Red Box Games‘ Norse Warriors Kickstarter is down to the final hours at this point. This is definitely break the 10k mark this evening, but I’d love to see this end at least in the neighborhood of $15,000. It is an incredible deal for six models by one of the industries most talented artists; and your contribution will ensure that more of the same will follow.
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Kickstarter, Red Box Games, Uncategorized
Tagged Kickstarter, Red Box Games
Stone Cold Lead recently posted pictures of their beautiful renditions of the Aenglish footmen from Red Box Games.
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, painting, Red Box Games
Tagged Red Box Games, Stone Cold Lead
Red Box Games has just started their first Kickstarter campaign. I’ve been waiting for this ever since Tre started intimating at his intentions in conversations and a few posts over on Frothers. Tre’s work impressed me the moment I first discovered his sculpts four or five years ago, for Reaper and later his own company. I jumped on board this Kickstarter the moment I learned it was finally live (supporter #9).
Never heard of TrollCast? You can learn more from this video or by visiting the Troll Forged Miniatures website. I have some of their models made from this material, and I’m as convinced as Tre about the quality of the product. This is a smart move for RBG, and I wish them all the best of luck.
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Red Box Games
Tagged Red Box Games, Tre MANOR
Gynnade Krigare
Red Box Games just announced their most impressive release ever. From their announcement (unedited to preserve Tre’s unique voice):
Well guys at long last the first wave of the HelsVakt Expansion are up for pre-order. Believe me I have been just as anxious to get these out as you guys have been to have them available. This has been a REALLY logn road and I am very glad to be within reach of the ( hopefully ) happy end of it. There is still much much more in store; modular hordesmen, Shield maidens, Archers, characters and yes of course CAVALRY!!! I really hope you guys like what I have ready thus far.
In addition to the HelsVakt Fenris and Infernal Nether Beast, this release includes Yrsa the Accursed (remember the older version from two years ago: IMAGE), Belegast the Bloodthristy, Varp Krigare, PLUS modular bits from these models and limited resin versions.
Yrsa the Accursed
Varp Krigare
On Yrsa, Sebastian Archer wrote, “Yrsa is great – cool to see a muscley athletic chick (that actually looks like a female still!) rather than the usual sexpot bodies.” Indeed. I think it’s a positive expression of the direction this industry is taking, that we’re seeing more and more “studies” of anatomy (Thank you, Alan C!). Enough with the creeping neo-Victorianism that has (largely) plagued the sensibilities of artists and manufacturers in this industry to date. Accurate portrayal of the body was a mission of da Vinci (and so many others) in the past, and I’m absolutely delighted that miniatures sculptors are picking up the torch. I have zero interest in gratuitous displays of swelling mammary and pendulous cock. But as for unabashed displays of the body when character demands it–go for it!
Thank you, Tre. Follow your instincts, and continue to excel.
Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Red Box Games
Tagged Red Box Games, Sebastian Archer, Tre MANOR
Tre Manor of Red Box Games has just posted previews of two beasts included in their next scheduled release. Both models should be available in about two weeks (pending confirmation from the caster).
The Fenris beast (top) is the first strong competition I’ve seen for Tom Meier’s giant wolves (stalking, baying); I actually think Tre has outdone Tom with this sculpt. I hope more are coming, as one of these will not be enough.
According to Tre, the Nether Beast shown here is just one of three in development (the other two are about 95 and 50 percent done). As it’s rather massive (that’s a 40mm base it’s standing on), the sculpt will be cast in resin.
For the past four years I’ve been looking for proper mounts for an old-school goblin/ogre/orc/troll/giant army I’ve been working on, and you can’t imagine my elation when I saw the Nether Beast and learned there were two more in the pipe. Part lizard, part bull, hints of dragon, a dash of human anatomy, built for speed on the back and strength on the front–perfect!
I’m ordering these as soon as they are available (plus several other models on my RBG to-buy list). Expect a review sometime soon.
Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Red Box Games
Tagged Red Box Games, Thunderbolt Mountain, Tom Meier, Tre MANOR
Red Box Games recently previewed a new sculpt from their forthcoming Helsvakt Expansion, Belegast the Bloodthirsty.
This is by far one of Tre’s most technical sculpts, but also one of his most successful. My RBG to-buy list is starting to get long again. I wonder if I can hold out until the cavalry come along?
