From beyond Black Fire Pass...

Some old lead and some recent acquisitions-
Diving into the boxes and bags in the farthest corners of the cupboard I found a few pieces that I hadn't seen for decades and finished them up over the last few days. These Orc, Goblins and Undead are a mix of white metal miniatures from various years but all hold up well when together. The Fanatic was always a favourite of mine after seeing it in the old Armies book in Kev Adams' army- it is a solid base (pre-slotta) from 1984. The peg legged orc is old piece from 1988 sculpted by Kev Adams- I've added one of my recently produced grotesque shields to his back. The Goblin champion is another Kev Adams sculpt but was released recently by Crooked Claw.

These undead are all North Star range bar the central figure which is an old 1983 solid base Zombie from Citadel's Dungeon Monsters Starter Set. It needed a lot of love after being painted in thick enamels.

Oldhammering...

Oldhammer... a revolt against the plastic mass produced sprues of contemporary fantasy and science fiction wargaming? A sentimental attitude harking back to the time of blister packed white metal/lead figures of our childhood? A bit of both... but its more than that.

The old lead still has a lot to give- it's hand sculpted details may be softer than the modern digital sculpted, dynamic models but it has a certain charm with the sometimes wild designs and exaggerated shapes. A lot of the sculpts seem to rely on- from what I understand- the rtv molding and spin-casting process that limits the dynamism to a degree while trying to achieve a single piece figure cast.

Artists/sculptors seemed to imbue more of their own ideas into the pieces that hinted at a much more varied universe and made for a range of interesting, diverse characters and creatures before an amalgamated style was settled upon.

There are some great blogs showcasing these old classic pieces...
http://realmofchaos80s.blogspot.co.uk/
http://realmofcitadel.blogspot.com.au/

In addition here is a great interview with Rick Priestly with a lot of tidbits on the conception of 40K and the 'old days'...
http://talesfromthemaelstrom.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/rick-priestley-interview.html

And in the meantime here are a few Undead pieces of mine- old and new. A mix of 80's Citadel metal, contemporary plastic from Games Workshop and Mantic and some models from the metal Lord of the Rings range.