A Second Summer of Citadel: Hobbits and Gnomes, Muleskinner Reunited and Townsfolk Galore

Summer came and went! Our holiday ended up being extended somewhat which was lovely but it took a toll on my plans for restoring my vast painted collection. But since our return I've been stoically repairing many figures as time allowed. I must confess to finding another 1980s fantasy addiction over July and August but more detail on that in future posts. 

This first batch contains a characterful bunch of classic models from Citadel and Marauder and all them suffered severe damage, particularly to their faces, hands and clothing. As with the barbarians a few weeks ago I carefully restored the damaged areas and attempt to retain my original paint job as much as I could. 

Lots of memories came flooding back during this process which is always a blessing. 

First from left is a C11 Halfling called Tobias sculpted in 1987 but released in 1988 with quite a few other halfling models. Tobias has a variant called Albi whose head and chest are completely different. Both names are indicative of the Shire and Tolkien's linguistic basis of the hobbits. Of course, Old Toby, the Pipeweed also springs to mind here. The blend of tobacco was named after an actual background character called Tobold Hornblower who was said to be the first to cultivate the sage leaf. If you are a fan of Christopher Tolkien's deep investigations into his father's work you'd find out that in earlier drafts he was known as Tobias Hornblower, Tobias Smygrave and Elias Tobiasson. Whether or not Tim Pollard or whoever else may have named this figure were aware of these references we will never now know. But the link is clearly there. This figure was sculpted by the Perry Twins.

Centre is Norris Sureshot from the C11 Gnome range. These came out a few years earlier than the halfling figures in 1985 and were sculpted I believe by Trish Morrison. Norris is a dead give away here as Chuck Norris was at the height of his Video Rental fame as an action hero around this time. Well known for being a crack shot in films such as Code of Silence and Invasion USA in 1985. Not sure how far these penetrated the UK cinema scene but his face was ubiquitous across the sticky carpeted Video Shops that were part of any '80s childhood. 

Finally, another Trish sculpt from the MM64 Marauder Halfling Militia Range. This particular model is known as HL4 or just with spear 1. No way as interesting as the pop culture rich figures from Citadel though. Released in 1989 this figure is one of six characterful little chaps. I memory serves correctly this little chap was one of my speed painting challenges once long ago. I was frankly a bit embarrassed by the paintjob but photographed with a modern camera and lighting he scrubs up well enough. 

Some months ago I was delighted to find the old C22 Adventurer's cart among some old scenery pieces. Well, I was able to track down the missing muleskinner figure and repair him too. Not that he had suffered much damage with just the rim of his hat needing work. He was incredibly dusty though and needed a good clean up before photography. I must admit to redoing the drybrushing around the wooden part of the cart as the original job was awful. The horse is often referred to as Trigger as it is written across the tab. Trigger is an obvious reference to the real life Palomino horse belonging to Roy Rodgers. 

Originally named Golden Cloud, this 1930s horse was renamed due to his quick mind and speedy movement. Looking at the Citadel version, the name could well be an ironic one as he doesn't look up to much, does he? Of course, any '80s affectionardo will be quick to consider the equally dull witted character from Only Fools and Horses, though the link is more tenuous. Calling someone a muleskinner is a historical term originating in the US. It was a job title and described someone with the grit and tenacity to deal with the famous stubborn nature of pack animals such as mules. I thought this must mean 'skinning' the backs of the animals with the whip the figure carries (as this too might be the idea behind the sculpt) but it is reference to the need to outwit or cajole the notoriously difficult beasts.

Now we have got on to some of my villagers. I am sure you are all aware of the famous C46 Villagers or Townsfolk range. They have been very collectable for a very long time and have strong links to the WHFRP careers system. I long coveted them and collected many a model on eBay in the glory days of collecting. They are fun in a way heavily armoured hulks in spike embossed helmets are not. They serve as fantastic scenery pieces and link very well with Warhammer Townscape. This example comes from 1985 and is know as the Old Hag for pretty clear reasons. She is the stereotypical fantasy old lady who could or could not be a witch. Not that witches are the worst thing '80s Warhammer mythos can throw at you. Her black clothing was very badly scratched so I spent some time building back up the deliberately dark nature of the highlights here. She just needs a cat. 