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Red Box Games
Tagged Red Box Games, Tre MANOR
Red Box Games has just launch a new website, and it’s a huge improvement. Kudos to Tre, et al, for keeping the design simple, smooth, elegant, and smart. The new logo is much more fitting as well, blending perfectly with the aesthetics of the world Tre is building. Test drive the site, pick up some beautiful models, and support one of the most respected companies in the industry.
The New Year is starting off right with a superb release from Red Box Games. These were originally previewed a few weeks ago as part of a preorder campaign, but are now available and ready to ship. Included in this release are:
Llewelyn SoftStrider, woodsman, warrior, brigand, man hunter. Llewelyn is known far and wide as a man not to be crossed or a man to be sought by. An excellent Human ranger character to compliment any dungeoneerign party or adventuring band and a certain addition for any warband.
Robert of Carlisle Wall, son of a Hillander noble and would be Husband to the late Aenglish Lady Evelyn of Carlisle. A-Grieved for the untimely death of his Lady Love he seeks out danger where-so ever it is to be had, thus did he earn the distinction of the his title at the great battle of Carlisle Wall.
The Journeyman Gerard. A foreigner of distinctive skill Gerard is a thief, a fighter, an adventurer and explorer. If there is adventure to be had, or a challenge to be met it is he who will be the first to answer the call. An excellent figure for that hard to define Fighter / Thief the Journeyman Gerard is a certian recruit for any adventuring band of treasure hunters or skulking thieves or even special agents of high powers.
Watch Captian Whistlocke, Stern, serious, accomplished and courageous The Watch Captain Whistlocke is the master of the reknowned Whistlocke’s Watch of Shield’sPort wharf district. It is there, in the oldest section of that sprawling city, that the worst of the worst go about their business and there also where the name of Whistlocke bears as much fear and respect as would that of the highest Masters of the Shadow guilds.
Young Rupert of Chalton, a youthful wide adventurer out to prove his mettle in the dark bedeviled channels of ruins and goblin burrows. Fitted in the trappigns of the early fighter Rupert is perfect to represent that 1st level fighter destined to rise to great heights or fall from them in the dark holes of forlorn places.
The shamblign undead booster…….because you can never have enough of them really.
The Lady Nyvenne, As Evil as she is beautiful the Gray Lady commands the infernal powers of the forgotten ones with a finesse and mastery rivaled only by the Keeper Himself. If you are looking for a creature of beauty to drive your armies of death then look ye no further!
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Red Box Games
Tagged Red Box Games, Tre MANOR
Red Box Games has made available for preorder their releases for next month, including the two models featured in my last post. This release includes:
Bruiser Gus, Sleeper in the Alley, Puller of Corks, Cracker of Skulls…..ever needed that hard to find half-orc thug? This is your figure. Big, ugly, dangerous and slightly ridiculous looking he will strike fear into the hearts of any bumpkin unlucky enough to get lost in the Big City back alleys:
The Ever Wonderful Epierre the Entertainer. The perfect Elf bard figure sure to capture the hearts of all the lady adventurers and bewitch the dumb beasts of dungeon, cavern and woodland alike. ALL adventuring parties need an entertainer to lift their spirits in the dark of the dungeon deep, ALL taverns welcome a Dandy entertainer. A great piece for display or gaming you are sure to find a clever use for such a figure:
Herbert Hedgewyrd, Far Wanderer, Candle in the Shadows, Finder of the Lost Ways, Fox Whisperer, BeeSinger, ThornWalker, Brewer of CherryMead, Friend of the Hill Folk and Keeper of Finiuimgreimclcoh. What adventuring party can’t find a place for a Halfling Illusionist / Mage / Druid??:
Mad Angus The Red Bastard of Blythe’s Cliff, a bloody savage to some, a great hero to others. This is fighter sure to wade into the thick of his enemies and leave a wreck of red ruin in his wake. Foes Beware, he is fearless and a longswordsman without peer:
Hefty Hamish Hillander abroad, graciously in service to his presumed Majesty King Ulbrecht of Aengland. Well known from the tavern to the battlefield Hamish is a stalwart fighting man as loyal to his mates as he is fearsom to his enemies!
Zyrava…………:
And for the first time from RBG, undead:
Finally the encounters range of RBG expands with the initial units of undead. There will be more to come, undead of various danger and type. But this first issue hopes to offer enough to begin populating your crypts and haunted keeps with enough mace fodder for a great little game.
