Here's the latest greens from Dark Sword Miniatures for their Ice & Fire range -- the long-awaited pair of Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain That Rides, and Prince Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne, dueling to determine the guilt or innocence of Tyrion Lannister on the charge of regicide.



The sculpts are by Tom Meier, the one and only. Amazing work, as always.

You can see a lot more pictures on Dark Sword's website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/ Ser Gregor will also come with an alternate arm and head (sans helmet), so you can work him up as you see fit. He was helmetless when he faced his brother Sandor during the Tournament of the Hand, so a second diorama could easily be made with Mountain and Hound.

Tom is now busy sculpting Brienne.

Here are the two latest additions to Dark Sword's range of Ice and Fire miniatures.

Victarion Greyjoy, admiral of the Iron Fleet.



And here's his little brother, the priest Aeron "Damphair" Greyjoy.



Both sculpts are from the talented hands of Jeff Grace. Jeff has previously done figures of Theon Greyjoy and his sister Asha. Be the first kid on your block to collect all the krakens.

For more pictures, visit the Dark Sword website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

Next up will be Tom Meier, with sculpts from the Red Viper of Dorne and the Mountain That Rides fighting their famous duel. Look for them in about a week.

For the miniature collectors out there, Dark Sword has four more figures in the pipeline for our Ice & Fire range -- gorgeous greens of Aeron Damphair and his brother Victarion from Jeff Grace, and spectacular sculpts of the Mountain That Rides and the Red Viper of Dorne in their famous duel, from Tom Meier. Watch this space for pictures, coming soon.

Meanwhile, to hold you for a while, here's the latest wonder painted for me by Jen Haley: a crossbowman's pavise in 54mm scale.

Here's a sneak peak at two new Ice & Fire figures from Dark Sword Miniatures -- a couple of the battling babes of Westeros, the wildling spearwife Ygritte ('You know nothing, Jon Snow')and the kraken's daughter, Asha Greyjoy.






Both sculpts are by the talented Jeff Grace. They're not available yet, but will be soon. Watch the Dark Sword website for further details and more pix.

Dark Sword has just released their long-awaited Tyrion Lannister miniature, previewed below. The figure is available in both 28mm and 54mm scales, unpainted. The new Theon Greyjoy figure and a couple of cool hedge knights sclupted by Jeff Grace have also been added to the 29mm range, along with lots of new additions from Dark Sword's other lines.





To order, visit Dark Sword's online store at http://darkswordminiatures.com/store.html

They take PayPal now as well.

Just because.

Here's another one from Jen Haley. This is the Night's Watch raven keeper figure from Dark Sword, but since I've already got several examples of him in NW black, I had her do this one as a Stark retainer. Not quite how I picture Maester Luwin, but maybe his predecessor.





And here is Jen's take on Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, one of Tom Meier's most spectacular sculpts.




Jen is not the only painter I use (I no longer seem to have the time or energy to paint myself, but even when I did, I was nowhere in the class of the "hired brushes" I employ).

Here's a piece by Matt Verzani, Dark Sword's official house painter. It's the archer figure from the Night's Watch, another great Tom Meier piece, but in this case we've painted him as Theon Greyjoy. (We have an actual Theon figure coming, sculpted by Jeff Grace, and greens can be seen on the Dark Sword website, but that one hasn't been released yet).




Next we have another Verzani, this one his paint of Rattleshirt, the Lord o' Bones. This time the sculpt is by Jeff Grace.


Another fine painter that I commission from time to time is Dave Gulczynski of WarPaint Miniatures. Here's his version of the lady of the court.


And finally this one, Dave's version of one of Jeff Grace's wildling figures, the spearwife with the sword.



There's lots more, but that should hold you for now. Enjoy.

Here's something cool: the new miniature of Tyrion Lannister, soon to be rolling out from Dark Sword Miniatures.

The mini hasn't been released yet. This is a prototype, painted by the amazing Jen Haley in a color scheme to match her gorgeous versions of Jaime and Cersei, which can be seen below.



