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?

A Throne Fit For A (Giant) King

I am still in over my head with real life matters, so painting, blogging, and other hobby-related pursuits are quite secondary at this point in time. I still make a little bit of time to surf eBay and see if anything interesting has surfaced, but it's mostly window shopping.

There was, however, a recent auction that I could not take a pass on: This lot of 8 Grenadier Giant's Club boxed sets. At $82 total, that is barely over $10 per box. And with one exception, each box is complete with all parts and the paper inserts! The only exception was the missing Chaos Giant, but that should not be a problem to remedy. Now if I told you I already own 5 out of the 8 boxes in the lot, you may ask "Why? Why would Tom do such a thing?" This is why:

It is the Giant King's Throne! Same idea as the Dragon of the Month mail order special (The Dragon Lord) this promotion requires you to collect all of the giants from the Giant's Club series (10 sets) and send in the voucher and UPCs from the boxes, and you received the Giant King's Throne directly from Grenadier.

To me, this is an actual rare, limited edition miniature. There probably were not too many leadheads who actually bought all 10 Giant's Club sets, cut out the UPCs and mailed them in. I wonder if anyone from Grenadier knows how many Thrones were made and how many were actually sent out? So you can call it I bought 8 giants and got the Throne for free, or I bought the Throne and got 8 giants for free. Either way, it was $82 I was happy to part with, no matter how you look at it.

When I make some time in the near future, I'll add the Giant King's Throne to the Lost Minis Wiki and fill in the various missing pics in the Giant's Club section under Grenadier.

My apologies for the poor quality of the photos - they are quick snaps with my new phone. I will take some nicer pics with my camera and lightbox when I can set up that shoot.

Until next time (whenever that may be), happy painting and happy collecting! Thanks for stopping by.

Uncle Duke Seifried in 25mm

Every once in a blue moon, I see a miniature that really and truly fits the definition of words such as unique, hard-to-find, cool, one-of-a-kind, and yes, rare. So not too long ago, I noticed a miniature on the auction block from the estate of David L. Arneson that caught my eye.

It is a miniature representation of Duke Seifried, the prolific miniature sculptor and wargaming legend who is affectionately known as Uncle Duke. I remember being intrigued by such an uncommon sculpt, and meant to ask Uncle Duke back when the auction was live, but I let it slip into the back of my mind for a spell.

One thing I really like about our hobby is the history and background of the various companies, sculptors, and personalities that make up the business, past and present. The whole notion of an Uncle Duke mini struck me as awesome - but what I really wanted to know was the how and where and why of how this miniature came to be.

Fast-forward to Friday when I finally got off the dime and fired off a missive to Duke, who was kind and gracious enough to give me a reply and answer my questions about the Uncle Duke mini. So here you go:

TLD: What is the story behind this sculpt? How did it come to be?
 
UDS: A limited number were made to present to special people.   It was me with my usual briefcase full of samples and paperwork.   They used to tease me about that case because at one point when someone else opened it up they found a gun.

TLD: Is it a Heritage miniature? Does it have a code stamped on the base?

UDS: Yes, it was produced during that period.  No code.

TLD: Is it a one-off? Limited Production?

UDS: There were 20 produced.

TLD: Was it an in-house only item, or was it available to the public?

UDS: Never available to the public.

TLD: Did you sculpt it? If not you, who did?

UDS: I believe it was a fellow namd Steve  (I think ) Bisset but I cannot remember clearly from some 30+ years ago.   

TLD: Did you paint it?

UDS: There were only two painted that I gave to important distributors.


TLD: Did you give it to Dave?

UDS: Yes, he was a very good friend of mine.   He was one of the "special people".

TLD: Sorry for the barrage of questions, but this is such a fascinating item I had to dig up your card and fire off this email. Thank you for your time.

UDS: This figurine has become a rather rare collector piece - and I understand brings a pretty penny.  I have only one left  myself.

Respects,

Uncle Duke

I had to send a follow-up to Duke to ask him if it was OK if I shared this info and his reply was "By all means! Stories are made for all of us to share." What a gentleman. Thanks again, Uncle Duke! I hope you all enjoy the background on this fascinating miniature.

 

Hrugnir and Cumulus

Earlier today, an auction ended with a final price of $224.50. Included in the lot were a pair of DragonTooth giants and a much smaller troll or ogre that looks like it could have been from Minot, Minifigs, Essex, or something along those lines.

The DT giants were two that I would consider rare, and they would be Hrugnir and Cumulus The Storm Giant. Cumulus looks like a truly massive hunk of lead, and I'm wondering if his wooden lightning bolt is OEM or did someone else fashion a wooden replacement? I guess I should ask over on the DT Yahoo! group.

The last time I saw a copy of Hrugnir, it was just over a year ago and it sold for $120, so it looks like both of these giants command $100+ when they hit the market. I threw in a last-second bid but it was like trying to attack a polar bear with a pocket knife - futile.

So congrats to the new owner! I hope they have found a place of honor in your collection.