WraithKnights…….. hovering ghostly and malicious these dark summons are sure to prove the mettle of any band of adventurers unfortunate enough to trespass upon their protected ground. ( Stupidly not pictured here, is the two handed weapons sprue that is included with this multipack. 2 longswords, 1 flanged mace, 1 ball mace, 1 battle axe, and 1 hammer. each is universally interchangable – except the two long swords with one particular wraith knight.):
Lesser undead. Animated like marionettes by the ethereal malice of dark magicks teh shambling undead shuffle forward mindlessly to mob and mangle any living creature that draws their attention:
The zombies deserve some special attention. A lot of miniatures companies make zombies, some even specializing in them. Of those, many are of exceptional quality (Otherworld–see here, here, and here–and Rackham zombies come to mind, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg). These new zombies from RBG, however, are some of the best I’ve seen. At what is more, they’re cheap–$8.99US-for-6 cheap! I got two sets. 😉
Another great release from RBG; I can’t wait for my order to arrive. Expect to see photos of the models from this release against UtM’s signature ruled background sometime in October.
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Red Box Games
Tagged Red Box Games
Mad Angus
Tre Manor of Red Box Games previewed two new sculpts, today: The Second of the Hillander mercenaries Mad Angus (a.k.a. the Bastard of BlythesCliff), the second Hilland mercenary character for the Aenglish faction; and the many-titled Shireling Herbert the HedgeWyrd (Far Wanderer, Candle in the Shadows, Finder of the Lost Ways, Fox Whisperer, BeeSinger, ThornWalker, Brewer of CherryMead, Friend of the Hill Folk and Keeper of Finiuimgreimclcoh).
Herbert the HedgeWyrd
No word yet on when these will be available, but very likely sometime in the coming few months.
This are very high on my list now, as are most things from RBG these days. Tre’s work gets keeps getting better and better; time and again he demonstrates why he ones of the best sculptors and creative minds in the industry.
For more information, visit the Red Box Games website and online store or feel free to ask Tre questions directly in this thread on Frothers.
Kyrie Brighthelm
Tre Manor of Red Box Games has announced a great sale in honor of their fourth year of business:
Well Guys, we have made it 4 years. I think that officially means I have beaten the odds that most companies fold within the first 3 years or is it 5? Ah well who cares. On with the savings. I am currently running a sale in which EVERYTHING is discounted down by $2.00. Yes that is right two full dollars. The sale starts today, Monday the 1st of August, and runs to next Monday the 8th of August ending at midnight that night.
This is a great opportunity to support one of the great talents in the industry and pick up some amazing models. I highly recommend RBG’s latest releases, some of which are featured in this post.
Boneback Multipack C
Brynjar Bondi
Greater Infernal Horror
Gregor the Crooked
Sverreulf the Red-Handed
Have you ever used Tabletop Gaming News? Like many of you, I visit the site several times throughout the day. There’s no other site on the Internet quite like it. Many of us rely on Tabletop Gaming News for the latest information in the industry, and likewise the industry needs Tabletop Gaming News to ensure that news of their latest releases and updates reach as broad an audience as possible.
Now it’s time to give back. TGN is currently running a fundraiser to expand operations and make the site and the information they make available more useful to their readers.
This month was a highpoint for TGN in terms of traffic (over half a million page views), unique visitors (69,000) and even in terms of news items post (140 a week on average). Tabletop Gaming News is primarily a two-person operation with Grant Hill handling our reviews and myself handling the news posting and other duties. Both Grant and myself are, in our real lives, quite busy. Grant has a PhD in Chemistry and is working at establishing himself in the academic world (and also has a young child and wife) and I spend most of my time herding my posse of twin three year old girls. A job that never seems to run out of new challenges 🙂
While this is a somewhat workable solution in terms of keeping TGN running in the manner that it currently does it means that there is not a lot of time to expand TGN, update it based on reader feedback and also to expand the news sources on the site. To that end I am starting a fundraiser to raise funds to help expand TGN, expand the content on the site and also to allow us to pay for people to help bring content to the site. But we’re not just asking our readership to help us build funds to expand the site we also have, thanks to the generosity of some of the companies in the industry, a rather rich cache of goodies to give out to contributors as prizes.