I was never a huge fan of the Marauder range. I found the models too different in style to the classic '80s Citadel look even back in the 1980s. Just like many of my contemporaries I drooled over their fantastic army deals in White Dwarf though and wished I could afford to fork out for those Orc and Goblins and Dark Elves deals. This figure is from the MM6 Citizens range and I think this range is superior to the Villagers and Townsfolk models put out by Citadel, largely due to the character, design and quality of sculpting. There are also a lot less of them out there so they are more interesting to work with. This example is CZ11 Burger with Staff 2. I painted this for my 'Defence of Far Corfe' scenario and was always very pleased with my work on his clothing and flesh. I was horrified to find that he was one of the more badly damaged figures in this batch and he required extensive work on his cloak, head and hands. I was worried about this photograph showing the scale of the damage but I am pleasantly surprised to say he looks none the worse for wear now. 

This model isn't part of the Townsfolk or villagers range but a C07 Ranger but he fits the pattern well enough to be included here. His tab reads Woodsman so it is not hard to wonder if this WHFRP career (as the striking similarity between this figure and the illustration in the first edition rulebook) was what was originally intended. Like my other figures, his face and brown jacket took the brunt of the damage and needed repair. 

This rather gormless looking young chap is definitely from the Townsfolk and Villagers range. He is often just known as the C46 Miller though he was also released as part o the Blood on the Streets deal in 1985 as Uncle Errol the Miller. Though he looks a little young to be an uncle, anything is possible in the deep woods of the Empire forests. He was suffering from a rather damaged sack. Not my best paintjob by far on this one though he holds a rather earthy charm. 

This example is one of three variant models. Starting with this one the C46 Noblewoman and ending with the slottabased Wanda figure for the Enemy Within Campaign. I had one of the other figures in my unpainted collection somewhere and I am pretty sure it was the middle one from Death on the Reik. Much of her dress and hair had received much damage and it took an age to fix the red in her dress. In the end I just repainted most of the area in an attempt to smooth out the damage. Out of all of the figures you can see today this one was the most damaged. Not sure if that is a royal wave she is sporting or just a under the breath 'bugger off'. 

Whoever she is displeased with is certainly in for a scolding. 

Finally we end with Jes the Poacher who appeared on a flyer alongside the Noblewoman above. If you check out the CO7 Ranger group you will see another variant of this figure called Longbow or Longarm. Jes could easily be a reference to Jes Goodwin the famous sculptor. Whether or not he was a committed and enthusiastic poacher in the 1980s is unlikely but it certainly could be suggested as a in-joke for the Citadel crew. He has suffered little damage and just needed his left hand repainting. In hindsight, I wondered if a bloodstain might have been apt on that bag but as my purpose is to restore and not repaint I left him as he was. 

With this little group of villagers complete it is time to move on to the Feudals and Fighters in my collection. I have a small unit and a cannon to restore next. They are slightly more damaged than these figures so will require some work on the shields and bases. With the weather cooling off it should be easier to work on more figures. I don't know about you but I always find the Autumn a time when painting and collecting begins to pick up a pace again after the busy days of summer. 

Until then,

Orlygg 

A Summer of Citadel: CO1 Barbarians, F3 Barbarians and F6 Barbarian Raiders Restored and Researched

I've begun the long and daunting task of reorganising my painted miniatures and making an attempt to repair and restore them. Initially, things seemed really positive but donning my visor for a closer look revealed intensive damage to nearly all of the figures. This was mostly scratches and scrapes on the arms and legs as well as damage to bases and weapons. I spent yesterday painstakingly repairing each and all of these figures as well as a few others. The faces of many of these figures took the most damage. Noses, eyes and lips seeming to bear the brunt of the abuse. I am hoping these figures look as coherent as when I first painted them. Let me know if they don't.

These models are a mix of Citadel originals and Foundry versions. The units are made up from models released in the CO1 Barbarians range, the F3 Barbarians and the F6 Barbarian Raiders, though different figures from all these ranges were later sold as Norse from 1989 to 1992. The models themselves are a mix of historical looking celts, Conan types and the traditional fantasy barbarians. I painted many of these figures quickly to act as the rank and file of a McDeath game many years ago and I'm pleased to note that my old speed-painting technique still seems to hold up, if the camera doesn't get too close that is!

