AN ELEPHANT HUNT

I'm starting to think about re-creating Joe Dever's Minas Tirith scenario in White Dwarf 53 and am after 3 of these fellows

Britains charging African Elephant. If anyone has one (or more) knocking about can you get in touch.  There are other elephants available, but I would like to get the one available in 1983 for maximum authenticity. MANY THANKS.

JOE DEVER ORIGINALS

Last year the opportunity arose for me to buy some of Joe Dever's collection. I had been on the lookout for his figures, having the feeling some of his estate might be sold off after his sad and untimely death in 2016, and sure enough they started to appear on ebay.  I contacted the seller and was told Joe's collection was being sold in order to raise funds for his son, so I provided a list of figures I was interested in, among which were  my Holy Grail of wargaming units, Baron Galen's cavalry from the Thistlewood scenario in White Dwarf 43, pictures below charging a line of orcs

They are Minifigs Knights of the Silver Rose which featured in several of Joe's demo games such as here (unit centre right)

and here (centre right again)

and here they are in full technicolour residing in my attic

They are beautifully painted, and I have a feeling they may be by a friend of Joe's as his style was quite different. The varnish is starting to yellow which gives them a pleasing ivory look (not visible in these pics). 

In the first picture of the post, showing the Thistlewood game, there is a wyvern swooping down in the background...part of Lord Vassago's army....

The beast on the left is the very same figure, accompanied by another from Mr.Dever's collection.  They are both Citadel Fiend Factory figures.

Needless to say I am beside myself with glee to have been able to purchase these figures, part of photographs which inspired me and filled me with wonder as a youngster. I have bought a few more items from the collection, and hope to show you them in the future.

BONEYMALONEANS

To Prehammer and Oldhammer aficionado's, it's well known the GW Elf look stems from early pre GW figures, which were in turn based on the art of Rodney Matthews. I think the first Matthewsesque style elves released were Minifigs Aureola Rococo High Elves and Tunnel Elves, but Dragontooth also released some similar elves with tall helmets.

To me Rodney Matthews is everything that defines my early fantasy wargaming years.My bedroom walls were plastered with his posters and cut up calendars (as well as pictures of Kate Bush) , and I owned many LP'S featuring his cover art. Nowadays I only have a couple of of RM'S posters signed and framed in the attic, but a number of figures based on his work.

Here we have a force of  Boneymaloneans, a law unto themselves, fighting for whoever can serves their ends the most, and then betraying them more often than not.

The heater shields work a lot better on the figure "upside down".

I rather like the large dragonspears in the front rank. The archers carry bone bows.

The Three Witch Brothers

The cavalry mounts are clearly based on The People of the Pines by Matthews. The riders in the painting are more like the Minifigs Tunnel Elves, of which I have a goodly number which need repainting.

There are 2 horse variants. The one on the left is quite fragile and I suspect Minifigs changed the horse barding to make the casting sturdier.

Here we have Eric of Boneymaloney on his trusty dragon. Almost a direct copy of The Dragon Lord

Below is a different Dragon Lord on a smaller dragon.

THE GREMLINS OF THE TCHANKIN TOWERS

Another unit of Ral Partha oldies flapping onto the table with the dry rustle and creak of leathery wings . The Gremlins live in tall windowless towers in the howling deserts, south of Vassago's realm. They follow his armies in the hope of plunder in the form of iron which they carry back to the towers to rust and form what they call "tchankins" corroded items of the human world , which are valued highly in the Gremlin community.

In the pic below from the left

Ral Partha PATTGBITN 01005 V1 Winged Gremlin with sword

Ral Partha PATTGBITN 01005 V2 

Ral Partha PATTGBITN 01028 Gremlin War Party V1 (3 FIGS)

The gremlin war party was one of the first packs I bought in 1979ish, and they struck me then as particularly sinister and appeared in a dungeon adventure I ran at school . My original figures were painted thickly with Humbrol enamel Flesh and Gold if I remember correctly.

THE HARPIES OF TRANTALUS

Swooping out of the steamy caverns of Trantalus come the fiery harpies, bound by Lord Vassago to do his bidding, and bearing the Vile Rune on their shields to show their allegiance to him.

Another unit of fliers for my Dever Wars project. Ral Partha winged demons from the Personalities range.