Old and New Mithril converted

Looking very impressive, Master Caster. What are you making the “howdah/castle” from? And come to that, what company’s elephant are you using?

Don’t know if they’re still available but I got three different types of elephant toys from that chain of shops that used to cater mainly for younger children, but damned if I can think of the name.

They were in my opinion, big enough to be a Mumak, but not ridiculously oversized like the movie beasts (I didn’t mind the design, just the size!).

Knowing now that they’re by Schleich (thanks, Master Holger!), I’ve Just found they’re still widely available, most easily on Amazon and eBay.

I don’t think that the GW Mûmak is far too big. The movie Mûmaks were indeed grossly oversized (more like AT-AT’s disguised as elephants). The GW version is large for sure, but Tolkien describes the Mûmaks as being much bigger than their contemporary relatives. When Sam sees them for the first time, Tolkien notes that “his [the Mûmak’s] kin that live still in latter days are but memories of his girth and majesty”.
An African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) male (the largest living elephant species) can reach a height of 4m. In 32mm scale (assuming a 1.8m height for the 32mm), this would translate into 71mm height. The Schleich L. africana male I have (there seems to be several variants; see below) is about 92mm high. This would translate to ca. 5.2m height.
The GW Mûmak is about 130mm high, translating into 7.3m when assuming 32mm scale.

The term “but memories of his girth and majesty” is of course not very precise and thus open to interpretation. Personally, I can’t see a 4m vs. 5.2m as “but a memory”, whereas 4m vs. 7.3m I see indeed as a “pale memory” (my words). Thus I deem the GW version quite well-suited (perhaps a bit too large, but not overly). In addition I like the slight variation in design (but still an elephant), which strengthens the appearance of being a now extinct and differently looking “mega-elephant”.

Cheers
Tolwen

BTW: Holger, is this Schleich elephant a recent purchase? I ask since I own several ones I bought two or three years ago (adult male and female african & indian elephant each plus the corresponding youngsters), but they have other poses. I’ll have to check my local vendor

Like Balrog wings, the mumak debate could probably last for ages and end up just as inconclsuive. Either way, my own thinking on the subject is akin to Master Tolwen’s (which is why I gotr a friend to obtain three GW mumaks for me at virtually zero cost while he was working there years ago; I’ve assemble one – but not finished painting it – and it looks right alongside (or trampling…) 28mm–32mm figures, and it does in my mind tally with the sort of size that I always imagined JRRT imagined when he wrote.) They take up a colossal amount of space on a wargame table, though, and I’ve recently idly wondered whether a smaller compromise might fit the bill. The Schleich ones are certianly very attractive models, and come in assorted poses too.

Beautiful work master Holger, I must say that I do not own the mûmak reference because I find it horrible, both in sculpt and pose. (with all my respect to other companions that own the reference)
Should mithril cast something at least similar to what you did I would bought it almost straightforward because of the textures and the pose are infinitely better.

Talking about the size I imagined them a little bit bigger than the one pictured by Holger, maybe a 10-20% more. But I find this one perfectly acceptable (it could be a young adult mûmak who still has not reached it’s full size)