Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Admiral Benbow on 16 April 2010, 12:58:39 PM
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In the mid-eighties I had started to build dioramas with 28 mm figures, and from 1986 on I worked on my "Beasts of War" series for an Orc army, all based on commercial dino models in combination with Citadel, Chronicle and other manufacturer's miniatures and a lot of things I had collected from mother Nature. This was imho THE Golden Age of miniatures, and I was heavily influenced by everything coming from Citadel and early GW, as is clearly shown in the iconography of the models. But also Arthur Rackham, Philippe Druillet and Roger Matthews played their parts. In late 1987 I was invited to the GW studio in Nottingham by John Blanche for a photo-session on my diorama work, and they featured them in White Dwarf 100 and their first Fantasy Miniatures book from 1988.
As I'm in the process of getting digital pics of all my older stuff for my soon to be refurbished website, I thought it might be a good idea to show some pics here in the meantime, for all of you with similar nostalgic feelings for that classic time.
So let's start with the mightiest beast of them all, the Black Sorcerer's Leviathan ...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_15_40_3.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_15_39_2.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_15_39_1.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_15_39_0.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_14_01_4.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_14_01_3.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_14_01_2.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_14_01_1.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_14_01_0.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_10_50_4.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_10_50_3.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_10_50_2.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_16_04_10_1_10_49_0.jpg)
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Michael, Your miniatures are classics and have been an inspiration for all of us when we were younger.
Nice to see them again
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A bit too early for me to be involved in Citadel miniatures, but smashing stuff!
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Epic. :)
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No way!! :o
Was just rereading the old White Dwarf that featured said photo-session the other day!
Bit before my time too - but I've been buying old editions to see what went on before I got into the hobby...
Great to see some other angles and close-ups of this old beast - Dinos and orcs - does it get any better!
Just noticed the feathers on the shaman's staff :D
Loved the Corythosaurus conversion and ogre rider too! :-*
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I have no words. how exciting! :o :o :o :o :-* ;D
Admiral, thanks for sharing your work with us
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Issue 100 was the best ever White Dwarf, mainly because of your work.
Relly nice to see some close ups and other angles. Thank you.
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What Hammers was up to at the same time:
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=18267.0 (http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=18267.0)
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I remember said White Dwarf as it was the first one I ever bought. It's still around here somewhere. Cool to see this piece here.
And Hammers, even thogh you did steal the thread, your stuff looks really nice, too. Btw. how did you do the stalagmites?
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I remember said White Dwarf as it was the first one I ever bought. It's still around here somewhere. Cool to see this piece here.
And Hammers, even thogh you did steal the thread, your stuff looks really nice, too. Btw. how did you do the stalagmites?
I did, didn't I? I'll move it.
The stalagmites are sculpted plaster, I believe.
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Still stunning. Can't believe you did this. Thankyou for the new photos, always been an inspiration... :)
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Loved the Corythosaurus conversion and ogre rider too! :-*
Coming soon at this theatre ...
:D
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WD 100 was my first issue that came in the mail when I got my first subscription.
Always great. Thanks for the years of inspiration.
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That was you ??? Great stuff :-* :-* I pestered my mam and dad for a plastic model of a dinosaur so I could do something like that. They got me Zoids instead :?
cheers
James
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This makes me feel old. I stopped getting WD before issue 100, so I've not seen these things before, but they certainly are gorgeous!
Jim, Zoids are great. I wish I still had mine!
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Zoids!
How I coveted Zoidzilla! >:D
Weren't some Zoids featured as Rogue Trader battle robots or summat in 'eavy metal or one of the compendiums?
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Simply Brilliant Michael. I remember almost drooling over the pictures when I got that issue. Any chance of some pictures of the dwarf pirate ship as well? ???
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Oh my. That's a bit special. And extremely well painted even all those years ago. :o
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Wowzaaaaaaaaaaaaa really awesome stuff. Nice work, thanks for sharing!
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WOW the things you learn on this forum. That is a stunning model :-* :-* :-*.
