In 2005, a dusty collection of papers were discovered in a cellar in Dublin. Untouched since 1860, the papers told the story of Otaro, a Japanese fencing teacher, and Captain Robert Hood, a discharged American soldier. It was a tale of duels, suspense and adventure in a Japan struggling to come to terms with the realities of the steam-powered 19th century.
When the two friends discover a samurai lord murdered on the road and his only son and heir kidnapped, they find themselves drawn into a mystery as baffling as it is deadly.
They will need sharp wits, sharp swords and stout hearts to survive the enigma that is “The Fox Wife’s Tail.”
Fans of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Patrick O’Brian and Agatha Christie will love this old fashioned adventure story.
I’ve been a follower of Grandfather Nurgle ever since I opened my first deck of Citadel Combat Cards and discovered The Great Unclean One. I loved everything about him. Not least of all, his name.
It was always my aim (along with about 6000 other aims, it must be said) to collect a Nurgle army. But like almost every kid in the hobby, I simply didn’t have the funds. I ended up owning a Beast of Nurgle, who was thrown in amongst other orc, undead, and chaos miniatures that I liked the look of. That was the only plague-based creature I had.
I still have the Beast of Nurgle (who is now stripped and re-painted) and have been able to pick up some of his kin in recent years too. It’s time to finally get this Warband up on its maggot-riddled feet.
And now I have!
I’ve named my leader Festerblade Rotsworn. I had to do a bit of kitbashing as I’d lost his original arms. I’m pleased with the result, though.
Festemus. Knightmare Miniatures‘ take on this Chaos Champion, found in the Warhammer 4th edition Battle Bestiary.
My nurglings get to play on this nice rotting stump, purchased from Rum & Resin Printing on Etsy. I have two other bases of nurglings to paint up and add to the warband.
I’m sure the plaguebearers are from a 2003-era batch.
My Beast of Nurgle from the 90s, stripped and re-painted, with more fungus thrown in. “You didn’t leave mushroom on the base for him”, I hear you shout in your best dad voice.
There’s lots more to come with this Nurgle warband. I’ll continue to add to it at my slow but steady pace. I’ll also talk about my progress on the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, so be sure to subscribe or follow the show, wherever you get your podcasts.
The aesthetics (and prices!) of modern Games Workshop miniatures aren’t for everyone – especially folks who grew up in the 90s. With that said, what are the best miniature companies out there if you’re in the market for some quality alternatives?
It’s a familiar story. Man who played Warhammer as a kid suddenly finds himself diving back into the hobby in his mid-30s. For those returning hobbyists, there can be a lot of nostalgic excitement.
There can also be a bit of disappointment, though.
The loveable charm of the miniatures you remember has been replaced by a situation where even the lowliest rank and file soldier is an elite bodybuilder in a cinematic pose.
The good news is that there are an almost infinite amount of other miniature companies out there these days. This short list features what are – in my humble option – the best miniature companies out there right now.
Midlam Miniatures
Midlam Miniatures were the first company I discovered when I got back into the hobby. I’ve bought a lot from them over the past few years. I like them so much that I asked them to sponsor a few episodes of the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast. They have a diverse range of miniatures, but I feel they really excel with their civilian and villager characters. I recently picked up a bunch of their junior townsfolk, which were a lot of fun.
Knightmare Miniatures
Spain-based Knightmare Miniatures are one of the best tributes to the Oldhammer era that you’re likely to find. I’ve built warbands of beastmen, goblins, and Chaos warriors from their excellent range. If you like to play any type of Chaos or greenskins then you’ll love a look through their catalogue.
Checkpoint Miniatures
Checkpoint Miniatures offer a lot of fun and genre variety in their range. They stock a multitude of scales from 6mm to 32mm, though it’s 28mm were most concerned with here. You’ll find Lovecraftian, steampunk, and retro-futurist miniatures on the Checkpoint site. I think they’re one of the best miniature companies for building Necromunda-style gangs.
Oathsworn Miniatures are one of the most unique companies of its kind. They specialise in anthropomorphic animals, predominantly created for their signature game Burrows & Badgers. As I kid, I loved Brian Jacques’ Redwall Abbey books, and these miniatures rekindled something in me when I first came across them. A truly amazing-looking range.
Otherworld Miniatures
Otherworld Miniatures are another company I’ve spent a fair bit of money with. Though, admittedly, that has a lot to do with their weird way of calculating shipping costs. Still, don’t let that take away from their superb range of miniatures. In particular, they excel at undead and anything that looks like it lives in a dungeon. I’ve used them a lot for our games of Rangers of Shadow Deep.
Best Miniature Company Alternatives
There are few things you can’t buy on Amazon, and miniatures are no exception. If you’re looking to beef up your armies without breaking the bank, or, would like some lower-cost minis to test out some new painting techniques, then check out some of these.
The following links are affiliates which means I’d earn a small commission should you decide to buy through them – never at any extra cost to yourself!
Etsy is also a popular marketplace for the miniature hobbyist, and you can find a lot of cool and interesting stuff on there. I’ve picked out a handful of miniatures that caught my eye recently.
