Fighting Fantasy Figure

Warrior of Chaos and Skeleton

This article concerns the Fighting Fantasy Miniature figures. For the Clarecraft ornaments, see Fighting Fantasy Ornaments

Fighting Fantasy Figures were first advertised in Warlock issue 4, which talked of the imminent release of a set of Fighting Fantasy plastic figures. Metal figures were also later advertised but it is doubtful if they were ever released.

Plastic Figures

Fighting Fantasy Heroes

Main article: Fighting Fantasy Heroes

The Heroes

The Monsters

The miniatures formed part of the Fighting Fantasy Heroes system, along with the paint set for miniatures and Fighting Fantasy Battlegame.

They were released in 1985 and were the first plastic figures ever made by Citadel Miniatures. Each figure came separately in its own blister packaging. There were four different backings for the packages and these were specific to the models being purchased. Blue backings related to "Heroes" and Red backings to "Monsters".

Contents of the Package

The contents of each package was made up of three distinct parts:

• Body
• Head
• Weapons racks and shields

Each package was numbered in the form "FF01" up to "FF27". This numbering referred to the body.

Bodies

There was one body per packet, and the numbering on the packet (that was numbered in the form "FF01" up to "FF27") referred to the body.

Heads

There were interchangeable heads as well. The number of heads for each model is inferred from the "Advert for Miniatures" poster which is an accurate depiction of the bodies and the heads so far catalogued. It appears from the advert that the Ogres had six possible heads, whereas all other miniatures had nine possible heads.

Weapons Racks and Shields

• It should also be noted that there were interchangeable weapons racks as well.
• These could come in grey (the most frequent), Bronze and Red (the rarest). The same racks could come in different colours.
• Wizards and Knights shared the same style of rack and shield emblem. Thus far, three emblems have been noted for this rack although more are likely (from advert evidence).
• Dwarfs and Barbarians shared the same style of rack and shield emblem. Thus far, three emblems have been noted for this rack although more are likely (from advert evidence).
• Skeletons and Warriors of Chaos shared the same style of rack and shield emblem. Thus far, three emblems have been noted for this rack although more are likely (from advert evidence).
• Orcs and Goblins shared the same style of rack and shield emblem. Thus far, two emblems have been noted for this rack although more are likely (from advert evidence).

The Individual Miniatures

The information below is derived from Fang's Finest Emporium

Heroes

The two backings to Heroes packs

• Wizards
  • FF01: Mystic Wizard
  • FF02: Mystic Wizard
  • FF03: Mystic Wizard
• Barbarians
  • FF04: Mighty Thewed Barbarian
  • FF05: Mighty Thewed Barbarian
  • FF06: Mighty Thewed Barbarian
• Heroic Knights
  • FF07: Heroic Knight
  • FF08: Heroic Knight
  • FF09: Heroic Knight
• Warriors of Chaos
  • FF10: Warrior of Chaos
  • FF11: Warrior of Chaos
  • FF12: Warrior of Chaos
• Dwarfs
  • FF13: Fearless Dwarf
  • FF14: Fearless Dwarf
  • FF15: Fearless Dwarf
• Elves - Advertised - not released

Monsters

The two backings to Monsters packs

• Skeletons
  • FF16: Deadly Skeleton
  • FF17: Deadly Skeleton
  • FF18: Deadly Skeleton
• Goblins
  • FF19: Evil Goblin
  • FF20: Evil Goblin
  • FF21: Evil Goblin
• Orcs
  • FF22: Vile Orc
  • FF23: Vile Orc
  • FF24: Vile Orc
• Ogres
  • FF25: Ogre
  • FF26: Ogre
  • FF27: Ogre
• Zombies - Advertised - not released

Note on Elves and Zombies

The Elf

The Zombie

Elves and Zombies were advertised in Warlock issue 4. They were also on the back of the packages of other miniatures but specifically cited as "NOT YET AVAILABLE". None have been confirmed and none were advertised on the main all inclusive advert.

Note on Trolls

Trolls were shown in Warlock issue 6 but were never advertised and have not been confirmed.

The "Troll" - actually an Ogre but misidentified

Note on Heroes

In the Games Workshop Mailorder Advert for Miniatures the "Heroes" were actually labelled "Adventurers".

