The Blackhawk Don Quixote

 
For my next episode in the Blackhawk series I present the story where the Blackhawks Hendrickson and Andre assume the identities of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, respectively. The Blackhawks have arrived in an unnamed city where they are to be the guests of honor for a pageant. Hendrickson is asked by the city fathers to assume the role of the elder knight Don Quixote for the pageant, with Andre filling in as his squire. Then while in costume the Blackhawks encounter a robbery in progress, which they thwart. However, Hendrickson gets bonked on the head (I'm not sure why the helmet didn't protect him) and ends up believing he really is Don Quixote. He goes off to battle bad guys and things with Andre and the other Blackhawks watching his back. He even jousts a windmill in the story just like Don Quixote did. Sure enough he gets captured but also bonked on the head again and remembers who he is, managing to signal the rest of the Blackhawks to come rescue him. Then Don Quixote and Sancho Panza finish the story by riding in the big parade. Many of the individual Blackhawks were featured in stories over the years, with Hendrickson seeming to be highlighted in more than his share. This was one I particularly liked from Blackhawk #152, September 1960. I found a lead/pewter knight produced by Superior Models/Perth Pewter that looked very similar and, after some cleaning up, it filled the bill quite nicely. The figure even had a raised visor and a mustache. I added the cape from cloth with two brass nails to hold it in place. The Sancho Panza figure was made from a Disney prince figure (don't remember which one) and the head from a CHIPS Ponch for Andre's head. I then had to sculpt the Prince Valiant hair cut from Scuply. This is a good example of how different types of figures can be used to capture a character I'm trying to bring to life.