Its amasing to learn you built it :o
I am sure I had a poster with that picture up in my room for a bout 10 years.
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:o
Goodness gracious... utterly jaw dropping.
Absolutely fantastic.
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This makes me feel old. I stopped getting WD before issue 100, so I've not seen these things before, but they certainly are gorgeous!
Jim, Zoids are great. I wish I still had mine!
Made me feel better, actually. My collection started at 108, though, so I don't have that issue. :'(
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Weren't some Zoids featured as Rogue Trader battle robots or summat in 'eavy metal or one of the compendiums?
I think it was Kevin Walker who made a scout titan out of the big mollusc zoid and a set Star Wars ATST legs.
Jim, Zoids are great. I wish I still had mine!
Don't get me wrong, I loved zoids and was only missing The Great Zark (I think that was his name, the early blue stegga) and I think the little version of Red Horn the Terrible (can't remember his name). I had the annuals aswell but being the stupid t*** I was, I swapped them as bits for some GW stuff... DOH!!!
I've only got two Trooper Zoid cockpits now :'(
It's taken off again in Japan and some of the professionally painted ones are amazing :-*
cheers
James
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Issue 100 was the best ever White Dwarf, mainly because of your work.
Relly nice to see some close ups and other angles. Thank you.
Absolutely, the last one I bought but sadly now lost (along with the poster?), after that it started to go bad!
Amazing stuff!
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There's an issue 100 in the local Oxfam, I might go pick it up...
Believe me Thebinmann, your nostalgic view of the old White Dwarfs is flawed, they were full of adverts. Literally. One or two articles and the rest... adverts.
The articles were usually pretty good, especially the old Blanchitsu articles. :)
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Rob, I don't think you are going back far enough. I bought the first few dozen issues, and had dropped out of gaming well before issue 100. I don't think that Warhammer had even been published yet when I stopped. Those early ones were full of articles - mostly RPG scenarios, additional rules, character classes and so on. And the adverts - then from multiple companies - were the only way, except for word-of-mouth, that we got to hear of most products, so they were invaluable themselves.
But that wasn't the golden age, and nor was the 1980s - despite the abilities of craftsmen such as the Admiral to work wonders with the limited supplies available. The golden age is now - in terms of the sheer range of minis, their sculpting quality, their casting quality (I've got some late 70s stuff that looks like the mould halves were on different continents when they were cast), the variety and playability of rules, and, above all, the ability of gamers to communicate and share their work.
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nah, honestly mate, those ones, where WHFB HAD been released are still full of adverts.
Golden age of White Dwarf, in my opinion, was the mid-90s.
Golden age of miniature gaming is now. But the problem is, nostalgia always wins and people want what isn't available anymore. This is why companies can get so much enterprise by re-releasing old models. ::)
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There's an issue 100 in the local Oxfam, I might go pick it up...
Believe me Thebinmann, your nostalgic view of the old White Dwarfs is flawed, they were full of adverts. Literally. One or two articles and the rest... adverts.
The articles were usually pretty good, especially the old Blanchitsu articles. :)
Maybe $but they were also full of roleplaying stuff too, and not just high priced figs and now the whole mag is one big ad for GW so that's why there are fewer ads.
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But that wasn't the golden age, and nor was the 1980s - despite the abilities of craftsmen such as the Admiral to work wonders with the limited supplies available. The golden age is now - in terms of the sheer range of minis, their sculpting quality, their casting quality (I've got some late 70s stuff that looks like the mould halves were on different continents when they were cast), the variety and playability of rules, and, above all, the ability of gamers to communicate and share their work.
True about range but I think he meant the golden age because tha is when it really started to imrpve, the first citadel were good but if you take the Regiments Of Renown I think the late 80s show an improvement and increase in scope (ie not just a hero and 10-12 figs that were all that same).
Additionally for me it was the golden age because it was more affordable, the GW sales alone were amazing (I found a Young Dragn, Hobgolin rocket crew and a load of other packs that I bought for a pound each!) and they also stock RPGs (including non-GW stuff!). So for me it was the golden age because it was the start of really quality in hobby!
