Iron Wind Metals
Sarna News
Iron Wind Metals, LLC (IWM) is an American manufacturer of miniature figurines. They are essentially the manufacturing portion of what was previously Ral Partha, Inc., without the trademark. Since 2014, Ral Partha is formally a Division of Iron Wind Metals. Ral Partha and IWM are notable for having produced a wide range of miniatures for Battledroids and BattleTech. In May of 2025, BattleTech licensee InMediaRes (through their Catalyst Game Lab division) announced that they had acquired full ownership of IWM.[1]
IWM, or its Ral Partha division, should not be confused with Ral Partha Europe which is now a distinct firm.
For a list of BattleTech miniatures produced by Ral Partha, see Miniatures - Ral Partha. For a list of BattleTech miniatures produced by Iron Wind Metals, see Miniatures - Iron Wind Metals.
History
Ral Partha
Ral Partha Enterprises was formed in 1975 as a designer, manufacturer, and seller of miniature figures. The scale of the miniatures it sold included 15mm, 25mm, 30mm, and 54mm scales. Its miniatures included a broad selection of figures for historical wargaming plus a selection of fantasy figures and space figures (for Strike Team Alpha). It also sold some games, rule sets, and books. In 1978 and nearly each year thereafter, Ral Partha produced annual catalogs (sometimes with incorporated price lists) describing the various lines it produced and sold.[2]
Ral Partha introduced a line of metal miniatures for Battledroids shortly after FASA's publication of Battledroids in 1984.[3] Following the renaming of Battledroids to Battletech with the publication of BattleTech 2nd edition in 1985, this line was also renamed. Throughout the 80's and 90's Ral Partha sold a variety of metal miniatures for BattleTech, including 'Mechs, vehicles, infantry, and aerospace units.
Ral Partha was jointly purchased by FASA and by Lanier and Mike Hurdle in September 1998. FASA obtained sole ownership in spring 1999.[4]. Randall Bills would later state that Mike Noe essentially personified Iron Wind Metals.[1]
Iron Wind Metals
In 2001, FASA ceased its operations and Ral Partha was spun off and renamed Iron Wind Metals.[5]
In 2013 Iron Wind Metals created a crowdfunding campaign to fund the development of molds for pewter miniatures of the Word of Blake's three Spectral LAMs which ran from January 26, 2013, to March 13, 2013, successfully raising $30,122 off a $25,000 goal.[6]
Iron Wind Metals would use the label Ral Partha to brand several of its prior lines of fantasy figures fortwith. Ral Partha would be instituted as a division of Iron Wind Metals in 2014. In 2020 this division was retired within Iron Wind Metals and spun off as Ral Partha Legacy. Ral Partha Legacy received the rights to the miniatures in the Chaos Wars line. Certain Ral Partha fantasy miniatures and historical miniatures were continued to be produced by Iron Wind Metals[7]. With regards to BattleTech metal miniatures, Iron Wind Metals is the direct successor and heir to Ral Partha.
On 9 May 2025, it was announced that Catalyst Game Labs (part of BattleTech licensee InMediaRes) had acquired full ownership of IWM from Mike Noe, who would remain involved with IWM but step back from the helm to care for Melissa, his "partner in life and in Iron Wind", who was suffering from health problems.[1]
References
- ↑ a b c "Catalyst Game Labs Acquires Iron Wind Metals". Catalyst Game Labs. 2025-05-09. Archived from the original on 2025-05-09. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
- ↑ Ral Partha Enterprise Inc. Catalog 1978
- ↑ Ral Partha Fantasy Catalog 1985
- ↑ Pyramid Magazine, Industry News, 20 March 1999
- ↑ Berlinger, Yehuda (2010-03-02). "The Convoluted Story of Iron Wind Metals, Ral Partha, and Battletech Miniatures". Purple Pawn. Archived from the original on 2025-01-05. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
- ↑ BattleTech - Word of Blake Spectral LAMs Kickstarter announcement
- ↑ "IWM Announcement". Ral Partha Legacy. 2020-07-13. Archived from the original on 2025-01-26.