11 replies to this topic

[Zagblorg]

Hi all, can anyone tell me what the miniature in the Reaper logo pic attached is?



I'm trying to find a suitable mini for my character in the roleplay campaign I'm playing at the moment. I've just found a figure I really like for the character himself (below). Some conversion will be required, but that's half the fun.



The problem is that he rides a giant cat (think Battlecat from the original He-Man kinda size) and I'm having real trouble finding a mini. I got a Dark Heaven Legends Phase Cat a while back but I think it's a bit too small. Tempted by the Guardian Beast figure but it's completely covered in plate barding, which looks cool but my character can't really afford (plus it'd limit the cat's maneuverability). The one in the logo pic looks similar but a bit less heavily armoured so I reckon it'd fit the bill nicely. That is assuming it's of a suitable size. Doesn't matter too much if it's not actually meant to be a cat, I can always resculpt the face if needed, though the tail looks similar to the Sabretooth model's tail and the paws are quite feline.

[Jordan Peacock]

Ack. I initially found the Guardian Beast and thought, "Ah, I'll just link this -- maybe that would be helpful?" but then I went back and read your post more carefully. One thought about the Guardian Beast: Apparently it fits on a 2" base, though I don't know if that really means it's large enough to serve as a mount (as it would be a bit low to the ground). Anyway, one thought off top of my head is that you might suggest it's less heavily armored depending upon how you paint it. E.g., some of the flat surfaces that MIGHT be armor could instead be the hide of the beast (only partial armor coverage), and what remains could be painted up as if it's boiled leather armor (i.e., tans, browns) instead of metal barding. Just brainstorming, there, since I don't actually have the mini to get a good look at it.

Where did you find the original image, by the way?

Also for the sake of brainstorming:

"Kitty Cat" from the Boneyard: http://www.reapermin...ku-down/P30001B



This is the cat from 30001 - Queen of the Jungle (http://www.reapermin.../sku-down/30001) -- Master Series, 54mm.

Therefore perhaps at 54mm scale, it would be large enough for a mount? (At $11.82 for the Boneyard piece, though, I'm sure you'd want to know for CERTAIN before ordering it, though, and I'm not sure how large it's supposed to be.)

Perhaps another possibility would be one of the larger sabertooth tigers. For example, Jason Wiebe's 03570 (http://www.reapermin...etail/IG_1980_1) -- one of the detail pictures shows it painted up suspiciously similar to "Battle Cat." Again, though, I don't know the exact size.

[Citrine]

The armored cat under the Reaper logo was a unique Special Edition Everquest 2 miniature for one of the EQ2 expansions, it is not for sale via Reaper or in stores. You might be able to get one on Ebay.

[Bruunwald]

Privateer Press carries these ferox:

http://privateerpres...orian-ferox.png

They can be purchased separate from their riders in their parts section. For what it's worth.

[Zagblorg]

Hi all, thanks for the quick responses!

I mainly just like the shape of the Guardian Beast model, it's a bit more feline. I did think maybe some creative painting could make it look less armoured.

The original pic I found on the eBay ad where I first saw Hurgg the Bloody. Seems it is an Everquest 2 Dire Sabertooth. Found 2 sets of 3 on eBay for about $25 (or £15.69 to me). Kinda tempted despite being a bit pricey, can always sell on the others or find another use for them. I try to be economical when building armies, but for a one-off conversion I reckon I could splash out a little bit. :) I just don't really like the tails on the sabertooth models, but I guess I can always cut off what's there and sculpt a more cat-like one using wire and putty.

I did think about the Kitty Cat once I figured out it was from the 54mm set, definitely more likely to be a sensible size. Not too keen on the way it looks in the painted photos, but I guess I can always paint it completely differently, and possibly bulk out the muscles in a few areas. Hmm, I shall have a think on it.

The Ferox model does look cool. My problem is that being located in the UK, I'd then have to pay twice for international shipping, which would probably work out more expensive than just buying a few different cats from Reaper and getting free shipping from them. Damn that postage!

[mikem91]

The critter in question came from one of the deluxe editions of an Everquest 2 expansion. There was also an expansion that came with a armored bear too.

[smokingwreckage]

For a one-off, I'd buy those in a heartbeat.

[Zagblorg]

Hmm, on closer inspection it's not the Everquest Dire Sabertooth! The armour's different. The EQ DSes are cool though.

I found a bigger version of the original pic in case that helps.



Here's one of the Everquest 2 Dire Sabertooths from eBay.



Aha! And the source article says what it is!

It is indeed from EQ2, but it's a Highland Stalker, a limited edition mount that's some kind of Lynx. I just got confused about precisely which EQ2 mini it was. The ones in the pics above must be the bears mentioned earlier. Found one on eBay pretty cheap but it's listed as being pretty small, so may be too small for my chosen character model. Either way it's only about $10 so I might get it anyway, sure I can find some use for it even if not for this conversion. Thanks for the assistance everyone. If anyone knows much about the sizes of the other big-cat models, or knows of any other suitable big-cat models, then please let me know.

[cookjimjr]

The Cat that comes with the Jungle Queen or is available separately, is about 3" long (Approx. 76mm) and the tail is about another 1" (25mm). The painted version with the White Tiger is mine. I did beef him up some and added more fur around the face, because i believe the cat is supposed to be a Leopard or a Panther and not a Tiger.

The Sabertoolth discussed above; Reaper #03570 is about 2 1/2" long (63.5mm), about 1/2" wide (12.7mm). The painted version shown was painted by me and the idea came from He-Man, although the cat on He-Man was a Darker Green With Brown stripes.

There is another Similar Sabertooth Tiger in a different pose in the P-65 Heavy Metal line which looks about the same size and would probably be pretty easy to convert into a mount. Here is the link to that one http://www.reapermin...er#detail/65017.

Hope that helps some.

[mikem91]

The highland stalker is about 13/16" to the top of the saddle, call it 1" to the highest point and 1 7/8" from nose to back of the trailing foot.

The dire bear is about 1 1/8" to the top of his shoulders and 1 3/4" nose to trailing foot.

[Brother Jim]

Have you considered Hasslefree's
HFL404 Sabre-tooth tigress (metal)

http://www.hfminis.co.uk/shop?product=sabre%252dtooth-tigress-%28metal%29~hfl404&category=miniatures~aliens%2C-animals-%26-monsters

[Zagblorg]

Thanks for the continued suggestions everyone. I decided to grab the Highland Stalker off eBay anyway because I like the model. Think I'll probably get Kitty Cat and Sabretooth, hopefully one of them will do the job. I definitely prefer your version of the Amazon Queen, cookjimjr. Looks a lot better with the bulkier face. I'm just not sure how keen I am on the pose, but I can always have a go at bending the legs. Somewhat sadly, I'm probably going to paint him up like my cat Jack!



Probably be a while before it's anywhere near done but I'll try and remember to post some pics, either on this thread or a new one, once I'm done. Also doing my henchman who will be riding some form of lizard, probably 14628: Darkrime Drake because I really like that model!