If you have collected any fantasy goblins over the last 35 years then chances are you have some in your collection by The Goblin Master, or as he is known on his tax returns Kev Adams. He has sculpted for pretty much all of the major companies in the industry, and a lot of the minor companies as well.

So unique was his vision for the tiny green menace that they pretty much defined the archetype for tabletop gaming. Now The Goblin Master (the capitalisation is important) is on Kickstarter, not as the sculptor for another companies vision, but launching his own range of greenskins for the first time under his own banner, and this may surprise you...Goblin Master

This Kickstarter is to launch Goblin Master range with the Treadmill of Hubris and it is a beast of a contraption.

I shall let The Goblin Master explain the premise himself.

It is a simple story; upon capture, the Dwarfs plead for their live, and seemingly being magnanimous the Boglets agree on the basis that they will commit to being slaves until their barrel of ale has become exhausted and the Dwarfs have fully sobered up.  The Boglets then use the barrel as the treadmill and lash the Dwarfs to a control bar to support them as they ‘tread’.

There is more so much more, but I encourage you to visit the site and read for yourself exactly how the dwarfs are punished in their indentured servitude, it's a delight that made me spray my monitor with coffee out me nose! If we take a look under the hood you can see what kind of an engine it runs on, twin dwarf running gear with a snapper as a nitro, for when you need to ramp up the speed.

There will also be a crew of goblins and boglets to attend to the machine and make sure the barrel is kept topped up (but that's a story you'll have to read elsewhere) and once again Kev has done an outstanding job on these, impish, vindictive little gits.

They have a terrific old school feel throughout and this is the sculpting I adore, the character and personality in each and everyone really comes through. These aren't soulless fellows churned out to fill a quota but a collective of individual scumbags out to make mischief and wage war for their own reasons. I particularly like the pair arguing over who gets to keep one of the unfortunate dwarf's axe.

While The Goblin Master may suggest that the range will consist of "mainly humorous miniature fantasy figures, mostly Goblins, but could be Dwarfs, Wizards and any number of fantasy characters" I do feel that I should point out that of the non-greenskin figures sculpted so far, there are two dwarfs running on a treadmill and drinking from a suspiciously never-ending bucket whilst a wizard has his stuff nicked and interfered with.

So I am detecting a slight bias there, and you know what. I am totally fine with that, The Goblin Master's tagline is "Making Goblins who enjoy being Goblins!" and he has succeeded once again.

I hope you all take the time to read the Kickstarter and miniature descriptions right down to the risks section, it shows Kev's fondness for the little fellas along with a sense of whimsy and humour that is often lacking these days as games and miniatures become sterile business decisions. I'm off to work out how to fit some of these into Kings of War as Mincers.

Has a Boglet set a snapper on you while a Waggery nicked your stuff?