Clarecraft

Complete listings of Clarecraft models can be found at http://www.clarecraft.com

Name Issue number Price/GBP
Watch members:
Angua DW66 £29.99
Sergeant Colon DW30 £24.99
Detritus DW22 £21.99
Corporal Nobbs DW60 £22.50
Captain Vimes DW54 £29.95
And hangers on:
Gaspode DW31 £12.95
Lord Vetinari DW37 £35.00
Errol DW36 £27.50


Clarecraft Pewter Miniatures

By JAK

In addition to their large resin Discworld characters, Clarecraft have also produced a range of 22 pewter Discworld miniatures. These are comparable to other commercially available figures of a scale of approximate 25/30mm. and as such make excellent playing pieces for role-playing games i.e. GURPS Discworld and for use in fantasy wargames i.e. Games Workshop Warhammer.

The figures may not be of a constant scale. There are two DEATHs and one is noticeable shorter than the other but otherwise any scale differences are negligible.

The RRP is $3.50 for polished and $2.99 unpolished, but shops are free to price as they wish. I have seen them priced between $2.50 and $4.99. I would recommend that you purchase the plain unpolished versions. This size of figure looks so much better painted and also the process of polishing tends to remove some of the finer detailing.

Vimes, Nobby and Colon are new figures, released in August, but are difficult to find in shops at the present time. Elton of Clarecraft has said that all the official Discworld stockists have been informed about these new releases and should be asked to order them for you if they don't have them in stock.

There follows a list of the Watch related models together with conversion ideas to improve them.

Carrot DMP01 height 40mm This is a nicely detail figure but in an unusual stance. He is holding his Law book out in front of him as if reading it, but he also has the other arm raised with a clenched fist, as if he was about to punch someones lights out. The figure, without base is 35mm but as Carrot is 6' 6" he doesn't look out of place with Games Workshop type figures. It is an easy job to convert the arms to a more natural pose.

The Librarian DMP03 height 40mm Another well detailed figure. Posed as if he was about to jump into the air or land and is waving his arms in the air like monk** sorry apes do. To make him a true Watch Officer you need to add a piece of wire round his neck with a small disc of card or milliput for his badge.

Detritus DMP22 height 42mm This is one of Clarecrafts earliest pewter figures and is based on their large resin model rather than the excellent Paul Kidby drawings. He is therefore rather smooth and dressed in his civilian clothes. Watch breastplate and chainmail, or Elephant armour and clockwork helmet if you prefer can be added with milliput by anyone with a reasonable modelling skill. Add a crossbow from strip wood and wire, then scribe the Watch badge design onto his arm to complete.

Captain Vimes DMP50 height 37mm This figure is based on Paul Kidby drawings although I think the model is a little skinny. He is in dressed in Watch uniform and holding a dragon, not Errol, at the ready. For the purist his helmet can be removed, the top of his head modelled and the rest of the uniform covered by Sybil's nightie as in the incident in GG. There is a Kidby drawing of him like this to copy from. Alternatively the dragon can be removed and him given a crossbow, taken from a suitable 25mm figure. This is a more difficult conversion as it requires the modelling of new arms and some of his body. I am at present working on this and hope to have him lighting a cigarette as depicted on the cover of the 1999 Watch Diary.

Corporal Nobbs DMP52 height 30mm

Sergeant Colon DMP51 height 33mm These are also based on Kidby drawings but I don't feel they are quite right and are not as well sculptured as the others. Colon is standing to attention and Nobby is holding a morning star similar to the large Clarecraft figure of him. Colon is not fat enough and Nobby, although skinny, his stance doesn't remind me of a monkey. I do like the character detailing of the heads which include Nobby's zits and fag. For my own collection I have modelled different bodies for both figures and added the Clarecraft heads.

For those of you who wish to expand their collections there are a number of miniature manufacturers like Games Workshop who produce comparable sized figures of dwarfs, humans, wolf etc. that can be used to represent the other members of the Watch. The official pictures of Discworld characters produced by Clarecraft, the two Pauls, Kidby & Kirby and Cosgrove Hall are all very different so you should be able to find figures that can be made to resemble what YOU imagine them to be like as you are reading the books. i.e. add high heels to hobnailed boots and a small wooden box with holes for livestock transportation and your dwarf becomes Littlebottom. If you require help or advice with painting or converting the above figures, or have found commercial figures that could be used to represent the Watch or any other Discworld character in the 25/30mm scale please contact JAK at j.w.strong@esg.maff.gov.uk.

Update - February 1999

The following are the latest releases from Clarecraft. I have not seen them in the flesh yet so comments are based on pictures. All are direct copies of the large range figures.
The Librarian With Tankard DMP60 height ?mm
Just right for sitting outside the Drum after a hard day/night on the beat.
Lord Vetinari DMP64 height ?mm
To keep the Watch in order. I cannot tell from the picture if Wuffles has been included.
Errol DMP65 height ?mm
Errol in one of his many boxes. This one must be new as it looks fairly complete. If you have read my Watch figures page you will know my prayers have been answered. I wish he had been based on the Kidby drawings though. Never mind milliput can work wonders.