Lord of the Rings in 1/72 scale. Rangers of Gondor.

[Mr. White]

@blacksmith - what size bases do you have on your rohan cavalry and warg riders? it looks to fit perfectly.

[blacksmith]

@blacksmith - what size bases do you have on your rohan cavalry and warg riders? it looks to fit perfectly.

They are 30mm washers but I had to cut off the ends of some of the bases, especially the horses' to fit them into the washers.

[Sunjester]

They all look really good. My only problem with the plastic fantasy range is that they are too "Peter Jacksonesque" for my taste.

[blacksmith]

They all look really good. My only problem with the plastic fantasy range is that they are too "Peter Jacksonesque" for my taste.

Well, Dark Alliance figures are a  Peter Jackson's LOTR rip off, but if you like something different you can have a look at Caesar/Miniknight miniatures. They have boxes of 1/72 Orcs, Goblins, Dwarves, Wood Elves, Lizardmen, Ratmen (Skaven), undead and adventurers. Then, there is also the historic lines that you can use for humans, like for example the Gothic cavalry for Rohirrims.

[Mr. White]

Having seen the direction mainstream fantasy has trended in the past few decades, I’ve come to appreciate the Peter Jackson LotR aesthetic. It’s grounded in a bit more realism with hints of dark ages. I’ll take that over world of Warcraft/age of sigmar/warmachine/kings of war/Terrinoth every time, all day.

But yeah, there are lots of options at 1/72 now. Even within the Dark Alliance line: Minotaurs, cyclops, mummies, nomads, centaurs, cimmerians, amazons, Anubis, etc.

[blacksmith]

Having seen the direction mainstream fantasy has trended in the past few decades, I’ve come to appreciate the Peter Jackson LotR aesthetic. It’s grounded in a bit more realism with hints of dark ages. I’ll take that over world of Warcraft/age of sigmar/warmachine/kings of war/Terrinoth every time, all day.

But yeah, there are lots of options at 1/72 now. Even within the Dark Alliance line: Minotaurs, cyclops, mummies, nomads, centaurs, cimmerians, amazons, Anubis, etc.

Totally agree with you.

[Hobgoblin]

Totally agree with you.

Indeed. I don't much like the films (they're good in parts ...), but a lot of the designs are interesting in themselves (e.g. the Uruk-hai - nothing like the book descriptions, but a cool look in its own right). And yes: they're generally far superior to the stuff that Jack cites above.

Also, some of the Dark Alliance Orc designs don't owe very much to Peter Jackson/Weta other than the fact that they wouldn't look out of place with stuff that was. The archer on the right below, for example, is just a perfect Orc from the hints that Tolkien drops - a monstrous, demonic version of the Steppe peoples that struck such fear into civilisations in both the East and the West:



I could be wrong, but I don't think any of those five are derived directly from the films. And the mythological stuff (Minotaurs, Cyclopes and Anubis creatures) are great original designs - along with the other stuff that Jack mentions.

[blacksmith]

Maybe in Mordor there were some like those but yes, you're right. They are not like the ones in the film.
Lovely painting BTW 

[RSDean]

I’ll just echo how great that all looks!  (And I’ve painted a bunch of 1/72s myself, so I know what they are like to do.)

The only current problem with 1/72 fantasy, IMHO, is that a lot of the sets are out of production, especially the Caesar sets.  (And we could generally do with a few more poses of magicians—I’ve extended mine with things like druids from the HaT Celtic Command set and figures from odd sets like Strelets Crusader Transport.)

[Hobgoblin]

The only current problem with 1/72 fantasy, IMHO, is that a lot of the sets are out of production, especially the Caesar sets.  (And we could generally do with a few more poses of magicians—I’ve extended mine with things like druids from the HaT Celtic Command set and figures from odd sets like Strelets Crusader Transport.)

The Elheim metal range is quite good for wizards - and (more convenient if you're in the US) some old Ral Partha stuff scales pretty well with 1/72. There are lots of 1979ish Tom Meier character figures that are fine height and build-wise with 1/72, though they have somewhat bigger faces. I'd say that the slight difference is well worth putting up with as a kind of 'hierarchical scale' for heroes and wizards. But yes, it's a shame that Caesar hasn't brought its adventurers back into production.

[blacksmith]

Elhiem is bloody expensive when you include P&P, a shame as I want them really bad.

Adventurers set from Caesar is OOP but the rest of their Fantasy range has been re-released by Miniknight.

Another thing I do when I can't find the minis I want in 1/72 is to 3d print 28mm figures down into 20mm. I did it with the whole Fellowship of the Ring plus Saruman and Gollum.

[Mr. White]

Tbh, the limited availability is one of the things I appreciate about 1/72 hobbying. I like the thrill of the scavenger hunt for models that might work. Also the somewhat limited options at this scale means I’m not drowning in countless sprues of unpainted plastic. The scarcity of options helps me control my spending.

[blacksmith]

Tbh, the limited availability is one of the things I appreciate about 1/72 hobbying. I like the thrill of the scavenger hunt for models that might work. Also the somewhat limited options at this scale means I’m not drowning in countless sprues of unpainted plastic. The scarcity of options helps me control my spending.
[/quote
Speaking of which, can you suggest me a good proxy for Gondor soldier? They don't have to look like the ones in the film. I was thinking that maybe byzantines could work.

[Hobgoblin]

Speaking of which, can you suggest me a good proxy for Gondor soldier? They don't have to look like the ones in the film. I was thinking that maybe byzantines could work.

The Caesar dismounted Crusaders would give you some reasonable options - and would very broadly fit Tolkien's description of a Bayeux Tapestry look for Middle Earth. Some of the armour might be a bit much, but I think they'd come alive with black surcoats and white-tree heraldry.

I think the HaT El Cid infantry would be a good fit too. They're unusual among 1/72 figures in that they really seem to be designed for wargames - lots of spear-armed infantry who rank up well! And you get loads in a box for not very much. The Andalusians and Almoravids would give you some decent Haradrim options too!.

[blacksmith]

The Caesar dismounted Crusaders would give you some reasonable options - and would very broadly fit Tolkien's description of a Bayeux Tapestry look for Middle Earth. Some of the armour might be a bit much, but I think they'd come alive with black surcoats and white-tree heraldry.

I think the HaT El Cid infantry would be a good fit too. They're unusual among 1/72 figures in that they really seem to be designed for wargames - lots of spear-armed infantry who rank up well! And you get loads in a box for not very much. The Andalusians and Almoravids would give you some decent Haradrim options too!.

I'd already eyed the Caesar's Crusaders on foot and I love them but I'd like more uniformity. I'll check the Hat ones. Thank you!