Warlock Magazine Advertising

In the "Fighting Fantasy News" section of Warlock issue 4, the imminent release of a set of Fighting Fantasy plastic figures was advertised, "to add three-dimensional action to Fighting Fantasy battles". The set would contain:

• "Heroes": these would include: Warriors, Knights, Wizards, Barbarians, Elves and Dwarfs.
• "Monsters": these would include Skeletons, Zombies, Orcs, Ogres and Goblins.

Warlock issue 5 then elaborated, saying that two ranges of Fighting Fantasy figures are to be produced by Citadel Miniatures. Apparently, the Fighting Fantasy figures in plastic were already available. They were described as being around 60mm tall and being a selection of Fighters, Barbarians, Orcs, Skeletons, Wizards, Goblins, Zombies, and Ogres. It was suggested that players could design their own Fighting Fantasy adventures, either conducting skirmishes using the basic Fighting Fantasy rules or in role-playing adventures using Fighting Fantasy - The Introductory Role-Playing Game. This was to be elaborated on by Rick Priestley in the next issue of Warlock. The section went on to describe the packaging for each figure came with a selection of weapons, helmets and a shield. Interestingly, it also described a special set of Fighting Fantasy paints together with a poster for guiding painting. The price was cited as 65p, although this would be "a bit more for the paints and the larger Ogres". Apparently, Citadel’s best designers were used to create this range. The other range was a boxed range of metal figures. See "Metal Figures" section below.

Issue 6 had the first of a number of articles written by Rick Priestley concerned with the use of miniatures in gaming generally. The article was entitled "FANTASY IN MINIATURE" in this issue and although it dealt with miniatures in general, it did have a substantial section dealing with Fighting Fantasy miniatures. Interestingly, this section specified that the Fighting Fantasy models were different from the normal metal miniatures in that they were moulded in a special high-detail, polythene plastic (standing about 60mm tall on average as compared to normal metal models that are about 25–30mm tall). The article at no point said that there were also metal Fighting Fantasy miniatures, which adds weight to the theory that these were never produced. The article also specifically referred to Troll versions as well stating: "The trolls stand at over 80mm in fact" as well as featuring a picture of one of the Fighting Fantasy Trolls. The picture was actually of one of the Ogres. Other than in this issue of Warlock, Troll miniatures for Fighting Fantasy were never advertised and have not been confirmed.

The article gave a good account of what came with each model, namely:

"... a number of component parts, including a selection of weapons and accessories. Heads or helmets are interchangeable. Different heads are supplied with all the body types, so you can assemble a whole army with no two figures the same."

Other notable insights that can be gleaned from this article include the description of ancillary products to the Fighting Fantasy miniatures including:

• Fighting Fantasy Paint Set - This was described as the best way to begin the hobby of painting the miniatures. It was a set containing 10 water-based colours in small sampler pots, and a useful guide "How to Paint your Models" written by renowned fantasy miniatures painter Dave Andrews.
• Fighting Fantasy Battlegame Rules and Dice - the article described that Citadel Miniatures produced a special dice set for the Fighting Fantasy miniatures, which includes not only a selection of multi-sided dice but also a complete set of Battlegame rules for individual combat between adventurers and monsters. The whole set is quite cheap, selling for only £1.25.
• The article also suggested that if you wanted to enact battles with the miniatures then the rules in the Fighting Fantasy books, and Warlock magazine, (using skill, stamina and luck), can be used to fight out further adventures of your own. It pointed out that Steve Jackson's book Fighting Fantasy – The Introductory Role-Playing Game showed how this could be done.

A picture of these three items was featured.

Advert for Miniatures

Showing all Figures and Heads available

The advert, available from a number of publications at the time, is a good indicator of what was finally created as part of the series. It showed the three body types for each of the following:

• "Heroes": Wizards; Barbarians; Heroic Knights; Warriors of Chaos; Dwarfs
• "Monsters": Skeletons; Goblins; Orcs; and Ogres.

This definitively showed that the Elves and Zombies, mentioned in issue 4 and on shown on the back of the blister packaging for each figure, were not created. Notably, it also did not show Trolls, and comparison of the first pictured Ogre in the advert, with the Troll pictured in issue 6 shows that they are one in the same.

The advert also showed that there were nine interchangeable heads for each "Hero" or "Monster" type, except Ogres for whom there were six.

