Taban Miniatures has just announced the imminent release of the first limited edition resin model for a new range under their distribution, Masters Miniatures. The Orc Ballista on War Beast was sculpted by Benoît Cosse, and is currently available for preorder exclusively from the the Taban Miniatures website. Orders are scheduled to ship on 15 January 2012.
The Orc Ballista retails for €150,00 (currently about $191.00 USD), which includes worldwide tracked shipping.
The ballista model is comprised of 14 parts, measures 140mm x 95mm, and comes with a certificate of authenticity. (Click here for a size comparison of the model care of atacam of the dragonpainting.net forum)
The model featured in these photos was painted by Mohamed “Mohand” ait mehdi.
No doubt some readers recognize this sculpt. Indeed, many of you have probably coveted this model for years, without any hope of ever being presented with the opportunity to actually own one.
Benoît Cosse sculpted the orc ballista while still a member of the Rackham studio (but this was, according to Taban, more of a personal project than a studio production). If I recall correctly, the model was supposed to include both Bran-Ô-Kor and Behemoth riders. It was first previewed at the British Open in April 2006.
The model was originally called the Ulunkor Ballista (Baliste ulunkor), and was based on concept art by Edouard Guiton.
The Confrontation forum was abuzz for a long time about when this model would finally see the light of day. I asked Jean Bey about it, and he told me personally that it was too complicated of a model and cost ineffective to produce. “More than the Tarascus,” I asked (that model retailed for $259.00 USD). “Way more,” he replied.
I don’t put much stock in Jean’s assessment, however (even though he is in a much better position of knowing Rackham’s operational and production costs than me). Taban, at least, has proven it’s possible to make this model available for much less (although it’s still an expensive model).
I’m on the fence about whether I’ll get one for myself, but am definitely leaning more in one direction than another.
*Images and some information on the original sculpt are from Haekel & Jaeckel.
UPDATE: I found some more images of the original sculpt on my hard drive + a sneak preview of the model from the Rackham Entertainment forum just before they shut down.
I noticed immediately that the driver is missing his whip, and someone on the DP forum pointed out that the ballista is missing the support frame that secures it to the saddle; the operator is using the ballista like a regular crossbow.
UPDATE 2: After a simple Google search, I was able to track down some more information. Rackham assigned an SKU to the ballista, and even published its release in at least two official announcements. I’ve combined the information here (although one announcement had a release date of October):
Ulunkor Ballista (Baliste ulunkor)
ORTI01
1 titan
4 crew, including Bran-Ô-Kor and Behemoth orcs
(Orques du Bran-Ô-Kor et de Béhémoth)
November 2006 France, January 2007 rest of the world
That’s right about the time when Rackham fell apart. It also explains why this qualifies as a “personal” project for Benoît; he likely never finished the sculpt and never got paid. But again, I’m not really in a position to know all the details, so please treat everything here as mere speculation.
UPDATE 3: Confirmed by our friends on the WAMP forum:
The Masters Miniatures team got the full production rights for this model.
(Taban is just distributing this range
The original sculpt had never been bought by Rackam to the sculptor who is a friend of some of the MM people
I think that legacy tried to buy-back the model from MM that declined the offer
I called MM to pass your question and they comfirmed that there will only be 300 units ever
