A bit of a departure from our usual fare. Although not exactly a miniature figure, these small scenery pieces are pretty related to our regular topic so I hope you find them of interest.
Treasure! Gold, gems, magical items! It’s what every adventurer hopes to find!
These custom-made painted scenery pieces can be used as objective markers for your 20-30mm fantasy tabletop war gaming such as Warhammer Fantasy. They can also be used in many role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons.
The base of each treasure measures about 1-1/4 inches (32 mm) in diameter. Here is one of the treasure hoards shown with a 25mm scale miniature to give you an idea of size.
These treasure piles and other miniature scenery pieces can be found at my store along with my painted figures. If you have an interest in miniature scenery and terrain, you can find much more information on my Universal Terrain blog.
Last time we got to meet some of the run of the mill street thugs that could turn up in your 1920-1930s miniatures games. Today we will move up a few steps in the criminal hierarchy. Here are members of a small underworld gang who have tackled some more organized criminal activities.
The gang leader is the brains of the outfit. He is the one who thinks things through and plans the gang’s activities. Of course, he is willing to resort to a more hands-on approach when needed as indicated by his choice of a pump shotgun.
Bank robberies bring a good amount of cash flow to the gang’s coffers. Here is a member fully decked out in his work clothes for making surprise bank withdrawals, including the face mask and small semiautomatic pistol.
Some situations may require a heavier punch. That is when the gang brings out the BAR Browning Automatic Rifle! This comes in handy for convincing a truck driver that it is time for his cargo to be transferred to new ownership, or to inflict heavy damage on a competitor’s brewery operations!
These 25-28mm scale figures perform well in any pulp gangland styled miniatures game. They can also be useful as characters involved in red-herring subplots of Call of Cthulhu™ role-playing adventures.
Visit my store to see more of my painted game miniatures.
In my last post, I introduced the Boys in Blue municipal policemen from the 1920-30s. Since the long arm of the law needs some opponents to make life in the city interesting, let’s start with a few common street thugs. These guys are always watching out for unwelcome competitors wandering into their territory.
Baseball is America’s favorite pastime. Everyone loves the game. Of course, some of the rougher boys on the street recognize the multi-purpose uses for the bat. Makes a great tool for cracking some heads!
Naturally, the simple, but classic small blade is always popular with the tough guys. Readily stashed to avoid unwanted attention, but easy to put into use.
And some times, you just have to bring out some specialized equipment, like this double barrel shotgun!
As with the previous coppers, these figures are designed for 25-30mm scale miniatures games. They can easily look good standing around the street corners of early 20th Century towns and cities in Pulp and Call of Cthulhu™ games.
Next time we will look at some of the higher level bad guys.
Visit my store to see more of my painted game miniatures.
Meet the Boys in Blue! These municipal policemen stand between the city’s regular citizens and the forces of evil. Whether it be the run of the mill local thieves, organized crime, and other social malcontents, or the crazed minions of Cthulhu-worshiping cults, the cops stand ready to serve and protect.
These officers of the law wear the longcoats and peaked hats found in many police departments in the 1920s and 1930s America.
They carry a variety of weapons. The traditional billy club and service revolver are common accessories used on the daily beat. But when the situation calls for it, the police can draw more powerful weapons from their armory, including shotguns, rifles and even fully automatic Thompson submachine guns!
Here are some close-up shots of individual officers.
These 25mm scale miniature figures would be right at home in many role-playing games and table top miniature games. From the historically realistic crime capers to the supernatural dangers found in Call of Cthulhu™.
Watch for future blog entries that will highlight some of the forces aligned against the Boys in Blue!
Visit my store to see more of my painted game miniatures.
Your local cultists are looking for new members. Come on down to the local summoning grounds and meet up with your robed pals. Stand around the ancient stones and sing those great old chants. Fun and games… at least until one of the Elder Gods appears!
Here is a large group of hooded cultists from a custom painting order I just completed. First thing, everyone gets into the proper mood with the initiates intoning a few low key chants while standing around a tall summoning stone.
Then the main event begins when the cult leaders show up to start the really big show. First there is the reading from the sacred tomes of knowledge. A few special artifacts get to be revealed (skull, sacramental cup). Sacrificial knives are pulled and things really heat up.
Then there is the women’s special branch to bring their particular energies to the meeting.
These are 25mm-scale miniatures. All of the figures are painted in similar colors to create the image of group cohesion. The bases are finished in outdoor soil and leaves. The figures can be used in a variety of gaming scenarios. They could represent medieval penitents in a fantasy world, devil worshipers in a Gothic horror setting, or fanatical followers in a pulp adventure. All just waiting for your band of righteous adventurers to show up and disrupt the ceremonies.
Visit my store to see more of my painted miniatures.
Posted by: G R @ 3:22 pm
The 1954 movie Them! was one of the best science fiction movies from the 1950s. Filmed in black and white, it followed the discovery of giant mutated ants that were the unintended result of early nuclear weapons testing in New Mexico. The expanding colonies threatened to take over the world. It was one of the first giant insect sci fi movies that appeared in the middle of the 20th century.