You read that last line correctly, prizes! Tre Manor of Red Box Games, for example, is offering $50 store vouchers to two lucky donors for anything in the RBG store, and Mannikin Studios has pledged a complete collection of all four releases currently available from their website (Grimm’s Cat, Father Christmas, Rip Van Winkle, and Bylot). Still not tempted? Here’s the complete list:
This is a great opportunity to give back to the community and support those who endeavor to provide the latest and best information about the miniatures industry, and, by extension, make your hobby more enjoyable. Please show your support by donating today! Even a little can go a long way.
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Posted in Administrative, Mannikin Studios, news, Red Box Games
I discovered lots of great sculpts this week. Some of them were actually completed more than a week ago, but these are the ones that made the greatest impression on me this week.
First up is two sculpts by Stephane Simon: La rose du mal (has someone been reading Baudelaire?) & Ulric le Profanateur (that’s Ulric the Profane for you Anglophones out there). Some of you might recognize the talent on display here, the same that gave us the Molochs, Souffre Toile, and Ophidian apostates (among others). According to Stephane’s blog these sculpts were purchased by Maelstrom Games for their Bane Legions range.
La rose du mal (Stephane Simon)
ULRIC le Profanateur (Stephane Simon)
Next up is a collection of great Berserkers sculpted by the very talented Kevin Adams for Otherworld Miniatures. These models feature a great classic look that will appeal to fans of Otherworld‘s range of fantastic miniatures, as well as anyone looking for a generic model to represent a screaming-mad barbarian warrior.
Berserkers (Kevin Adams)
And last but not least, some great sculpts from the hands of the ever-talented Tre Manor: Fat Fergus and Hog Squasher Troll. Wow, Tre–Wow! You’ve really outdone yourself.
Fat Fergus (Tre Manor)
Hog Squasher Troll (Tre Manor)
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, Otherworld Miniatures, Red Box Games, sculpting
Tagged Maelstrom Games
Crowbiter and four Bonebacks (from the left) Scratch, Snothocker, Howler, and Gut
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Crowbiter (left) and two Bonebacks (from the left) Scratch and Snothocker
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Snothocker (left), Howler, and Gut
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Snothocker, Dvergrs Hostrom Hammersmite (left) and Bjorti TrollsBane, and Scratch
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Detail of Hostrom Hammersmite (left) and Bjorti TrollsBane
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Posted in 28-32mm fantasy, comparisons, Red Box Games
Bjorti TrollsBane (sculpted by Tre Manor)
Hostrom HammerSmite (sculpted by Tre Manor)
Crowbiter (sculpted by Tre Manor)
Goblin Berserkers (sculpted by Tre Manor)
Viking Husecarls (Kallistra)
50mm castle wall section (Kallistra)
Mongol light cavalry (Kallistra)
Mongol heavy cavalry with lance and bow (Magister Militum)
Ashigaru on foot with spear (Magister Militum)
Greater orc warrior with armour (Magister Militum)
I recently placed orders with three separate companies, Kallistra, Magister Militum, and Red Box Games.
Rather than order direct, I decided to buy the RBG stuff from Full Metal Planet, one of the two online vendors for miniatures-related product in Japan (the other is Malefic, another great store). There aren’t many game stores in Japan, so this is the closest I can come to supporting an LGS. I’ll post pictures against the grid when they arrive, for those of you who are curious.
This is my first time ordering from Kallistra and Magister Militum. I’ve been interested in some of their products for several years, but have never made the commitment to buy anything, because the pictures don’t tell me enough about what to expect. Size is the main issue here, but also detail, casting quality, and customer service.
I ordered this seemingly random selection of models (see photos above) because I’m still looking for good proxy models to flesh out my ever growing 10mm Middle-earth project. I don’t really need anymore orcs, as Copplestone Castings has provided me with ideal models for the race, but I’m always looking for ways to add further character to what I have. I’m also looking for models to use as Dunlendings, Variags of Khand, Wainriders, and Easterlings, thus the Vikings, Mongols and ashigaru, the latter of which will require some modifications with putty. Questions remain, however, about how these will work with the standards of my project, largely set by Copplestone, Eureka, and GW 10mm metal models. When they arrive I’ll put them against the wall and take a load of comparison pictures to share here. We’ll all know soon enough.
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Posted in 10mm fantasy, 10mm historical, 10mm Middle-earth, Battle of Five Armies, Copplestone Castings, Kallistra, Magister Militum, Red Box Games, terrain
