RAFM 3949 (b) Gargoyle

And a bonus posting. I obtained this figure from a job lot on e-bay, and I've been unable to identify it fully. The base is clearly marked RAFM, but nothing else. I've checked Lost Minis, but I can't spot it anywhere - anyone with any ideas? As with all the RAFM sculpts, it is lovely and clean, and cast in good crisp metal- a real pleasure to deal with. The figure came in 3 parts - two wings, and the torso - and my only criticism was that the base was originally very narrow, making it prone to falling over. In the end I glued it to standard GW base and used Milliput to give the impression of stone flags. The actual paint job was very simple - yellow for the underside of the tail, then base red, then a GW ink wash with dry brushing to bring out the fabulous detail. Simples! This was a really easy figure to paint, with very little effort, and I'm pleased with the result - I can see this getting a lot of table top time as a generic winged demon. 

Edit: finally identified as RAFM 3949 (b) Gargoyle by the good people at Lost Minis!

Asgard Fantasy Monsters FM40 Troll Champion

And back to Asgard. Their Fantasy Monsters range has lots of trolls and half-trolls in it, but from two different sculptors. I think one of the sculptors was Jes Goodwin, who did the later, fine detailed "good" troll sculpts, and the earlier, coarser sculpts were done by someone else. This is one of the earlier sculpts.

 

As with so many of the early Asgard sculpts, it is really coarse - there is some detail, especially on the chain mail and the gauntlets, but the rest of it is very poorly done. In particular, the face is just two holes poked in for the eyes, and a gaping hole for the mouth. Still, out with the brushes. For early Asgard's I've found it best to keep it simple - in this case, silver and dull gold for the armour (I wanted to suggest brass, but it came out a bit too light for my liking), leather for the gauntlets and red to give a bit of impact. The original weapon (which I understand to be a stone mallet) was missing, so this chappie ended up with a plastic mace from a GW Chaos knight. After that, standard washes, and highlighting.

It's a brute of a thing, with real presence - look at it in comparison to the Asgard dwarf from the same era - but ultimately I think the quality of the sculpting lets it down. I think it's supposed to be a centre piece, a War Champion to lead your armies, and I think it lacks the detail to make it that stand-out piece. It will probably see some table top time as a guardian of a treasure room for low level adventurers, though.

Citadel Fantasy Tribes Trolls FTT8 Troll Brat hurling rocks

Just a quick update of the latest nugget extracted from the Lead Mountain. Citadel did some excellent figures in their pre-slotta days - they simply ooze quality - so when this figure turned up I was really pleased to take the brushes to it. It was a really simple figure to paint as well - base colours of flesh and brown for the fur kilt, and then orange for the hair, purely because I thought the figure reminded me of idiot son from the Dick Emery show, only more violent. Washes and high lighting brought up the detail a treat, whilst the base is just small bits of Milliput painted gray and then dark washed to mimic what he is throwing.

I really like this figure - just look at that expression of dumb malevolence! If this is a teenage hill troll, I can't begin to imagine what the grown-ups are like. I can this one getting a lot of table top time, either as a generic hill giant/troll, or else as a recurring NPC.

Asgard Fantasy Monsters FM24v2 Silent Shambler

And next from the Lead Mountain... something. To be honest I don't know exactly what this is supposed to be - the Asgard catalogue simply lists it as a Silent Shambler, but there is no information anywhere on what a Silent Shambler actually is or does. I suppose it shambles around... silently. Asgard figures tend to fall into two categories - good or bad - and I think this is one of the good ones. It's still coarse, especially compared to modern sculpts, but what I really like about this figure is the pose - it gives the impression of something long and lanky ambling around. Whilst the face isn't finely detailed, I think the teeth do help to give it an expression of malevolence. And it has real presence - just look at it next to that unwary Elf!

My best guess is that a Silent Shambler is some kind of stealth predator, perhaps a form of ape or lemur that dwells in forests and marshes, moving silently before leaping upon unwary adventurers - certainly the long limbs would suggest it is some kind of tree dweller. The name suggests that it is blends well with its surroundings, hence the choice of colours for the paint job - light brown for the fur (that incidentally is sculpted almost like tree bark... hmmm) and then a dark wash, followed by dry brushing. The face is simply picked out with an undead skin tone, with a suitable wash and then dry brushing, whilst the eyes were kept as a solid red block for contrast. The base is just standard flock.

I was really pleased with this figure, considering how old it is - I can see this getting a decent amount of table top time!

CItadel C34 Air Elemental

The sun is out, the grass is growing, and the weeds are threatening to engulf the garden... who planted that triffid anyhow? Basically my spare time has been spent in the great outdoors, cutting and trimming, leaving the Lead Mountain to hold it's treasures. Until now... next out was this gem from Citadel.  

Now, I think that Citadel went through a purple patch just before it moved to slotta tabs for its figures, and this one was a product of that era. It is a fantastic sculpt - really atmospheric (if you'll forgive the pun) and full of movement. And it was really simple to paint - white primer, then GW Draaken Nightshade wash, then dry brushing. The mist/cloud around the base is simply cotton wool tugged into shape.

I am really pleased with the way this turned out - maximum effect for minimum effort - and I can see this getting a LOT of table top time.

Asgard FM22 Oriental Troll with Two-Handed Mace

There was a period in the early 1980's when the RPG hobby got interested in Oriental folklore and mythology - as a consequence, most of the main manufacturers started producing samurai and ninjas, as well as a whole host of unpleasant creatures for them to battle. Next out of the lead mountain was one of Asgard's offerings for the genre.

Now, Asgard sculpts generally fall into two categories - good, or awful. This is one of the good ones. I think it is by the same guy who did this - possibly Jes Goodwin? 

The figure was pleasure to paint - a nice clean sculpt, and no flash to clear - and as with all Asgard figures, keeping it simple really helps. Basically the only contentious issue was the skin colour - I normally avoid blue, as I find it a difficult colour to shade well, but the use of GW ink washes really helped here. A few highlights and then - done!

I am really pleased with the way this one turned out - I think it holds up really well for a figure that is nearly 35 years old - and my only regret is that I can't see it getting much table top time. To be honest I don't buy in to the entire Oriental genre within D&D, and none of my campaigns have that flavour. A bit of a shame really :(

Unknown Air or Wind Elemental

And now a bit of a mystery item. I know what it is - it's an Air or Wind Elemental - but apart from that, I know nothing else about it. It has no base markings, no tell-tale clues on the styling of the base to hint who might have produced it... nothing. I've checked on Lost Minis - nada. Even Google Images turned up zilch. So - if anyone can identify this, please let me know!

Regardless of the manufacturer, I think it's a terrific figure, really well sculptured and with tons of energy and character. And look at the size of it next to a late Asgard Dwarf King! The only criticism I have is the casting - it is of hard alloy (not lead like a lot of the early sculpts I own... hmm... bit of a clue there) and it had a quite prominent casting line right down the centre, which took a lot of time to file down. 

Once that was done, the paint job was easy - gray primer, then GW blue wash, followed by lots and LOTS of white dry brushing. Simples! As for the base - I wanted the effect of it rising and moving out of a cloud, and then leaving a trail of vapour behind it. That is simply cotton wool, pulled out into a form that suggests swirling and movement.

 
I am pleased with the outcome of this one - minimal effort for a good result. I can see this one getting LOTS of table top time!