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Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Jonas on June 02, 2013, 07:28:20 PM

Title: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 02, 2013, 07:28:20 PM
Hello, does anyone know if there is anywhere to info and pictures of the Enigma Miniatures sci-fi range?

I am talking about the closed down company who used to make lot of GW rip off miniatures like marines, space dwarfs, space elfs and such, not the currently existing Enigma Miniatures company.

Stuff like this:

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_f5pvY8-9Ltw/TEzynkO-JLI/AAAAAAAAApI/_n9-YL3UqTQ/s1600/otcsdss+046.JPG)

I have some of their old marines which are pretty awful, but I think some of the other models they made was pretty nice, but I have a very hard time finding any info or images of their miniatures.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: The_Beast on June 02, 2013, 07:41:06 PM
Got a few, though not the majority, of hits by adding 'Canada' or 'Canadian' as that was where the previous Enigma was located. Not finding a good survey, just yet, though.

Doug

Edit: And, I think it was the Chaos chicken-leg walker that was the final straw. I believe parts of the leg were identifiable GW casts. That, given my memory is worth spit....
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 02, 2013, 07:43:23 PM
As far as I have found out the game was called Tactical Strike.

I found this page listing most of the dwarfs:

http://www.stunties.com/wiki/index.php/Enigma-Tactical_Strike_Miniatures (http://www.stunties.com/wiki/index.php/Enigma-Tactical_Strike_Miniatures)
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: The_Beast on June 02, 2013, 07:56:27 PM
As far as I have found out the game was called Tactical Strike.

I found this page listing most of the dwarfs:

http://www.stunties.com/wiki/index.php/Enigma-Tactical_Strike_Miniatures (http://www.stunties.com/wiki/index.php/Enigma-Tactical_Strike_Miniatures)

For some reason I get that, not exactly confused, but melded with DemonBlade's Shockforce. I think they were struggling about the same time period.

Very different games, of course. For GW reference, Necromunda combat with a Dark Future vibe.  :D

Doug
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 02, 2013, 08:04:03 PM
Hmmm, DemonBlade you say? Do you mean the rules? Since the miniature lines did not get mixed as far as I know.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: manic _miner on June 02, 2013, 08:09:33 PM
 I have a few miniatures from this company.Marines and Imperial Guard types including the walker.Also got a chaos marine type with a predator type helmet and tentacle arm.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 02, 2013, 08:43:04 PM
Some years ago I bought a robot for the game, it almost looked like the Space Crusade dreadnought, but either I have no idea how to assamle it correct or one of the weapons is missing. It was in blister though, so I don't know if it was a misspack or what.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: white knight on June 03, 2013, 08:30:59 AM
I had some of their fantasy models (goblins and elves). Still have them somewhere in the lead pile. Very brittle metal, hardly any survived without broken pieces. Sneeze on them and they shatter.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 03, 2013, 01:27:59 PM
Hmmm, I had no luck finding Inquisition Miniatures online. Maybe they don't have a webpage at the moment.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: The_Beast on June 03, 2013, 03:37:55 PM
Hmmm, DemonBlade you say? Do you mean the rules? Since the miniature lines did not get mixed as far as I know.

Shockforce was the rule set, DemonBlade Games was the company, and no, they weren't involved with each other, but were having 'issues' of different kinds about the same time. Just indicating confusions in my memory...

Doug
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 03, 2013, 03:44:27 PM
Ah yeah. Too many great old lines of miniatures and games are gone, it is sad.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: eilif on June 04, 2013, 03:27:35 PM
Enigma Miniatures! I remember pouring over their website in the 90's dreaming of making an IG army with their "Starguard" figures.  I may even have printouts of the catalog somewhere. I also seem to remember alot of not-Space-Marines with Adeptus Arbites style heads.Interesting that they don't have a listing in Stuff of legends or Lost minis wiki.

I came into possession of a couple of their Starguard figs a while ago.  Really mediocre sculpting and casting.  They didn't stay around for long.

Those squats look great though. I'd love to add a few of those to my collection.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 04, 2013, 03:30:12 PM
I think one of the problems might be that there is a new company called Enigma Miniatures. So it is quite hard to find any info on the old company.

If you find the printouts it would be great to see a scan.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Wachaza on June 04, 2013, 05:36:59 PM
I've picked up a few over the years as a curiosity. It's no surprise GW legal jumped them from orbit as they're very derivative of GW stuff from the same time. The casting and sculpting quality is also terrible in most of the cases I've seen.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 05, 2013, 01:11:51 PM
Would be great.

