Category Archives: Reaper

REAPER, Mercenary Spearman

I bought this model at discount for about 100 yen at the Shinjuku branch of one of the few miniatures and analog gaming stores in Japan, Yellow Submarine.  It’s a pretty simple sculpt, and I initially got it purely for testing some new techniques, specifically those outlined in Dallimore’s books on using simple yet effective methods for painting gaming models.  In the end, I came to appreciate the model more during the prepping stage.  I put more effort than planned in the flesh and the red, but kept the rest very simple.  It’s not a showstopper, but I’m happy with the results.

For those interested, the red, green-grey, green, black, and metal were all painted using the respective Andrea Color paint sets.

Reaper Miniatures, April 2010 releases

Featured here are a few Reaper models scheduled for release in April.  I have a huge collection of Reaper models, and usually find a model or two (or three or four) to add to my wish list with each release announcement.  But these three models in particular are quite exceptional.  The details are nice, but not over the top; the proportions are largely accurate (although the elf wizard’s staff is a tad too thick); the weapons aren’t too large; and the characters are great.

Autumn Bronzeleaf

  • 03492: Autumn Bronzeleaf, Elf Sorceress
  • Sculpted by Jeff Grace

Anirion

  • 03491: Anirion, Wood Elf Wizard
  • Sculpted by Bobby Jackson

Karlov Diedrich

  • 03484: Karlov Diedrich, Wizard
  • Sculpted by Bob Ridolfi
  • $3.99

Visit Reaper’s preview page for more information.

Reaper’s New Dragonette = 10mm Fell Beast

Dragonette (front)

Dragonette (back)

Modifying Reaper’s forthcoming dragonette model to serve as a fell beast for 10mm Middle-earth gaming would be simple.  Smooth out the scales with some green stuff, cut off the head and sculpt a longer one (or leave as-is), and add a rider.  I’m getting nine.

Reaper Saprolings for Ents (also see here), and now this.  I wonder if they’ll ever make something I can use for trolls.

Pathfinder Red Dragon

Reaper has uploaded a photo of a painted version of their new Pathfinder red dragon.

Reaper's Pathfinder red dragon

According to their Web site, the dragon is scheduled for release in March 2010.  No word on the price.

Today’s Purchases, 04 October 2009

Today's purchases

Today's purchases

A detail shot (click the photo for a larger image)

A detail shot (click the photo for a larger image)

The back of the SnarfQuest card

The back of the SnarfQuest card

My quest for “darkness” Rackham bits was a complete failure.  The only two stores I know of that still have a few scraps of Rackham metal left didn’t have any decent evil models left (just a few old goblins).  I will push forward with the painting challenge, however, but may, in retrospect, pick up an old goblin for fun.  I’ll have to measure my mood once the Kelt is done.

I did pick up the Rackham earth familiars cheap—the store was selling them separately—a couple Reaper models (one more saproling to use as an ent for 10mm Middle-earth), and a pack of SnarfQuest minis for the old Elmore card game.  For just 100 yen, I couldn’t pass them up.

Eureka 10mm Fantasy, Second Release, Size Comparisons

I’m pretty excited about the new Eureka 10mm fantasy releases.  For me, the most anticipated models from this release were the wood trolls, because I’ve scoured the universe looking for good miniatures to represent ents for 10mm Middle-earth.  I’m aware of nearly every alternative available on the market, but none of them were able to deliver the level of detail and aesthetic composition I was after.  Now the wait is finally over, and I’m more than satisfied with what Eureka has delivered.

That being said, I would have liked at least one or two more unique wood troll sculpts, as two is not enough for anyone planning to field more than four of these.  Fortunately, I think I’ve come up with a remedy for this minor problem: Reaper’s saproling models from their WarLord range.  They fit perfectly, in terms of size and structure, with the Eureka wood trolls, and will lend a sense of variety to my ent army, which will number around twelve models total.  I also see some potential for customization here, taking bits and parts from the Eureka and Reaper models to make custom heroes à la Treebeard.

I plan to mount the saprolings and wood trolls on 40mm round bases to match my Balrog.

Eureka’s new anvil dwarves were a welcome surprise.  Eureka sent me a free sample of one of their chaos dwarves when I first ordered a bunch of war elephants, and they were a nice match with the GW BoFA plastic and metal dwarves.  I only ordered one pack of the anvil dwarves, because I wanted to check them out before making a larger investment.  I’m definitely ordering at least three more packs.  These are fantastic models.  The anvil on the shields will have to go, but that’s a minor problem.

The packs of anvil dwarves include three unique sculpts.

The new warspite elves are a huge improvement over the elf archers and warriors (wood elves) from Eureka’s first release.  The wood elves were true 10mm (to the top of the head), but too small to work with any other ranges beyond the plastic GW BoFA stands.  The new warspite elves are a tad smaller than Copplestone 10mm, which, while not necessarily the industry standard, are the yardstick by which I measure all other potential models at this size.

Packs of the warspite elves include two different sculpts, spears-up and spears-down.

I only bought one pack of warspite elves, but will get at least three more.  I intend to paint them up like first-age elves: blues, grays, greens, and gold.