Rogue Necromancy - Wyrd Miniatures

Rogue Necromancy
Company: Wyrd Miniatures
Part #: WYR2050
Sculptor:
Released:

This is an interesting piece from Wyrd Miniatures for their Malifaux line of miniatures.  The Resurrectionists for Malifaux are definitely undead, but run the gamut from steampunk to Japanese mythology.  In fact, I am using some of the models for my samurai brigade.

I'm not sure why this figure is called "Rogue Necromancy".  What it is, in fact, is an undead chimera.  A monster from Greek mythology.  As such, it has a place in my Undead Acheans brigade.

The figure is a multi-part metal miniature, with the serpent and goat heads being separate, as well as one of the hind legs.  My original package mistakenly lacked the sprue with the hind leg.  An email to Wyrd miniatures was enough for them to kindly send me a new sprue at their own expense.

I haven't painted this up yet.  It will be a bit of a challenge as it requires some decent skill at blending.  But, after I get it put together and painted, it will look outstanding screening my skeletal hoplite phalanx!

Titan-Forge - Cryptstalk Boyz

Cryptstalk Boyz
Company: Titan-Forge
Part #:
Sculptor: Slawek
Released: 2013

I've put up some of Titan-Forge's stuff before.  What is there to say?  Skeleton orcs!  Armored and bad-ass.  I can't relate how grateful I am to Titan-Forge for doing a line of undead orcs and goblins.  I am now at the point where I might be able to field an entire brigade of undead green skins (green bones?)

Very nice sculpts.  The armor is suitably primitive and "orc-like".  Big chopping weapons.  They generally fit the GW orcish conception, which I generally deride as "cartoony" versus some of the hulking brutes like, say, Nick Lund orcs (the holotype orc as far as I'm concerned) or Rackham's versions.  But in a skeletal form, they are definitely cool, and very distinctive.

The set of five allows you to make five warriors, or three warriors, one standard bearer and one musician.  I have to buy another set so I can field all the variations.  Kudos all around!

Daemon Oxen

Realm - Daemon Oxen
Company: Realm Fantasy Warfare
Part #:
Sculptor: Serious Lemon
Released: TBD

These are not out yet, in fact, there aren't even greens for them. But I just put them up here because, you know, awesome. Undead samurai beastmen/minotaurs. I'm not sure if these are legitimate Japanese fantasy creatures, but they are definitely going into my undead samurai brigade when they drop.

Sculptor Serious Lemon (is that his birth name???) is producing some very nice samurai sculpts for his new wargame Realm Fantasy Warfare. If it looks anything like the art, I can't wait. Look at that guy up top.  His katana is sheathed - he's just charging your sorry ass!

Dark Hammer - Undead Samurai

Undead Samurai
Company: Dark Hammer Miniatures
Part #:
Sculptor: Johney
Released: 2013

OK.  Dark Hammer is a brand new company, which again, seems to be more of a boutique outfit than a company making whole lines of miniatures to fill out your armies. This piece, which comes in both 28mm and 54mm scales, is a limited run.  Supposedly, only 100 will be made.  That's a bit of a bummer and I hope that we will see more cast, and more undead designs from Dark Hammer in general.  So why did I immediately buy this piece when I saw it up on Tabletop Gaming News (other than the fact that at a 100 piece limit I thought it wise not to tarry)?

1. It's flippin' epic!  It's just a great sculpt that captures the weary despair of eternal undeath.  See how the samurai sags in the saddle?  The bowed head.  The weary pointing arm. The nagita hanging limply in the other hand. The armor is intricately and beautifully sculpted. The mount a perfect mixture bone and rotting flesh.  The tattered banner attached to the crooked back. Just a winning piece all around.
2. I'm in the middle of putting together an undead medieval samurai force (brigade, but may be able to expand into an army depending on how much Wyrd and Zenit eventually put out). So this piece was a natural fit. The thing I need most is undead samurai cavalry. I have several of the Clan Wars Lost Moto, but not yet enough for a unit. I might be able to fit this guy into that unit but it would be a stretch. They just look too different design wise. But he'd make a good hero, or even a brigade leader. His weary pointing stance pressing on his skeletal compatriots onward toward their objective.

Dark Hammer has some concept art up of a skeletal Egyptian chariot on its web page so hopefully we'll see that soon.

Of course, skeletal Egyptians are as common as dirt.  I myself have an entire army of nothing but skeletal Egyptians.  So, I'd much rather see their talents applied to making more undead samurai.  It seems to be a growing niche.

Death Knight
Company: Dark Sword Miniatures
Part #: DSM7527
Sculptor: Dave Summers
Released: April 2013

Dark Sword Miniatures is one of these boutique miniature outfits that produces a limited amount of figures.  However, they seem to have licensed the works of many famous D&D illustrators like Larry Elmore and bring figures from their paintings to life. They also have a license to produce works from George R.R. Martin - so anyone who want that Tyrion Lannister mini, look here.

DSM does have a few undead, which I still have to pick up including this awesome spectre. But I saw this figure yesterday on Tabletop Gaming News and figured I had to have it.

Basically, a skeletal demon (the wings give it away). I'll be adding it to my Undead Chaos force, in which I have a number of undead demons already in force from a variety of manufacturers.  The question for me is how to handle them in the Piquet context.  I have a good number of these types of skeletal demons/fallen angels, enough to make a unit.  I could never field them all individually.  So I'm thinking of collecting them into a unit of a dozen "lesser demons".  Give them "flight" and "Cause Terror" and send them off to the races.  Although I think a band of demons should somehow be able to use magic as well.

Titan-Forge - Zomblins

Zomblins
Company: Titan-Forge
Part #:
Sculptor: Slawek
Released: 2012

If there is one thing I wish we'd see more of, it's miniature companies making more demi-humans. I have thousands upon thousands of skeletal humans, but only a handful of skeeton orcs, goblins, dwarves, skaven, lizardmen or elves.  Especially elves! Jesus, can't we get some more undead elves other than the standard bearer from the Cursed Company and that one in the Otherworld Demi-Human pack???

Well here to fill the void is Polish company Titan-Forge, who ran a startlingly successful indiegogo campaign last year to fund their Drakskull's Menace line. When you look at the miniatures from Titan-Forge and Scibor, there is some seriously outstanding work coming out of Poland these days.

Now normally I don't do zombies (Nothing but bone! NOTHING BUT BONE!!!) but in this case, I'm making an exception. Not only do these miniatures fill a glaring gap in my Legion (undead goblins) but they are darn cool looking as well.  Not to mention fun to paint. So now I have a solid unit of undead gobbos to compliment my hodgepodge undead orc units. I'm taking the fight to my orcish rival! Beware Ork-boy!

Well it's been quite a while since I posted here.  Almost 2 years.  Here's the deal.  I've been in Afghanistan for a year, then I came back to N. America - but not to my home but rather my fiance's place in Toronto. And now I'm back in Afghanistan.  In no place have I been near my miniatures!

Well, for now, I'm going to just start logging my purchases, with explanations of what I plan to do with them once I get someplace where I can unpack all my stuff!