Citadel Miniatures

• 1. Founding And Early History

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  In August 1976, Bryan Ansell co-founded Asgard Miniatures with Steven Fitzwater and Paul Sulley in Nottingham. He served as the lead sculptor for this new venture while previously working at Conquest Miniatures. The company operated under his direction until February 1978 when he departed to start a rival business. Games Workshop provided funding for this new project called Citadel Miniatures. White Dwarf issue 11 announced the official start of Citadel Miniatures in December 1978. The following issue contained the first advertisement for their upcoming figures.

• 2. Materials And Manufacturing Evolution

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  Original miniatures were produced using a white metal alloy that included lead. In January 1987, Citadel began producing plastic miniatures under the names Psychostyrene and Drastik Plastik. They continued making white metal models because economics made plastic only suitable for large runs. Some models combined both materials with arm-less bodies and heads made from metal. Arms, weapons, and other accessories came from plastic instead. In February 1997, the company switched to a lead-free white metal due to concerns about lead poisoning. This change particularly affected children who might handle the toys. On the 16th of May 2011, Games Workshop announced a new range known as Citadel Finecast. Wayland Games noted on their website that these products required remedial effort from experienced modellers.

• 3. Corporate Acquisitions And Expansions

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  From April 1979 to December 1984, Citadel maintained a reciprocal distribution deal with Ral Partha. This agreement brought each other's products to Britain and North America respectively. Chronicle Miniatures was a competitor run by Nick Lund before being bought out by Citadel. Iron Claw Miniatures operated from February 1987 until October 1988 and were sculpted by Bob Olley. Many of those designs later became part of the main Citadel range. Marauder Miniatures started in November 1988 by Aly Morrison and Trish Morrison. The company was absorbed into Citadel in August 1993 after being promoted alongside Citadel Miniatures in White Dwarf. Retail outlets like Medway Games Centre in Chatham, Kent stocked these miniatures from March 1982 onwards.

• 4. Licensed Property Collaborations

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  Citadel produced licensed ranges based on characters from games, movies, TV series, and books. These included figures for RuneQuest, Fighting Fantasy, Judge Dredd, Doctor Who, and Paranoia. They also made models for Eternal Champion, Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Traveller, Star Trek, Lone Wolf, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. Games Workshop re-won the Lord of the Rings licence to create Strategy Battle Game miniatures. This tied-in with film releases by New Line Cinema and extended to characters from J.R.R. Tolkien's actual writings. Limited edition models appeared such as Thrud the Barbarian and drunken Space Marines dressed in Christmas outfits. Grombrindal served as the white-bearded logo for White Dwarf magazine.

• 5. Critical Reception And Market Impact

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  Edwin Joseph Rotondaro reviewed 25 mm miniature figures released in March 1984 and October 1985 in The Space Gamer No. 76. He stated that he highly recommended Citadel miniatures to gamers using any FRPG system. Mike Willis and Martyn Tetlow reviewed the products for Adventurer magazine. They noted that Citadel models had made their mark in the pure fantasy genre. Their staple figures included Chaos Warriors, Orcs, Dwarfs, and Fighters. Public votes at conventions and through White Dwarf reflected demand for these items. The market position became clear as contenders for leadership in roleplaying and miniature wargames. Fantasy war-machines like catapults and chariots joined standard soldier lines. Warhammer 40,000 prompted expansion into vehicles such as Land Raider and Rhino transports for Space Marines.