The big news is Bones USA, a harder, better detailed material and made in the US. Besides the nice idea of buying American, it also means Reaper can keep them in stock more easily without waiting for a large minimum order from China.
This month's release is an Elf wizard, nothing ground-breaking but a detailed model that should make for a good test case. Free with a $40 order till Jan 31.
Other, more conventional Bones releases include...
Jahenna can serve as a female vampire, a doppelganger posing as a female vampire, or mid-90s LARPer!
A dire boar, for all your accursed porcine needs.
And a dire crab for your Akuma no Kani needs.
Some knights, basic and useful. Paint 'em white for good guys, black for bad guys or rainbow for inclusive guys!
Similarly mobs of minotaurs and goblins for filling out your mid or low level battles.
I swear that to my dying day I will not understand the appeal or logic behind Owl Bears. Why not squirrel gators?
Speaking of which, in all my years I never met anyone who wanted to play a gnome. But here's a gnome if you want one.
So anyway here's to another year of Reaper models varying from basic and useful to novel and neat, to COMPLETELY INSANE.
For the moment let's keep posts about their Kickstarter in its own thread and keep this to their retail releases.
The owlbear and boullet (sp?) were created in the rules as a way to use in-game those crappy plastic “dinosaur” toys that literally every kid in the 80’s had. Literally. Every single one. Those toys were so cheap and lousy that they spontaneously appeared in the bottoms of toy bins and car floors.
So it’s amusing that Reaper felt they had to take three stabs at making the owlbear.
Theo, the best weapon against a dire crab is Old Bay as every proper Marylander knows.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: The owlbear and boullet (sp?) were created in the rules as a way to use in-game those crappy plastic “dinosaur” toys that literally every kid in the 80’s had. Literally. Every single one. Those toys were so cheap and lousy that they spontaneously appeared in the bottoms of toy bins and car floors.
So it’s amusing that Reaper felt they had to take three stabs at making the owlbear.
The Rust Monster and the Bulette, in addition to the Owl Bear. And in it was the late '60s to mid '70s. Here's a photo of the original toys. Made in either Taiwan or Hong Kong, IIRC. Maybe there were some still available in the '80s. I've never seen a photo of the owlbear toy though, just these. However the one in the upper right may be the owlbear? Supposedly all three were from the same bag of toys.
ETA: wow, so many typos and this is the owlbear. Looks like someone forgot to clean the mold lines.
Ah, I just found an owlbear image too, but it's cool to see them together like that.
That must have been some old stock. I would buy that bag if I found it, just for the nostalgia. The Bulette was also called the landshark, very much because of the old SNL skit. Good times.
ETA more typos. Time to lay off the caffeinated drinks for a while.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Cool. I had these guys including the proto-rust monster but never the proto-owl bear.
Still don't get the appeal but meh, there it is.
Oh man, I recognize that creature on the bottom right from when I was 4 or so. My parents had bought it as part of some China-made dinosaur bag. I had no idea until now that it`s connected to Dungeons and Dragons.
Dear lord, I've seen gummy bears with better details than those bones. I thought they had retired that trash for bones black... why are they still making human sized figures in that material?
Bossk_Hogg wrote: Dear lord, I've seen gummy bears with better details than those bones. I thought they had retired that trash for bones black... why are they still making human sized figures in that material?
To be fair, the pictures they use here are not doing them any favors at all. Makes them look worse than they are. They are IRL much better in the details than earlier bones (I have these from the kickstarter).
The reason they still make them is because these minis are from the bones 4 core set that was produced before they discovered/started doing the Bones Black material, which all the Bones 4 expansions were made in.
Bossk_Hogg wrote: Dear lord, I've seen gummy bears with better details than those bones. I thought they had retired that trash for bones black... why are they still making human sized figures in that material?
Lol, until I got to the "human sized figures" part of the post I thought you were referring to the dollar store monsters a few posts up.
Isn't Bones USA the third iteration of Bones now? Wasn't there Bones black that was supposed to be improved as well- but they are also still releasing stuff in the original bones?
Is getting confusing - the Bones USA mini doesn't seem significantly (if any) more expensive than the other Bones releases ... so why keep releasing minis in the inferior material?
Schmapdi wrote: Isn't Bones USA the third iteration of Bones now? Wasn't there Bones black that was supposed to be improved as well- but they are also still releasing stuff in the original bones?
Is getting confusing - the Bones USA mini doesn't seem significantly (if any) more expensive than the other Bones releases ... so why keep releasing minis in the inferior material?
large mimimm orders and long lead times mean that even if they wanted to they probably have a long tail of stuff that will be coming in from china in he older material for some time (I'd also suspect some if not all of the moulds for the original bones material may not work for he new stiffer version)
Today on The Crow's Nest, At 4:00 pm CT please join hosts Wibitiki Kaiju Company and Clever Crow Studio As they interview the man behind the Bones 5 Pirate Ship, Chris Lewis!
When: March 5-7, 2021
Where: ReaperVirtual.com
Admission: FREE!
What is Reaper Virtual Expo?
Reaper Virtual Expo, or RVE, is Reaper Miniatures’ free online event! RVE brings the best miniatures artists in the world together to provide online classes and panels covering a wide selection of hobby interests.
Since 2004, Reaper Miniatures has been bringing people together to connect their hobby and love of miniature painting, tabletop gaming and geek culture. In 2020, we held ReaperCon 2020 Online – our first online convention – with great success!
ReaperCon Online 2020 was an amazing experience and we learned so much. Most of what we absorbed is that a massive part of our fanbase is unable to physically attend ReaperCon. For that reason, we are starting our annual Reaper Virtual Expo. This online event will allow fans around the world to participate in their hobby from the safety and comfort of their own home.
As with ReaperCon, each show will have a unique theme. In 2021, Cyberpunk is our theme complete with new factions, new miniatures and new stories.
Free model (with $40 purchase) for February is Darius, who can serve as either a wizard or a cleverly disguised conehead.
I got an order this week and it looks like the softer white bones is being replaced by the harder grey bones, definitely an improvement.
The theme this month seems to be two-for-one kits, which can easily serve two roles in your games.
The Chibi series continues with a new female knight. The nice thing is this chibi can be converted into a normally-proportioned model with a simple head swap!
Similarly, this Ettin can be converted into a normal one-headed giant with the swipe of a hobby knife!
Or this cave troll can be a swamp troll by painting his base green!
Or this Dire Crocodile as a Dire Alligator by changing it from fresh water to salt water. Or vice versa. I forget.
Or this griffon can serve as hippogriff by simply forgetting what the difference is.
(Hippogriffs have the hindquarters of a horse in case you're wondering)
This huge Julie Gutherie wyvern can also serve as a familiar for any 96mm figures you're looking to convert.
While these killer apes can serve as Kings Kong in a 6mm game
Khanag the Slayer can easily become Khanag the accountant or Khanag the lifeguard with a hand swap
Finally I have nothing bad to say about this pig and a cart, I need one! Or like 5 so I can have a caravan.
Well I bought two each of the cart-pigs and associated pig-carts, and then had to spend another £40 or so to get free shipping, and I blamethank this forum.
Ian Sturrock wrote: Well I bought two each of the cart-pigs and associated pig-carts, and then had to spend another £40 or so to get free shipping, and I blamethank this forum.
Ah, the Flail Snail. Simon Tilbrook's claim to immortality. The "Fiend Folio", so... not good. But it did have some interesting monsters from the mind of Charles Stross. At least it had that going for it.
Red Harvest wrote: Ah, the Flail Snail. Simon Tilbrook's claim to immortality. The "Fiend Folio", so... not good. But it did have some interesting monsters from the mind of Charles Stross,, so it had that going for it.
Plus some stuff from a clowns named Jes Goodwin and Sir Ian Livingstone CBE, wonder if those nerds ever made anything of their lives.
They have some fluff created for all of this. They tend to do that for their reapercons with faction symbols and everything. I like the looks of some of them but they're really trying to cover Shadowrun, generic cyberpunk, starfinder and general pulp all under the same banner (like why two archeologist type figures?).
I'll be interesting to see if they push more into those genres as typically they haven't been big sellers for Reaper but now that there's a lot more RPGs these could be used in maybe they're seeing better sales.
I got my Reaper Christmas order last week and thought I'd share a bit.
The freebies were very nice, a half dozen paints, 3 models, candy and Krampus.
And of course a tactical rock-I mean lump of coal.
The new grey bones material is also a marked improvement, here's a pirate captain extensively converted into a space pirate captain (note how the sword was swapped for a chain sword, that's some pro-level $%^& right there).
Fast shipping and nice deals, I think it's worth ordering from the company itself.
