Wednesday 23 November 2011

Grenadier Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 5004 Tomb Of Spells Djinni

I think this figure dates from the early 1980's, when Grenadier had the franchise for TSR's AD&D game - I think they held this between 1980 and 1983. The figure itself is similar in style to the  illustrations used in the AD&D 2nd edition "Monster Manual":

I had my doubts when I started this figure - the styling is quite naive (but then most of the Grenadier figures from that date were), and the main "body" of the figure is actually lopsided. I'm guessing this was to try and give the impression of the figure still forming from mist. I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out - with the use of inks and a bit of drybrushing, I think it came out quite well. I'm especially pleased with the terracotta jar it is escaping from! The tiles on the base are Milliput, and conceal the original Grenadier base.

Sunday 6 November 2011

Asgard Fantasy Monsters FM50 Large Wolfman

Asgard Miniatures was founded by Bryan Ansell in the 1970's, before he went on to found Citadel. They did an excellent range of fantasy figures, including this rather strange Wolfman:
The thing about Asgard miniatures was the sheer size and scale of them in comparison to their competitors. Even allowing for the fact that this mini is described as a Large Wolfman, just compare it in size to an Asgard Barbarian and a Citadel Amazon of the same era:
The other thing about the figure is just how strange it actually is. On the one hand, it's a Wolfman, and is covered with fur. So why the trousers and cloak, unless the cloak is to allow a certain degree of concealment when in the company of humans? And surely someone would notice something that big, especially with the hairy hands and feet. And it has no weapon - one assumes it relies on teeth and claws for that - yet it's carrying a whopping great shield. It's a very odd, almost schizophrenic figure, which I suppose mirrors the dual nature of the beast and the man in one form. You could definitely use it as some type of Werewolf leader or king.