SOTR - German HQ Command

I am going to start a new series of posts showcasing my Secrets of the Third Reich German Infantry. The SOTR rules by West Wind Productions are quite good although I have never played them. I never got round to collecting a second army. So my figures have just languished in a storage box for years until now. I have just started to get into Warlord Game's WW2 game, Bolt Action and plan to also get into their Weird World War 2 game, Konflict 47 sometime in the future. Obviously my SOTR German army will fit in perfectly with Konflict 47 and if I omit the supernatural elements it will also fit in with a Bolt Action force.
I start my review with a look at my HQ Command figures.

First up is my army commander, Colonel Erhard Schilling. He is a very old Ral Partha figure that I bought many, many years ago. He is the only figure in this army not produced by West Wind.
Next to him is his bodyguard and adjutant, Big Bruno Metzger the Butcher. He is sold by West Wind as Big Thug, which is quite appropriate for him.

The black uniform of the figure at the far right indicates he is a member of the Special Weapons Development (SWD) team. SWD devised a means to establish battlefield control over zombies. A radio transmitter can be wired to a former officer or "pinger" who is in a sense "radio controlled" by an SWD operative. Other zombies in the horde within 6" recognise his former status and will follow him where he leads. Accordingly, the zombie horde could move in any direction rather than shambling towards the nearest living enemy.

At the far left is Live Wire. Frau Elli Anselm led an SWD expedition to Antarctica in 1942. What she found there is unknown to any but the highest ranks of the SWD. What is known is that the U-boat sent to rendezvous with her party found her standing alone and naked on an ice shelf with bale fire flickering in her eyes, totally unharmed despite the -40 degree Celsius temperature and the biting wind... or so the awe-stricken sailors believed. None made it back to Germany "alive" so it was no matter. Cattle mutilations and strange lights above the skies of Europe became a common occurrence upon her return. She was called Elli the doppelgänger by some. Others called her Live Wire because of the punishing whips that spouted from her voluptuous form and flayed her enemies. She challenges the Junker elite and even those mighty vampires fear her unearthly infection. What she has become is unspeakable. Elli Anselm is a herald of the Nihl, an alien race and is no longer human.

Frau Tear is widely known to be the most savage of the Junker elite and is thought to be the matriarch of the new breed of German vampires. That she is prolific in her spawning is unquestionable. Her throng of thralls attend her and the inner circle of the SWD elite at Wewelsberg Castle where unspeakable acts occur. Hermann Goering, known for his taste in ostentatious display and debaucherous feasts is often in Frau Tear's company. When she hunts, she does so with an entourage of thralls. Often this is in the form of a foray into enemy held territory to seek hapless victims from the ranks of the enemy. Other times, it is more directly related to matters of importance. The Junker vampires are a sporting bunch who relish the chase and recklessly hunt their prey in the hottest of combat zones for the sheer thrill of it. Tear is no exception. When she feasts, she cries tears of blood. Some speculate that the tears are an outward manifestation of a small spark of humanity that is still buried inside of the monster that she has become.
The vampire with the dagger is Radomir and the vampire at the far right is Davoric, two of Frau tear's thralls.
All of these figures are beautifully sculpted, with my favourites being Frau Tear (obviously!) and Live Wire.

MC1 Citizens 06

In this post and the next one I'm going to take a look at some of my female sci-fi citizens to use as inhabitants of Mega City One. Rather unusually, all five have been given names by me.

At the far left is Maria Mercurial, the star of an old Shadowrun scenario. The figure was produced by Ral Partha and she has cybernetic arms and legs. The sculpting on her is exquisite and perfectly proportioned. In MC1 she would be a Star, a notable singer with a big following of fans.
Next in line is Tina Merrill, who is either a Blocker or a Citizen. She is a very old figure produced by Citadel Miniatures as part of their Spacefarers range which were created long before Warhammer 40,000 came into being.
In the centre of the group is Takazumi Tomokumi a 1/48th scale model who came with a plastic Manga hover vehicle. I forget who exactly produced her and the vehicle but it was a Japanese firm. Given that she is a driver I've decided to make her a professional Driver. She will undoubtedly be one of the racers in the Superslab Slam scenario that appears in the Judge Dredd and the Worlds of 2000 AD rulebook (see p.203 -207).

