tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39549289603867366962024-03-13T17:13:00.231-07:00Lead MenagerieA record of my ongoing attempt to paint the vast mountain of 1980's lead critters that I've accumulated!Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-20534823200232154972018-02-11T05:23:00.001-08:002018-02-11T05:26:39.766-08:00Minifigs Elves (Aureola Rococo) Elvin Dragonmasters ARL 1 Elvin Dragon (missing Dragon Master with Lance)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZetggVH8cmg/WoBDNpxMRZI/AAAAAAAAErI/unHkAAr96PIKKDX8OuS7qm17Se4o3g-1ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180211_130951201_edited_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="683" height="263" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZetggVH8cmg/WoBDNpxMRZI/AAAAAAAAErI/unHkAAr96PIKKDX8OuS7qm17Se4o3g-1ACEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20180211_130951201_edited_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And a (very) belated Happy New Year... a number of unfortunate events in life have meant I haven't had opportunity to pick up the brushes recently, but hopefully normal service will be resumed. Next out of the Lead Mountain was this beastie. Minifigs were one of the earliest manufacturers of fantasy figures in the UK, and their focus was on producing miniatures that would be used to reproduce fantasy battles, rather than RPG characters - this meant that when the D&D craze kicked in, Minifigs tended to be get left behind. They did try and adapt - their later figures were actually quite good - but it was too little, too late, and they faded quite badly. Certainly their early figures look very simplistic, almost like toys. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is one of the later ones. Now, I usually avoid larger winged figures - they fall over, the wings get broken off, and they gather dust - but I wanted to see how well this held up after 30 years! Assembly wasn't that easy - the wings needed pinning in, and then superglue and Milliput to fill in the gaps - and the entire figure needed to mounted on a square base to stop it toppling over. After that, the paint job, and the golden rule with older minis - keep it simple. Base red and yellows, and then a ink washes to bring out any details... which was a mixed bag. The wings came up well, but the torso less so - instead of scales the sculptor had gone for an unusual "lumpy" style, which didn't really respond too well, and the ink tended to pool. Dry brushing and highlights helped a bit, and after that it was a matter of picking out the detail on the head - mostly the eyes and teeth. I'm fairly happy with the result, and I really like the figure - the pose is great, and some of the sculpting is excellent, especially around the head - but the lumpy torso and the lack of detail on the claws is a bit of a disappointment. Still, as a generic dragon for encounters it will do just fine - the Asgard crossbowmen look suitably worried - and considering it is over 30 years old, I think it holds up pretty well! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0TiWPc6lLI/WoBDNYzqyHI/AAAAAAAAErE/BxO2Sb3o_2041VdPdO4l5b5oTyGxEGwIQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_20180211_123756363_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="855" height="217" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0TiWPc6lLI/WoBDNYzqyHI/AAAAAAAAErE/BxO2Sb3o_2041VdPdO4l5b5oTyGxEGwIQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_20180211_123756363_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-43286397238355683952017-12-28T06:22:00.002-08:002017-12-28T06:22:24.420-08:00Ral Partha Personalities 01-003 Balrog v3 (rescued)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8R-eVJPNuo/WkT-APya11I/AAAAAAAAB4k/uuhdLQe9j9EsVSEY7iYNJrOev5QnrhzUQCLcBGAs/s1600/Ral%2BPartha%2BPersonalities%2B01-003%2BBalrog%2Bv3%2B%2528rescued%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1249" height="177" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A8R-eVJPNuo/WkT-APya11I/AAAAAAAAB4k/uuhdLQe9j9EsVSEY7iYNJrOev5QnrhzUQCLcBGAs/s400/Ral%2BPartha%2BPersonalities%2B01-003%2BBalrog%2Bv3%2B%2528rescued%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bit of a gap between postings, but that's what a new job and Christmas does for you :) I've hardly had time to paint in the last month, but I thought I would post the latest extract/rescue from the Lead Mountain. I got this figure as part of a job lot, and it was in a sorry state - it was missing its wings, and the original right hand had been hacked off. Now, I am a big fan of Ral Partha sculpts - they are light years away from the Asgard and Grenadier sculpts of the same era - and I thought this was too good to bin. So, out with the bits box... in particular, the plastic Gargoyle from HeroQuest. I had a spare one lying around, and the wings from it were a surprisingly good fit for the back of the Balrog - a bit of superglue and Milliput sorted out any annoying gaps. The missing right hand was also sorted by snipping off the wrist of the same Gargoyle and pinning it in place - the hand is a bit out of scale for the rest of the figure, but I can live with that. After that, white primer, a bit more filling, and then out with the paints. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As with all early sculpts - the trick is to keep it simple, so a base red, then a dark red wash, then dry brush to bring out the detail... including the rather obvious dangly bits (!). Maybe the Balrog and the Citadel Troll discipline master should get a room... The base of the figure is just shards of rock, painted light gray, then a dark wash, and then dry brush with red to suggest heat from the Balrog. The wrist band and the sword were painted in gold to suggest polished bronze (and also to reflect well with the red), whilst the whip was done is various light shades of orange, yellow and white to suggest heat. I'm pleased with the way this turned out - especially as it is a rescue piece - and considering it is nearly 30 years old, I think it holds up really well. Certainly the latest recruit to my Amazon/Shadowforge army looks worried by it!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-88948750928982847992017-11-18T03:52:00.001-08:002017-11-20T12:02:21.781-08:00Citadel C20 Troll Discipline Master with Whip, and Troll Attacking with Tree Trunk<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LY7hgGd4phM/WhAe4UgU3_I/AAAAAAAAB34/iR2CFydnyZEOiYcH2ZDgcENW3d73WSfOQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Citadel%2BFTT6%2BTroll%2BDiscipline%2BMaster%2BWith%2BWhip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LY7hgGd4phM/WhAe4UgU3_I/AAAAAAAAB34/iR2CFydnyZEOiYcH2ZDgcENW3d73WSfOQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Citadel%2BFTT6%2BTroll%2BDiscipline%2BMaster%2BWith%2BWhip.jpg" width="218" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrXF1Kxl5CU/WhAeseKJcWI/AAAAAAAAB3o/XovDEIaD8Tkd_qTbOjQK1MHoqDdAWM6PQCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Citadel%2BTroll%2B%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrXF1Kxl5CU/WhAeseKJcWI/AAAAAAAAB3o/XovDEIaD8Tkd_qTbOjQK1MHoqDdAWM6PQCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Citadel%2BTroll%2B%25231.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And staying with Citadel... next out the Lead Mountain were these fine fellows. Now, my understanding is that these were sculpted by Tom Meier, and had a degree of notoriety due to their frank depiction of Troll genitalia. They don't leave much to the imagination, especially with the mild bondage elements of the Discipline Master! The series didn't sell well and was replaced fairly quickly by a second C20 series of trolls sculpted by Jes Goodwin, which were more in the traditional "cartoon" Citadel style... and also clothed! As a consequence the original Meier C20 trolls are comparatively rare to find (not surprisingly, one might say). They are actually lovely figures to paint - well detailed (a bit too much so maybe...!) and with little or no flash (fnar fnar). Base colours, ink wash, and dry brushing - job done. I think the Troll attacking with a Tree trunk is the better figure, and is more likely to see table top time as a generic "WTF is THAT" encounter - I think it still holds up really well against more recent figures, such as the latest addition to my Shadowforge Dark Temple/Amazon army - but the Discipline Master is probably a bit too specialised for use. It looks like an outtake from "300" to be honest. Potentially it could be used as a boss encounter, but in all likelihood it will be moved on to a certain auction site...</span></div>
