Cultist's as Mind Flayer's proxies

[clam]

Well, my first showcase here at LAF - so hope you'll bare with me  

I've been trying hard to hunt down some classic Citadel ADD79 Mind Flayers for quite some time - but it's almost impossible finding. So have started looking into suitable proxies, till the real stuff turns up. Always hoped that Otherworld Miniatures would do some, but apparently Mind Flayers are still under WotC license.

So, I've decide trying using Squigmen as stand ins.

Manic_Miner (Four A Miniatures) gave preview here a few weeks ago of his Cultist's - and when I say these Adam Gayford Sculpts, I immediately decided they where the right ones for my Mind Flayer proxies. The are a bit more squigmen than classic Mind Flayers, but I really don't mind - only thing that really bothered me was the tentacle arms Adam has given them. So, they had to go - and was replaced with some plastic hands from the Mantic Ghouls.

Came to look like this:



Like how the turned out myself, buy what do you think?

I didn't follow the original description about there looks (mauve coloured slimy skin - and 'four' black purpled face tentacles) - as I from the very start had chosen to go for the orange clothes look. So, gave them a more greyish coloured skin instead - but kept the three red fingers (at least)

Put individual shots in the clamshells-blog if anyone should be interested.

[midismirnoff]

Paintjob is very nice and expressive and the hand swap is very natural. I know nothing about the Mind Flayer lore,  but the minis are cool.

[Gibby]

Mindflayers are among my favourite D&D monsters. Love these!

[Blue in vt]

these look AWESOME Clam...I love the orange that you achieved on the cloaks...and the conversions are flawless....as usual!   

Cheers,

Blue

[Dr. Kevin Moon III esq.]

They look super nice. Didn't realise you'd done a hand-swap till I read it - the sign of a very good conversion!

[General Roos]

Looks awesome! Nice paintwork with those!

[phreedh]

I know nothing about the Mind Flayer lore,  but the minis are cool.

And as you can see below, a great match if you're not too fuzzy about the amount of face-tentacles.

[The Dozing Dragon]

Great use for my unpainted Mantic ghoul army offer!

[rob_alderman]

Excellent minis, great conversion too.

[Damien]

Love the robes and the bases, as everyone has already stated the hand conversions look great. My favorite is the one on the left holding the skull (he is looking at it as if doing macbeth).


Great first pic post

Damien

[D@rth J@ymZ]

Excellent first post! They look excellent.  I'd use them for straight up Cthulu type cultists myself but they do have a certain Mindflayer/Dr. Zoidberg look to them.  I like the idea of hands rather than tentacles too.

[manic _miner]

 Very nice conversions Clam.The choice of colours works really well with them too.Picture saved for the future.

[clam]

I'm quite overwhelmed by all the nice words. Thanks guys that's very kind of you.

Like said, they are not 100% classic Mind Flayers, but without a source for the original Citadel or Ral Partha ones, I had to do my own. So I based them on Four A's creatures which are close to the Cthulhu mythos. But cant be that bad, as it's said that Gary Gygax, were inspired by Brian Lumley's “The Burrowers Beneath”, when he came up with the Mind Flayers.

The one in the picture ain't probably 100% true to Mr. Gygax's old vision, though (think it comes from 3.5/4th ed art work). My approach to DnD are these original images - as found in 1st/2nd edition source books (like the Monster Manual I+II and Fiend Folio) - but with a twist - cause especially the colours descriptions here, are quite ... challenging for a modern painter

@Manic_miner
Use the picture as you might see fit. And there are a few more at the blog. And can do a few more if you should need it.

[capthugeca]

Nice stuff, Clam.

I've always thought that Reaper's Bathalians would be pretty good as Mind Flayers.

http://www.reapermini.com/FigureFinder#detail/02568

[clam]

I think the Bathalians ARE Mind Flayers 

And I really like them, too  - but like most other miniatures from reaper - the don't scale that well with other ranges, and as most of my monsters and PCs are more true scaled 28mm (some even 25mm) - I find them slightly to big. And theI also finder their style more suited for late ed. AD&D - IMO.

But certainly nice miniatures - and will get myself a few, later on.