The "Old Lead" Project: Elf Swordsman

This is the first in what will be an irregular feature here at Five Leagues In Glorantha: the "Old Lead" Project. As I go through my piles of miniatures looking for new and interesting things to use for various projects, I sometimes find a figure that I acquired MANY years ago and in desperate need of some modern painting.

I recently found one of my earliest miniature purchases, an old Ral Partha Elf sculpted by Tom Meier (and surprisingly still available) which was now in terrible condition. I bought him from Toycraft on Telegraph Canyon Road in Chula Vista, CA in the summer of 1980. He cost me $1.25 plus tax.

I had originally painted him with Testors enamel paint, and sometime in the late 80s or early 90s I had tried to strip the paint with no success (but it did have the effect of ruining the existing paint.) I know how to do things better now, and managed to get most of it off. His nose and dome if his hair had been a bit distorted by 40 years of abuse, but otherwise he is still a serviceable model.

I trimmed the integral base and mounted him on a plastic stand. I textured the top with sand and primed him with black gesso. The colors I used were inspired by both the Harlequins from the Warhamster 40,000 game and the Lord Of The Rings movies.

The second miniature I ever bought, before and after

So there you have it. 1970s sculpting and modern finishing.