Vlad Krakhead (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the mini)

And so we move on to the next ‘Heroic Fighter’ from Citadel, the weirdly named ‘Vlad Krakhead’.  I’d love to know what the Citadel studio were on when naming models in the late ‘80s.

I’d always rated this as one of the poorest sculpts from the set.  The pose is flat and unconvincing (why would you hold a massive mace in that position?), and the proportions are just a bit off somehow (just how long is that right arm?). Not Jes Goodwin’s finest work.  So my plan was just get it done and move on.

Instead, something unexpected happened. 

I really enjoyed painting him.  I’m not quite sure what the recipe was.  Perhaps my low expectations took the pressure off, maybe it’s the relative simplicity (when compared to modern minis) that meant I could concentrate on the painting - whatever it was, this chap was an absolute joy to paint, and the end result is a great match for the vision I had in my head.

Which just goes to show you never know how things will turn out, and the importance of just starting to get the paint on.