Grenadier Special #1 - The Giant Dragon

In case you've been looking for Grenadier's Special #1, The Giant Dragon - one is currently up for grabs on eBay. If you want it, it's going to cost you at least $201 USD (current price as of 5/15, with three and a half days left). Good luck if you happen to join the bidding for that monster!

Speaking of Grenadier's Battling Behemoths (that's what it says on the packaging), I paid a paltry $22.84 for my Giant Griffon (Special #2), compared to $233.50 for the only other example I remember seeing. Sometimes it pays to be lucky, no?

My son needs some shelves to display his growing collection, so I bought some 1x6 pine boards and have been busy cutting, assembling, and staining them into completion. I should have that up by this weekend, and I'll post some pics when that happens.

And I've finally dusted off my brushes and started painting again. I'm working on a small gaggle of mostly Reaper giants, ogres, and trolls, along with a few other nearly-complete projects. I hope to have pics of those completed pieces in the very near future! Wish me luck.

Friday 5/17 Update: Aaaand with a day and a half to go, the aforementioned dragon is now up to $257.55! The current high bidder seems VERY determined to stay on top. Good luck to him/her.

Sunday 5/19 Update: WOW! I woke up this morning and found that the dragon jumped from $257.55 to a winning bid of $460.55 - I figured it would probably top $300, but I guess a couple of folks really wanted this one. Congrats to the winner.

DragonTooth's Horus and the City of Magic Money



I haven't done a lot of buying over the summer, mostly because I haven't done much selling. But I couldn't resist putting in a bid on DragonTooth's GD-1 Horus, even though he is broken at the ankles and missing his sword and sceptre. I was pleased to win him for less than $9 - that's a bargain to me, even in his current state. Now I just need to acquire his sword and sceptre...

You can see him above after he has visited my little shop of mini horrors. He has been pinned back together, and I used a bit of Citadel's LGS (Liquid Green Stuff) to fill in the gaps. I still need to smooth it out before I prime and paint, but I'm getting there.

 

The Grenadier mind flayer in the third picture is for scale reference. I had no idea how big Horus was until he arrived at my house. Overall height is 60mm, and measures 45mm from foot to eye. I imagine he would scale out at close to 54mm if he were standing upright. I'm glad he's posed and not standing still like a statue.

 

In other DragonTooth news, did you see the City of Magic sets that recently sold? If not, let me recap: King Niflung's Throne Hall sold for a staggering $898 USD! Tomb of the Dwarf King went for $521.11 - a princely sum for a king's tomb. Ye Blind Cyclops Inn sold for $316.11, and the Dwarf Armory ended at $266.

 

There is a deep-pocketed DT collector out there who was willing to shell out $2,001.22 to add those four City of Magic kits to his or her collection. WOW! At an average of $500 per kit, that is dedication. On the plus side, all four kits look like they are 100% complete, something that is not very common considering the age of the kits and the amount of components involved.

Hrugnir Finds A Home

This bearded brute is Hrugnir. He is a giant, and he is carrying his loot. His loot consists of at least one bovine and one dragon, and other things carried in his sacks, pouches, and quilts of many colors.

In the world of miniatues, he is known as GI8 or GI-8, Hrugnir the Giant Carrying His Loot, and he was produced by DragonTooth miniatures.

Earlier tonight, someone (not me) paid $119.50 to add him to their collection. You can see the ended auction here. I was ready to join the bidding, right up until the point where I saw it had gone from a start of $9.99 with three bids from the same bidder and the reserve not met to $100 as the same bidder upped the ante. Too rich for my blood! Not suprisingly, a sniper popped up at the last second with the final and winning bid.

This is the first copy of Hrugnir that I have seen in the past four or so years on eBay. It's quite possible I may have missed others, but even then, it would have to be only a small handful, say perhaps two or three copies, if that? I suppose the bidding could have been even more active if the seller had properly identified it, instead of listing it as "Dungeons & Dragons AD&D 3-1/2" Dwarf Carrying Cow Dragons RARE MINT" in the title.

I guess it's just fun to see that one actually popped up for auction, and that hopefully some collector is now eagerly awaiting Hrugnir to wing his way through the postal system and arrive in his new home. Of course I think he would have looked just smashing alongside my copies of Big Meg and the Horned Hill Giant, but I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled for another one. And it wouldn't hurt to start stashing away a few extra bucks too. I'll call it my Rainy Day Hrugnir Fund, and yes, feel free to contribute to the fund.

(Picture from the Stuff of Legends)

Lead Market Report - March 2012

Well I finally managed to get the March LMR out the door, just in time to start work on April. When will I end my procrastinating ways? Probably when I end my lead-buying days. Not gonna happen!

BROADSWORD: I usually don't pass up vintage giants, but for some reason I didn't bid on these big fellas: the Stone Giant and Hill Giant, both for only $7.50 each. I've actually owned and sold these previously - what was I thinking, selling off giants?

CITADEL: As I previously mentioned, I finally bought my first Citadel AD&D monsters! The same seller had a Troll, Owlbear, and Gorgon for $20 each. I missed out on the Troll, but picked up the other two before they were snapped up. This Owlbear sold for just over $20 for comparison. Also on the block was the Ranger set ($19) and an Ogre ($24). The C28 giants also made a splash at $38 and $31.