Fourth in line in Zoe Heriot whom fans of Doctor Who may recognise as one of the companions of the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton). Her figures is produced by Black Tree Designs. I'll be using her as an Employee - a Personal Assistant to a corporate manager.
Last up is Kisten Galdot, a Blocker or Citizen. She was produced by West End Games as a rebel operative for their Star Wars range.

Ral Partha Lakota Sioux

The Sioux are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The term can refer to any group within the Great Sioux Nation or to any of the nation's many language dialects. The Sioux comprise three major divisions based on language divisions - the Dakota, Lakota and Nakota. The Dakota reside in the extreme east of the Dakotas, Minnesota and northern Iowa. The Nakota are considered to be the middle Sioux and they mainly reside in Minnesota, Montana as well as Western Canada. The Lakota, also known as the Teton Sioux, are the westernmost tribe, and are known for their hunting and warrior culture. In any of the three main dialects, Lakota or Dakota translates to mean "friend" or "ally", referring to the alliance that once bound the Great Sioux Nation.
The Lakota Sioux took part in numerous wars including Red Cloud's War (1866-68), the Great Sioux War of 1876, which included amongst others, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.
I have slowly been building up a collection of Plains Indians from numerous companies but the four 28mm scale figures I'm showcasing here were bought many years ago in the 1990's and were actually created for the near future Shadowrun game. That said, they are sculpted in such a way that they fit in perfectly in an Old West setting of the late 19th century.

At the far left is White Eagle, a Lakota tribal chief, who is wearing a buffalo skin head dress and cloak. He is armed with a coup stick and a knife. He is Jackson Ryder's adoptive father. He is a quiet, thoughtful man with a stoic exterior, although in recent years he has become more relaxed. He became leader early in his life, and now, not even 50, he has led the band for more than 15 years. Although a fine warrior and hunter, he is anticipating the toll that age will take on him and has been looking for a worthy successor. Against all the odds, he believes he has found one in his adoptive son, Splits Arrow. He worries that because he is white, the tribe will not accept Jackson as chief.

Next up, is Jackson Ryder, aka Splits Arrow, a white man who was raised by White Eagle when Jackson was orphaned as a child. Ryder is a character from GURPS Robin Hood, who is a reincarnation of Robin. In this supplement you can play Robin Hood in one of five alternative settings - 17th century Scotland, the Old West, a contemporary setting with superheroes, a cyberpunk world and a far future sci-fi setting, as well as the traditional Sherwood Forest setting. Jackson is now fully integrated into his adoptive tribe and regards them as his family. His skill at bow and arrow is legendary. He is also armed with a knife and a tomahawk. His efforts on the part of the Lakota have earned him a great reputation among the Sioux, whilst his reputation among whites as a renegade has grown; there is talk of hanging him as soon as he is captured.

Jackson's closest friend in the tribe is Lone Tree on the Plains. In the supplement, he was a male ally but I decided to change his sex, to match that of the figure. She is the daughter of White Eagle and is glad that her father is grooming Splits Arrow to take over the leadership of the tribe. She views Jackson as a brother and the two work well together. She is armed with a bow, arrows, knife and tomahawk.
Finally is Looks at Fire, the tribe's medicine man and shaman. He is respected and honoured for his wisdom and experience, and is consulted on every important matter undertaken by the band or a member. His love of children extended to the young Jackson, whose interest in tribal lore and ceremony Looks at Fire encouraged. Note that his figure was produced by Grenadier Miniatures, as part of their own Shadowrun range.
These are four superb sculpts and they fit in so perfectly with the GURPS Robin Hood characters that I had to use them as such. I do have plans for using them in a Six Gun Sound setting, so that is something to look out for.

