Ral Partha Balrog, not seen since 1983.

[nicknorthstar]

Check out this RalPartha Balrog from the early 80s. I don't know who painted it, but it hasn't been seen since '83.

I found it in the Wargames Illustrated figure collection. It was used in a photo in Miniature Wargames issue 3 & caused such an anti-fantasy furor that the then editor Duncan Macfarlane didn't put another in during his editorship. (The picture is also shown below).

Why did I remember it?

I remembered it because the photo had a seminal role in my Historical Wargaming hobby. I came across MW#3 on the counter of GW Nottingham in 1983, flicked open the cover and thought 'Oo, painted fantasy figures, a colour photo (not sure if the modern reader realises how rare that was in '83)'. I bought the mag, and started a subscription. Although there was never a fantasy photo in it again, and Citadel were about to start doing Compendiums, Journals, Table-top heroes/ Eavy metal in WD, I kept reading MW and was soon schooled in WRG 6th edition, Sassanid Persians, battle of Leipzig etc etc.

I'm sure I'd have come to historical wargaming anyway, but as it was, this Balrog pointed the way 

(No, I'm not giving it back  )

[The Dozing Dragon]

Lol. Remember it well... the figure ended up with a few different versions (the Perry twins remodelled the face a few times) and the 'main weapon' ended up clothed and/or differently posed 

Earlier and some of the later versions here;

http://www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=Personalities_and_Things_that_go_Bump_in_the_Night#01-003

[Hobgoblin]

Isn’t that a John Blanche paintjob? The black base looks very much like some of his from that period, as do the wing patterns.

It - actually, clearly a he - looks fantastic in any case.

[Hobgoblin]

Pretty sure it’s Blanche: the orcs and half-troll in the photo certainly are!

[Blackwolf]

Interesting,and intriguing. Ral Parthia did two Balrogs early on,I have the other which is in a more static pose,I’ll try and post a photo 

[Hobgoblin]

The Eldritch Epistles gallery of Blanche miniatures has a close-up of the Asgard half-troll here and the RP orc here.

I bought a version of the same Balrog in Florence a few years ago - still in the original RP packaging. Sadly, it was one of the later, underpanted versions.

[majorsmith]

I remember the issue well!  That photo brings back memories of flicking thru my dads issues of the magazine, really was a great magazine at that time love the model too

[armchairgeneral]

I have a vague memory of this. I also remember a debate in the letters section about whether balrogs had wings so I wondered if this picture triggered it?

[Cubs]

Ah yes, I remember that summer job I had posing as a sculpting model.

[Sir_Theo]

He makes an appearance in the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook, in pictorial form, although with one noticeable omission!

[Hobgoblin]

He makes an appearance in the 3rd edition WHFB rulebook, in pictorial form, although with one noticeable omission!

Aha! I know the illustration and the miniature well, but I'd never made that connection. It's glaringly obvious when you see it - and highly probably that Nick's miniature was the precise model for the JB drawing (sorry, Cubs!).

[Cubs]

I'm just relieved that Tolkein's Balrog used his whip to lasso Gandalf!

[nicknorthstar]

I'm not sure it was painted by Mr Blanche. If you look at the links to the two goblins that are in the picture, there's all those little clues that John painted them, the extra detail, bit of conversion etc. The Balrog is the straight model, and the little details are a bit cruder than John does.

I'd ask John, but I've been nagging him over some other 'old timey' stuff recently, I'll leave him alone for a bit. 

PS Yes! The winged balrog debate was caused by this photo. At least in MW, it was a wider debate of course.

[2010sunburst]

I seem to remember the winged balrog debate was mainly pushed by a reviewers point of view, ie, there are no wings on a balrog.  No wish to reignite it, but the reviewer had simply not read the original source book.   I have a friend who is a Tolkien nut and he quickly found the page where T describes the balrog’s wings filling the cavern from side to side.  Me, I’d just paint what I was given…..the original figure is great by the way, nice animation!

[armchairgeneral]

I have a friend who is a Tolkien nut and he quickly found the page where T describes the balrog’s wings filling the cavern from side to side. 

It’s a bit ambiguous really. The reference before this one refers to “the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings”. The balrog references in the Silmarillion don’t refer to them having wings that I recall but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have them. The wings look cool though it does make them especially powerful if they can fly around the battlefield!