<br />Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-64652612068311916842017-11-05T15:00:00.001-08:002017-11-05T15:01:53.694-08:00Citadel C34 Fire Elemental (rescued)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJkLWd0bnU8/Wf-X6zVQTFI/AAAAAAAAB3E/OzSjQ8U3wS0z0WiAHdSDDQNPibQ7jCxawCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/Citadel%2BC34%2BFire%2BElemental.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DJkLWd0bnU8/Wf-X6zVQTFI/AAAAAAAAB3E/OzSjQ8U3wS0z0WiAHdSDDQNPibQ7jCxawCK4BGAYYCw/s320/Citadel%2BC34%2BFire%2BElemental.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Due to a number of factors, it's been a while since I last posted - but I have been painting in that time, so I have a backlog of minis to share with you, starting with this one. Before they mutated into Games Workshop, Citadel did some cracking figures in the mid-80's, including this one. I acquired it as part of a job lot, and it had been broken to it 3 (count 'em!) pieces. So - out with the superglue and filler. Fortunately the later Citadel figures had really good solid bases, so this figure was unlikely to fall over and break like so many Asgard figures. After that - the paint job. Basically the idea was that source of the fire elemental would be the base, hence the lighter (hotter) colours being there, and moving up to darker colours until we ended up with a thick black cloud of smoke from its hands. This was more difficult than I imagined, and I think perhaps transition between colours was as successful as I hoped for. I also kept the initial gloss varnish on the figure as it makes it look more fluid on the table top, but it doesn't make it as attractive in photos. I may revisit this figure and apply matt varnish. I still think it's an imposing figure, especially next to the latest recruit for my Amazon army, and I can see it getting plenty of tabletop time. Not bad for a piece that was original destined for the bin!</span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-59275329834575826592017-09-29T10:51:00.004-07:002017-09-29T10:53:27.380-07:00Asgard Fantasy Monsters FM42 Norse Giant<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z9P5pyr1GgA/Wc6ICPGvmoI/AAAAAAAAB04/qo4VPXzJIuEcNq2mLQ46rvx4yIgrUPatwCLcBGAs/s1600/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM42%2BNorse%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="620" height="265" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z9P5pyr1GgA/Wc6ICPGvmoI/AAAAAAAAB04/qo4VPXzJIuEcNq2mLQ46rvx4yIgrUPatwCLcBGAs/s320/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM42%2BNorse%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s5opKG7Wk6I/Wc6ICLpZIQI/AAAAAAAAB08/wmHxhy5g3twt6LkLZDZvhf9y5ApGPYU0ACLcBGAs/s1600/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM42%2BNorse%2BGiant%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="642" height="276" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s5opKG7Wk6I/Wc6ICLpZIQI/AAAAAAAAB08/wmHxhy5g3twt6LkLZDZvhf9y5ApGPYU0ACLcBGAs/s320/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM42%2BNorse%2BGiant%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And next out of the mountain was this chappie. Now, Asgard did some great sculpts, some absolutely dreadful ones, and a awful lot of so-so ones. This is one of the so-so ones. As with all of the bigger Asgard sculpts, you get a lot of metal - compare it against a Shadowforge Dark Temple warrior/latest recruit to my Amazon army - but not a lot of quality with the sculpt itself, as they tend to be really coarse. It also suffered from having a base that was too small for such a top heavy model, which meant it kept falling over. So, once fixed to a plastic base - out with the brushes. Originally I was going to paint it as a Frost Giant, but in the end was swung by the name - "Norse Giant", and decided to paint him in human-like colours. I know a bad workman blames his tools, but the ink washes really brought out the coarseness of the sculpt, and even some vigorous dry brushing couldn't save things. I'm not especially happy with the figure at all - it's a bit static, and I can't think of any giant-based scenes where a Norse giant could appear. Perhaps I should have painted him as a Frost Giant. Can't see him getting too much tabletop time, and probably appearing on an auction site soon. You win some, you lose some...</span></div>
<br />
<br />Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-83019678173804078962017-08-25T12:36:00.003-07:002017-09-30T08:04:58.033-07:00Grenadier Fantasy Lords 2nd series 052 Yeti<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1dCU_HJpubA/WaB8OYxN5yI/AAAAAAAABzo/firvwlsvUU0uOLj13jljDI-5hMj1DmVOQCLcBGAs/s1600/Grenadier%2BFL%2B2nd%2Bseries%2B052%2BYeti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="594" height="261" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1dCU_HJpubA/WaB8OYxN5yI/AAAAAAAABzo/firvwlsvUU0uOLj13jljDI-5hMj1DmVOQCLcBGAs/s320/Grenadier%2BFL%2B2nd%2Bseries%2B052%2BYeti.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And staying with Grenadier... next out of the Lead Mountain was this fine fellow. Grenadier went through a phase in the mid-80s of trying to produce figures for every eventuality, resulting in things like giant skeletons with scythes. This figure hails from the same era, and is a bit of an oddity. For starters, look at the size of it - it is huge, at least giant sized in comparison to the latest recruit to my Amazon army. I know polar bears are big but this is faintly ridiculous - what on earth is something that size going to live on, especially in frozen and/or mountainous environments? Anyhow, out with the brushes... It was actually a pleasure to paint, a base coat of white, then a wash of light blue to suggest ice and frost, and then lots and lots of dry brushing white over several nights. The paws and face were picked out with flesh tone mixed with white and just a hint of blue, whilst the eyes were done with my trademark chaotic red. The base is simply fine Milliput painted white, inked light blue and then drybrushed. I was quite please with the way this turned out, and I actually like the sculpt, but I do wonder how much table time it will see - not much call for yetis in my campaign!</span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-36579635609655830562017-07-10T09:59:00.004-07:002017-07-10T09:59:46.696-07:00Grenadier 1505 Monster Manuscript Vol. V MM41 Klynops <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jVdhyNnjKR8/WWOyb6kEvjI/AAAAAAAAByM/oA4kaeAwxPM9tfU1u0xDIrrMZkMVtxWygCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170604_191857077_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jVdhyNnjKR8/WWOyb6kEvjI/AAAAAAAAByM/oA4kaeAwxPM9tfU1u0xDIrrMZkMVtxWygCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170604_191857077_edited.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE8eqsaMvY0/WWOyb7MEZRI/AAAAAAAAByQ/l-JIYvvNQLQVt_FQBf-i_T-8AMMThiI_ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_20170604_192009479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="564" height="315" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE8eqsaMvY0/WWOyb7MEZRI/AAAAAAAAByQ/l-JIYvvNQLQVt_FQBf-i_T-8AMMThiI_ACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_20170604_192009479.