Assorted Wild West Fauna 01

As you know I am slowly building up quite a collection of 28-32mm scale Old West figures, buildings and scenery. Whilst most of my figures are humans, I have also been adding various animals and birds that are appropriate for this genre. In this post I want to showcase some of them.

These three impressive looking bears are grizzly bears produced by Acheson Creations. These are part of the Primaeval Designs range of Prehistoric Mammals and are actually sold as Giant Cave Bears, but I thought they would make perfectly acceptable grizzly bears. I actually acquired these as part of a Kickstarter that Acheson Creations ran a few years ago to promote the Prehistoric Mammals range. This set was one of the optional add-ons you could buy.

The grizzly bear is a large sub-species of brown bear inhabiting North America. Scientists generally do not use the name grizzly bear but instead call it the North American brown bear. Note the pronounced hump on its back (particularly visible on the centre figure). This is a good way to distinguish a grizzly bear from a black bear, which does not have this hump.

Here is a black bear, and it is noticeably smaller than the grizzly bears. This figure was produced by North Star and was a freebie for those who bought all three of the latest factions in the Dracula's America range. Certain individuals in the Skinwalker tribes can transform into either a bear or a wolf, which explains why this bear figure was included. The black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America and is the continent's smallest and most widely distributed bear species. The American black bear is the world's most common bear species.

The animal alongside the black bear is a reindeer produced by Ral Partha, but I'm using it as an elk because reindeer are not native to North America, but elks are. This is specifically a Rocky Mountain Elk. This was a two-piece casting, with the antlers being separate from the body. There are six sub-species of elk, which can be found in North America. Until recently, red deer and elk were considered to be one species, but DNA studies indicate that elk should be a distinct species.

These three animals are coyotes, which are native to North America and are widely distributed across the continent. The coyote is smaller than its close relative, the grey wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. These figures were sculpted by Johnny Lauck who used to run Mega Miniatures before he retired, and were part of a limited edition Kickstarter, Road Kill Animals, which I backed a few years ago. They never went on general release, making them very rare indeed.

As of 2005, there were 19 sub-species of coyote that had been identified. The colour and texture of a coyote's fur varies geographically. I copied this colour scheme from a photo on Google Images, showing a prairie dweller. Mountain coyotes are generally greyer.

These four rattlesnakes are my most recent acquisitions and they are available from TT Combat as part of their resin cast Western Accessories Set, which is an incredibly useful set, containing 26 pieces, including 10 dynamite, 5 cowboy hats, 4 snakes, 4 cacti, 2 animal skulls and 1 dynamite plunger, all for £8.00. The snakes come in two separate sculpts and so I have painted them in slightly different colour schemes.

The 36 known species of rattlesnakes have between 65 and 70 sub-species and all are native to the Americas, ranging from southern Canada to central Argentina. Rattlesnakes are the leading contributors to snakebite injuries in North America. However, rattlesnakes rarely bite unless provoked or threatened; if treated promptly their bites are seldom fatal.

At the far left of these two photos above and below is a hawk, a medium sized bird of prey that is widely distributed around the world. This figure was also sculpted by Johnny Lauck as part of his Road Kill Animals range. I was surprised that he sculpted a hawk and not an eagle but I'm not complaining.

The four remaining birds are clearly vultures. A vulture is a scavenging bird of prey. The two types of vultures are the New World vultures, including the Californian and Andean condors, and the Old World vultures, including the birds that are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains. Some traditional Old World vultures (including the bearded vulture) are not closely related to the others, which is why the vultures are to be subdivided into three taxa rather than two. New World vultures are found in North and South America; Old World vultures are found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, meaning that between the two groups, vultures are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. These four vultures are the Californian condor species, the largest North American land bird. The figure sitting on the Tombstone signpost was produced by Black Scorpion as a free stretch goal available to anyone who bought all seven gang factions in last year's Tombstone Kickstarter. The other three figures are more of Johnny Lauck's Road Kill Animals range.
Most of my Wild West games will take place in town settings and so it is unlikely that any of these figures will feature much in them. But for games set out on the range, then they will make for very useful potential encounters. Whilst my default set of Wild West rules, Six Gun Sound, does not have rules for animal encounters, its Weird West supplement, High Moon, does. So too, does Dracula's America.

