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127-479: The company began as a basement enterprise undertaken by a group of wargamers around the talents of Tom Meier , a 16-year-old sculptor. The company grew with the increasing popularity of board and role-playing games. By 1982 Ral Partha products were sold worldwide. Ral Partha is best known for its historical figures, Fantasy Collector's series, and miniatures produced for TSR, Inc. 's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and FASA 's BattleTech games. Tom Meier became

254-461: A corner of the sky, that was fashioned from the skull of Ymir . It has been suggested that this would imply that dwarfs could be very tall; however, it has been noted that the sky could have been conceived of as being close to the earth at the horizon. Regin , a figure identified as either a dwarf or resembling a dwarf, is a similar size to the hero Sigurd on both the Ramsund carving and carvings from

381-453: A dwarf lures King Sveigðir into an open stone which closes behind them, whereupon he is never seen again. Ynglingasaga also describes this dwarf as being afraid of the sun ( Old Norse : dagskjarr ), akin to in Alvíssmál , where the poem's eponymous dwarf is turned to stone by sunlight. In German legends, they typically live inside of hollow mountains; in some cases, they may live above

508-512: A dwarf. In Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks , the sword Tyrfing is forged, and subsequently cursed, by a dwarf named Dvalinn, and another named Dulin in the Hauksbók manuscript. In German literature, many dwarfs can make themselves invisible, typically via a "Tarnkappe" ( cloak of invisibility ), which has been suggested to be an ancient attribute of dwarfs. Depending on the story, they may be hostile or friendly to humans. The dwarf Alberich plays

635-567: A freelance sculptor in 1988, and retains copyrights to much of his work for Ral Partha. Until 2020 he worked on commission and operated Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures, a boutique company for pet projects involving dioramas, 54 mm figurines, and a new series of elves and goblins . During its 40-year history Ral Partha has employed more than two dozen sculptors, of whom some of the most prolific were Dennis Mize, Julie Guthrie, Sandra Garrity, Robert N. Charrette , and Dave Summers. The owners of

762-577: A game that was first called "Battledroids" and renamed BattleTech in 1986, for FASA's game of the same name. It was the beginning of a permanent relationship between the two companies that would eventually lead to Ral Partha's sale to FASA. Battletech products remain a leading product of Ral Partha's successor, Iron Wind Metals and Charrette continued on as creative development and authored several related novels. In 1986 Ral Partha sculptors crafted 01-3xx 3-Stage Characters which consisted of three aspects with increasing amounts of arms and armor to represent

889-485: A hero is not defined by achieving deeds alone but by being able to both give and accept help. In German legends, they also possess other magical objects and often appear as master smiths. The Codex Regius version of Völuspá records that dwarfs were produced out of the earth, while in the Prose Edda, they form like maggots in the flesh of Ymir , which became the earth. Beyond this, in early Old Norse sources, there

1016-578: A host of staff and free-lance sculptors which included Kev Adams, Jeff Grace, Behrle W. Hubboch III, Randy Kerr, Robert Kyde, Phil Lewis, Dennis Mize, Bob Olley, Tim Prow, Steve Saunders, C. Staples, Dave Summers, Jeff Wilhelm, John Winter. The second series of the Partha Pipeline ran until late 2000 when the Ral Partha assets faced another acquisition. In January 2001 WizKids , a New Jersey–based producer of plastic collectible miniatures games , acquired

1143-788: A line of Renaissance -era figures. The first offerings were Imperialists, to which he added Swiss and Turks in 1980. Meier expanded the historical ranges with the 1983 addition of 88-xxx The Colonials . Sculpts for the Anglo-Zulu War were augmented in 1984 with figures for the Northwest Frontier and the Sudan Campaign in 1985. Ral Partha entered the game market in 1980 with the release of 99–001 Witch's Caldron , 99-002 Caverns Deep , 99-003 Final Frontier , and 99-004 Galactic Grenadiers , skirmish games designed by Glenn E. Kidd and Marc Rubin. "Galactic Grenadiers" included miniatures from

1270-434: A line of figures he sculpted in 1979 to accompany Fantasy Games Unlimited 's Gangster! . Charrette updated the line to include new cinematic themes such as the intrepid archaeologist. In 1986 Charrette introduced 53-9xx Bushido , a line of miniatures for Bushido , a game he authored and sculpted a line of figures for Fantasy Games Unlimited. In 1985, Bob Charrette began producing a line of miniature robot war machines for

1397-518: A new subsidiary, Catalyst Game Labs to design new expansions for the games and provided continuity by employing many former FanPro staff The productive capacities for Ral Partha miniatures remained with Iron Wind Metals who had retained working relationships with many of the artists, but could not use the Ral Partha name. Longtime customers could special order many of the figures, but they could not be marketed as Ral Partha figures. The trademark languished until 2014 when The Tornante Company agreed to sell

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1524-432: A public health bill barring the use of lead in toys and miniatures. Despite the additional cost, numerous manufacturers anticipated parental concerns, similar legislation in other states, workplace safety, and began using white metal alloys. Ral Partha's staff had previously developed a lead-free alloy for their "Partha Pewter," a line of collectible figurines designed for the giftware market. In September 1993 they began using

1651-464: A role-playing game based on M. A. R. Barker 's world of Tékumel . Ral Partha retained the services of William Murray , the line's sculptor. Tom Meier and Brian Apple made contributions to the series ( T, Y, P, M, NH-xxx ) in 1979, but it was discontinued later that year. As early as 1978, Ral Partha produced three series of 15 mm historical miniatures sculpted by George Freeman of Dayton, Ohio. They included Napoleonic -era figures N-xxx Days of

1778-460: A satin finish and decorated with glass jewels. In time, a division of the company called Partha Pewter was established to produce directly for the giftware market. Ral Partha established a licensing agreement with RAFM , a miniatures manufacturer in Paris, Ontario , Canada in 1980. The two companies have had a long-term working relationship which lasted well into the 1990s. In 1979 Citadel Miniatures

1905-616: A series of acquisitions. In 2003 WizKids was purchased by Topps , a manufacturer of sports cards who were interested in WizKids range of similarly collectible plastic miniatures. In 2007 Topps was purchased by The Tornante Company , a private equity firm. Citing falling profits associated with the Great Recession , Tornante put the Wizkids product lines on hold in November 2008, but continued to lease

2032-563: A series of skeletons. Jim Johnson's contributions were bands of humans known as Horse Lords , Savages, Reavers, and Tyrants. Sandra Garrity designed the Knights of the Legion of Justice A set of rules of the Fantasy Armies were developed by an outside work group called Ral Partha Publishing. The game was first introduced in the 1997 Ral Partha catalog flier as 14-001 Bloodstorm. Soon after

