From JP: Ral Partha's Idol Theft! [New Acquisitions] (65 points)

 This is a new acquisition, I have long been a fan of Tom Meier's vignettes and thought I would never find them again. Enter Jacob, owner of Ral Partha Legacy, who has allowed me to revel in my teenage delights of D&D!

I will start out with an unabashed shout out for Ral Partha Legacy. Jacob sent a parcel of vignettes from the US to me in Belgium. UPS didn't do a great job and it went walkies - permanently. Jacob diligently tried to track the parcel down, when UPS just shut the file, so to speak, Jacob recast the three vignettes I ordered and re-sent them to me at no cost (we are still wrangling as I want to contribute and order more!). They arrived two weeks ago.

The castings are superb! Clean, fine details, animated and each tells its own tale. Thank you for the superb service and perseverance Ral Partha Legacy. Firms like this allow me to continue enjoying the hobby.

I puzzled how best to assemble/paint the model - 7 pieces and all 25mm - super fine detail, a tiny bit delicate. I played around a bit with it and came to the conclusion I really should paint each part separately and then assemble them. Sounds obvious, but I have bad experiences from painting parts and putting it all together afterwards, even with good prep work.

I decided that the idol should be painted, as I have seen in India, that was key to adding extra life and colour. There are no washes, only brush and dry brush - I was afraid washes would take away from the end result. Here is the outcome:

I am still hunting for a base that is 65mm in diameter as well as a 'dome' to put over it - if anyone has recommendations, pray tell!!!!

Points... not certain! I'll give the following a try:

6 x 25-28mm figs 

(2 whole humans, 2 whole skeletons and a number of partial skeletons)    30

1 x idol as a 40mm figurine                                                                           7

1 x hobbit as a 15mm fig (on top of the idol if you missed him!)                 2 5

New acquisition                                                                                            20

Possible total:                                                                                                59 62

Once again - I would not normally get off my duff to paint a vignette so quickly - so thank to the Analogue for pushing me along!!

It's your stand-in minion Martijn again. Wow, JP, what a fantastically cool vignette! I am very happy you got in the end, for I would not have wanted to miss this contribution for the world. Great choice, and great painting too! You have managed to bring the whole scene to life, and I love the painted idol! I think you are being modest on the points side, a 28mm hobbit is still a 28mm hobbit, and I will round your total up to 65 for special coolness. And even that seems a little skimpy for this magnificent entry. However, that's what it is; 65 points for you. Well done!

N.B. Please mark your entry in the title, I almost missed it. And a map would be nice to!