Assorted Wild West Female Civilians 01

In this post I'm reviewing some of the assorted Wild West female civilians that I've amassed over the years. It is rather sad that figure manufacturers make far more male characters for Wild West gaming than females. Actually, this is true of most genres. Certainly amongst the civilian population you'd expect a roughly 50/50 split, but that is most definitely not the case when it comes to the Wild West. For sure, civilians are mainly used for background fodder or for obstacles to be helped or avoided. But even if they are just used to populate a town without taking any part, they are worth having to add a sense of realism to a gaming board.

At the far left is a 25mm scale Ral Partha female homesteader with baby. She is beautifully sculpted and whilst she is on the small side, I don't mind. Females are, generally speaking, smaller than males. My one criticism of this figure is that I'm not happy with the way I painted the baby's face. It looks more like a doll than a real baby!
Moving on, next to her is a very old Hinchliffe Models townswoman. I recently repainted her, as I wasn't happy with my original paint scheme. She has the look of a plucky woman who is up for a challenge. For such an old figure, she looks remarkably good.

 The next two ladies were both produced by Citadel Miniatures. Yes, I know, Citadel never made any Wild West figures. The woman in the light brown dress was part of a long out of production Mythos Investigators range. She is supposed to be used in a 1920's setting, but I thought she'd work just as well as a Wild West townswoman.
 The old lady at the far right is a conversion of a Judge Dredd perp known as Mad Ma Mahaffy. I cut her arms off and remodelled them out of Milliput. She has such a timeless look about her that she could fit in anywhere from the 1800's to the present day. I'm using her in my Wild West setting as a shop owner.

At the far left of this trio is another Hinchliffe Models 28mm scale figure - a Victorian lady, who certainly doesn't look out of place in a Wild West setting. She has also benefited from a recent repaint. With her bright yellow dress she'll certainly stand out in a crowd.

I close with a pair of female civilians who are amongst the oldest figures in my 28mm scale Wild West collection. They are from a small range of Wild West figures made by Minifigs in the late 1970's and have been out of production for many years now. They were designed as 25mm scale figures but being old women, I think their lack of height, when placed next to 28mm scale figures, works to their advantage. The old lady in the black dress is the original sculpt. On the other one, I removed her bible and repositioned her right arm. I also added a collar to her dress.
They certainly aren't the most exciting figures I've shown on my blog but they serve their purpose as innocent bystanders that I'll use in Six Gun Sound. Plus, you can never have too many civilian figures.

JDMG MC1 Perps - Ape Gang Gorillas and Orang-utans

In my last post I reviewed the chimps from a Mega City One ape gang. In this post I'll be showcasing the other two sentient simian types - gorillas and orang-utans. Physically the most powerful form of ape, gorillas take on a variety of roles, from leaders and lieutenants to grunt muscle. Either way, they form the backbone of an ape gang. Both agile and intelligent, orang-utans are sometimes leaders of ape gangs, but usually give way to larger and more powerful gorillas. More commonly, they take the role of specialists, such as stealthy burglars or snipers.

The three gorillas to the left were originally produced by Mongoose Publishing as part of an ape gang for the Gangs of Mega City One skirmish game. Later, Warlord Games sold them as part of their Judge Dredd Miniatures Game and added an orang-utan leader to the set (see below). At the far left is Cilla the Gorilla. She is armed with a Double-Barrelled Stump Gun Rifle. She has a bandoleer of Stump Gun shells strung across her back and chest. It is nice to see the sculptor adding a female to the range.
Standing next to her is Gus Grunt, who is aptly named. He rarely speaks and mostly grunts instead. Appropriately enough, he works as a lowly grunt enforcer. He is armed with a tyre iron, which is classed as a Club.