DARK HORSE GAMES: I was too old to get caught up in the TMNT craze back in the day, but I didn't escape totally unscathed. I played my fair share of TMNT games when I worked at Nintendo, and now I find myself pondering the wisdom of collecting the four 75mm turtles...hmm. Like this Michaelangelo for $23 and this Raphael for $16. Or if I go all in, I should expect to pay prices like $47 for this lot.

DRAGONTOOTH: It's good to be king. Or it's good to be the seller of the Tomb of The Dwarf King for $336!!! Wow. For $215, you could have partied in Ye Blind Cyclops Inn. And for "only" $125, there was the Dwarf Armory.

FORGE WORLD: Here's one I haven't seen before! A large-scale (54mm) representation of Asmodai, Interrogator-Chaplain of the Dark Angels. A very cool sculpt, but $178 is a bit out of my range I'm afraid. You can see some pics of the other FW 54mm models on this thread.

GAMES WORKSHOP: This metal LOTR Cave Troll didn't last long at $15.

GRENADIER: This complete run of Grenadier's LOTR box sets was just too good to pass up at $32, so I bought it! I have to imagine that not using 'Grenadier' anywhere in the listing probably helped keep the price down. If you're looking for these, let me know - maybe we can hammer out a trade or offline sale. Isengard has already been claimed, but the other four are available. And I had not seen these Warrior newsletters before - always cool to see things I didn't know about! Issue 4 (July/August 1993) $8; Issue 5 (September/October 1993) $8; Issue 6 (November/December 1993) $8; Issue 7 (February/March 1994) $8; Issue 8 (April/May 1994) $13; Issue 9 (June/July 1994) $12; Issue 10 (August/September 1994) $8; Issue 11 (November/December 1994) $14; Issue 12 (February/March 1995) $14; and Issue 13 (April/May 1995) $14. There were also two Grenadier catalogs that came and went, the Temporary Catalog Update for $15 and this green-cover catalog with both the US and UK addresses for sold for...wait for it...a buck! My kind of deal, if I had been the buyer.

I'm always on the lookout for the Giant's Club sets, and they continue to sell right around the $10-$20 range for the most part. I picked up the Fire Giant for $13, and the same seller also moved a Stone Giant for $11, a Dwarven Giant for $14, and a Forest Giant for $17. There was also this Dwarven Giant in shrink for $13. Moving on to other boxed sets, there was a Dungeon Raiders for $26, King Arthur in shrink for $27, Osric the Wise for $42 (haven't seen prices like that on this line recently, so perhaps Osric is uncommon/rare), Fantasy Warriors Juggernaut for $23, and the Battle Giant for $33. This unboxed Goblin War Giant tallied $60. The seller of this mail-in only Dragon Lord was asking $90, but ended up selling for $75. Looks like the original packaging and documentation, so it was probably worth it to some Grenadier completist.

The same seller who cashed in on three DragonTooth sets (listed above) also sold this lot for $55, which included the smiley-faced Have A Nice Day beholder among other minis (including the well-endowed version of the RP Balrog 01-003).

HERITAGE: A small batch of John Carter Warlord of Mars blisters hit the market and made a splash - the recent John Carter movie probably wishes it could have done as well, no doubt. Check out these prices: 1504 John Carter mounted on Thoat with Deja Thoris and Woola for $272; 1522 Orovars - Horz and Lotharians with Bowmen for $162; 1517 Black Pirates of Barsoom - the Firstborn for $84; and 1528 Plantmen of the Valley Dor for $65. On the bargain end of the spectrum, there was this lot of 8 Fantasy Fantastics plus 1 D&D blister for $37.

This complete-looking Caverns of Doom sold for $112, moving back up the price charts. And this Barsoomian Battle Manual still sold for $25 even though it was missing a chunk off the front cover.

LEADING EDGE GAMES: "Yeah man, but it's a dry heat!" Aliens - talk about a flick just chock-full of memorable quotes and snappy one-liners. And the minis just keep on selling, like these, uh, Xenomorphs (aka the Alien Warrior Boxed Set) for $66. If heavy equipment is more your thing, then you probably bid on this Power Loader Boxed Set (with 4 Sentry Guns) that sold for $46. The Alien Queen Boxed Set went for a respectable $36, while the Colonial Marines Set #1 ended up at $31. And I would have bought this $22 blister for the name alone: the "Game Over" Pack!

MINIFIGS: The VFW (Valley of the Four Winds) minis seem to be some of the more sought after minis produced by Minifigs, and one particular seller sold several lots as follows: VFW 42, the aptly-named Cart Full of Skulls & Bones, for $29; what looks like VFWM10 Wheel of Torture (Pat Sajak NOT included), a pair of demons, and 4 hellhounds for $72; VFWM6 Spiked Fire Wheel, the Spirit Monks set, and World of Greyhawk 55 (fire elemental) for $27; and VFW73 Wind Demon & Ornate Chariot for $46.

