July 4, 2004
The following review is on Ignite's third figure in their Crusade series;
this knight is from the order of the Hospitallers.
The Hospitallers were both Knights and Monks that devoted themselves to
caring for pilgrims. The Hospitallers are known for the hospitals and hostels they built
for the pilgrims.
Ignite has superbly captured the likeness of a member of the order of Hospitallers in a moment of time. The box is a book type with the new Time
Silhouette cover design. The front cover has a depiction of the figure in
full gear standing in a church with pilgrims in the background. Once you open
the box you get a great view of the figure and the outstanding accessories.
On the
other side there is a time line of the Hospitallers. The back of the box has
a brief history of the Hospitallars. The box is first rate, however there is
one draw
back here, they have omitted the usual expanded history on the inside cover
and replaced it with the time line.
The head sculpt on this figure is well done and the face has a lot
of character and seams very familiar . The
the hair is a multilayered paint job with a
brown base coat with blond highlights. I do have a comment here and that is in the
right light the blonde highlights do look a little on the green side. The
body is a standard Ignite figure is has a nice weight and is very articulate
and well constructed.
Like the other crusaders in the series
this costume is a multilayered suite consisting of a white tunic with black
leggings and a leather garter supporting the leggings. Next is a beige
padded tunic with side clasp and a full suit of chain mail covers the entire
figure. The chain mail is a cloth with metallic fabric woven in it and it
has leather pads on the feet and hands. The final piece of the costume is a
black tunic and cape with an eight pointed cross. To wrap up the whole
costume there is a set of vinyl belts that looks like leather with brass
buckles. While there is realy nothing new here except for the colors the
costume is very nice.
Accessories:
This is an area where Ignite excels and this figure is
no exception. There is a shield with the orders crest on it that is
extremely detailed and looks like its made of wood but its plastic. The
shields straps and rigging are made of real leather. The battle
axe is die cast with a simulated wood handle. There is a chromed die cast
dagger and sword that are very detailed and outstanding. The helmet is die
cast and most impressive. finally there is a set of brass spurs with leather
straps.
Summary:
The Hospitaller 2 is a great figure with only one minor
flaw and that is the blonde (green) hair color. If you are collecting the
Crusader series you need to add this figure to your collection; If your not
collecting the series you may want to start and this is a great first
figure. In short this is a fantastic piece and I would say its a keeper.
