Started Italieri’s Parthenon. Interesting project. Lots of parts to paint, and lots of masking. I didn’t realize until I started this project, how colorful the place was back in ancient times!
Here is work on the inner temple area, where work begins.
The statue of Athena is a great little molding!
Very interesting subject! The detail does look top notch, nice start Don!
Yeah, that’s awesome Don. Nice change of pace from the usual. Looking forward to seeing it come together.
Now dont forget. The outer row of columns at each end have centerlines that converge to a point in space. How are ya gonna lay that out?
[proplr]
Hopefully “G” ;
I would think that is covered by the moldings . More than likely it isn’t though . T.B.
I’m not worried about that detail. It is hard enough figuring out how to make Athena visible. The kit includes molded thin spots in temple walls to make cutouts in those walls. I don’t like that. I am working on a scheme to either have large cutout on roof and ceiling, or just missing or removable roof and ceiling panels. The cutouts suggested in the kit are rectangular and could too easily be mistaken for real missing panels in walls. I don’t want to give wrong impression of true appearance of the building.
Fine, interesting project.
If Italeri got all the subtleties of the real building’s design right, I’ll be extremely impressed. In addition to the leaning columns that GM mentioned (and all of them, except the ones in the center, lean), the columns are tapered - with the biggest diameter a few feet up from the floor. And all the horizontal members are very slightly arched upward in the middle.
The Greeks and Romans were geniuses at figuring out the intricasies of optical illusions. If all the angles in the Parthenon were square, and the columns were cylinders, the building just wouldn’t look right.
The public library here in the teeming metropolis of Greenville, NC, was built in (I think) the 1930s. It has beautiful stone columns holding up the front porch. The columns are properly tapered at both ends. A few years ago, the library underwent a major expansion - and installed some steel and fiberglass columns that obviously were picked out of some manufacturer’s catalog. They’re perfect cylinders. I grit my teeth whenever I drive by. The difference between the old and new columns is really conspicuous.
I don’t imagine any of this will matter visibly on such a small-scale model, though. It should be a great project. My wife took a trip to Japan some years back and brought me a Doyusha model of a Japanese castle. I had a ball with it. I’m sure Don’s Parthenon will look great.
Got all the temple walls finished and installed. The ceilings have a lot of detail to paint and may take awhile- plus, I am considering installing an LED to simulate an oil lamp to view the statue- it will be pretty dark in the temple and hard to see through the doors, so debating having some ceiling and roof areas removable to see statue rather than illuminating area.
Lookin’ good Don. Clever idea on using the LED as an oil lamp, I like it.
Beautiful, Don. As I imagine you know, most people have a distorted view of what the old Greek and Roman buildings originally looked like - especially in terms of color. It seems those folks loved bright colors.
I used to teach a course in historic preservation (i.e., preservation of old buildings). For a while I team-taught with a fine guy from Egypt who had degrees in architecture and architectural history. He said the word among architects and scholars was “if you want to understand the aesthetics of architecture, study the Parthenon.”
Of course he did!
Well, he had a point. As symbols of power, wealth and faith they are pretty much unequaled in the Western world.
I would suggests the Gothics did pretty well too.
This model fascinates me. A most interesting post, Don.
Somewhere I hope Lord Elgin is stacking firewood.
More progress. Got the ends pretty much finished, just need to do the columns along the sides, and the roof.
Here is a shot of Athena through the doorway.
And here is a shot of that end with a wider view.
I’ve been curious about this kit and Don, it looks good. There’s a certain part of me that wonders what kind of project it would be to take the kit and build it as the ruin looks today. Just a thought. Enjoying your posts.
Looks amazing Don, great job so far.
So does the kit come with any figures? Seems like a few would help to show the size of the temple. As well as a few priests and worshipers would add a little life.
Yes, there are two actual human figures provided with the kit, in addition to the large Athena statue. I’ll be putting them on the outer steps, so they will be the last items added. The figures are a guard/soldier in military outfit, and a priestess.
Ah, sounds good Don, looking forward to seeing everything complete.
That’s awesome Don, looks great. I didn’t know there was such a kit, but I will have to get one. If you ever get down to Nashville, there is an exact replica of the temple. We went a couple years ago and it is huge!! The statue of Athena was beautiful. I’ll have to post a couple pics somewhere.
Chris
Yes, Chris, I visited Nashville a number of years ago, and we definitely visited their Parthenon. Amazing structure!