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early Grenadier sculpts tended to be very primitive - crude, and often naive - but later sculpts were a lot better, especially when they got John Dennett involved. Now, not everything he did was good, but I think this is one of his better pieces. It was an absolutely pleasure to paint - just base coats of white for the skin and brown for the fur, followed by a wash of GW nightshade to pick out the detail, and then dry brushing with light blues. I really liked the way the skin tone came out on this - I wanted to suggest something unnatural living in a cave and gnawing on sheep bones, and this worked pretty well! I think this looks like something that Ray Harryhausen could have dredged up for a film about Greek mythology. Just not sure about the name though - what's that all about? It's obviously a Cyclops, and I'm pretty sure the name isn't trademarked. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very please with the way this turned out, especially when placed next to the latest recruit in the Amazon army!</span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-30514667056007149722017-06-28T11:06:00.002-07:002017-06-29T13:50:00.768-07:00TSR 5305 AD&D Monster Tribes Troll 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vAEED_YiGTY/WVPwFcEXZFI/AAAAAAAABxA/tDFbgCiGE4M3QV8c0YsB50xKAdSAHp4RwCLcBGAs/s1600/TSR%2B5305%2BAD%2526D%2BMonster%2BTribes%2BTroll%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="934" height="237" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vAEED_YiGTY/WVPwFcEXZFI/AAAAAAAABxA/tDFbgCiGE4M3QV8c0YsB50xKAdSAHp4RwCLcBGAs/s400/TSR%2B5305%2BAD%2526D%2BMonster%2BTribes%2BTroll%2B2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A combination of incredibly good weather and some unfortunate family issues have meant that I haven't posted for a while... but I have been painted. Next up from the Lead Mountain was this. I understand that this is actually a Ral Partha sculpt issued under the TSR banner, and as with all Ral Partha minis it is a thing of beauty - great scale and lots of detail, though you could possible quibble about the pose, which is a bit static. It was a real pleasure to paint up - a base coat of green, then an ink wash which really bought out the detail, followed by dry brushing and picking out details such as the red spots and eyes, whilst painting the teeth and nails stone gray. The base is just Milliput and flock. Usually I apply two coats of varnish - gloss first, then matt - but I thought this figure looked good with just a gloss varnish, as it gave an impression of damp and moistness. I'm quite pleased with this beastie - it looks like it will give the latest recruit to my Amazon army a definite shock - and I can see this getting lots of table top time.</span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-3409690802346015732017-06-01T12:46:00.002-07:002017-06-01T12:46:40.565-07:00Grenadier Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 5004 Tomb of Spells Minotaur<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7lb91xSjdCo/WTBvEV4JgTI/AAAAAAAABwM/swfqktE5DjQ3Jl-6PF7EM2wCHXQUBgzvwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170526_222905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="437" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7lb91xSjdCo/WTBvEV4JgTI/AAAAAAAABwM/swfqktE5DjQ3Jl-6PF7EM2wCHXQUBgzvwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170526_222905.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now here is a real blast from the past. Grenadier were one of the earliest figure manufacturers and produced some of the earliest miniatures for AD&D. A lot of the early figures were a bit suspect, especially the ones from the original Wizzards and Warriors range, but then they supplemented those figures with (slightly) better sculpts... like this one. To be honest, I think it has held up really well for a sculpt that is nearly 40 years old (and how old does that make ME feel :)) - it's well detailed, and its not a bad pose, though the moulding on the axe head on my copy is definitely suspect. So much for quality control! The trick as always with old figures is to keep it simple - base colours, then ink washes, then dry brushing before picking out detail. I was pleasantly surprised at how well this came out, although I do feel that the figure lacks an air of menace... it's bit bovine to be honest. Maybe it is chewing its cud (or part of an adventurers anatomy) before swinging that a<span id="goog_181438919"></span><span id="goog_181438920"></span>xe. Still, for its age it holds up pretty well, and as a generic minotaur for either dungeon or outdoor encounters, it will do very well - and how often can you say that about a figure that is at least 35 years old? </span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-21630244453332569172017-05-10T11:19:00.000-07:002017-05-10T11:19:20.730-07:00Alternative Armies Very Nasty Things VNT09 War Troll<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kj8t8VVkNbI/WRNZn87VgmI/AAAAAAAABvQ/tCkAGMfxbZIXUv9bSsmWg1YVHzmFeHREQCLcB/s1600/Alternative%2BArmies%2BVery%2BNasty%2BThings%2BVNT09%2BWar%2BTroll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kj8t8VVkNbI/WRNZn87VgmI/AAAAAAAABvQ/tCkAGMfxbZIXUv9bSsmWg1YVHzmFeHREQCLcB/s320/Alternative%2BArmies%2BVery%2BNasty%2BThings%2BVNT09%2BWar%2BTroll.jpg" width="320" /></a><span id="goog_509409020"></span>All this good weather has meant that I have been spending most of my time watering plants and hardly any time painting. I did get round to this chappie though. Now, I like Alternative Army sculpts - I see them as the spiritual heirs to Citadel, as I think they get the mix of oddball humour and unpleasantness just right. This sculpt is a great example - I mean, it is genuinely unpleasant, but it brings a smirk to my face at the thought of unleashing it on unsuspected adventurers. As with all AA sculpts, it was a pleasure to paint - a dark gray base coat, then a blue wash, then dry brushing and picking out the detail. The red really worked well, I thought. Simples! I can see this one getting a LOT of table top time.<br />
<span id="goog_509409021"></span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-44331419068678155522017-04-15T04:48:00.001-07:002017-04-15T12:26:34.728-07:00Unknown carnivorous giant frog<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-soR7xZ2wAUI/WPIIaGp65VI/AAAAAAAABuY/471dCPcO1EAkyfCjwkHImdcY1TTnWmRyACLcB/s1600/Unknown%2Bcarnivorous%2Bfrog%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-soR7xZ2wAUI/WPIIaGp65VI/AAAAAAAABuY/471dCPcO1EAkyfCjwkHImdcY1TTnWmRyACLcB/s320/Unknown%2Bcarnivorous%2Bfrog%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>When you look at a normal frog, one that's only a few inches long, it's easy to forget that the docile green amphibian resting lazily at the edge of the stream is an ambush predator who is secretly a cross between a ninja with a grappling hook and a black hole. When the rare example grows to the size of a horse, however, they remind unwary adventurers that anything can be dangerous. </i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jk4u5QJ6SCk/WPIIaGR_xII/AAAAAAAABuc/6DSQu1rLWmMZmK4wNC_ypRrNsRNVK3KawCLcB/s1600/Unknown%2Bcarnivorous%2Bfrog%2B%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jk4u5QJ6SCk/WPIIaGR_xII/AAAAAAAABuc/6DSQu1rLWmMZmK4wNC_ypRrNsRNVK3KawCLcB/s320/Unknown%2Bcarnivorous%2Bfrog%2B%25288%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is definitely a late 70s-early 80's sculpt, but it has no base (it rests on its legs and feet) and has no markings to indicate the manufacturer - any ideas? I've scoured Lost Minis and Google and I can't find any reference to it anywhere. As with all early sculpts, the trick is to keep it simple - a base green paint job, with a dark red for the tongue, and then washes and dry brushing to bring out a surprising amount of detail, following by flock and stone for the base. I like everything about this sculpt - it's very dynamic, with the lashing tongue and the raised claw giving it a real air of menace - and just look at the size of it next to a worried looking Shadowforge Dark Temple warrior! To be honest I've always though of this entry in the Monster Manual as a bit of a joke, but this sculpt has changed my mind considerably, and I can see it getting a lot of table top time in the next set of marsh/swamp encounters. Now, if someone can just identify who made it, I'll be a happy man...