RAL PARTHA: As I mentioned in the last LMR, some BattleTech collector decided to Go Big (as in go big or go home). The winner of this particular auction spent a whopping $342 on this carded Phoenix Hawk LAM. I noticed the same seller is currently peddling two in the same auction for a $100 starting bid and a $370 BIN. We'll see where that one ends up. For loose Mechs, you could have picked up this Rifleman with a FREE display case (dice box) for $11. Or this one for $13. Or this one for $16. The Warhammer still commands attention and prices: $35, $15, and $21. BattleTech lots, as usual, do very well - 6 for $86; 10 for $73, 5 for $61; and 20 mechs and 9 tanks for $143.

This Limited Edition Dracolich is still on my want list, thanks in no small part to prices like $123. Great if you are selling, not so much if you are buying. If you want a great deal as a buyer, how about this Limited Edition Golden Dragon of Chaos for under $28? That has to be THE lowest price for a NIS LE boxed set I have ever seen. And this LE Great Red Dragon for $66 also qualifies as a bargain as far as I'm concerned. $41 for Huma's Silver Dragon is about average. This Griffin Chariot in its NIS glory sold for $41 (this seller and this seller should take note if they ever expect to move theirs).
$20 for the Elf Chariot is a good price, and $20 for Riding the Cold Wind is even better!

11-Series: The Driders usually go for decent prices, such as these 11-518 Male Driders for $24. Their drow masters also do well, especially the uncommon 11-517 Drow II set for $17. And as someone who is after the 11-Series Birthright minis, it's encouraging that the Personalities boxed set has dipped down to $34, and the blisters are right around $10-$15: $13, $12, and $11 respectively. And a mostly-complete (missing one) Powers of Law for $28 works for me, if you have the patience to track down the missing Gruumsh.

Finally, there was this Troll advertised as a possible alternate sculpt to 11-408. Joe was kind enough to post a pic of the hallmark, which is unlike any RP hallmark I've ever seen. Makes me wonder if this is instead a casting of prototype that wasn't released? Anyone else out there ever seen this troll kicking around?


UPDATE: Thanks to the sharp eye of cola55z, I now know this is NOT an 11-408 alternate sculpt, but rather a 15mm Battlesystem mini from 11-954 Trolls of The Claw Mercenary Company. The troll linked above is seen on the far right of the pic on the LMW.

This lot was an absolute steal at $46! The Grenadier boxed set can sell for that much alone, so it's like the 9 RP boxes were free! Why am I using so many exclamation points?!? And this doesn't look so much like a poster as opposed to some sort of printer's proof sheet (sorry if I cannot recall the correct term), but for less than $7, it's still an interesting piece of RP ephemera.

REAPER: The Gauth boxed set sells for $100 at the Reaper online store, so even with the free shipping they offer on purchases over $25, the buyer still got a great deal at $51.

STEVE JACKSON GAMES: This Ral Partha Mk. III OGRE sold for $38, just to demonstrate that vintage OGRE minis continue to hold their value and then some.

WEST END GAMES: It's fairly uncommon (if not downright rare) to pick up a near-complete run of the Grenadier boxed sets in one lot, but someone did for $250. At just over $20 a box, it wasn't a steal, but then again, it wasn't a bad price either, and the buyer did get a great collection in one fell swoop.

LOTS AND LOTS OF LOTS: 200+ minis for $200 (down from the asking price of $300) is still a good deal for the dedicated reseller and/or collector. This lot of boxes and blisters was $158 - LOTR blisters, Wizzards & Warriors large boxes - neat stuff. I wanted the Superior Swamp Demon in this $78 lot (top right), but the VFW crew quickly pushed it way out of my reach. This very much old-school Orcus helped push this small lot to $44. Who mixes giants and undead??? $41 took these big and dead guys home. This $44 lot was a great, great deal at just over $2 per mini. And this $123 lot was an eclectic mix of DragonTooth, Grenadier Dark Crystal, Minifigs, and others. Finally, this $153 lot was something old and something new. That is to say, the new stuff was some of the older Reaper DHL line.

ODDS-N-ENDS: If you are an AD&D completist or a paint kit afficionado, perhaps you saw this Polly S AD&D paint set, complete with a Grenadier wizard. It sold for $9.99, which is only $1.02 more than it sold for at Toys-R-Us. And this is a rather neat-looking dragon of unknown origin (it looks older, like Minifigs, Martian Metals, Asgard - something along those lines) that sold for $23.

Lead Market Report - February 2012

Sugar honey iced tea! It's April already? Time to post the February LMR so I can turn around and get the March LMR hammered out. My own fault for dragging my feet once again. Enjoy.

CITADEL: The AD&D Umber Hulks from this line are just awesome, and therefore command prices like $31. It makes this $14 Minotaur look like an absolute bargain and then some! There was also this run of six MOC AD&D blisters from the same seller: Duergar for $30; Norkers for $26; Hobgoblins for $25; the Illusionists for $23; Dwarf Villagers for $26; and the Elf Magic-Users for $27. Even a humble Shrieker still netted some seller $6.

The boxed version of the AD&D dragons can sometimes get pricey, but this loose Red Dragon sold for $25, so if you don't need the packaging and documentation, bargains are still out there, just waiting for you to come along and snap them up.

