Cyclopes

The cyclopes of Greek myth can be divided into two lineages – the first group were the three (or sometimes seven) Elder Cyclopes, who Hesiod listed as Brontes, Steropes, and Arges (who was replaced with Acmonides or Pyracmon by other authors). The names of the four alternates were Euryalos, Elatreus, Trachios, and Halimedes. These were immortal giants who were of the same generation as the Olympians, and worked with Hephaestus at his forge.

The other group of cyclopes were the Younger Cyclopes of Hypereia (identified with Sicily by the ancient Greeks). Among them was Polyphemos, who stood out from the rest of his tribe in size and strength, and was encountered by Odysseus and his shore party on a visit to the island of the cyclopes.

"Oh my God, He killed Kenny! You Bastard!"

Modern renditions of the cyclops are more influenced by films, and include Ray Harryhausen's iconic design for The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (in literature, Sinbad's encounter with a man-eating giant actually occurs during his third voyage, and is a retelling of Odysseus' encounter with Polyphemos).

Given the oriental flavor of the Sinbad movies and the lack of horned and hoofed cyclopes in classical art, I originally thought that this particular type of cyclops could also represent the Turkish monster Tepegöz, as rendered in the following picture.

Then I realized what I thought was a horn on his head was actually a ladle that he was holding in his hand.

In any event, the following are the various cyclops miniatures that I have in my collection.

The first two miniatures represent the Harryhausen monster. The larger one is a resin X-Plus Cyclops that was part of the Ray Harryhausen Film Collection (Chess Set 1), while the smaller one is from Ral Partha (Children of the Night 13-020). The Ral Partha miniature is undersized, and would probably go better with 15mm figures.

There is also a two-horned version by X-Plus which represents the cyclops that fights the dragon at the end of The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad which I'm still trying to find at a reasonable price.

The next group of cyclopes bear some traces of the Harryhausen design, but also retain elements of classical cyclopes. The large cyclopes are from the D&D CMG, and include the Cyclops Crusher (Dangerous Delves #13), and the Skeletal Cyclops (Savage Encounters #33). These cyclopes have a bony armored head and scaly skin somewhat resembling the Harryhausen cyclops. The smaller cyclops is from the Age of Mythology game by Eagle Games, and it has the goat-like legs of the Harryhausen cyclops.

Next are some more classical cyclopes. The plastic figures to the left are the Pathfinder Cyclops (Skull & Shackles #34), and a cyclops from the Arcane Legions CMG. To the right are some metal figures – the Reaper Cyclops (Dark Heaven Legends 02953), and a Grenadier Cyclops from the Mythological Creatures box set (Action Art 8003).

More metal figures include the three Ral Partha Cyclops-Kin (AD&D Monsters 11-453), a Grenadier Psyclops (Monster Manuscript Vol.VIII 1508, MM68), and a Grenadier Klynops (Monster Manuscript Vol.V 1505, MM41).

I think of cyclopes as having beards and a full head of hair, but for some reason, many of these figures are bald, and any beards are rather short. I'd like to find a miniature of a cyclops with a big full beard, but will probably end up having to add them  using Kneadatite myself.

Last are the Grenadier Undead Giant Cyclops (Fantasy Lords 011), a Citadel Cyclops (Fiend Factory FF14), and a Heritage Masena (John Carter, Warlord of Mars 1523).

The Masena is described in ERB's Swords of Mars as a Cat-man from the Thurian Moon. I don't quite seen anything cat-like about it. It is described in the novel as having two mouths, one eye, and the ability to change colors to blend in with its surroundings. However, it does purr and meow which I guess counts for something.

Every man his own horse

The centaur is one of the classical beasts of Greek mythology. In ancient art, they are often depicted as being about the same height as men, but modern art shows them as being much larger than men. Certainly the description of centaurs using tree trunks and boulders as weapons in their battle with the Lapiths points to a larger stature.


The centaur also appears in Sumerian art, though I am unaware of any stories about centaurs in their mythology.


Some of the earliest depictions of centaurs in Greek art showed them as essentially fully human from the front, with the hindquarters of a horse attached to their back.


As a civilized centaur, Chiron is shown wearing a chiton, but the typical barbarous centaur went unclothed.


They are also sometimes portrayed with pointy ears, though not very frequently.

I wasn't sure about the best way to present my centaur miniatures, so I grouped them by manufacturer, and followed up with various size comparison pictures. The horse used in the comparisons is roughly 15 hands high in 1/72 scale.

The first group of centaurs are from the Ral Partha Personalities and Things that go Bump in the Night line. They consist of the Centaur Archer (Ral Partha 01-032) Centaur with Spear v3 and v2 (Ral Partha 01-032) respectively. These are classical centaurs, and scale out to about 14 hands high.


In the next picture are the Armored Centaur (Ral Partha 01-047), and male centaur from the Centaurs (male and female) set (Ral Partha 02-903). The Armored Centaur is a typical modern fantasy centaur, and stands at about 17 hands high. The other centaur is a classical pastoral centaur, standing at 14 hands high.