When was WD100?
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Sheer class, is it wrong to want to use it in a game?
Oh and one man's nostalgia is another man's true appreciation of a certain style. If you love 80's minis you love 80's minis and that's just it.
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Oh and one man's nostalgia is another man's true appreciation of a certain style. If you love 80's minis you love 80's minis and that's just it.
Too true! :D
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Sheer class, is it wrong to want to use it in a game?
No, of course not, but very difficult concerning appropriate rule writing ... ::)
Oh and one man's nostalgia is another man's true appreciation of a certain style. If you love 80's minis you love 80's minis and that's just it.
Thanks, that last sentence sums it up pretty nice!
;)
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Thanks, that last sentence sums it up pretty nice!
;)
Agreed
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Alright, the rest of the gang.
Starting with my very first beast based on an Airfix Stegosaurus, built around 1984. I had seen a tiny black/white photo showing a fantasy siege in action in a Military Modelling issue reporting about a wargames show, and I was fascinated by a scratchbuilt warbeast clearly based on the Airfix Stego, and I wanted to copy it from that small picture immediately. If I recall it right, the siege was staged by the London Warlords and John Treadaway was involved, but I might be wrong here. Anyway, the model shows it's age now, I was too lazy at that time to fill the large gap around the front legs with putty obviously ... 8)
But I remember it was a lot of fun building it ...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_10_53_4.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_10_53_3.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_10_53_2.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_10_53_1.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_10_53_0.jpg)
Next the Oger General's riding beast from 1987. A Lindberg Corythosaurus is a boring kit and a completely unimpressive dino, but with a little imagination and the fantastic Nick Bibby head of the Citadel Great Spined Dragon you could create something really different ...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_13_26.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_12_43_4.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_12_43_3.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_12_43_2.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_12_43_1.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_12_43_0.jpg)
The last one was built for the Metal Magic Calendar 1992 when I was employed by Hobby Products as sculptor. The last dino kit not already converted to a warbeast was the Airfix Ancylosaurus with that funny looking head. I had some hard thinking about converting that useless head, but in the end decided to sculpt a completely new one over it.
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_15_12_4.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_15_12_3.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_15_11_2.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_15_11_0.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/5/93_17_04_10_7_17_10.jpg)
So, that's it, the beast show is over. This time ...
Thanks much for your interest and nice comments, and a special thanks to Hammers for not stealing my thread ... :D
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:o :o :-* :P :oPlease stop you are making me cry! :'(
Or you could send me a few to play with, come on you've had them since the 1980s let someone else have a go! ;)
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The dreams come true... I was gazing at the pics in the WD100 at least hundred times and was hoping to see the close-ups of your marvellous stuff one day, Michael. Thank you. Just thank you :)
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Marvellous pieces, veritable works of art.
I'll agree that the 80s and early 90s were a "Golden Age" of stylistic and flavourful innovation, although I also think that figure manufacturing quality nowadays generally is much improved, especially with regard to smaller companies; unfortunately, more often than not it comes at the expense of character and verve of the actual sculpts, and don't get me started on formulaic painting styles.
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I have to agree with that. Much more flavour to things like this in the 80's. Dioramas now are stale and have to be perfect. I prefer things a little grittier, with some imagination. I don't care about a typical warhammer battle, I want something new, individual and original but nonetheless 'Right'.
Do you still make things like these? And if not, why not? :) Honest question, no offense intended!
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Hei Benbow,
I'm completly amazed :o
Great stuff :-*
Rob is right, you have to do more stuff like that.
Marvelous!!!
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Why don't we make this our next contest? A plastic toy, ridden by a mini or minis from an actual miniatures company, with a fantasy theme. The rest is up to the imagination!
Any interest?
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Nice idea - wonder if that old battered, three legged airfix triceratops I used to have survived my parents' redecorating...
Knew I should have rescued it! >:(
Anyways - there it is my favourite ogre on a dino with a dragon head - brilliant!! :D :D But poor old chaos hound!