And here's a Ral Partha pin/badge that ended at $89, apparently done by Citadel. Here's a pic of it on the CCM Wiki.

DRAGONTOOTH: This GI-05 Horned Hill Giant had been sitting around for several months before someone finally pulled the trigger at $40. It's a lot higher than I would have paid, but not outrageous considering you don't see too many DT giants up for auction. And I picked up my first DT dragon - D76 for $21. Poor fella had his wings glued on backwards! No wonder the other dragons wouldn't let him join in any of the dragon games. This lot here that went for $178 wasn't exclusively a DT lot, but my guess is the DT minis were a big part of the deal. I can see what looks like a D80 Small Dragon, GI07 Old Horney the Hill Giant (can't tell if he's holding his club or not), and DE05 Winged Snake Demon to name at least three, along with all the other old school lead visible.

FASA: I had to look up the Northampton-class frigate. It never had a starring role in any movie or TV episode as far as I can tell, but don't tell that to gamers and collectors. This one sold for $39. This is apparently a RAFM-produced mini for FASA.

GRENADIER: I was very fortunate (damn lucky!) to pick up this Great Griffon, also known as Wizzards & Warriors Special #2 for the bargain price of $22.84!!! I say that because the last one that surfaced in December 2011 sold for $233.50, more than 10 times what I paid for mine.

Monster Manuscript collectors seem to go after these sets with a full-blown case of collecting fever. Volume 12 sold for $178, while this Volume 11 went for $118. And they weren't even in shrink! But they were complete and in really nice shape, so I guess that was good enough. Other MM sets that sold include this shrinked Volume 7 for $76 and this shrinked Volume 5 for $27. I wonder why such a huge difference in price? Were the higher numbered MM sets short printed or something like that?

The AD&D Gold Line boxes show no signs of going down in price. The Dwellers Below seems to be the most popular, like this one that sold for $51. Very clean and minty-looking. $37 for Dungeon Explorers seems a bit lower than in past months, but not by much. And then there was this Hirelings for $35. Do player characters still use hirelings??? A complete-looking Dragon's Lair was $18.

For the rest of Grenadier's various lines of boxed sets, take a gander at these: $19 for a complete & painted Giant's Club Frost Giants. A NIS LOTR Hillmen of the Trollshaws for a $32 BIN. $36 for Boris Vallejo's The Magic Goes Away (gotta love Boris!). For one dollar less ($35), how about the Special Edition Roc and War Rhino? The box looks like hell in a handbasket, but this Wizzards & Warriors Dungeon Explorers was only $16. NIS Encounter at the Red Dragon Inn? $56. NIS Encounter at Deephaven? $31. $21 for the Black Dragon II.

From the Great Buys file, how about Princess Achmiri for $5. Yes, $5! And for $9, someone picked up this great-looking Fire Giant. I've been chasing this particular giant for awhile now, but just haven't jumped in on any bidding yet. Maybe you have a spare one sitting around that you'll trade me???

And from the Son of The Great Buys file comes this Teronus the Ultimate Dragon for less than $7! Sure, it's assembled and painted, no box, no insert - but if you want a big old dragon (this guy is heavy!) for less than $10, this would have been your bargain.

One of my favorite eBay sellers to keep tabs on is cola55z. Great selection time and time again, like this Two-Headed Demon (oh come on, just call him Demogorgon already) that sold for $13. Be sure to swing by their new website too! You can buy offline from eBay, peruse upcoming minis about to hit the auction block, or help ID some unknown minis. Fun stuff.

The picture is way too fuzzy, but this seller claims this might be a Grenadier Grinch. And for only $3, why not take a chance on a fun mini, even if you don't know what it is? I almost did.

If you're into Grenadier printed matter, you might have seen this collection of the original newsletter-style Grenadier Bulletin that took in $114. Very cool stuff, if you happen to be into the history of collecting.

HERITAGE: Three Dungeon Dwellers boxed sets, all in shrink! Roaming Monsters Level One sold for $59, Roaming Monsters Level Two sold for $57, and Roaming Monsters Level Three sold for $53. And even when opened and sporting beat-up packaging, sets like Roaming Monsters Level One can still fetch prices like $53.

LEADING EDGE GAMES: "All we know is that there's still no contact with the colony, and that a xenomorph may be involved." These poor colonists never had a chance! But their Last Stand earned this seller $60. Or you could have picked up the exact same set still in shrink for just over $18. I would have picked the latter, but that's just me. Colonial Marines #2 sold for $57, pretty close to what it typically ends up selling for. Aliens sets I see a fair amount of, but Terminator 2 sets, those I don't see quite as often. I guess that helps explain the $84 price for the Future Soldiers.

MANZAKK PUBLISHING: This Mergatroid sold for $8, which is about par for the course when it comes to Manzakk's Finieous Phigures set.

MARTIAN METALS: I dont' think I've ever seen any of these 15mm Traveller minis up close, so I've always been curious as to their detail and quality. At $10 per blister, they seem downright affordable if you are actively searching for them.

