Prototype Ork Gargant

Eric

Eric

Administrator
Just seen an interesting "prototype" EPIC Gargant on eBay. The seller says:
The rare 1988 Epic Ork Gargant resin test model was produced by Games Workshop subsidiary Marauder Miniatures as a limited run of only 313 pieces. This solid resin and metal model Purchased by me in 1990 from a GW employee
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Not something I'd seen before, the head and weapons appear to be the "normal" metal casts that appear on the generally available Gargant. Anyone more familiar with it? Was it ever featured in WD, doesn't ring a bell for me.

The auction should anyone be interested: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/237112419795
 

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test shot from GW being resin in 1988?
Also.. Marauder? I was unware of any Kev Adams sculpting classed under Marauder..

I'm not saying this is fake or anything but... I do get a few warning bells... anyone with a bit more experience can say if Marauder did.. wait.. Epic?.... did Marauder release anything under the Epic range? they didn't even do much Rogue trader...

The body does look a bit like some releases but not one I'm aware with.

I'm far from saying it's a fake. I'm just saying I get warning signs and It would be very interesting to find out that these are explainable.
 
WD adverts for the original Gargant kit says "Designed by Kev Adams" (WD 128)
Gargant.png
well.. there was a brief bit in 120 which just showed the model, but didn't have much info.
 
The 313 run seemed odd. I mean maybe casting up half a dozen to use "in the office" whilst play testing the rules and to decide quite what looked like the right shape (although they had evidently committed to the arm mounts at this point!?) maybe, but why do a run of them?

Personally I'm suspicious of this being a prototype - an alternate limited run seems more likely - hence the re-use of the arm mounts and weapons/head. Now if that limited run was a legitimate Maurader/Citadel/GW release or just a fan-sculpt ...
 
Humm, okay tiny bit more information online.

miniwars.co.uk

Epic 40k Great Gargant - MiniWars

Great Gargants are hulking machines that can lay waste to entire formations of troops or vehicles, and destroy the largest War Engines. It is almost impossible to destroy one during the course of a game, and opponents will likely spend time actively attempting to avoid it. Great Gargants are...
miniwars.co.uk miniwars.co.uk
says

Adeptus Titanicus (1988) Marauder Miniatures Limited Release Great Gargant 1
forge-world-great-gargant-1.jpg

Adeptus Titanicus (1988) Marauder Miniatures Limited Release Great Gargant 2
forge-world-great-gargant-2.jpg.webp
Which seems to be our chap. Also linked to from this thread on Reddit

Given the weapons, etc didn't change if the latter sculpting attribution is correct then Kev did those. It would seem unlikely that he did those and not the bodies here then so I suppose we could ask him. It does seem odd the release was under Marauder, as mentioned upthread maybe someone active on sites where Trish is could ask her?

EDIT
Looks like at least that first Gargant image was originally from https://nico-realmsofchaos.blogspot.com/2012/10/ere-we-go-epic-armageddon_21.html which is the blog of @Nico
Editing reason: source of image
 
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Well that's just one page on the Interwebs, doesn't mean it's correct... Still strikes me as a little unusual, but it wouldn't be the first or last bit of quirky GW history!
 
interesting. still some weird questions but interesting.

It's a shame Trish is mostly on FB.. some interesting videos we keeps reposing once in a while but being that it is not on an archive or decent search system, very hard to really watch and review them...

Needs a Media assistant to handle that cause a simple blog would be fantastic...
 
Wow! Learn something new every day!
The amateurish resin casting may be something to do with limitations of the time? Wonder if Kev had a hand in the body of this too…?
 
@Jamiie , any idea if Kev might remember enough to shine light on this? probably not. But something like a Titan is out side of his normal ballpark to be more memorable ^_^ (Also, why not try to see if he wants to sculpt any more ratmen ^_^ your company has a big lack and his 'Chaos Goblin ratman is nice ^_^)
 
ManicMan said:
@Jamiie , any idea if Kev might remember enough to shine light on this? probably not. But something like a Titan is out side of his normal ballpark to be more memorable ^_^ (Also, why not try to see if he wants to sculpt any more ratmen ^_^ your company has a big lack and his 'Chaos Goblin ratman is nice ^_^)
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If we finish the orcs and goblin army I might go ratmen next if I can get Kev to keep going
 
FWIW looking over all the adverts at http://www.solegends.com/citads/index.htm and I see the normal Orc Gargant in a photo from an advert in December 1989, but as Manic noted the release seems to have been WD 128 (Aug 1990). None of the adverts feature the resin one.
Adeptus Titanicus was December 1988 (WD 108), with the Reaver in that same month, and the Eldar early in the new year. So it would seem the resin one pre-dates the metal one by at least 18 months. I can only think that they decided that casting resin bodies was impractical and wanted to switch to an all metal model so presumably had Kev sculpt a fresh body to fit the existing weapons/arms/head?
 
yep. Them orks were the only other ones. Not sure who sculpted them. As it was there 'studio', Trish and Aly were the only sculptors at first, but I know some of the Early Skaven were tagged as Marauder despite never being officially by them (even though this was before they were kinda merged back into Citadel and purely a 'brand name' so that's always confusing to me), I don't believe anyone else sculpted 'officially' for the studio..

Oh and they did some miniatures for Confrontation, or atleast prototypes which were never released as Confrontation wasn't.. I'm not quite sure if they were then released for Necromunda.. probebly not.

other then that, all fantasy.
 
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