Friday 22 October 2021

To Boldly Go - Captain Quirke (Bring Out Your Lead Commemorative Figure 2021)

Back in January 2020, it seemed that Bring Out Your Lead might still take place that August. A commemorative figure was needed, and we were lucky enough to get Bob Naismith on board. The obvious choice for Bob was to sculpt a pirate captain to lead the scurvy-ridden sculpts that made up the original Rogue Trader pirate range.


And what a fine figure of a captain Bob sculpted for us!

Captain Quirke and some of his terrifying crew.

Of course, BOYL didn't take place in August of 2020. It didn't in fact, take place in 2020 at all. So the green of Captain Quirke lay in a drawer until finally, in late September 2021, he was cast and distributed to the attendees of BOYL 2021.



We gave Bob a concept sketch to work from, but he elevated the concept into an imposing mountain of a man, full of piratical swagger. The changes in pose and additions like the lovely little bionic claw just add to the presence of the final sculpt.



I love seeing some of the construction details and approaches that Bob has used, like the sword made from plastic strip, and the areas which have been carved into shape from cured greenstuff. Note that the tag on the metal casts reads BOYL 2021 where Kev Adams adjusted the date for us!


Mutiple Captain Quirkes!


As mentioned above, the figure was only available to attendees of Bring Out Your Lead, and follows a fine tradition of great, unique sculpts being made for the event. My painted version of Captain Quirke is below.


The notorious Space Pirate known as Captain Naibob Quirke is commander of the dreaded Darkstar Reavers. From the bridge of the Jagged Claw, he has terrorised the outer rim, far from the reach of Imperial law. His crews operate from a continually roving flotilla of cutters, jolly boats and orbital landers, seeking high value cargos and slaves to sell to the unscrupulous.


I went pretty traditional pirate colours with his red and black outfit.


Unfortunately, there are no spare Captain Quirkes floating around to pass on. But if you are able to make it to next year's BOYL, there's likely to be another lovely figure for attendees.

20 comments:

  1. Well there you go. I was sure it was a John Pickford sculpt like the last ones. :) Thanks for your work organising this again.

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    1. I could definitely see John sculpting this one, there are similarities in their sculpting styles 🙂

      Thanks Fimm!

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  2. As ever where the BOYL figs are concerned, this is a fantastic sculpt and probably my fav to date. Sad that there’s no way to get them aside from attending the event, but then I’m just a bitter and jealous old fool. Lol

    Good choices on the colour scheme, that lovely deep red is so rich he looks like he’s wearing velvet for sure.

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    1. Totally agree! I'm fortunate enough to have a pretty comprehensive set of BOYL figures, and this is far and away my favourite! Definitely velvet - was that even a query?!

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  3. These exclusives are always top notch! A fantastic figure, with a superb paint job. Maybe one year I can cross the pond and join you guys in all the fun!

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    1. Thanks Hobbs, really glad you like this guy! One day that transatlantic trip might happen, right?!

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  4. Cool figure. Great paintwork. I wish I could get to more BYOLs. Maybe next year.

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    1. Thanks! Fingers crossed for 2022, and a fun figure too!

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  5. That's such a pretty sculpt. Love his fatty look. Looks similiar to the one Cobolt-1-mercenerie. all of bob Naismith fat guys are looking gorgeous. it's so sad when you see a miniature that you will never be able to own in your life

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    1. I agree, the Cobalt-1 mercenary with the whip has a similar look. Such a shame they seem to be out of production now too.

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  6. It's great to see the sketches and green for a fig like this. Having it slot so well into a range from over 30 years ago is an unexpected bit of wish fulfillment, like when a Bladerunner sequel is great, for example.

    It is hardly mentioned in the above post, but the paint scheme is well chosen and really pops.

    I want to play a few Stargrave games against the dastardly Quirke and his astro-scurvy riddled swabs.

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    1. Thanks cheetor! I love seeing design processes and greens too. It definitely feels like lifting the lid on the process and learning what happens at each stage.

      I'm really glad to hear that you think the brief was met. Trying to fill that gap in the range was the ultimate ambition.

      Glad you like the paintjob too!

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  7. As Cheetor pointed out, I love seeing the whole process. The mini itself is lovely, but following it step by step really gets you involved, so thanks for the pics!
    The mini is charming beyond awesome, but it's your paintjob what makes it stand out. Lovely work. Oh, how much I'd love to attend a BOYL!

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    1. One day we'll entice you across Suber! We won't make you bring your scifi cave-dweller vertical board unless you really want to 😉

      Glad you like the mini and the paintjob!

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  8. I'm really sorry to have missed BOYL. He's a very cool model. I especially like the creature on his shoulder. Nice work!

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    1. Sorry you missed it too. Glad you like the figure 🙂

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