It is one thing that the line vanishes like it did, but to almost dissapear from the internet too is strange.

Earlier I could find pictures of painted marines, terminators, space elfs and space dwarfs, but those seems to have gone now.

I would hope the whole line would eventually turn up on Stuff of Legends or Lost Mini Wiki.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Wachaza on June 05, 2013, 06:31:03 PM
I found a gallery of most of the Enigma minis but it disappeared a few years ago and I hadn't thought to save the pics. :(

http://members.aol.com/drdresch/galengmb.htm

(dead link-just leads to a hosting page now)

Some of his pics are on the Frothers space dwarf showcase (http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/spacedwarf/spacedwarf2.htm).
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: ink the troll on June 05, 2013, 06:50:18 PM
I found a gallery of most of the Enigma minis but it disappeared a few years ago and I hadn't thought to save the pics. :(

http://members.aol.com/drdresch/galengmb.htm

(dead link-just leads to a hosting page now)

Some of his pics are on the Frothers space dwarf showcase (http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/spacedwarf/spacedwarf2.htm).


Via archive.org 's wayback machine you can still look at some of the pics: http://web.archive.org/web/20080217235737/http://members.aol.com/drdresch/galengmb.htm

(hope the link works, if not go to http://archive.org/ and paste the url into the wayback machine, located at the top middle part of the site)
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 05, 2013, 07:17:18 PM
Great, thanks. I remember that homepage too... I think the models look pretty good when painted. Not the best sculpts, but they have their charm.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Lordblackwing on June 05, 2013, 07:35:16 PM
I have some of those Space Dwarfs in my Squat forces. I will have a look and see if I can get some piccies to post here. I seem to remember getting at least 1 of the quad bikes as well. :?
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 05, 2013, 07:38:08 PM
Awesome.

I can find my Enigma Miniatures and take some photos too... Mine are still in blisters though, but since they can open and re-seal it should not be a problem to get some photos of everything inside.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: area23 on June 05, 2013, 08:55:53 PM
Very interesting when you think of it. Pre-internet mid-nineties figs got some attention in 2001-2003 period on various Geocities, Yahoo and AOL do-it-yourself sites, but most of them disappeared over time. The whole internet changed and all the newer miniatures sites are all different formats.

Back when we did the Space Dwarf showcase I got permission from the same David Dresch mentioned above to use his pics of Enigma dwarfs. http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/spacedwarf/spacedwarf2.htm

Another thing is that the Enigma figs where forced to quit after a GW Cease or Desist, if I remember well. Today, people would laugh about that with all the high quality GW derivates available and apparently GW's 1990's CoD policy was basically just  bluffing.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: The_Beast on June 05, 2013, 11:50:02 PM
I've picked up a few over the years as a curiosity. It's no surprise GW legal jumped them from orbit as they're very derivative of GW stuff from the same time. The casting and sculpting quality is also terrible in most of the cases I've seen.

The casting varied from pedestrian to dreadful, but some of the stuff was quite imaginative. However, the chicken walker, especially the legs, looked like direct copies, as in 'we'll add some parts and a bit of GS, and no one will notice' level.

Certainly was the comments at the time from people I respect.

Doug

Edit: Did they really use the term 'Starguard'? Isn't that a rule set? Reverisco or someone?
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: manic _miner on June 06, 2013, 06:46:49 AM
 I have the Chaos space marine from Inks link.Will have to take a picture of him sometime.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: James Holloway on June 06, 2013, 07:48:39 AM
I have the space dwarf with heavy bolter, who I picked up at a gaming flea market when I was back in the US earlier this year. I did not realise at the time that I'd got a particularly outstanding example of the line -- I just thought it was a bit crude but with a good deal of charm. But those models are ... pretty variable. Still, it's always interesting to see these lines; they've kind of fallen between the obsessive internet coverage of modern figure manufacturers and the retro-vinyl-enthusiast coverage of lines from the 80s.
Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Jonas on June 12, 2013, 05:41:12 PM
(http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae132/jonasfrickmann/enigma01_zps5c72690d.jpg)
This guy is missing his right arm weapon and I have no idea what it should look like.

(http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae132/jonasfrickmann/enigma02_zpsfa670495.jpg)
Marines, extra weapons, jump packs, stuff...

Title: Re: Enigma Miniatures?
Post by: Baconfat on June 15, 2013, 08:53:39 PM
Mega Minis has some old not GW models.