The old mercenary

This is one of my favorite (maybe THE favorite) Reaper sculpts. I only now got around to purchasing it (along with my last order.) I had waited to buy it because I didn't care much for the other figures in the pack (2584 Townsfolk,) and with my direct order, I was able to purchase the figure separately. (Most Reaper items can be purchased bit by bit; check out Reaper's "Boneyard.")

I like this figure for a few reasons. It's very paintable; I would recommend it for any beginner. There is just enough detail and large planes to make it simple and/or challenging all at once, allowing the painter to set his own level of difficulty. I also like that there is a little bit of character to the face; it's a lamentable face, a man on his last legs, a face that could have it's own little story. I enjoy a sculpt that can tell a story by itself with little to no props.

I took that story one step further by doing a slight conversion, turning his walking stick into an old spear, painting him with a regimental black and red combination, turning him into an old mercenary who has fought his last war and now seeks money off the battlefields. If the mood strikes me, I'd play this as a D&D character, as a fighter who is without strength or constitution, but plenty of wisdom, a warrior who fights more with wits and experience than with bravado or brawn.