Talk:Miniatures - Ral Partha (Uncategorized)

This page represents the miniatures from Miniatures (originally called `List of Miniatures') that have not yet been categorized or synthesized into a clear time period. An analysis of the Ral Partha catalogs up to and including 1993 give a reasonably thorough picture of the lead alloy based miniatures made before 1993. However, the actual transition period and following will require further investigation. To preserve the information and keep it available, such is recorded here. As natural groupings by year are identified and crafted, such should be entered as a section of Miniatures - Ral Partha and the corresponding entries removed from this Uncategorized List.

Dude RB (talk) 22:47, 10 May 2021 (EDT)

For reference, here is the original discussion article that was the source of this page.

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• This list is drastically incomplete. The initial info was taken from the print on the cardboard of the miniature's blister packaging as well as what I could find from old Ral Partha catalogues. If other people have kept the cardboard for their minis and fill in the blanks, this should develop into a fairly comprehensive list of all miniatures produced for BattleTech. Shiaic 09:20, 7 September 2007 (CDT)

New stuff can also be found at http://ironwindmetals.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=16&osCsid=3d2ecf871544fdc6ba81c7db71fd4146. Scaletail 09:44, 7 September 2007 (CDT)

How to update?

This list still is drastically incomplete and a bit incorrect (the Ral Partha list contains minis that were released by IWM and two models by Armorcast). There are many years worth of metal releases plus the new plastic boxed sets to add. This is something I can start chipping away at, but the odds of it every being "complete" are minimal. There is talk of an IWM employee putting together a comprehensive list of products. [1] Wait to see if this bears fruit? Any other comments or suggestions? Cache (talk) 08:18, 24 December 2014 (PST)

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Note: The new plastic boxed sets are being addressed through Miniatures - Catalyst Game Labs.

Metal miniatures for 1993 and after still require significant structuring.

--Dude RB (talk) 23:08, 10 May 2021 (EDT)

Lance Packs

Ral Partha famously used to sell Lance Pack boxes (Light, Medium, Heavy, Assault, Fire, Pursuit, Command) that were all the rage in my area in the mid-90s. How do we treat these, should we consider them "miniatures" or an item category of their own? Frabby (talk) 03:03, 11 May 2021 (EDT)

I would think we should start small and expand to a boxed set miniatures category when enough information has been added to make it worthwhile. There are several distinct groups of boxed sets, so each group could warrant an article?--Cache (talk) 11:59, 11 May 2021 (EDT)

There is already a Lance Packs category which is in turn a subcategory of Miniature Sets. There are individual pages for each of the Catalyst Alpha Strike Lance packs under those categories. It would seem doable to create separate pages for each Ral Partha Lance Pack and categorize them under Lance Packs (probably in a fashion similar to the Catalyst Lance Packs). So no additional category is needed for lance packs such as those. To create the lance pack pages, some info can be found via Ral Partha catalogs and also http://www.miniatures-workshop.com/lostminiswiki/index.php?title=BattleTech . Note: There are also a lot of individual miniatures that are not part of any lance pack. I have used a Miniatures category tag for pages devoted to miniatures viewed individually, but that was not tag used before. --Dude RB (talk) 19:13, 11 May 2021 (EDT)

See Ral Partha Recon Lance for a sample page. Comments and feedback on that page would help craft an organization and plan before porting it over to the other packs. --Dude RB (talk) 20:50, 11 May 2021 (EDT)

Sculptor = P.D.S.

P.D.S. is the catch-all name used when IWM re-released a large number of sculpts that Ral Partha had, during the 90's, pulled from distribution/manufacture due to low sales. Older packaging will have the proper sculptor's name on it. There's a bit of a story to the return of these, which is another essay I'll have to write when I get time. (Or did I say I'd do this already?)--Cache (talk) 11:29, 19 June 2021 (EDT)

Does P.D.S. perchance stand for `Partha Dept of Sculpting'? On the back of the MechWarrior Box set it says "Sculpted by: Ral Partha sculpting dept." So that has been my current running guess regarding the meaning of P.D.S. I look forward to your essay. I do recall hearing on some other page that you have some interesting context and experience related to Iron Wind Metals to share. So I look forward to your essay and hearing this background when you have opportunity to write it. --Dude RB (talk) 12:48, 19 June 2021 (EDT)

That is very possible. I've been racking my brain trying to remember. It is Partha -something- Sculptors (or Sculpting).--Cache (talk) 14:49, 19 June 2021 (EDT)