Just placed another $80 order and I blamethank this thread too. I hope whoever started it is getting a cut from them!
I got that exact same figure as a free bonus from reaper a few years ago, in original bones. I did a similarly complex conversion to turn him into my Warhammer Quest warrior priest who had found himself a Hammer of Sigmar.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Don't sell yourself short, I see you also added a book.
And you appear to have added a holstered pistol in exactly the same place, so it's still basically the same conversion you did, just with slightly different bits. And in any case, a conversion doesn't have to be complicated to be effective.
The new Bones Black stuff is nice, although be warned it is not as indestructible as the older materials. A bit more like regular resins, the good pressure cast ones, than bones. I had the Mammok (giant mammoth guy) from the KS arrive with multiple broken parts.
Reaper replaced him no problem because they are awesome, but just something to bear in mind.
Hopefully producing them all in the US will help some of the truly awful pre-build issues. I have spend as long on some models taking them apart and rebuilding as I have ignoring them as they wait in the thousands long queue...
I used to look down on companies that portrayed women figures as skin and bone as part of an set of unrealistic body standards but those skip even the skin part! Shameful.
You know what they say, March roars in like a Lady Minotaur, hangs out like a sealed sarcophagus, and goes out like a Lady Cyberpunk on her high tech motorcycle.
At least I assume they say that. Somewhere. Though perhaps not in those precise words in that precise order.
Anyway let's take a look at March releases!
Lady Minotaur, a model I'm sure that literally tens of people have been waiting for.
The Sealed Sarcophagus can also be used for Sea Lions, Manatees and Walruses.
While the cyberbike thing seems to go well with the upcoming cyberpunk models we saw for the virtual expo. And at $5 is a steal.
Also on that theme we have a drone
And a dwarf (maybe? I miss the size indicators) gadgeteer.
And some bots. At $10 good thugs for any sci fi game.
There's also 3 new metal space opera type guys, nice but not sure nice enough to warrant metal prices or to join my closet of shame.
Terrain wise we get almost everything you need to reenact the Necronomicon scene from Army of Darkness. You just need a third book. Guess I have to buy two sets.
Two more chibis
Some cool spooky ghosts! Also usable as phantoms, specters, spirits or swamp gas for your Scooby Doo games.
And finally a lil something for March 17 and the ole Reinforcin' o' de' Stereotypes!
Just a quick one to those that have a lot of Bones, and perhaps the different kinds.
What’s the material like mould line wise?
Specifically I’m thinking the Bones V stuff as I’ve got that coming.
The cyber bike is cool, will pick up one of those. I’m also a sucker for translucent minis, and ghosts are a perfect use of the material.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Just seen these aren’t on the reaper UK page yet. Anybody know how long of a delay there normally is between us and uk release times?
Danny76 wrote: Just a quick one to those that have a lot of Bones, and perhaps the different kinds.
What’s the material like mould line wise?
Specifically I’m thinking the Bones V stuff as I’ve got that coming.
The newer, greyer Bones minis that I’ve received from the previous Kickstarter were easy enough to clean. The mold lines don’t scrape off; you have to slice them off. They were not too pronounced, though, and unlike previous Bones minis, I didn’t have to cut the connection tabs to fit them into the sockets.
It's always depressing when I try to estimate how long it would take to actually assemble and paint all the miniatures I have, even for a particular army or project. I recommend you never do that.
Albino Squirrel wrote: It's always depressing when I try to estimate how long it would take to actually assemble and paint all the miniatures I have, even for a particular army or project. I recommend you never do that.
Or do it and come post in my thread in general painting forum.
I recently counted up all the minis I own painted and not..
@Kyoto: Are you sure those weren't posted on 4/1/21? It seems a bit odd for Reaper as a whole.
I wonder if these are also on Amazon from various Chinese importers. The glasses actually look cool if they're actually real. Probably less buggy than the Cyberpunk game recently released too!
Another sloppy manufacturer fails to consider the ferryman should be half man, half boat
Some say he was a local kid with an affection for boats, others that he's a German tourist who crashed his Bayliner on the rocks and found Purpose ... all we know is that he now watches over all the souls that cross from mainland each summer as ... The Ferryman!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also a gazebo is a necessity in these current times; how else are your adventuring party supposed to meet up and maintain social distance?
Going back to light boxes.
They’re all over Amazon in the UK at least.
Better than that joke one.
As it has gaps at the back. You can get enclosed right to the edge ones on Amazon
Gazebo. I cannot believe that went there. I just can't even.
Spoiler:
The preemptive strike of those players is 100% justified. That Reaper gazebo is clearly a Lovecraftian jellyfish horror posing as an innocuous decorative structure until foolish prey wanders underneath for it to envelop and consume. See, it's even furtively detached two of its tentacles for a quick stretch while it thinks nobody is watching.
I expect sages speculate that it's a kind of mimic, and that there's a Gygax module featuring it somewhere.
(has never played D&D, but would definitely buy that gazebo if he did)
That gazebo is extremely annoying to assemble, and doesn’t fit together well. Even in their picture the columns aren’t in the base properly. Just a heads up for those interested.
Gazebo. I cannot believe that went there. I just can't even.
Awesome! I always wanted a figure of Gazebo Boy using his singular power of Metamorphosis! I wonder if they’re going to make a model of the evil Termite?
Awesome! I always wanted a figure of Gazebo Boy using his singular power of Metamorphosis! I wonder if they’re going to make a model of the evil Termite?
Awesome! I always wanted a figure of Gazebo Boy using his singular power of Metamorphosis! I wonder if they’re going to make a model of the evil Termite?
Valete,
JohnS
Made me look didn't you...
Was actually thinking more What’s New with Phil and Dixie...
This particular piece is called "Ruined Doorway" not sure why when it's obviously a mimic.
This is where the lack of scale shots matters, the Arcane Circle looks like it could be cool if those spikes are man-sized. Otherwise hard to see spending $13 on it.
The $20 ruined temple however, that looks totally worth it.
On the metal side there's some stuff for the Not~Shadowrun line they're doing.
A Street Sam- I mean uh, Avenue Ashigaru.
And some generic, public domain skeleton robots.
I've been staring at this and have NO IDEA how she walks without tripping herself. I guess that's why she's the huntress and I'm just a dude with a keyboard.
From FB I gather this was a fun submitted figure. Cute one.
This huge Julie Gutherie wyvern can also serve as a familiar for any 96mm figures you're looking to convert.
I dont speak fluent Kyoto so I can't tell if he was being sarcastic here, but this wyvern is a nice sculpt but it is very small.
Defensive sculpt low to the ground, taking up a bigger base size than the beast needs.
It might be a wyvern after a 96mm character steps on it, in which case I get it now.
The fethhueg wyvern is this one:
Very nice model listed for sale on several sites but not Reaper itself for some reason.
Apparently a historical model, a shopper circa 2020 heading out to buy groceries.
Classic Kyoto.
This thing does stand up without the central spike, but its a bit of work to do.
Has separate base, head, sword and shield, has the clock sculpt of the 8th era Chaos Warriors and is a near exact fit for scale. Take a head sword and shield from the Chaos Warrior set and you have Games Workshopized him, not that you really need to do that for the optics but you do as its old squishy bonesium. Then he will serve well as a Exalted Champion. The block he stands on is an uncanny fit for a 25x25mm base.
I dont know why I like this but I do. Pumpkins are removable from the cart
Terrain wise we get almost everything you need to reenact the Necronomicon scene from Army of Darkness. You just need a third book. Guess I have to buy two sets.
You can get plenty of dark tomes from Dungeons & Lasers stretchgoal set 2.
Good stuff. Forgotten Chapters is a decent microbusiness making decals for addicts. Besides labelling their accessories for not-Sisters the below earns my trade:
IBST004
9€*
Fleur de Lis / Space Karens A6 size
screen printed
This particular piece is called "Ruined Doorway" not sure why when it's obviously a mimic.
This is where the lack of scale shots matters, the Arcane Circle looks like it could be cool if those spikes are man-sized. Otherwise hard to see spending $13 on it.
The $20 ruined temple however, that looks totally worth it.
On the metal side there's some stuff for the Not~Shadowrun line they're doing.
I didn't get this Terrain add on and regret it. Cant comment on their Shadowrun stuff, it was post kickstarter. Apparently Bones 6 will feature it heavily.
The Arcane Circle is big, you can drop one of their Great Old Ones on it, Greater Daemon etc. Those spikes are easily man sized.
The Temple is vacuum formed plastic I have heard (but its an old memory), you might need to backfill it and mount it. The Temple bits are all regular Bonesium. Yes, its nice piece.
