The thessalhydra! (proxied by a Ral Partha hydra released in 1983, the year Stranger Things is set)
Partha Pewter figures by Rawcliffe, from that store in every mall in the 80s. Julie Guthrie originally sculpted these for Ral Partha’s “All Things Dark and Dangerous” line in 1983. The RP hydra was a 3-part model; Rawcliffe sold it assembled, apparently soldered, with mold lines and a few details carved away and what looks like a black ink wash. Both the hydra and the unicorn still are available from Iron Wind Metals, and the hydra recently appeared on Stranger Things.
Skeletal Legions of the Liche King, Tony Orzech box art for Ral Partha’s 1985 Masterpiece Collection box set of miniatures sculpted by Julie Guthrie
Bear Chariot of the Icelands, 25mm model from Ral Partha’s 1989 catalog, sculpted by Julie Guthrie, obviously inspired by Frazetta’s “The Silver Warrior”. (This is still available from Iron Wind Metals.)
Bear Chariot of the Icelands, 25mm model from Ral Partha’s 1989 catalog, sculpted by Julie Guthrie, obviously inspired by Frazetta’s “The Silver Warrior”. (This is still available from Iron Wind Metals.)
I feel like I had this, but I don’t remember anything at all about it.
This Dragon Quest was TSR’s 1992 introductory version of the D&D rules with a big folding dungeon map board similar to Heroquest and a large number of stat cards and stand-up paper counters for the monsters. The 6 miniatures were all from Ral Partha’s 3-Stage Character line from 1986, cast either in metal or red plastic.
The first D&D figure (mini) I ever bought and the books we used to play the game.
Another early 80′s Ral Partha figure by Tom Meier – 01-125 “Champion of Chaos, mounted and on foot”, who looks like he could ride straight out of a metal album cover
Best friends
Goblins charge. (From the Ral Partha 1989 Catalog.) Note Ral Partha’s classic twisted ribbon connecting spearheads to shafts.
Big in Transylvania.
Julie Guthrie’s Skeletal Giant, listed as a new release in the 1986 Ral Partha catalog (#02-940), still looking good almost 30 years later.
Penny Terry cover for Alarums & Excursions 167, July 1989 — At last count the influential D&D zine has published 580 issues, from 1975 through March 2024.