RAL PARTHA: What is up with you BattleTech fanatics? $103 for a Marauder IIC? I really need to find myself an abandoned storage locker full of MOC BattleTech minis. Ka-ching!!! The funny thing is, next month's LMR will showcase an individual BattleTech model that topped $300. Wow - just wow.

If I'm going to drop several hundred on a lot, I'd go after one like this: 50+ mechs, a bunch of bases, and even a nice selection of books and supplements for $410. To me, that's getting a lot of bang for your BattleTech buck! And some lots, like this one for $61, are relative bargains in my estimation.

This batch of lots carried the Ral Partha tag, but were mis-labeled "Battlesystem" instead of BattleTech. That mistake cost the seller a chunk of change IMO, but some lucky buyer(s) picked up some bargains: Lot A $41; Lot B $42; Lot C $42; Lot D $46; Lot E $31; and Lot F (parts, bases, and bodies) also for $31. Great prices for collectors looking to fill in some holes, or for resellers looking to make a few bucks.

On the other end of the spectrum, here are some BT lots that seem to be more the norm these days: 27 for $203; and this lot of 60+ mechs and 40+ vehicles for $500 - looks like there are two unassembled Marauders in this bunch.

Only a couple of loose Mechs to note this month - a Warhammer for $16 and a Marauder for $43.

I love bargains, and I know you buyers out there do too! Some lucky dog picked up an Imperial Dragon for $25. Oh, and they also picked up 16 other dragons in the same lot. 17 dragons for $25 is what, about $1.45 per dragon???

On the AD&D end of things, boxes like the Great Red Dragon (new and shrinky) still make collectors say 'Thank you sir, may I have another?' to the tune of $110. This Red Dragon of Krynn sold for $36, and this T'Char went for $26, and the FR Heroes set took in $21.

If you feel like $270 for 45 blisters is a good deal, I'd agree with you! That's only $6 per blister, people. Sure, 10-12 are Ravenloft, and there's one from Harlequin mixed in there, but that's still a sweet deal in my book. And if you buy loose 11-series, you gotta love prices these days: a 11-505 Illithid (the much-cooler, fez-topped flayer) for $6.50; 11-491 Skeletal Giant for $6.51; and 11-057 Elminster for $10.

Lead, as in pencil - here's a $71 sheet of pencil sketches by Dennis Mize for the 01-506 Slave Auction box set.

SUPERIOR MODELS/PERTH PEWTER: Bidding is usually strong when it comes to Elfquest's Cutter and Leetah. Maybe if the seller had included "Elfquest" in the listing that might have helped their cause.

TSR: Here's a lot of with the four character class boxes that sold for $83. The boxes look to be in decent shape, and only one mini out of 48 was damaged. Not bad for TSR.

WOTC: Sometimes a mini looks like it crawled right off the pages of the Monster Manual. This 3E Umber Hulk is one of those as far as I'm concerned. And for a $20 BIN, someone snapped this guy up right quick. And this lot of Chainmail minis ended up at $282 - at a bit over $2 per mini, that's a nice deal if you are building up your factions for some serious battles.

THE X-FILES: I have no idea who made this interesting-looking dragon with six legs and curling horns, but maybe you do? In any event, someone added him to their collection for $10.

LOTS OF LOTS: OK, I see the Minifigs Demogorgon and the Heritage John Carter Green Martian, but who are the other fellas clutching spears? $41 took those uglies home. This $56 lot is full of demonic A-listers. This $90 lot has three different Grenadier Umber Hulk variants, among others. There are a variety of dragons and lizards in this $61 lot. And this lot of giants (oh yeah!) that sold for $42 has a nice mix of Superior, Grenader, Ral Partha, and Heritage - including both Heritage DD ogre variants. This big $171 lot featured a Grenadier gold-plated orc shaman and a bunch of Dungeon Dwellers, but $171 dollars worth? This $178 lot had more minis, just nothing gold-plated from what I can see. And some lucky Warhammer Fantasy collector picked up an $81 steal - terrain, siege equipment, ogres, and not one but TWO Citadel/Marauder giants. Score!

eBay Plug: Chaos Dwarf Juggernaut

"Chaos Dwarf Juggernaut - the ultimate driving machine."

I've gone ahead and listed my Chaos Dwarf Juggernaut on eBay. Starting bid is a mere .99 cents and there is NO RESERVE on this bad boy. Free shipping in the US and a flat fee of $40 for international shipping. If you bid on this, thank you and good luck!

Chaos Dwarf Juggernaut!

OK, so you really have to hand it to the Games Workshop folks. In addition to all the mainstream armies for Warhammer Fantasy Battles, they decide to add Chaos Dwarfs to the mix, but they don't release a Chaos Dwarf codex (army rulebook for those not steeped in GW-speak). Instead, rules for Chaos Dwarf armies get tucked into other rulebooks like Ravening Hordes and Tamurkhan: the Throne of Chaos. You can find this info and a whole lot more over on the Chaos Dwarf Wiki.