Second from the right is Brutus. He is every bit as brutal as his name suggests and is a gang leader of the Brutes ape gang. He is armed with a Spit Gun Machine Pistol and he wears Leather Armour. As with all of my apes, I have yet to work out his stats for use in my JDMG campaign.
At the far right is John Grillinger, who is a Gorilla Gangster and a Level:2 Infantry Hero. He is armed with a Spit Gun Rifle that has been designed to look like the old-style Thompson Sub-Machine Gun aka the "Tommy Gun" or "Chicago Piano." Having worked his way up through the ranks of an ape gang, the Gorilla Gangster has gone freelance and now hires his considerable skills and muscle to the highest bidder. Gorilla Gangsters are mercenaries who automatically have the following three Talents - Agile (may re-roll any non-combat Agility check), Light Foot (during a Move action, he can make an Agility check to jump over any obstacle up to 1" high without any Move penalty) and Dirty Fighting (if he hits an enemy in melee combat he does no damage. Instead, the target must make a Will check or else be Stunned). He was produced by Warlord Games. I can't help help thinking that he'd have made a great addition to Don Uggie Apelino's gang.

At the far left of my trio of orang-utans is Crazy Clyde. He pretends to be non-intelligent, which is why he isn't wearing any clothes, but he's actually a very sneaky burglar. His figure is an old Ral Partha fantasy were-ape. I decided I could just as easily use him in my JDMG campaign.
I should mention that all apes in JDMG (that's chimps, gorillas and orang-utans) have a special ability called Swinging Apes. This allows them to scale sheer surfaces or swing across wide gaps with ease. Any ape can treat any sheer surface as clear terrain, as long as it begins and ends its phase on a flat surface, and can move across any open gap up to its Move value without making an Agility check.

In the centre is the orang-utan leader that Warlord Games added to the ape gang boxed set of figures. I have named him Doctor Zechariah. He is armed with a Handgun Pistol. He is protecting a very young female chimp, which just begs the question, what's the story there? I have seen some folk commenting on how much he looks like Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor Who. Well, not with the face but certainly with the long red coat and huge multi-coloured scarf. That was one of the reasons I decided to make him a doctor.
Finally, is Li'l Louie, an orang-utan sniper. He was another figure originally produced by Mongoose Publishing as part of their GOMC1 boxed set of ape gang figures and then later sold by Warlord Games. He is armed with a Long Rifle with Scope Sight. Note the banana sticking out of the front pouch of his dungarees.
This is not the end of my reviews of my ape gangs. I still have to show you my ape gang bikers, none of which have been made or painted but I hope to rectify that soon. I am also seriously thinking of getting a load of Eureka apes, as they produce a large range of simian types and they'd be quite at home in Mega City One.

Seeing as this will be my last post before Christmas day, I'd just like to take this opportunity to wish all of my followers, their families and friends all the best on what I hope will be a joyous occasion for you all. Merry Christmas!

7TV2e Criminals in Balaclavas

Here is Charlie Slater's gang that I'll be using in my first game of 7TV2e (see my last post about Criminal Masterminds to see who Charlie Slater is). These figures are predominantly by Killer B Games with one addition from Ral Partha, who is a real "blast from the past." All six figures have been named by me.

At the far left of the two photos above and below is Slater's right hand man, Micky Neville. He is armed with a 12 Gauge Sawn-Off Pump-Action Shotgun and is carrying a bag of money. Like Slater, he is dressed in a British Army camouflage jacket. Both men grew up in South London and have been close friends all their lives. He'll be a Faithful Lackey Co-Star in my 7TV2e scenario. On the Killer B Games webstore he is KB042 Masked Raider with Shotgun and Sack.

Next up are two Bruiser Thugs armed with a 12 Gauge Sawn-Off Pump-Action Shotgun and a 12 Gauge Double-Barrelled Sawn-Off Shotgun. In the centre is Dougie Wetherall and at far right is Tom Kilgour. You can find these on the Killer B Games webstore as KB046 Masked Raider with Pump Action Shotgun and KB044 Masked Raider with Sawn Off Shotgun respectively.