Originally, these models seemed fairly generic in their character however researching this blog post has unearthed a few factoids that I didn't know before. So I will share them here as I expect a few other enthusiasts will be just as interested and probably not sad enough to trawl the depths of the internet for obscure facts. 

As I said, I am hoping you cannot spot any flaws or damage that I have missed in the paint jobs. I have two units of twelve barbarians, one with a McDeath inspired banner, and a ten strong unit of female warriors. I find it hilarious to find GW fanboys waxing lyrical about there being too many girls in Warhammer these days knowing for a fact that Citadel put out plenty of lady figures back in the day. 

And here are the ladies in question. In truth, I have eleven ladies but I have two versions for some reason of the chubby lady. I cannot recall why I painted two of them. I am pretty sure there are a fair few more barbarian ladies in my recently returned collection that are unfinished. So it may be possible to increase this unit in future. What do I plan to do with them? Create a Norse style army of course using Warhammer Armies as a guide. I have several packs of the F Series Vikings too that would easily add to this force. 

Anyway, lets delve deep into the background of several of these barbarian lads and lasses shall we? I will be naming each figure from left to right across the photograph and discussing variants and so one underneath. I'm not sure why I love writing about this stuff.

Brunhilda

An iconic Citadel Miniature and one that is still available from Foundry. She was also released as Brunhilde or the slightly worrying Big Momma in the past. Originally available in 1987 and I'm pretty sure she is a Perry sculpt. The late Tim Pollard named many of the '80s figures around this time and he drew deeply from many sources. Brunhilda connects closely with the Valkyrie character and her obese appearance makes me think of Wagner's operas. In fact, Brunnhilde is a major character in the Ring Cycle of operas and her death at the end of the cycle helped coin the phrase 'it ain't over until the fact lady sings'. Her song concerns her deliberate immolation to save the world and carried on for about 20 minutes. '80s kids will also recall the Bugs Bunny short called 'What's Opera Doc?' which makes fun of this dramatic event, complete with a suitably fat lady. This trope has a real life root. Amalie Materna was the originator of the Brunnhilde role in the opera the the 19th Century and she was famously a larger lady. It seems this figure has elements inspired from a wealth of pop culture and imagery as well as an '80s Citadel twist. 

 

Ulwen Sword-Mistress of Wonger and Helena the Swift

Ulwen is a Mistress of Wonger is she? Anyone who lived in England in the '80s would know that was a humorous word used for money, especially in cash form. So I guess she could be viewed as a sword for hire. Some Northern types I've known have also used the world to describe a man's private appendage, and there may well be a naughty link there that slipped through the censor's net at Citadel. The figure on the left was also released as part of the Dungeonquest line in 1987 for the second edition of the game. Like Brunhilda, there is a clear Valkyrie, operatic feel to these two models. In fact, the helmets closely resemble those in the Sword and Sorcery artist Boris Vallejo's painting, Valkyrie, published in 1987. It could well have been an inspiration for these models, or specifically the head swap and winged helm.

From left to right: Sky, Rhora, Guernica Strongsword and Sky again!

These figures are heavily influenced by Frank Frazetta's work of the heroic savage. Much of his work depicts near nude male and female warriors endowed with huge physical strength and the mighty barbarian presented in this way was a '70s and '80s trope. Just think of He-Man or the Barbarian Game for the 8-bits. Sadly, now Maria Whittaker. Sky is sometimes referred to as 'Huntress' online though I've never seen a mention in White Dwarf. Bizarrely, Sky is occasionally listed as Big Momma and this may come from the fact that many of these female fighters were released in blister packs in the US and elsewhere with this name. Warrior Maidens was another short-lived collectors range they were sold in. But I digress...

Denar, Fatima Shieldmaiden and Gelda/Thring

These ladies are less of the naked savage and more of the serious warrior. Denar is much more of a classic '80s female warrior with her scanty chainmail vest and heroic '70s fantasy fighter boots. She seems far more capable that the other figures and is notable as she has a shield. 

Fatima (which is an Arabic name) and Shieldmaiden (Anglo-Saxon/Norse mythology) don't initially appear to go together that well. That is until we delve into the depths of '80s pop culture and mention Fatima Whitbread the 1987 Sportswoman of the Year. She was a very well known athlete of the time and grew up in the Essex area where old Orlygg doth dwell. Fatima overcame a truly appalling childhood and an cruel and abusive mother to become a gold medal winning javelin thrower. An apt name for this powerful looking woman with the great sword.

