Giant War Elephant - ideas

[Michael O'Brien]

Chris Tubbs will be thinking about making the long sought after Oluphant (Sams name for the Easterling War Elephant) as a boxed set.
If you have any suggestions based on the book, please post here. The movie monster is WAY too outlandish to be realistic.
I will let Chris know about these suggestions so lets get our thinking caps on. If you have your own webites then add links to pictures or drawing of your vision.

We have to consider the production issues, like cost and complexity as well.
But don't delay, Chris will be working on the design over the next few months so ideas must be added as early as possible.

[Zoetrop]

This news are more than great!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D

My suggestions:

- if it´s possible largely in Metal (not resine)
- Not more than 60 - 70 Euros
- GW makes a Oliphant this year too (they will sell it in
October). Can Mithril sell it a little bid earlier?

[Hammershield]

Interesting idea. Th epeople of the Mithril Gathering (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mithrilgathering/messages) have been making their own oliphaunts for a long time now out heavily converted rubber toys and there have been heated discussions between us how big they should be. I was personally always proposing a behemout of epic proportions but most others proposed something just a bit larger than an African elephant. The rationale for each proposal, as I recall it, went on and on in that thread. Dorky but quite fun.

/h

[Dainesfish]

Keep it simple, and realistic – size wise about the same as those (not too bad) toy elephants that are available from toy stores; I think John Treadaway in the early days of the Mithril Fellowship did a conversion. The film version is way too big, these are Oliphaunts not dinosaurs! Double tusked, slight facial differences from the real thing perhaps. Material – resin unless the price of metal plummets. Can a couple of trunks be provided in alternative poses for conversion possibilities. Nice ‘battle box’ on top for the Harradrhim. Good luck!

[Will the Fey]

Michael said:

Chris Tubbs will be thinking about making the long sought after Oluphant (Sams name for the Easterling War Elephant) as a boxed set.
If you have any suggestions based on the book, please post here.

At least make it in scale, not too small, like "giant" eagles!
It think that it should be as large as largest male african elephants.
Something between mastodont and african elephant.

I like it to be under 40 euros, make it resin if metal makes it too expensive.

[Michael O'Brien]

It should be a boxed set, like one of the dragons, or even a bit bigger, it is a matter of how much must go into it, should it have extra figures like a driver and archer.

[Tibbo76]

In my opininon the idea of an oliphant - only box is inadequate. I'd like to see a driver and even 2 archers, maybe a chieftain on it, but mustn't be. I agree with the others NOT to produce a dinosaur - version of the oliphant, max. like an african male but without 256 tusks . . .

[Deleted]

I agree with you concerning the idea of a realistic oliphant.

Tolkien depicts an oliphant that is much impressive than the elephants of today, so to produce an oliphant not bigger than elephants of today would be disappointing.

I expect a formidable and unique miniature (but not a dinosaur!!!).

Biggest male african elephants of today are 4m tall ( 3,2 m in average).

A prehistoric ancestor of modern elephant ( elephas antiquus) was 5m tall, so I think an 5m tall oliphant should be both very impressive and canon to Tolkien writings, and realistic.

I'd like this oliphant to be mounted by 4 men : the mahout/cornac, and in a light war tower, a chieftain (like your LO 27 ) and 2 archers.

Emrys

[Wendy]

The oliphant should not be too huge because it was from Sam's point of view that it was the size of a house. (How big of a house did Sam live in back in the Shire?) It would not be the size of our houses.

I assume the miniature would have to be hollow with assembly of two halves or something like that?

It would definitely need a war tower with archers and perhaps stores of equipment - extra arrows, and the like. Easier to throw stuff on the back of an oliphant than carry it.

[Axel]

I think it should be elephant-like, not deviating into something too weired.

And the size should be in the range exceeding a large African elephant slightly. The plastic model that Hammershield has converted is imho quite fine from its size.

The version of the movie (and incoming GW model) is too larger for my taste. Too much "fantasy".

One point that often bothers me concerning war elephants are the large flanks and the fact that hand to hand combat is not possible for its crew. I can imainge a major platform on the back of the Mumakil, crewed with two Archers and a commander (beside the rider) and two smaller, lower platforms that are protecting the sides of the Mumakil, enabling their crew to fight with lances and spears. This would give the Mumakil a crew of 4-8.