As a surprise for my three-year old, Maja, I found the soundtrack for The Wizard of Oz on Spotify and we've been grooving ever since.
With a pile of Maja-related projects, she actually brought up playing games in Oz. So the research of the day? How to do basic movie-Oz in 25-30mm.
Lucky for me, I'm not the first person to think of this idea. Trying to consolidate my figure purchasing is going to be another story.
Dorothy may be my downfall. I've seen lots of references to out-of-business cottage businesses, or even using old west figures, but nothing that makes me want to tackle a blue and white plaid paint job. I can get seven different Alice (in Wonderland) figs, but no Dorothys. Suggestions are certainly welcome.
Toto, I already have Toto. The terrier from the Gnome War British Dog Handler is a bit big, but given the fact that Toto is the best fighter in the party, a larger fig would represent the combat monster that he is.
The Witches I defer over to a great blog post at Wargaming With Barks. The wicked witch is Reaper's Selmarina (2682) and the good witch is Princess Elena (2029 - out of distribution but still available direct from Reaper). I do like how Barks made a "hot" witch more traditional, although the cupcake confuses me. I may even have Princess Elena fig hiding in a box, back when she was $2.25.
The Munchkins Any old halflings should do, although I have delusions of painting up a Gnome Wars Swiss unit like the Munchkinland Guard.
The Scarecrow RAFM has a small Scarecrow line, and this fella (sans knife perhaps) looks the most appropriate.
The Tin Woodsman Another one I'm having a problem locating. Not much of a demand for Tin Man, although if I find something close, I'll just paint the whole thing silver.
The Cowardly Lion With another surprise, the "Lion Men" are either non-existent or have an inconsistent scale. I will use a post-movie version, from Reaper
The Flying Monkeys It's sad to think that in recreating a beloved fantasy world, the easiest minis to acquire would be Flying Monkeys. Eureka has plenty of these bad boys, in both feathery and bat wing varieties.
As with the witches, this pic was admiringly stolen from Wargaming with Barks, simply because they are that awesome. Not the particular figures out of the line I would use, but certainly the best paint job.
The Winkies These fellows (The Witch Guard) create the biggest debate. Many people claim to use Siberia troops, or even Cossack, however each figure linked is holding a rifle! That's a lot of extra modelling to remove those. The Winkies wielded those big-ass halberds, so I would prefer to sacrifice the greatcoats and fuzzy hats for those polearms. The best choice for that would be Voyuk Infantry with Halberds from the Vlad the Impaler range from Old Glory. Not perfect, as they are old school 25mm versus the larger scales for the other figs, but a) I can imagine these guys with green faces and b) I can get 30 of these bad boys for $35.00! The Wicked Witch's castle is stocked!
Old Glory's website, with the direct link the Voynuk
Honorable Mention I'm pondering these from Studio Miniatures in Great Britain, but I can't justify $25.00 US plus shipping just for a usable Tin Man. Nice post-apoc zombie survivors. I absolutely LOVE the lion mascot!
Update 11/30/12: A new post if up here, covering some new discoveries that I found
Update 8/24/18: Neil at Toy Soldiers and Dining Room Tables has done a great job painting and assembling adventuring companies for In Her Majesty's Name using the Wizard Oz Wild West minis from Reaper. Check out Dorothy Gale and her Untouchables here, and the Wicked Witch of the West's crew here.
With a pile of Maja-related projects, she actually brought up playing games in Oz. So the research of the day? How to do basic movie-Oz in 25-30mm.
Lucky for me, I'm not the first person to think of this idea. Trying to consolidate my figure purchasing is going to be another story.
Dorothy may be my downfall. I've seen lots of references to out-of-business cottage businesses, or even using old west figures, but nothing that makes me want to tackle a blue and white plaid paint job. I can get seven different Alice (in Wonderland) figs, but no Dorothys. Suggestions are certainly welcome.
Toto, I already have Toto. The terrier from the Gnome War British Dog Handler is a bit big, but given the fact that Toto is the best fighter in the party, a larger fig would represent the combat monster that he is.
The Witches I defer over to a great blog post at Wargaming With Barks. The wicked witch is Reaper's Selmarina (2682) and the good witch is Princess Elena (2029 - out of distribution but still available direct from Reaper). I do like how Barks made a "hot" witch more traditional, although the cupcake confuses me. I may even have Princess Elena fig hiding in a box, back when she was $2.25.
The dude in the upper left here is a Guardsman. I may need some Eureka Pandours, as their uniforms match very well.
The Cowardly Lion With another surprise, the "Lion Men" are either non-existent or have an inconsistent scale. I will use a post-movie version, from Reaper
Obviously,medals do make a difference!
The Flying Monkeys It's sad to think that in recreating a beloved fantasy world, the easiest minis to acquire would be Flying Monkeys. Eureka has plenty of these bad boys, in both feathery and bat wing varieties.
As with the witches, this pic was admiringly stolen from Wargaming with Barks, simply because they are that awesome. Not the particular figures out of the line I would use, but certainly the best paint job.
The Winkies These fellows (The Witch Guard) create the biggest debate. Many people claim to use Siberia troops, or even Cossack, however each figure linked is holding a rifle! That's a lot of extra modelling to remove those. The Winkies wielded those big-ass halberds, so I would prefer to sacrifice the greatcoats and fuzzy hats for those polearms. The best choice for that would be Voyuk Infantry with Halberds from the Vlad the Impaler range from Old Glory. Not perfect, as they are old school 25mm versus the larger scales for the other figs, but a) I can imagine these guys with green faces and b) I can get 30 of these bad boys for $35.00! The Wicked Witch's castle is stocked!
Honorable Mention I'm pondering these from Studio Miniatures in Great Britain, but I can't justify $25.00 US plus shipping just for a usable Tin Man. Nice post-apoc zombie survivors. I absolutely LOVE the lion mascot!
Update 11/30/12: A new post if up here, covering some new discoveries that I found
Update 8/24/18: Neil at Toy Soldiers and Dining Room Tables has done a great job painting and assembling adventuring companies for In Her Majesty's Name using the Wizard Oz Wild West minis from Reaper. Check out Dorothy Gale and her Untouchables here, and the Wicked Witch of the West's crew here.
Update 12/18/20: Check out the Wars of Ozz line from Old Glory for varied options of the classic figures. The minis I acquired via their Kickstarter are simply top-notch and directly relevant.
Update 02/23/22: This post is almost a decade old, and still one of the most popular posts. It's only right that I mention the Killer B Games Wizard of Oz line, whereas the sculpts are based on the classic illustrations from the original printings. Definitely the the primo figures for a "straight" Oz game.
If the Tin Man mini doesn't need to be made of metal I would suggest checking out the Warforged minis from WotC's plastic mini line. Just a thought to help out.
ReplyDeleteThis was an awesome post.
ReplyDeletehttp://tritex-games.co.uk/image.php?url=dnd_iw_20070119a_shguard.jpg&width=300
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Now there is the Wars of Ozz range of 28mm figures and rules. They are very entertaining. Personally I am converting figures for 54mm scale.
ReplyDeleteYour 54mm Ozz conversions and games were great fun!
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