So there you have it – six of my favourite miniature manufacturers at this moment in time, plus some budget bonus options.
And, if these have given you plenty of ideas for creating some new warbands or adventure parties, then be sure to check out our list of miniature agnostic games to use them with, too!
Unfortunately, after a positive start, we misinterpreted a vital rule and botched the entire thing. We were keeping investigation scores for each auxiliary companion as opposed to one single collective score. Now that we know what we did wrong, it makes perfect sense. It isn’t the clearest when you read it in the book, though, and we aren’t the brightest of chaps, so it was the perfect storm.
Lesson learned, though. We’ll definitely be arranging a rematch in the very near future.
We did get to fight some giant rats before it all went wrong.
As well as some giant flies.
But not really any wolves. This certainly never happened.
Nor did this.
Our auxiliary companions, Seb, Orla, Nicolan, and Covin. None of them were the werewolf, so in some ways, this game was a tremendous success.
The Manor House. Built with some kids wooden blocks, and furniture from Dungeon Saga.
Range-ers of Shadow Deep.
Dangers of Shadow Deep. We did get to fight and kill this werewolf. Eventually. Is it acceptable to skin it and wear its fur? Or would it turn back into mouldy human skin once the moon went away?
The brief was simple. Paint something that is (or looks) old, and give it a puerile name.
This was the first paint challenge run in the Bedroom Battlefields Discord Server, and it was a lot of fun. There was a good level of participation, a diverse range of models, and the quality of the brushwork was superb.
Here are the photos of everyone’s completed miniatures.
By LateNightPainting
“Here is my metal squig hopper painted up with the Richard Gray paint scheme. Funny faces on these old model, but man, the metal just doesn’t hold paint as well. I think that rattle can is the way to prime metal models. My airbrush primer just rubs off.”
Legend has it that the underground city once belonging to the dwarf lord Börll is guarded by a demonic knight, Baron Årsöl, who roams its empty dungeons and corridors howling in pain. Why he does this, nobody knows. But none who have ventured there have made it back alive to tell the tale.
“He is a Citadel C31 Balgorg sculpted by Trisha Morrison. I bought it second-hand from eBay then soaked it in Dettol for about a week.”
Ashat enjoys long walks through barren ash wastelands and swimming in molten lava lakes. If he had one wish, it would be for world peace, by killing and enslaving all living things. His favourite colour is black, and favourite food is grey wizards.
Ashat is currently single and concentrating on his career. He would one day like to find the right lady demon to share his massive pile of skulls.
“I painted the ork with Army Painter speed paints and starter set for the most part with one or two more paints mixed in. But with a zenithal priming base. As for where the miniature came from, it was made by Games Workshop and released in 97 for the Gorkamorka game.”
Neil Warlock
By the Author
“I bought this guy from Knightmare. He bears a striking resemblance to football manager Neil Warnock.”
“An old handgunner gifted by a friend some 20 years ago, and I kept his original colour scheme. Experimented with acrylic inks and highlights on the clothing, and kept to more familiar layered highlights and washes on the skin. A flocked green base in honour of Goblin Green battlefields everywhere.”
“I got this miniature in a lot with some 4th edition hobgoblins, and it took quite a while until I was able to identify it as a Hobgoblin rocket launcher crewman. I never intended to use it with my army, so I thought it would be fun to paint it up for this challenge. I found a photo of the original paintjob, so I tried to emulate that using my Nostalgia ’88 paints. I mainly used Orc Brown for the skin.”
When the hobgoblin artillery positions were surrounded during the battle of Scheissdorf in 2478, Zhug was ‘elected’ to negotiate with the humans. As he approached the enemy lines and was called upon to identify himself, Zhug promptly yelled “Zhug Ma’Dheek!” Unfortunately, the Imperial cavalry took this as an outrageous insult and charged…
Do you think we could kickstart a card game featuring these characters in time for Christmas?
Thanks for taking a look. And thanks to everyone who took part, too. It was a lot of fun.
We’ll be running the next painting challenge in December 2022, so be sure to join the discord if you’d like to get involved!
A long-awaited game of Blood Moon, the Rangers of Shadow Deep expansion is still on the cards.
One of the many things that have been holding us up has been a lack of the miniatures recommended to play the game.
Naturally, wolves and werewolves are part of those recommendations. I was able to pick everything here up from Otherworld, who are one of my favourite miniature companies.
The big guy is actually Grendel from the Beowulf saga, but I thought he’d work well as a werewolf.
Spectacular dioramas, beer, and just a teasing hint of nostalgia. My thoughts on a recent visit to Warhammer World.
Bumped into Horus and the Emperor at Warhammer World. I get the impression things aren’t great between them.
After a 20+ year break from the hobby, I decided to pick up a paintbrush again. I quickly discovered that there’s more to life than Games Workshop, though the company, their games, and their lore are still a massive part of my childhood.
Christmas day 1992, popping the Battlemasters sprues alongside my late brother.
