White Dwarf 119 'Eavy metal Special

Hello and welcome to another 'Eavy Metal special, this time concentrating on the painted miniatures from WD119. I would like to pint out here that, for me anyway, this and the following issues stand sentinel over the greatest era for 'Eavy metal. The reasons I feel this way are clear. There was a great mix between Studio and 'guest' painters, all of whom had quite different styles and tastes. The range of models on offer in the articles were all very different, original and often highly creative. Finally, as these articles were created in the days before colour schemes and painting was standardised, there are some great ideas and techniques that would never be seen today. Certainly not in WD anyway. You really do get the feel that the painting team during this period were letting rip with all the guns and really producing some excellent work.

So WD119 kicks off with another spread of models from Mick Beard. Now, we are used to seeing lots of fantasy models from him but its a pleasant change to see a wealth of Rogue Trader stuff. Especially, Rogue Trader stuff with original retro colour schemes for the power armour. My personal favourite? It has to be the Space Sharks marine in camouflage patterns though the Leman Russ model is also outstanding. 

The stand out piece from this page has to be the skeleton chariot conversion, similar to the rider we saw last issue. Again, green stuff has been used to create the weathered, dry flesh of the horses and the addition of the bridge is fabulous. In my opinion, one of the very best conversions to appear in WD during this period. 

Now Pete Taylor is a name that I am sure many of you will recognise. The page begins with a photo montage of how he set about producing the green chaos spawn model that we have seen before. pete Taylor really was the master of metal and milliput and his work is distinctive and original. Anyone know where he is these days as he would make a great candidate for a RoC80s interview, wouldn't he!?

The bottom half of this page if of particular interest for here we see quite a rare display of models. Miniatures painted by one of the Studio artists. In this case, Paul (no-one drew orcs like me) Bonner. It comes as no surprise that he has chosen the more grotesque models to apply that paint. My personal favourite here? The definitive Skrag.

When you mention Tony Cottrell you would expect to be talking about tanks or some other fantastic machine with enormous firepower. So it comes as a bit of a surprise to see this collection of dragons from him. He really knows his subject though, and this selection of firebreathers is one of the very best I have seen anywhere - including the earlier Mike McVey spread on dragons around WD100. I love the triceratops with the Chaos Warrior mounted on its back, and the dinosaur reminds me of a toy I had back in the 1980s. Dinoriders they were called. I love models like this and they always get me thinking about the wackiest mount (easy, Chico!) I could possibly fathom and what model I would sit on top of it. 

The regular 'Eavy Metal painters show their worth on this page with some stunning work from the forthcoming Waaagh! The Orcs book. Now, many of the later miniatures produced in support of the orc books were terrible, but these are characterful and varied (my two top criteria for a good model) as well as brightly coloured. Of note, is the pump wagon (and I am wondering if this is the Andy Craig version) which has always in my mind been a superb model. And one that has got steadily worse with each new interpretation. the stand out model here is the brilliant skeletal centaur, which is a great idea and like all great ideas, very simple. 

Chaos terminators and multipart Chaos warriors adorn this page, resplendent in crazy designs. The genestealers here, including the famous Patriarch, are all excellent painjobs. The purple and blue classic look is my preferred interpretation of how they should look. A few other Rogue Trader pieces adorn the pages here, including the famous Emperor's Children traitor marine that pops up quite regularly in GW publications around this time, including if memory serves as a scale model for Guy Carpenter's Imperial Walker. So beautifully painted Eldar and a giant scorpion finish off this months selection. I love the painted muddy puddles on the scorpion's giant base. 

Orlygg.