Finally, reminding us of the chaotic nature of 1980s Citadel cataloguing we have a girl with two names. Gelda or Thring depending were you look. Gelda on the surface could simply mean 'gold' in Old English but it also has a darker meaning... castration, especially that of horses or men! Hence the modern equestrian term 'gelding'. Thring is an ancient English word from Anglo-Saxon battle, meaning to push your way through the enemy. Either way, she doesn't seem the sort of lady you'd want to argue with!

Khan Ah'Beyns of the Eastern Wastes, Beorn and the Talisman Barbarian

A Khan, as in Genghis Khan, meant a great war leader and the Ah'Beyns seemed to be a fantasy inspired Arabic or central Asian name. Though his massive shield blocks a lot of the figure's detail his link with nomadic steppe cultures is more than obvious. For me, he resembles Subotai, Conan's friend in Conan the Barbarian the 1982 film, who was played by surfer, Gerry Lopez. The model even has a bow strapped to his back like the character in the film. I find it hard to imagine that the Perry Twins hadn't seen the motion picture.

Beorn is easier. It means many things in Old English but can generally be explained as a hero or warrior. Of course, there is an obvious connection with the character of the same name in J R R Tolkien's The Hobbit too. 

The Talisman Barbarian looks like a true Conan inspiration to me what with the scarred face and that haircut. The atypical animal skin, sword hewing hero.

Theodor, Siegfried Goldenhair, Moosehead Skullcrusher and Lulthan, Tyrant of the Badlands. 

Theodor is an odd choice for a barbarian, don't you think? He sounds more like a chipmunk or Byzantine emperor rather than a muscular chap with a big axe. Perhaps that is the point, though a link to the Riders of Rohan is also possible. He was also Karn the Mighty Barbarian Champion in the Fighters Combat Card deck. He won't be the last of our figures to moonlight there, either. 

Siegfried seems another Ring Cycle link as such a character is involved in the 19th Century opera, though he is also a character in the Swedish fantasy game, Dungeonquest. Siegfried is also interesting from a collection point of view as there are several variants of this figure out there. The tab says Barbarian Prince but he is also known as Slade the Leveller and bizarrely the Knight of Law!!? '80s pop culture reference incoming because Slade the Leveller was the stage name of Justin Sullivan from New Model Army, an '80s rock band that is still touring today. This figure also appears as Harald the Swift Barbarian warlord in the 1980s Fighters Combat Card Set. He certainly got around back in the day!

Moosehead Skullcrusher has a very long name which is perhaps why Ox is printed on his tab. There could be a cheeky nod to Moosehead lager here, a Canadian beer popular in England in the 1980s. Having met and interviewed so many ex-Citadel staff from the '80s I know very well what an anarchic and boozy place the environment could be. I wouldn't be surprised if some in-jokes of their favourite ales were snuck in from time to time, particularly a powerful brew that resulted in skullcrushing hangovers! Like Siegfried, he appears in the Fighters set of Combat Cards as Kumrak the Savage Barbarian Warrior. He obviously got about too!

Finally, Lulthan, a generic fantasy name that may reference future Warhammer background as the Badlands were a location described in both WFB3 but also WHFRP.

Before we leave the Combat Cards, the eagle eyed of you may have noticed Magnus Baresark in the first photograph with the banner. 

Sighvat, Arslan, Knight of Law (Barbarian Prince) and Thrull.

A so we arrive at the final batch of figures for this post. It has been an intriguing journey scoping out the history behind this array of figures. I've said it before, but I am amazed about how much stuff can still be learnt from these figures, some of which are four decades old. Anyway, I digress again... Sighvat means victory in old Norse and there was a famous poetic in Early Medieval times called Sighvat Thordarson  who would be a suitable reference for such a mighty warrior. Arslan is lion in Ancient Turkish. The Knight of Law I mentioned earlier is next and finally we have Thrull, who sounds a little like Krull the famous fantasy film. Thrall too will fit perhaps, though its usually used to describe a slave rather than a brave fighter. Perhaps we are looking at a combination of the two words? 