In the same vein, here are some giant ants to terrorize the denizens of your game world. First we have a group of worker ants. The one at the far right is emerging from the entrance to the underground colony.
Then there is the larger Queen ant!
Uh oh, our unlucky 25mm soldier has found himself confronted by several of the creatures!
Here are photos of the ants with a 15 mm scale science fiction soldier miniature.
These over sized monsters would be right at home in many science fiction, fantasy, pulp and post apocalyptic game worlds. In particular they would make for an exciting Halloween horror scenario!
Visit my store to see my painted miniatures.
Time to meet the staff. You will notice that we run a tight ship here on the manor. The servants are prepared to protect the manor house from all sorts of unwelcome visitors, including rough vagrants, agents of criminal masterminds, even the servitors of the Great Old Ones.
First off we have the butler. He is the chief servant and supervises the rest of the household staff. He also manages his Lordship’s extensive gun collection. As his eyes have lost a bit of their sharpness in later life, he has selected a sturdy double barreled shotgun to make up for slightly diminished combat skills.
Our maid handles much of the general housework about the place. She is as ready to wield her shotgun as a duster. Besides, she is quite capable of cleaning up those nasty messes made by her weapon of choice. Getting the blood stains (human or otherwise) out of the parlor carpet is a snap for her, particularly when the blood is freshly spilt.
As coachman, our man is busy with many duties around the manor house, including setting the table ware for the family and guests. He is also quite capable with his rifle in dissuading unwanted guests.
Last, but not least, is Cook. A marvel in the kitchen in preparing many wondrous dishes. She also is handy at applying her rolling pin to the heads of any miscreant who enters her domain. When harsher punishment is called for, she is rather handy with a revolver.
Never under estimate the value of good help.
These 25mm scale miniatures work well as secondary characters in many historical periods from the late 18002 to the early 20th Century. They would be comfortable in game genres from Victorian Pulp, Steampunk, Call of Cthulhu™ and others.
Visit my store to see my painted miniatures.
Posted by: G R @ 8:34 am
Something is slithering about in the dark corners of the laboratory! Soft squishy sounds come from the shadows.
What has our little mad scientist been creating under the full moon in time for Halloween? Some “trick” for the local children to discover when they come trick or treating at the doctor’s door?
Tentacled terrors to haunt the dreams of any sane person, that is for certain. Experimental Life Form 1 exhibits signs of high intelligence, just not necessarily anything that conforms to human standards. Multiple eye pods move about in seemingly uncoordinated ways, looking in different directions at the same time. Tentacles grasp at the air, seeking to make contact.
Experimental Life Form 2 is a bit less sophisticated, but no less alien. These creatures lack the obvious eyes of the first abomination, but seem to move in response to some other stimuli, possibly body warmth. Tentacles stretch out, touching everything in the vicinity, using a high sense of touch to explore their new world. Their skin erupts in oozing sores, filling the lab with objectionable stench. The good doctor has thoughtfully provided a fresh zombie as a treat for his new pets.
These creatures could pop up in any science fiction, horror or fantasy game world. The mad scientist and zombie figures in the photos are 25mm scale for size comparison. But the critters also could be used as very large monsters with 15mm scale miniatures.
Visit my store for my painted miniatures.
Zombie alert! Here are two of the walking dead recently sighted lurching in the shadows.
First up we have this baseball fan. He had just arrived at the stadium to watch his favorite team play a double header.
The Cardinals were doing great this year. But when he was trying to buy a pretzel at a concession stand, the girl behind the counter reached over and snatched his arm and started eating her way through his sweatshirt!…
Next is this member of the Star Trek fandom. She had been so excited to attend the local science fiction convention, anxious to show off her knowledge of all things Star Trek.
But when she was wandering through the packed dealer’s room, she noticed that some of the Klingons acting as con security were behaving rather strangely, even for Klingons.
Suddenly a commotion erupted near them and everything got crazy. One of the Klingon fans actually grabbed her and bit her hand! Now, it turns out she was just another “red shirt“…
Be on your guard! Stay alert, stay alive!
Posted by: G R @ 10:07 am
Life in the ruins of the post apocalyptic world is hard. It is made even harder by the lingering effects of radiation in the war-blasted cities. Microscopic enemies in the form of biological and chemical agents lie in wait in the recesses of the devastated landscape. Human survivors find their bodies and minds being reformed and the children of the damned enter the world barely recognizable as belonging to the same species.
Here are some of the mutated humans that roam the ruins, seeking to survive in a altered and terrifying world. Of course, survival sometimes means preying on other human survivors.
Eyes glow with the effects of residual radiation, seeing colors beyond normal human capacity. Muscles transform and bulge beneath skin mottled by internal ravages. Skeletal structures morph into grotesque new forms.
Some mutants retain most of their human mental capacities, others devolve to more basic animal instincts. A few retain the ability to use tools, although their “tools” may simply be the bones of their previous victims.
These game miniatures are sculpted in 25 to 28 mm scale. They can provide dangerous encounters in post apocalyptic, science fiction, horror and pulp miniature war game scenarios.