The final group of Ral Partha centaurs consist of Centaur Adventurers (Ral Partha 02-968), and a Centaur with Sword and Shield (DF-033). All of these centaurs are 14-15 hands high.


The next image is of two Grenadier centaurs - an Armored Centaur (Fantasy Lords 134), and a Female Centaur (Fantasy Lords 064). Both are roughly 17 hands high.


This next pair below, are a Heritage centaur (Fantasy 1328) which stands at 14 hands high, and a Lance and Laser Armored Centaur which stands at 17 hands high.


Below, are three centaurides consisting of Sagittarius (Reaper 03376), Lamia from the Heritage miniatures Manticore and Lamia set (1298), and Lyria Female Centaur (Dark Sword Miniatures 1105). The Reaper centaur is very small at 13 hands, while the Lamia is 16 hands. Both have disproportionately large human torsos. The Dark Sword centaur on the other hand, is almost 20 hands high, and has a disproportionately small human torso.


The next set of images are of Mega Miniatures centaurs formerly produced by Metal Magic. These centaurs stand 16 hands high, and look to be compatible with 25mm or 28mm figures.




A couple of centaurs from Mage Knight appear in the next image. The enormous Centaur Shaman stands 19+ hands high, while the strangely proportioned Centaur Archer is 11 hands high. Its forelegs appear to be twice as long as its hindlegs. It also seems to be wearing leg warmers (?!?!!).


Next are the 15mm centaurs from Eureka, which stand at just over 12.5 hands high.


Two more centaurs from Eureka, and an Irregular centaur standing at 12 hands high.


Comparison between man, horse, and 28mm centaurs:



28mm centaurs just seem too big to use in 1/72 scale fantasy to me. Maybe one or two giant centaurs could exist, but I wouldn't use too many of them.

Comparison between man, horse, and 25mm centaurs:





My preference for use in 1/72 scale fantasy are 25mm centaurs. Averaging at 14-15 hands high, they are large and imposing, but not freakishly large. I like the old Ral Partha centaurs the best, because they have the wild and untamed appearance that I associate with centaurs.

Comparison between man, horse, and 15mm centaurs:


If one were to go by Greek vase paintings, 15mm centaurs would be the best match with 1/72 figures. At 12 hands high, they would be pony sized, but there are sources that say horses during ancient times were typically pony sized (or slightly larger).

28mm+ centaurs

28mm centaurs

25mm galloping centaurs

25mm centaur archers

Various small centaur archers

15mm centaur archers

Rearing centaurs

Kingdom of the Dwarfs

The characteristics of mythological dwarves are often mixed with those of other mythological races such as elves and trolls. In Norse mythology, the beings called svartálfar (dark elves) are essentially dwarves. They live underground, fashion cunning artifacts, and are generally avaricious. They also bear a resemblance to trolls in that they turn to stone when exposed to sunlight.

Even their size can vary, with ancient images depicting dwarves being the same size as humans. In general though, modern fantasy has set the height of dwarves between 3-4 feet in height. This allows some lines of 15mm dwarves to be used with 1/72 scale figures. Described below, are examples of the various types of dwarves that I currently own.

The first group consists of five plastic dwarves from Caesar, and one from the Age of Mythology game by Eagle Games. The Caesar dwarves are just a tad too tall for my tastes, but they could be used as the taller race of mountain dwarves.



The next set of six images cover the The Shadow Corp/Blood Dawn dwarves sculpted by Rene Perez. They are solid and bulky without being too tall. Of all the dwarves in this entry, I think these are my favorite sculpts.







The next pair of images are of 18mm dwarves from Eureka. They match up very well with the Shadow Corp dwarves, though they seem a bit stiff in comparison.



The next four images are of 15mm dwarves from Black Raven Foundry. These dwarves are are smaller than the Shadow Corp and Eureka dwarves, and much lighter in build, though the height difference is not quite as apparent due to the thickness of their bases.





The next pair of images are of the dwarves produced by East Riding Miniatures. These are true 15mm dwarves with a nice stocky build.



The next images are of dwarven crossbowmen from the Warlords line produced by Grenadier. The bases on these miniatures are very small and uneven so that the figures tend to tip over at the drop of a feather.



Comparison of dwarves blowing horns: Shadow Corp, Eureka x 2, and ERM.



Comparison of dwarven sorcerers: Shadow Corp x 2, and Eureka x 2.



Comparison of dwarven arquebusiers: Caesar, and Shadow Corp x 2.



Comparison of dwarven crossbowmen: Caesar, Shadow Corp, Eureka, Grenadier Warlords, Alternative Armies HOT, and SLM.


Comparison of dwarven axemen: Caesar, Shadow Corp, Eureka, Eagle Games, and SLM. These are the best dwarves for use in 1/72 fantasy. The Caesar dwarves are somewhat too tall for me, and I'm not a big fan of the SLM dwarves sculpted by Bob Olley due to their over-sized heads, but others may have a different opinion.


Comparison of smaller dwarven axemen: BRF, Alternative Armies HOT, Mongoose/Rebel, Alternative Armies TTF, ERM, SLM x 2, and Tin Soldier (I think). These dwarves are either too small, or too slender for me. One possibility is to use them as gnomes instead.