Both pieces are for stop-the-ritual boss fights, you can send a party of adventurers against cultists plus boss with any of them, but the fight will mostly be on the surround.
Large but not huge. The top one is Ritual Circle, not Arcane Circle. Reaper's Arcane Circle is the Stonehenge model from Bones 3 which is bigger.
I remember why I didn't buy at the time now.
Just Google search 'fish tank temple ruins' and you will reach a large variety of bigger, sturdier and cheaper models. Many are pre-painted and while they all need some touch up if they are it wouldn't take long to do.
Aww they beat me to a description of the terrain. It is all pretty nice, although the Arcane Circle and Temple are a bit thin and might need to be dunked into a pot of hot water then held flat on the counter top to correct flex. The Arcane Circle's "teeth" also tend to pop out easily and need regluing, but they don't break.
Nope, it hasnt changed. My memory was faulty on this one, backed up by an erroneous website. The Stonehenge was Mystic Circle from the beginning. The temple and Arcane Circle were in a batch of items with the gazebo and a monkey orrery called 'Fantasy Scenics'.
Fantasy Scenics was $30 in Bones 4 and I decided against it due to a big gribbly getting my money instead. I didnt buy much of Bones 3 at all due to cashflow and dithering, and missed Bones 1 and 2 entirely., and left it way too late to afford a big spend in Bones 4. I learned from this by spending over twice as much on Bones 4 than Bones 3, and that doubled again at least for Bones 5 this time adding to my purchase over six months. Truly overcompensating for not buying the things I regretted not getting in Bones 3.
Postie is going to need medical aid after delivering me my Bones 5.
Easy E wrote: I might look into that Temple. Good for Ancients, Pulp, Cthulu, Fantasy, etc. Could also be a gargantuan mimic.....
Dragon Magazine actually had the gargantuan building sized Mimic. It would lure in adventurers with the promise of food and shelter but as they wandered it they would find the building lacked detail and everything had an odd texture. And then the devouring would begin.
It was called... The House Hunter.
Also..... Avenue Ashigaru..... clearly a Roadside Ronin!
I got mine right here, one of their better sculpts as the assembly is no nonsense and it stays up without drooping even in older white bonesium.
Lasted longer than my other large white bones kits.
The trick is to display it on beach crawler mode and only use it on its swimming stand during play.
Easy E wrote: I might look into that Temple. Good for Ancients, Pulp, Cthulu, Fantasy, etc. Could also be a gargantuan mimic.....
Dragon Magazine actually had the gargantuan building sized Mimic. It would lure in adventurers with the promise of food and shelter but as they wandered it they would find the building lacked detail and everything had an odd texture. And then the devouring would begin.
It was called... The House Hunter.
Psssh. Planescape had a mimic the size of a small moon, Mario Galaxy style. I think its name was Nimicri.
It even made fake people to wander around the streets so as to attract visitors. And it only ate the occasional visitor who wandered off on his or her own, to make sure it didn't get a reputation for being dangerous to visit.
What I'm saying is, your whole gaming table could be a mimic. ("The whole planet's on a cob! Run!")
My problem with it was the misassembly, lot of gaps and heavy gluing. It took a lot of cutting and green stuff to fix... I wish Reaper would have shipped it in component form.
The sums up my feelings with all their pre-built stuff. I wish I could find out what sort of glue they used so I could figure out what would dissolve it, because their factory builds are awful. Really, that is my only gripe with Bones models: they INSIST on prebuilding some of them and the job is a crappy one.
I don't understand why only some are prebuilt and not others, for that matter. I am just glad it is just a subset, and annoyed that subset included my frost giant women.
(looks like mostly figures from the virtual fair earlier this year)
Chit Jubal, Arkos Chopper
Chit Jubal is just an awesome name. Not sure what Arkos did to piss him off but you can bet Arkos is gonna get chopped for it.
Zara, Arkos Jumper. OK now I'm confused about who Arkos is. Is Arkos the skull? Does she jump over it in some sort of coordinated street dance routine? So many mysteries.
Wait. He's an Arkos jumper too? So maybe this is some sort of street performer faction who toss various rocks and skulls around (which the first guy chops) and then use their shovels and picks in some sort of acrobatic performance?
Yeah in the grim darkness of the near future we might all have cyber linked smart guns with extended clips of discarding-sabot armor-piercing ammo but Asanis here knows that in the shadow sprawl what we really need is a good katana. And you can buy that for a nyu yen chummer.
Troll smuggler. Why he only smuggles trolls I'll never know.
Devo Ranks, another awesome name. He'll hack the black ICE, glide the matrix and surf the data tides and still be back for tonight's Stuffer Shack run.
The true test of a great mini is something you never knew existed, never knew you wanted, but as soon as you see it you want a dozen.
So yeah. This good boi.
I'll take 12.
Genesis, Viceroy Assassin. If you're a viceroy or even just a vassier or a regent watch out cause she's coming for you. Sometimes, if the money's right, she'll even take a job to assassinate a Fullroy.
Sansavar Chung (another great name), Viceroy.
Uh oh. I wouldn't get too attached to this one.
So yeah, it does look like Reaper is developing a full on Not-Shadowrun line, and maybe a backdrop to go with it. I can also see a pretty awesome Stargrave crew taking shape from these guys.
Of course if you're playing these guys, you're gonna need the right headwear.
I'm glad these weren't a limited release for the virtual reaper thing earlier in the year. I thought they wouldn't be as they're plastic and I don't think Reaper would be able to bring themselves to paying for molds for this many LE figures. It's just they were being coy about if they were LEs in some of the original posts probably to sell out of all the bundles (which I almost got but realized I didn't need).
While I appreciate their continued foray into cyberpunk, I think Reaper needs to step up their game a bit. The various patrons like Unit 9 and Papiskels (albeit a bit chunky) have better sculpted IMO cyberpunk offerings than these.
warboss wrote: While I appreciate their continued foray into cyberpunk, I think Reaper needs to step up their game a bit. The various patrons like Unit 9 and Papiskels (albeit a bit chunky) have better sculpted IMO cyberpunk offerings than these.
Better technically, absolutely. Better aesthetically, that's a personal thing. I love the above groups, but they are far too Cyberpunk 2020 or everyone looks like a full body cyborg ala The Major. Outside of 25+ year old "official" Shadowrun minis there is no one making minis that slot into near future urban fantasy. When Unit 9 starts doing some cybertrolls or anything without mohawks (pink or otherwise) wake me. And of course the need for a resin 3D printer even if you like what those cats do might put a damper compared to pocket change needed to get Reaper Bones stuff.
PS: I will admit Papsikels has upped their game, but the need for a resin 3D printer still stands. Maybe they and Reaper could do something together...
warboss wrote: While I appreciate their continued foray into cyberpunk, I think Reaper needs to step up their game a bit. The various patrons like Unit 9 and Papiskels (albeit a bit chunky) have better sculpted IMO cyberpunk offerings than these.
I hate to say it but Reaper has been left behind in a lot of ways.
Don't get me wrong, I love the diversity of their lines, I love the latest version of Bones, and their metal too, but there are more detailed and dynamic sculpts out there.
What's the connection between not needing and not buying?
Sorry, I want the minis but didn't want to drop $300 for the big con bundles with a bunch of stuff I didn't want. I'm glad I waited as I can get what I want for like $30 instead.
warboss wrote: While I appreciate their continued foray into cyberpunk, I think Reaper needs to step up their game a bit. The various patrons like Unit 9 and Papiskels (albeit a bit chunky) have better sculpted IMO cyberpunk offerings than these.
I hate to say it but Reaper has been left behind in a lot of ways.
Don't get me wrong, I love the diversity of their lines, I love the latest version of Bones, and their metal too, but there are more detailed and dynamic sculpts out there.
Reaper is catering to the cost crowd that don't want to 3D print. Unit9 stuff in metal is very expensive compared to Reaper's stuff.
They make no bones, haha, about that being their main target. As for the design aesthetic, people like all types of things. I think it's more fair to compare their stuff with other RPG minis and I don't think these are any worse then the stuff that Cyberpunk Red has gotten (or anything from wizkids).
warboss wrote: While I appreciate their continued foray into cyberpunk, I think Reaper needs to step up their game a bit. The various patrons like Unit 9 and Papiskels (albeit a bit chunky) have better sculpted IMO cyberpunk offerings than these.
PS: I will admit Papsikels has upped their game, but the need for a resin 3D printer still stands. Maybe they and Reaper could do something together...
Papsikels upped his game by not doing really any of the sculpting anymore. He contracts out, that's what caused the massive shift in style.
