Grenadier Fantasy Legends 3107 Troll (2 of 2)

And next up - another Julie Guthrie troll from Grenadier. This was originally part of a two figure set; I did the first figure here. At the time I didn't realise that the two figures were a combo, otherwise I might have painted them together. As it is, they get separate billing. 

I've gone for more of a gray-skinned LOTR/The Hobbit feel for this one - in addition, this chappie might end up as part of a Winter Orc army, which uses whites and grays as the default colour scheme. The figure was actually quite easy to paint; a gray base coat, then an ink wash, then highlighting, then the slightly tedious matter of picking out the unpleasant red blemishes on the skin. The base is just stones and sticks from the garden under a flock coating, and then an ink wash on top of that.

It's a nice sculpt, as are most of Julie Guthrie's figures - it certainly looks unpleasant enough - but somehow I'm not enthused about it. The figure seems oddly stiff, and to my mind it lacks an air of menace. Still, I am quite sure he won't look out of place amongst the Orcish hordes!

Asgard Fantasy Monsters FM28v2 Half Troll with hammer

I haven't posted for a while due to a fairly hectic social life and work load - but I've still managed to do some painting in my spare time! The next nugget to be extracted from the lead mountain was this beastie from Asgard:

A lot of the early Asgard figures were quite coarse, but this one is quite well sculpted I think. It certainly painted up well - just the usual Citadel base paints, then washes and highlighting - although I wish I'd been braver with the shield, and done my own design on it. As it is, I've chickened out and used a transfer (actually from a Warhammer 40k Space Marine transfer set!). The base is just some small stones from the garden, some flock from a railway basing set and some thin strands of stick for the reeds.

It is actually quite a striking figure - literally! - with a very dramatic pose, which I haven't seen any other sculptor use. It is unusual, and makes for a very long figure base, which perhaps accounts for why it wasn't a particularly popular figure. I know Viking Forge still produce it, but on my travels I've only seen my copy of the figure and maybe one or two other pictures of it.

Grenadier Fantasy Lords 1st Series 138 Hippogriff

Next up from the lead mountain... another Grenadier sculpt:

I have to be honest and say that when this one was extracted I was not enthused. I am not a fan of large winged creatures in fantasy settings (dragons excepted), purely for the reason that they take up an inordinate amount of space to store, and also because they collect dust like a dragon gathers gold! Still, out with the brushes...

I made a decision to keep the colour scheme as simple as possible - just a light gray for the wings and body, white on the neck, and yellow for the beak, crest and legs/claws, followed by a dark wash and then lots and lots of highlighting, starting with light gray and then working up to white for the wing tips. It actually brushed up quite well, especially the wings:

It turned out a lot better than I expected it to - good quality sculpting from Grenadier! - but to be honest I can't see this figure getting too much table play, unless I make it a centre piece of my Hordes Of The Things (HOTT) wood elf army. Hmmm...

Grenadier Fantasy Lord 500 series 505 Old World Dragon

Question: when is a dragon not a dragon? Answer: when it's a Grenadier Old World Dragon! The next nugget to be extracted from the lead mountain was this rather strange creature:

- which on first impression is neither fish nor fowl... nor dragon! Still, out with the paintbrushes. Standard techniques used, Games Workshop paints and washes, then lots and lots of dry brushing. The base was created by gluing three 25mm bases together, and then covering with flock and some small stones from the garden. The rock that the beastie is crouched upon is part of the original sculpture.

I was actually very pleased with the way this one turned out - it is a lovely sculpt, very sinuous, something like a cross between a lizard and a cat - which is what I always imagined a dragon to look like. In fact I'm so pleased with it, here is another pic:

For a long time I puzzled over what this figure was supposed to be - it has no wings, and looks more like a scaled dinosaur or strange crocodile. That, and the name - "Old World Dragon" - were the clues. I think it's supposed to be a dragon from the early stages of the evolution of the species - it hasn't developed wings yet (another couple of million years should see that right!). I should imagine it would give your average T.Rex a bit of a run for its money with those scales, especially if it had developed fire breathing. Imagine your average caveman turning the corner and running into this chappie!

Having said that... unless you were running a DnD campaign set in a "lost world" where dinosaurs still roamed the earth (and they were popular in the early days of the game), I would see limited game play for this figure. It's a shame, because as with a lot of the later Grenadier sculpts, it's a lovely figure... 

Asgard Fantasy Monsters FM27v2 Half Troll Chieftain

Asgard were one of the first manufacturers of fantasy figures, and as a consequence the quality of their sculpts varies from the dreadful to the excellent. The next figure to be extracted from the lead mountain leans more towards the better side of their sculpting, IMHO:

As with the majority of Asgard figures from the Fantasy Monsters (FM) range, you get a lot of figure for your money - however, that doesn't always mean you get detail in the sculpt, but this is one that I think they got nearly spot on. It was a pleasure to paint; mostly Citadel paints, and then a wash of The Army Painter Dark Tone Ink, followed by highlighting. 

You could argue that the figure falls foul of a common complaint about Asgard figures - the legs  look a little too short and thin, and the haft of the axe is way too thin for the figure to be used in RPG play on a regular basis before it would snap off - but on the whole I think it's a great figure. Very pleased with the way this turned out!

Grenadier Fantasy Warriors Blister Pack 941 War Troll Champion

And staying with Grenadier...

Next to be unearthed was a figure acquired as part of a job lot from a certain auction site. It was in a sorry state; caked with thick layers of paint, seemingly applied with a decorating brush, and missing its original weapons. After a couple of weeks soaking in Simple Green and the vigorous use of a nail brush, it was finally in a state where I could have a go at it:

The most pressing issue was the lack of weapons; originally the figure had a monstrous scimitar in its right hand, and a stone headed axe in the left. The only suitable weapons from the bits box that looked a likely match were a morning star and war hammer from the arm pieces of some Games Workshop Chaos cavalry, and I think that they don't look too out of place.

I decided to go for more of greyish-stone based approach for the skin; this also ties in with an alternative Winter Orc army I am working on, which will also have white/grey skin (and this chappie may well end up as part of it!). The armour was silver and GW Tin Bitz, highlighted with gold, with leather for the gauntlets, and red for the cloth.

It's an impressive figure; it towers over similar figures from the same era. If I had a criticism it's that the arms are a little stiff, but it's a minor grizzle. This would definitely work as the champion of an Orc army, or else as the boss/final encounter of a dungeon encounter!  

Grenadier Monster Manuscripts Vol 1 1501 MM8 Borer Serpent

The next nugget to be unearthed from the lead mountain was yet another Grenadier sculpt (they were the largest distributor of figures in the 1980's):

As with all of the later Grenadier sculpts, it is beautifully detailed and has an interesting pose - it looks as if it has just caught the scent of its next victim!

An easy figure to paint, too - base coats of red and yellow, then ink washes and finally dry brushing to finish. I put it on a 45mm base to be consistent with the rest of my mini's, but that left the ends of the base a bit bare - hence the skull and bones, which are just spare bits from a plastic skeleton.

Pleased with the way this one turned out!