Again - thanks for all the close-ups and different angles - as good as the WD100 article was it didn't do justice to these amazing pieces! Also loved the diorama with the eagles that was featured...
Never seen the other dinos! Lovely stuff!
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Do you still make things like these? And if not, why not? :) Honest question, no offense intended!
No offense taken, Rob. :)
If you want to know what I'm doing theses days, please have a look at my gallery here at the LAF or at my website, which will get a complete overhaul sometime in the next future.
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Great pics on your website - really like the Uruks! 8)
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Wow, I remember most of them first time round, and I still think they look as good now. You can almost feel the pain in that scorpion tailed hobhounds face. Fantastic, thank you for posting. Are you the same Michael who did the SF soldier with what looked like a paper clip used as a carry handle for the rifle?
Talking of zoids, they converted one into a tunneller, in the same issue as the deoderant grav tank and the grav-attack vehicle converted from a helicopter kit I think.
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Wow, I remember most of them first time round, and I still think they look as good now. You can almost feel the pain in that scorpion tailed hobhounds face. Fantastic, thank you for posting. Are you the same Michael who did the SF soldier with what looked like a paper clip used as a carry handle for the rifle?
Talking of zoids, they converted one into a tunneller, in the same issue as the deoderant grav tank and the grav-attack vehicle converted from a helicopter kit I think.
Yes, exactly, that was me too ... 8)
This SF soldier was the start of it all: when I met John Blanche at a convention in Hamburg those days he was impressed about my diorama work, and as I liked him and his art, I gave him that soldier as a present. He was obviously very happy, took me to his artwork exhibition and asked me to choose one of his GW box artwork originals as my present! :o That was the start of our friendship, and shortly afterwards I was invited to Nottingham. Ahhh, the good old times ...
:)
This artwork is still hanging on my wall: "The Awakening" by John Blanche
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/6/93_19_04_10_7_53_40.jpg)
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oh, that's a great pic!! Still like that old Citadel artwork.
have to post my Blanche too, though a bit more modern :)
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All very interesting and, of course, truly awe-inspiring. Would it be rude to ask - like Oliver T. - for more, please?
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Oooh John Blanche original artwork... :P
Keep it coming!
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I feel like Wayne Campbell, "We are not worthy..."
The dioramas are awesome and that painting....13 or 14 year old me used to stare at that with my imagination racing. A real favorite and a wonderful story about how you came to own it.
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All very interesting and, of course, truly awe-inspiring. Would it be rude to ask - like Oliver T. - for more, please?
Well, depends what you mean: more beasts - I'm afraid there are only dragons left, and I think they will deserve a separate thread later - or more Blanchitsu pics? But I think they also should get their own thread, shouldn't they?
8)
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Really nice stuff, some real talent here
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Wonderful - such a great era.
Thanks for sharing ... off to dig out Ratspike now :)
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I'm afraid there are only dragons left
Ah well if its only dragons I wouldn't bother... ;) ;D
Seriously though - I 'spose a few Blanche piccies or any other old minis you've got lying around will do! ;)
13 or 14 year old me used to stare at that with my imagination racing.
Glad I'm not the only one regressing!
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Ah now let us be clear here it does take me back but its not nostalgia, I've been collecting the same 80's style minis since then, I'm not going back to them cause I never left lol.
However I am enjoying being able share enthusiasm with other people about these styles of minis as previously didn't seam possible. There seams to be a pretty strong revival of interest at the moment but that could just be I've found the right forums before when I posted stuff there was little interest. Any way the Admirals dioramas are real flagships (flagbeasts?) for the old school. Hoping to see more.
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Great stuff - and still inspiring after all those years. But now something from the "Zauberer of Schädelberg", please.
Golden Age and the 80s
I think the Golden Age of most guys is the one, when they started this fascinating hobby.
Regarding the quality of miniatures and the great variation of different ranges (but why are there still no Neoassyrian civilians?) the present time might well be the Golden Age.