Tamereth wrote: These are well timed for stargrave, I’ve done half a crew from bones black figures but now these don’t have matching bases, maybe a second crew?
Looks like separate bases which is cool. Though cutting off Bones bases is pretty easy.
warboss wrote: While I appreciate their continued foray into cyberpunk, I think Reaper needs to step up their game a bit. The various patrons like Unit 9 and Papiskels (albeit a bit chunky) have better sculpted IMO cyberpunk offerings than these.
I hate to say it but Reaper has been left behind in a lot of ways.
Left behind?!? Reaper never matched let alone surpassed Ral Partha’s sculpting quality even by using some of the same talent. It’s that chunky style right now that I’m kind of into. I’m also not interested in painting each rivet on a pair of jeans…
Genesis, Viceroy Assassin. If you're a viceroy or even just a vassier or a regent watch out cause she's coming for you. Sometimes, if the money's right, she'll even take a job to assassinate a Fullroy.
She might be up for whacking a Fullroy, but would she dare take on a...
Snake Roy?
Left behind?!? Reaper never matched let alone surpassed Ral Partha’s sculpting quality even by using some of the same talent. It’s that chunky style right now that I’m kind of into. I’m also not interested in painting each rivet on a pair of jeans…
Let's be fair, very few companies ever equalled or surpassed the quality of Ral Partha's offerings from the late '70's early '80's, even today. I look at my Ral Partha frost giant from like 1979 and compare it to what's available now... sheesh.
Reaper is very much the 'quantity is a quality unto itself' minis company.
Red Harvest wrote: Let's be fair, very few companies ever equalled or surpassed the quality of Ral Partha's offerings from the late '70's early '80's, even today. I look at my Ral Partha frost giant from like 1979 and compare it to what's available now... sheesh.
Reaper is very much the 'quantity is a quality unto itself' minis company.
Totally agree with the latter statement. I love Reaper for the random box of monsters and npcs that I can rifle through ad hoc during games and bring out appropriate mini (specifically the bones offerings)
Totally disagree with the former statement. I am not going to yuk your yum and say that the frost giant is bad in any way, but I gotta say it sounds like a nostalgia piece for you that you subjectively love, rather than some kind of objective truth.
Just saying in a situation where I could get that model for $0 or any another frost giant model available today for that same price, the Ral Partha one is not likely to be coming home with me.
Yeah the Bones frost giants are some of my fave minis -- I have three of them that are literally sitting on the mantlepiece as ornaments (they do get a bit dusty...).
I suspect I'd have spent a lot more on big Mierce monsters if Bones didn't do big creatures so very well. Still not a huge fan of most of the human-sized Bones minis (though I have a dwarf from them that's surprisingly decent, and a human apothecary that was fine with a head swap).
The old Ral Partha one is okay -- but it definitely looks old. Gimme the Bones ones any day, or for that matter the more primitive-looking frost giant from Blood Rage.
I think saying Reaper is worse than or no better than Ral Partha or Grenedier is a bit of an exaggeration.
Reaper's never been the avant gaurde of the miniature sculpting art but have a good mix of solid minis people need and off-the-wall stuff you never knew you needed (but need now).
Kid_Kyoto wrote: I think saying Reaper is worse than or no better than Ral Partha or Grenedier is a bit of an exaggeration.
Reaper's never been the avant gaurde of the miniature sculpting art but have a good mix of solid minis people need and off-the-wall stuff you never knew you needed (but need now).
Agreed. While I'm not a fan of the cyberpunk minis, they're not actually bad IMO either. As for comparing Reaper to other manufacturers (both classic and current), I think Reaper has their own niche where they excel (namely single piece/cast minis). I'd say their line back in the early 2000's was the best in that admittedly cherry picked subcategory. It's just that the hobby world outside of minis-centric board games and dirt cheap RPG filler has mostly moved on from using them. YMMV.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: I think saying Reaper is worse than or no better than Ral Partha...is a bit of an exaggeration.
I don't. Looking at my Real Partha (now Iron Wind Metals) Shadowrun miniatures, they are notably better sculpted than these brand new Reaper minis. More detailed, better proportioned, just plain better. It doesn't mean these Reaper minis are bad or even that I won't buy them, but Reaper (on average, each figure varies) has a "style" that not as technically as good as the minis it replaced. It just so happens that that style became the popular style...~stares at GW~
Wha-Mu-077 wrote: I really wouldn't say Reaper really, uh, 'excels' at anything.
I mean someone already made the "quantity has a quality all it's own" reference last page, but I do think that's their forte - a decent investment in one of their frequent KS campaigns nets a very large number of miniatures suitable for DnD or other tabletop rpgs.
pancakeonions wrote: All I know is that when my enormous Reaper sailing ship arrives, I am going to have to fill it with Frost Giants, just to post the picture here.
People go to Reaper for it being affordable and for how wide its model range is. Reaper has a ton of random miniatures for things no other company produces. Less so with Wizkids' recent development but still.
NinthMusketeer wrote: People go to Reaper for it being affordable and for how wide its model range is. Reaper has a ton of random miniatures for things no other company produces. Less so with Wizkids' recent development but still.
Ral Partha frost giant is cool but not $40 cool.
So in short, Reaper is the company you go to if you're either really short on money or there's literally no alternative for the model you want.
NinthMusketeer wrote: People go to Reaper for it being affordable and for how wide its model range is. Reaper has a ton of random miniatures for things no other company produces. Less so with Wizkids' recent development but still.
Ral Partha frost giant is cool but not $40 cool.
Gotta say, I don't even think it's $5 cool. Ral Partha's sculpts were fine for the time, I had a number, but they do not hold up to modern eyes.
NinthMusketeer wrote: People go to Reaper for it being affordable and for how wide its model range is. Reaper has a ton of random miniatures for things no other company produces. Less so with Wizkids' recent development but still.
Ral Partha frost giant is cool but not $40 cool.
Those WizKids minis... the renders look good, and would make for fine resin or metal minis, but the final product in plastic is barely adequate, except for the really large pieces. The plastic holds no detail and the renders are very detailed, which makes for a mess when translated into the plastic. They are 1st generation bones level, for the most part.
Do bear in mind that the RP frost giant was sculpted 45+ years ago ( give or a take a few years). Iit is a clean enough and a detailed enough, and a well proportioned enough 1 piece mini to fit in today. Nicely *realistic* It lacks the 'heroic' scale we see all to often.
Other companies from that time, e.g. Grenadier, Minifigs and even early GW, their minis have their charm, but are crudely sculpted. Meh, I guess you had to be there.
Reaper has something for everyone, and that is a good thing.
I should clarify; I do not at all mean to criticize Ral Partha's work, merely point out that what it WAS is very different from what it IS. What that frost giant is today, is a $40 miniature wholly beat out by modern offerings for less than half the price. Because it is going to cost me at least that much to get a decades-old OOP mini off ebay verses a relatively recent bones figure from a company still in business.
Wha-Mu-077 wrote:I really wouldn't say Reaper really, uh, 'excels' at anything.
Nonsense. They excel at making money by making a product a lot of people want. Companies for our hobby tend to run by creative types with no business sense and can barely survive, if they actually manage too for more then a few years. Reaper is owned by business people that love the hobby and run one of the most successful miniature companies around. I don't know if Ed or someone else from Reaper like kicked a puppy in front of you but it's dumb to be that upset over their existence as them producing models doesn't prevent other companies from making their own stuff.
Chairman Aeon wrote:
Kid_Kyoto wrote: I think saying Reaper is worse than or no better than Ral Partha...is a bit of an exaggeration.
I don't. Looking at my Real Partha (now Iron Wind Metals) Shadowrun miniatures, they are notably better sculpted than these brand new Reaper minis. More detailed, better proportioned, just plain better. It doesn't mean these Reaper minis are bad or even that I won't buy them, but Reaper (on average, each figure varies) has a "style" that not as technically as good as the minis it replaced. It just so happens that that style became the popular style...~stares at GW~
This is the problem with these discussions as everyone is right when it comes to sculpts as it's 100% preference and we'll never actually convince each other that the other is correct as taste is different and that's fine. Reaper also employs a lot of sculptors so they don't have a consistent style but some are old Ral Partha people others are much newer and there's arguments for and against the inconstant feel that is also subjective.
Red Harvest wrote: Exactly. It is the one thing everyone seems to agree on, the variety. Which is why we follow this thread. Reaper is never boring.
And remember, De gustibus non est disputandum.