2159-634: A series of soldiers from Classical antiquity which were collected together as AN/35-xxx The Hoplites . By 1978 the line was essentially complete and included Greeks , Carthaginians , Persians , Gauls , Early Republic Romans and Macedonians . Another series begun by Meier in 1976 was a line of 11th-century knights and footmen called 11/42-xxx 1200 A.D. . The series included Vikings , English, French, Spanish, Moorish , Mongol , and Sung Chinese soldiers. Ral Partha put E-xxx Wizards, Warriors and Warlocks into production in 1976, 1977, and 1979. The line included some of Meier's earliest work and much of it

2286-428: A shift in game production strategy. The previous model had been that gaming companies hired sculptors and other creative talent to feed their in-house casting and packaging facilities. This model was successful, but artists sometimes didn't have the capital necessary to retain copyrights, and the mercurial nature of the market meant that their game designs could be sold to others, or languish as assets of dead companies. In

2413-459: A single adventurer's game career. The line was folded into the ES/01-xxx line in 1987. Because of their popularity with collectors and role-players, they regained status as a separate line and a place of prominence in the 1991 and subsequent catalogs. At the same time that integrated campaign worlds like Games Workshop 's Warhammer Fantasy Battle were showing early success, Ral Partha introduced

2540-409: A single issue. Ral Partha also released Christmas catalogs in 1982, 1983 and 1984, an Imports catalog in 1984, historical miniatures catalogs in 1985 and 1996, a 2000 Direct Mail Catalog , and sporadically released updated order forms which listed all the figures in production. In the late 1996 Ral Partha augmented their catalogs with a webpage which highlighted popular products and new releases. After

2667-451: A trademarked white metal alloy they called Ralidium in all their products and its use marks a clear benchmark for dating old figures. The move away from lead was promoted in advertisements and bright red stickers on existing packaging. In time, New York Governor Mario Cuomo relented to hobbyists' concerns and exempted miniatures from the state's Public Health Law. However, the company never went back to lead. Ral Partha correctly anticipated

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2794-566: A vital role in the Nibelungenlied , where he guards the Nibelung's treasure and has the strength of twelve men. He is defeated by Siegfried and afterwards serves the hero. In Ortnit , Alberich seduces the Lombardy queen, spawning the hero Ortnit. The dwarf then aids Ortnit in his adventures after revealing to the hero that he is his father. In Das Lied vom Hürnen Seyfrid , Siegfried is aided by

2921-524: A website which hosted the newsletters and product ordering information. The newsletters reveal a number of licensing setbacks. The hobby market had moved away from roleplaying games and wargames and was rapidly becoming dominated by collectible card games like Wizards of the Coast 's Magic: The Gathering . Steve Jackson Games' Ogre miniatures and all three White Wolf lines were discontinued in 1996. Bob Charrette's 18-xxx Runequest figures were discontinued

3048-567: A written charm aiming to rid the ill person of the disease, identified as a dwarf. The Lacnunga contains the Anglo-Saxon charm Wið Dweorh XCIIIb ( Against a Dwarf XCIIIb ) that refers to a sickness as a dweorg that is riding the afflicted person like a horse, similar to the harmful mare in the later folklore of the Germanic-speaking peoples . Despite the Christian elements in

3175-579: Is a type of supernatural being in Germanic folklore . Accounts of dwarfs vary significantly throughout history; however, they are commonly, but not exclusively, presented as living in mountains or stones and being skilled craftsmen. In early literary sources, only males are explicitly referred to as dwarfs. However, they are described as having sisters and daughters, while male and female dwarfs feature in later saga literature and folklore. Dwarfs are sometimes described as short; however, scholars have noted that this

3302-461: Is ambiguity between whether dwarfs live within stones or whether they are themselves stones. In Völuspá they are referred to as 'masters of the rocks' ( Old Norse : veggbergs vísir ) and skaldic kennings for 'stone' include 'dvergrann' ('house of the dwarf') and 'Durnis niðja salr' ('the hall of Durnir 's kinsman'). In Ynglingatal stanza 2 and the accompanying prose in the Ynglinga saga ,

3429-406: Is attributed to their lateness and likely do not represent perceptions that predate Christianisation. Typically, in these later sagas, fighting dwarfs is considered dishonourable, in contrast to other beings such as dragons . Receiving help from a dwarf, however, such as being healed or given a treasure, was not seen as problematic; it has been proposed that the worldview of the saga writers was that

3556-416: Is called to prevent him from causing an afflicted person's illness. In Fáfnismál , the worm Fáfnir refers to some Norns as "Dvalinn's daughters" ( Old Norse : Dvalins dǿtr ), while in the Prose Edda, they are described as "of the dwarfs' kin" ( Old Norse : dverga ættar ). As Norns are also female, this could mean that dwarfs were conceived of by the author of the poem as able to be female, it

3683-506: Is neither explicit nor relevant to their roles in the earliest sources. Dwarfs continue to feature in modern popular culture, such as in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien and Terry Pratchett , where they are often, but not exclusively, presented as distinct from elves . The modern English noun dwarf descends from Old English : dweorg . It has a variety of cognates in other Germanic languages , including Old Norse : dvergr and Old High German : twerg . According to Vladimir Orel ,

3810-589: Is no 2700 block of that street. Small stickers were applied to the 1978 product catalog to correct the address. Those stickers have typically fallen off in the intervening years. By November 1980 Ral Partha moved to a larger industrial space at 5938 Carthage Court, where it, and the Iron Wind Metals production facilities remained until 2014. Iron Wind Metals has its offices and production facilities at 10437 Chester Rd in Woodlawn, Ohio . Ral Partha's formative years were

3937-406: Is no resemblance between Eddic and skaldic dwarfs and those in later sources. Dwarfs feature throughout both fornaldarsögur and riddarasögur . In Völsunga saga , which details the events that unfold after Loki extorts treasure out of the dwarf Andvari , to pay the wergild for his killing of Ótr , a being whose brother Regin is also described in some sources as either resembling or being

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4064-405: Is not clear whether either their mother (or mothers) are dwarfs, or if they themselves are considered dwarfs just because they are descended from dwarfs. It has been noted that it may not be that female dwarfs did not exist in the folklore of this period, only that no explicit references to them survive in preserved narratives. It has been proposed this may be because narratives typically centre on

4191-618: Is not only seen between dwarfs throughout time and region but also with individual dwarfs, who can be capable of changing their shape and size, such as in Reginsmál , in which the dwarf Andvari lived as a pike in the water due to curse from a Norn , however, could also take on a human-like shape. In later German folklore , the Zwergkönig ('Dwarf King') is a tiny being but is capable of becoming enormously tall at will. In Eddic and skaldic sources, dwarfs are almost exclusively male; for example, in