Yet still I'd opt for the 80s (especially when regarding GW), the main reasons being the following:
- creativity:
Having a crazy idea and making a miniature or even a small army out of it. Back in the old days, most companies had a different viewpoint of the appearance of a certain creature. Now take a look at the orcs currently in production. When you compare their faces, you can hardly spot a difference. The only prominent exceptions are the orcs for LotR (using an old school image) and Otherworld's pig-faced orcs (using a different old school approach).
- variety within the ranges:
Back in the mid and late 80s GW produced over 300 different dwarfs. So you were able to field a big army with lots of different miniatures before having to switch weapons and use green stuff. If you didn't like a certain model - no problem, leave it out. For smaller forces you could even specialize just using the Norse Dwarfs or the medieval counterparts or just adventurer types to give them character and make them special.
Nowadays nearly every army you can spot on conventions and tournaments has the same character models because there aren't that many available. Same applies to units, war machines and monsters.
- consistency within the ranges:
I know there are many smaller companies producing dwarfs, but do they all really mix that well? Different sculptors (remember 95%+ of the Citadel dwarfs were sculpted by the Perrys), different scales, different styles don't really fit with each other that well. And even when only using current GW you might face the problem, that models from different editions (although still on sale and being the newest model of their unit type) only seldom work together well. Gyrocopter and Flame Canon compared with the other dwarf war machines.
- style:
I prefer miniatures to be in kind of mixture between comic and realistic style. Now most fantasy miniatures are in hero scale (3-foot-halfling with a one-handed ten-foot-sword) and following this dreadful manga-style.
- prize:
You could buy a lot of miniatures with very little money, while now you can buy very few miniatures for a lot of money.
- material:
I prefer metal, while many bigger manufacturers switch to plastic. Plastic stil is less detailed and can't be repainted as easily as metal.
- football:
Everton winning some trophies back then
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Great stuff - and still inspiring after all those years. But now something from the "Zauberer of Schädelberg", please.
Your wish is my command, Sire!
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/6/93_21_04_10_4_14_24_2.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/6/93_21_04_10_4_14_24_1.jpg)
(http://leadadventureforum.com/gallery/6/93_21_04_10_4_14_24_0.jpg)
That was the correct one? :D
If you'd like to see more details, just let me know ...
And thanks for your own definition of a "Golden Age", that's pretty similar to my own. But just to avoid any misunderstandings here, I didn't want to say that my Golden Age must be anyone's Golden Age. It's just my view, and of course are we living in golden times concerning miniature quality and quantity. But I came into this hobby in the early eighties, so that was my high times.
:)
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I would be more than happy to see more details.
I also think that virusz from the Metal Magic board would be very interested in the Dinosaur and Goblin you did for the MM calender in 1992.
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Brilliant stuff, utterly wonderful.
I just checked out your site too, there's some interesting stuff, but I want MORE!!!! :)
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pure gold!
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Top stuff - I know back in the day you mentioned being inspired by the imagery of H R Giger but this really reminds me of some of Brueghel's weirder stuff -
(http://i591.photobucket.com/albums/ss360/thantsants/Dulle-Griet-Mad-Meg-c-1562.jpg)
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Definately more Bruegal. Not nearly enough phallic scenery for Giger...
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Completly Genius, Admiral ;D
So, that's the homeplace of Vonatar the betrayer...
Love it :-*
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Yeah but where is that big tentacley thing lurking though... :o
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Admiral Benbow I am realy impressd by your old stuff.
It remind me of the good old days and the ´´STARD`` show in Hamburg where you bring all the stuff from withe dwarf number 100.
I was a child and I ask you the hole day how you make these and how you paint that.
You allways be gentle and answer all my questions that imprssed me so much that I buy my own figures and stard painting.
Thanks a lot Grimm
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Wow.. I've been looking at your stuff in old WD's lying around at my gaming club and just going "wooooot!"
Just the other day in fact.
When I see these things and the models that are no longer available I think the world has become a less good place. hahaha! lol
What did you use back then!? Oil paints?
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Beautiful everything Admiral! Thanks so much for posting! 8)
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:o
Words fail me.
