In my previous post, I published the collated rules and stats for mythical creatures for Ronin, kindly provided by Craig Woodfield, allowing you to field them on the table. However, this is not particularly useful unless you have miniatures to represent them, so hopefully this post will give you an idea of what is available and where to get it.
As per the title of this post, I will only be looking at the three creatures noted above, namely the Oni, Kappa and Tengu.
A caveat before you start - I will only be listing models that are either commercially available or have been released and can be tracked down (with a little effort) on various auction sites. No greens, soon-to-be released or potential Kickstarter Stretch Goals which may or may not be available 6 months down the line - if you want to look at something that you might possibly be able to buy around Christmas time, look elsewhere. Second Caveat - as Ronin is a 28mm skirmish game, all models listed will be 28mm.
Rather than go by creature, I'm going by company and will advise what they've got, whether you can buy them immediately and provide a link.
First, Black Hat Miniatures. This company manufactures the Tales of the Dragon Kings range, which is primarily Chinese influenced. However, concealed within their ranks is pack DK020 - Japanese Ogre.
Suitably imposing, armed and armoured appropriately and only £7.00.
Should you wish to field an Ushi-Oni (Ox Oni or Demon), which is a demon with a horned, bovine head, why not pick up one of DK34 - Chinese Minotaur.
Lovely figure (armed apparently with maracas) and also only £7.00.
Both of these beauties (if that word can be used for such creatures) can be found at www.blackhat.co.uk
Our next offering is from C-P Models, who have recently added the Oriental Legends range to their site. Currently, their only miniature from the creatures listed above is the Kappa, but as you will see as we go on, Kappa miniatures are few and far between.
Our next figure, from Crunch Waffle Enterprises, is slightly different - CWE0017 - Old Magi of the Sea.
That's right, it's a Maori/Polynesian themed Oni, sculpted by the very talented Jason Wiebe. I love this figure and want one, but the problem I have is that the website appears to be having some issues, as I cannot access the store or use the Buy it Now link, so I can't even tell you how much this model is or if it's even available. Site address is www.crunch-waffle.com
Our next stop is Dixon Miniatures, one of the oldest companies on here who are still in business. Their Legends of Nippon range covers a number of creatures, but we're only going to look at their Oni, as they do not have any Kappa or Tengu, specifically their Dai-Oni or Greater Oni. Whilst they do Oni which they describe as medium-sized Oni, from what I can gather, these are actually about the same size as normal figures, i.e 28mm, rather than big and imposing as Oni should be.
The slightly odd thing about the Dixon Miniatures site, is that they only provide photos of some of their figures, rather than all of them, and they only provide one photo of the Dai-Oni. Trawling the web only found examples of the same figure - namely D04 - Dai-Oni in savage mood brandishing Mallets.
Allegedly, these models were one of Mark Copplstone's first projects and are exactly what I envisage Oni to look like. However, I can't really tell how big they are, as this particular model is the only image online and he's not exactly standing up straight. However, as all the Dai-Oni are a mere £2.25 each, might be worth investing in one or two, just to see.
Our next visit is to the left field, as someone suggested that these models could be used as Kappa proxies. I'm talking about Eureka Miniatures Terrapin Warriors, from the Pond Wars range.
The ones shown to the left are 100FRG17 - Terrapin with spear, of which there are four variants as shown, at A$2.95 each direct from Eureka.
There are alternatively armed Terrapins, but I picked these out as they seemed the most appropriate.
Not sure I'd use them, as they seem a little too cute to be sucking your intestines out of your anus, but I suppose looks can be deceiving. (NB: This is apparently what Kappa did to those they caught - the Japanese have an unusual mindset).
Now for something HUGE. Gale Force 9, manufacturers of fine terrain and gamings accessories, also do miniatures, which was something I was not aware of. And they have Qesnef, Ogre Mage, part of the Dungeons & Dragons Collector's Series Classics.
This 5-part resin model is approximately 50mm tall, so will be suitably imposing on your table, but due to it's collectability status, will set you back $30.00. Quite a bit of dosh for a single figure, although you do actually get Qesnet in Halfing form as well, so I guess that works out as $15.00 each... Can be bought direct from Gale Force 9 here: http://www.flamesofwar.com/gf9online_store.aspx?CategoryID=13326
Our next stop is GCT Studios, creators of Bushido - The Game. The Savage Wave faction is where you'll find all the Oni - no Tengu or Kappa from this company...yet.
Figures range in price from GCTBSW010 - Kano at £8.50 (to the left), up to GCTBSW002 - Bobata at £16.95 (to the right).
As there are several variations on a theme, whatever your idea of what an Oni should look like will probably be represented here. However, compared to what has come previously, these do fall into what I would consider the premium price range for miniatures, so if you're on a budget, look elsewhere. All can be found at www.bushido-thegame.com
Our next port of call is Greebo Miniatures, an Italian Manufacturer who mainly produce Fantasy Football miniatures.
However, having seen the fellow below painted up in traditional Oni colours, I felt that this three-eyed Demon Troll should be included, as he does tick most of the boxes for what an Oni should look like and his armour is Samurai inspired.
For some reason, whilst on the main website, this beastie isn't in the store. Based on the cost of the other figures, I'd hazard a guess that this one will set you back the same amount of money - namely 19.99 Euros. Can be found here - www.greebo.it - but you may want to contact them directly regarding availability.
Otherworld Miniatures is a relatively new company, who are known for producing creatures to populate your dungeons with. However, amongst their Ogres is this chap - OG7 Ogre Mage.
Our next trip is down memory lane, as we look at the models that were available from Ral Partha, but can now only be found on auction sites.
53-907 Tengu - Probably the best Tengu miniatures I've seen.
