Basic / Expert 1e D&D - Figs

Classic Sculpts for Classic Folks!

My mix of Grenadier and Heritage figs has survived these 40 years or so - amazingly!  No dry rot, etc.  Some were primed, some were painted and others just laying around in a box.  But, finally got motivated to go "old school" with my 1e Bas/Ex D&D and get some of these guys painted for a true Old School feel!

They are being used as Player Characters and their opposition.

These are half-painted Grenadier orcs from Mirliton in Italy.  They look better in real life.

Also, some of my pictures need better lighting and focus!

The below are Heritage, except for the guy kicking down a door, who - I believe - comes out of the Grenadier Fighters box set.

Fighter in back is a well-known classic from the Grenadier box set [I think], and a good sculpt.  The tree is nicely done and easy to paint up.

The above halflings are Grenadier, I think.  The bowman may be a Heritage...

These fellows are coming along nicely.  They are mostly done.  The thief is one of my favorite sculpts - lots of animation and personality.  The wizzo wasn't that interesting until I started to paint him, now I actually like him. He's definitely a traveling Wiz.

This fellow is a good sculpt.  Several things I like including the unusual helmet and the shield. Deserves a good paint job! I'd guess the tree is a Gondor reference?

This halfling archer has been getting more interesting as I've painted him.  I think he has a bit of a belligerent air about him, now that he's half painted!

This dwarf just has a great expression on his face.  Thoughtful?

And here he is, basically finished.

I may feel obliged to do the eyes, they seem pretty easy.

I think this halfling is picking a fight!

cloak is nicely sculpted, natural folds.

This fellow took some work, but he came out well.  It was easy to pick out the details.

These two have a lot of character.  The Wiz is clearly negotiating, while the thief appears to be stalking off with booty while telling someone else to piss off.

Gear on the back is nicely done, they look ready for a few weeks of adventuring!

Close-up of the thief.  He has a lot of charm and personality, IMHO. Especially now he's painted.

Well, there you have it. 

Boy, the sculpting style is like another planet compared to modern stuff, and these have great style and "character" despite being less realistic looking compared to modern sculpts.

But they also have charm, which many modern sculpts lack.

I hope you enjoy them and they inspire you to either paint your old lead or buy some new old lead!

Grenadier Figs Live on!

Great old-school boxes of awesome D&D figures arrive!

See these boxes at the Mirliton site  [CLICK].

When I started my retro nostalgic BasEx 1e D&D project, I knew I wanted to get my old figs painted up, and add some new figs to the few I had [about 30].  Some of them are Heritage and some Grenadier.  Heritage is gone, but Grenadier lives on!  It was taken over by an Italian group called Mirliton, SG, and clearly the whole thing is a labor of love for them. I eventually decided to purchase some from the line of "Fantasy 25-28mm Dragon Lords" as they look great in the pics and are true originals.  Prices were a little higher than for some figure lines, averaging around $5 a figure [or in figure equivalents for large figures] after all shipping, etc was paid.

Ordering process was painless, Mirliton has great communication, uses FEDEX and it all arrived in about 10 days.  The Purchase order came with it:

EDIT: great question on metal quality.  The metal can still be bent and shaped, but it is a lot less soft than the original lead of the old days.  I'd guess there is no lead in it, but it's a pewter - tin mix.

A few had mold lines running down the sides that were noticeable [some didn't]

And here are some pics of them cleaned and primed:

Mr. Molotov?

"Orcs - Dragon Lord" above and below

Hirelings and Specialists

Dragon Lord Monsters - the two biggest...

...and a smaller one - a Basilisk?  If so, very dangerous...

Can definitely recommend the figures and the seller.  In a gaming world where a lot of the sellers are part-time hobby projects themselves, it is refreshing to get great service at a reasonable price of around $5 a figure shipped to USA.

What are YOU waiting for??

😄