A lot of heroic adventure happens in graveyards. Given the wide popularity of the undead as opponents across a wide variety of genres I suppose this should be no surprise. Necromancers of various stripes need a source for their rotting minions. Modern-day monster hunters need to hunt down the source of their vampire or zombie quarry. Whatever your game, odds are you’ll find some graveyard terrain useful at one time or another.

Fortunately, relative newcomer Mannequin Miniatures produces a line of metal gravestones that are the perfect scenic pieces for any graveyard setting. The stones were originally sculpted by the talented Bob Olley for his own late, lamented minis company, and apparently Mannequin now has the molds and is making them available again.

The detail on the example (one of eight in the line) I was sent is most impressive. The stone is suitably ancient and worn-looking, with several cracks running across it and an interesting, craggy edge, The base features grass growing up around the stone, adding to the impression that this is a ancient monument in some abandoned graveyard rather than a revered headstone in some well-manicured park.

There is no inscription on the stone, and I’m conflicted as to how I feel about that. One the one hand having it blank leaves a canvas for the talented freehand painter to customize it as needed with whatever details required by his particular game. On the other hand, an inscription should really be inscribed into the stone, an effect very hard to achieve with just paint. I suppose as a compromise one could just leave it blank and assume the inscription has been obliterated by time.

The reverse side of the gravestone

The rough surface of the stone makes it a perfect candidate for shortcut techniques like the Minwax Dip, which is exactly what I used. With just the most minimal paintjob and a quick inking or dip it’s very easy to produce very nice-looking results. That’s important to me when painting scenic pieces, as my primary love is painting miniature people and monsters, not terrain.

The only real downside is that at ₤1.50 the stones aren’t cheap. Given that a decent-sized graveyard would probably take a couple of dozen of them to do it properly, the cost could quickly add up to a substantial sum.

Minor cost issues aside, these stones are really nice, and serious terrain builders could certainly do some pretty amazing things with them.

Pros: Great detail, Useful in a variety of genres

Cons: Relatively Expensive

Final Verdict: 4/5

MSRP: ₤1.50

Source Miniature Heroes (review copy)

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