Mutant Fimir - Citadel C25 Fimir

Through eBay I got this mismatched body and head of a Fimir, the tail missing. It sat for some time in my "to paint" tray until a post from Richard Irvine's blog inspired me to work on it. A mutant Fimir? Well, why not?

There wasn't much to do on mine, actually, just adding a tail. So I had my fun with drill, copper wire and greenstuff, and topped the thing with a spare head from the Citadel Plastic Zombie kit.

And then, of course, I went creative with colours. A purple Fimir? Well if you go to the marshes at dusk or dawn, that's the colour of the sky and water. Here goes the fluff:

Gelsch-dahd was born with an unusual colour and a missing tail, and he was marked as mutant by the Meargh of his clan. Being mutant was an auspicious sign, but being tail-less was also a handicap: so he was taken under the protective wing of Dirach Shuhul, to be his personal guard. When reaching adult age, Shuhul had visions Gelsch-dahd should go on a quest to the lands of the East, beyond the river Lynsk, known as Troll Country. There Gelsch-dahd fought against men and beasts learning might and cunning. Wounded and hanging to his last spark of life, he had a vision of the Daemon-god Fimùl praising him. After a sleep that seemed eternal, Gelsch-dahd awoke, healed from his wounds and changed. A human-like head now lay at the end of a long tail, and this head could see and speak according to Gelsch-dahd's desires. His return to his clan saw him celebrated as champion of the Fimir and he became a leader among the warriors. The Dead Face of the Marsh, he was named, and became the terror of the neighbouring Human settlements.

Citadel ME34 Merry Brandibuck (1986)

Between 1985 and 1987 Citadel developed a Lord of the Rings range, and this little fellow is Merry Brandybuck from the ME-34 Hobbits of The Shire blister. I am not sure about the sculptor - could be Perrys by the looks.

It's really a nice figure and I enjoyed very much painting it, until the last steps. After doing the eyes and the metal highlights, for some reason I started to hate it. It kind of lost its charm. Can't tell why - perhaps the bolts on the jerkin are too bright, perhaps the sword, which I tried to faithfully represent (metal sword with red and golden snakes damasqued on the blade), is not so great, perhaps the eyes look a bit dull. I just don't like it anymore - any suggestion to fix it is welcome. Maybe with just a little bit of detail I can improve him dramatically.

Citadel "Stone Troll with two handed axe" (1992)

This is a heavyweight, both in terms of Oldhammer goodness and actual lead weight. Here we have a Michael Perry Stone Troll, issued by Citadel towards the very end of the Oldhammer Golden Age, in 1992. 

Trolls (and Trollslayers) are among the most identifiable elements of the Warhammer setting. Ironically, Warhammer Trolls are directly inspired - as many other monsters - from D&D, but they have such goofy and silly looks that they largely overshadow their more boring progenitors.

All Citadel Trolls were great, but these are my favourites - they dance on the thin line between the picturesque realism of the '80s and the cartoonish silliness of the '90s and they combine them to perfection.

Truly, Michael Perry outdid himself on these brutes - the anatomy is perfect, as are the facial expressions and the character they exude.

Traditionally these Stone Trolls are painted of a bright blue but I chose to do mine slightly darker and muted. I am quite satisfied with the final result - it took a lot of washes and highlights to get not where I wanted, but where I could stop and not be angry with myself.

Ready to smash some stunties, then! Next I am going to post a Trollslayer to keep the Troll some company.

GW Lord of the Rings Castellan of Dol Guldur - painted as a Wraith

 

I am not a fan of the later GW Lord of the Rings miniatures. The earlier Citadel release, in the '80s, had a great flavour. The later one, in the 2000s, retained too much of the movie aesthetics (which I generally revile) and could not be redeemed even by the Perry Brothers' sculpting skills. On top of that, the scale does not match figures from any other producer, including other lines of GW.

However, there are a few figures that shine out of the group - almost all of them original GW creations. One of these are the Castellans of Dol Guldur.

They are essentially low-powered Nazgûl, Wraiths that animate empty armours and old rags. The influence of John Howe's style is obvious.