Notably also, the poster mixed up the labels for Orcs and Goblins, proved by both the size of the models and the mini-adverts on the back of each miniature's blister packaging.

Metal Figures

Metal figures first seem to be advertised in issue 5, when, along with plastic figures (see above), Citadel Miniatures were said to be working on a boxed range of metal figures modelled straight from the illustrations in the gamebooks. The first three were to be The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, The Citadel of Chaos and The Forest of Doom. These were to have been available in the latter half of 1985. The release of these was not confirmed.

Interestingly, in Rick Priestley's detailed articles on miniatures in Warlock (from issue 6 to [[Warlock Issue 13|issue 13), metal Fighting Fantasy figures are never mentioned.

Polystyrene Figures

Although there has been rumoured to be polystyrene figures, these were never advertised. Citadel Miniatures certainly made polystyrene figures for other series at around the same time as they made the Fighting Fantasy miniatures. These were discussed in an article in issue 6 along with Fighting Fantasy miniatures. It may be that this is from where the confusion stems. However, the article never states that polystyrene figures were made for Fighting Fantasy.

The Warlock of Firetop Mountain Figures

The six figures available

Citadel Miniatures did make plastic figures for the The Warlock of Firetop Mountain boardgame. These came with the game, and they did manufacture and sell them separately, as advertised in the 1989 Catalogue, for 75p for a set of six.

Paint The Warlock Art Competition Figure

The Warlock Figure from an advert in White Dwarf #82

In Warlock issue 7 a competition was run to paint what you thought the eponymous Warlock of Warlock magazine looked like:

“

What do you think my friend the Warlock looks like? Is he a wizened old man whose terrifying powers are cloaked by the appearance of age and frailty? Or is he an imposing figure, enthroned in glory amidst his goblin minions? With much grumbling, the Warlock has grudgingly allowed me to organise this competition. So it's up to you to tell us what you think he looks like.

”

The creator of the winning entry was to receive the following:

“

— A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO SIX ISSUES OF WARLOCK MAGAZINE!!! — The winning entry will be sent to a renowned fantasy artist, who will reinterpret the picture for use on the cover of a forthcoming WARLOCK! — The artwork will also be used as the basis for a SPECIAL EDITION FANTASY MINIATURE, sculpted and cast in metal by CITADEL MINIATURES and available – at some time in the mist-shrouded future – as a special offer only to Warlock readers!

”

The winner was Alexis Panayiotou, and his entry was converted into the cover of issue 10 by John Blanche. The entry was also converted into a Citadel Miniature and was available via an order form found in White Dwarf issue 82. It should be noted that this miniature is sometimes referred to as "The Warlock of Firetop Mountain", however, the Warlock of Warlock magazine, and Zagor, the Warlock of Firetop Mountain, are not one in the same person.

Super Rarities

The Imperial Dragon

Main article: Warlock of Firetop Mountain Competition

With the release of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, came a bookmark advertising the great Warlock of Firetop Mountain Competition. The first prize was "The largest fantasy figure ever produced". This was the 2ft long Imperial Dragon, created and painted in full colour by world famous designer twins, Michael Perry and Alan Perry for Citadel Miniatures. The winner of the competition would be receiving the first ever one of these Imperial Dragons produced, and was to be presented with a special certificate of authenticity.

The dragon was also later known as the Chicken Dragon because it was literally the size of a small chicken. With a wingspan of two feet, a length of two feet and a height of one foot, it was one of the largest items ever made by Citadel Miniatures, and certainly the largest at the time (1982). It was a gravity casting and the moulds didn't last.

Hand-made FF Trophy

Main article: F.F. Bookmarks Competition

This was one of the prizes to be won as part of the first place in The Grand Quest of the F.F. Bookmarks Competition (also known as the "Fighting Fantasy Competition of the Century").

Casket of Souls

Main article: Casket of Souls Competition

When the book Casket of Souls was published there was a competition whereby once the reader had defeated "the dread Bone Demon by uncovering the spell hidden in [the] pages [of the book]" the reader could send their answer on a postcard to "Department Sallazar" at Penguin Books. The winner of the competition would win the original golden Casket of Souls model, hand sculpted by Citadel Miniatures directly from the artwork of Iain McCaig.

See Also

• Citadel Miniatures
• Fighting Fantasy Ornaments
• Fighting Fantasy Heroes
• Games Workshop