I'm falling in love with your paint style and your minis. Both are awesome. Please, more, more...
From another thread - another source for old school figures.
How far "back" in style do you want to go these are maybe "older" Old School?
Thank you very much, Spooktalker!
These figures of yours are soooo good! :-* :o ;D :-* :o ;D
I did not realise that some of the miniatures produced at this time of was so good.
I started collecting back in '85 and still hanker after some of the things I 'got rid of' in days gone.
I started off buying my figures in a tiny shop in Peckham, London.
Mostly Essex and Asgard in those days. I just could not afford the stuff that Citadel were bringing at the time. I could get two or three figures for the prices they were charging.
It makes me laugh now, considering how much they charge now for, which, IMO, have nowhere near the character that they used to have.
These little fellas have so much impact.
I simply must start checking out stuff that is more 'old school' than what I considered 'old school.'
At the moment I am putting together a Mordheim warband of 'adventurer' type miniatures, all 'old school' Citadel stuff, with back packs etc from the '80s. I have enough of those to start my 'Thieves Guild' warband.
I think that now I will have to start looking at what is out there from before I came into the hobby. Maybe another group of adventurers consisting of only pre-'85 minis
Thanks for the inspiration,.
Heres to you, and all the great paintjobs that you have produced for these classics.
The dungeon scene is just top notch, too.
Ooo! Lovely painting! :-* :-* :-*
any chance of seeing those mushmen up close?
I completly agree about the prices. New stuff is just as (if not more) expensive. Though seeing all this nice old models gives me a nostalgic feeling as well and want to make me go through my lead pile. Sadly most of the lead pile isstored in boxes beacuse I'm moving soon :(
anyhow, really enjoying your pictures. Keep 'm coming!
I'm moving soon
Just want to add good luck with the move and I hope you get to unpack some figs sooner than later!
...a dedicated hobby room :)
More lovely eye candy! :-*
I love your style used in conjunction with these guys.
Now you are painting old school Dwarves, it got me thinking; Do you have any of the old Asgard Dwarves?
They were some of my first ever miniatures and I would love to see how you would paint them up.
In fact, I think it is high time I got my grubby little mitts on some of those again.....
Now look what you have gone and done! ::)
Der Kriegspieler Dwarves and Elves! Oh my. I have an army (400?+) of the dwarves of which the core is DK and RP and a smaller army of Those Elves (several bow poses, spears, sword) on my Fantasy shelves.
Still my all time favorites, the DK dwarves but the RP ones are a close second. Those Elves are extremely fun figures too (but they are Elves... and hence, "Axe Practice" foes.)
Gracias,
Glenn
Great to see your WIP.
The work that you are putting into these is most interesting to see.
I have not really worked on figures of this period in this way before. Back in those days it was just a case of getting paint on my figures.
...
Will be watching eagerly, awaiting the final outcome.
Wow! Outstanding paintjobs on those old classic figures. You really inspire me to dig out some of our neglected-for-decades early-Grenadier to see what I can do with them.
Otherworld is doing an excellent job producing striking sculpts that capture that old AD&D Monster Manual feel.
-Michael
Whats your recipe for bases? I love the subtle complementary colors on them :)
Keep them coming!
Looking forward to seeing a completed shot of the Lizardmen, always loved the look of those figs. Wish I had more of them.
Great job on the Lamia.
Really enjoying your work. I have to chuckle when I see your finished figs, then look at the same figs I have from back then when as kids we painted them with Testors paints and brushes that were too large, (or even toothpicks). I think, "Oh that's what these figs are capable of looking like."
Very nice work, looking forward to more.
My favourite thread here at the mo. So many old gems and such awesome paints. Very well done. Have quite a few of these myself, and are very tempted start painting some of them, now.
Keep up the good work, Spook! :)
Yeah, it would have saved us sooo much pain if someone said, thin your paint, load your brush then unload it on some paper so you only have a little on it.
I have pretty much all the documents from 1980 through, and not once is that mentioned! I was dunking my brushes into the pots!
Not heard of scupltamold or concrete patch before - do you have any links to them?
Thanks madmike! 1989 was when I was just getting started, or actually just before. Sorry some figs got lost along the way but glad to hear you've picked up a brush and are back adventuring! Hope you'll share some pics here!
Thanks for that.
My first wife considered model making and gaming to be childish and stupid. Those were dark days indeed, looking back on them.
I posted up a pic or two of my SO, Lori's Ral Partha Amethest Dragon that she painted. It was her second Dragon painting project at that time. (She loves Dragons!)
http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=34498.0
She is busy painting a few more mini's at the moment before going on a break from painting.
I will have to take some pics of what we have done so far...
Please keep up your pic posting in your thread, love seeing all these. Brings back great memories!
Keep 'em coming...
Introducing a Fellow Gamer to the joys of painting earns you an extra VERY WELL DONE!Thanks! And another player may be caving in!