Moving on, I have two more Bruiser Thugs made by Killer B Games. At the far left is Colin Briggs, armed with a pick-axe handle and in the centre is George Houseman, armed with a 9mm Pistol and carrying a money bag. These are KB045 Masked Raider with Pick Axe Handle and KB043 Masked Raider with Pistol and Sack.

Bringing up the rear, is Paddy MacDee who is armed with a 5.56mm Colt M16A2 Assault Rifle. He was made by Ral Partha and is a very old 25mm scale figure of mine. In those days all 1" tall figures were 25mm scale. Then scale-creep raised the average height to 28mm and we now regard that as the norm for 1" figures. Paddy is a teenager and so his lack of height is not an issue for me.
All of the Killer B Games figures cost £2.00 each. Good luck finding the Ral Partha Masked Raider with Assault Rifle as he is long out of production and I can't even remember what range he came from, although I am certain he was made by Ral Partha.

Castle Ravenloft Vampires 01

Having shown you the heroes of the Castle Ravenloft board-game last time it is now time to start my reviews of the game's monsters and villains. Villains are unique and powerful opponents, whilst monsters are low level and can appear in groups. I simply had to start at the top with the ruler of Castle Ravenloft - the vampire count, Strahd Von Zarovich. Also shown here is an unnamed Young Vampire.

Wizards of the Coast, who produce this game, included the figure shown at the left of my two photos to use as both a Young Vampire and Strahd Von Zarovich, a decision which did not sit well with me. Why? Of all the figures in the game, Strahd should be the most impressive. To me, their vampire is the worst-looking figure in the set. He looks like a young policeman directing traffic and nothing at all like the mighty Strahd. So I found a replacement figure to use as Strahd (see below for full details). I'm perfectly happy to use the WotC figure as Strahd's Young Vampire lackey, but no way will I use him as Strahd.
The Young Vampire is a Level 5 villain. Villains and monsters only have two stats - Armour Class (AC) and Hit Points (HP). The Young Vampire has AC16 and 8HP. Villains and monsters move and attack according to one of a number of tactics listed on their cards. Each possible maneuver for a monster or villain starts with a statement. If the statement is true follow the tactics listed. Otherwise, go on to the next statement. The final entry in the list will be the default action if nothing else is true.
To show this in more detail here are the tactics for the Young Vampire.
The Young Vampire activates at the start of each Villain Phase.
If the Young Vampire is adjacent to a Hero, it attacks that Hero with Fangs.
If the Young Vampire is within 1 tile of two or more Heroes, it attacks each hero within 1 tile of it with a hypnotic Gaze.
If the Young Vampire is on a Start tile, the active Hero takes 1 damage.
Otherwise, the Young vampire moves 1 tile in the direction of the tile's arrow.
A Fangs attack gives the Young Vampire a +8 bonus to hit on 1d20 and causes 2 damage. In addition, the Young Vampire regains 1HP and moves 1 tile in the direction of the tile's arrow.
A hypnotic Gaze attack gives the Young Vampire a +6 bonus to hit and causes 2 damage. In addition, place the Hero attacked 1 tile deeper into the dungeon.

