Filling the Gaps in 1/72d Fantasy Figures

Since lots of races are not manufactured as 1/72d figures, it is sometimes necessary to use figures from larger of smaller scales to have models to put on the table top. Since the figures in question are "fantastical creatures" or imaginary heights of said figures are purely a matter of taste. You simple need to look at any available figures and determine if a suitable proxy exist in another scale.

The first race I used from another scale with my 1/72 figures was Skinks manufactured by Games Workshop. These figures are intended to be used as small heroic 28mm Lizardmen. They measure 14mm from the sole of the foot to eye level. I thought they looked perfect when placed next to my other 1/72d figures.

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This figure was easy to get on the table top quickly and cheaply, I bought him pre-painted from the local hobby shop for a quarter. I rebased him on a quarter inch washer and he was ready to go. I later modified this figure by adding a spear made from tee push pin and a shield made from a texture upholstery tack.

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As usual, Friar Tuck (an Airfix Robin Hood set figure) and Conan (a Caesar Miniatures Adventures set figure) make their appearance for scale.


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Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2010

1/72 Ratmen (Skaven) Warband Completed

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Name:       Ratmen, Druids Children Rebels

Manufacturer:       Splinter Light Miniatures

Poses:       11 poses (more are available now, but at the time procured this was the entire line)

Figure material:       metal

Ability to Take Paint:





      excellent

Pose Quality:       lots of different armor and weapons reflect equipment Ratmen might carry as well as different roles from leader to conscript

Sculpting:       excellent, lots of sharp detal

Mould Lines:       little to none

Figures Released:       2008

I purchased these figures from Splintered Light Miniatures when I attended Historicon. These figures are well made, had almost no flash, lots of detail for a 15mm/18mm miniatures, and the service from David at Splintered Light is excellent. These figures were not manufactured as 1/72 but as 15mm/18mm figures. It would have been awesome if they were one or two millimeters taller, but they look good on the table top. Overall I am very happy with them.

TheRat Ogre shown will get his own article, but he is a 28mm Ratman figure from Rodrick Campbell. I knew he would make the perfect Rat Ogre for my 1/72d Ratmen and he did not disappoint.


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(Click on the image for a larger version)


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As usual, Friar Tuck (an Airfix Robin Hood set figure) and Conan (a Caesar Miniatures Adventures set figure) make their appearance for scale.

Thanks for reading...



Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2010, All Right Reserved.

Why One72nd Fantasy?

I enjoy gaming with 1/72d scale figures. 1/72d figures cover most historic eras and periods. They work well in skirmish or massed battles. The figures are cheap, durable, and readily available. If all of your gaming happens in a shared scale then all of your terrain is interchangeable, in so much as possible, between periods. The only problem was they had very few fantasy figures until recently.

Dark Hold Miniatures started a new trend coming out with a small 1/72d fantasy figure line. Their orcs looked great and got me excited about 1/72d fantasy. Then the unexpected happened and the owner of Dark Hold passed away, and I thought 1/72d fantasy would go with him. It turns out that Dark Hold was the spark that ignited a blaze of new fantasy figures in this scale. Caesar, Dark Alliance (aka Red Box), and Minikinght released twelve sets between them. Dark Hold was purchased by Rebel Minis and that line is still available ass well.

If you add in all of the 1/72d game pieces and stuff from other scales that can be repurposed, you wind up with enough figures to have a pretty rich fantasy setting.  In this blog I will attempt document my growing collection and hopefully spark some interest in other so that the lines will keep growing,

Thanks for reading...

 Copyright © Ron Hamilton 2010, All Right Reserved.

Close Up Photography with my Cell Phone

I shot this photo using my cell phone. It is far from perfect, but I carry the phone all the time so it might come in handy knowing how to get a decent miniature photos on the fly with it. The phone is an LG ENV2. The ENV1 had a macro mode, why can't every cell phone come with one of those and make my life easier?

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Just a quick shot of a paper viking style boat model and a couple of 1/72d figures thrown in for scale.

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How to Measuring Paint by the Drops Without the Mess

I like to measure paints by the drop when mixing colors. In concept this method is easy, accurate, and simple. The biggest issue is cleaning the paint from my eye droppers after each use. I had to pop the top off of the eye dropper and run water through it until all of the paint was gone. It was slow and painful doing this every time I wanted to mix colors, and with only two eye droppers, it was even worse if I was mixing more than two colors. I knew there had to be a simple and cheap solution to my problem; I just needed to keep looking until I found it.




I was sure I had the solution when I was buying a cup of coffee. What do drinking coffee and measuring paint have in common? The lowly coffee stirring straw, you know the little plastic straws you use to stir creamer and/or sugar into your drink. I thought when I saw them I would simply stick them into my paint jar, put my thumb over the top to keep the suction, and then release the pressure to dispense drops of paint. It didn't work, the paint was too thick to come out. It just sat there in the coffee stirrer laughing at me.




No way was I going to let that haughty paint laugh at me and get away with it. I was sure that a by blowing gently into the straw I would be able to get the paint to drip out. The paint did come out, but I was not able to get fine enough control to get it to come out drop by drop. It was an all or nothing sort of thing. So again my lowly coffee stirrer, although it seemed so promising, was a failure. I was about to give up when I laid one of the paint stirrers next to my eye dropper. Looking at them together I got a new idea.









The coffee stirrers looked just the right size to make a disposable extension to my eye dropper. The only way to know for sure was to slide one onto my eye dropper and see if it would fit. I slid one over the end of my eye dropper, and I'll be darned if it didn't seem like the perfect size to make an extension to my eye dropper.









It fit and it looked good, but could it suck up paint, hold the suction, and lastly, let me dispense it by drop? I took my new found eye dropper extension, and to my surprise, it worked!!! Now I can switch paint colors to my hearts content by simply swapping out the paint stirrer on the end of my eye dropper. Cleanup is super simple. I just drop them into my the jar where I clean my paint brushes and rinse them out in the sink at the end of the night, or I simply chuck the whole thing in the trash and put on a new one.




I now have a solution to my problem of measuring paint by the drop, and bonus points, it is free. Whenever I buy a cup of coffee I just pick up a couple of stirrers, and I am ready for my next paint session. Now if I can just find some time to put my new found paint tool to use.




Thanks for reading.