Just saw this on your blog, actually.
Any plans to write a synopsis of the 1E adventure on your blog?
It's funny, I know sculpts are technically far better now but I love seeing the old-school minis painted up and I think on the whole I do prefer them. Great thread and great paintjobs - thanks for your efforts.
That said, one exception might be Otherworld Miniatures, your WIP shot of some of their Bugbears a few pages back has inspired me to make another purchase from them.
It would almost be criminal to slay that Rust Monster, he ALMOST looks cute with that expression on its face!
I completly agree :)
I'd even dare to say that some people mistake overly cluttered with unnecessary detail as an improvement, while I'd say that the less you put on a model, the more imporant it is that the sculpt is good.
Technically, I would say there are improvements. especially if you look as what the plastic industry, especially GW can do. The way a lot of plastics consisting of multiple components are put together nowadays defenitly offers way more options for dratic poses, This however imho does not immediately say anything about the quality of the sculpt.
Wow, some wonderful paintjobs on some cool old miniatures! Lots of it is even older than me!Thanks! I'm older than most of my figs but a couple have me beat as well!
Those are really good!
I especially like how vibrant your colors look. I always find it very hard to achieve that effect and often have the idea that my pieces turn out a bit dull. Certainly when compared with yours :)
Wow! Now that's prolific. It's really nice to see someone breathe new life into such venerable and (now) sadly overlooked miniatures. They exude so much more character than the bland GW-inspired stuff that abounds these days. As you point out on your blog, the one-shoe thing is pretty weird, though!Cheers and thanks! Check the blog comments--I've gotten a wealth of ideas re the shoe issue and now I'm very happy I never replaced them. I honestly didn't think I'd be in for such a turn around on the issue. :)
GOBLINS...OH BABY! When I see those Little Old Nasties painted to such a high standard, it's difficult to imagine why they ever stopped making them...other then Grenadier going out of business that is. They are JUST SO BEAUTIFULLY WELL DONE...breath taking work! AND your photography matches your brushwork SUPERBLY!
I'm trying to cut down on my exclamation points & you're not helping matters.
Thank you SO much for all the wonderful pictures of those great figs. I have wonderful memories of the old Grenadier Gold Line box sets. I have recently(within the last year or so)acquired the old dwarves box set, the thieves set, and the denizens of the swamp set. They are such great figures and maybe, just maybe, some day I will paint them!
Thanks again!
I AM SHOUTING ...
...how do they compare in size...
... why don't I line up some different goblins and snap a comparison pic?
Thanks Faber! And there is nothing better than Necromunda in my eyes. Reminds me I should make a Necromunda thread here.
Thanks Faber! And there is nothing better than Necromunda in my eyes. Reminds me I should make a Necromunda thread here. :)
Cracking paintjobs but I really think you gave those below average miniatures too much justice.
Those are amazing! I recognise the most of them are Otherworld, but who is that dragon by?
What a productive month for you. :-*
You have painted more in a single month than I can manage in six. They look superb I must say (as ever). If I were a wandering adventurer I certainly wouldn't want to venture into your dungeon (or wait until I was at least level 10 before I did)! Can't wait to see some action shots with the DF stuff.
Well done!
In fact well enough to bring back memories of old times when I was at high school, was playing RPG and had sooo much free time... :'( ;)
A slightly foppish Dwarf- Wonderful!
I'm currently (re)painting that same Dwarf thief figure so it's cool to see what you did with yours.And another fan of the sculpt, even better, can't wait to see! :)
By the way, I looked on evilbay for old school miniatures the other day. A lot of them are going for big bucks! :o
Really? Keep looking... really rough estimate I tend to spend 1/5 to 1/2 (that's 50-80% less) per figure than street price for new 28mm figs, and the average is way toward the 1/5 end. There are a few that go for a lot but the collectability of the figure doesn't at all match up with the quality of it.
Nicely painted! I love Otherworld and I really dig that they use the old Monster Manual as their guide. Unfortunately I have always considered the bugbear pics in the manuel to be rather bad. They look like teddy bears with an attitude - not really mean and dangerous. More like pathetic and would-like-to-be-mean (if you get my drift). Still, seeing what Otherworld is doing I think they fit. And you have really done a cool job on them.
Those custom bases are a nice addition and have a more "natural" look than round bases.
I'd really like to play an adventure of yours mate. It's a pity you are so far from me lol
Likewise man... well, if find yourself in northern California look me up! lol
Lovely brushwork - the mini has something of the creature from the Black Lagoon about it 8)
He looks fantastic, I'd love to sculpt one!
If I understand correctly, everything is true 25mm ? I've got a set of D&D heroes (lead figures, 25mm, from ral partha I guess), the problem is that they are completly not compatible with my other miniatures collection.
