Lethal Shadows Productions is a producer of many role playing game style goods, and they have a bit of everything for the discerning player. They launched their paint line this week, and I’m very interested in seeing how well they can fare against the other companies like Games Workshop and Reaper Minis who manufacture just as diverse a range! The difference lays in not producing a huge set of a specific colour in varying tones, but instead to keep it simple. As a launch promotion, anyone buying more than eight bottles to represent every colour of the rainbow (along with black and white) will get a 20% off.
This company began operation in 2019, making some high quality products for their own group, but when there were a few industry insiders who said they should really put these out in the market, Patrick Rami listened. At first, they were focussed on producing terrain and miniatures. After a few months, they got a business running, and it grew from there. He says his operation is very mom and pop, and there are plans to expand this Seattle based operation further. There’s very few people handling all the mail orders, and shipping those packages out slows down during convention season as there’s nobody at home manning the castle.
And now that they’ve branched out to producing more than just dice, paint brushes with replaceable tips, and painting handles, the sky’s the limit! The former is a rather nifty idea where users keep the spring-loaded shaft, but toss the bristle when they’re worn out. The holder uses four prongs to hold any sized miniature in place, and it can be rotated 360 degrees.
And for the new acrylics, after trying them out at their paint and take during Emerald City Comic Con, I think the viscosity is a work in progress. What I used was most likely from their first batch and I’m sure a lot has changed before Patrick said okay, let’s list them on our website to sell!
What I was able to do was simply applying the base coats of paint on how I’d envision this miniature would look. The flesh is perfect, but I didn’t want to apply washes as the brushes were from the demo pile and I was still learning how to use them (the weight makes a difference). I wasn’t able to form fine tips for eyes and specific detail work. That was okay since I knew I’d finish the model up with the tools I’m accustomed with at home.
To get communities excited about Lethal Shadows Productions’s varied merchandise, the entire staff has been attending as many conventions as possible. Whether they be Gen Con or a Comic Con, they want to be known as part of a collective where even the casual role playing gamer will take notice. That also includes a few miniatures that’s clearly inspired by a few pop culture icons and thus has a different name to signify that the parody figure is just that. I recognized Orko from He-Man in one display cabinet, and found a mediaeval version of Ash from Evil Dead! Online, I’m fairly sure the Cursed Sea Captain is Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.
This president said that Games Workshop has taken notice at how fast his operation has blossomed and isn’t sweating at all. The one cool item this operation offers that I have not seen from others is that they sell premium display cases! Anyone buying Chessex Game‘s dice boxes can stop. Also, this company’s oblong product is LED illumination customizable!
When asked about where Lethal Shadows Productions rank amongst the other enterprises out there, there’s no firm answer. As for comparing them to these others, where quantity matters (WizKids), they are definitely far superior. I chatted with Patrick and he said, “We’re actually friendly with all the other miniature makers on the market. We fill a pretty cool mid-space. You can go elsewhere to buy a large amount of minis for your encounters, but for your player character, you want more.”
Other questions asked included wondering who produces these products?
We offer a mixture of models that we’ve sculpted in-house here in Seattle, and models that we’ve officially licensed [There’s even a few I recognized being sold by other printers on Etsy -Ed]. They’re sculptors from all around the world and the commission they earn depends on what the deal was made. Some of them get a percentage per sale, and others a flat rate; It is all about what they prefer.
As for your modular paintbrushes, and soon to be released paints, are these version 1.0 products considered a work in progress?
Yes. Right now they use synthetic bristles, and we have four different sizes. Also, we are working on getting Kolinsky or Sable ends. It’s very hard to get them from a reliable source that is humane; the animal is already being harvested for other things at the same time. To not do so is very wasteful, very harmful. So, we’re doing our best.
Some individuals may well say Monument Hobbies is a very high tier. Where would you say your company fits in?
Premium is literally in our name; we are going for that high-end market. I’ve actually chatted with the owner of Monument Hobbies, a really nice guy, and we recognise that the more people that are in the marketplace offering products, the more the consumers win. We’re not looking to challenge anyone, but want to fill the gaps.
And what about your recently launched paint line?
I would say it is a high tier. We are focusing on getting the more opaque colours. We’ll offer some washes, metallics and even colour shift. Likewise, we prefer our product to be reliable when mixing. So, consistency is a cornerstone of what we’re looking to achieve–to give painters the ability to mix what you want to make that pigment.
What do you feel about those companies offering their own colour triads? Is that necessary?
To me, that feels like a cash grab. You don’t need a ton of new colours; I’d rather show people how to mix and get what you want reliably (and it’s important to keep a paint recipe journal) And that’s why we’re sponsoring paint and take events to help educate. We’re hoping to work with some professional painters and offer classes (virtual or in-person) where you can learn how to do skin tones, non-metallic metals and object source lighting.
A bunch of these people have already helped us kind of dial in the pigments. We’re going to be lifting the embargo on some of that stuff after our paints hits the market. You’ll be seeing reviews and some more content creators using it online. Most of them have given the thumbs up, and we’re really excited.
