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!

Ral Partha Personalities And Things That Go Bump In The Night 01-003 v2 Balrog

At the same time I was working on the Asgard Lizardman I bought a job lot of badly painted and broken figures from a certain auction site, and this was one of them. Originally the figure was in a shocking state – someone had painted it black with what looked like industrial strength tar, and the sword was missing - but once I’d cleaned it up I thought I’d see what could be done with it.

The missing sword was replaced with a plastic Ork blade from 40k, and then out with the brushes. It’s very early Ral Partha, and whilst some of their early figures can be a bit coarse, this one didn’t disappoint. As usual, keep it simple – base coat of red, then a dark red ink wash, then lots of and lots of dry brushing before picking out highlights with a yellow/white mix. The base is just sand with a brown ink wash, then dry brushed with red and orange to suggest hot coals. Simples!

I really like this figure – the pose reminiscent of the very early Minifigs goblins, which I always liked – and the ink wash brought out a surprising amount of detail, though I did have to use dark red paint for some shadowing where the shoulders and arms let the wings. Even the sword and the flame whip painted up reasonable well. Not bad for a figure that is nearly 40 years old!  The Asgard Dwarf King is again in the picture for scale, and also to illustrate the difference in quality between Ral Partha and Asgard right from the very beginning. Very pleased with this one – I can see it getting a decent amount of table top time as the guardian of forbidden treasures…

Asgard FM38 Giant Lizardman

Next out of the Lead Mountain… something from the realms of badly sculpted figures. It’s an Asgard, who produced some fine figures in their day, but some absolute stinkers, and this is one of them. It’s not as bad as the Asgard Troll, but it’s close. 

It’s a giant Lizardman, with an enormous chopper. I was not enthused. The pose is pretty awful, and it suffers from all of the major problems that the larger Asgard sculpts have – coarse sculpting, and no detail. Even the facial details were rough – badly defined lips, no tongue and just a few teeth. Sounds like some people I know. Still, we must do what we can. As with all of the early sculpts – keep it simple, yellow for the under belly and then green for the main body, followed by an ink wash… which really brought out just how coarse the sculpture is. Oh dear. Even several layers of dry brushing couldn’t salvage this one. The base was a bit easier – just sand, then wash, whilst the reeds are bits of old toothbrush painted green. 

I gave this a good shot but to be honest I’m not happy with it. I know a poor workman blames his tools and all that, but there wasn’t a lot to work with on this figure in the first place. And I mean, LOOK at it – it looks like it's about to swagger into a fantasy bar room and pose like John Travolta in the Saturday Night Fever era. No wonder the Asgard Dwarf King I’ve put in the picture for scale looks worried. And it’s not as if there is a great demand for giant Lizardmen in any of the D&D sessions I run. Can’t see this one getting much table top time!

Ral Partha "All Things Dark And Dangerous" 02-940 Skeleton Giant

Not had too much time to either paint or post this month - I've either been away on business, or else I've been ferrying kids around to look at universities - but I have managed to finish this magnificent beastie off:

It's a sculpt by Julie Guthrie, and it's just fantastic. Everything about it is quality - the pose, the detail on the armour, everything. I was looking for centre piece for an Undead HOTT army I am working on, and when this came out of the lead mountain I know it was perfect for the job.  It is a seriously big bit of metal - look at the size of it compared to the GW zombie!

This was a pleasure to paint - base white, with red for the remnants of clothing, and then a sepia wash from a company called Lavado, which gave the bones a suitably grubby look and which really brought out the detail. After that, light dry brushing and picking out highlights. Simples! If I had one criticism of the figure, the base was rather thick - I suppose it has to be to support something that big! - but I think I managed to successfully disguise it beneath a layer of PVA glue, gravel and static grass from 4ground. The figure is on a 60mm x 40mm base for use in HOTT.

  
Really pleased with the way this turned out!