But I like this kind of miniatures a lot...and your great paint topic make me like them even more ! Are they still easy to find (and cheap) ?
Or to be more specific, is it easy and cheap to collect enough figures for a typical dungeon game (comparing WOTC d&d, let's say around 60 minis) ?
thanks
... (Denizen, for example) are still around. ...
Nice work, Spooktalker!
:-*
The weasels seem to fit in nicely with the Kobolds, not something that immediately springs to mind.
Well the auld Monster Manual I suggests Kobold to team up with Weasels.
Doh!
Having never dabbled with D&D in any form, I had no idea... ::)
The Weasels are EXCELLENT additions to your Project....BEAUTIFUL brush work. They look like they'd be natural adversaries for Bob Olley's Dachshunds. VERY WELL DONE!
November 16, 2012 8:28 AM
As for the weasels, the problem I have with the Splintered Light ones is that they look a bit like dachshunds instead of the bounding, bouncy gait they are known for. Heck, even bears run like that. Neither set has the characteristic long necks either.
I know what you are going to tell me Spooktalker: "Well, why don't you sculpt some yourself then?"
Well, maybe I will...
November 16, 2012 12:15 PM
Haha, you have a point, they do look kind of weinery. Well, once yours come out I'll grab 'em up and use these as the dreaded Daschweasel instead. Colloquially known as the weiner-weasel. Almost as feared as the owlbear, and just as angry. Their angry yap chills the marrow of even a hardened band of adventurers and they're bread for small-tunnel fighting.
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Dammit man! Your colours are so vibrant! I love the Cockatrice, I have never seen this mini, though the 90's Grenadier minis are nice, I really prefer the 80's sculpts.
Great stuff,
Damien
p.s. As per the knight, I have your colours stuck in my mind (which I think are perfect) I have to wait till I can figure out which other colours I can use.
Love the Doom Chicken from He!!. You have inspired me to dig into the mountain for someof my old Grenadier and Ral Partha stuff from the 70's and 80"s. ;)
He looks fantastic, I'd love to sculpt one!
I've totally missef this thread earlier, and I must admit that it has been a pure treat! :-*
I'm also one of the people with some unfond memories of early miniatures, but I know reslise that it's due to tacky paintjobs and my youthful mind believing that new is always better. I actually have to get that Meier giant!
I took some pics of my D&D collection (books, not minis), and posted them:
http://soldatetain.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/nostalgia/
I would really like to find some old Grenadier Dwarves that I had when I started; there was a dwarf with large sword, flower in hat; hammer and shield, and one with a bow... I had enough of them to make the Hobbit party, of course. :D
Why is the collecting so much easier then the painting? o_o )
I've totally missef this thread earlier, and I must admit that it has been a pure treat! :-*
I'm also one of the people with some unfond memories of early miniatures, but I know reslise that it's due to tacky paintjobs and my youthful mind believing that new is always better. I actually have to get that Meier giant!
By the way, how do you primer your figures to obtain such a nice and bright contrasted result ? White ? Black ? Grey ? Black + white zenital ?
thanks
Really nice. Of the topic of pig faced orcs, tre manor has just brought out some new orcs on a kickstarter that are decidedly pig faced. Too big for these guys though.
I took some pics tonight of the primed Gold Line stuff I have on the workbench. The past two years I've been taking advantage of assembly line and economies of scale techniques and doing huge batches of each prep task, and I have tons of primed figures to paint now.The one second from the right is the stock pose, but I cut the antennae free on the other castings and then a little greenstuff was needed to smooth things out. Big improvement, though, IMO. I would have liked to have done some conversions but life is too short in this case. I sucked it up and am going with a whole unit of one pose, and after a deep breath I am perfectly happy with it that way. :)
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eJH75Anp-bA/WnP2Qihtv9I/AAAAAAAAAv4/58A0BqWLRQck0othWT2XxgdzLN7UahSuwCLcBGAs/s640/CRW_0125.jpg) (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eJH75Anp-bA/WnP2Qihtv9I/AAAAAAAAAv4/58A0BqWLRQck0othWT2XxgdzLN7UahSuwCLcBGAs/s1600/CRW_0125.jpg)
Adventurers
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rcgypisbqNU/WnP2Q8Vgd8I/AAAAAAAAAv8/2M4fcTbOhfMtjr9p-OwxoQJHgPZEne3kQCLcBGAs/s640/CRW_0126.jpg) (https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rcgypisbqNU/WnP2Q8Vgd8I/AAAAAAAAAv8/2M4fcTbOhfMtjr9p-OwxoQJHgPZEne3kQCLcBGAs/s1600/CRW_0126.jpg)