4318-594: Is supported by the names of dwarfs recorded in the Dvergatal section of Völuspá , which include Álfr ('Elf'), Gandálfr ('Wand-elf'), Vindálf ('Wind-elf'). Dvergatal further lists Yngvi – a name of the god Freyr who was given Álfheimr , the home of the elves, to rule according to Grímnismál . After the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples , dwarfs continued in the folklore of Germanic-speaking areas of Europe and

4445-740: Is used to gloss symptoms such as fever. The "Dictionary of Old English" divides the definition of Old English : dweorg into either "a dwarf or pygmy" or "a fever"; however, it has been argued that the distinction between the two meanings may not have been prevalent among Germanic peoples in the Early Middle Ages , due to the close association between the beings and sickness in medicinal charms. The 8th century Ribe skull fragment , found in Jutland , bears an inscription that calls for help from three beings, including Odin , against either one or two harmful dwarfs. The item's function has been compared to

4572-570: The Svartálfar ('black elves') appear to be the same beings as dwarfs, given that both are described in the Prose Edda as the residents of Svartálfaheimr . Another potential synonym is dökkálfar ('dark elves'); however, it is unclear whether svartálfar and dökkálfar were considered the same at the time of the writing of the Prose Edda. The partial overlap of dwarfs in Eddic sources with elves

4699-598: The Dvergasteinn in Seyðisfjörður . It has been proposed by Lotte Motz that the inhabitation of mountains, stones, and mounds by dwarfs may be derived from their earlier association with the dead who were frequently buried in mounds and around megaliths . The term ' dweorg ' can be used in Old English texts to describe an illness; it is commonly used in medical texts derived from Greek or Latin sources, where it

4826-611: The Wið Dweorh charms, such as the saints called upon for help, their foundations likely lie in a shared North-Sea Germanic tradition that includes inscribed runic charms such as those found in Ribe and Norfolk. The conception of diseases as being caused by projectiles from supernatural beings is widespread in Germanic folklore through time, such as in the phenomenon of elfshot , in Wið færstice , where they are thrown by elves , Ēse and witches, and in

4953-532: The All Things Dark and Dangerous line in 1984, 1985, and 1986. In 1984 she joined Meier and Mize to develop a short series of miniatures ( 95-xxx ) for Nova Games ' Lost Worlds series of combat books. In 1985 Guthrie contributed two sculpts of unicorns to PO-3xx Once Upon a Time series designed for the giftware market, cast in lead-free alloy, and marketed as "Partha Pewter" by Rawcliffe Pewter . Their work with pewter allowed Ral Partha's mold-makers to develop

5080-469: The BattleTech game world. That same year, Ral Partha sculptors had begun crafting figures for FASA's game Shadowrun , a role-playing game set in a futuristic cyber-world. Shadowrun miniatures had previously been produced by Grenadier Miniatures . Ral Partha introduced their sculpts ( 20-5xx Shadowrun ) in 1992. The 12-xxx The All American Line of fighters, orcs, magic-users , undead , dwarves, and elves

5207-696: The Battletech and Shadowrun gaming worlds. Wizkids licensed the rights to rulebooks and other gaming materials to Fantasy Productions , better known as "FanPro" in the United States, which had produced and distributed the German language versions of those games for FASA. FanPro's support of the Shadowrun and Battletech game worlds resulted in continued demand for metal miniatures by gaming enthusiasts. In March 2001 Ral Partha began producing collectible metal versions of

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5334-631: The Dungeons & Dragons franchise drove new releases and Ral Partha scrambled to acquire the sculpting talents of British and American sculptors, including Nick Bibby, Jeff Wilhelm, Bob Olley, Chris Atkin, Walter Vail, John M. Garrity, and Jim Johnson in 1992, and Chis Fitzpatrick and Geoff Valley by 1995. By 1991 the 20-xxx BattleTech line had grown to include eleven box sets, and more than one hundred 'Mechs, Aerospace fighters, and ground vehicles. Ral Partha also produced 25 mm 20-9xx Mechwarriors depicting pilots, mechanics and guards for role-playing in

5461-455: The Dvergatal , every dwarf named is male. Some scholars have proposed that female dwarfs were not believed to exist; however, they are likely attested in charms dating to the early medieval period and are explicitly described in later saga material. Dwarfs are also widely referenced in these sources as having family relations with others, such as brothers and sons. Pairs or groups of brothers are seen relatively abundantly in Eddic contexts, as with

5588-454: The Eddas and the section of Ynglinga saga regarding Sveigðir lack prominence in their narratives and cohesive identity. Based on this, he puts forward the idea that dwarfs in these sources are set apart from other beings by their difficulty to be defined and generalised, ultimately stemming from their intrinsic nature to be hidden and as the "Other" that stands in contrast with humans. Based on

5715-519: The GG-xxx series. 15 mm figures from Final Frontiers were released in 1982 as 08-xxx Star Warriors . By 1982, the presidency of the company passed from Glenn E. Kidd to Jack Hesselbrock. The lines of 15 mm fantasy figures were taken out of production and the figures from the Caverns Deep and Witch's Cauldron games were incorporated into 98-xxx The Adventurers in 1983. Ral Partha returned to

5842-527: The Grinkenschmied . These craftsmen can be referred to explicitly as dwarfs or terms that describe their roles such as Swedish : bergsmed ('mountain smith'). Mounds in Denmark can also be referred to by names derived from their inhabitants, such as 'smedsberg' or 'smedshoie' ('smith's hill' or 'smith's mound'). Anglian folklore tells that one can hear a forge from within a mound and feel furnace fires under

5969-466: The Hylestad Stave Church . Dwarf names in Eddic sources include Fullangr ('tall enough') and Hár ('high'); however, the terms are ambiguous and do not necessarily mean the dwarfs were conceived of as tall relative to a human. Some names suggest a small size, such as Nori and Nabbi, which have been translated as "tiny" and "little nub", respectively; however, it has been argued that this

6096-504: The Sigtuna amulet I and Canterbury charm that seek to drive away a "lord of þursar " that is causing an infection, the latter explicitly with the help of Thor. A similar inscription dating between the 8th and 11th century is found on a lead plaque discovered near Fakenham in Norfolk , which reads "dead is dwarf" ( Old English : dead is dwerg ), and has been interpreted as another example of

6223-724: The Ynglinga saga describes a dwarf sitting, standing, and speaking, leading to the proposal that at the time of writing, dwarfs were believed to, at least sometimes, have a human-like form. It nonetheless appears to have been recognised as a dwarf; however, that may have been due to its behaviour instead of its physical appearance. In skaldic and Eddic sources, it has been noted that their roles are what define them rather than their physical appearance, which has no significant relevance. Many dwarf names in Eddic sources relate to light and brightness, such as Dellingr ('the gleaming one') and Glóinn ('glowing'). Stories do not explain these names, but it has been theorised that they refer to

