In a game where the very Games Workshop specific Fimir trod the cold floor tiles of HeroQuest dungeons, it always seemed a bit odd that a Bloodthirster model was used to represent a more generic "gargoyle". I suppose it's very feasible that an Old World gargoyle might have been carved in the form of a demon by some master mason. But why not just have the Bloodthirster as the big baddie? Had the designer stated he wanted a gargoyle model and GW just plumped for the nearest design they had that could pass for one? Why then did Mike McVey paint the (prototype) gargoyle model as a flesh and blood Bloodthirster rather than the stone monster as seen on the artwork for the Kellar's Keep quest pack?
Anyway, here is my recent attempt at painting this venerable model for use in Advanced Heroquest. I mean, he features prominently on the box artwork and inside the rulebook, so it simply had to be this exact model. Now, I'll admit to being somewhat loath to remove him from his original HeroQuest base, but luckily I actually own two gargoyles. So, I felt less like a desecrator of my own childhood as I carefully cut and filed away that familiar HeroQuest base of grey plastic.
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| The Bloodthirster, having a nice big yawn and stretch after a good night's sleep. |
This would be the third time I'd painted a HeroQuest gargoyle. My dad had painted it originally, taking leave of Mike McVey's colour schemes for once, and left it mainly grey plastic to represent the stone but with enamel black, silver and bronze for a few bits and pieces of armour and weapons, red for eyes and so on.
Later I painted the second gargoyle in garish acrylics, then later still borrowed its head to stick on the front of a Chaos Rhino for 2nd edition 40k. I also attached the wings to the back of a Chaos Space Marine in place of a backpack.
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| Rogue Trader Predator I turned into a Rhino for some reason. The old HeroQuest gargoyle head is in pride of place. It's hard to imagine even a single World Eater Marine fitting inside it. |
Even later, I repainted my dad's old gargoyle with my then improved standard of painting, but once again like a stone statue. And finally, I rescued the head and wings from my mothballed Chaos Space Marine army, put it all back together, stripped it and painted it in its now final form. Probably final anyway. My gargoyles have had busy lives.
And this time, seeing as I planned to use it as an actual Bloodthirster, he ended up in classic Khornate red, bronze and black. I was particularly pleased with its mouth, the warm, wet and bloody feel (oops, nearly got possessed by Slaanesh then) achieved mainly by adding a wash of red ink over the top.
So how did I end up with two gargoyles then? Far back in faded days, I was on holiday somewhere or other with my family, and in a toy shop I spotted a single copy of Against The Ogre Horde buried on a stacked shelf. I was excited to see it and had no idea that such a thing existed. The box was also enticingly bigger than the previous two quest packs.
As an aside, it was the only time I ever saw Against The Ogre Horde for sale anywhere. Likewise, I only ever saw the Eldar expansion for Space Crusade on a single occasion. I didn't buy it though (or beg my parents to buy it, more like) because I was already much more into 40k itself by that point.
So, obviously I bought Against The Ogre Horde immediately, didn't I? No, I didn't. For some reason it was only afterwards that I asked my parents if we could return to the shop to buy it. I had to wait until the very last day of the holiday before we did so, and for all that time I was increasingly worried that someone else would have bought it. But it was still there! I spent the journey home thinking happily about painting the ogre models and all the rest.
Unfortunately, after I'd opened the box at home I found that the quest book was missing. Disaster! I handwrote a letter to MB Games explaining my plight (and I remember distinctly using the melodramatic phrase "to my horror I found the quest book was missing") and my mum sent it off in the post.
As difficult as it is to imagine nowadays, in the early 90s you might expect a response to a letter or order placed via a catalogue to arrive some weeks after sending, if you were lucky. If you remember disclaimers like "please allow 28 days for delivery" then you're likely of my generation. Sure enough, a few weeks later a package arrived for me from MB Games. Not only was the quest book included, but also several sprues of extra monsters and furniture! This was great because I had the Adventure Design Kit and could now go further in my quest to fill every square of the board with a monster, as is the right of every HeroQuest player (hi Bard).
So that's how I came to be the proud owner of two gargoyles. We found that the ogre quest itself was really tough and perhaps not up to the standard of the previous quest packs. I don't believe we ever finished it. Additionally, after encountering the infamous quest with the error in it, meaning the quest couldn't be completed unless you fudged it, I genuinely began to believe that the quest book had been quickly cobbled together in a panic by some MB Games employee just for my benefit. Kids, eh?