</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PApIxxK8BP4/WPIIaErySGI/AAAAAAAABuU/hhXdC_SGtyMsQBJvOdz1OeuRKxwncNGRACLcB/s1600/Unknown%2Bcarnivorous%2Bfrog%2B%25289%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PApIxxK8BP4/WPIIaErySGI/AAAAAAAABuU/hhXdC_SGtyMsQBJvOdz1OeuRKxwncNGRACLcB/s1600/Unknown%2Bcarnivorous%2Bfrog%2B%25289%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-17499057124906951922017-04-06T12:42:00.002-07:002017-04-06T12:42:29.368-07:00Citadel Runequest box 7 Flying Creatures Manticore<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Citadel did some excellent sculpts before they morphed into Games Workshop, including some tie-ins with gaming systems such as Runequest (RQ). Now, I have to be honest and state that RQ was one of those systems that totally passed me by - D&D was and remains my RPG of choice - but I know a lot of people who rave about RQ, and it was mightily popular in the day, so much so that CItadel did several box sets of characters and creatures based on the game. This one of them. It's a lovely little sculpt I <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pszIOveKTTM/WOaaE3uYvTI/AAAAAAAABt4/Xp7ML-Cxq4YxEefPth1mOiaBaMyzQE86gCLcB/s1600/Citadel%2BRunequest%2Bbox%2B7%2BFlying%2BCreatures%2BManticore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pszIOveKTTM/WOaaE3uYvTI/AAAAAAAABt4/Xp7ML-Cxq4YxEefPth1mOiaBaMyzQE86gCLcB/s320/Citadel%2BRunequest%2Bbox%2B7%2BFlying%2BCreatures%2BManticore.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
think - in proportion, and somehow managing to convey the monstrousness of the thing - I mean, who dreamt up the idea of a lion's body, with bat wings, and a scorpion tail, and a flesh eating human face? The figure it was a pleasure to paint - as with most early sculpts, it was a matter of keeping it simple, which is why I didn't make the wings a different colour than the body - and dry brushing really brought out the detail, especially around the mane and tail. It really looks the part next to the Shadowforge Dark temple archer, and I can see this getting a lot of table top time. </span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-63780104465174450102017-03-11T09:16:00.001-08:002017-04-23T02:32:50.354-07:00Grenadier Fantasy Lords 1st series 171 Treeman<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qjhB2SgFn7E/WMQwjL_0kVI/AAAAAAAABtQ/UA221QGFfC46P4FMlaumpgphZDfDvv2DgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170311_161823523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qjhB2SgFn7E/WMQwjL_0kVI/AAAAAAAABtQ/UA221QGFfC46P4FMlaumpgphZDfDvv2DgCLcB/s320/IMG_20170311_161823523.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And next out of the Lead Mountain was this. Now, the Grenadier Fantasy Lords 1st series was very much a mixed bag - some dodgy figures from the old Wizzards and Warriors (W&W) range, plus some new sculpts to tie in with Dungeons and Dragons. This one looks and feels like something what was designed for the W&W range, but has been re-branded - does that face in the treeman remind you of the generic faces on so many early Grenadier minis? As with all early Grenadier figures, the trick is to keep it simple - a coat of brown wash, dark brown inks for detail, and then dry brushing, with just the eyes picked out in a vain attempt to give an air of malevolence to it. The base is just flock. To be honest, I'm not impressed with the figure - it's very static (but then, I suppose trees are... mostly), and there is no indication of whether it could walk or move like an Ent. And there is very little detail, other than the toadstools at the base - no leaves, or vines - just bark and branches and a face sculpted in. Oddly enough, its not even a particularly imposing treeman - look at it in scale compared to the latest Shadowforge Amazon archer, it's almost a large shrub. It's very much a sculpt of its time, and I can't see it getting a huge amount of table top time.</span></div>
<br />
<br />Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-23820834689867394062017-02-19T06:52:00.002-08:002017-02-19T09:10:15.911-08:00Grenadier Monster Manuscripts: MM73 Rhinshasa and MM38 Iron Bull<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ydNdq602mF4/WKmwvb077pI/AAAAAAAABss/cqsIO93gR_0SWv6r4RnnP43FDYQF_7SNQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170219_135453397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ydNdq602mF4/WKmwvb077pI/AAAAAAAABss/cqsIO93gR_0SWv6r4RnnP43FDYQF_7SNQCLcB/s320/IMG_20170219_135453397.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rd0J4UrFx5s/WKmwvaSDTLI/AAAAAAAABso/DmN1ar0_lT0Ry2kzGHjBOJXzaMQrOP9twCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170219_135601416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rd0J4UrFx5s/WKmwvaSDTLI/AAAAAAAABso/DmN1ar0_lT0Ry2kzGHjBOJXzaMQrOP9twCLcB/s320/IMG_20170219_135601416.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I haven't posted in a while - changes in job situation put paid to that - but here are a couple of related mini's I've recently been working on. These are both from the Grenadier Monster Manuscript series, which mostly featured sculpts from John Dennett, although Andrew Chernak, William Watt and Nick Lund also contributed. First up is an Andrew Chernak sculpt, the Rhinshasa from 1509 Monster Manuscript Vol.IX. I think this is Grenadier's attempt to extend the idea of the Rakshasa (an ugly, fierce-looking and enormous creature, with two fangs protruding from the top of the mouth and having sharp, claw-like fingernails) to animals other than the usual tiger that is used, and to be honest I am not enthused. The actual idea is pretty ridiculous in the first place - a rhino clumping on two legs - and what's with the scimitar/sword it is carrying? Surely the preferred attack mode would be with the horn and then trample a wounded opponent? And the figure itself is a bit coarse, especially when placed next to the latest recruit in my Shadowforge Amazon army. Ah well... out with the brushes. It was actually a very simple figure to paint - base gray, then a wash, then dry brushing in light shades of gray and eventually white, and then picking out the horn and the red eyes. I can't see this getting much table top time at all, and this may get passed on very quickly. Moving on to its companion - NOW we're talking. This is John Dennett on top form - a really good sculpt, great detail, great pose - what's not to like? Again, simple to paint - a dull gray base coat, then a black wash to bring out the detail, then dry brushing in gunmetal and then silver. Simples! I'm very pleased with the way this turned out, and I think it looks great next to the Shadowforge figure. I am setting up a Greek based RPG, and this figure will see a lot of use in it.