Lead Figures

I’ve always liked the “ten things to do before you die” lists, so I thought I’d put a tongue in cheek top ten together for miniatures.

Just remember that this is my opinion, and my tastes are probably quite different to a lot of peoples. Still if you have any suggestions, then pass them on, and if I like them more, I’ll replace the ones on my list (or even expand it to a top twenty!)… Oh, and click on the images to go to the source of them (if available).

10. Colin Dixon’s Dwarf King’s Court

Some people like them, some people don’t, but I wouldn’t sniff at this great collection of Stunties, sculpted by the legendary hand of Colin Dixon! This is the redux version, the original version is just as, if not more desirable…

9. RAFM – Chaugnar Faugn

Some were the figures of well-known myth … gorgons, chimaeras, dragons, cyclops, and all their shuddersome congeners. Others were drawn from darker and more furtively whispered cycles of subterranean legend … black, formless Tsathoggua, many-tentacled Cthulhu, proboscidian Chaugnar Faugn, and other rumoured blasphemies from forbidden books like the Necronomicon, the Book of Eibon, or the Unaussprechlichen Kulten of von Junzt.

…H. P. Lovecraft, ‘The Horror in the Museum’


Call of the Cthulhu; Unspeakable horrors, and mostly no unspeakably horrible miniatures. When you have such great source material to draw on, the figures are bound to be highly collectable. The miniature is often spelt as “Chauga Faugn”, and it is one of the best Cthulhu miniatures.

8. FASA Star Trek Enterprise

Some might wonder what this is doing here? Well science fiction miniatures are extra-ordinarily hard to paint. Why? Well fantasy miniatures and the like, can handle wiggly lines and a bit of mucky painting, as this adds to the character. But if you are painting the USS enterprise, most of the time it will should be tarted up in all it’s pristine glossy finery (unless you are going for the battle-scarred, and campaign weary look). And this is where it gets really tricky.

This example found on flickr and painted by Krakos2008 is just the business…

If you are capable of painting it to this degree then go get hold of one of these off ebay and do it proud.

7. Heresy Dragon (Work In Progress)

A mega-monster to be sure. One of the few dragon miniatures that actually appears to be in a scale that matches our 28mm high “de-facto, ever so slowly growing in size year on year standard” miniatures.

Quite an object of desire to own before you die, though by the rate of progress, we may all be dead by the time it is finished. Update: It is finished, and we survived!

6. Otherworld’s Demon Idol (Owned!)

I’ve spouted on enough about this one already, suffice to say I think it’s the biz…

5. Reaper Doom Miniatures

Not super rare, but getting quite rare and a major respect mark to anyone who managed to collect the whole range of reaper doom miniatures. To those lucky chaps out there that have the whole range, they’ve obviously had them quite some time now, and they must be taking up valuable space in their collection, so if they just hand them over to me…

Also keep a look at for the much rarer cyberdemon that ID rejected for looking, well frankly pants…

4. Vermis’s Halfling (To be released)

To my knowledge this is due to be manufactured by Trollforge, though there appears to be some hold up in getting it cast. This miniature sculpted in fimo is simply sublime. Let us hope the transition to metal leaves the subtleness of the figure intact.

3. Ral Partha – Shadamehr Encounters Baakesh Va

Sculpted by the hands of Tom Meier. Drool…

2. Citadel Miniatures – Skaven (Owned)

Skaven; evil rat-like creatures. My favourite skaven is the flamethrower and fuel barrel combo. I’ve had these for nigh on 25 years, and I still haven’t got around to painting them. My head keeps telling me that I could never do them the justice they deserve (and should I be concerned about the voices I keep hearing in my head)?

1. Grenadier – Gamma World (Rare)

Ah, Gamma world; set in post-apocalyptic mid 25th century (after two nuclear wars, as if one wasn’t enough!). Queue robots, mutants and humans all fighting for survival, a great setting for many a nights roleplaying. Grenadier produced a swathe of miniatures for TSR, and there are some real gems in there. Remember this is early days miniatures, so don’t expect super high quality and detail. Nevertheless I give them my number one spot just for the originality and sheer quirkyness of the range; I love em!

Well I hope you enjoyed reading through my top ten; Agree or disagree? Let me know!