Mounting Slotta figures on coins

Some of my figures for Dragon Rampant (in particular the Knightmare Miniatures Goblins) were designed for Slotta bases but I wanted the figures to match my other figures which are based on coins.

Theoretically I could have mounted the figures on Slotta bases and then on coins, but the smallest Slotta bases I could find were too big. They came almost to tbe edge of the 2p coins and would have made the bases look too thick.

And so, I tried three other methods of attaching the figures to coins. In all cases I first used Games Workship sprue clippers to make a 50% reduction in the depth of the figure's tab and then filed the bottom of the tab flat.

(1) Lump of Greenstuff

Greenstuff alone: the figure kept keeling over.

This looked straightforward but the figure kept on leaning over before the Greensuff set.

(2) Matchsticks

Matchsticks: strong but time-consuming

I superglued two short lengths of matchstick to a coin to create a slot and then superglued the figure into the slot. This was highly effective but also fiddly and time-consuming.

(3) Superglue alone, then Greenstuff

First stage: Superglue and faith alone.

I got this advice off a forum. You superglue the figure to the coin to fix it in position. I used three or four separate small blobs of Gorilla superglue gell. You have to hold the figure in place for a few seconds, and then leave it for a day. At this stage it's a bit fragile as the point of contact is so small. Next day you reinforce the join with a lumps of Greenstuff which you push against the sides of the tab.

Second stage: Reinforcement with Greenstuff and all is well.

The third option was both successful and straightforward so that is the one I pursued.

I also had a few Orcs on Slotta bases. These were quite big figures and had very wide stances with their toes coming almost to the edge of the coins. For these I had to remove the tabs altogether and just superglued the bottoms of their feet directly to the coins. These are not going to be as robust and only time will tell if the bonds are adequate.

Of Trolls, Orcs and Goblins

Hobgoblin: Coincidentally one of my favourite
bottled beers. In the wargaming world Hobgoblins
are usually regarded as larger and stronger
than ordinary Goblins.

I've been collecting figures for my Elf, Troll (Orc) and other armies for Dragon Rampant, so this is a good time to share some more ideas.

As I outlined before  my inspiration comes more from Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword than it does from Tolkein. Having said that, the Fantasy market has long been engulfed by the Tolkein tsunami, so it is not easy (or necessarily advantageous) to escape the influence that has had.

Tolkien originally used Goblin as an alternative name for Orc, while Anderson has Goblins as a separate ‘race’. Even if you reach behind their depiction in modern literature to the folkloric origins of Giants, Trolls, Orcs, Goblins and Ogres, these concepts are overlapping and confused.

I like to think of Goblins as halflings and separate from, if allied to, Orcs/Trolls, and this view seems to be generally favoured by other gamers and figure manufacturers.

Doom Goblins from Knightmare Miniatures (not my painting - though I wish it was).

In the interests of variation - a key element of Fantasy armies - I was surfing the web for Goblins with the intention of adding a unit or two to my Troll army when I came across some relatively new  greens sculpted by the prolific Goblin sculptor Kev Adams. I found these particularly appealing and an enquiry on the Lead Adventure Forum pointed me to Knightmare Miniatures, a company based in Spain.

Anyway, I was so entranced, specifically by the 'Doom Goblins' that I ordered enough figures for a whole Goblin Warband. I even included Goblin wolf-riders. Although I think that is purely a Tolkein invention, I liked the idea of having a DA force with some Riders in it.

I was thinking of reinforcing these with other makes - Midlam, Otherworld, Weyland and Artizan, all of which I like, but I now have all the Goblins I need without having to bother about compatibility.