Right, that's another post done. I'm typing these words as I look down on the floor. I've arranged hundreds of figures into 'armies' of linked models to work through in the coming months. I chose these barbarians as they were one of the smaller collections. Undead will be next, and they are already arranged for repainting and repair. I've added my more recent skeleton project to them too, so they look nice and deadly... pardon the pun. 

Speak soon,

Orlygg

A Second Summer of Citadel: Enter Ratman

 

Skaven are probably the one range I've painted the least of. I have a handful of painted models in my entire collection. I think its dealing with the fur. I was never a very good drybrusher on the smaller models. Even so, I think I did okay today with this chap. He is from clan Skryre and is holding a poison wind globe. In fact this was how this model was often labelled in the later '80s early '90s catalogues. He was one of my dreaded 'unfinishables' and has sat for many months abandoned in my workshop, along with the model underneath. Having awoken early in the morning and with the rest of the household asleep I worked on these two figures for a few hours and....

Presto, some scuttering ratmen for the blog.

This second figure is much older than the Skryre rat. He was originally called Carver and his body is the basis of many variant figures, though for the figure above this is also true. Both were painted pretty speedily with this one being the second figure of the day. For whatever reason, I prefer this model's paintjob even though he only took an hour or so to complete. My process for skaven starts with a brown undercoat. A quick ink wash (this process was already complete months back, hence the speed) and then highlighting each of the chosen colours up. I drybrushed the fur with a worm out tiny brush so not to get any contamination on the rest of the figure. I used another ink/paint wash of Chestnut and Hobgoblin Orange to create the rust wash I put over the sword. 

Another two figures complete! 

This figure, and the following two are all restoration jobs from my recently returned collection. For some reason they were all thick with dust which had bleached out a lot of the colour. A good dusting and a little water did the job. This one's called Gwrack by the way and appears on a September 1987 flyer. 

This skaven is Vermyn and that is probably the most ratty name going for these chittering horrors. I painted this figure many, many years ago as part of a Slaves to Darkness Warband. The type of army when you roll randomly after each battle. I ended up with three skaven in my army and these are the two models that survived. You can see that they both still have their campaign names painted on the base. 

This figure started life in the same range as Vermyn but has the longer, perhaps more intellectual (for a skaven, anyway) name of Malis Manwrack. This figure was released in 1986 and you can see the poison wind globes clearly on his side. 

Skewer you will remember from last year. He was the last skaven I painted along with Warpeye at the bottom. The photos I took of these final models were on the naff side so I've taken some better ones for the record. 

A Second Summer of Citadel: A Host of Horrors with Vampira, Devil Attacking, Werewolf 2 and Wolfman

 

Hey all, how are you doing? Is the paint on the tip of your brush drying at an alarming rate as you try desperately to blend the red on that cloak? Welcome to the endless, English summer. Even though it has been a week I have been busy restoring, sorting and painting those classic Citadel figures. As always I have a couple of projects on the go simultaneously... Vampira was the first to see completion. 

Over the last few months I've been buying up a fair few models in the Night Horrors range and painting them up. A Werebear, another vampire and of course the snakish Medusa figure. Vampira is another one of that classic range and strikes a rather strange pose. There is more of a whiff of '50s and '60s old horror films about her but after some research into these tropes I ended up ignoring them all. I've done black and grey to death recently and wanted something different to work with. Recalling Stoker's Dracula novel and the 'Bloofer Lady' I wanted to go for something a bit more glamourous. So pink it was!

Later on, when researching this post I checked out the model on Sodemons and saw that the late Orclord's example was also pretty in pink. So great minds clearly think alike. I went with an sickly green skin this time, rather than my usual blue vampire flesh. It gives her a more spectral look I think. She has a rather wonky tilt to her, which you can see in other completed versions of her. I think this is due to her base being really rather small. Forty odd years can be rough on a girl... or she's just had too much to drink.... (;

What do you reckon?

With Vampira in the bag it was time to clean up some of my other painted Night Horrors. Devil Attacking is shown here (also known as Daemon 3) and had suffered some serious scratching to his legs front and back. A quick touch of Blood Red soothed his devilish wounds, especially around the knees. It is hard to see from this angle but he is holding a bleached skull in his claw and his Bestial Brown drybrushed tail with the other. Not the most striking Devil in the citadel range but a characterfully goofy one. 