6350-545: The folktale retold by the Brothers Grimm . Most dwarfs in modern fantasy fiction closely follow those of J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings , where the dwarves (Tolkien's spelling) were distinguished from elves : most modern fantasy has continued this distinction. Dwarfs are also present in other fantasy literature such as C. S. Lewis 's Narnia stories, Terry Pratchett 's Discworld and

6477-554: The intellectual properties of Battletech and Shadowrun game worlds. In September 14, 2009, The Tornante Company sold the majority of the Wizkids assets to the National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), but retained the rights to Battletech, Shadowrun, and the Ral Partha trademark and website. The divisions and purchases meant that assets important to the Ral Partha brand were divided among numerous enterprises. Between 1998 and 2009,

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6604-466: The sons of Ívaldi , and Fjalarr and Galarr . The inscription on the 8th century Ribe skull fragment has been interpreted by some scholars as explicitly referring to a dvergynja ('female-dwarf') that may have been believed to have been causing harm to the user of the fragment. This interpretation is paralleled in Wið Dweorh XCIIIb ( Against a Dwarf XCIIIb), in which a harmful dwarf's sister

6731-519: The "Chaos Wars" theme into their 1986 and 1987 product lines. It was the first step toward unifying a collection of disparate themes into an integrated brand. In the 1986 catalog sculptors were no longer credited and a mythical "Ral Partha" rather than the president of the company addressed customers in the prologue. At about that same time, the Ral Partha staff had developed a four-page Rules According to Ral for medieval battles. A fantasy version by Bob Charrette, Rich Smethhurst, Marc Rubin, and Chuck Crain

6858-469: The 1970s and early 1980s appeared significantly smaller than others. In response to the shift in the market, Ral Partha began adding to Tom Meier's collector's series ( CS/02-xxx ) with a 30 mm scale Fantasy Armies line in a "British style" which tended to have oversized weapons, punk and Gothic fashions, and separate square bases. Chris Fitzpatrick designed a line of elves. Bob Olley produced new dwarves, goblins, trolls and ogres. Jeff Wilhelm created

6985-556: The Balrogs . Products were originally cast in the basement of 3642 Hyde Park Avenue, in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cincinnati, the home of the company's first president, Glenn E. Kidd. In the spring of 1978, the company established a factory at 3726 Lonsdale Street in the Norwood section of Cincinnati. At the time of the move, the address was erroneously rendered as 2732 and 2736 Lonsdale, but there

7112-631: The Barbarian . The Hyborean line was dropped in 1980, and Mize introduced 53-7xx The Samurai and a line of 15mm fantasy soldiers called 05-xxx Armies of Myth and Legend . His popular CN/13-xxx Children of the Night was begun by 1982 and expanded over the course of the next two years. In 1982 Mize and Meier created figures for small thematic box sets called 98-xxx The Adventurers . Mize also added to and revised Meier's The Hoplites and 1200 A.D. lines in 1984. In 1979, Meier introduced 15/54-xxx Condotitieri ,

7239-619: The Canterbury charm in which an infection is caused by the 'wound-spear' ( Old Norse : sár-þvara ) used by the "lord of þursar". In the case of dwarfs, this association has continued in places into the modern period, such as in the Norwegian words dvergskot or dvergskott which refer to an 'animal disease' and translate literally as 'dwarfshot'. Placenames derived from dwarf or cognate: England Dwarfs feature in modern tellings of folklore such as Walt Disney 's 1937 film based on

7366-945: The Chaos Wars theme was set aside in 1988 in order to give necessary attention to producing official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures for TSR, Inc.'s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. In 1988 Meier began his own company, Thunderbolt Mountain Miniatures, but continued to do freelance work for Ral Partha. Company president Chuck Crain hired Sandra L. Garrity, Dave Summers, and Richard Kerr as full-time sculptors to produce an official line of monsters and personalities for AD&D figures. The earliest figures included 10-56x Battlesystem Brigades (25 mm) which included an entire 25 mm military unit in for tabletop wargames, and adventurers ( 11-0xx ) and monsters ( 11-4xx ) for role-playing games. In 1990 Ral Partha launched 10-5xx Dragonlance and Dungeons & Dragons and 10-55x Forgotten Realms boxed sets. The line grew rapidly and 1991 saw

7493-657: The Dwarf-Crag", "Thought's Drink of the Rock-Folk", "the Drink of Dvalinn", "the Dwarves' ship" and the "Ale of the Dwarves". John Lindow noted that stanza 10 of the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá can be read as describing the creation of human forms from the earth and follows a catalogue of dwarf names; he suggests that the poem may present Ask and Embla as having been created by dwarfs, with

7620-693: The Empire , AW-xxx American Civil War , and AK-xxx Desert Rats , modeling the North African Campaign of World War II. Ann Gallup also contributed an AC-xxx series to the American Civil War line. In 1979 Ral Partha added Freeman's 25 mm W-xxx Waterloo Collector's Series , but all of Freeman and Gallup's figures were discontinued in 1980. George Freeman's 15mm Napoleonics figures are available from Monday Knight Productions (see external links below). Ral Partha's first venture into science fiction

7747-559: The English noun and its cognates ultimately descend from Proto-Germanic * dwergaz . A different etymology of dwarf traces it to Proto-Germanic * dwezgaz , with the r sound being the product of Verner's Law . Anatoly Liberman connects the Germanic word with Modern English dizzy , suggesting a link between the etymology and their role in inflicting mental diseases on humans, similar to some other supernatural beings in Germanic folklore such as elves . For forms earlier than

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7874-473: The Indo-European root * dhreugh (whence, for example, modern English "dream" and German Trug "deception"), and scholars have made comparisons with Sanskrit dhvaras (a type of "demonic being"). Modern English has two plurals for the word dwarf : dwarfs and dwarves . Dwarfs remains the most commonly employed plural. The minority plural dwarves was recorded as early as 1818. However, it

8001-566: The Proto-Germanic reconstruction, the etymology of the word dwarf is highly contested. Scholars have proposed theories about the origins of the being by way of historical linguistics and comparative mythology , including the idea that dwarfs may have originated as nature spirits, as beings associated with death, or as a mixture of concepts. Competing etymologies include a basis in the Indo-European root * dheur- (meaning "damage"),