Now, I do like John Howe, I just think some of his stuff - namely the full plate armour - suits better the Warhammer world than Middle-earth. That's why I painted this guy here to be a Wraith in my home-ruled Restless Dead warband for Mordheim.

It fits as a hero into the retinue of Lavinia von Enzebsurg, which we presented here. This is why he sports the colours of the once-Gräfin, rather than the dull black we associate with undead. I think he came out alright.

Size-wise, he's bigger than Oldhammer miniatures but as an evil hero it's not too much out of place.

See Thirty Amazon - a first test

 

I was one of the lucky ones to be join the kickstarter launched in 2018 by Simon Howard and sculpted by Geoff Solomon-Sims, the See Thirty Amazons, directly inspired by the Citadel C30 range.

Unlike the originals, the new Amazons are multi-pose, allowing for a huge variety. On a negative note, though, joints are tiny and arms/heads are extremely easy to snap away. Well, you can't have your cake and eat it, as they say. At least, and this is the important bit, they feel extremely right.

 

 

For this reason the first paint test was made following the colours of this excellent John Blanche work which served as the cover of the 1984 Citadel Journal.

I'm quite happy with it and will paint more with a minimal colour variation on the hair, cloth trimming and shields.

Ready to fight any Slann, Pygmy or Norseman on her way!

Citadel Elric Kinslayer (1986)

Elric of Melniboné is one of the greatest characters in Fantasy literature, next to Conan the Barbarian, Gandalf the Wizard and a few others. He is simply a giant and an archetype for countless imitations who came after him, such as Daenerys Targaryen and her whole dynasty, or Geralt of Rivia.

Elric is oddly similar to Tolkien's Turin Turambar, another tragic hero with a noble pedigree, a complex relationship with his sister and a cursed black sword which ultimately kills him and everything he loves. Both were conceived separately: Tolkien wrote his stories first but they were published well after Moorcock's books, who in turn were inspired by Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword. Tolkien and Anderson had the same inspiration, and that's the saga of Tyrfing, a cursed sword from Germanic myth.

Elric's archetype is the cursed warrior/noble, unfit to be a hero were it not for his magic sword, for whose help he has to pay a dear price; it is an extremely popular archetype, especially with modern audiences. Unlike other characters before him, Elric was the first to draw a parallel between the black sword and the use of drugs, thus adding a new layer to the character.

This miniatures, sculpted by Jes Goodwin, was first released in the BC5 Eternal Champion Box in February 1986. Single character blisters were released in July through September 1987 to support the Stormbringer RPG that Games Workshop were reprinting under license from Chaosium. Elric Kinslayer is one of two sculpts made by GW, the other being Elric of Melnibonéin full armour. 

For the colour scheme, I went with that from one of my all time favourite depictions of the Albino Prince: the Dragon Lord.

Courtesy of R. Matthews' website.

Overall, I am very pleased: this miniature has been sitting next to my desk, already primed, for at least a couple of years and now it is done. This is probably my favourite paint job since the end of last Summer, so I hope to be back to high standards in the current year. I just need the inspiration and the right miniature...

Mario the Miner - Citadel Dwarf Engineer (1991)

There's something funny about this Dwarf, specifically the way he's cupping his hand to call. It's a 1991 Perry Dwarf, so it's naturally wonderful, even if the flame of the candle on top of his head is gone (a single fall from the painting table was - sadly - enough).

For some reason, he reminds me of this Italian actor, legendary Mario Brega, who could (and should) have played a Dwarf at some point in his career.

I believe the words to describe him are loud and cantankerous, which fit perfectly the character of Dwarfs. 

The miniature is armoured in leather apron and head cover, with a helmet and a mail shirt. He carries a large hammer, more a tool than a weapon, and a short sword. His bag of money hangs from the belt, of course.

"We don't want to buy anything! One more step and Kurt, here, is going to shoot your hats off!"

Marauder MM41 Ogre (1990)

The Marauder Ogres, sculpted by Aly Morrison in 1989/1990, are my second favourite Ogres after those made by Jes Goodwin. The interesting thing about them is that they are all dressed in fancy Landksnecht attire, and look like they have been equipped by a generous Imperial patron.