Werewolf 2 had no damage save the need to clean up his base. There was a sticky, painters fingerprint smeared across the black. Something I'd clearly done way back in the day when I first painted this chap. Back then, I used to take scenic shots back in the garden so perhaps I was hasty in my eagerness to finish him. This figure, like Vampira, has the obvious nod to the horror classics. You have expect that head to pop off to  reveal some 1950s chap eager for a fag and a swig of mild ale. I painted him up rather fleshy back in the day didn't I? And in truth, the figure doesn't have a whole lot of hair for a true werewolf. He does have a modesty patch over his sensitive area that looks viable enough for an episode of Jilly Cooper's Rivals. I have little memory of painting him though I do like the yellow eyes I've given him... very wolf like. 

Finally, Wolfman. A figure very obviously linked to the famous film of 1941, though rocking more of a 1950s vibe. Funny how these creatures of uncontrolled evil never lose their trousers, though by the looks of things Wolfman is trying his best to audition for mid '80s Guns 'n' Roses here as he's forgotten to do up his slacks and they look likely to slither down to his ankles at a moment's notice. Risky for anyone, let alone a hungry creature of the night. Again, this figure had seen little on no damage but had splodges of paint along the black rim of the base. Easy to fix up.

Right, what to paint next?

Orlygg

A Second Summer of Citadel: C17 Skeleton Rising, LE12 Thrud, The White Dwarf and Gobbledigook!

 

What better model to represent the rebirth of my collection but C17's Skeleton Rising, sculpted in 1987 by Aly Morrison. All of his skellies have that signature skull on them and are full of character. This one was great fun to paint today and didn't take me very long. I played around a bit with my usual bone mix, this time adding a little orange/brown washes to the joints and rib cage. I've done things like this before and noticed it on some of my older undead models. 

I know how he feels pulling yourself out of the grave like this... There is a second model in this style that I know of that I sadly never got my hands on. He was from a later skeleton release and was called Dygger I think. He held a long lance and was also emerging from the ground. I'm pretty sure there was another one in this series too now I think about it. Grave Skulker or something like that.

Not much time in the workshop today. I've started another night horror and begun work on restoring some chaos centaurs. The following figures all escaped their five years in captivity unscathed and needed nothing but a little dusting down. 

LE12 Thrud with Axe needs no introduction. Released in 1986 in celebration of the popular comic strip character he is one a several Thrud inspired models to be released. There was an earlier preslotta model that I recall owning but I have no idea whatever happened to it as I don't think it ever got painted. This one is the best of the bunch in my opinion and is more important as it appears in a black and white shot from the Warhammer Fantasy Battle Third Edition rulebook. It was always a model I was interested in collecting long before I knew exactly what it represented. Thrud remains a link back to a more varied, community spirited era for White Dwarf where it was much more of a magazine than an advert/sales rag for a big compnay. 

I'm pretty sure this one was by the Perry Twins. It is the 10th anniversary model in celebration of White Dwarf. Based on the famous painting that adorned the issue number of the magazine for many years and released in 1987. He is a lovely and characterful fellow just yearning for some goblin heads to chop. 

And finally, Gobbledigook. This figure is a preslotta original and was part of the SS6 White Dwarf Personality set released in 1984. Like Thrud he was a regular character for a while in White Dwarf appearing in his own strange little strips. Considering this figure is so tiny, he survived the 'Lost Weekend' of my miniature collection really rather well. There is another equally tiny figure sitting with me who needs a little work before I share him again. 

Look out for that four legged friend next post!

Orlygg

A Second Summer of Citadel: A Box of Delights, Great Spined Dragon slain, Lord and Lady McDeath and a Zoat

So the summer has finally arrived for those of us classroom dwellers, only to disappear quite promptly. Gone are the blazing hot days of misery where we sweated half to death in Victorian built classrooms and here are the endless days over grey, overcast skies. Ah, the British summer. Still, things have suddenly changed here at Realm of Chaos 80s as my long lost collection of painted figures has made it back to me at last!

