Painted Tekumel Figures, by Kestral

Hlutrgú, painted by Kestral

The Hlutrgú are one of the vicious alien races that finds themselves cohabiting Tekumel. They are definitely not friendly, having a fearsome reputation with respect to captives. Fortunately, they are restricted more-or-less to a swampy enclave in south-eastern Tsolyanu. Unfortunately, they occasionally leave their enclave in large flotillas of their little coracles, each packed with the savage creatures. 

These 28mm scale figures can be found HERE, in the Tekumel Club. Painted by "Kestral".

BTW, many customers send me pictures of the figures they've painted. I always ask permission if I can post them, and always intend to do so, but sometimes time and memory works against me and I don't end up doing so.

PLEASE, if you have sent me pics - and I have failed to display them - do not hesitate to send me an email reminder. It will act like a pointed stick! You can send an actual pointed stick as well, if you really want me to get "with it!" ;-)

Battle with the Hlutrgu

Jeff has sent me a work-in-progress picture of a battle between soldiers from the Legion of Lord Lángsha of Jaikalór and the Hlutrgu. It's taken with a camera rather than scanned because the full piece is too large to fit on his scanner.

It's not the finished product but I think it looks cool regardless! Personally I like seeing blog posts and articles where a step-by-step process is shown. There is just such an article about Joe Jusko (sp?) over on one of the comic book sites about how he did a recent painting of Dejah Thoris. If I can find my way back there I'll post a link.

The Tékumel Club

Hi Guys,

An Update:

1) I have confirmed the costs with Old Glory and it seems my initial estimates allowed enough of a fudge factor to accommodate the recent metal price increases, though if they continue to rise who can say how long that will last;

2) The prices will be as follows:

Hlutrgu foot figures:
Nakome (non-member) = Single $4.00, Warband $40.00 (10 troopers + 4 command), Horde $30.00 (10 troopers);
Tirikamu ($20 = 10% off) = Single $3.60, Warband $36.00, Horde $27.00;
Hereksa ($30 = 20% off) = Single $3.20, Warband $32.00, Horde $24.00;
Kasi ($40 = 30%) = Single $2.80, Warband $28.00, Horde $21.00;
Molkar ($50 = 40%) = Single $2.40, Warband $24.00, Horde $18.00;
Kerdu (++ = 50%) = Single $2.00, Warband $20.00, Horde $15.00;

Hlutrgu boat figures:
Nakome (non-member) = Single $4.00, Flotilla $30.00 (2 boats + all crew);
Tirikamu ($20 = 10% off) = Single $3.60, Flotilla $27.00;
Hereksa ($30 = 20% off) = Single $3.20,Flotilla $24.00;
Kasi ($40 = 30%) = Single $2.80, Flotilla $21.00;
Molkar ($50 = 40%) = Single $2.40, Flotilla $18.00;
Kerdu (++ = 50%) = Single $2.00, Flotilla $15.00;

Qol rank-and-file figures:
Nakome (non-member) = Single $4.00, Horde $30.00 (10 rank-and-file);
Tirikamu ($20 = 10% off) = Single $3.60, Horde $27.00;
Hereksa ($30 = 20% off) = Single $3.20, Horde $24.00;
Kasi ($40 = 30%) = Single $2.80, Horde $21.00;
Molkar ($50 = 40%) = Single $2.40, Horde $18.00;
Kerdu (++ = 50%) = Single $2.00, Horde $15.00;

3) I have placed an initial order with Old Glory for:
40 Hlutrgu Warbands and 60 Hordes;
50 Flotillas;
50 Qol Hordes.

4) Payments can be by PayPal in the same manner that the Tekumel Club membership was purchased (to green27@sympatico.ca) or by Money Order (or, cheque, if you prefer) made out to "The Tekumel Project". If you are paying via PayPal please mention that it is for an order in the comments and please send a separate email detailing your order.

