Now by 1988 the 'C-series' listings were coming to an end, with the serial number listing taking over, but the Balgorg was listed in the C31 Giant Monsters range. The Balgorg himself is a Greater Demon (Demon, not Deamon) and is, I would suggest, based on the Balrog idea from the Lord of the Rings. In Warhammer Fantasy Battle 3rd Edition, it was possible to summon Greater Demons via 4th Level Demonic Magic, making this miniature perfectly practical for gaming.
The info next to the advert suggests that the miniature is good not just for gaming, but of such a good quality for collectors and painters. Although there is nothing exceptional in the sculpting, it is still a lovely sculpt from Trisha Morrison (soon to be co-founder of Marauder Miniatures), and part of the great sculpting from the era. There is not a lot of fine detail, but the nature of the miniature does not allow for that. Personally I think the the miniature is a beautiful and looks like what it is meant to.
I painted the Balgorg in the style of the Lord of the Rings Balrog. I opted for a dark colour. I undercoated the miniature black, and highlighted it with red. The 'hairy' parts of the model I painted to suggest flames, as I did with the sword and whip. All in all, I am happy with the model and how it turned out. A simple but effective paint.
Enjoy :)
The original White Dwarf Advert from White Dwarf #97, 1988.
I am not sure, but I do not think that the miniature was a very widely released.
I am not sure, but I do not think that the miniature was a very widely released.
My take on the Balgorg. I have based him on a 50mm round lipped base.
Rear view.
The model is a two part miniature. The wings are seperate to the body.
The model is a two part miniature. The wings are seperate to the body.
Close up of the face.
The sword, with flame detail.
Scale shot with 1980's Goblin.
I decided to try something when photographing.
To give the idea of a Balrog in Moria, I photographed the Balgorg in the dark, with ambient lighing provided by a candle.
To give the idea of a Balrog in Moria, I photographed the Balgorg in the dark, with ambient lighing provided by a candle.
Something stirs in the deep.
An old evil brought forth by Morgoth in an ancient age.
Next update should be on my ongiong sorting out of Oldhammer armies.
I always loved this model. Here's mine: http://snv-ttm.blogspot.be/2014/03/oldhammer-monsters.html
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteI like how you also went for a Balrog look for your Balgorg. You also have a nice selection of Oldhammer monsyers as well.
Seeing your Winged Fire Demon reminded me I have one somewherre. I might dig him out (appropriate for Moria!) and paint him.
A fine example of wage growth not keeping up with inflation £3!!! In metal! Problem was these toys were competing for my meager pocket money against thrash albums so i never got one.
DeleteI know, £3 now would be just fine, as would £2.50 per blister pack! I only think I paid about £5 for him in the 1990's.
DeleteI was lucky in that I had a part time job from the age of 13 (1987) and so could buy 3 to 4 blister packs per week, with many more in the summer holidays due to overtime.
Now that was a real blast from the past, as I recall that was the first Demon model I ever bought. Great painting of it and the atmospheric shots really add to the effect
ReplyDeleteThank you, it was fun to paint something unusual. I picked up the Balgorg sometime after 1988, but can't recall when. My first Demon was the Grenadier Balrog.
DeleteI thought I would give the atmospheric photographs a go and see how they tunrned out. It was fun, and I think they worked out well.
The name is interesting – I notice in the earliest catalogue entries for C31 it is actually called 'Balrog', but then later is renamed 'Balgorg'. Did GW lost the Tolkien licence at that time or something?
ReplyDeleteThe earlier C31 Giant Monsters Balrog is a different miniature to this one. It was part of the pre-slotta era, whereas the Balgorg was much later, 1988.
DeleteConcerning the change of name for Balrog style demons, you might be right concerning a link with the Lord of the Rings licence. GW lost the licence in 1988, but this was a couple of months after the Balgorg was sculpted.
I think they might have used the name Balgorg to seperate this miniature from their actual Lord of the Rings ranges for with they actually made a Balrog miniature. Also, I got the impression at the time that the Balgorg name was part of GW's habit giving fun names, or names to miniatures that were similar to something else.
Hope ths helps. :)