You can order your own Dark Sword miniatures at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

And Jen has her own website at http://www.paintrix-miniatures.com/ where you can see a lot more of astonishing brushwork. She takes commissions, too.

Comments welcome, but only about miniatures, painting, and Tyrion. Please stay on topic.

With my library renovations finally complete, I've been having fun with my collection of toy knights again, making new displays and recreating old ones.

The process has just started, but I thought I'd share some pics with you.

(Yes, I know, I have a whole Knights section of my webpage for this sort of thing, but my webmaster is travelling and unavailable, and backed up even when she does get home, and this is the only place I can actually post stuff without her. So if you don't give a fig about miniatures, dioramas, and toy soldiers... hey, just skip this post).

Here's the big tourney grandstand, with some jousts in progress:


Some knights in their tourney finery, waiting a turn at the lists:


A squire, polishing a helm and dreaming of glory:


The figures are by a variety of makers and painters, but all of them are 54mm scale.

Comments are welcome, but only about miniatures, dioramas, collecting toys, and such subjects. Stay on topic, please.

The renovations on my office house that have been going on since last June are finally almost complete, and I've started moving my stuff in at last.

Two stories plus a basement (a big deal in Santa Fe, no one has basements here). The basement is just a basement, with a laundry, a furnace, and a wine cellar. The second story is for my library... books by other people.

The first floor, though, that combines my brag library -- the many and various editions of my own books -- with lighted glassed-in barrister shelves for my toy soldiers and miniatures.




The displays are mostly in chaos as yet, but I'm looking forward to filling them up with an endless series of eye-popping dioramas.

And the bookshelves... well, I'll just have to write some books to fill those.

I can't resist sharing some more beautifully painted miniatures.

Here's another set of the Lannister twins. These two were painted for me by the exquisitely talented Jen Haley of Paintrix Miniatures, whose website can be found at http://www.paintrix-miniatures.com/ First up is Jaime, this time in crimson Lannister plate, wearing the black silk cape he wore the first time we see him, at Winterfell in A GAME OF THRONES.






The facial details are just amazing, I think. I used to try my own hand at painting, when I had a bit more time, but at this scale I count myself lucky when I can get both eyes on the same side of the nose, with the pupil inside the white. But take a look at this close up --



And of course, Ser Jaime hardly ever goes anywhere without his sis, so here's Cersei in a stunning brocade gown, all freehand work by Jen.





Many of you are not collectors or painters, I know. You may not have any idea how very very HARD it is to do this. Just to put it all in perspective, this shot will give you some idea of the scale of these figures:



It really requires painting of this quality to bring out all of the astonishing details of Tom Meier's amazing sculpts.

The twins, and the rest of the range, are all available from Dark Sword Miniatures at http://darkswordminiatures.com/ for those who want to try their own hand.

Good luck.

Miniature fans rejoice. Tom Meier has finally found enough time from all his other commitments to sculpt another figure for the Dark Sword range of Ice & Fire miniatures. And this is one you guys have been clamoring for... the Imp himself, Tyrion Lannister.

The figure won't actually go on sale for another month or thereabouts, but here's some advance peeks at Tom's green.



This is the early Tyrion, as he is when we first meet him in A GAME OF THRONES, before he grows the beard and loses... well, no, that would be telling.

Next up for Tom will be Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain That Rides, but he has to fit him in among his toy work, so it may not be tomorrow. To make the time pass faster, Dark Sword has some other surprises in the works. But more on that some other day.

Dark Sword Miniatures has just rolled out three new miniatures in their Ice & Fire line.

There's a couple of hedge knights, one young and one old -- no, not Dunk, he's "the" hedge knight in my Dunk & Egg series, and we'll get to him sooner or later, but these are just a pair of random hedge knights, the vagabonds of the Seven Kingdoms.

Here's a look at the greens:






The third new figure is a named chareacter: everyone's favorite turncloak, Theon of House Greyjoy, seen with his bow in happier days.



All three sculpts are by Jeff Grace. Sorry, no painted versions to show you yet, but those are in the works.

For more views... or to place an order... visit the Dark Sword website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

Comments are welcome, but only on the miniatures, or minis and painting in general. Thanks for staying on topic.