5) Postage will be at Cost and will be charged when I have the product and am ready to ship. If you wish, you can place your order and then wait for me to confirm that I have the figures and determine postage before making payment.

6) We are intending to pick up the figures at Fall In. We will not be selling the figures there, but if you want to pick up figures that are already paid for you can do that. We will need to establish some form of recognition system or meeting place prior to the Wednesday of that week as after that I will be away from email until the Sunday when I return.

Hope that all makes sense to you. If you have any comments or suggestions - or questions just let me know.

Best Regards,

Howard

Warning Order: Hlutrgu and Qol release pending

At long last, the Tekumel Project is on the verge of releasing 28mm figures for direct sale via The Tekumel Club.

See the Club thread on our blog, here:

The Tekumel Club

The Hlutrgu and the first of the Qol are currently in the process of having Production Molds made and we expect to be able to pick up the initial castings at Fall In at the end of this month.

If you have any interest please contact me at:

green27 AT sympatico DOT ca

Regards,

Howard Fielding The Tekumel Project

Where does the time go...

So - another month gone by. Where did the time go? Was anything accomplished? Why no updates?

Fair Questions!

Things have been happening, though at seemingly glacial speed:

1) The Hlutrgu are finished and have been shipped to the caster. Unfortunately, these will not be molded until later in the month - not with this weekend being a major US holiday and next weekend being Historicon (unless I am mistaken.) First masters have to be molded and samples sent for inspection - then the production molds will be made. I am hoping for a September release date - based on my experience on how things get delayed in the miniatures business.

2) John is 99% done the blanks - he assures me - so I hope to soon get an email saying they are ready to be mailed to me and then on to the caster. I have been thinking up stuff for him to work on in the time between finishing and getting the castings back. Hopefully things will progress quickly on to some figures once the blanks are cast up and delivered.

3) Art work is progressing slowly. I have an artist doing concept sketches for armour on future releases so as to avoid the cock-ups that have plagued the Dharu and Vanu figures! Unfortunately, he has work commitments that mean he will be leaving after his current slate of work is done.

4) A Band of Joyous Heroes and Kerdu - progress is slow and playtesting ongoing. Those interested in helping should email me.

5) The Ahoggya "kit" is finished being sculpted. Pictures coming tomorrow - with luck.

6) Another sculptor is starting shortly. I'm just working out the details on what he is to do. I am preparing a big "push" to get the Tsolyani battalia filled out a bit.

7) Resin beasties in the form of Chlen and Serudla are being sculpted, as well as smaller Tekumel creatures such as the Biridlu.

Meanwhile, other people have been doing more productive stuff. Like painting their legions!

Check out Greg's excellent work on the Legion of Ever-Present Glory

I wish my figures forces were as complete!

The Hlutrgú - Update

Hlutrgú

I have had word from Rod Campbell of Highlander Studios today that he expects to have the Hlutrgú sculpts finished for the first week of June, at which point they can be sent off for master and production molds to be made. With luck there will be no hiccups in this process and I will be able to put in an order for castings before the end of June.

As mentioned before, this will be our first release through our "Tekumel Club". It's a bit of an experiment really, as I have never handled the miniatures production and sales before. A couple of things are apparent, however:

1) We cannot afford to stock inventory;
2) As such we will be ordering only moderately-sized orders from the manufacturer, so there may be delays in orders if someone orders and we don't have anything in stock.

This may mean that the best way to go is through pre-orders only. That is we only cast up what people order. At this point, I haven't got a good idea how many people are actually interested so I think production runs are going to have to be of limited size.

I still don't have a final costing yet. I posted a list of preliminary prices a while back, but it still depends upon how many figures will fit on the molds. (And whether the molding or metal costs have changed in the last several months.)

I'll post more when I am able to fix these items down a little better.

Best regards,

Howard Fielding
The Tekumel Project

Some Hlutrgu pics...