The figure of Strahd Von Zarovich that I chose is an old Ral Partha 28mm scale figure of Strahd himself from the boxed set of Castle Ravenloft figures that were produced for the Castle Ravenloft role-playing game way back in the early 1990's. I was a big fan of that game and I collected nearly all of the figures that Ral Partha produced for it. This figure looks exactly like Strahd and so is far more appropriate for use than the uninspiring Young Vampire figure.
A man of noble birth, Strahd spent much of his life serving causes of goodness and law, most notably as a warrior and leader of armies. Years of such service took their toll upon him however, and by the time he reached middle age, Strahd came to believe he had squandered his life and his youth. With this dark mood upon him, he came to conquer the region known as Barovia, and assumed lord-ship there, taking as his residence the pre-existing castle known as Ravenloft. From this position of power and security, he called for members of his family "long unseated from their ancestral thrones" to join him, including a younger brother named Sergei.
Some time after this reunion, the Count himself fell in love with a young Barovian woman, Tatyana, though she rejected his affections in favour of the younger Sergei. Filled with despair and jealousy, and brooding a growing hatred for Sergei, Strahd sought magical means to restore his youth. In a moment of desperate frustration, he "made a pact with death - a pact of blood." On the day of Sergei and Tatyana's wedding, Strahd murdered his brother and pursued the grieving Tatyana until she flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft. Strahd himself was shot down by the arrows of the castle guard. Even so, he did not die, but went on to rule the land of Barovia as a vampire. The master of Castle Ravenloft is known as "the Devil" to the villagers of Barovia.
Strahd is one of the two most powerful villains in this game (the other being Gravestorm the Dracolich) and his stats reflect this. He is a Level 6 villain with AC19 and 12HP. In D&D terms he is classed as being an Ancient Vampire, having lived as a vampire for 400-499 years. As well as being a skilled warrior he is also a master necromancer. As you would expect from so powerful a villain, he has more tactics to choose from (five in all) than any other villain. I shan't list them all but he has two possible attacks - Bite and Magical Ball of Fire. Bite grants him a +8 bonus to hit and does 2 damage. In addition, Strahd regains 1HP. Magical Ball of Fire also grants him a +8 bonus to hit and does 2 damage if it hits or 1 damage if it misses.

This painting of Strahd by Clyde Caldwell for the Castle Ravenloft RPG clearly influenced the sculptor of the Ral Partha figure I'm using. THAT is how Strahd Von Zarovich should look like! Sadly, the figure is long out of production.

Ral Partha Werewolves 01

This will be my last review of my werewolf figures for the time being. I do have a lot more to show but they need re-basing. This time round I'm looking at a selection of Ral Partha 28mm scale Crinos form werewolves. These were all part of the official White Wolf Werewolf: the Apocalypse range of figures and they all stand approximately 40mm tall.
In keeping with Vampire: the Masquerade, where vampires belong to an assortment of clans, so too, do werewolves, or Garou as they prefer to be known, belong to any one of a variety of tribes. There are currently 13 known tribes working for the forces of good. According to Garou oral history, it was always their duty to keep the balance in nature on behalf of Gaia. They did so by culling overgrown populaces, hunting too powerful predators that otherwise would rampage unchecked and fending off otherworldly spirits that overstepped their stance. In addition they believe in the existence of the Triat, a trio of deities that define how the world works: the Weaver is the deity of order and scientific advancement, the Wyld is the deity of creation, entropy, and chaos, while the Wyrm was the deity of balance between order and chaos who destroyed that which ended the harmony. At some point, the Weaver went mad by trying to bring the entirety of the Wyld's chaos into order and trapped the Wyrm in her Pattern Web, injuring it while also driving it to madness and making it seek out the destruction of the world of Gaia's creation.
The Garou themselves are a self-acknowledged dying race; the largest Gaian tribes number 750 to 1,250 Garou worldwide, with the smaller tribes numbering less than 500. The Wyrm-serving Black Spiral Dancers comprise fully one-tenth of the total Garou population and are the largest single tribe. The Black Spiral Dancers are not part of the 13 Gaian tribes. The White Howlers were a tribe of Garou of who were descended from the Picts in Scotland. They attempted to battle the Wyrm directly by seeking it out in its lair known as the Black Spiral. They were driven mad by the Wyrm and only survive to modern times as the antagonistic Black Spiral Dancer tribe who actively foster the Apocalypse and are heavily deformed due to their devotion to the Wyrm instead of Gaia. They are evil, corrupt and often mutated. Many of them work for the infamous Pentex corporation, a global company of immense power and influence, very similar to the Umbrella Corporation from the Resident Evil books and films.

At the far left is a member of the Glass Walker tribe. The Glass Walkers are a tribe who are most in tune with the Weaver, directly involving themselves in human society and having technological prowess. This character is armed with a sawn-off pump-action shotgun and also holds some sort of shamanistic totem. Glass Walkers usually have mottled grey fur.
Next up is a member of the Black Fury tribe. The Black Furies are a tribe of solely female Garou who are most in tune with the Wyld and claim to be descended from the mythical Amazons. The black furred body with white face is typical colouration of the Black Furies. To be honest, as shown in this form there is little difference between her and any of the male Crinos form werewolves. Her body is slightly slimmer but hardly that noticeable.

