The Ancient Kin – An Elf Project

Another Mantic Dungeon Saga mini, the young wizard. Although not actually an Elf, I’d added this one too the project based on the campaign we were about to embark on at the time.

In the banner picture you can set the mini was started, rear row at the left. So I had a head start on this one. I went with the character at from the game to make it quicker.

Svjanna the Sinister from Red Box Games (who are sadly shutting down). This one was actually completed some time ago, but I forgot to update the project…

Back at the near the start of this project one of the first things I did was “unconvert” a miniature. I took a sword that I had used in a conversion and removed it, returning it back to the original miniature. I replaced this miniatures hands with Kingdom Death components matching the original from memory as best as I could.
I figured it was time that I got this one completed and wanted to something a little more with it.

I’m glad to have this one complete. It has been in my collection for a quite a while. As I recall it was about 2001 when I picked this mini up to convert to use as a character named Celdass in Warhammer Quest and Mordheim. Now it’ll be a Wild Elf sorceress/druid/spell caster.

This mini has been sitting on the shelf for just over 12 months unfinished. While painting then, the right hand detached. It was most frustrating, so I left it. Realising more recently that I was really only 2 minis away from being able to call this project done, I decided to get it sorted.

I wanted to re-pin the joins in both sword and wrist, but had to purchase some smaller drill bits. I also took the opportunity to change the swords, since the previous selections were just too large. I rummaged through bits but couldn’t find satisfactory pieces. So I decided to scratch build them instead.

Drill bits purchased, I dug out some plasticard and set to work cutting, carving and drilling.

They’re basic and brutal looking, but they convey a message that despite this fellow being a refined, intelligent being, there is a brutality and savagery to him.

This guy now has pins through both hands for the swords, through the right wrist to hold the hand and through both ankles as he broke there early on.

The swords were then given a thin layer of milliput to try and smooth out the finish.
They were painted in the same manner as the other metals in this project. I gave the base a quick paint and I’m calling him done.

There was a hawk rider in there somewhere. But no flight stand. After messing around with ideas and cocktail sticks, I came up with an interesting idea.

The old Citadel multi-part zombie sprue provided the components. The pin starts, deeply embedded, in the foot of the hawk. I’d drilled through the individual components. The pin runs through the entirety of the zombiefrom head to foot and through the bottom of the base.

The final two pictures above: potential characters for the D&D party that triggered this whole project at the start of this project and today.

This whole project started due to a D&D campaign. While I’m not much of a one for minis during roleplay, I find minis during combat really helps. Tokens and standees will do, but I like minis.

That campaign was abandoned long ago. We went on to Descent into Avernus, and at the conclusion of that story we went on to another world all together. But this project sprouted from that start. These minis will get tabletop time in Frostgrave and other games. When people visit to play without minis of their own, I’ll have these to offer.

This project has been in the works, on and off, for a while. Looking through what I’ve done here gives a sense of accomplishment. But also a desire to call it done and move on. Which I am. I’ve other projects already ongoing and more I want to start. I’ve definitely learned some things, more so about hobby project management.
This was fun.