Now this blog isn't going to go into the hows and whys. All I am going to say is that I am delighted that they are all back in my collection. Nearly twenty-five years worth of painted models that were last seen in the display cabinet in my former home. However, the years have not been kind as we shall see. I intend to restore, repair, repaint all of these models in the coming months and photograph them properly here. I've also created an instagram companion to this blog after much nagging from Stuart where I will be sharing the photos too. I have models from the classic '80s era, the Silver Age and quite recent by the looks of things (recent being about 2019, lol).

Here's the link if you are interested in Instagram. 

Right, I have begun this post with a lovely picture of a beautiful model. The Limited Edition Fantasy Zoat from 1987. I am sure those of you who love your WFRP will recognise the shape of this figure as being very similar to the famous illustration from the rulebook. The model appears briefly in White Dwarf 89 and was sculpted by Bob Naismith. It is a lovely single piece casting full of character. Simple but highly effective. Citadel put out a number of zoats over the early years, both for Warhammer and Rogue Trader. But this is by far the best of the bunch. Opinions can vary about these models, with some enthusiasts calling them rather ugly but for me they are one of Warhammer's more intriguing and bizarre creations. 

It was also the first model I plucked out of my 'box of delights' as I am calling in. More a pile of despair in reality considering the damage done, but I am confident most of it can be repaired and restored. This Zoat model survived untouched which was probably because he was right on the top. He needed nothing more than a quick dusting off and he was off to the workshop for his photoshoot. 

Here is the reverse shot. I was rather struck by how good I was at painting by this stage of my career. I've used drybrushing and layering to get the best out of him and stuck to naturalistic colours too. I'm rather past it now but it is interesting to look back and try and remember the skills I once had! I'm also very pleased with the colour choices. A bright, scaley green, a yellow belly and the reddish hew of the staff is a bright, eye catching scheme I'd definitely use if I have the chance to paint any further draconid type creatures. 

The McDeath's have arrived everybody. I have the full set of these as far as I can tell, save Sandra Prangle, though I use a rarer figure than her as a proxy. Many have fallen it disrepair through neglect but these two figures were unscathed thankfully. Out of the two figures, Lady McDeath is the better sculpt in my opinion. She has a wonderful colour scheme which I took directly from the late, great John Blanche's masterful painting. Female characters are rare in this era of Warhammer and those that we have are a joy to paint and field. In time, and if I can restore all of the figures from this range, I wouldn't mind playing through the scenarios again. They are great fun. McDeath was more of a pain to paint. Gold armour! My nemesis!! But I think I have done a good job here. The free hand stuff on the shield still holds up now and I can remember not wanting to cut off the shield boss when working on him, something I had been prone to do in the early Oldhammer years when old figures were much more easy to source. Now everyone thinks a standard dwarf or gobbo is just as rare as these two figures.  

I'm not quite sure exactly what Lady McDeath is supposed to be wearing. There is a Tudor feel to her clothing, especially around the bodice which would make sense considering the link to Shakespeare. Her shoes though strike me to resemble '80s Reeboks or even Brothel Creepers from the '70s. Very odd but great fun to work on. Her crown perhaps foreshadows the grimdark of the future with the spikes but they are nicely understated here. In many ways, McDeath is just a standard fighter figure save for his helmet which as a War of the Roses crown-helm feeling to me. A nice nod to history there and as I have said over the years, the more seeped in history a fantasy figure is the more believable and relatable it becomes. 

 

By now, I am sure you have been wondering about the package my collection came in. A battered old Amazon box that was falling apart at the seams. No support, no wrapping, just dumped in a box and crushed by goodness knows what. My standard bearers have all be badly damaged as have many of my plastics and larger, multi-part models. The Great Spined Dragon's wings are badly broken and detached. Yet, incredibly so many have survived with little more than a few scratches and dents. Lots of weapons are bent and arms missing. The bottom of the box (which I haven't got to yet in my careful, archaeological excavation of it all) is littered with snapped of shields and bits of skeleton horse figures. 

Here are some of the first models I removed from the initial layers this morning. All of these will be checked and repaired in the coming days, starting with the simplest jobs and then working up to the spined dragon itself. Not that I'm not painting up new stuff as well mind you. In the workshop I have selected a series of excellent figures from my growing collection that make interesting painting projects. I will, of course, try and continue on those skellies too. 

