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Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: The Bibliophile on 30 September 2019, 12:08:20 AM

Title: Crazy for Khazad-Dum!
Post by: The Bibliophile on 30 September 2019, 12:08:20 AM
The standout game at Barrage Con for me this year was Matt Kirkhart's mounting of "The Bridge of Khazad Dum" from The Fellowship of the Ring. Rather than using other manufacturer's miniatures or terrain, Matt built everything from scratch, including all of the figures. His aesthetic is a fully formed one that is fun without being too playful, almost primitivist yet somehow sophisticated in execution, like a really cool folk art version of a wargame. It has a minimalism and tone that is the utter antithesis of the Games Workshop's self-serious, slavishly realistic Lord of the Rings range of figures and terrain, and that alone endears Matt's work to me. If there was a way to purchase a set like this, I would do it in a heartbeat, even if it isn't necessarily what I've been drawn to in the past. But I can't buy it and neither can you, and there's nothing else out there even remotely like it, which makes it a special treat to get to play a game with Matt's cool handcrafted creation. I understand he has also crafted a set up for a battle in Balin's Tomb. I hope to get the chance to play that one day, too!

Read my full report at the link: https://miniaturescrum.blogspot.com/2019/09/crazy-for-khazad-dum-barrage-2019-con.html (https://miniaturescrum.blogspot.com/2019/09/crazy-for-khazad-dum-barrage-2019-con.html)

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pof7DBbH0pM/XZEV-7Q6VuI/AAAAAAAAHXQ/5OWDk_jEz9Q2ls3ZMtVLbqWqmBB8WyFdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Photo%2BSep%2B29%252C%2B2%2B13%2B11%2BPM.jpg)

(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--0n889ZfVlw/XZEk89uNpZI/AAAAAAAAHbI/RC5eNfLL7LMvccz969NsJ9M7RlGnXWedQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/Photo%2BSep%2B28%252C%2B6%2B48%2B50%2BPM.jpg)

Full report and many more photos at the link: https://miniaturescrum.blogspot.com/2019/09/crazy-for-khazad-dum-barrage-2019-con.html (https://miniaturescrum.blogspot.com/2019/09/crazy-for-khazad-dum-barrage-2019-con.html)
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: Captain Blood on 30 September 2019, 12:33:26 AM
Love the Balrog  lol

Interestingly, these primitivist interpretations still take their design cues from the Peter Jackson movie versions of LOTR - judging by the exact shape and colour of Gandalf’s wizard hat and Gimli’s helmet... So maybe not quite as far from GW’s LOTR miniatures as you may think  ;)
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: Elbows on 30 September 2019, 01:14:05 AM
Very cool, and I concur that it's charming and simplistic without being overly silly (or chibi-esque, etc.).  Reminds me of the really cool prologues to some films where they use heavily artistic puppet shows, etc.  Things like the Harry Potter film where they discuss the three...hallows?  The really slick puppet-esque portion, etc. 
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: Quendil on 30 September 2019, 09:48:17 AM
Great stuff. The balrog was outstanding
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: aircav on 30 September 2019, 11:16:15 AM
Just Brilliant  8) 8) :-*
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: Arundel on 30 September 2019, 02:11:02 PM
I love seeing projects that are outside of the box and new takes on our hobby. The workmanship on those figures is amazing. Funnily enough, I think I like them more than our usual figures! Thanks so much for sharing this.   :o
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: andyskinner on 30 September 2019, 02:15:16 PM
Sometimes that style of doing the eyes looks great.  Sometimes it does not.  It isn't just that close-up they sometimes look like headlights.  Some look fine close.  I think some have the two dots closer together and they give the pupil effect better than two separated dots.

Wonderful overall, though.

andy
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: meninobesta on 30 September 2019, 04:05:42 PM
look & feel reminds me of south park!  ;D

Frodo: They killed Gandalf! You bastards!
Boromir: Screw you guys! I'm going home!

congrats to Matt for a great looking game  :)
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: has.been on 30 September 2019, 08:55:31 PM
Definitely Southpark meets Jackson, I love it, especially the Balrog.
For a silly Christmas game I once made personalised Snowmen
for each of the players. That was easier than this, but still hard work,
so applaud the work needed.
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad Dum!
Post by: Bloggard on 01 October 2019, 02:55:45 PM
love it.
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad-Dum!
Post by: Dentatus on 01 October 2019, 10:48:07 PM
Laugh-out-loud delightful. Really cool.
Title: Re: Crazy for Khazad-Dum!
Post by: The Bibliophile on 08 October 2019, 07:59:28 PM
I was definitely caught off guard by how charming and fun the entire set up turned out to be. Hoping he can run this at my convention, Scrum Con 2020.