E is for Elven Folk by Games Workshop and Mithril - Part 2, Tweaking

Thought I'd do a bit of detailing before I started the paint, tried adding the shields (in the previous post on this) to those figures without them but the cloaks got in the way, I was going to have them strapped to their backs in some way, but might have them lying on the bases or something?

I've strung the bows, the girl's - being fired - needn't be taught, but shouldn't really be so loose either, so I will try to tighten it a bit with a coat of dope. The LOTR guy is not too bad and were it not for the angle of my drill-hole he would be holding the string centrally, but both the GW figures suffer from the fact that they are 'pulling' through their heads, even with a bit of heat bending of bows and arms, the 40K guy is going to A) cut his own ear off, and B) shoot himself in the foot if he's not careful (hold the string high and the arrow drops - I used to do archery), while the LOTR dude would keep getting his helmet crest caught up in the string as he drew back.

Lack of thought from the sculptors!

E is for Elven-folk, by Games Workshop, Mithril & Mantic - Part 1, building the unit

Elves, I got the bug to paint some elves, and it's snowballed into a comparison, vignette (possibly?) diorama, don't-quite-know-yet, morphing-as-it-goes type project!

Top - this is how the Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) figures from DeAgostini/Games Workshop come/came, with issue two of a part-work, with below - the packaging for the new Mantic elves - sculpted by Bob Naismith. They seem to be using an old video box to market their figures, with double boxes for the larger items or 'army packs'.

We looked at the packaging for the Mithril figures the other day, while the two GW 'Warhammer' elves came attached to a copy of White Dwarf magazine a (fair?) few years ago.

Inset is a comparison of the various figures in approximately chronological order of first issue. The GW Warhammer's are vast in comparison with the other three ranges while the Mantic seems to reference the armour of the LOTR figures but with a waspish waist which stops them being my favorites. Their detail is better than the other two (DeAgostini and Mithril) but the anatomy makes them a little too alien...humans and elves are supposed to be able to mate, everybody knows that!

Well, I started looking at doing four archers, but didn't have a Mantic archer, so decided to have a spear-man, then I photographed the packaging for the two big-sprued sets and remembered that my GW figs. had come with White Dwarf, so thought - I'll do both figures and add another each of the Mantics and LOTR's. So we have a mixed war-band of 7 likely souls.

Paint-job was going to be the daffodil yellow and azure blue of the Mithril girl, but I think she'll get a repaint and the group will get a bottle-green and deep red scheme which is an old favorite of mine. But...elves are supposed to be all light and airy? Or is that only post-Peter Jackson, some sources have them altogether darker and more sinister, while the Victorians put them in the same vein as faeries? Oh G..osh, you'd think colour would be the least of my problems!

Well, got to put them together first...

F is for Forthcoming projects

Sorting out some elves (as you do!) for my previously mentioned spurt of enthusiasm for a spot of painting, I encountered a couple of other little things I've been meaning to do, so I thought I'd have a go at all three.

At the back is the SAE box I said some time ago I'd renovate and put up as a post, to the left, some bottle/olive green carpet strands I pulled off the carpet under the leaf mould pile when putting this years 'soil conditioner' on the veg. patch, which I'm going to try turning into a couple of trees and a hedge! To the right a gathering of Elves (one female Mithril, two Games Workshop - 1x 'Warhammer' and 1x DeAgostini 'Lord Of The Rings' - and a new Mantic 'Games of War'), we'll have a bit of a paint session with them...Watch this space!

L is for Lord - Of the rings! from Mithril

Long before 'Giant Works' started churning out their 'Grey Warriors' in response to Peter Jackson's having got his hands on the franchise, there was an older and relatively unsung - now - range of figures available to Role Players/War Gamers. In fact, there have been several, not all authorized, but I'm looking at these Mithril figures today!

Some second version packs with my old lose figures, the first version had the black and white map as seen in 'The Hobbit' and drawn by Tolkien, as the background rather that this colored version.

I painted these a long time ago, I hate to think when. I used to paint 'flat' colour and highlight with a fine mapping pen, something I wouldn't recommend as it was very pricey in mapping pens!

The range is still available I'm glad to say, and getting these out to photograph has given me the impetus to try and get a few more. They can be found here; Mithril Miniatures LOTR(TM) . However I'll be trying eBay for a few bargains!

Nothing too exciting here, but I thought I'd do a close-up of the unfinished girl, and maybe have a go at finishing her and the unpainted crone above, as an exercise in trying out these new ink washes I started experimenting with on the HaT chariot. Hell, might even get that finished as well!

I really like these Mithril figures and it's a pity they've semi-disappeared under the tide of Del-Prado's tsunami of chunky shite. With these the anatomy is just right, not the overblown 'Great Womble' stuff you get from 'Godawful Workshops'.

Mithril was the 'magic' Elven silver compound Bilbo's mail-shirt was made from and which he gave to Froddo.