To further complicate the lives of Chaos Dwarf players, they release models and decide against providing any rules or fluff (background info). Say what? In this case, I am talking about the Chaos Dwarf Juggernaut. It is a wheeled siege tower or weapons platform that is pushed into battle by a Boar Centaur. The model was sold with two levels that stack on top of the main body, but additional levels were available directly through GW at the time, so you could pretty much stack as many levels as you wished. Remember, there were no rules for it! This is what I speak of:


Orc/goblin archer included for scale reference.

At first I was surprised at how small this model is. I suppose I was expecting something big and bulky - but then again, we ARE talking about Dwarfs here. It is 3 inches long from cannon tip to rear spikes, 1.5 inches wide at the upper platforms, and 4 inches tall. It weighs in at 9 ounces, so still a hefty little chunk of metal. For the rest of the world, that would be about 8cm long, 4cm wide, 10cm high, and 250grams.


Something Juggernaut this way comes!


And this is what the poor Boar Centaur stares at all day.

One thing that struck me upon closer inspection was the fine detail. You get a better idea in the following pictures, but a lot of fine sculpting work went into this machine. There are two pegs for shields on each side of each upper level, and those are ornate little gargoyles/effigies instead of a simple plain peg. On the lower level, where the spikes come through, there are nasty-looking faces. And on the beams that support the upper levels you will find tiny chaos symbols and more Gothic-looking faces and bodies that add to the overall creepiness and chaos look of the Juggernaut.


Say hello to my leetle friend!


The devil is in the details...or something like that.

So there you have it. One of the true rares in both the Warhammer Fantasy and the miniatures world. Part of me wants to keep it, just because it is rare and kinda cool. But the reality is I will end up selling it, and use the proceeds to continue to fund my lead habit. If anyone has any additional Juggernaut information, lore, or stories they wish to share, please do so. Happy gaming!

Lead Market Report - September 2011

This is my penance for procrastinating. The August LMR was only live for a couple of days and there I was, deep into September's LMR. I REALLY need to stay current on the LMR or the beast grows another head, much like your garden-variety hydra.

ARCHIVE: A roper, umber hulk, snake, and lizard walk into a bar...and promptly get sold for $31! Gotta watch out for those Underdark lead slavers. Even more impressive was the sale of this huge Imperial Dragon for $232.50! Original box, instructions, 1978 catalog, and a complete and unassembled dragon - nice.

CITADEL: This trio of AD&D (or ADD in Citadelese) Sahuagin hit their BIN of $25. I don't know why this troll didn't top $9, but it didn't. Seems like the bigger ADD critters usually do better, like this beholder for $28 or this minotaur for $23. And $18 for this 3-mini set of female fighters seems about average for this line.

COMET MINIATURES: Battlestar Galactica! $32 for a pair of iconic ships (Colonial Viper & Cylon Raider) seems like a nice price to me, as I have never seen these before.

DARK HORSE: Turtleheads love their lead, as evidenced by this blister for a cool $60. In the small lot category, this lot of 12 minis commanded $83.

GAMESCIENCE: Why yes, I am covering a lot of first-time manufacturers this month. This lot of Star Trek ships went for $74. I had a chance to pick up a small handful of these for a buck each when American Eagles went under. Oh, hindsight, you are a cruel mistress!

GAMES WORKSHOP: The Inquisitor blisters of spare parts seem quite rare, such as this IG booster pack for $43.

GRENADIER: I'd have to go back and check, but it seems like the Grenadier AD&D Gold Line box sets have been trending upwards. Damn, and I have just recently decided to add those to my collection want list! Folks are even dropping modest amounts for incomplete sets, like this lot of 4 for $50 and this lot of 4 for $66. Considering how easy it is to Frankenstein a set, this isn't a bad way to go IMO, as long as you're getting a good deal on the lots. Of course, there are always bargains to be had as well. Giant Griffon? $14.47. Masterpiece Death Dragon? $12.50. Big-ass Shadow Dragon? $10.61. Imperial Dragon? $10.50. Special Edition Roc? $6.17 (and no, that is not a misprint!)

The Gamma World line from Grenadier continues to be HOT! How hot? How about 8 blisters to the tune of over $80 per blister? That's right, this lot of 8 brought in a tidy $656.

He-Man? He has the power! The Raid of He-Man was powerful enough to take in $33.

Even more powerful than He-Man is the power of the force. Long live Star Wars! A Snowspeeder rang up $61, and this pair of Speeder Bikes a much more modest $21.50.

Chasing the Giants Club line? $13.49 for the Sea Giant or the Titan are both excellent prices. This unboxed Fire Giant for $32 seems high (unless you are the seller), but I guess folks love 'em. I mean, this Fire Giant was a steal at 99 cents (how did I not bid on this?!?), so go figure.

Not lead, but paper! Here is a batch of vintage Grenadier Bulletins (the black & white newsletters, not the color ones) that recently sold. I love printed materials like this, as it truly represents miniature info in the pre-Internet days. Volume 1 #2 sold for $22.50, Volume 1 #3 sold for $29, Volume 1 #4 sold for $32, Volume 1 #6 sold for $35, Volume 1 #7 sold for $29, Volume 1 #8 sold for $7.50, Volume 1 #10 sold for $8.50, Volume 1 #11 sold for $8.50, Volume 1 #16 sold for $23.50, the 1982 Catalog & Bulletin combo sold for $29, and finally the 1982 Dragon! Dragon! Product Update sold for $17.

