Friday 6 June 2008

Flash Gordon - Arborean Forest Guardian

Here we have a very old Citadel or more correctly Marauder Treeman. The model had remained based and undercoated for some years (maybe more than fifteen years), until one day through a freak accident the model was damaged and removed from the square base I had attached it to.

As I was thinking about scraping the metal beast I thought about adding it to the ever growing Flash Gordon collection and so it was re-based on to 50mm round base and the groundwork re-modelled with DAS.

In addition to the repairs that were carried out on this model after the accident I used a different technique for pinning the two large arms to the main body. I first glued the arms in place with super glue and then drilled and pinned them, covering up the hole and joint with 'green stuff'. I have read recently of others using this process on Privateer Press Miniatures (Warmachine and Hordes) with great success.

The painting which was done with acrylics was very simple and quick, drybrushing over black with a couple of washes and picking out the ivy with green, the birch bark with grey and the knots and detail with light brown and cream.

The model was varnished and a couple of clumps of static grass added to the base.

As Prince Barin is a Forrester, an Arborean or in some books a Treeman, I felt that 'Arborean Forest Guardian' was a better name for this particular animated monster.

The model stands over 80mm tall, foot to top of claw and is based on a 50mm round base.

The miniature was not bought, but given to me by John Stallard, Managing Director of Games Workshop after I visited the old GW offices in Lenton, Nottingham many years ago. I had been asked to attend a form of interview, and took along some scratch built Warhammer buildings and terrain as well as painted figures. After the meeting which seamed to go on for hours, I was taken on a guided tour of the production plant and given a cardboard box to fill with lead miniatures. Here is one of those miniatures, based and painted!


It is a memory that will stay with me for a very long time and one of the reasons why after all these years I can never quite bring myself to be really negative about Games Workshop.

Tony

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