I've painted this one in deep blue and red, the colours of House Bramanti, the princely dynasty ruling over the city of Dralas in the Border Princedoms. It will be used as an Ogre bodyguard to Prince Aldo or his sister, Donna Caterina.

"Out o' the way, ye scum! Here comes the Madonna!"

The Bramanti are not an old dynasty, but they are a successful one. They have thrived by keeping a low profile and managing to unite the many factions of Dralas without threatening any. At the same time, they made sure to defend themselves and keep enemies at bay in many ways. The Bramanti are schemers, and highly respected by merchants for being moderates.

"Go where you know, and take care of the problem for me"

 "Yarp!"

Berengar de Stil - Citadel ME25 Ithilien Ranger (1985)

Here's a later addition to the Coldwood Smugglers: Berengar de Stil, boar hunter and poacher. Armed with bow, spear and a hunting horn, lying in ambush for his prey.

I am in love with the Ithilien rangers from the original Lord of the Rings release of the '80s: this is the second one I find, and I hope I can complete the collection with the third one.

Lavinia von Enzesburg's Retinue - a Mordheim Warband

This warband was first put together to antagonize the Coldwood Smugglers, for the simple reason that I had a number of spare Undead to use. I choose the Restless Dead" rules to build it and I must say it came out alright, and it is actually quite fun to play.

The leader of the warband is of course his Majesty the Liche King, C18 Undead from 1983 (sculpted by the Perrys, I suspect). I found this beauty on eBay, already painted, at a ridiculously low price some time ago. It's really beautiful, but since it is really small compared to the rest of the warband, I decided the Liche King is actually a Queen. What follows is the story of how she came to the Wasteland.

Lavinia von Enzesburg was the only daughter of old Graf Maximilian. At her father's death, she inherited vast lands in east Stirland, to rule with her husband, young and handsome Udo, at her side. However, Lavinia was not interested in lands or husbands: her one true love was knowledge, which she had pursued since early childhood under the tutelage of many respected teachers. History, astronomy, mathematics were her daily bread, but the field sheloved most of all was magick. Her father had first forbidden this, then allowed some simple rudiments to be taught, but when he finally died Lavinia was free to pursue the study of magick under several famous teachers. She would spend most of her time studying, delegating government to her council. Her husband did not complain: blonde-maned Udo had always been more interested in the company of men than women, and he often scoured the country on wild hunts with a number of young and merry companions. All seemed well, until the Black Year came: storms striked first, flooding the country and ruining crops; famine followed, and then plague spread through every village, taking its grim toll in lives. 

Lavinia, avoiding council meetings, was oblivious to the gravity of the situation until it was too late: one day an army of peasants wielding torches and pitchforks laid siege to her castle, raising as their grim standard the impaled corpse of her husband Udo, a shameful reference to his sexual habits. Only then did she realize how unfitting her council was to rule, a flock of corrupted sicophants who had grown rich and fat off the power she had entrusted them with. The peasants were calling for their heads and a new, more fitting lord, in the person of her cousin Luther the Just, standing among the rebellious scum in his gold-inlaid ceremonial armour.

Lavinia had never been good with people, talking to them or understanding their motives, but she was used to be in charge and she would not bow to any mob of rioting curs. The fat was in the fire, but she would not go down easily: someone else would pay for this, and dearly.

She fried the first speaker of the rebels, the town mayor, with a bolt of lightning, just to remind everyone of what she was capable of, and stated she would only negotiate with her cousin. Luther was a reasonable man, and he was happy enough to receive the title of Graf from Lavinia, along with lands and castles she did not care for. The former Gräfin was exiled in a remote manor, well provided of lands and revenues to sustain her for as long as she needed. Anonimity and isolation would be a benefit, not a punishment to her. The bloodthirsty mob was satisfied when they were allowed to unleash their rage on the councilmen, and that evening their heads were mounted on pikes on the battlements of the castle.

