Grenadier's TSR Lizardman Logo Mini - SOLD!!!

$2,605.00 (USD). Two thousand six hundred and five dollars. That's what some deep-pocketed collector shelled out tonight to own this miniature:

(photo credit: Paul Stormberg)

Grenadier produced a small handful of these lizardman minis in 1977 and gave them to some TSR employees when they were attempting to secure the rights to produce official AD&D minis. This is what Paul Stormberg of The Collector's Trove has to say about it:

"According to Jeff Leason this miniature was a promotional figure given to the very few employees at TSR in 1977 to curry favor with the company and get the lucrative miniatures license from TSR. The rest is history, as Grenadier went on to create some of the most memorable miniatures as part of their Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons line. Occasionally, spare copies would show up in The Dungeon! Hobby Shop.

The Lizardman Logo miniature for TSR was copied from an illustration inside the front cover of D&D Supplement I: Greyhawk by Greg Bell. The miniature is very exacting in detail and is a virtual copy of the original drawing. Clearly an effort by the Grenadier sculptor to show off his talent and win the license for his company. Amazing!

The Lizard Man is 70mm tall to the top of the weapon and 55mm from head to toe! The bottom is engraved, "TSR Lizzard Man ©1977".

The only other times I have seen this miniature at auction was in 2004, when The Collector's Trove ran it's first auction for Dave Sutherland III, and then again in 2007 when The Collector's Trove ran an auction for TSR employee Kevin Hendryx. However, this is the first time I have ever seen this miniature for auction where it is still in it's original packaging!

A piece of gaming history! Don't let this one slip away this miniature is a true crown jewel for the serious TSR and miniature collector!

This item comes from personal collection of Jeff Leason!"

So there you have it, a miniature that actually deserves to be tagged as rare. This makes three copies that have been sold by Paul (all from former TSR employees), and I have seen three more owned by Acaeum members (two collectors, and one former TSR employee). I wonder how many others might be sitting around gathering dust or hidden away in a box somewhere?

Unreleased TSR Female Fighter by David C. Sutherland III

In my previous post, I was able to share pictures of an unreleased TSR Draconian, sculpted by David C. Sutherland III. This time around I have pictures of another unreleased TSR miniature, a female fighter also sculpted by Mr. Sutherland. One of these little beauties recently sold for $380 on eBay. The one shown below is not that particular mini, but it was also obtained from The Collector's Trove.

The eBay listing for the female fighter claims that only two dozen copies of this miniature were cast. I don't know where that information originated from, but it seems reasonable for a test casting. The listing also suggests it could be an elf female fighter, but I don't see any pointy ears.

Huge thanks once again to my fellow Acaeum collector Brian Beholder for providing these pictures. It is my personal belief that collectors need to catalog and share their treasures, if for no other reason than to ensure that these miniature labors of love aren't lost and their origins forgotten.

Unreleased TSR Draconian by David C. Sutherland III

In December's Lead Market Report, I noted the sale of an unreleased Draconian, sculpted for TSR by David C. Sutherland III. This particular mini sold for $305, way too rich for me but I'm sure it made the new owner very happy. Recently, a fellow collector on the Acaeum forums disclosed he too acquired a Draconian from The Collector's Trove (who auctioned off the aforementioned $305 mini).

My fellow Acaeumite (Brian Beholder) was kind enough to share some nice close-up pics of the Draconian, so I am happy to be able to share BB's pics with you folks. There wasn't much background info other than the eBay listing claims it bears a TSR 1984 hallmark, same as my unreleased Sutherland ogre. To me, it seems likely these unreleased Sutherland minis (Draconian, female fighter, and ogre) were all sculpted around the same time, and were likely test castings, possibly to try out new alloys. Enjoy the pictures!

Do You Recognize This Ogre?

This ogre (if he is indeed an ogre) appears to be an unreleased TSR miniature, most likely sculpted by David C. Sutherland III. It was acquired from a collector who knew and lived near David around 1997, when David lived in Poulsbo, WA and was seeking employment with Wizards of The Coast after they bought TSR. What I'm trying to find out is ANY information with regards to this particular miniature. If you or anyone you know can shed any light on this brute, I would be much obliged.

Was it in fact sculpted by DCS III? If not, then who?

Is it an ogre? If not, then what?

Where was it cast?

Was it intended as a test, an employee-only gift, or for future release?

What line (if any) was it intended for? D&D, AD&D, Dragonlance, Empire of the Petal Throne, etc?

The specs for this miniature are as follows:

Height (top of base to eyes): 1 and 1/2" (38mm)
Height (bottom of base to top of helmet): 1 and 7/8" (47mm)
Height (bottom of base to tip of axe): 2 and 5/8" (66mm)

Weight: 2 ounces (56 grams)

The hallmark on the bottom of the base is clearly stamped/inscribed  © 1984 TSR, Inc.

 Shield front.

Shield back.

The shield is 7/8" high and  5/8" across. There is a peg on the shield arm, but no mounting hole on the back of the shield.

This particular ogre holds a two-bladed axe. The other two variants I have seen hold a single-bladed axe and what looks like a hand axe.

 Posed with the DCS III ogre mage and a DragonTooth innkeeper.

Ogre and innkeeper.

In the pictures, it is shown as I acquired it: mounted on a thin cardboard base and primed. I soaked the base in Simple Green to remove the cardboard and reveal the bottom of the base. The axe is glued/epoxied into the hand. It has now been stripped of primer. Hopefully someone will be able to fill in the blanks for me. Otherwise I guess I need to call in Scooby-Doo and his friends.

Air Power & Wee Little Aeroplanes

I recently acquired a nice copy of Air Power (WWII air combat rules) by Tony Adams, published by TSR back in 1976. Why would I do such a thing? Because aviation in general, specifically WWII aviation, has always been on my radar. I still have one of my elementary school reports I did on the Battle of Britain that must be as old as this copy of Air Power - yikes!

As an aside, if you enjoy aviation and have yet to do so, make sure you take in the annual Reno Air Races in September. I've been twice (1988 and 1993), and there's nothing like hearing and feeling some warbirds racing around at high speed down low across the desert scrub. Awesome.

Anyhow, I also picked up some tiny B-25Bs and Bf109Es to go with the Air Power rules. You know, so I can actually play the game? I'm not entirely sure of their scale (possibly 1/432nd?) or their manufacturer (Der Kriegspielers? Pewtercraft? Superior?) but they are nicely made with good detail for such a small scale. The B-25s are marked "1/43" on the underside of the left wing and "B25B" on the bomb bay doors. The 109s are marked "4/43" on the underside of the left wing and "ME109E" on the underside of the right wing. They should be fun to paint up, once I decide what color schemes to go with.


Anyone else dig on WWII wargames?

On the fantasy front, I've been painting some minis for the upcoming D&D session in Cali with Ye Olde Gang. Gotta get those done in the next week or so.

And on the WH40K scene, I've been working on a test subject for my DA army. He's a tactical trooper built up using specific bitz to see if an idea in my head can translate to a completed model. More to come after I get him finished.