Curtgeld from StephenS - Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (40 Points)

I present Sir Edmund Hillary, whom embodied the spirit of a true adventurer in the mid-20th Century. He is most famous for being the first person to reach the top of Mt Everest. He was also the first person to reach both the North and South poles and summit Mt Everest. Truly a man that liked to test the limits no matter the elements or risks. He also seems to have not been a fan of the warmer climates.

Importantly, he was also the perfect excuse to paint up some of Bob Murch's lovely Pulp Figures for the first time. These guys are a real treat to paint and, I hope they will find a home among Curt's own collection of these characterful models.

I say these guys, because of course, Sir Hillary climbed with Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa mountaineer. It was obviously a team effort and it would cruel to separate them, so Curt gets an extra model!  =)

I mocked up a few different bases, but my wife, who has trekked the Nepalese Himalayas, said these were the closest match to what she remembered of the lead-up to the base camp. Sir Hillary isn't carrying the heavier gear that he had when they made the ascension on 29th May 1953. The actual expedition had over 400 people, including 362 porters and 20 Sherpa guides. Which is why Sir Hillary is travelling light at the moment.

I tried to match the colour scheme to a photo of the two, which I've included for comparison.

Thank you very much to Curt for organising such a fantastic challenge, and all the long hours that must go on behind the scenes to make it such a success. Thanks as well to the Minions, who stepped up and helped carry the load. This was my first challenge, and I enjoyed it immensely. Thank you again everyone.

Cheers,

Steve

Wow. These are wonderfully marvelous figures Stephen and an excellent interpretation of the Risk Taker theme. I'm a big fan of Bob's stuff and always have a great time working on his figures and I can plainly see you have as well. I love the archival photograph and how you've used it as your muse - fabulous. Thank you so much and I hope you join us again for the next Challenge season.