Dunkelulm was a good abode as any to Lavinia. She had space for her studies, a selected few servants and no courtiers to distract her. Those were happy years for her - no one would stay awake to spy ar the strange lights at night coming from her windows, nor wake her up during the day for boring social activities; no one raised questions about the teachers who would visit her. In a way, Lavinia had too much freedom, perhaps. Someone was concerned for the corpses disappearing from the local graveyard, but then those people disappeared. A few priests came to visit and left in a hurry, terrified by nightmares and visions or forced to flee after infamous accusations were made on their good names. For Lavinia, the years at Dunkelulm were fruitful: she delved deeper and deeper into her magick studies, and her fascination for forbidden knowledge and the dark arts grew out of control, even her own. Lavinia's descent into darkness was slow but steady, until one day, in her old age, she achieved the ultimate goal of the scholar of the dark arts and the necromancer - lichehood.

Unlife was not much different than life for Lavinia, who had been a night ownl and a reclusive for years. Now, however, she could no longer meet any outsider, nor could she conceal her immortality. She then took an apprentice, a young man with a basic education and a fascination for the dark arts: Adalbert Keller. After a few months she adopted Keller as her heir and by the end of the year he announced his adoptive monther's death. A mausoleum, built in the hills behind the castle, would be her resting place.

The mausoleum was now a perfect place to be for Lavinia: she needed no food, no sleep, no air and no light, only quiet. It was surrounded by a hunting lodge where no one was allowed and conveniently linked to the keep of Dunkelulm by a tunnel. Adalbert Keller, now Adalbert von Enzesburg, lord of Dunkelulm, was the proxy of Lavinia and her tool to keep her unlife of research quiet and funded.

Liches have few needs indeed, but one thing they cannot do without are the spells that bind together their black souls and their rotting corpses. Such powerful spells are not eternal and need to be regularly renewed and fuelled with raw magickal energies, normally found in specific places of power, where the leys of the earth cross and the winds of magick meet. Such places are never unguarded, though: within the Empire, the local Inquisitions maintain permanent lodges of witch hunters there, and out of the Emperor's bound there are creatures and monsters that feed off the steady flow of energies. Lavinia is now getting weaker and tired, and she needs a new ritual of undeath: weeks ago, while she was looking at the stars to divine future events, she observed a rare phaenomenon, the fall of a rain of comets, which she traced to the borderlands between Marienburg, Reikland and Middenland. There, in the ground, she knows, there are pieces of stars made of pure magickal energy: each shard could easily fuel a single ritual, and so she set journey for the Wasteland, gathering her retinue for the long and dangerous trip.

 

During her life Lavinia was rarely able to move without the protection of her loyal guards. In unlife, she keeps them around: Captain Ulrich Krieger (Grave Guard), Dieter, Irmingard, Friedrich and Karl (4 Skeletons), all built from the Vampire Counts Skeletons set from GW.

The Necromancer Adalbert Keller is the only living person Lavinia trusts, and the only link between her and the world of the living. He travels with her mistress, now garbed as a travelling scholar, and drags behind him 3 zombies reanimated from bodies of travellers and villagers found along the way. Keller is completely submissive to Lavinia and is constantly fawning at her feet, hoping to receive one day the secrets of High Necromancy. Keller is a GW Necromancer and the Zombies are also from a GW set.

Citadel C04 Nathpiniel Sneaker the Cut-Throat aka Palliard (1986)

The C04 series, by the Perry twins, is one of the nicest series in terms of variety and dynamism. This one, presented in the Jan 1986 flyer, is called either Nathpiniel Sneaker the Cut-Throat or, on the tab, Palliard, being a word for "beggar" or "vagrant" (not to be confused with paillard, which is a thin slice of meat, so be careful when you google it).

With his ragged tunic and good and bare feet, the Palliard looks perfect, as he turns to strike an unsuspecting victim, probably ambushed in a dark corner, with his club. Poorest of the poor, meanest of the mean.

He's been cast as "Petty Thief" in my Coldwood Smugglers warband for Mordheim. I suspect he'll come handy whenever my WFRP players meet some cut-throat in some city or town.