Which is precisely why I find these last few posts so puzzling... Reaper is perfect *chef's kiss*
Even Bones KS 1 - at something like 40 cents a pop, including some giant figures, they were magnificent! *another chef's kiss, this one more exuberant*
(OK, maybe by "magnificent" I really mean "a great deal, even if they were kinda crappy", but you get the idea. I like Reaper!)
I don't have the time for such a project, but it would certainly be something to follow. And because the range is quite large, I think that a specialised thread would be a good idea.
I'd like that, basically the only time I become aware of new Deep Cuts is if I randomly see them in an online store and then it's usually something dumb like a 6 month preorder, 1 week in stock and then sold out forever.
lord_blackfang wrote: I'd like that, basically the only time I become aware of new Deep Cuts is if I randomly see them in an online store and then it's usually something dumb like a 6 month preorder, 1 week in stock and then sold out forever.
I found this place via their eBay store when I was looking at some of the Deep Cuts models. No idea if they ship outside of the UK but they seem to have good prices and stock levels:
My partner got her Bones KS order in - my first comment was "we should have ordered more dragons"
Seriously, the dragons look really good and the material keeps getting better and better.
The only other miniature in the there that rivaled the dragons was the Greek expansion's golem. It looks great and makes me want to use it in a game. Maybe as a monster in some sort of rank and file system.
Wizkid stuff has gotten really good. Would be happy to see a thread there.
In other news I benefited from the shipping container delay for the current Bones KS fulfillment as my package arrives tomorrow and I was in a much later wave. I didn't have a core box just a bunch of addons.
I'm also looking at the reopened PM that's supposed to happen tomorrow. I want the Dark Depths set and before didn't really have the cash for it but now, if the price hike is reasonable, will get it as who knows if the stuff in there will ever make a retail release or when as Reaper really isn't too forthcoming on what wont due to poor KS sales.
ScarletRose wrote: My partner got her Bones KS order in - my first comment was "we should have ordered more dragons"
Seriously, the dragons look really good and the material keeps getting better and better.
The only other miniature in the there that rivaled the dragons was the Greek expansion's golem. It looks great and makes me want to use it in a game. Maybe as a monster in some sort of rank and file system.
Good to hear! About 80% of my order is dragons and the Greek set. Lol
I didn't buy Greek Odyssey, though I bought pretty much everything else.
In the end I have some regrets on the ommission.
Glad to hear the dragons are decent though, I keep buying and being disappointed with the materials quality. However Bones 5 dragons looked good so I bought the full set of chromatics and the Bones 2 dragon.
This means that the Dungeons & Lasers dragons are mostly being painted as metallics.
lord_blackfang wrote: I'd like that, basically the only time I become aware of new Deep Cuts is if I randomly see them in an online store and then it's usually something dumb like a 6 month preorder, 1 week in stock and then sold out forever.
I found this place via their eBay store when I was looking at some of the Deep Cuts models. No idea if they ship outside of the UK but they seem to have good prices and stock levels:
There's been an update that if you want to order more stuff you have to create another account. Funny enough this comes from the PM page itself if you already have an account as the web person must have gotten annoyed with the Reaper employees on social media telling people to email their web admin and ask for them to unlock the account for more purchases.
I was trying to figure out why Reaper sent me two packages when I only placed one order until I opened the boxes up. The pirate ship is suitably impressive.
solkan wrote: I was trying to figure out why Reaper sent me two packages when I only placed one order until I opened the boxes up. The pirate ship is suitably impressive.
solkan wrote: I was trying to figure out why Reaper sent me two packages when I only placed one order until I opened the boxes up. The pirate ship is suitably impressive.
Oh man, she's a beaut. I have no idea what I'll ever do with it, but I love it so much! Zoom in on the bottom picture, you can see some 28mm figures here and there to get a good idea of the massive size of this thing.
pancakeonions wrote: Oh man, she's a beaut. I have no idea what I'll ever do with it, but I love it so much! Zoom in on the bottom picture, you can see some 28mm figures here and there to get a good idea of the massive size of this thing.
Does your second deck actually line up with the bottom layer? Do the rails line up with the rails of the very top deck? Mine is a mess and nothing lines up or fits properly.
It's a tiny bit bendy. The cabins atop the stern of the ship don't sit perfectly flat, but it's good enough that you don't notice unless you're looking for it. The rails do seat properly, so visually it looks good. The seal between decks isn't perfect, but surprisingly close for a Bones model. (for those who don't have the model... The masts are all removable with powerful magnets at their bases and in the deck. The stern cabins come off, as does the whole upper half of the boat to reveal the large, flat lower deck)
It's not perfect, but close enough that I'm really happy with it.
I think it's too big to try the hot water treatment with... I wonder if you might have OK luck with a hairdryer on high? Not quite sure how you'd fix a bad warp on such a big model!
We are anxiously awaiting our larger than originally planned Bones 5 pledge. We started out mostly just to get the ship but it was a slippery slope of “just one more thing” over and over again.
That said, we have lately been worried about reports on the ship model being a mess though. Hence the anxiety while we wait for it to arrive.
I didn't go as big as some, but I got the extra undead, the Overgourd (never knew I needed a Pumpkin Beholder 'til I saw him ), the Gem dragon, the dragon bust, dragon brush holder and the "disapproving hand spell".
Very impressed with the models, seems like good material and larger than I expected!
pancakeonions wrote: Oh man, she's a beaut. I have no idea what I'll ever do with it, but I love it so much! Zoom in on the bottom picture, you can see some 28mm figures here and there to get a good idea of the massive size of this thing.
Nice fleet, can you give a run down of whats what and where we can buy. I recognise the other Bones vessels, but list them all for everyone elses sake.
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Grumpy Gnome wrote: We are anxiously awaiting our larger than originally planned Bones 5 pledge. We started out mostly just to get the ship but it was a slippery slope of “just one more thing” over and over again.
Me too. I bought the ship because it was big and $100. Do I need it? No. Will I likely never use it? Probably. Will I ever paint it? Unlikely.
But the kicker was. Will I get epic tier not-buyers remorse? Certainly.
This makes the vessel a fairly reasonable late 18th century 6th rate. Though the stern architecture is from a century earlier.
Frigates prior to the Nelsonic era tended to have two decks of small guns, but moved to a single deck of heavier guns. Fewer guns total but more firepower and range. 6th rates had 20-24 heavy cannon, putting Sophies Revenge squarely into the 6th rate frigate category
More than it needs. For heavy cannon you will want all the cannon on a single deck near the waterline. 20 12/18pdr is a decent armament for a frigate, and the ship is at fair scale for the class. Rule of cool allows for deck guns. If you want to have two gun decks buy lighter cannon for the deck guns, or some swivel guns and maybe a pair of carronade.
While it is a fantasy ship and does mix genres if you replace the masts with something more reasonable I think it makes for a very plausible vessel. Doing a rated warship in 28mm is quite an achievement, most kits and sits at this scale are for smaller unrated vessels.
Here is how I would rationalise this model.
Sophie's Revenge was built in the new world by Portuguese or Spanish shipwrights using outdated but servicable blueprints and balcony architecture from the days of the Spanish Empire. She is most likely a Spanish ship. She was then captured by/traded to the English, French or US who refitted her as a modern frigate. To be worthwhile doing she must have been laid down in the 1770's or later and in service to northern powers by the 1790's who refitted her for single deck heavy guns. Hence why there are main deck emplacements, which probably housed 9pdrs from an earlier two deck gun arrangement of about 30-40 canon total.
From the number of guns she is most likely to be in service to the Royal Navy as it is spot on for a RN 20 gun 6th rate frigate.
The masts are a mess, the top masts have been damaged to the point they need replacing. It is not yet sure if the admiralty will allocate additional timbers for an antiquated 6th rate or decommission the vessel.
Piracy was still a thing in the Napoleonic Era so we might assume the ship was considered in a not seaworthy condition and was inadequately guarded.
I want to convert mine to a fully rigged ship, but not be fully rigging my vessel, will stop at three sails per mast, maybe even two, but I will be redoing the masts on mine, and I will be adding a spanker and a single token jib.
I will still take advantage of the magnetisation and not attach lines, and my sails will be more clear of the deck than is accurate both for ease of using miniatures.
Rule of cool, demands I try a go at making Sophie's Revenge carry a full ship rig, but practicality means I will not get anal over it.
My current proposal is to have two spars per sail, one with a furled and tied cloth sail hanging from it and the other a glued on fully billowed sail which I can make by wrapping thin cloth around a dustbin and spraying with rigid starch and gluing on ropes at the spar. In neither case will any lines be present, but I will likely have to do something about climbing rig. Though that is a problem I am finding difficulty envisaging a solution. I might cut flaps to fold bases, but I might instead just buy some of these.