52-908 Oni - A little demonic looking, but nice all the same
53-909 Kappa - The most authentic looking Kappa, based on their description in the legends, but looking a little like monsters from Doctor Who...
53-912 Dai-Oni - I'm no expert, but I get a definite Indian vibe from this one, rather than Japanese...
All sculpted by the very talented Dennis Mize.
Also from Ral Partha, part of their partnership with TSR was the AD&D Ogre Mage (11-405), who, as you can see from the picture below, came with optional left hands, depending on whether you wanted him armed or carrying his lunch...
Unfortunately, another one to trawl the auction sites for, as it is sadly no longer available direct from source.
We now move onto Reaper Miniatures, who whilst they have several Oriental themed miniatures, only really have one which meets my criteria.
This particularly martial Oni is Reaper's Ogre Mage (02486), which is what the Dungeons & Dragons game decided to re-name the Oni for more Western audiences. (As an aside, when looking for 28mm Oni, you will need to search for "Oni", "Ogre Mage", "Ogre Magi" or "Japanese Ogre" to cover all the bases.)
This particular sculpt is another of Jason Wiebe's. Available, according to the website, for $10.99. Can be found and purchased at www.reapermini.com
Our next visit is to Soda Pop Miniatures, whose Relic Knights range has a couple of models of interest to us. Firstly, there's the Kyojin Beserkers from the Noh Empire.
Whilst both are Oni-inspired, their arms and armour may not make them ideally suited to Ronin, but here they are for your viewing pleasure. Both of these chaps will set you back $23.95 each.
Moving on, Soda Pop also have Kenobo, who has been described as a Tengu, from the Star Nebula Corsairs faction.
Obviously a Tengu in their more humanoid form, sans wings, but with the long nose associated with these creatures. Kenobo will set you back $17.95.
Not really my cup of <insert hot beverage of choice here>, but I'm including for completeness sake. All can be found at www.sodapopminiatures.com
As I mentioned earlier, miniature representations of Kappa are few and far between, which was why it was nice to see these fellows from Tengu Models.
Whilst these were available directly from Tengu Models at £7.50 for all three and are still featured on the banner on their website, you can no longer buy them from tengu Models. Boo!
However, I have it on good authority, namely the guy who runs Tengu Models, that the molds and productions rights for these wee beasties has been bought by an American company, who plan on re-releasing them in the future. Unfortunately, that's all the info I was able to get, so don't know who or when. So Yay-ish!
Our next port of call is Valiant Enterprises Ltd, who've picked up the old Clan War line, which is associated with the Legends of the Five Rings RPG and spin-offs. However, it would appear that the full range is no longer available, as I've heard rumours of figures which I have been unable to locate on their site.
For our purposes, we will be looking under the Shadowland Horde section, which has a plethora of models which are either listed as Oni or could pass for Oni. However, as the word Oni also means Demon, some of the models are demonic beings, rather than what I would consider Oni. If you want creatures from the Real Ghostbusters, they are ideal, but for Ronin - No.
Anyway, they're are at least nine miniatures on the site, ranging in price from $6.00 to $11.00, listed as either Oni or Ogres. My personal favourite is this one, who's only $6.00.
He's even got a severed head attached to his belt. Bless...
All the Clan War figures (all 234 of them) can be found here; www.veltd.net
Now onto pre-painted plastic goodness (or badness, depending on your outlook). In their efforts to produce every single variant of every single creature from the Monstrous Compendium, Wizards of the Coast did release some Oni/Ogre Mage within their many D&D Miniatures sets. As with the majority of the D&D Miniatures, your best bet to get hold of these figures is an auction site or an online retailer specialising in singles.
First we have the Oni Night Haunter from the Lords of Madness set:
Next, the Oni from the Dungeons of Dread set:
Finally, and in my opinion, the best of the lot, the Ogre Mage from the Angelfire set:
Whilst searching for images for the above, I came across this picture, which shows the Ogre Mage above, a Dixon Miniatures Oni and the Reaper Ogre Mage, which gives a good indication of their size relative to one another. All part of the service...
Our final manufacturer is Zenit Miniatures, a Spanish company who produce the Kensei line of miniatures. Compared to some of the other manufactuers, I would say that the Kensei line is more realistic looking, as some of the other companies above have gone down the cartoony/anime-inspired route.
Our first model is their version of an Oni, from the Hell Creatures section.
A suitably large and bestial looking Oni, but with one minor flaw, as far as I'm concerned. This will only apply to myself and other comic book geeks, but in my mind, this Oni looks far too much like the Daredevil foe, Man-Bull:
That aside, The Zenit Miniatures Oni costs 19.95 Euros, direct from their online shop.
Next we have theri Tengu, from the Earthly Creatures section.
When I first saw these, I was thinking 'evil chicken-men', but they are growing on me. Strictly seaking, Tengu should be armed with katana, as they were master swordsmen...er...creatures, but as the amount of actual Tengu miniatures is quite limited, these may be your only bet, unless you can get the Ral Partha ones above. Also retailing at 19.95 Euros.
Our final beastie is kind of a Kappa, but a massive one. Genbu is also from the Earthly creatures section, is also 19.95 Euros and is one massive hunk of turtley goodness.
A little large to represent a Kappa, as they were supposedly the size of children/monkeys, (which for some, is the same thing), but guaranteed to give your players nightmares, although someone is bound to say "Isn't that Gamera...?"
All of these creatures can be found at: http://shop.zenitminiatures.es/category.php?id_category=20
So concludes my relatively extensive trawl of the World Wide Web, which took a lot longer than I orginally thought. Think of it as a comparison site, but for something more interesting than insurance. Hopefully it will be of some use and no doubt I've missed some, but I think I got most of them.
Comments, as always, welcome.