HERITAGE: A couple of big-ticket items for Heritage this month: a big honking lot of Der Kriegspielers Fantastiques (the unofficial LOTR line) that sold for $712! This lot was a mixed bag of DD, Grenadier, and a ODD white box. Any way you slice it, I feel it went way too low, even as a lot for $316. I mean, look at this next item - granted, it is still NIS, but $165 for the Adventuring Characters? Never underestimate the power of shrink, I guess.

HINCHLIFFE MODELS: Because I spend a bit of time looking for Ray Lamb sculpts (Superior Models), I inevitably come across his other work. And this beautiful samurai for Hinchliffe seems to be one of the better-known and in-demand models. This particular Taisho sold for just under $77. If you want to read some background on Frank Hinchliffe, check out this informative blog entry.

LEADING EDGE GAMES: $16.36 buys you a beat-up but complete blister of Sentry Guns. This lot of three sets was incomplete, but still went for $36.50.

OTHERWORLD: Otherworld minis are not vintage lead, but they do make some beautiful minis that look like the old-school monsters from BITD. Pig-faced orcs, anyone? This lot of 6 critters took in $52, which was a bargain compared to the full retail prices.

RACKHAM: I don't follow Confrontation minis, but this massive lot caught my eye, as well as $609 from the buyer's bank account.

RAL PARTHA: Now this first lot is not Ral Partha per se, but it was cast by RP and sold as the only official set of Finieous Fingers miniatures (Phineous Phigures in the ads, if I recall correctly). Not only is it complete with all 8 minis, but it comes with the original box and inserts! At just under $68, I call that a deal - a little more than $8 per figure + packaging works for me. If anyone out there has a spare Kask the Wizard, I need him to complete my own set (hint hint).

If I'm going to buy 11-series still in the blister, I don't mind prices like $12.28 for the Mimics. $78 for a Pit Fiend? I'm so glad I bought mine for retail back in the day. This Gelugon was only $23, but maybe that's because his spear has been modified. The bargain I passed up (but wished I had snapped up) was this lot for a mere $80. A great price considering the contents of the lot.

RP Box Sets - Takhisis is always in demand, and NISB can only add to the bottom line - $148.50. This nice & complete Menzo set went for $42. A mostly complete Bridge of Sorrows sold for $16. I've always liked the Elf Chariot, and $21 seems like a decent price. I don't see this Mastadon too often, so $32 is not what I would consider too high. This trio of The Red Dragon of Krynn, Bear Chariot of the Icelands, and the Black Prince's Chariot of Fear sold for $84. Finally, this Imperial Dragon commanded a tidy $124.

Battletech - $20.50, $25 and $25 for a NIP Rifleman is pretty much par for the course. If you are more like me, you'd probably rather spend $23 and get this pair of Warhammer and Shadow Hawk mechs. If you want a new Warhammer or a new Marauder, it's gonna set you back right around $40. For $172, you could have adopted this lot. Or for the same price, this much smaller lot. To each his own, no?

REAPER: I'm not sure why the seller settled on $47.29 as the BIN for this lot, but I know it sorely tempted me! 28 packs of Reaper's early recasts of Dungeon Dwellers is what you were buying. Even more tempting was this incredible bargain: 3 new brushes, 28 Pro Paints, 16 Master Paints, and 27 miniatures. The BIN? A paltry $65!!! I'm still kind of kicking myself for not snapping this one up. Rounding out Reaper this month is their dracolich, Kaladrax the Dire Drake for only $20.

TARGET/HEARTBREAKER: While the Mutant Chronicles games are niche games, the universe itself is quite rich and generates a loyal core of enthusiasts. And Warzone collectors are not afraid to spend, even though most of the OOP minis are quite often bargains. This massive Bio-Giant sold for a tidy $51. Or you could have picked up a Bio-Giant plus a small truckload of other minis and books, etc. for a hefty $330. Need more? This big old lot of Warzone goodness took in $405.

Thankfully, you can still obtain a good selection of Warzone minis through Prince August.

MISC: Got dice? Since there is a blister of Dungeon Dwellers dice, I could list this under the Heritage heading, but there are way too many other sets, so it falls under MISC this month. Somebody REALLY wanted these dice, to the tune of $255! Wowsers!! I hope they're good for a few well-timed critical hits...

I'm not sure what brand of minis is stamped PPC, but this large lot of Star Trek ships and characters sold for $140.49.

You can't tell from the pics if these two MPC AD&D plastic kits are complete or not, but to get both of them for $31 seems fair to me.

Probably the coolest and most unique item is this D&D table that Bill Owen and Bob Bledsaw of Judges Guild fame used to game on. If I was in or around Illinois, I would have bid on this for sure. Seems like a bargain at just under $78.

Finally, here's a grab bag lot of many different minis from various manufacturers. While I'm pretty sure I've seen larger lots (contrary to the seller's claim), it's still a neat assortment that sold for $274.