[D&D 40th Anniversary Bloghop] Day Thirteen

Day Thirteen: First miniature(s) you used for D&D.

My very first miniature is apparently lost to time. I have looked and looked and cannot find him anywhere. I believe that what happened is this: my first DM and I, as I mentioned yesterday, commonly pooled our spare change to buy minis. I vaguely remember when we went our separate ways we divvied up the minis. Somehow, it appears, I ended up with most of the monsters and none of the characters. I've gone searching on the internet and have found a picture of what I believe was my first purchased miniature, ever. If you read my post yesterday, you'll remember that I said the game store/toy store broke up boxed sets and sold the miniatures individually? Well, this one was a victim of that practice, coming from Grenadier Models' Advanced Dungeons & Dragons #2002-Halflings boxed set. This fellow was known simply as "Swordsman." I seem to remember that the color yellow figured prominently in his paint scheme, and I also think red was in there.

Boy, I wish I still had him.

I've managed to dig up most of my other 30+ year old miniatures, though. My kids, when they asked, "What's in the box, Dad?" and I answered, "Miniatures. 35-year-old metal miniatures..." -- Ooh-ed and Aah-ed. It was a great moment. Here's a few of the old ones.

This miniature was one of my favorites at the time. I'm pretty sure that's why I kept this one. I mean, it was a giant carrying a morningstar, right? How could you go wrong with that? A quick internet search tells me that his actual name is "Hecatron"--Ral Partha 01-067 (Personalities and Things That Go Bump in the Night). Ral Partha included a brief bio on Hecatron in their catalog: "An outcast among giants as a scrawny youth, Hecatron has become feared by giants and humankind alike -- he is one of the few giants alive with the wit and speed to master the arts of war. Encountered in a nonviolent situation, Hecatron is quiet, gruff, and polite. In combat, however, he is a metal-sheathed tornado, never checking morale and avoiding incoming attacks with surprising grace and speed. Hecatron will not change loyalties in a fight for which he has already been been paid, even though he may sympathize with his foes. (His money goes immediately for food and drink.)"

"Cyclops"--Grenadier 8003e (Action Art Series: Mythological Creatures). This was another favorite. I loved the detail and concept of the cyclops carrying a bag of skulls that he used for missile weapons. I've always thought of cyclopes as rock-throwing creatures. I remember thinking what a cool idea it was that this cyclops used the heads of his victims as weapons against future prey.

This one is "Djinn 1"--Ral Partha 01-069a (Personalities and Things That Go Bump in the Night). This one really intrigued me, mostly because of the size of the sword. It was bigger than many of the player character minis. I also liked the massive teeth poking out from his bottom jaw. I remember that he and Hecatron were the two heavy-hitters on my time. I'm pretty sure that the DM had another Djinn with a large sword, but a different sculpt.

That's it for now; I have to save some for a later post, after all.




**Many thanks to the Lost Minis Wiki for the information on the miniatures.**