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Admiral Benbow I am realy impressd by your old stuff.
It remind me of the good old days and the ´´STARD`` show in Hamburg where you bring all the stuff from withe dwarf number 100.
I was a child and I ask you the hole day how you make these and how you paint that.
You allways be gentle and answer all my questions that imprssed me so much that I buy my own figures and stard painting.
Thanks a lot Grimm
Yes, those days in Hamburg started a lot, getting me into contact with John Blanche, my first competitions and meeting some good old friends. And I'm very happy to hear that I could be of some help to encourage others to start with this great hobby. Sometimes those early students even became today's masters themselves ...
;)
What did you use back then!? Oil paints?
Although I experimented with oils a lot then, I wanted something more easy to work with and much faster drying. Most other modellers and the very few people who painted their figures used Humbrol enamels, which were not what I was looking for. Some day I thought that a proper flat undercoat would enable me to use whatever paint I would like, and from then on I painted for years with six large bottles of acrylic paint from german art supply company Lukas, using just red, blue, yellow, brown, black and white plus gold and silver from Plaka, and mixing every colour I needed from them. Proper acrylic paint ranges for miniatures came only many years later ...
8)
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Excellent !
You were my hero and you still are !
The amazing thing is that I can identify so many of those miniatures. And I still have them somewhere in my collection. Either in the basement or somewhere in my desk.
I`ll look for them and I get a push to paint them because of your post here.
Cheers
Björn
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Sir,
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Absolutely amazing work, I am in awe.
Thank you so much for posting these pictures.
-Alex
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These old pics bring back memories. I have the WD #100 that you mentioned. Love your stuff. Really wonderful.
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I'm still bummed that you didn't appear at GLAM, but what the heck.. lol
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I don't remember exactly, but could it be that at the time the admiral made these, there were no other similarly made beasts with some kind of Howdah? (apart from historical elephants of course)
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These pieces are very, very nice. Inspiring. I'm ashamed to admit it's the first time I've seen them :) But I'm glad now that I have and I'm looking forward to more!
thanks
n.
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I'm still bummed that you didn't appear at GLAM, but what the heck.. lol
I'm very sorry about that myself, but real life came in between ...
:?
I don't remember exactly, but could it be that at the time the admiral made these, there were no other similarly made beasts with some kind of Howdah? (apart from historical elephants of course)
Sorry again, but I really don't know what you mean? Could you please explain?
:)
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what I mean is:
at the time You made Your beasts of war with howdahs, there were none available from other companies for sale or noone else had ever converted any - so You would have been the first
correct?
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I'm very sorry about that myself, but real life came in between ...
When real life interferes with hobby. Quit real life. ;) :D
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Thanks for sharing all this great work Admiral.
I haven't been in the hobby for that long (about 15 years now), but seeing all your pictures really takes me back to a world where imagination is the order of the day rather than what's "acceptable" or not in rulebooks.
This isn't a bash on what the hobby is like today - because it's awesome today! - but by sharing these works you've awakened a real imaginative and playful world that will be open to me and my miniature escapades from now on.
Thanks Admiral!
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Thank you very much for showing us all these impressive works.
It is now more than 20 years ago since I´ve seen the ZAUBERER for the first time...good old times *sigh*
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Since i saw your Miniatures at the 2nd DuZi back in 1984 you inspired me to begin miniature painting. You`re one of the people who make these Hobby popular in Germany back in the 80s, the Golden Age. I like your work on this days too. Michael, you're the Man ;)
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Wow, I did see this thread when it came up a year ago or so, but didn't respond :/
This is a great trip down memory lane, and although I'm just 30 years old, I have a fond memory of going through old White Dwarf issues where miniatures in the same manner was displayed. Being 13 at the time, I obviously thought it was silly with old miniatures.
Thanks for the trip Admiral, and they are still as great as when there where black and white shows on the telly! ;)
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Some REALLY beautiful beastly things in here - bravo, love the great long-neck thing on the first page.
Very inspiring, I like your use of found objects as scenery and bits! The feathers on the shaman's staff really tickled me. excuse the pun.