Small coracle

Small coracle w. Hlutrgu paddler

Here are some work-in-progress pics that Rod Campbell of Highlander Studios sent me last week. They show one of the coracles he is making for our upcoming Hlutrgu release along with one of the paddler sculpts he is working on.

The coracle shown is the smaller, intended to hold three figures. The larger version will hold around five. The coracle crews are going to come with separate torsos and lower bodies/legs - in addition to the kneeling pose, there will be a cross-legged pose.

Additional crew will include a second paddler (other side), two javelin-armed poses, and a leader type.

I'm Back!

Arrived back on Friday afternoon actually, after a nice 1-1/2 day drive up from Tennessee. I-81 all the way. :-)

Hope to have a proper update later this week, with news on how the Hlutrgu are progressing. Might even be able to take a guess at when they might be going for moulding...Ooo , that would be so cool!

But maybe I shouldn't get too far ahead of myself!

Hlutrgu Pics

Hlutrgu w. Javelins

More Hlutrgu

Question: Is it better to show poor pics of upcoming figures or not to show any at all if all you have are poor ones?

As you can see, I opted for the former.

Here are my poor photography skills on display. Apparently my camera has a macro setting but I didn't realize it at the time. I only found out after I returned from the con. :-(

The top pic shows the "in-progress" greens (greys) of the Hlutrgu armed with javelins. The bottom pic shows one of the "command" figures, a Hlutrgu with a captive, and also one of their coracles and the torso of a paddler - the lower body and legs will be part of the boat. These are being done by Rod Campbell of Highlander Studios.

Hlutrgú

By Mark Allen

How's that for a face only a mother could love? Scratch that - I seriously doubt that the Hlutrgú are capable of love, even with their own kind. Art for A Band of Joyous Heroes by Mark Allen.

The Tekumel Club - Memberships

Hi All,

In response to enquiries: Yes - one can send in a membership now.
I should probably have added a bit on how to apply. (My Bad.)

I think an email to us (at the green27 address) stating one's particulars - name, address and the desired membership rank - followed by the PayPal payment - in US Dollars. Unless I am mistaken, PayPal sends both parties email receipts.

Regarding the Hlutrgu, I would hold off on orders until I can confirm more about the coracles. This shouldn't take too long, and once I have news of their size and have determined how they are to be molded, I will post the final pricing. The intent is to take pre-orders for a limited time - with pre-orders (paid in full) getting an additional 10% off.

Postage will be extra - at cost.

Canadian residents are subject to taxes as required by Law.

Howard Fielding
The Tekumel Project

The Tekumel Club - Details

I believe that we have ironed out all the details regarding the Tekumel Club. The way it will work is as follows:

Intent:

The Tekumel Club is intended to offer members discounts on a range of figures to be offered direct from the Tekumel Project. The membership fees will be used to help pay sculptors to make additional Tekumel figures, and artists to prepare art for Tekumel publications. The range of figures will be called "The World of Tekumel" and will offer a variety of figures covering a wide spectrum of subjects, from creatures of the Underworld, to civilians, to the priesthoods of the Temples. The purely military range: "The Armies and Enemies of the Petal Throne" - manufactured and sold by Eureka Miniatures of Australia, will continue to expand. That range is not, however, covered by the Tekumel Club in any way.

Membership:

Membership will last for 1 year from the date of purchase.

Membership will be on a graduated scale, with each level given a descriptive name and a specific discount percentage to be applied to the regular figures for sale.

In addition to the regular range, we will from time-to-time offer "Reward" figures. These figures will be available to all, but priced at a premium rate. Members will receive substantial discounts on this rate in accordance with their membership level.

Memberships are purchased by making a PayPal donation in US Dollars - for "Services" - to the Tekumel Project. The email address to be used is:
green27@sympatico.ca

This is also the address to direct any questions that you might have.