My hobby journey started in the early 90s. Citadel Combat Cards, Battlemasters, HeroQuest, White Dwarf, Warhammer Fourth Edition, Epic Space Marine, and Warhammer 40k Second Edition. Like most other kids growing up with this stuff, I lost interest in my early teens. And just like many others, I came back into it again as a “grown-up”.
30 years later, outside the home of Games Workshop
I’ll admit that the modern Games Workshop stuff doesn’t appeal to me very much. I miss the old colourful and fun aesthetics. But, I know that things change and move on. You can’t argue with the company’s size, success, and the mark they’ve made.
So even though I’m unlikely ever to play a game of Age of Sigmar, or buy any new miniature from GW, I still jumped at the chance to visit Warhammer World when the opportunity arose.
Visiting Warhammer World
I knew very little about Warhammer World beforehand, so wasn’t sure what to expect. The building is split into different areas, you have the exhibition, the shop, the gaming area, and Bugman’s Bar for your refreshment needs.
My main aims here were to see the exhibition and to get a couple of pints. I still had a wee look around the gaming area though, and it had some pretty impressive tables.
Tickets to the exhibition were a very reasonable £7.50, and you could go round it as many times as you wanted.
It’s a place packed with vast, world-class dioramas. Seriously impressive stuff on that front. There was the odd classic on show, too. Mike McVey’s Emperor Vs Horus from 1994, and John Blanche’s 1982 masterpiece March of the Undead.
My one small gripe (if you could call it that) was that I was hoping for more of a museum or “through the ages” experience. There were some great wee 80s and 90s bits and pieces here and there, but they can get lost amongst the epic sprawling warzones of the modern era. It’s almost as if the company want to pull you back to the present day as quickly and as regularly as possible. I suppose that is how they make their money, after all.
In any case, this didn’t spoil my experience, and I had a great time. We finished up with a few beers, a walk around the shop, and then back off to Nottingham town centre via the excellent Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem (England’s oldest Inn, apparently!).
I’ve talked a fair bit on the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast about my miniature painting process. I consider myself a very limited painter, but with these techniques, I get results that I’m very happy with.
First up, I apply the basing to the miniature. I know for many hobbyists, this is one of the final parts of the process. I like to do it early because I feel it helps with the overall consistency. I use Vallejo Ground Texture which turns rock hard after about 12 hours. I find it stays on much better than a sand/PVA glue combo.
Then, I undercoat with Chaos Black, before applying what’s known as a zenithal highlight, using either the Wraithbone or Grey Seer sprays. This technique involves applying a few short bursts from above the miniature, and gives the effect of natural light and shadow.
The “colouring in” stage falls easily into place after that. I’ll add colours where they are needed (again, using Citadel contrast paints) but I try not to go overboard. I use Plaguebearer Flesh on the grass, which has also benefited from the zenithal highlight earlier on in the process. I’ll then finish up with a bit of traditional Goblin Green around the base edge.
And that’s it. Not a lot to it, and I won’t be troubling Golden Demon any time soon. But I find this an efficient, satisfying, and satisfactory way to paint miniatures.
Do you ever think to yourself “if I owned a Warhammer-themed cafe, what would be on the menu?”.
No?
Well, strap yourself in. You’re about to.
In this episode, I also ask the question “do Games Workshop’s paints have an accessibility issue?”, and persistently get the names of miniature companies mixed up.
This isn’t a direct comparison of Frostgrave Vs Rangers of Shadow Deep. We’ve covered the ins and outs of the latter quite a bit on this podcast, already. Instead, we’re going to turn our attention to the frozen city, and delve into the Frostgrave rules (and spells) to see the similarities and differences between these two excellent games.
Not content with reading through the Frostgrave rulebook, we then take the heroic next step – put some little painted toys on a table, roll dice, and probe measuring tapes about the place.
The forces of good. Our Rangers of Shadow Deep crew are led by illusionist Claire with the Bear, and her apprentice, Russell Sprout.
They’re up against the forces of evil – led by summoner Courtney Lovecraft, and her apprentice, Squid Vicious.
The forces assemble. Photo credit, Vinny the Vulture, who did not take part.
Claire and Russell were joined by ‘Adam & his Apple’. A fast runner who eats his five a day.
An Orc Brute. Surely he’ll mash a few heads in. Surely….?
A Chaos Goblin champion and his two Chaos Warrior chums.
An Orc Warrior, and veteran of Battlemasters. He’s seen it all.
Squid Vicious, apprentice to Courtney Lovecraft.
A Chaos Dwarf with two heads, and Weird Willie (left) with… well, you know…
This didn’t actually happen (summoning a greater daemon was way too hard) but I thought it made for a cool picture.
It reminds me of a sort of grimdark Bioshock.
The kids went without supper that evening, purely because Stu was away out with his mum’s best pot on his head.
As for the big guy? Turns out he only needed directions to the post office.
The game in full swing.
Frostgrave Vs Rangers of Shadow Deep
Thanks as always for listening to the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast, and please remember to follow or subscribe on your listening app of choice!