8128-711: The Ral Partha logo and marketed as Ral Partha Imports. In 1985 the import lines included the FTx-xx Fantasy Tribes , FAx-xx Fantasy Adventurer , FF/31-xxx Fiend Factory , FS/32-xx Fantasy Special , the popular WF-xx Weird Fantasy series with whimsical themes, FMM-xx Fantasy Mysterious Miniatures , and LB-xx Tabletop's Laser Burn line of space marines . Historical lines included Romans AR-xx , Dark Ages DA-xx , Medievals M-xxx and Samurai SAM-xx . At least two figures (FTT 3 Troll hurling rock and FTT 4 Troll in chainmail with scimitar) were sculpted by Tom Meier while visiting England in 1981. In 1986 Minifigs gained

8255-399: The Ral Partha trademark passed from FASA, to Wizkids, Topps, and finally The Tornante Company. None of whom utilized the brand. The miniatures for the Battletech miniatures produced by Ral Partha and then Iron Wind Metals remained popular, but the future of the game was always in question. FanPro had lost its bid to produce the Battletech and Shadowrun game worlds, but InMediaRes created

8382-720: The Realm," fantasy and historical coinage. In 1995 Ral Partha's sculptors crafted figures for Steve Jackson Games' Space Knight , and dioramas called Sculptors' Row , The Sterling Collection , and Encounters of the Imagination . During Jack Hesselbrock's second term as company president, he re-established a newsletter which he called the Ral Partha Gaming Club. Like its predecessors it addressed letters from customers and company news. The series ran for six issues from June 1996 to September 1997. In December of 1996 Ral Partha launched

8509-559: The WizKids 64-figure Mage Knight Rebellion set. The relationship between Wizkids and Ral Partha was a short one. By year's end Wizkids rethought its investment in metal miniatures and divested itself of Ral Partha's manufacturing capabilities while retaining the Ral Partha trademark. In late 2001 Ral Partha's manufacturing capacities were spun off from WizKids, and renamed Iron Wind Metals, LLC, with longtime general manager Michael Noe as president and in partnership with Marc Rubin, one of Ral Partha's original owners. Iron Wind Metals retained

8636-531: The addition of box sets for 11-9xx Battlesystem Brigades (15 mm) , 11-5xx Ravenloft and 10-54x Dark Sun game worlds. The 11-05x, 11-06x AD&D Personalities of heroes and villains was released in 1994, and additional figures for the Planescape , Ravenloft , and Forgotten Realms game worlds followed in 1995. By 1997 Ral Partha had also added figures for TSR, Inc.'s Dark Sun , Council of Wyrms , and Birthright game worlds. The breadth and earning potential of

8763-493: The age of 15 and won his first H.G. Wells award just two years later. His earliest work was in the bulky style of Heritage Miniatures for whom he briefly worked. After the founding of Ral Partha in 1975, he was inspired by the art in fables and fairy tales and developed a style which emphasized beauty and natural proportion. A second lasting contribution was the popularization of sculpting in two-part ribbon epoxy putty designed for automotive repair. Commonly known as "green stuff,"

8890-473: The artist's work. The new company has announced additions to the existing lines by original designers like Tom Meier and Robert N. Charrette , as well as new artists. Iron Wind Metals continues to produce lines for the futuristic FASA era games including Battletech and Shadowrun . In 1980 Ral Partha licensed select designs to Rawcliffe Pewter a long-time producer of cast metal art. The pewter versions of Ral Partha sculpts were typically bare-metal with

9017-500: The assets to Iron Wind Metals. By the end of 2014 Iron Wind Metals had recreated Ral Partha by forming a new division which united the Ral Partha trademark, website and sculptors' copyrights with their improved productive capacities. Tom Meier Tom Meier is a sculptor , a founding partner of Ral Partha Enterprises , and the winner of numerous awards for the design and sculpture of historical, fantasy and science fiction gaming miniatures. Meier began sculpting professionally at

9144-511: The banner of the Chaos Wars gaming world. In July 2020, Iron Wind Metals retired the "Ral Partha - A Division of Iron Wind Metals" brand and licensed the Ral Partha era fantasy and historical miniatures to "Ral Partha Legacy Ltd." which owns the Chaos Wars games. Ral Partha Legacy also acquired the license to Tom Meier 's Thunderbolt Mountain Miniature lines which unites more than four decades of

9271-414: The board game market in 1985 when they joined with Leggett Games Inc. to publish Fortress , a skirmish-based board game which incorporated lead Ral Partha miniatures. That same year the company launched 77-xxx Partha Paints and Dragonscale metallic cremes which were packaged with dragon figures. In the spring of 1983 Ral Partha began publishing a four-page newsletter entitled The Partha Pipeline which

9398-519: The bulk of Ral Partha's assets as part of their purchase of FASA's BattleTech and Shadowrun games. WizKids purchased the rights to some figures from Ral Partha sculptors, but the bulk reverted to the artists. Meier retained his 15/54-xxx Condotitieri, 88-xxx The Colonials , and most of the CS/02-xxx Fantasy Collectors lines. Charrette remained in possession of his 53-9xx Bushido figures. Ral Partha continued to produce miniatures for

9525-474: The casting process. One of Tom Meier's earliest lines was the Fantasy Line , which included about two dozen figures in late 1976. Meier's ES18 Adventuress is credited as being the first female character for role-playing games. The fantasy line was renamed ES/01-xxx Personalities and Things that Go Bump in the Night in 1978, and Meier augmented the line throughout the 1980s. As early as 1976, Meier had begun

9652-705: The changing hobby market, the owners of Ral Partha sold the company in 1998 to FASA and Lanier Hurdle and Mike Hurdle, owners of Zocchi Distribution, a hobby shop supplier. FASA gained sole ownership in the spring of 1999, and Ral Partha began to produce miniatures for FASA's Crimson Skies , Crucible: Conquest of the Final Realm , and VOR: The Maelstrom games. No sooner were these miniatures in stores when FASA ceased production of all their games. In December 1999 Ral Partha launched The Partha Pipeline to announce new products for FASA's games, as well as house designs. At this time Ral Partha had an in-house design studio and

9779-565: The descriptive product codes as late as 1984. Jeux Descartes initially used Ral Partha's numeric codes on packaging of their own design, but new lines were introduced selectively and given codes sequential to their own series. As a result, product codes often differ depending on whether the miniatures were produced in the United States, Canada, or Europe. Throughout the company's history, figures were modified to improve reproducibility, unpopular designs were re-sculpted, and existing product codes were used for new designs. A common cause of modification

9906-416: The dwarf Eugel, who is the son of the dwarf king Nibelung , originator of the Nibelung's treasure. The hero Dietrich von Bern is portrayed in adventures involving dwarfs. In Laurin , he fights against the dwarf King Laurin at the dwarf's magical rose garden. He later rescues a woman whom Laurin had kidnapped. A similar plot occurs in the fragmentary poem Goldemar . In Virginal , Dietrich rescues

