GHOUL BODYGUARD

Monster Manual Monday seems to be on hold at present, but here is Lord Vassago's ghoulish bodyguard, recently finished. There were not many ghoul figures about in 1981, and I always thought this Ral Partha ghoul rather a puny figure, but I was quite pleased to be able to pick up 14 from ebay at quite good prices. Three were missing their swords, but I replaced them with plasticard and greenstuff. The captain is an old Fantasy Tribe skeleton in plate armour.

When I started painting figures, I always liberally coated weapons in blood (unpleasant little tyke that I was) until I matured a bit, so it was great to have an excuse to do it again as each of these chaps is holding a freshly severed head. As always, bases to finished after all the army is painted.

THISTLEWOOD TROLLS

Not been doing a great deal of painting this week having been afflicted with galloping gutrot, which typically struck me at work on Wednesday, I soldiered on hoping it would get better but Thursday (my day off) I was laid up in bed all day, returned to work Friday feeling a bit more chipper and then was stricken down again last night just in time for another day off.

Slowly progressing through the evil army and have finished the 5 trolls required. Here is a picture from White Dwarf 45 showing 2 of the trolls in Gary Chalk's or Joe Dever's collection

My versions of the same figures (bases will be finished en masse when army completed). I think these are from the Fantasy Tribes range, they have a stylised letter A cast onto the base.

The 3 remaining trolls, from left to right, Fiend Factory, Asgard and Fiend Factory again. A feature of a lot of these 80's trolls is their prominent dangly bits, no doubt they will scare King Amias' prudish troops with 'the last turkey in the shop' routine. 

 I coveted the older Fiend Factory troll on the far right for ages but could never muster enough pocket money to buy him (he was £3 I think in 1981 or 1982 and you could get 10 human size figures for that amount), I finally managed to get  my parents to buy him for me after I had had my appendix out...the lengths we collectors go to.

LORD VASSAGO'S WYVERN AND MONSTER MANUAL MONDAY 14

Lord Vassago's wyvern (sounds like a dance) have flapped off the workbench so I can kill two birds with one stone (sorry) and count them as a Monster Manual post as well. I really like these figures, old Fiend Factory sculpts by the Perrys, they look like proper heraldic wyverns. As usual I have left the bases until I finally decide how to paint them and do the whole army en masse.

MONSTER MANUAL MONDAY 13

Not an old mini, but pleasingly 2 dimensional and a one piece casting, a Roper from Reaper. I started painting this chap before checking what colours were given in the Monster Manual, and I feel the tentacles came out a bit vibrant, I had intended them to look earthwormy.