for size - perhaps a little bit of Sabata or Death Rides a Horse or Django or Bullet for the General or Fistful of Dynamite (Duck you Suckers) or My Name is Nobody.
In the vast cornucopia of Spaghetti Westerns there are some real gems and some real clunkers. The fun is in finding them!
I'm hoping for 5 points plus the bonus round and if that all comes to pass then not only will I have painted my Icon he'll also be the figure that tips me over my Challenge Target of 500! Go Clint!
Composer: Ennio Morricone
Tune: Ecstasy of Gold
Film: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Composer: Ennio Morricone
Artist: Patricia Janeckova
Tune: Once Upon a Time in the West
Film of the Same Name
Actually any Ennio Morricone... :-)
YouTube has all you need! Enjoy.
nice post and miniature mate!
ReplyDeleteVery nice entry.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Richard C
Nice stroll down memory lane! He could easily pass as a brother to Bronson or Eastwood easily bridging them both and making a trio of brothers! ;)
ReplyDeleteMy name is nobody easily is a classic spaghetti western!
Nice work Nick, lots of character
ReplyDeleteI’ve got this gorgeous figure- it is from Artizan. http://www.artizandesigns.com/prod.php?prod=1012
ReplyDeleteThat's a terrific figure Nick. I loved all those schmaltzy spaghetti westerns when I was a kid too.
ReplyDeletePS: My favourite Morricone soundtracks are from 'Cinema Paradiso' and 'The Mission'.