The jib will be one piece with lines (most likely wire) attaching to the bowsprit and the foremast. I will have two jib sails glued together, I should be able to get away with them touching. I will not attempt a furled jib sail.
The spanker will be easier if attached to a gaff, then I can have a deep pinned gaff spar one high up with a billowed sail and one with a furled sail. I might not bother with a lowered position for the gaff and the sail will be cut well short so it doesn't interfere with putting models on the poop deck.
All in all I think I have it planned out. I down know what sized dowel I will use, or how I will make additional platforms. I might never actually get this done, but it is the sort of project I want to complete and might bypass much of my pile of shame. I hope so.
Orlanth, yet again you have a wealth of knowledge and are very helpful. You certainly know more about the period than I do. I will follow your suggestion on the history of the ship, but modified for the 7th Sea background we are using for our Tarnished Splendor project (Napoleonic Gothic Horror Pulp Exploration Multi-Game mashup).
This model inspired the whole project so it’s a key part of what we are doing…. Which means it needs to be high priority for me to complete.
The masts are something I knew I was going to have to work on but you are so much more knowledgeable on the details than I am. For the cannon, I am thinking rule of cool but need to figure out what to use. Do you have any recommendations on makers of appropriate models?
The most common opponent for this ship will most likely be much smaller ships, we have a couple of sloops coming with the latest Blood and Plunder Kickstarter but I have my eyes open for another decent, yet affordable larger ship.
While I can see why Reaper didn't include cannons in an already hefty model I'm kind of surprised they didn't make a Bones cannon and offer a pack of 20 for the ship.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: While I can see why Reaper didn't include cannons in an already hefty model I'm kind of surprised they didn't make a Bones cannon and offer a pack of 20 for the ship.
The ship has 15 gun ports per side, 9 on the lower deck, 5 on the upper deck and 1 in the cabin thing. So has 30 gun ports. Plus can hold maybe 4 on the front and 2-4 on the back deck… so could have 38 without looking too crowded… though I remember when they revealed the wip pics people were saying 42-44?
The set comes with 20 cannons, originally they had said 10 but changed it after some complaints. The cannons are 2 piece bones models. The carriage and back of the barrel and then the front of the barrel. They did not offer the cannons separately so there was no option to fully arm the ship.
I haven’t assembled my cannons yet, but they seem to be around the same size as the wizkids canons. If they do offer the cannons separately I will buy more to fully arm the ship and arm some of my playmobil ships.
Clockwise, starting at 3o'clock we have the Sophie's Revenge (or her stern, anyway!)
At around 6 o'clock we have the wee sloop that was part of the Brinewind extras from the same kickstarter. It's a nice small ship that should be able to hold a reasonable crew.
At around 7 o'clock is the small Reaper row boat, which was available on their website. It can comfortably hold one mini, or two with a lil squeeze.
8 o'clock we have the Games Workshop Arkanaut Ironclad from the Age of Sigmar Kharadron Overlords
10 o'clock and 11 o'clock are two ships from Blood and Plunder, the Bark and Tartana, respectively
Finally, at noon, we have the Reaper Bones Stygian Barge
Grumpy Gnome wrote: Orlanth, yet again you have a wealth of knowledge and are very helpful. You certainly know more about the period than I do.
I will follow your suggestion on the history of the ship, but modified for the 7th Sea background we are using for our Tarnished Splendor project (Napoleonic Gothic Horror Pulp Exploration Multi-Game mashup).
I know less about the genre than I let on. I had to look up a lot of the terminology to make sure I got it right, and didnt explain it because if I mention words like jib, spar, gaff or spanker, it is easier to just look them up.
I will follow your suggestion on the history of the ship, but modified for the 7th Sea background we are using for our Tarnished Splendor project (Napoleonic Gothic Horror Pulp Exploration Multi-Game mashup).
It is broadly sound but the design is certainly not historical, and does mix different times from the age of sail. That being said it is not impossible, especially for a ship built in the New World which might not follow European design doctrines closely.
I like your scenario design. I am going for a timewell in the Caribbean, something done rather a lot, in pulp. Sailors from different points in time cross over when the stars shine different and an odd wind blows. People arrive from the 16th through to early 21st century, sometimes floating in the water, sometimes in a near intact ship. The more basic the technology the more it lasts on the other side. So sailing ships and back powder weapons get repaired and supplied long after diesel engines and modern weapons are dry. There will of course be Nazis, the U404 (submarine not found), 30's pulp action, various age of sail craft, classic pirates, remnant France/Spain/England rivalries, a fully established Lost Aztec empire with El Dorado (which had portal control for a while). Almost all travel is strictly one way, some records and odd evidence manages to cross back which is normally a hook to draw other unfortunates through.. There will be magic, maybe limited to mojo, maybe not, plus evidence of intelligent apes and lizardfolk. It isn't a Cthulhu adventure but there are Mythos undertones, especially for those who fall through while actively researching anomalies. The campaign hot location is in the late Cretaceous, with all the good stuff, close to the chicxalub impact location, which hints at the multiverses way of removing the temporal anomaly. The comet is already on its way and cant be stopped, but nobody knows when it will arrive. Could be next week could be a millenia hence.
The masts are something I knew I was going to have to work on but you are so much more knowledgeable on the details than I am. For the cannon, I am thinking rule of cool but need to figure out what to use. Do you have any recommendations on makers of appropriate models?
Those are appropriate models. I doubt Reaper were specific to an actual scale, but they look like 18pdr to me.
However you can get scale accurate age of sail cannon in 28mm.
I don't intend to paint myself into a corner here. I would like every model to fulfil as many genres as possible. Historical, swashbuckler romance, and fantasy pirate.
https://www.firelockgames.com/product/6th-rate-frigate-pre-order/ Note the 6th rate listed above is half the size (it is understale frankly) and twice the price. Printable scenery are frankly better for ships, but Blood and Plunder is a good resource to look at.
What you will be needing are light cannon and swivel guns. There are many manufacturers to choose from.
To mix it up a bit more also look for carronade, though you will only need a pair and only on later (Napoleonic era) ships.
The most common opponent for this ship will most likely be much smaller ships, we have a couple of sloops coming with the latest Blood and Plunder Kickstarter but I have my eyes open for another decent, yet affordable larger ship.
I missed that Kickstarter, in fact I read and answered this in order. Serves me right.
Printable Scenery is the place to go for other ships.
Build the Sloop, Brig, Frigate and fluyt first, the others are too out of genre or are fantasy designs. Ther fluyt is also obsolete but is a placeholder for dedicated merchant vessels as I do not see an East Indiaman anywhere..
Kid_Kyoto wrote: While I can see why Reaper didn't include cannons in an already hefty model I'm kind of surprised they didn't make a Bones cannon and offer a pack of 20 for the ship.
The ship has 15 gun ports per side, 9 on the lower deck, 5 on the upper deck and 1 in the cabin thing. So has 30 gun ports. Plus can hold maybe 4 on the front and 2-4 on the back deck… so could have 38 without looking too crowded… though I remember when they revealed the wip pics people were saying 42-44?
The set comes with 20 cannons, originally they had said 10 but changed it after some complaints. The cannons are 2 piece bones models. The carriage and back of the barrel and then the front of the barrel. They did not offer the cannons separately so there was no option to fully arm the ship.
I haven’t assembled my cannons yet, but they seem to be around the same size as the wizkids canons. If they do offer the cannons separately I will buy more to fully arm the ship and arm some of my playmobil ships.
Cannon are heavy, weighing in at two tons for a 12pdr cannon to over double that your heavy piece. Cannon also need to be raised above the water line, but not too high to unbalance the ship. Twenty eighteen pounders will weight 60 tons plus weight in powder and shot. That is a lot for a frigate which weighs approx 400 tons laden weight.
Real frigates would easily have 30-40 gun ports and be refitted for 20-24 heavy cannon, or fill each gun port with a much lighter cannon.
Yes a frigate could put to sea with thirty eighteen pounders, and doesn't appear to be much compared to the size of the ship. But with 90 tons of ordnance, much of it well above the centre of gravity I would not like to be aboard in heavy swell. Ask the crew of Vasa or Mary Rose what that was like.
Now you can rule of cool it, because fantasy pirates, but I dont see the need. Keep the armament as is, and add a couple of light six pounders on deck and a pair of post mounted swivel guns and you have all the cool factor you need.
Remember more weight in gun means less ammo to go around, shot weighs quite a bit so do powder barrels. It also explains the vulnerability of merchant vessels, which were very comperable in design to warships and oftimes carried the same cannon, but would have four or six piece total, maybe eight. Any more cuts down on mass for cargo which is what you want anyway. This also explains why most pirate vessels were actually cargo ships, put 20-30 cannon on a trade ship and go hunting.
