The Call of Cthulhu RPG has had a long life and so has spawned a variety of suitable miniatures. The two licensed ranges were from Grenadier and RAFM. The RAFM figures are still available as of this entry.
The figures are 25mm with similar figures listed simply as ‘pulp’ figures ranging up to 28mm. Pulp refers to the pre-tv action/adventure/ horror tales published in cheap magazines made of the cheapest type of paper using pulp wood. The initial stories of the Cthulhu Mythos were published in Weird Tales.
The figures lend themselves well to a variety of RPGs and there are a range of rules to choose from. Needless to say, certain figures resembling Indiana Jones, Amelia Earhart, and Sam Spade appear as a recurrent theme. Monsters from a variety of ranges make suitable antagonists.
Several imported monsters of unknown manufacture listed as Cthulhu Wars. Nyarlathotep is the large blue figure in the back with Shub-Niggureth a bit to the left and the King in Yellow in the foreground.A Hong Kong Cthulhu War cultist alongside a Grenadier Call of Cthulhu investigator standing on a RAFM base. The scale seems close enough.A night gaunt from Hong Kong Cthulhu Wars and another from RAFM. Scale seems about the same.Plenty of other figures mesh with The Call of Cthulhu, here, Ral Partha ghosts.
Some Union infantry figures hidden away in a small box purchased at a time when i was looking at different manufacturers’ products. The Scruby figures were simple and solid. These days they are surprisingly hard to find.
Archive Miniatures short but productive run produced a range of interesting figures starting off with an historical range but gradually ebbing into fantasy and science fiction RPG figures. Their Middle Earth range offered an entertaining take on the forces of evil.
The figures are immediately recognizable as Archive products through their octagonal base but also through the humor and detail in the figures. The lower orcan army as they are listed in Archive catalogs have an undersized torso with large Mickey Mouse shoes and big dinosaur like heads. They will likely inspire the most jaded figure painter with their combination of whimsy and menace.
This also demonstrates one of the hazards of collecting miniatures as the figures were available for a relatively short time as Archive Miniatures became only sporadically available after this offering. Happily, I have more of these on hand not yet painted but of course it would be nice if the molds were still producing. These offer a nice alternative to the more somber offerings of other companies.
In its time, Hinchliffe produced some of the best historical ranges of figures available. Here are 2 rows of cavalry figures, medium cavalry in back, dragoons in the front. With cavalry, Hinchliffe offered a choice of horses, heavy or light, standing or running. Facial detail is limited but proportions are reasonable. By current standards, a bit toy like but still impressive.
These were painted around the time that acrylic paints began to replace enamels and oils. One of the most noticeable differences is the brilliance of the acrylics. The figures are now over 30 years old with decaying matt board bases and chips and bends but the brilliance of the original paint still shows through.
