The year 1996 was a glorious one for Warhammer Fantasy Battle. This was the year in which the fifth edition of the game was released, a boxed set featuring brand new armies for both the Lizardmen and the Bretonnians – and with these new forces came powerful new heroes.
Spearheading a stunning new range of miniatures, the noble knights of Bretonnia came clattering in on bright-caparisoned chargers, led by the Champion of the Lady of the Lake – the mythical Green Knight. The ethereal Protector of Bretonnia would materialise from the wild places, rearing up on his huge shadow steed to batter the enemies of the realm.*
This magnificent figure was sculpted by the legendary Michael Perry. Incredibly, it was one of the first models he completed after losing his favoured hand at a battle reenactment – and it remains one of the all-time greats in the Citadel catalogue. The scalloping on the caparison is flagrantly detailed, and the weight of the steed is appreciable both in terms of the exquisite sculpting and the mass of the metal in which it was cast!
One aspect of this particular Green Knight that should not go unremarked upon is the paint job. It is the work of Mike McVey, a revered alumnus of the ‘Eavy Metal team famous for adding features like intricate textured patterns to flat surfaces – no matter how small that surface may seem. In this instance, he has added looping, thorny curlicues all across the tabard and barding.
This legendary figure would lead the armies of Bretonnia through four editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle, and was eventually revealed to be none other than the reborn Gilles le Breton, first king of Bretonnia. Gilles would go on to play an integral part in the End Times, leading a desperate Bretonnian rearguard alongside the noble vampire Abhorash after King Louen Leoncoeur fell to his own son.
*Although he was equally likely to turn up to challenge any Questing Knight seeking the Grail and test their faith.