AdventurersSome of these are weapon-swaps and/or fixes, for example I fixed the mask the guy on the top second from the left which was skewed pretty badly in the molding process. The female thief was pretty delicate at the ankles and I have steel wires reinforcing her legs, so now she is rock solid. I resculpted the dagger so it can point out from the body in a natural way.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYzai_mUegY/WnP2QQ89ywI/AAAAAAAAAv0/Rr0PH_kFfrUqLtKbbqJYvxPwtAiLLsgdgCLcBGAs/s320/CRW_0127.jpg) (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BYzai_mUegY/WnP2QQ89ywI/AAAAAAAAAv0/Rr0PH_kFfrUqLtKbbqJYvxPwtAiLLsgdgCLcBGAs/s1600/CRW_0127.jpg)
Mind Flayer
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XwmYqpH9LOg/WnP2ROJiD-I/AAAAAAAAAwA/JoIlQYiQp9AbqaNMOrkzRGmutXHsoWFsQCLcBGAs/s640/CRW_0129.jpg) (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XwmYqpH9LOg/WnP2ROJiD-I/AAAAAAAAAwA/JoIlQYiQp9AbqaNMOrkzRGmutXHsoWFsQCLcBGAs/s1600/CRW_0129.jpg)
Dwarves
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzSg5DPPZCg/WnP2RTf6hPI/AAAAAAAAAwE/V5GKavOoTC0eh0H8maRpKl7-GT0EmrrRQCLcBGAs/s640/CRW_0133.jpg) (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzSg5DPPZCg/WnP2RTf6hPI/AAAAAAAAAwE/V5GKavOoTC0eh0H8maRpKl7-GT0EmrrRQCLcBGAs/s1600/CRW_0133.jpg)
Gnomes
There's a Citadel gnome in their midst...
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nZKoPWvGjLw/WnP2R3-ptKI/AAAAAAAAAwI/A4vM7OgpzF8Zvrp5sCKpOznUuK1AgFqxACLcBGAs/s640/CRW_0135.jpg) (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nZKoPWvGjLw/WnP2R3-ptKI/AAAAAAAAAwI/A4vM7OgpzF8Zvrp5sCKpOznUuK1AgFqxACLcBGAs/s1600/CRW_0135.jpg)
GoblinsSome Wizzards and Warriors line "kobolds" are mixed in. The main difference is the kobolds had tiny feet, so you can see I enlarged them (after I primed them). I love that I have mounted and foot versions of the leader-type. Also, spot the converted Gold Line dwarf! (Hint: a casting of the dwarf is shown painted earlier in this thread)
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_cCyypQ4VE/WnP2SC-TRBI/AAAAAAAAAwM/6iv1AoX3CP8adTeKAP_tlgzpmHQf89AkgCLcBGAs/s640/CRW_0136.jpg) (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7_cCyypQ4VE/WnP2SC-TRBI/AAAAAAAAAwM/6iv1AoX3CP8adTeKAP_tlgzpmHQf89AkgCLcBGAs/s1600/CRW_0136.jpg)
Aspis
Woah!
That's brilliant! I love the fungal (mossy?) growths on the shoulders and knees.
25mm is still my scale, and I have most of the dudes you have shown on this thread (not nearly as pretty, though!) Love seeing the old figs painted like this. In particular, I'd love to see what you do with more Custom Cast! The elven archer is fantastic.
This is an inspiring thread! Your giant looks wonderful. Any chance we might see your painted mushroom men?
Just found your thread. Its glorious 8) 8) I have many of these figs in my collection but have not used them in some time. You almost inspire me to run a old school dungeon crawl using chainmail rules and this part of my collection like I did back in the mid 70's lol lol
you've inspired me to pull the painting bench out into the living room and get some serious work done on the critters and adventurer's for my homebrew ACKS campaign :o :D
Holy cow, that's a great find at the flea market. Maybe I should start cruising a few!There are certainly deals to be had at conventions! Thanks, and you noticed the conversion. :) The bow is from a plastic weapon sprue from Eccentric Miniatures. Their weapons are great, perfectly scaled for 25mm and can really improve a figure, or easily save one that lost a weapon along the way.
The Grenadier ladies look great. That bow conversion on the ranger looks so much better than the original bow. Nice color for the thief's leotard.
What wonderful nostalgia this thread brings to mind. We had many fine sculptors working back in the '80's - Grenadier sets being among the particular high points (although most suffering from the telephone pole spear shafts that alloys of the time made necessary). What you demonstrate that has certainly improved from that time is the level of painting that hobbyists have since mastered.
Whoa! I missed that shot of the flea-market haul: superb! Those carrion crawlers will slot into your D&D collection nicely, I'd imagine.
(My seething envy at your securing that Tom Meier giant troll champion is only mollified by this morning's fortuitous acquisition of a bunch of Citadel orc wyverns: the preslotta, Fantasy Tribes sort!)
Those put a smile on my face. Everyone loves a good Demogorgon model, but it's the unique low-level irritators like this that are the bread and butter of D&D adventures.