Skaven Miniatures

by Dewayne Agin and QuestGnome

Skaven are a Games Workshop creation, but several other manufacturers have produced figures of very similar creatures. Among these is Heartbreaker Hobbies, which had a line of "Ratmen" a few years ago. This seems to have been discontinued, but some vendors still have Ratmen in their inventory.

Reaper Miniatures (http://www.reapermini.com/) offers the very Skaven-like "Verminites" as part of their Dungeon Dwellers line. This line still appears as part of Reaper's current catalog, but it may be on the way out: some previously-available Verminite designs have been delisted.

Most Verminites are highly similar to the GW equivalents, but a few of Reaper's figures feature interesting variations. For example, the Verminite Cavalrymen consist of warriors mounted on giant Kangaroo Rats. Reaper have also supplied the Verminites with natural enemies, a series of cute but well-armed Mouselings. (For a meaner game of HeroQuest, also check out Reaper's line of monsters from the DOOM computer game.)

If you decide to buy your Skaven from Games Workshop, the first item to consider is their box of eight plastic models. This box is a good way to get a group of Skaven without paying a lot. These are the exact same plastic Skaven figures as can be found in the main Warhammer Quest box.

Naturally, GW also offers a complete line of Skaven miniatures in pewter. In addition to basic warriors, they offer individualized figures such as Champions, Plague Monks, Plague Censer Bearers, Assassins, and so on.

You can view images of figures in the current Skaven line by browsing GW's online catalog at http://www.games-workshop.com/. To use the catalog, you will have to scroll to the bottom of the page, select 'Warhammer', then click on the 'GO' button. This will pull up the page with all the Warhammer items, including the miniatures. From there you can click on the Skaven section, or any other type of miniature you might want to look at.

After seeing GW's current Skaven line, we are disappointed with the designs of some of the figures. For example, we prefer the Censer Bearers that Games Workshop used to sell. In the newer models, the censers look more like flails. Similarly, the older Plague Monk models had the figures holding a sword in one hand and the plague scroll in the other. None of the current ones have the plague scroll.

If you wish to obtain figures from obsolete lines, you can pursue several options. First, many vendors simply still have the old designs in stock. Your local hobby shop or favorite online distributor may be able to help you. Second, you may be able to buy used figures in an online auction or from a dealer who specializes in used gaming products.