A miserable dragon. Slain by Amazon of all things! Not that you can see it in this picture but both wings are badly damaged. When I got the model this was the case and I built up a plasticard and greenstuff skin to support the wings. All of this will need repairing and repinning. The paintwork itself looks untouched though. More on this project in future posts.

Right I'm off. I've got a few simple pieces to get painted today to get the creative juices (now mostly dried up) flowing. I'm hoping to be more ambitious with my painting after last year's Summer of Citadel was rather uninspiring. I know I was learning to do everything again but I feel I've made sufficient progress to do more. 

Speak soon,

Orlygg

More for the Horde, 1989 Witch Elf and Foundry Fighter

After an incredibly prolific May, June ended up being a ghost town here at Realm of Chaos 80s. What with the two heatwaves (one of which I remained in school as we closed), landscaping the back garden (trying to keep newly laid turf alive in said heatwaves) and the normal end of year at school nonsense I've hardly had the time to pick up a paintbrush. 

Of course, I have dabbled. The workshop is now well organised and set out for serious miniature painting. I've managed to pick up a few random pieces of old lead too, though I will be staying well clear of the new ogre re-release by Games Workshop. I thought it rather cynical of them to separate the Jes Goodwin classics and merge them with the Marauder sculpts. In odd moments, I've slinked off to the workshop and finished off these three skeletons for my long delayed Skeleton Horde project. 

They were completed in much the same way as my other skeletons. Exact same colour recipe of Orc Brown and Bleached Bone over a chestnut wash. Of course, I took the opportunity to create some more freehand shield designs. You can see my efforts below.

The centre example is my favourite ever painted skull shield. After eighteen months of dabbling, I am getting the hang of the shape and character of a good skull. Having a large shield with plenty of painting space also helps as painting smaller skulls is much more of a challenge, as you can see from the yellow background and green background examples here. Still, they are in keeping with the era I love and am inspired by. Hope you think so too. 

Here are the new skellies ranked up with their comrades. I've still go a fair few skeleton infantry to crack on with. Perhaps inspiration will call over the summer which is mere two weeks away?

I also finished off this Bob Naismith Witch Elf. She was one of my dreaded 'unfinishables' and has been sitting gathering dust for many, many years. I have a large cache of unwanted figures from the glory days of Oldhammer. Unwanted by me I should point out. All started and never finished for whatever reason. Some of them I dread to even look at but they sit now in my workshop in my eye line and I will slowly work through them which inspiration strikes. 

The colour scheme remained exactly as I have envisioned all those years ago. I just completed the highlighting on the hair, armour and books. The sculpting on this model has a chunky feels, especially around the arms and the knives she carried and that makes her feel quite different from the Goodwin style elves. Even so, I am glad she is finally free to face the tabletop. I've got other dark elves kicking about and I think I'll stick with this colour scheme if I ever get around to painting them. 

Of course, she appears in White Dwarf 109 (my first ever issue) and I can remember the article well from my youth. It explored the background of the evil side of the Elf family and I can recall enjoying peering at these models with the hope of young, that perhaps they would all somehow fall into my possession for free. I ended up with the clampack of Mengil Manhide's Dark Elves and I still have a few of the models kicking about today, unearthed in a packed of photographs in my mother's loft not that long ago. Bizarrely, the photographs were not even mine! 

Finally, we have this rather lovely fighter. He is not Citadel but I am sure he was part of the Fighters range and some point. He comes from Foundry and was in one of their ranges. I expect I was given him years back and made an attempt to paint him up all Landsknecht style. My concentration or skill level was clearly lacking that day as I gave up on him at the shading stage. I was lovely to work him back up over the last few weeks, dabbling and taking my time. I found an old plastic Citadel shield and restored that up for him, keeping the hole and the socket on his arm sound. I usually file them off and fill in the gap but didn't worry about it this time. 

As I said, the end of the school year is fast approaching and I am hoping for another 'Summer of Citadel' though I am going to be more focussed on painting up interesting figures rather than trying to relearn my painting skills. Looking back, last year's figures weren't really the most interesting or inspiring pieces. But that was due to how limited my collection was at that time. I also hope to carry out a couple more of my scenery hopes. I have the ruined temple and hedges, fences and walls to complete as well as my new gaming table too. 

Just got to get through another heatwave first! 

Orlygg