At the far right is a member of the Silver Fang tribe. The Silver Fangs are considered the leaders of Garou society, often having relatives who were members of royal families. They have since been the result of heavy inbreeding and many members possess mental illnesses. This character is clearly on a mission to hunt down vampires. He/she is armed with a silver dagger and a wooden stake.

Zhyzhak, at the far left, is a named Black Spiral Dancer leader. There is no denying that she is definitely female. She is dressed in a leather outfit suitable for a dominatrix and naturally, holds a whip. She is cruel, sadistic and a fearsome opponent. She does not appear to be mutated, which is rather uncommon amongst Black Spiral Dancers.
In the centre of the group is another Black Spiral Dancer. This Crinos form Garou has been severely mutated. Note his large bat-like ears, thin membranes between his arms and body and unnatural looking tail. To emphasise his mutation even further I gave his black fur a dry-brushing of metallic green paint. He holds aloft a trophy he has just acquired - the severed head of a Garou.

At the far left is yet another Black Spiral Dancer. He is also a mutant, having lost all of his fur. He wields a curved silver dagger. He is a minion of Zhyzhak and serves her loyally. He was a multi-part figure with his tail and right arm being separate pieces.
I managed to buy over half of this range of figures. The reason I didn't buy all of them was that I never did play Werewolf: the Apocalypse. I primarily bought the game and figures to use as adversaries for my player character group in Vampire: the Masquerade. In hindsight, I wish I had bought more of this range. I always loved Ral Partha's figures as they were exquisitely sculpted. This range of figures has been out of production for many years now and it seems unlikely that they will ever return.

Assorted Werewolves 04

Here is another batch of 28mm scale werewolf figures from my collection, and once again, they are a mixed bunch from a variety of companies. Some are still available to buy but others are sadly, long gone.

At the far left is a huge and very scary werewolf in its Crinos form from Heresy Miniatures. This is a multi-part kit containing head, torso and right leg, tail, left leg, right arm, left arm and base. It was sculpted by Andy Foster and I must say, he's done a cracking good job. Note the blood around its mouth and snout, indicating it has fed recently. This is one of my all-time favourite werewolf sculpts. It is in a very animated pose and it was a joy to make and paint. He is available to buy from Heresy's webstore for £8.00. Do bear in mind that for that price he is very tall despite the fact he is crouching down, and he is a multi-part kit.
The white werewolf was originally made by Grenadier Miniatures but is now available from Mirliton. He is part of their Nightmares range and comes in a pack of three figures marked as NM020 Lycanthropes. The other two figures show him in wolf form and in half-human form. Price is 5.96 Euros for all three figures. I must admit that I think this is a rather average sculpt. By painting him white, he could almost pass for a small polar bear.

At the far right is an old Ral Partha figure who is not actually a werewolf at all but a werejackal. He is quite small and the fact that he is crouched down in a running pose makes him look even smaller still. I actually like this figure for his uniqueness. Ral Partha made a lot of werewolf figures. They had the franchise to make figures for White Wolf's Werewolf: the Apocalypse RPG. This figure, however, was part of their fantasy range. Ral Partha closed shop many years ago so you will struggle to find a copy of this figure.

These two huge werewolves in their monstrous Crinos form were made by Alternative Armies as part of their old Firefight sci-fi range. They were allies of the evil Shia Khan forces who fought against the Free Companies Crusaders in what was known as the Ion Age. They stand 42mm tall from the soles of their feet to the tops of their heads.

I see no reason why they can't be used as contemporary werewolves. They are nicely sculpted and although they are huge in comparison to a normal 28mm tall figure, they are still in scale. A Crinos form werewolf is generally about nine feet tall. Sorry to say that these figures are no longer available.