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I some how completely missed this thread until now....shame on me!
All I can do is reiterate what others have said....this work was and is truely inspiring. I remember drooling over those pics in WD100 at the time....and find my mouth watering all over again 25 years later.
Thanks for sharing all of those with us!
You sir are an artist!
Cheers,
Blue
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They are all still AMAZING, FANTASTIC, & HIGHLY INSPIRATIONAL! The Deer Skull piece has haunted my dreams for decades now...that & the "Mary Lou" Spacecraft. WONDERFUL STUFF!
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Can't believe I've missed this thread! WD100 was the first ever issue I purchased, your models are as awesome now as they were then, definitely why I started doing gw figures in my young teen years!
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I love that this thread has resurfaced. Unbelievably inspiring stuff!
Admiral, you mentioned that your paint selection was quite limited back in the day. What was the quality of those German paints? Were you adding flow improver or other thinners? And how did you deal with the gloss? There's a lovely matte quality to some of these elements.
It makes me wonder how much of the golden age style was determined by the supplies available...
Thanks a lot for sharing these images!
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I love that this thread has resurfaced. Unbelievably inspiring stuff!
Admiral, you mentioned that your paint selection was quite limited back in the day. What was the quality of those German paints? Were you adding flow improver or other thinners? And how did you deal with the gloss? There's a lovely matte quality to some of these elements.
It makes me wonder how much of the golden age style was determined by the supplies available...
Thanks a lot for sharing these images!
Thanks for the nice comments, folks! It's really great to see so many of you knowing this stuff from those ancient times ... ;)
The paints I used were "Lukas Acryl Paint" in large 50ml glass-bottles, thinned with just water and cheap as nuts compared to today's paint ranges. The paint dried a bit shiny, and I have two original bottles of red which are still usable! Very high quality indeed. All of the models and dioramas got some final coats of flat varnish from a spray can, but I can't remember what brand, maybe from the DIY or car supplies.
:)
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I can still remember going into the original Games Workshop in Hammersmith in London in 1980 or 1981.
Behind the entrance door was a large LOTR diorama of an orc army pushing a massive battering ram (probaly Grond) that, similar to Admiral Benbows models, really impressed me and all these years later i am still having as much fun with this hobby as i was then.
At every show there is always something that inspires me and makes me want to do more.
p.s. Can anybody remember that LOtR diorama? Are there pics of it anywhere on the net.
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Thank you for posting this, Admiral Benbow!
Those images are from an era before I started wargaming (mid-90's), but I still recall going through a befriended "grognard's" old White Dwarf collection, and being blown away by (what I now discover to be) your work.
I have to agree with others, while today may be the golden age of miniature production and availability, the 80's certainly were the Golden Age of fantasy imagery. There was a certain dreamlike, otherworldly quality to it all.
Fantasy these days, while very good-looking, seems too much to be "fictional history", too solid and polished. More about research and thought than imagination and imagery. The need to be believable has overtaken the need to be fantastic.
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Amazing bit of nostalgia Admiral, I think I've still got the poster kicking around in a box somewhere, but the stuff you do today is much more to my taste.
Especially the river boats, the steamer and the crane, these make my pulse race like I was 20 again lol
...........oh! and the Vauban fortress, genius stuff :-*
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Nice to see these again. Great stuff :)
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Admiral, i remembered me, that we used the flat varnish from the "Brico" brand, a Car varnish and the best flat varnish to get, back in the 80s/90s.
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Thanks for sharing all of these, it has been a joy to see them again (including one I don't remember ever seeing!)
--Fitz
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Holy cow! :o Major blast from the past! I cannot begin to tell yopu how much these pictures influenced a very young me, right down to studying how you'd sculpted and painted the chainmail on the long neck beastie! i remember being wowed by the use of acorns and conkers too. This colourful yet realistic pallette forever stuck with me (and still does now I'm back in the game after 20 years). It's wonderful to be able to tell you that, so THANK YOU for the inspiration you gave a young lad way back when.