The graduated membership scale will be as follows:

Nakome = non-member = 0% discount;
Tirikamu = $20 member = 10% discount;
Hereksa = $30 member = 20% discount;
Kasi = $40 member = 30% discount;
Molkar = $50 member = 40% discount;
Kerdu = +? member = 50% discount + negotiated;

Note: All amounts are US Dollars

The names are all ranks in the Tsolyani military, except Nakome which means "clanless". Kasi = captain, Molkar = Major and Kerdu translates as General.

Note that to qualify for Kerdu the donation must be significant. We already have an individual who wants to sponsor a legion! Our first Kerdudalikoi (Kerdudali = "Great General", "-koi" = a noble suffix) has offered to sponsor the Aridani Legion of Lady Mrissa and we have offered a suitable compensation in return.

The World of Tekumel - First Release

Our first release will be the Hlutrgu mentioned in my previous post. As stated, I have requested that the greens be ready by Cold Wars, with molding and casting to follow afterwards, hopefully in short order. I cannot, however, give a firm release date at this time. We are still working out the pricing on the coracles (as it really depends upon whether they will both fit on a mold), but I can give you our proposed pricing for the foot figures:

Note: All amounts are US Dollars

Nakome -
Individual Figure Price = $4.00;
Warband Price = $40.00;
Horde Builder Price = $30.00

Tirikamu -
Individual Figure Price = $3.60;
Warband Price = $36.00;
Horde Builder Price = $27.00

Hereksa -
Individual Figure Price = $3.20;
Warband Price = $32.00;
Horde Builder Price = $24.00

Kasi -
Individual Figure Price = $2.80;
Warband Price = $28.00;
Horde Builder Price = $21.00

Molkar -
Individual Figure Price = $2.40;
Warband Price = $24.00;
Horde Builder Price = $18.00

Kerdu* -
Individual Figure Price = $2.00;
Warband Price = $20.00;
Horde Builder Price = $15.00

* Plus negotiated bonus based upon amount donated on a case-by-case basis.

First Reward Figure: Princess Vrisa, Warrior-Princess of Saa Allaqi

Nakome -
Reward Figure Price = $12.00;

Tirikamu -
Reward Figure Price = $6.00;

Hereksa -
Reward Figure Price = $4.00;

Kasi -
Reward Figure Price = $3.00;

Molkar -
Reward Figure Price = $2.00;

Kerdu* -
Reward Figure Price = $1.00;


The concept art for the figure has been shown in previous blog posts. The figure is being sculpted by John Winter, of Tinman Miniatures, and will become available sometime around the same time as our first World of Tekumel release.

The Tekumel Club: First Figures

A Hlutrgu

OK - Here's the scoop:

We're still deliberating what form the proposed Tekumel Club will take. I've passed on all my ideas to my business partner as he's an accountant - and a Federale to boot! Once he's sorted out any issues that I may have missed and given the OK, then it's a GO.

Hopefully he'll let me know today. In the meantime I thought I'd spill the beans on the first release:

The Hlutrgu - "Swamp Frogs"

The release will consist of two coracles, one with three beasties, the other five; the figures for the boats will consist of left and right paddlers, Hlutrgu with javelins and a leader/priest type.

For foot figures there will be a Leader/Priest, a drummer, a Hlutrgu w. severed head, a Hlutrgu w. captive and two with javelins.

They will be available singly; as a Warband with all four command figures and 10 with javelins; and as a Horde Builder set of 10 with javelins.

For those of you who don't know what these beasties are, suffice it to say that they are ferocious creatures that infest the coastal swamps between Tsolyanu and Salarvya. Besides raiding the settlements nearby, they periodically venture out to sea in a vast fleet of coracles in a lemming-like migration.

The Blue Room archive is a good source of information, like this story.

The figures are being sculpted by Rod Campbell of Highlander Studios. I have asked that the greens be done by Cold Wars with the intent to have them on display at his stand - with luck he might even be working at some figures from the following - secret - release as well.