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.

MONSTER MANUAL MONDAY 12

Some bony skeleton warriors, staple fare in any dungeon. I painted and photographed these a while back, but wasn't really happy with the way the bones (or photo) came out, a mixture of drybrushing and washes, but as I haven't managed to get any D & D figures done this week I thought I would post them anyway.

Ral Partha and Grenadier figures.

In the meantime I have finished 50 goblins for Thistlewood, bar the bases so must get them photographed soon.

Check out this battle layout over at Private Weird's blog , absolutely stunning and true Oldhammer, a lovely melange of old figures and  some great scenery.... more please Private.

SOURCING OLDHAMMER MINIATURES

As work progresses slowly with Lord Vassago's army for an Oldhammer Thistlewood refight, I have been bending my thoughts for figures to use for the army of King Amias. My spec is to use figures that were available in 1983 or before, and get them as cheap as possible, being inspired by Mark at The Ramshackle Fort who is working on a definite budget, profoundly satisfying to build up armies this way.

I have already got the Loyal Half Elves finished, and have sourced the centaurs from Garrison Miniatures.
 I was hoping to use Ral Partha centaurs, but the figure I like seems to be pretty rare and usually sell on ebay for upwards of £5, more than I am willing to pay, old skinflint that I am. The Garrison ones however are £1.80 each, and should paint up pretty well.

Back in the early 80's , I had visions of serried ranks of Ral Partha historicals to act as the human troops, and spent hours looking at the small pictures of them in the Citadel Yellow and Blue Catalogues. These very nice figures are still available from Iron Wind in the medieval range and retail about £1.60 each, which is rather a lot when you add postage from the States, plus a likely tax walloped onto them at this end, they are very nice however, and I am trying to convince myself to buy some to satisfy the lust for them I had in 1983 when I was 14.

Another much cheaper alternative would be to use Garrison medival figures like these

which at 75p each seem very attractive, and definitely old school. The army has 20 pikemen (I interpret this as halberds or bills, rather than long spears), 20 swordsmen and 20 macemen, with the option to arm a percentage with missile weapons. I will probably give the swordsmen bows. The 10 Royal Guard will be this figure from Garrison, part of their old Armies of Hyboria range, these are Conan's Aquilonian Black Dragons 85p each.

Baron Galen's cavalry are 30 in number, and I already have 20 Minifigs Valley of the Four Winds Gondemarian cavalry figures (picture from Lost Minis), which look suitably different from standard western medievals to be provincial troops

, and will make up the other 10 as more traditional knights again from Garrison £1.80 each(I like cheap)

So far so good, jsut need to buy and paint them now.

DADHAMMER MOMENT

A few days ago, Robin, my oldest lad (10) roped me into a fantasy battle he had set up in his bedroom, using his own fun rules and figures, all painted himself. A couple of turns in, his brothers turned up eager to participate in moving figures and dice rolling and for 40 minutes or so we had a really enjoyable time with all the youngsters attention held, not bad for Arthur 6, who is not so bonkers about soldiers as Robin , and George who at 3 mainly likes bashing things, but handled the figures reverently.

The lego tower holds a goblin hanglider by the way.  Arthur and myself were the diseased minions of the chaos god Nurgle, and Robin and George were brutish orc marauders. Although Robin seems to know all the ins and outs of the latest Games Workshop creations, his armies hold a healthy mix of different manufacturers, and he is particularly keen on Grenadier Barbarians to use as marauders. A true Dadhammer moment, and as Arthur expressed an interest in getting some Dwarves, I might invest in some of the rather nice EM-4 packs. At 50 figures for £9 you can't go wrong.