Just wanted to post a couple more of the lovely figures from Dark Sword Miniatures.

These two are from the latest release in their Ice & Fire line -- a wildling warrior and a lady of the court. They were painted for me by Matt Verzani, and a splendid job he did.







The wildling was sculpted by Jeff Grace, the court lady by Tom Meier. Both of them are available (unpainted, but there are many fine painters on the net who take commissions if you lack the skill yourself) at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

So many things I'd meant to post about, so little time in every day.

This one is for the painters, the would-be painters, and the miniature collectors out there. A few more examples of the wonderful figures that Dark Sword Miniatures are putting out, and the incredible things that talented painters can do with 'em.

First, four versions of the queen you love to hate, the one and only Cersei Lannister.

The first is by Marike Reimer, of Destroyer Minis. A classic in Lannister crimson.



Next we have Cersei in mourning dress (she does a lot of mourning, though black is not her
favorite color). This one is from Viking Lodge Studios, where Linus Svensson wields the brush.



Third up is Matt Verzani's seductive Cersei in see-through silk, no doubt slinking through the halls to seduce her latest catspaw.



And our last lady comes from New Zealand, painted by Rachel Borthwick of Iron Halo Studios.



I'd love to hear which version is your favorite. Myself, I love all four of them... and for those of you who are no more talented with a paint brush than I am, be advised that all four of these painters take commissions. (But be warned, none of 'em are cheap).

Or you can order your own Cersei straight from Dark Sword, and paint her as you like.

To close with something different, some more of the women of Westeros -- a wildling spearwife by Matt Verzani, and a court lady painted by Marike Reimer.






Comments are welcome... about the miniatures. Stay on topic, please.

Here's a shout out for all the painters and wargamers and miniatures collectors reading this. Dark Sword Miniatures has released its second set of miniatures -- "Wave 1.5" -- in the "George R.R. Martin Masterworks" line, with some great sculpts by Jeff Grace and Tom Meier. Check out the Dark Sword website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/ for a look at some painted versions of the new wildlings and gold cloaks.

And speaking of the minis, I've been meaning to post pictures of some of the winners in the painting contest Dark Sword sponsored earlier this year at GenCon. Sorry to take so long about it, but with Spain and Portugal and worldcon and all the work sense, I lost track. But better late than never.

Here's the first place winner, a double diorama of Melisandre and Cersei back to back.





And here's one of the runners-up, another take on Cersei.



I have been known to paint a miniature or two myself from time to time, but I can't even come close to these. It's amazing what a really good painter can do with a brush.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy the look, whether you're into miniatures or not. I'm going to leave comments open this time... but please, stay on topic.

Gamers attending last weekend's GenCon in Indianapolis found a surprise waiting for them at the Dark Sword Miniatures booth -- a half dozen new figures in the "George R.R. Martin Masterworks" range, being rolled out for the first time as special convention pre-release.





The talented Jeff Grace sculpted these new additions to the Dark Sword range, six wildings from beyond the Wall, to face off against the Night's Watch figures featured in the first wave.







Two are spearwives, the women warriors of the far north, but don't look for ludicrous chainmail bikinis on these gals. Fur and leather are a lot more practical in the wild.






The wildlings were a special GenCon run, available for purchase only at the convention, but Dark Sword expects to make them available for mail-order in another month or two, as soon as the rest of "wave 1.5" is ready. Gencon attendees also got a glimpse at prototypes of some of the other figures in the iopeline, including a court lady, two gold cloak guardsmen, and a stunning 54mm sculpt of Daenerys and her newborn dragons, fresh from the fires of Khal Drogo's funeral pyre, all from Tom Meier. Watch this space for pictures for those figures, when they are available.

We'll also have pictures of the winning entries in the painting contest. My friends at Dark Sword tell me that some of them were truly spectacular. I look forward to seeing them.

I won't be at this year's Comicon in San Diego, but some of my characters will be.

