Robin Hood’s Friar Tuck
Friar Tuck, legendary tonsured companion of Robin Hood, joins my miniatures collection.
“Praise the Lord! And pass the tax rebate!”
Friar Tuck was an impulse purchase whilst acting as Nottingham cultural attaché for visiting family members. Warlord Games (a Nottingham company) have a small range of Heritage Miniatures they’ve slipped into local tourist spots like the the National Justice Museum and Nottingham Tourism Centre. I quite enjoyed making my turbo-nerd purchase in a regular retail outlet – it’s like being able to buy Dungeons & Dragons in the same place as your milk and morning papers.
“If Curis has seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giant Robin Hood statues.”
Tuck’s base was originally built up with sand to accommodate the cast-on scenic base. But the original sculpted base features what looks like a little tombstone with FRIAR TUCK engraved on it, which I thought implies he’s the friar that’s just buried Friar Tuck, or alternatively Friar Tuck’s ghost. That was too much narrative for me. So I chopped it off.
Friar Tuck in the Monastery of Abingdon.
The basing style matches my Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Dungeons & Dragons miniatures, and not my Citadel Normans. Tuck is too big to stand alongside the older 1980s Perry sculpts, plus friars are anachronistic in Norman times. But then friars are anachronistic in the classic Robin Hood setting of Richard the Lionheart. I plan to paint some monks/friars/priests that are compatible with my Normans.
Cool ending tangent fact: – the Friar Tuck action figure from the Robin Hood Prince of Thieves toyline was based on the Star Wars Gamorrean Guard?
Lovely as always Curis. And now to eBay for some Prince of Thieves action toys…
The whole line of them featured recycled parts – Robin Hood was made from Green Arrow. And they had some Ewoks vehicles too. I love this kind of repurposing between brands. Full article at: http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/kenners-robin-hood/
Cool model and paint job. But what I love is the red light source, it give a new dimension to your pictures … so good :)
Fanks Nico! It’s a White Dwarf trick, show the figure evenly lit to showcase the paintjob, then light it to give it a different feel.
What made you choose to pose him at a monastery in Abingdon?
I’m just curious because a friend of mine studied at Nottingham Uni and that’s where he met his wife, who happens to be from Abingdon – so the two places have a connection for me, but I wasn’t aware of any with Friar Tuck and Robin Hood!
I live in Abingdon at the moment, and go running through the ruins of the Monastery every day, which sparks the imagination.
Small world eh, miniatures? Small world.
I see what you did there!
And yes, it is.
You also set up my second-favourite joke with “I’m just curious…”.
I’m told that I’m curious…
The Gamorrean Guard thing threw me off completely, I forgot what I was going to say.
Lovely painting.
The red lit church photo is great.
Ewok Battlewagon repurposing: http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/kenners-robin-hood/
Great work here. I love the subtle blending on his robes. Now you need to kitbash a figure of a civvy standing on Robin’s shoulders!
Thanks! Wargames Foundry actually did a figure that’s a straight copy of the Robin Hood statue that would be perfect for that.
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