Dwarf quest

Last month I posted a comparison of 15mm dwarves. After that I spent some time researching figures, and decided to order some dwarves from Splintered Light. They proved to be the answer, being the right size to scale with my humans and even to mix with some of my other dwarves. Despite this, it’s taken me a while to post anything about them. Yesterday, I prepped them, so now I can post a few comparisons. Here’s a rogues gallery of all the manufacturers I have (thought the Peter Pig ones got forgotten):

Dwarves from left to right: Blood Dawn, Eureka, Copplestone (x2), Black Raven (x2), Grenadier (x2), Feudal casting (human), Essex (human), Splintered Light (x2), East Riding Miniatures (x2), Chariot (x3, 3rd = halfling).

All the figures to the left of the two humans are bigger than them, and I’ll be selling those figures soon. Those to the right are Splintered Light (SL), East Riding Miniatures (ERM) and Chariot. The SL figures vary a little in size from figure to figure. This allows them to scale with both the ERM and the Chariot figures. Here’s a selection of these three manufacturers:

From left to right: first six = SL, next six = ERM, last three = Chariot.

Most of the SL figures would mix well with the ERM ones, as shown here:

Scaling SL and ERM.

The one on the right is very small and wouldn’t mix well. However, it’s one of the best for scaling with the Chariot figures:

Scaling SL and Chariot.

I’m in the process of painting some of the ERM figures. These comparisons have reinvigorated my interest in getting them finished. If you compare some of these figures with the pictures on the manufacturers’ websites, you might notice that I’ve made the axes smaller; in particular, I’ve chopped off one head of the double-headed ones.

Well, that’s where I’m at with my dwarves. After a lot of searching I finally have the figures I want. These are the ‘Angry Viking’ style dwarves, not the Leonardo Da Vinci ones. I’m not sure what Peter Jackson thought he was doing with his in the last instalment of the travesty that has been misnamed The Hobbit. There is a clear description of Dain’s dwarves, one he ignored, but then he ignored most of the book anyway, and loaded the film with ludicrous kung fu special effects and silly story lines. But I’ll restrain myself from saying more.

Warbands for SBH

• Ogres

I’ve prepped quite a few monster figures for SBH, but only these two ogres from Magister Militum’s Blood Dawn range (formerly Reaper, I think) are finished. I had a bit of trouble with wash on their faces.

By bending their arms I varied the poses of this figure.

Another angle.

• Magicians

Most of my magic users are based for SBH, though I have plenty more waiting for paint! The Tabletop figure is quite neat; it’s fairly big compared with my other figures, but comes with a backpack and frypan, as do the other figures from that range.

A Chariot elf, a Tabletop druid and two ERM wizards.

• Normans

I have quite a few Feudal European figures now for SBH. They have also been useful as test runs on an Essex Norman army for DBA.

Knights, all but the two on the right are Essex; the one with his foot on the rock is Two Dragons.

Norman archers and crossbowmen.

Spearmen.

• Halflings

I’ve done a few of the halflings from Chariot’s range. Again they are a good way to see how they will look when I paint more as auxiliaries for a HotT Dwarven army.

Halfling archers and swordsmen.

A comparison with some Chariot dwarves.

A comparison with two Essex Normans and a Chariot elf (ranger).

• Elves

Before I went to Australia I based up my elves for SBH. I added a magician and a sneaker to the band; here a few of them.

An Elven band with a friendly bear. To make a band of such high value character work the bear is made cheaper with the abilities of stubborn and protect (he’s the wizard’s companion).