10033-460: The dwarf queen Virginal from a force of invading heathens . The dwarfs Eggerich and Baldung play a role in aiding Dietrich in the poem Sigenot : Baldung gives Dietrich a magical gem that prevents him from being bitten when thrown into a snake pit , whereas Eggerich helps Dietrich and Hildebrand escape. In the Heldenbuch-Prosa , a dwarf takes Dietrich out of this world after the death of all

10160-572: The early Old Norse sources, dwarfs are typically described vaguely, with no reference to them being particularly small; in the legendary sagas and later folklore, however, they are often described as short. Norðri, Suðri, Austri and Vestri are four dwarfs, potentially depicted as four anthropomorphic figures on the hogback stone in Heysham in Lancashire , that according to the Prose Edda , each holds up

10287-586: The early 11th century in Sweden . Dwarfs, on the other hand, according to these sources, are asocial, and there are no records of them receiving blóts or other gifts in this period. Dwarfs maintain their roles as reluctant donors of their possessions in some later Old Norse legends such as Volsunga saga and Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks , where they are forced to give up Andvaranaut and Tyrfing respectively. Some legendary and romance sagas diverge from this, with dwarfs acting friendlily and helpfully; however, this

10414-528: The earth, while in Switzerland, the heat can be attributed to the underground kitchens of dwarfs. In one example, the furnace's heat is believed to increase soil fertility. Rather than existing a "true" single nature of a dwarf, they vary in their characteristics, not only across regions and time but also between one another in the same cultural context. Some are capable of changing their form entirely. The scholar Ármann Jakobsson notes that accounts of dwarfs in

10541-708: The epoxy held detail better than traditional media. Between 1977 and 1992 Tom's work won more than two dozen awards and he was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1988, he left Ral Partha to start up his own company, Thunderbolt Mountain and does commission work for large and small game manufacturers. Meier's signature lines include: Meier also contributed to: Origins Awards / H.G. Wells Awards Strategist Club "Creativity in Wargaming" Award The Courier Award Games Day Awards Dwarf (mythology) A dwarf ( pl.   dwarfs or dwarves )

10668-405: The established hobby of historical wargaming, but the company's rapid growth was fostered by the popularity of role-playing games. The company was named Ral-Partha after a particularly successful wizard character created by Tom's young friend John Winkler. The character was a notoriously hard bargainer whose shrewdness was exemplified by the catch phrase "What's it worth to you?" It was hoped that

10795-530: The etymology of dwarf, it has been proposed that the oldest conception of a dwarf was as exclusively a formless spirit, potentially as in the case of disease-causing dwarfs; however, this view is not seen in the oldest manuscript accounts. In the quotation of Völuspá in the Prose Edda, the dwarfs emerge as beings with human form ( mannlíkun ), while in the Codex Regius manuscript the first two dwarfs created either dwarfs or people with human forms. The prose of

10922-509: The father with treasures. Conversely, in Sigurðar saga þǫgla , the human Hálfdan is cursed after he throws a rock at a dwarf child, breaking its jaw, and is subsequently visited by the child's father in a dream who curses him. Hálfdan's brother later gives the child a gold ring to atone for the harm and is rewarded by the father, once more in a dream. Together, this suggests that dwarfs could be conceived of as loving and protective of their children by

11049-417: The figures went out of production at the end of 1998 These miniatures are highly sought after by collectors who believe that Wizards of the Coast had ordered the destruction of the master molds. The loss of Dungeons & Dragons and other licenses meant that FASA's BattleTech figures became the majority of Ral Partha's revenue. Under threat of also losing those lines and the financial difficulties created by

11176-425: The figures were not popular with Ral Partha's older customer base. In 1993 Dennis Mize designed the "Titans of Terror" series which invoked the heroes and monsters of the horror films. The following year Mize conceptualized and sculpted 01-7xx Beastmasters , a line of carnivores and their trainers. The line was expanded the following year, and would be completed until 1998. That same year Ral Partha produced "Coins of

11303-510: The fires in the forges the dwarfs work, or to haugaeldar ('grave mound fires') that are found in later Icelandic folklore. In contrast, Snorri describes dökkálfar (which are typically identified as dwarfs) as "blacker than pitch". Alvíss is described by Thor in Alvíssmál as being as unsuitable for wedding his daughter Þrúðr as he was "pale about the nostrils" and resembled a þurs . In Middle High German heroic poetry, most dwarfs have long beards, but some may appear childish. In

11430-417: The fledgling company would have similar good fortune. Like their popular line of "3-stage characters," Ral Partha has had a trio of aspects. The first was Winkler's gaming character, depicted as ES-001 Evil Wizard, casting spell. "Ral" Winkler himself became one of the company's chief casters. Lastly, "Ral" was the company's totemic progenitor credited with collaborative projects and depicted as 10–412 Lord of

11557-410: The following year. Since the late 1970s the gaming miniatures industry had undergone what collectors call "scale creep," an increase in size from 20 and 25 mm scales (i.e. height to the eyes of an upright human-sized figure) to 30 mm and 32 mm. By the late 1990s the move to larger figures by market leaders like Games Workshop of Great Britain had made it such that Ral Partha's sculpts of

11684-425: The formation of Iron Wind Metals in 2001, an online catalog and electronic order forms entirely replaced printed catalogs. Ral Partha Enterprises was formed in 1975 when Glenn E. Kidd, Tom Meier and Rich Smethurst set out to produce Meier's sculptures. Meier pioneered the sculpture of miniatures in a two-part epoxy putty designed for automotive repair. The epoxy held detail better than traditional media and rest of

11811-454: The gods rather than dwarfs and that female dwarfs were not conceived of as of great relevance to the gods, given their primary interest in obtaining goods from dwarfs, which does not depend on their gender. Humans, being of lower power and status, cannot control dwarfs as easily and require alternative strategies to obtain treasures from them, potentially explaining why female dwarfs are more prominent in saga literature. Female dwarfs feature in

11938-582: The gods such as Mjölnir , Sif 's hair, Draupnir , Gullinbursti , Skíðblaðnir , Gleipnir and Gungnir , while in Sörla þáttr they craft Brísingamen for Freyja. They further created the Mead of Poetry from the blood of Kvasir , which grants skill in poetry to those who drink from it. According to Skáldskaparmál , due to the role of dwarfs in crafting the drink, poetry can be referred to by kennings such as "the Billow of

12065-468: The ground, while in saga literature, such as Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar they commonly live in individual stones, which could also serve as workshops, such as in the forging of Brísingamen in Sörla þáttr . The presentation of dwarfs living within stones continued into modern folklore surrounding specific landscape features such as the Dwarfie Stane , a chambered tomb located on the island of Hoy , and