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-70481492699528300452017-01-24T11:23:00.002-08:002017-01-24T11:25:28.425-08:00Ral Partha/TSR AD&D 2nd Edition Monsters 11-414 Chimera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ctn2pM_0oLg/WIepXPfJmGI/AAAAAAAABrk/A7meIxQiiQwk5Qj264IKVuwUnSZZTIVjACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170123_154858305_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ctn2pM_0oLg/WIepXPfJmGI/AAAAAAAABrk/A7meIxQiiQwk5Qj264IKVuwUnSZZTIVjACLcB/s320/IMG_20170123_154858305_HDR.jpg" width="201" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IEfxBPdVUOY/WIepXEf4VEI/AAAAAAAABro/qr0lMRt70ts8Iq2X6pjOh11ldxgXEYLnACLcB/s1600/IMG_20170123_154905339_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IEfxBPdVUOY/WIepXEf4VEI/AAAAAAAABro/qr0lMRt70ts8Iq2X6pjOh11ldxgXEYLnACLcB/s320/IMG_20170123_154905339_HDR.jpg" width="241" /></a>Before they went bust, Ral Partha produced a set of minis for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition that were amongst the best minis ever produced for the game - they really are that good. This is one of them. Now, I've always been a bit dubious about the concept of a Chimera in the first place - I mean, c'mon, a lion and a serpent and a goat mixed together? Why a GOAT? - but this sculpt handles the concept sympathetically and is really well done. Also, I am not a fan of winged minis - they fall over, take up loads of room, and gather dust like a dragon gathers gold - but I was prepared to make an exception for this one. The mini came in 5 parts - the lion body, the serpent head, the goat head, and the two wings - and it all slotted together really well, with just a minimum of Milliput needed around the joins. After that, out with the brushes, and the various subject matters that make up the figure dictated the colour scheme. The only choice I had to make was the colour of the serpent head and the wings, and as I'd previously had good results with red and yellow, that is what I went with. The figure was a pleasure to paint, and washes plus dry brushing really brought out the detail of the sculpt. The base is just sand painted gray, and some flock. I think this is a terrific figure - really menacing, with a great pose - imagine your tired and wounded band of adventurers finding THAT as the boss encounter. Very pleased with this one!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kS3HXU0dHho/WIepXGFRPOI/AAAAAAAABrg/xnXsbctnzeo6aM0CdO5vQbHqj4bJbZGywCLcB/s1600/IMG_20170123_154932096_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kS3HXU0dHho/WIepXGFRPOI/AAAAAAAABrg/xnXsbctnzeo6aM0CdO5vQbHqj4bJbZGywCLcB/s320/IMG_20170123_154932096_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-16909596112969226302016-12-27T04:39:00.000-08:002017-01-24T11:47:44.915-08:00Grenadier Grand Pack Line (Fantasy Warriors) 9207 Tree Spirit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FWbX9iFYJ8k/WGJglnYsXaI/AAAAAAAABqg/vWjKORoNRXEoRMxC6OFcwavIPjoXrVPVACK4B/s1600/Grenadier%2BGrand%2BPack%2BLine%2B%2528Fantasy%2BWarriors%2529%2B9207%2BTree%2BSpirit%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FWbX9iFYJ8k/WGJglnYsXaI/AAAAAAAABqg/vWjKORoNRXEoRMxC6OFcwavIPjoXrVPVACK4B/s320/Grenadier%2BGrand%2BPack%2BLine%2B%2528Fantasy%2BWarriors%2529%2B9207%2BTree%2BSpirit%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: justify;">This mini was purchased with a definite purpose in mind - it is going to be the Behemoth of a Hordes of the Things (HOTT) Wood Elf army, using Grenadier Mark Copplestone figures. To be honest, I wasn't enthused about the figure - it seemed a bit too cartoonish, and didn't have a suitable air of menace. As with many of the larger late Grenadier figures, it came in several pieces, and whilst it glued together well, there were obvious gaps that needed lots of filling with Milliput. On the plus side, it was designed so that it didn't fall over once constructed, so that was a bonus :) So, out with the brushes. The figure had a light gray primer, followed by an Army Painter Dark Tone wash, followed by drybrushing with light gray, then a very light gray, and then a white just for the upper branches. That brought out a lot of the detail, and I started to get a bit more enthused about the sculpt. After that it was a matter of picking out the roots and leaves with dark green and then light green for highlights, and picking out indvidual rocks on the base. I still wasn't </span><span style="text-align: justify;">satisfied with some of the filling work I'd done, so I disguised it with some PVA glue and some flock, which I hoped would look like moss or lichen, and I was pleasantly surprised by the result. Finally the figure was glued to a 60x60mm MDF base to fit in with the rest of the HOTT army, and the base given a fine coat of sand which was then primed a dull brown, high lighted with green, and then dusted with flock and grass highlights. A lot simpler than it sounds. At the end of it - I was happy with the paint job, but I'm still not sure about the sculpt which - if you'll forgive the pun - is a bit wooden. Still, it looks impressive - take a look at it next to the latest recruit for my Amazon/Shadowforge Dark</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Temple HOTT Spear Unit - and I am pretty sure it will do some damage on the tabletop, as well as doubling up as an Ent in any woodland adventures for my D&D party.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-66KJOToTwEA/WGJg1yA5oPI/AAAAAAAABqs/OVKShPG9ATkH2JA8Eix6aFMvs8TWg3_gQCLcB/s1600/Grenadier%2BGrand%2BPack%2BLine%2B%2528Fantasy%2BWarriors%2529%2B9207%2BTree%2BSpirit%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-66KJOToTwEA/WGJg1yA5oPI/AAAAAAAABqs/OVKShPG9ATkH2JA8Eix6aFMvs8TWg3_gQCLcB/s320/Grenadier%2BGrand%2BPack%2BLine%2B%2528Fantasy%2BWarriors%2529%2B9207%2BTree%2BSpirit%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aHjtKHHTsCU/WGJg19K1NGI/AAAAAAAABqw/FP9E-eaeErcmVOIW85g7NSYRQkgCtvKyACLcB/s1600/Grenadier%2BGrand%2BPack%2BLine%2B%2528Fantasy%2BWarriors%2529%2B9207%2BTree%2BSpirit%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aHjtKHHTsCU/WGJg19K1NGI/AAAAAAAABqw/FP9E-eaeErcmVOIW85g7NSYRQkgCtvKyACLcB/s320/Grenadier%2BGrand%2BPack%2BLine%2B%2528Fantasy%2BWarriors%2529%2B9207%2BTree%2BSpirit%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-41382024326671169162016-12-03T07:16:00.002-08:002016-12-03T07:37:26.868-08:00Heresy Heroes024 Rowan Centaur Archer, Ral Partha Personalities and Things Winged Gremlin and Shadowforge Dark Temple Spear Warrior<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jJWLQiRoX14/WELhFdsTSXI/AAAAAAAABoo/kM9YN1-sV1shrrAmL0Sy52X-TRBfCHaMACEw/s1600/Heresy%2BHeroes024%2BRowan%2BCentaur%2BArcher%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jJWLQiRoX14/WELhFdsTSXI/AAAAAAAABoo/kM9YN1-sV1shrrAmL0Sy52X-TRBfCHaMACEw/s320/Heresy%2BHeroes024%2BRowan%2BCentaur%2BArcher%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="195" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufIc6a9k9Zw/WELhFXbW14I/AAAAAAAABos/Puc28jCbKsQZkeu5ygbzIdvnrUj7TOVbwCEw/s1600/Heresy%2BHeroes024%2BRowan%2BCentaur%2BArcher%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ufIc6a9k9Zw/WELhFXbW14I/AAAAAAAABos/Puc28jCbKsQZkeu5ygbzIdvnrUj7TOVbwCEw/s320/Heresy%2BHeroes024%2BRowan%2BCentaur%2BArcher%2B%25281%2529.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="203" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not strictly old lead... a bit of a mixed bag posting, but with a vague ancient Greece theme. The next nuggets to be extracted from the Lead Mountain were the Heresy Centaur and the Ral Partha Gremlin, and as they are small figures I thought I'd post them here at the same time. First up, the Heresy sculpt - a bit stylised, with what looks to be a truncated torso and elongated legs - but its well detailed, and I think it would serve well for a NPC that shows up on a regular basis. A nice and simple paint job, mostly browns and leather, and then the Army Painter soft tone wash did the hard work. Simples! Pleased with the way this turned out. At the same time I extracted the Ral Partha Winged Gremlin. Now, I am not sure that it is complete - I can't find this sculpt on Lost Minis - and I suspect that it is missing a weapon from its right hand. Still, it's still a great sculpt - for something that is nearly 40 years old I think it holds up really well - and it will definitely serve as a generic dungeon demon. This was a lovely mini to paint - a base coat of red, then a wash of GW crimson, then just dry brushing, which really brought out the detail. Again, pleased with the result. The Shadow Forge Dark Temple Spear Warrior is part of an Amazon HOTT army I am painting up, and when I was photographing the minis I wanted something to show the scale of the Ral Partha mini, and that was the first figure to hand. I like the look of Shadow Forge minis, especially their centaurs, although I think that sometimes their sculpting of arms leaves a lot to be desired. I'll post pics of the HOTT army as it progresses.