# The 5 Best D&D Miniatures



## Carl H (Feb 14, 2015)

Thanks for sharing!

While the beholder was created for D&D I believe it was created by theron kuntz.


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## orangefruitbat (Feb 14, 2015)

I like the idea of the farmer mini, but the actual production mini seems out of scale with the other DnD minis - he's huge!

I like the drunken bar patron better.


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## Nebulous (Feb 14, 2015)

I just used that beholder mini.  But there's so many great ones in the DDM line over the years, I know they weren't all stellar, but some were certainly very very awesome.


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## doctorhook (Feb 14, 2015)

Yeah, proportion was definitely a creeping issue in the DDM line. One of the worst was the Guard of Mithral Hall (Night Below #07), a Common mini representing a presumably typical dwarf kneeling behind a large shield. If his 1" base is supposed to represent 5' in-game, then these dwarves must be about 9' tall when they stand up. Worse, their skulls must be about 2' in diameter.

View attachment 66848


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## The M'hael (Feb 14, 2015)

doctorhook said:


> Yeah, proportion was definitely a creeping issue in the DDM line. One of the worst was the Guard of Mithral Hall (Night Below #07), a Common mini representing a presumably typical dwarf kneeling behind a large shield. If his 1" base is supposed to represent 5' in-game, then these dwarves must be about 9' tall when they stand up. Worse, their skulls must be about 2' in diameter.
> 
> View attachment 66848





Ahh, the Guard of Mithral Hall!
This guy is great!
I always use him as the King. If the Party talks to the King, it's this guy.
You can also repaint it and use it as a goliath or something like that. I'm pretty sure the proportions match.


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## Henry (Feb 14, 2015)

Carl H said:


> Thanks for sharing!
> 
> While the beholder was created for D&D I believe it was created by theron kuntz.




Rob Kuntz, perhaps? I think I remember Gary saying it was some cheesy play on the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" quote.


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## darjr (Feb 14, 2015)

orangefruitbat said:


> I like the drunken bar patron better.




Oh yea! I've used that for a drunken monk, a drunken sorcerer, and a drunken brawler! Love that mini.


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## NewJeffCT (Feb 15, 2015)

the farmer is a good one, but I'm not sure I'd rate it #2 overall. 

Love the Champion of Elistraee for the action pose and long, flowing drow hair.


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## Carl H (Feb 15, 2015)

Henry said:


> Rob Kuntz, perhaps? I think I remember Gary saying it was some cheesy play on the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" quote.




I thought it was Rob as well, but Wikipedia says it was his brother


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## WackyAnne (Feb 15, 2015)

Nebulous said:


> I just used that beholder mini.  But there's so many great ones in the DDM line over the years, I know they weren't all stellar, but some were certainly very very awesome.



<br>
<br>My favourite is the Eye of Flame. I don't own it yet, but I will. I WILL! <br>


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## Henrix (Feb 15, 2015)

The flying red dragon from the D&D Attack Wing/current set is one of my favourites now. (At least if you, easily, reposition the wings.)

But the farmer is one of those that has seen the most use.


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## TarionzCousin (Feb 15, 2015)

That's some pig!


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## Drammattex (Feb 16, 2015)

orangefruitbat said:


> I like the idea of the farmer mini, but the actual production mini seems out of scale with the other DnD minis - he's huge!
> 
> I like the drunken bar patron better.




He's just big-boned!


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## Henrix (Feb 16, 2015)

orangefruitbat said:


> I like the idea of the farmer mini, but the actual production mini seems out of scale with the other DnD minis - he's huge!




Yeah, scale is oftan a problem.








View attachment 66868


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## chibi graz'zt (Feb 16, 2015)

The gelatinous cube is on my wishlist, but I also found this one from Otherworldly miniatures in the UK which still produces 1e scultps: http://otherworldminiatures.co.uk/shop/dungeon-monsters/dm16c-gelatinous-cube-deluxe-ii/


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## Tormyr (Feb 16, 2015)

chibi graz'zt said:


> The gelatinous cube is on my wishlist, but I also found this one from Otherworldly miniatures in the UK which still produces 1e scultps: http://otherworldminiatures.co.uk/shop/dungeon-monsters/dm16c-gelatinous-cube-deluxe-ii/



Get a little semi-rigid plastic film and a glue gun and make your own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYnu9E8OwAQ


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## neobolts (Feb 16, 2015)

I don't play the minis game, but we do use minis for tabletop play sometimes, and I love the gargantuan blue dragon I picked up. Every table should have a big dragon on standby. IMO the blue looks way better than the red used in the Top 5 list. On all fours and in the PC's faces like a real menace. The "reared back" dragons look like something out of Pete's Dragon to me.


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## ehren37 (Feb 16, 2015)

I'm going to have to go with the Deathknell beholder over the Legendary Evils one, which is marred by that weird waxy shiny paint they switched to for some reason.

View attachment 66889

The pit fiend is also a good runner up IMO.
View attachment 66890

The imp is also really good. They managed to get a lot of character in such a tiny figure. We use it for our warlock's familiar, and I honestly can't find a better one in metal/resin. 

View attachment 66888

My next few arent what I consider the best sculpts or paintjobs, but just highly useful figures I reach for all the time.

The Drow Enforcer stands out well, with the icon on his shield, varied armor color, etc. Much more than the standard black leather, black skin, white hair and metal you see on a lot of the drow pre-paints.

View attachment 66891

The Hobgoblin Marshall - I wish the pose was a bit better, but the armor texture, with its mix of metal and leather look great. Even when I pared down my collection last year, I kept 15 of these guys - they're great grunt troops.

View attachment 66892

Peasant levy, random bandit - your call. The humble dalelands militia has you covered.
View attachment 66895


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## Jhaelen (Feb 17, 2015)

I've always wondered what people see in the Gelatinous Cube mini. I have one and I think it's butt-ugly. I'd much rather have had just about any other rare.
Maybe it's because I also think it's a stupid monster that I never use (unless a module calls for one and I don't find a good replacement).


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## mflayermonk (Feb 18, 2015)

I like the 1-square-sized black dragon mini. Psychic Warrior is also quite amazing.


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## edutrevi (Feb 19, 2015)

The 'Farmer'? LOL!
I have the 'Beholder Ultimate Tyrant' and the 'Red Dragon' ^^


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## MartyW (Feb 20, 2015)

I'm not sure any of these would have made my Top 5.  Mind you, they are good minis, but there were so many other exceptional ones, that these don't quite make the top 10 (though the dragon mini is close).

The D&D Miniatures Starter set (2008) had a better Dwarf (along with the Fighter and Female Rgue) and contained an excellent Green Dragon to boot. It was probably the best assortments of non-randoms WotC ever sold. Similarly, the non-random Dragonborn (with axe) was a really great mini. 

The Blue Dragon from the 3rd edition D&D Basic Set (2006?) is also one of the best "smaller" dragons and WotC has the beholder collector set which came with 4 different awesome beholders.

Some of their other best non-randoms came from the defunct card-game version of their minis game. The goblin, orc, undead and drow sets are almost "must buy" for new mini collectors, even if you never play the skirmish game.


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## itsjustsoup.com (Feb 21, 2015)

I'm In for all but the farmer, and I've never seen a purple beholder before. Aren't they always red, tan or pink?


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## megamania (Feb 22, 2015)

Harbinger Displacer Beast?  

Valenar commander?

so many more


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