Smokestack wrote: Here are some pics next to Renaissance games ships from their kickstarter. Also a wizkids cannon on my reaper ship.
Those wizkids cannon are proper fantasy pirate deck guns for extra Arrr. Guns that big belong on the first (lowest) deck of a 1st or 2nd Rate Ship of the Line, and am not sure even then. Perfect for a shore installation.
Allowing for the deck clutter in relation to the gun ports it is very clear the ports are designed for very light cannon. Small piece with minimal recoil perfect for sweeping decks and pinpoint shore bombardment.
6 pdr.
32pdr gun deck on HMS Victory.
Even a 1st Rate would not dare use those as deck guns. If heavy seas wont capsize her, recoil will.
You can certainly rule of cool this for fantasy piracy.
You can now add 10 cannon for $10 in grey bones or glow-in-the-dark bones in the new Bones 5 Pledge Manager.
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Smokestack wrote: Ordered 50 more cannon in the pledge manager. At $1 a cannon is hard to beat. And I can use them to arm my Playmobil ships...
Smokestack, as an existing backer I can't access the new pledge manager unless I set up a new email address and link it to my banking details or at least Paypal. This is an extra point of vulnerability I don't want unless I have no choice. In order to help with that can you screen dump (or even text dump) the pledge manager contents, pricing etc into this thread so we will know if it is worth the headache.
I am tempted for the cannon already.
I didn't see July releases, I assume they're busy with the KS.
The August freeby (with $40 purchase) shows an Elven Veterinarian preparing to give a sick dragon a nose swab. A useful figure for a great many encounters.
Paintjob isn't helping, but the scultping is off on that head. Eyes should be direct middle of the head, this one has those giant eyebrows in the middle and it's pushed the eyes and nose and mouth too far down on the face. Even with that, it's a pretty great model and I'm a sucker for Elves with long hair in simple ponytails
Reaper has a more normal release this month. Well normal in that miniatures are coming out, but hardly "normal" if that makes sense.
In the last 10 years D&D has radically increased the number of player races, moving from the traditional offerings of: humans, short humans, short hairy humans, other shorter hairier humans, slightly shorter humans with slightly pointed ears, shorter humans with pointer ears and half orcs, to embrace a wide range of animal hybrids and other more alien races.
Which of course means, more miniatures to sell!
(10 new player races, each with a dozen classes to choose from=KA-CHING!)
First off a bunch of catfolk fighter and rogue types, the sort of figures we've all seen a dozen times, but now with fur!
I'm gonna give her a bunch of charm spells so she has like a small army of mind-controlled humans, so she can be Crazy Human Catlady.
Dragonfolk Bards never made it big with human audiences.
I've not idea what a Rune Wight is, I'm assuming some kind of undead variant, maybe Norse themed?
Regardless if they prove to be a problem these Rune Wight Hunters will soon make short work of them.
And finally last month's freeby
Damras Deveril, royal papetier is among the most powerful men in the kingdom as he alone controls the supply of white gold needed for the continued smooth operation of the nation's privies and water closets.
Lol, thanks for the vindication. After staring at it, it was the best way I could describe it! The upper arms and legs feel like they're the back whereas the lower parts are the front... plus the Exorcist head twist.
warboss wrote: Lol, thanks for the vindication. After staring at it, it was the best way I could describe it! The upper arms and legs feel like they're the back whereas the lower parts are the front... plus the Exorcist head twist.
First off more pirates than you can shake a bilge hook at.
Assuming you had a bilge hook.
And wanted to shake it.
The point being you wouldn't be able to.
On account of there being pirates.
Lots of them.
For starters there are some modular pirates, which is very cool. Except there's no pictures showing what the options are. Which is not a good way to sell a modular kit.
Dragony pirate. He can also be Wyvernfolk Pirate or even a Lizardman Pirate though that may require some conversion.
Gnoll pirate, who can also serve as a werewolf pirate or even a jackelwere pirate with some work.
Zombie pirates. Who can also meet your need for ghoul pirates or even wight pirates in a pinch.
Champion of some elder god I can't be bother to try and spell. Point being crab mutant armored dude from the deeps.
I love miniatures that tell a story. Like this one. I have no idea what that story is, but it's certainly there.
These guys are all already sold out. Just more evidence that sexy miniatures sell.
Dwarf sausage maker. Note the missing fingertips.
I feel like there's a ribald joke to made here but I just can't put my finger on it.
Somewhere someone just found the perfect model for their PC. And I salute you.
This one, this one I genuinely want.
Piranha crabs. Worth it just for the name.
This is a great bit of terrain for a tavern. Provided your pirate tavern is pirate themed. And called the Drunken Mermaid.
Piratey terrain set for $40. With a small boat, a bar, barrels etc, this is actually pretty tempting.
The raft from Watchmen. The pirate comic inside Watchmen that is. You remember the one I'm talking about right? The one the kid was reading at the newsstand that mirrored the themes of the main story till the final kicker? The one the dude makes out of wreckage and a dead shark? Yeah. That one. Now you can have it in unlicensed miniature form!
I really have no words. Someone will pay $30 for this. In fact enough several someones already have since it's currently sold out.
And on the non-pirate side...
Evil armored dude with questionable anatomy, because sometimes you have to go with the classics.
Skyclad female archers.
Female Gnome Rogue, cause I mean sure, there much be some combination of common fantasy tropes they've not covered yet right?
Gisele the Sorceress, another example of just playing the classics. Play down the stars and you've got a princess, maid of honor, whatever.
And that's September, or should we call it... Piratevember!
The modular pirates look like they all had the same torso and legs, so probably the 6 arms are the modular parts. Question is will it come with 6 arms and 3 bodies or do a GW and have numbers that don’t work together.
Theophony wrote: The modular pirates look like they all had the same torso and legs, so probably the 6 arms are the modular parts. Question is will it come with 6 arms and 3 bodies or do a GW and have numbers that don’t work together.
Or will it be 1 body with 3 sets of arms and heads... which would really be pulling a GW.
Theophony wrote: The modular pirates look like they all had the same torso and legs, so probably the 6 arms are the modular parts. Question is will it come with 6 arms and 3 bodies or do a GW and have numbers that don’t work together.
Or will it be 1 body with 3 sets of arms and heads... which would really be pulling a GW.
Completely different rules for each combination with one version being optimal, which in 3 months time will get nerfed and one of the other combos is best. The new bones is also antimagnetic so you cannot magnetize the parts for a simple swap.
For the Curious, Giselle is a direct copy of an illustration from Men&Magic, the first D&D book, and part of the 3 LBBs (little brown books) And by direct copy I mean an exact copy. See for yourself.
Red Harvest wrote: For the Curious, Giselle is a direct copy of an illustration from Men&Magic, the first D&D book, and part of the 3 LBBs (little brown books) And by direct copy I mean an exact copy. See for yourself.
Red Harvest wrote: For the Curious, Giselle is a direct copy of an illustration from Men&Magic, the first D&D book, and part of the 3 LBBs (little brown books) And by direct copy I mean an exact copy. See for yourself.
Red Harvest wrote: For the Curious, Giselle is a direct copy of an illustration from Men&Magic, the first D&D book, and part of the 3 LBBs (little brown books) And by direct copy I mean an exact copy. See for yourself.
Pretty cool.
This isn't an exact copy! Her honkers are bigger!
It’s the heroic scale And of course I’ll need to get the mini, for old times sake.
The raft from Watchmen. The pirate comic inside Watchmen that is. You remember the one I'm talking about right? The one the kid was reading at the newsstand that mirrored the themes of the main story till the final kicker? The one the dude makes out of wreckage and a dead shark? Yeah. That one. Now you can have it in unlicensed miniature form!
Red Harvest wrote: For the Curious, Giselle is a direct copy of an illustration from Men&Magic, the first D&D book, and part of the 3 LBBs (little brown books) And by direct copy I mean an exact copy. See for yourself.
Pretty cool.
This isn't an exact copy! Her honkers are bigger!
It’s the heroic scale And of course I’ll need to get the mini, for old times sake.
Yeah clearly she had some work done. But it's rude to point it out.
2021 is (somehow) almost over but Reaper ain't done yet.
They seem to putting more figures into boxes rather than separate blisters which is probably better for retailers and inventory, we'll have to see if this is a major shift or now.
One box is "Blood Demons"
Your $25 will get you one winged dude...
(some sense of size here would be really nice)
And seven assorted hench-monsters
I um, I'm really not sure what that second group is doing. Maybe flexing? Or celebrating after killing your party?