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-awOEc_YcaYo/WELhFUnso5I/AAAAAAAABok/fuYAfjJqDxsDNKUuctjYmiMgEmRKsxYoQCEw/s1600/Ral%2BPartha%2BPersonalities%2Band%2BThings%2BWinged%2BGremlin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-awOEc_YcaYo/WELhFUnso5I/AAAAAAAABok/fuYAfjJqDxsDNKUuctjYmiMgEmRKsxYoQCEw/s320/Ral%2BPartha%2BPersonalities%2Band%2BThings%2BWinged%2BGremlin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-17347683451780644852016-11-13T01:55:00.002-08:002016-11-13T12:51:18.073-08:00Citadel Fiend Factory FF12-2 Mountain Giant with Battle Axe Feb 1982<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Hw9ERHDifA/WCg4RyQKcWI/AAAAAAAABnw/A3Nc4g7sqbIU-pE7lS-YqDrQZbKdF2gzwCLcB/s1600/CItadel%2BFiend%2BFactory%2BFF12-2%2BMountain%2BGiant%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Hw9ERHDifA/WCg4RyQKcWI/AAAAAAAABnw/A3Nc4g7sqbIU-pE7lS-YqDrQZbKdF2gzwCLcB/s320/CItadel%2BFiend%2BFactory%2BFF12-2%2BMountain%2BGiant%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At first, I wasn't even aware that there was such a thing as a Mountain Giant in D&D, but a quick check on Google shows that they first appeared in the Fiend Folio - whilst the D&D Wiki provides a useful summary:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mountain giants are violent as a result of their history. Banished by their hill giant ancestors, they were forced to drive out the stone giants from their northern ranges. They regularly mock-fight amongst each other. However, they prefer not to start a real fight without a genuine reason </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(although they will jump into a fight that's already started without hesitation). As such, they may not act anymore violent than an average human on a good day.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zpe-3gX7qx0/WCg4R4CdFdI/AAAAAAAABn0/hgbD6d1ASi8jCDTJ_56NJL9Pygbbqxa-wCLcB/s1600/FiendFolioMountainGiant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zpe-3gX7qx0/WCg4R4CdFdI/AAAAAAAABn0/hgbD6d1ASi8jCDTJ_56NJL9Pygbbqxa-wCLcB/s320/FiendFolioMountainGiant.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So basically, we're looking at a hill giant variant, similar to <a href="http://leadmenagerie.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/citadel-ff64-2-george-giant.html" target="_blank">George</a> - in fact the Fiend Folio illustration looks startlingly like George </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">- but IMHO it looks much more like a Frost Giant, complete with furs, battle axe and Nordic helmet, and that dictated the paint scheme. The paint job was fairly challenging - just a simple base coat of white, then a wash of GW Draaken Nightshade, then lots and lots of drybrushing with various shades of light blue and then white. I wanted to give the impression </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">of the leather jerkin and helmet being cold, so I mixed in some light blue into the usual leather colour, and I think that gave the right effect. The shaft of the axe was problematical - I originally painted it a light yellow brown to suggest pine, but it looked almost too bright, so again I mixed in light blue to a light brown and then added white to try and get a frosted effect.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xDL34sxYXBY/WCg4RwZb-vI/AAAAAAAABns/_2RKoG2pDPcx6N0BRiw-OS9gyBE81L3lACLcB/s1600/CItadel%2BFiend%2BFactory%2BFF12-2%2BMountain%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xDL34sxYXBY/WCg4RwZb-vI/AAAAAAAABns/_2RKoG2pDPcx6N0BRiw-OS9gyBE81L3lACLcB/s320/CItadel%2BFiend%2BFactory%2BFF12-2%2BMountain%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't think its a great sculpt - its a bit static, and there is a definite coarseness about the figure, though nothing as bad as early Asgard figures. Still, I'm fairly pleased with this outcome - it will definitely work as a default Frost Giant figure for encounters. </span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-75812143706263221392016-10-20T01:43:00.004-07:002016-11-25T14:05:31.210-08:00Grenadier Giants Club 3506 Chaos Giant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7xeGp5SXx4/WAiDYxjJs1I/AAAAAAAABlg/57luzrnezIkoYyHFFHHRiP3rXPobXpyQQCLcB/s1600/Grenadier%2BGiants%2BClub%2B3506%2BChaos%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Y7xeGp5SXx4/WAiDYxjJs1I/AAAAAAAABlg/57luzrnezIkoYyHFFHHRiP3rXPobXpyQQCLcB/s320/Grenadier%2BGiants%2BClub%2B3506%2BChaos%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QjQUgisbue8/WAiDYyHibVI/AAAAAAAABlc/EoiRszxDTlENtx9ZTNhFzFgW4-zbN-RugCLcB/s1600/Grenadier%2BGiants%2BClub%2B3506%2BChaos%2BGiant%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QjQUgisbue8/WAiDYyHibVI/AAAAAAAABlc/EoiRszxDTlENtx9ZTNhFzFgW4-zbN-RugCLcB/s320/Grenadier%2BGiants%2BClub%2B3506%2BChaos%2BGiant%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="260" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iOWJiPqZ9K8/WAiDY8NH2iI/AAAAAAAABlk/ZGahIln-2ucyvf2N-R-Qt_dHWdqrMxeDACLcB/s1600/Grenadier%2BGiants%2BClub%2B3506%2BChaos%2BGiant%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iOWJiPqZ9K8/WAiDY8NH2iI/AAAAAAAABlk/ZGahIln-2ucyvf2N-R-Qt_dHWdqrMxeDACLcB/s320/Grenadier%2BGiants%2BClub%2B3506%2BChaos%2BGiant%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="302" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next from the Lead Mountain was this absolute monster of a figure. It is huge - just look at it against a Citadel wizard! As with a lot of the bigger Grenadier models, it suffers from a few problems - some of the detail isn't that great, especially around the hands/claws and the armour, and the base isn't big enough to support the figure without the slightest bump sending it over, hence the large base it now sits on. Worst of all is the sword hand, which was supplied as a separate piece - the socket to fix it to the arm was very poorly moulded, and it took several goes with superglue and much cursing to get it to fix in place. It was actually quite a difficult figure to paint - the skin is sculptured to indicate scales, but they are not raised, so it was a matter of using a dark green wash and then several sessions of very light dry brushing to pick out the detail without painting over the scaling. The scales also dictated the colour scheme - I ummed and ah'd about whether to go with green or red, and in the end decided that the demon scale loin cloth it is wearing should be red, thus leaving the actual demon green. I went with gold for the armour and weapon, purely because I liked the contrast with the green, and also because I knew it would brush up well as bronze armour once I applied Army Painter soft tone to it. The obelisk came with the figure, and was glued to the base with small stones from the garden, and then dry brushed to blend in with the original figure base. I think is a fantastic pose - just look at the expression, and that foot about to come crashing down! And if the foot doesn't get you, that bloody </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">big sword will. This big guy will definitely see table stop time as th</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e demonic "boss" for any high level dungeon delving expedition.