Sources of 20mm-ish high or wood elves?

[v_lazy_dragon]

Hello Folks,

I'm slowly working on some fantasy figures inspired by Alan Garner's Weirdstone of Bresigamen/Moon of Gomrath setting. I'll be working in 28mm, but the elves are noted as only being about 4ft tall - which means that to scale they'll need to be about 20mm. Garment/equipment wise they sound fairly generic apart from that (tunics, bows, swords, shields, chainmail). Bonus points if they have a hint of celt or saxon about them or if some have feathered cloaks, but this really isn't essential.
Are there any companies doing fantasy elves at about 20mm? I see Eureka and Splintered Light both do some in their 18mm ranges but fear these may be just a little too short...

Thanks in advance

[Hobgoblin]

The Dark Alliance 1/72 elves are very nice and are big for 1/72, but they're very much drawn from the Peter Jackson LotR films. They'd probably be spot on scale-wise, though:





I've got set 3 (the first one above), so I can post a scale shot if that would help. They are really nicely detailed.

Another option might be to pick up some of the old Tom Meier Ral Partha elves second hand. There seem to be plenty of them about.

[Sir Barnaby Hammond-Rye]

Minifigs elves are on the small size IIRC.

[Hobgoblin]

By the way, what are you using for the svart-alfar? I've always thought that the old Prince August goblins are perfect for Garner's svarts - or at least for the long-nosed kind. Bodachs are a bit more of a challenge ...

[v_lazy_dragon]

By the way, what are you using for the svart-alfar? I've always thought that the old Prince August goblins are perfect for Garner's svarts - or at least for the long-nosed kind. Bodachs are a bit more of a challenge ...

I was eyeing up the Conquest miniatures Svart's - it would seem the owner has also read the books . Currently only 6 figures, but apparently more will be coming eventually.
http://www.conquest-games.co.uk/index.php?cPath=41_57

I was thinking of Westwind Productions Merlin as Cadellin

There must be a suitable hooded figure out there for Grimnir... I just haven't found it yet.

The Mara & Bodachs are a headache. I was toying with just giving up at matching the Bodachs in any way and using some other form of goblin - possibly the Artizan Hobgoblins. I keep toying with something Willendorf Venus-esque for the Mara

A scale comp with the Dark Alliance figures would be really handy - thanks. Are the figures the traditional toy soldier soft plastic, or something harder?

[v_lazy_dragon]

Minifigs elves are on the small size IIRC.

Thanks - I shall go a delving! Are they in the 25mm range?

[Hobgoblin]

I was eyeing up the Conquest miniatures Svart's - it would seem the owner has also read the books . Currently only 6 figures, but apparently more will be coming eventually.
http://www.conquest-games.co.uk/index.php?cPath=41_57

Oh, yes - I remember those from when Cubs posted them here.

The Mara & Bodachs are a headache. I was toying with just giving up at matching the Bodachs in any way and using some other form of goblin - possibly the Artizan Hobgoblins. I keep toying with something Willendorf Venus-esque for the Mara

The Mara might be easy enough to make from scratch.

There's an old Runequest broo with bird legs, spear and shield that's quite a good match for the bodachs. He's got a humanish/goblinish face rather than a goat head. But there is only the one, I think.

A scale comp with the Dark Alliance figures would be really handy - thanks. Are the figures the traditional toy soldier soft plastic, or something harder?

They're in soft plastic, but it's relatively hard and the detail's really good. I'll try to get a photo up tonight or tomorrow.

If you can get hold of the Caesar 1/72 elves, they're in a very paint-friendly plastic (a bit like Reaper Bones), but they're hard to find now.

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

I don't have any, so I can't sate this with absolute certainty, but I believe the Eureka Wood Elves were very large compared to other 18mm figures, including other Eureka miniatures.  I suspect they will work with 20mm.

[Ethelred the Almost Ready]

I knew I had seen a size comparison of these Elves in the past.
link:
http://72-multiverse.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-elves.html

[v_lazy_dragon]

There's an old Runequest broo with bird legs, spear and shield that's quite a good match for the bodachs. He's got a humanish/goblinish face rather than a goat head. But there is only the one, I think.

If you can get hold of the Caesar 1/72 elves, they're in a very paint-friendly plastic (a bit like Reaper Bones), but they're hard to find now.

Oooh  - thanks for the Broo tip off. Pity there is only the 1!
And it's worth knowing about the caesar elves taking paint well - spent too long watching paint flake off plastic toy soldiers in my younger years

[v_lazy_dragon]

I knew I had seen a size comparison of these Elves in the past.
link:
http://72-multiverse.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-elves.html

Awesome - thanks. They do look like they might work!

[Hobgoblin]

This is the bodachy broo. The photo doesn't really do him justice - he's a really nice miniature:



I'll dig out the Dark Alliance elves shortly. I've haven't had much problem with flaking paint on Dark Alliance stuff - gesso undercoat, acrylics and then two coats of varnish and they seem pretty robust.

[bluewillow]

yes eureka elves are tall and fatter than the 1/72 plastics, I painted a army for a guy with mixed figures though and they worked well for Impetus armies.

here is a review of all of the plastic dark age ranges including pictures

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/PeriodList.aspx?period=6

and fantasy
http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/ShowFeature.aspx?id=39

some great photos of Bennos figure forum for 20mm

http://bennosfiguresforum.com/viewforum.php?f=2


cheers
Matt

[Hobgoblin]

Actually, a source of conversion bits for bodachs might be the Rafm reptiliads - especially the smaller, first-generation lot. They've got bird-like legs, and their top halves could be replaced with suitably sized goblin bodies. Or a headswap might do the trick.

[Hobgoblin]

Here are a couple of comparison shots of Dark Alliance elves (with a Perry knight, a Fireforge knight and a a Prince August 'svart'). The Caesar elves will be quite a bit smaller than the Dark Alliance ones. The latter are hard to beat for price at 40 for under a tenner.