I enjoy collecting, painting and playing with miniatures, usually 28-32mm (approx 1 inch high for six feet in real life) scale. Several years ago, I wrote some miniature rules/guidelines for Werewolf: The Apocalypse and in more recent history, I worked at Games Workshop, makers of Warhammer and Warhammer 40K. There’s something magical about using acrylic paint to infuse a piece of plastic or pewter with personality. It’s especially cool when you can paint over said miniature if you make a mistake.

So, having said that, Reaper Miniatures in Denton, TX has been around for a while. They make high-quality fantasy and sci-fi miniatures and I even know someone who has painted for them, Anne Foerster. Here’s a link to her gallery at Reaper.

Now, the pewter miniature industry isn’t all that large. I used to work for a pharmaceutical copy that made generics. I can tell you now that there is more money in a generic aspirin than in the entire worldwide miniature market combined. So, when I found out that Reaper was trying to make miniatures out of a new cheap material for something that they called their “Bones” line, I thought that was cool. When I heard that they started a Kickstarter project, I thought that was interesting as well. I’ve thought of trying to raise money for myself while writing a book on Kickstarter or even launching a roleplaying game or supplement there. I made a pledge on Reaper’s Bones project, as I like supporting miniatures companies and they offered a few nice gifts in return.

Well, here’s the amazing thing. They raised over THREE MILLION DOLLARS.

Wow.

They started with a target of $30,000 and became the third highest kickstarter ever! Now, I have friends throughout the miniature industry, notably at Battlefront, Games Workshop, Warlord Games and Wargames Factory, but today I have to applaud Reaper for doing something amazing. What a fantastic achievement! I’m sure there is a ton of celebrating still going on in Texas, and I say congrats as well. This sort of thing is great for building the awareness of the entire hobby.

Thank you, Reaper, and if you guys ever want to sculpt a few of the Crimson Hawks or Krueger, please send me an email.