</span></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-63863248783944547922016-09-07T08:36:00.002-07:002016-12-06T13:42:40.973-08:00Asgard Fantasy Monsters FM35 Hill Troll v1<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJIvLZmbH2Q/V9AzbFVSjRI/AAAAAAAABkQ/oGGNywh8taYSaYijKEXGuA7dsttSvIQmwCLcB/s1600/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM35%2Bv1%2BHlill%2BGiant%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJIvLZmbH2Q/V9AzbFVSjRI/AAAAAAAABkQ/oGGNywh8taYSaYijKEXGuA7dsttSvIQmwCLcB/s320/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM35%2Bv1%2BHlill%2BGiant%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="228" /></a>And now for a bit of detective work. I am a collector of Asgard miniatures, and one of the difficulties is that for some figures in the Fantasy Monster (FM) range, there are no photographs or line drawings to show what the figures are supposed to look like - for example, FM18a Secrom, FM97 Sea Dragon, FM101 Dragonnewt (the latter may well be a re-listed FM76 Dragon-newt), and FM35 Hill Troll. I thought I'd found the FM35 Hill Troll last year - Viking Forge have the rights to a lot of the old Asgard mini's, and they have a Hill Troll on their site which I thought was the original Asgard FM35 Hill Troll, and which I posted <a href="http://leadmenagerie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/viking-forge-fm-01-giant-troll-waxe-and.html" target="_blank">here.</a> However, I started to have my doubts - it looked too crisp for an Asgard figure, which were notoriously crudely sculpted, and Viking Forge are well known for replacing some of the Asgard line with new figures. In the absence of a photo or line drawing of the original FM35 Hill Troll - could the one I posted be a new variant? The answer came when I bought this chappie in a joblot, which included a lot of Asgard figures. There are no marking on the base, and no-one was able to identify it, not even the good folks at Lost Minis. Eventually the figure was extracted from the Lead Mountain, and it was only when I started prepping and priming it for painting that I started to think, "this has got to be an Asgard mini". It has all of the trademarks of an Asgard - a base that wasn't big enough to keep the figure stable, and really crude sculpting, especially on the muscle definition and the fingers - and in fact, the figure it most reminded me of was the <a href="http://leadmenagerie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/asgard-fantasy-monsters-fm19-storm-giant.html" target="_blank">Asgard FM19 Storm Giant</a>, and when I checked I think it was pretty obvious that they were by the same sculptor. With that in mind - I think I can safely present Asgard FM35 Hill Troll v1. When I got the figure, it had been broken off at the ankles - superglue and Milliput to the rescue - and was missing a weapon, as something had been snapped off from its right hand, so I replaced it with a cocktail stick, which was painted up to resemble a spear. As with all early minis, the trick is to keep it simple - so a basic paint job, Army Painter soft tone on that, and then lots and lots of dry brushing to bring out the detail, which is actually pretty good around the face and the animal skin - not so great on the arms and hands. As with a lot of the bigger Asgard figures, it needed a base to keep it stable, and the base is just sand and flock. I'm pleased with the way this turned out, though I am not sure it will see too much table top time - I have better Hill Troll figures, though he may make an occasional appearance to fill up the numbers.</div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QlZhFFpK3xc/V9AzbLP3J1I/AAAAAAAABkU/W8jGmgnxC58Omzao_BJrHMScbkz5qMo7QCLcB/s1600/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM35%2Bv1%2BHlill%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QlZhFFpK3xc/V9AzbLP3J1I/AAAAAAAABkU/W8jGmgnxC58Omzao_BJrHMScbkz5qMo7QCLcB/s320/Asgard%2BFantasy%2BMonsters%2BFM35%2Bv1%2BHlill%2BGiant%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="201" /></a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What does everyone else think? Is he the missing FM35 Hill Troll or not?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-40653093068261832552016-08-28T07:29:00.002-07:002016-08-28T07:29:22.054-07:00Ral Partha Children of The Night 13-017 Giant In Mail Armour <div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-J0G8l7FP0/V8L1KH9Z5LI/AAAAAAAABjc/uxO7b854ySYaSOtaLnAkxriHRTDosDh0ACK4B/s1600/Ral%2BPartha%2BChildren%2Bof%2BThe%2BNight%2B13-017%2BGiant%2BIn%2BMail%2BArmour%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-n-J0G8l7FP0/V8L1KH9Z5LI/AAAAAAAABjc/uxO7b854ySYaSOtaLnAkxriHRTDosDh0ACK4B/s320/Ral%2BPartha%2BChildren%2Bof%2BThe%2BNight%2B13-017%2BGiant%2BIn%2BMail%2BArmour%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ql3ZNLsTx8/V8L1KE4tGFI/AAAAAAAABjg/zm3fus_ZT8gvMp-dO4EDc9B5zxXvw0rOACK4B/s1600/Ral%2BPartha%2BChildren%2Bof%2BThe%2BNight%2B13-017%2BGiant%2BIn%2BMail%2BArmour%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3Ql3ZNLsTx8/V8L1KE4tGFI/AAAAAAAABjg/zm3fus_ZT8gvMp-dO4EDc9B5zxXvw0rOACK4B/s320/Ral%2BPartha%2BChildren%2Bof%2BThe%2BNight%2B13-017%2BGiant%2BIn%2BMail%2BArmour%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="292" /></a>Next out of the Lead Mountain was this fine fellow from Ral Partha. Now, I have a lot of time for Ral Partha sculpts, especially the larger ones - whilst I like the smaller figures, they always looked too slight and out of place against "heroic" scale figures from Citadel, Games Workshop and Grenader, but this one holds up really well. As with all Ral Partha figures, beautifully sculpted, lots of detail, and I love the pose - how many other manufacturers would even consider producing a figure in that pose? The figure itself was a pleasue to paint - base colours, then let Army Painter washes do their magic, followed by dry brushing and high lighting. Even the base is good - solid enough and big enough to keep the figure upright, and it actually paints up well as a one big stone slab. I think this is a terrific figure - I especially love the pose, as you can imagine the big guy bending over to smack some unfortunate adventurer with that iron headed club! How many other giant sculpts have you seen where the figure is just standing around, or just brandishing a weapon? I can see this figure getting a LOT of table top time.</div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-90339557522200680582016-08-08T08:37:00.001-07:002016-08-09T00:11:46.736-07:00Reaper Miniatures/Heritage Dungeon Dwellers 1262 Demon<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uaa0PJzfRRc/V6inFRWB38I/AAAAAAAABis/gJpas8fp9Ecrrpn0qq2rJaOyGZxVhVjCACLcB/s1600/Reaper%2BMiniatures%2BDungeon%2BDwellers%2B1262%2BDemons%2B%2528b%2529%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uaa0PJzfRRc/V6inFRWB38I/AAAAAAAABis/gJpas8fp9Ecrrpn0qq2rJaOyGZxVhVjCACLcB/s320/Reaper%2BMiniatures%2BDungeon%2BDwellers%2B1262%2BDemons%2B%2528b%2529%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="235" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pO9_bg8EJtI/V6inFRk3XRI/AAAAAAAABiw/QsdpzIG4z18xQAzXHQRy7gI6lWHLDQbAgCLcB/s1600/Reaper%2BMiniatures%2BDungeon%2BDwellers%2B1262%2BDemons%2B%2528b%2529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pO9_bg8EJtI/V6inFRk3XRI/AAAAAAAABiw/QsdpzIG4z18xQAzXHQRy7gI6lWHLDQbAgCLcB/s320/Reaper%2BMiniatures%2BDungeon%2BDwellers%2B1262%2BDemons%2B%2528b%2529%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="245" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Despite this being a Reaper miniature, it was originally produced and sculpted by Heritage, so the figure actually dates to the late 1970s-early 1980s (Heritage went bust in 1982). Originally it was from the Heritage Dungeon Dwellers 1200 ranges line, but Reaper re-released resculpts (new bases) of some Heritage Dungeon Dwellers figures as their inaugural first fantasy line, as listed in their 1993 Catalog. This figure is actually marked as Reaper on its base. As a consequence... it's not a great sculpt. Heritage figures were on a par with early Grenadier, the occasional gem and definitely not as good as Ral Partha, Citadel or late Grenadier - but they do have a certain naive charm. The actual metal base of the figure was meant to represent a stone slab, but as with so many early figures it wasn't big enough to support the figure for any extended period of time - so, on to a plastic base, and then Milliput to create additional slabs. As for the paint job, I took the same approach as I do with all early figures - keep it simple. That meant a base coat of red, followed by washes, then dry brushing to bring up highlights - orange on the torso and the hair on the back of the figure, plus gray for the base. To my surprise the figure actually looked quite good, and I decided I would pick out the "ridges" on the wings to look like bone, the same as the horns on the head. The colour scheme actually came out far better than I expected, although I was underwhelmed by the decision by the sculptor to add spiked knee protectors to the figure - what is that all about? I'm fairly pleased with the paint job, but I'm not too sure about the figure itself - it's fun, but it looks out of proportion, tiny legs and the weird knee pads - and there are better sculpts from Grenadier that meet the needs of my campaign, so this one might get moved on.<br />