12192-412: The industry's movement away from lead, but the associated price increases came at a time when miniatures and role playing games were being eclipsed by collectible card games like Wizards of the Coast 's 1993 hit Magic: The Gathering . In 1994 the company experimented with Partha Plastics. The move was made well after Citadel Miniatures' successful introduction of plastic and part-plastic figures, but

12319-619: The late Gibbons saga , Bósa saga and Þjalar-Jóns saga , where they are referred to by the term " dyrgja ". In these cases, female dwarfs are only mentioned alongside males and are not independently important to the plot. Beyond Svama, the named dyrgja in Þjalar-Jóns saga, the only other explicitly named dwarf woman in saga literature is the daughter of Sindri in Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar , Herríðr. In saga material, dwarf children are also seen. In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar and Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana , central characters help these children and are rewarded in return by

12446-413: The late 1970s, when the company was a part-time basement enterprise producing the art of a teenage sculptor for a nascent gaming market. In 1979, the company became a full-time endeavor with industrial space and two professional sculptors designing products for multiple themes made popular by the rapidly expanding gaming market. The number of sculptors and catalog of miniatures grew rapidly. In the mid-1980s,

12573-401: The late 1980s, many game designers and sculptors established boutique companies, often operating out of their own homes, and then contracted out or made partnerships with companies like Iron Wind Metals to do the production. Iron Wind Metals continued to use the name Ral Partha to describe archived designs, but the website and Ral Partha trademark remained the property of Wizkids which underwent

12700-412: The literary works produced there. Opinions on the degree of continuity in beliefs on dwarfs before and after Christianisation differ significantly. Some scholars, such as Rudolf Simek , propose that the folk beliefs remained essentially intact in the transitional period, making later sources exceedingly informative on pre-Christian Germanic religion . In contrast, others, such as Schäfke, argue that there

12827-467: The mergers and intellectual property negotiations between large game producers. Since 2001 the focus of Iron Wind Metals has been on existing product lines, Battletech licensed figures, and manufacturing for partner companies who carryout their own designs, marketing and distribution. In 2014 the production and productive capacities were reunited under Ral Partha Enterprises, a division of Iron Wind Metals. The young company received early encouragement from

12954-451: The miniature industry adopted its use. When mixed together, the blue and yellow components of the putty formed a green putty which gave rise to the term "Greens" for the original artist's work. Finding themselves still short of funds, the three enlisted Marc Rubin, Chuck Crain, and Jack Hesselbrock as partners. The six investors pooled USD $ 3,000 to purchase the equipment necessary to produce Meier's sculptures. The company had its origins in

13081-603: The miniature. In late 1979 the company switched from product codes that used descriptive letter and number codes to a numeric system. For example, in the series Personalities and Things that Go Bump in the Night , ES-001 Evil Wizard, casting spell became 01-001, and the first figure of the 15th century Renaissance series 1501 Command Set became 54-001. The change was not universal. Ral Partha used letter codes for Citadel Miniatures and Denizen Miniatures in their line of Ral Partha Imports until 1992. Ral Partha's international partners used their own systems. RAFM of Canada used

13208-480: The name as "Jeaux Descartes." The relationship was on-going in 1997, but was probably severed when FASA purchased Ral Partha the following year. In the 1980s and 1990s, Ral Partha products were distributed in Australia by Military Simulations of Moorabbin, Victoria , and then Bentleigh, Victoria . Only a product code marked Ral Partha's early packaging and customers required a contemporary catalog in order to identify

13335-453: The original Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. sold the company to FASA in 1998, and was one of the assets acquired by WizKids in 2000. The following year Ral Partha's production assets were recast as Iron Wind Metals, LLC of Cincinnati. In 2015 and the 40th anniversary of the founding of Ral Partha, reacquired the long unused trademarks and relaunched Ral Partha as a division of the company focused on producing new and archived miniature lines under

13462-578: The other heroes, a role given to Laurin in some different versions of Dietrich's end. Dwarfs feature in the modern folklore of Germanic-speaking regions of Europe, such as the Simonside Dwarfs in Northumberland , who are sometimes believed to use lights to lure people off paths, akin to a will-o'-the-wisp . Some dwarfs in modern folklore have been argued to belong to a broader group of smith-beings living within hollow mountains or in caves such as

13589-405: The preponderance of work moved from Ral Partha's sculptors' designs to manufacturing under license for nationally marketed games. In the short run, the move was economically beneficial. However, the lack of product diversity left the company vulnerable to the marketing decisions of clients for whom miniatures were a minor interest. Between 2001 and 2014, Ral Partha was an unused trademark caught up in

13716-495: The project was retitled Battlestorm and published in 1998. The game was advertised as the first volume of the "Fables Gamesystem," but no subsequent installments were issued. Buoyed by the success of Magic:The Gathering, in 1997 Wizards of the Coast acquired TSR, Inc. and with it, control of the rights to Dungeons & Dragons miniatures. After an extension to their contract, Wizards of the Coast did not renew Ral Partha's license for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons miniatures and

13843-584: The rights to manufacture and distribute Ral Partha's fantasy range in Britain. The following year Ral Partha dropped Citadel Miniatures' historical lines and began to distribute Denizen Miniatures ' dwarves ( 33-xxx ), orcs ( 34-xxx ), 36-xxx Legion of the Damned skeletons, and 39-xxx Fantastic Adventurers . By 1989, Jeux Descartes of Paris gained the rights to distribute Ral Partha figures in continental Europe. Some early Ral Partha advertisements erroneously give

13970-438: The saga authors. In Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar, this family love is extended to the human Hálfdan who develops a fostering relation with the dwarf Litr, likely with Hálfdan as the foster son. In German heroic legend, male dwarfs are often portrayed as lusting after human women. In contrast, female dwarfs seek to possess the male hero in the legends. In Eddic sources dwarfs are attributed with creating magical treasures for

14097-577: The sale of its entire stock at Gen Con 1976, a convention of gaming enthusiasts. Ral Partha's lines and customer base grew quickly and they regularly won multiple categories of the Origins Award . Ral Partha's figures were popular with historical wargamers, but fans of fantasy themed role-playing games like TSR, Inc.'s Dungeons & Dragons accounted for the majority of their sales. Meier's sculpts tended to carry greater detail than many of his contemporaries, but some early products presented challenges to

14224-743: The same format as the Pipeline but its focus was the Chaos Wars product line. Releases were sporadic and continued until at least the Spring of 1990. The new initiative was to include 10-2xx Free Companies of Chaos Wars box sets, but large contracts to produce miniatures for other gaming companies became a higher priority and the Chaos Wars lines were appended to the CS/02-xxx Collector's Series . Among these sets were Charrette's popular Fangs of Fury beastmen, Tom Meier's Korg's Killers orcs, and Meier's Starbrow's Select elves. Having never fully materialized,