Jed Haigh and Justice Joseph, the good folks behind Valyrian Resins, tell me that the first of their resin minibusts will be on sale -- for the first time -- at the Comicon. So if you're one of those who have been waiting impatiently for your very own Ned Stark, Sandor Clegane, and Daenerys Targaryen, swing by the Haute Products booth at San Diego before they're all gone, and be the first kid on your block to bring 'em home.

The minibusts will come full painted in 1/18 scale. Each of the three characters in this initial offering will come in two versions: the "standard" pose and a variant. Ned, for instance, is holding Ice in the standard pose, and holding out his chain of office in the variant.





Jed Haigh writes, "We will definitely have the Variant versions available and a very small amount of the Regular Version at SDCC. I just received confirmation from the factory that they will have 25 cases of each case pack (regular and variant). We will be fulfilling Diamond Comics order out of these 25 cases which will leave us with only 4 cases of the regular version! The cases come packed with 2 of each figure."

The variant versions are limited to 250 pieces, the regular versions to 500 of each. Haute Products -- aka Valyrian Resin --will be sharing a booth space with SOTA Toys again, booth number 4245.

And just to whet your appetite a little more, here are the two versions of Dany.






And if you can't make the San Diego Comicon, no worries. As Jed mentions, Diamond Comics will be distributing the minibusts, which means they should be available at all the best comic shops and bookstores across the country. You can also order directly from Haute Products by visiting the Valyrian Resin website at http://www.valyrianresin.com/

And while you're looking over these, Justice Joseph is already hard at work sculpting the next three figures in the line -- Jaime and Cersei Lannister, and Arya Stark. Drop by their booth in San Diego and they may even let you have a peek at the prototypes.

Here's the final results on our poll for Dark Sword Miniatures:

Prince Oberyn Martell, Red Viper of Dorne
642 (36.2%)

Princess Arianne Martell
133 (7.5%)

Tyrion Lannister, the Imp
1191 (67.1%)

Shae
154 (8.7%)

Brienne, the Maid of Tarth
739 (41.7%)

Samwell Tarly
349 (19.7%)

Robb Stark, the Young Wolf
770 (43.4%)

Asha Greyjoy
478 (26.9%)

Lady Catelyn Stark
424 (23.9%)

Prince Joffrey Baratheon
171 (9.6%)

So the winners are
TYRION LANNISTER, THE IMP
ROBB STARK, THE YOUNG WOLF
BRIENNE, THE MAID OF TARTH
PRINCE OBERYN MARTELL, RED VIPER OF DORNE

These four will be part of Dark Sword's second wave of miniatures, along with Daenerys Targaryen, Ser Gregor Clegane, and four "supporting cast" figures.

As first runner-up, Asha Greyjoy will be included in the next poll, when we ask who you want to see in wave #3. The others will have to wait their turn.

Live Journal polls cannot be turned off, so far as I can tell, so the post will remain in place and presumably new people will still stop by and vote from time to time, changing the figures... but this is the "official" end count.

My thanks to all those who participated. Tyrion is pretty pleased as well.

Poll #1137612 Dark Sword Wave #2
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 1810

I want to see a miniature of

The first wave of Ice and Fire figures from Dark Sword Miniatures have been very well received, I am pleased to report. If you missed those, you can check them out on Dark Sword's own website at http://darkswordminiatures.com/

Here's a couple of painted versions that I thought were especially stunning -- the Lannister twins, with Cersei in red and Jaime in his Kingsguard whites, rendered by the talented brush of Marike Reimer. Beautiful work, I think. The way she does face is amazing. (I paint minis myself from time to time for relaxation, but at this scale, I count it a success if both eyes don't end up on the same side of the nose).

With the first wave of minis meeting such a great reception, Dark Sword and Tom Meier are gearing up for wave # 2. Once again the set will consist of ten figures: six named characters from A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, and four "types," spearcarriers or soldiers of one faction or another, intended to fill out the ranks.

Two of the "named character" slots have already been filled. Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, and Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain That Rides, will both be part of the next release. As for the four remaining figures... that's where you guys come in. We're going to do a poll. We'll give you ten options, and the top four finishers will be part of Dark Sword's "second wave."

But more on that next post.