Help with kitbashing: Scale Comparisons needed! Fireforge/Victrix/Perry/Warlord.

[KGatch113]

I'm setting up a Dark Ages themed DnD game and I need heroes and villains. I'm setting the game in the fantasy Dark Ages, and am using true scale historical figures and some Lord of the Rings figures instead of the usual schlocky fantasy figures. One of my rules is that as many of the figures as possible need to be plastic. ( lighter to carry, more durable, easier to convert).

My problem is finding the right figures for elves. I don't want skirted LOTR elves, and pretty much any figures that fit in scale with Gripping Beast Vikings etc are older sculpts that just don't look right. GW figures are too big, and Mantic elves are awful.

My ideal aesthetic for elves are the Aelfar from Red Box Games. To make those, I'd like to use the Fireforge Templar/Teutonic infantry. My problem is finding the right helmeted heads.

For elves, I'd like to explore the possiblity of Greek or Roman helmets, particularly from the Warlord or Victrix line. Perry Miniatures also has some barbute helmets, but I'm not sure how many are in each box of their WOTR or mercenary boxes.

So my question is how good/well would the Victrix or Walord Republican/Caesarian Roman heads or Greek Holplite heads look on Fireforge figures? Anyone know?

Or if anyone knows of good elven heads/helmet types somewhere that would fit on those figures...

[Steam Flunky]

I am afraid that i also do not know the answer but i thought i would push your question back up the board to give someone else a chance to find it and answer.

[KGatch113]

Thank you. Due to the nature of the question being one that crossed over into Ancients and Dark Ages/Medieval figures as well, I posted on those boards as well and got lots of great answers. Love the helpful people on these forums!

[katie]

" I'm not sure how many are in each box of their WOTR or mercenary boxes."

Loads. Easily a doz or so a box. I'd imagine you could find people with bunches of spare ones if you asked...

They may be a bit small on the Fireforge figures though - Perry are slender.

[KGatch113]

Hmmmm I'm figuring on getting some perry boxes, but I will ask around.

I've seen tons of conversions where the Perry stuff fits with Fireforge and Gripping Beast.

Thanks for the info!

[Gandalf the G]

The specific question about Barbutes in the Perry kit: there are 2 y-face and 2 t-face barbutes in each Mercenaty box. Open faced helmets there are plenty of.

[KGatch113]

Hmmm just 4? Darn, I was hoping for more.

[Digitarii]

Additional note: The Barbutes in the Perry kit have a ball joint neck connector where the FF stuff is flat. If you have a Dremel, use the ball-shaped grinding tip to cut a joint socket into the FF body rather than cutting the ball joint off of the head.

[KGatch113]

Thanks for the tip! I do have that for my dremel!

[Digitarii]

Also, you can order the command sprue for the European mercenaries direct from Perry Miniatures for £3.33: https://www.perry-miniatures.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_63&products_id=2692&osCsid=hs9885hnmrjii8colvf6esct57

That sprue gets you two barbutes.

[KGatch113]

Hmm lots of extra parts I could use too.

I'm tempted to scrap my purely Dark Ages RPG game and do an Excaliburesque game where knights have plate mail in the 9th century, purely because of the Perry Miniatures!

[fred]

I'm tempted to scrap my purely Dark Ages RPG game and do an Excaliburesque game where knights have plate mail in the 9th century, purely because of the Perry Miniatures!

That's not a bad idea!!

The Perry medieval figures are definitely the best - lots of poses, lots of arms, lots of heads.

The GB ones are nice figures, but are more limited in poses, many really only work with a shield. They are chunkier than Perry - but would mix well with Fireforge.

The Fireforge figures are good too - in the middle historically of GB and Perry. Although they have lots of boxes of figures there are lots of common parts between them - so there is less variation than it first seems.

[3 fingers]

Hi did you progress any further with this? I'm hoping to do similar ,and don't want to get wrong heads.

[KGatch113]

Hi did you progress any further with this? I'm hoping to do similar ,and don't want to get wrong heads.

I took a break, but I'll give you the gist of the plans/project.

In my fantasy world, set in the Dark Ages, elves are either inhabitants of the world and are progressing at a more advanced rate in terms of developing arms and armor etc or they are foreigners to the world
. Thus, while most humans and dwarves wear chain byrnies, helmets and shields, Elven warriors wear full suits of lightweight chainmail.

I managed to get some unhelmeted heads that work from WhiteKnight? I think those were the last of his stock. I was originally planning on getting Warlord games or Victrix Republican romans and use those heads for the elves ( sculpt long hair etc), and the bodies I could use for orcs.

But then Victrix came out with Alexander Successor's, and I love the style of those helmets. We'll see if those work with the FF bodies, but then, I'd be wasting the Macedonian pikeman bodies.

In a perfect world, red box games would make an army range of elves in their style. I've suggested it to Tre Manor several times, but he seems focused on his barbarians and orcs NO ONE makes a good, "modern" line of elves that aren't skirted)

I have thought as an alternatee, rather than do all that work, would be to just use LOTR elves, using the elves as travllers through time and space theory. But then I'm back to skirted elves.

If only GW had made the Wood Elves from the Hobbit BOFA in plastic....

Another advantage of using the fireforge figures is that they have lots of cloth on the models. I envision elves as being the opposite of LOTR/Hobbit's depiction..they would not operate in precise units with order and professionalism. Elves IMHO would train in the martial arts, but their military would be made up of individual warriors grouped together, but only with rudimentary training in unit tactics. Each would be proficient in bow, sword and spear. Cavalry would be very rare, as elves would not have the resources, time or space to breed large herds for war. Each elf, as a warrior, I'd paint much like a samurai, with colorful designs and bright, silky cloth, all individualistic. My inspiration for elves is both LOTR and Michael Moorcock's Corum series, where elves live in small clans that rarely see each other for hundreds of years.

If only Tre Manor would do an elf wargaming army....

[LordOdo]

Sounds really cool!!! I hope to see what you come up with!!