</div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-122247589273786632016-07-28T11:37:00.002-07:002016-10-06T14:35:32.587-07:00Citadel FF64-2 George the Giant <a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CoiTY_OKlRE/V5pQsWhSVyI/AAAAAAAABiI/co4YKdB4FMgMr7_ztHvZKyprQfrjyHHFwCLcB/s1600/Citadel%2BFF64-2%2BGeorge%2Bthe%2BGiant%2BDec%2B1982%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CoiTY_OKlRE/V5pQsWhSVyI/AAAAAAAABiI/co4YKdB4FMgMr7_ztHvZKyprQfrjyHHFwCLcB/s320/Citadel%2BFF64-2%2BGeorge%2Bthe%2BGiant%2BDec%2B1982%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="138" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-teIEkBAFDTc/V5pQsZVdNnI/AAAAAAAABiM/ZMuBIaSFpq0_CEz5v1lBTx_GXLof7lz7gCLcB/s1600/Citadel%2BFF64-2%2BGeorge%2Bthe%2BGiant%2BDec%2B1982%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-teIEkBAFDTc/V5pQsZVdNnI/AAAAAAAABiM/ZMuBIaSFpq0_CEz5v1lBTx_GXLof7lz7gCLcB/s320/Citadel%2BFF64-2%2BGeorge%2Bthe%2BGiant%2BDec%2B1982%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="169" /></a>Next out of this Lead Mountain was this fine fellow from Citadel. Now, I am a bit unsure about Citadel miniatures - whilst they are good quality, and are mostly good sculpts, I also feel that there is something "cartoonish" about them, as if the sculptors were trying to produce something that would amuse and raise a smile rather than actually look intimidating. That's a bit of a generalisation, I know, but I think this figure illustrates what I mean. </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jd2YXbRsm1Y/V5pQsW4BCqI/AAAAAAAABiE/I4KPPlWCZUY_2ht_7N4ab8IArb_HBW_6gCLcB/s1600/Citadel%2BFF64-2%2BGeorge%2Bthe%2BGiant%2BDec%2B1982%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jd2YXbRsm1Y/V5pQsW4BCqI/AAAAAAAABiE/I4KPPlWCZUY_2ht_7N4ab8IArb_HBW_6gCLcB/s320/Citadel%2BFF64-2%2BGeorge%2Bthe%2BGiant%2BDec%2B1982%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="173" /></a>It's big - nearly 4 inches high - and its a great sculpt, good pose, well detailed, and yet - I look at it and it makes me smile, its as if they were presenting a parody of a bad tempered drunken bloke in the street - long unwashed hair, beer gut, and just look at that nose! Reminds of a home game at Stoke to be honest. Still, out with the brushes. As with all Citadel figures, lovely to paint, crisp detail, standard base coat and wash, then drybrushing, job done. I deliberately left the skin areas slightly grubby, because - well - I think that's what a giant would look like, hygine wouldn't be high on their agenda. The base didn't really need attention - for once we have a large figure with a pose and a base that doesn't fall over every 2 minutes. It's a good figure, but I feel that perhaps the paint job hasn't done it justice, and I suppose that's because ultimately I wasn't enthused about the figure.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Poor George.</div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-30212790688974058752016-07-16T06:20:00.002-07:002016-07-28T11:33:20.046-07:00Another interlude: Reaper Bones, Greek Mythology - Medusa and Harpy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzlGNGxminE/V4o0WpQrBTI/AAAAAAAABhY/5873rAshf-Y-Cm5r83GkAzB93fBQrqm3gCLcB/s1600/Reaper%2BBones%2BMedusa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzlGNGxminE/V4o0WpQrBTI/AAAAAAAABhY/5873rAshf-Y-Cm5r83GkAzB93fBQrqm3gCLcB/s320/Reaper%2BBones%2BMedusa.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Earlier this year I picked up a handful of Reaper Bones fantasy miniatures, and I have finally got round to painting them. Reaper Bones minis are made of plastic, the kind of bendy stuff that Airfix soldiers used to be made of, and come with all of the associated problems of detail and getting paint to adhere that go with it. Still, you can't argue with the price - £1 a figure - and as I need to get on with stocking the dungeon, it was out with the paintbrushes.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Medusa was first up, and my main complaint with the figure is the lack of detail - some features such as fingers, eyes, and places where the quiver rests against the serpent tail were very crude - real echos of early Asgard sculpting. You need to wash the figure thoroughly to get the paint to stick, and I had to use paint a bit thicker than I'm used to. Still, the base figure painted up quite well, and a wash of Army Painter Soft tone really brought up the detail, followed by dry brushing and highlighting. The base is just Milliput and then painted to suggest a rough dungeon floor surface. Quite pleased with the end result - the paint job came out quite well, and the actual pose is terrific, a really sinister and unpleasant thing to encounter in a dungeon. Should see a decent amount of table top time.</div>
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rBCJhhTuN-A/V4o0WmJ1e6I/AAAAAAAABhU/RzhI9Czlur8xkhFxBYvJIY90-9rf_Jz9wCLcB/s1600/Reaper%2BBones%2BHarpy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rBCJhhTuN-A/V4o0WmJ1e6I/AAAAAAAABhU/RzhI9Czlur8xkhFxBYvJIY90-9rf_Jz9wCLcB/s320/Reaper%2BBones%2BHarpy.jpg" width="229" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After that, the Harpy. Oddly enough this had much better detail, with the exception of the face, and as a consequence I found it real pleasure to paint. Same approach as the Medusa - base coats laid on fairly thickly, then Army Painter and GW washes, then highlighting. Simples! Again, really pleased with how this turned - a really dynamic pose, and it looks like it could actually give a group of adventurers a run for their money. If I had a quibble it is that the sculptor hasn't really given thought to how the claws would join on to the arms, and so has fudged it by giving the figure wrist guards - where on earth did she get those from? Still, I can see her getting lots of tabletop time.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I can see the appeal of Reaper Bones - ideal for filling the ranks in wargames, and you simply cannot argue with the value for money - but still not convinced that they have the quality of the classic Ral Partha and late Grenadier minis.</div>
<br />Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3954928960386736696.post-6848940758858981472016-07-03T09:47:00.001-07:002016-07-03T09:47:25.455-07:00Kickstarter: The Fantastic Worlds of Grenadier<div style="text-align: justify;">
Regulars to this blog will be aware of my appreciation of Grenadier miniatures, especially the Fantasy Lords series. With that in mind, I would like to draw your attention to a Kickstarter <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1155053944/the-fantastic-worlds-of-grenadier" target="_blank">here</a> which is a chronological product history of Grenadier Models. I've already backed it, and I would strongly recommend any other readers of the blog to do the same - possibly the best $35/£27 you'll ever spend.</div>
Caliburnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06125126784992527034noreply@blogger.com0