It's Recycling... For Minis!

Years ago (twelve to be exact) the CMG Mage Knight hit the streets for the first time.  I never really got into it as the whole CMG/CCG thing just didn't appeal to me anymore but I did see some figures that I liked the look of.  Then again it was collectible so why buy a bunch of minis in the hopes of getting one that I might like the look of.  I mean sure I might do that now but then I was more sensible.  Sensible.  Yeah, let's run with that.

Anyway, I recently went trolling for some new minis that might have a different feel than what you find in the mainstream and what did I find?  None other than some of the same old Mage Knight minis that caught my eye years ago, plus a few "newer" ones that I hadn't seen.  One quick Paypal transaction later and they were winging my way to me at the speed of the USPS.

I vaguely remembered what they looked like then but the real question is just how are these figures now?  I have to say that time has not been kind to the figures from the original sets.  Not as far as the sculpts themselves but as far as the paint.  I had planned on repainting these anyway but it was surprising to see just how bad the original runs paint was.  Here are a couple to give you an idea.

Brass golem on the left and submersible golem on the right.

 It seems like the later sets (believe they were from the Unlimited series) fared much better in their overall paint schemes and also featured some more dynamic sculpts than the original minis..

Whirling golem from the Unlimited series

Still definitely not Golden Demon winners but not bad considering what they were.  The material used also seems to be more rigid as well though this is only a concern if you are looking to do any conversion work.

Then again I did say that I was going to repaint them anyway so how the paint held up is kind of a mote point.  The better question is how is the quality of the sculpt and personally I really like the look of these figures.  A quick re-basing and paint job later and voila!

One big happy family of mechanical menaces

Overall I'm really happy with how they've turned out.  Not super detailed but then they'll suit my purposes just fine.  And just what are those purposes?  Well, I was originally thinking of re skinning them for a Dungeons and Dragons 4e game but I'm now I'm also thinking about stating them up for Song of Blades and Heroes.  Either way I'm looking forward to getting them to the table and I'm even going to pick up some more as well.  After all recycling is good for the environment, right?  Until next time...