Obviously while the box says 'Blood Demons' you can paint them any way you want to make phloem demons, bodily fluid demons or uh... spare change demons if you wish.
There's also a pack of Beastmen who can also pass as Man Beasts with some minor work.
But the real winner for me is the Henchmen box. $35 for a big old mess of henchmen ranging from the useful to the humorous.
Various lantern and torch carriers allowing your valuable PCs to have their hands free for weapons. And treasure carriers to keep your encumbrance low. Of course you'll have to kil- I mean have them accidentally fall down a pit on the way home so they don't get any funny ideas.
And yes, to the best of my knowledge this is the first 10' pole miniature ever made! The 10' pole alone is worth the box price.
I love the last trio. One guy pokes at the monster with his 10' pole to see if it get's enraged, and the other two fill it full of arrows and quarrels.
It's like they are training to be heroic adventurers (re: murderhobos).
AegisGrimm wrote: I love the last trio. One guy pokes at the monster with his 10' pole to see if it get's enraged, and the other two fill it full of arrows and quarrels.
It's like they are training to be heroic adventurers (re: murderhobos).
Good point, you don't get EXP if the monster is asleep after all.
Depends on the edition. Getting all the monster's treasure from it while it sleeps and then getting away safely was a far better source of XPTS than fighting. One of the stupidest changes to D&D was to award XPTS for monster kills only. Sleeping monsters generally don't cause TPKs.
That box o' henchies and hirelings is going to be my stocking stuffer to me this year. It's just too Old School for a grognard like me to pass on. The porters, the link boys ( torch or lantern carriers) and the 10' pole guy. Perfect. Straight out of the original DMG.
I wish they would just do all of their models in reaper black. Its the best quality of models they have made in plastic yet. The details are basically just as crisp as metal or resin.
"Cyber Monday" (Nov 29 to those who don't memorize US retail calendars) specials are coming. Reaper will have both the normal and the glow in the dark pirate ships for $200 along with some other models. Strangely not their cyberpunk line though
Furries wanting to play as idealized versions of themselves have existed long before the current Witchlight and Prom Potter phase of D&D. Though I don't doubt that was the recent impetus that it's trying to capitalize off of.
Bossk_Hogg wrote: What size base is that? Even if it's a 25mm, that figure is like 50mm to the eyes. So useless for Haregon or most PC's.
Reaper figures come on "figure sized bases", which is to say that the base size is only relevant to that sculpt, unless they are sculpted without bases or with a slot. They used to have very helpful measuring devices in their pictures, but no more...
Anthropomorphic rabbits always remind me of Hoops, from the Gamma World RPG, at least the 1st edition. They were big, like over 2 meters tall, and turned metal to rubber. Nasty. Oc course everything in that game was nasty. Gamma World was a very lethal place.
Ordered the Henchmen and Hirelings set. Nostalgia is one hell of a motivator, and added Giselle the Sorceress for the heck of it-- that whole nostalgia thing again. Reaper is rather generous with the free add ons, no? I ordered a paint set too and Reaper threw in 6 more minis including the Rabbit. Is this normal for them? THis is the first I've ordered directly from Reaper.
Red Harvest wrote: Anthropomorphic rabbits always remind me of Hoops, from the Gamma World RPG, at least the 1st edition. They were big, like over 2 meters tall, and turned metal to rubber. Nasty. Oc course everything in that game was nasty. Gamma World was a very lethal place.
Ordered the Henchmen and Hirelings set. Nostalgia is one hell of a motivator, and added Giselle the Sorceress for the heck of it-- that whole nostalgia thing again. Reaper is rather generous with the free add ons, no? I ordered a paint set too and Reaper threw in 6 more minis including the Rabbit. Is this normal for them? THis is the first I've ordered directly from Reaper.
I believe that some of those generous freebies come from the Reaper Christmas offers.
Red Harvest wrote: Anthropomorphic rabbits always remind me of Hoops, from the Gamma World RPG, at least the 1st edition. They were big, like over 2 meters tall, and turned metal to rubber. Nasty. Oc course everything in that game was nasty. Gamma World was a very lethal place.
Ordered the Henchmen and Hirelings set. Nostalgia is one hell of a motivator, and added Giselle the Sorceress for the heck of it-- that whole nostalgia thing again. Reaper is rather generous with the free add ons, no? I ordered a paint set too and Reaper threw in 6 more minis including the Rabbit. Is this normal for them? THis is the first I've ordered directly from Reaper.
I believe that some of those generous freebies come from the Reaper Christmas offers.
Yes, during Christmas last year I got a Christmas gift pack (Krampus paint kit and candy), the monthly free miniature (which was a choice from the whole year's worth of figures), and a 12 days of Christmas metal figure. And it came in a week.
The free rabbit, er, harefolk, the christmas sampler mini, 2 of the 12 days of christmas offerings, and two others. So 3 are from Christmas offers. No matter, something 'por lagniappe' is always welcomed.
As we close out Year of Our Covid 2020 Mk1 we have one last round of Reaper releases.
As you might expect most are limited rereleases for Christmas/Hanukah/New Years but there are some surprises in there.
The Bones weapons pack has plenty of options for tricking out your fantasy figures. Nothing I really need ATM but nice to see it. I'd totally eat up a sci-fi or modern version though.
The crypt of the dwarven king has some well dwarves and dwarf stuff and a ghost dwarf king so y'know in case you're running a game involving dwarves who go into a dwarf king's crypt and meet a dwarf king ghost you're now all set.
I suppose with some work it could also serve as the Squat Guildmaster's Tomb or the Gnome Regent's Mausoleum.
Valfuryx is a Forest Dragon as you can clearly see from all the foresty accoutrements it comes with like um... uh... that rock. I supposed with some snow effects he can also serve Walfuryx the Arctic Dragon or with water effects Xalfuryx the Sea Dragon. Converting him to Yalfuyx the Jungle Dragon and Zalfuyx the Desert Dragon are only recommended for expert modellers.
CAV gets two 10mm scale planes which might also work in other games like Aeronautica Imperialis and X-Wing. I always liked their Space A-10 and might have to get one.
Christmas rereleases include Christmas Eve, Christmas Carol, and two Christmas Knights.
And the ever popular Santa Dwarf.
As for the Dreidel Golem what can I add to this fluff text?
Dreidel Golems began as a simple betting game using an enchanted four sided teetotum. Bets would be placed and a word would be spoken to set the top spinning.
No one knows the name of the first mage to use this simple device as a treasure guardian, but when one is found the treasure it guards is ancient. Like most such constructs, the Dreidel Golem stands motionless until one of its four eyes detects motion too near. Then the golem begins spinning like a top, its four arms extended, as it produces a flurry of blows, caroming around the room until all foes are dead or driven off.
If its command words are known, the golem can be controlled, even used in its original capacity as a betting game piece.
Finally they round things out with some holiday paint sets.
I've ordered from Reaper around both Halloween and Christmas and been very happy with the freebies and rewards they toss in, it just feel like a nice company if that makes sense.
Anyway so we can close the books on 2021 (2020 won?) and took forward to 2022 (2020 too?)!
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Valfuryx is a Forest Dragon as you can clearly see from all the foresty accoutrements it comes with like um... uh... that rock.
I think you're being unfair here, this does look a bit like a tree stump? Of course you could paint it up as a petrified tree stump, then you'd get a rock, and a Prehistoric Forest Dragon!
"Dualcast" is not the Bones PVC, it is some sort of "thermoplastic resin". I would expect it to be similar or even identical to the "Bones USA" SioCast material.
Yes, limited availability: The weapon sprues are originally from one of the early Bones Kickstarters, they discovered a crate of them when moving warehouse recently, and have put them up for sale.
They never released the weapon sprues to retail because of problems with finding packaging. Due to a misundertanding with the chinese factory that made them, there were two of each weapon on the sprues, which made the sprues end up much larger than Reaper had anticipated.
Reaper has some strange things going on with their materials. My recent order had 2 minis in METAL -- the LE Christmas minis. 1 mini in the 2nd gen bones material, the light gray stuff, 1 in a strange rubbery translucent red material and 2 in the new siocast ( or siocast type) material and the box of henchmen and hirelings was something else entirely, some sort of restic maybe? Hard gray plastic that holds detail well enough but is a real chore to clean. Fortunately the minis required minimal cleaning. That's 5 different materials.
A picture of the freebies. The paints were a nice surprise. Over the past year, I've come to like using Reaper Paints.
I use Gesso to prime minis so no worries. It is a very bendy material, bendier than the white bonesium. I have a few white bonesium minis. They were cheap. That's about all they have going for them.