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?