14351-415: The same location and much of the same production staff, molds, equipment, working relationships with artists, and licensing agreements. In addition to their own lines, Iron Wind Metals carries out contract production work for other gaming labels such as Tom Meier's Thunderbolt Mountain, Dark Sword Miniatures, Crocodile Games, and dozens of others. Iron Wind Metals' new focus on productive capacities reflected

14478-416: The same name would be revived in 1999. Julie Guthrie began freelance sculpting for Ral Partha in 1983. Her first line was the 02-9xx All Things Dark and Dangerous . She worked with Meier and Mize on 98-xxx The Adventurers . Later that year, box sets of 10-3xx The Best of Ral Partha and Julie Guthrie's 96-xxx Elfquest figures for Chasosium 's Elfquest game were put into production. Guthrie expanded

14605-469: The series was completed when 02-078 The Warmachine and 02-020 The Elf Chariot were put into production in 1984. Ral Partha hired Dennis Mize in 1979. With two full-time sculptors, Ral Partha's product lines increased rapidly. Mize's first project was H-xxx Royal Armies of the Hyborean Age to accompany a Fantasy Games Unlimited game of the same name, based on the world of Robert E. Howard 's Conan

14732-512: The summer of 1978, Meier began reworking the themes of the E-xxx series to create the CS/02-xxx Fantasy Collectors line of elves . Meier's lines were successful and he began sculpting full-time in 1979. The addition of dwarves in 1979 and goblins in 1980 almost entirely replaced the E-xxx series. Meier added halfings in 1982 and began a series of fantasy vehicles. The first was 02–030 Dwarf Steam Cannon , released in 1983. Meier's contribution to

14859-456: The technical expertise necessary to transition to non-lead alloys in the early 1990s. Robert N. Charrette joined Ral Partha in 1984 and contributed to Meier's The Hoplites , 1200 A.D. , and CS/02-xxx Collector Series lines. In 1985, Charrette inaugurated figures for Chaosium's RuneQuest and a line of pulp adventurers. The line was initially called "20th Century Plus", but was later renamed 20-xxx The Roaring Twenties . Charrette revisited

14986-502: The three gods then giving them life. In Eddic and some saga sources, rather than being exchanged, items of value move from dwarfs to others, often through extortion. This has been suggested to be a critical differentiator between dwarfs and elves in pre-Christian Germanic religion , who maintain reciprocal and positive relationships with gods and humans; Kormaks saga describes how food was to be shared with elves to heal sickness and Austrfararvísur records an álfablót being held around

15113-439: Was Meier's 1978 line of space marines and space aliens GG-xxx Galactic Grenadiers: Strike Force Alpha . Their release was in tandem with Gamescience 's Strike Team Alpha , a set designed by Michael Scott Kurtick for Meier's Galactic Grenadiers. Other early lines included collectible 54 mm figures called S/97-xxx Partha Personalities and lines of 25 mm dungeon accessories ( D/97-xxx ) and weapons ( D/97-5xx ). In

15240-423: Was a house fanzine with articles generated by staff and friends. A typical issue included "Letters to Ral" where the company's semi-mythical progenitor would answer reader's questions, scenarios for battles with Ral Partha figures, and new releases by Ral Partha and those which they distributed for RAFM . The Partha Pipeline continued for three more years until ending its first series in 1986. A second series using

15367-702: Was a level of detail or animation which challenged the casting technology. An industry-wide reorientation of scale from 25 mm to 30 mm in the late 1990s, and interest in removing artist's royalties from lines, also prompted new sculpts of existing lines. Few of Ral Partha's miniatures were marked with product codes and the company's advertisements and catalogs remain a critical resource for collectors. Advertisements by Ral Partha and its British and Canadian partners appear in most editions of TSR, Inc. 's Dragon and Games Workshop 's White Dwarf magazines. Product catalogs were published annually from 1978 to 1997, and in 2000. The 1998 and 1999 catalogs were combined into

15494-458: Was executed in the style of Heritage Models , for whom he had briefly worked. The E-xxx series was retired in 1980, but portions of it were re-released in 1995 as part of the 19-xxx Ral Partha Remembered line commemorating the company's 20th anniversary. In 1978 Ral Partha acquired The Old Guard 's Legions of the Petal Throne line of figures for TSR, Inc.'s Empire of the Petal Throne ,

15621-436: Was formed by Games Workshop as a miniatures production shop to produce their own figures and to distribute Ral Partha figures in Britain. Citadel Miniatures attempted to establish a U.S. division in 1982 with Ral Partha as the local manufacturer. The partnership was short lived and in 1984 Games Workshop established their own U.S. subsidiary and became a direct competitor. The Citadel Miniatures U.S. products were brought under

15748-405: Was later popularized by the fiction of philologist and legendarium author J. R. R. Tolkien , originating as a hypercorrective mistake. It was employed by Tolkien for some time before 1917. Regarding his use of this plural, Tolkien wrote in 1937, "I am afraid it is just a piece of private bad grammar, rather shocking in a philologist; but I shall have to go with it." Scholars have noted that

15875-641: Was not necessarily the general rule. Not all late sagas involving dwarfs describe their size, but all that do describe them as short. In some German stories, the dwarf takes on the attributes of a knight but is most clearly separated from normal humans by his small size, in some cases only reaching up to the knees. Despite their small size, dwarfs in these contexts typically have superhuman strength, either by nature or through magical means. Anatoly Liberman suggests that dwarfs may have been initially thought of as lesser supernatural beings, which became literal smallness after Christianisation. Diversity in appearance

16002-524: Was released in 1987 as part of a boxed set Rules According to Ral: Chaos Wars . The Chaos Wars theme collected together numerous existing products, many from Meier's ES/01-xxx line, and their packaging was marked with stickers. As part of the Chaos Wars product line the Partha Pipeline newsletter was transformed into the Ral Partha War Bulletin in January 1986. The War Bulletin followed much of

16129-583: Was released in 1991 and 1992. The name of the line appears to refer to the fact that all the figures were sculpted Ral Partha's four staff sculptors. Other new lines included Richard Kerr's 1992 futuristic tanks for Steve Jackson Games ' Ogre and the introduction of the "69-xxx" series for White Wolf, Inc. 's Werewolf: The Apocalypse and Vampire: The Masquerade in late 1993. Figures for White Wolf, Inc.'s Mage: The Ascension followed soon after. Initially, Ral Partha figures were cast from lead and tin alloy, but in 1993 New York legislators nearly passed

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