I should have done this right away.

Please post your thoughts on Dennis Mize and what his sculpted miniatures have meant to you over the years.

I will go first.

Dennis was one of the first sculptors in which I could identify his minis right from sight.

I collect pretty much everything he has ever done (I collect a ton of Tom Meier stuff as well although Tom did way more stuff than Dennis as Tom is super fast so I was not able to get it all) and would hit the hobby stores in my youth, pick through the blister packs and pull out all the D. Mize pieces and buy them up. Such good times. Back then, you could get single minis for like $1.25 as they were cast in lead and Partha sold thousands of each mini on their release (not like nowadays where you sell in the low hundereds on a release) so they could sell them at those prices.

I remember being at a Gen Con in like 1990 or so and going up to the Partha booth asking to meet Dennis Mize. I was told that Dennis did not like attending Cons and that he was a really private guy. Oh well, I still loved his stuff.

Dennis and Tom did the first bunch of AD&D minis for the new Partha AD&D line in the late 1980's. The male/female combo packs for each class are still to this day - outstanding. They also did up a number of the first monsters (Orcs, beholder, stone giant, fire giant, Coutel, all those initial releases to set the tone for the line) on the AD&D lines as well. I remember getting the Heroes of the Lance boxed set and then the Villans boxed set from Dragonlance (D. Mize sculpts) and just being blow away at how great they were (and still are to this day).

When I saw the first Silver and Steel Larry Elmore boxed set from Partha with Dennis heading up the sculpting duties - two of my all time favorite things were combined Larry Elmore and Dennis Mize. It was just too cool for words.

It is no big secret that I was not a happy camper when Partha went away in the late 1990's. I told Larry Elmore he should have Reaper continue the Elmore lines with Dennis sculpting them up. He hmm'd and haa'd and never did anything.

So that is where I come into the story with Dark Sword Miniatures.

The rest is well, history.

Knowing that Dark Sword and Reaper will no longer be having any new Dennis Mize sculpts is what depresses me most (that and our bi-weekly hour long phone calls to catch up on stuff). I always used to give Dennis Grief that I loved the fact that he sculpted for Reaper in between Dark Sword jobs as I could then buy one of his minis for $4.00 or $5.00 and not pay all the money to have Dennis sculpt up stuff for Dark Sword. I always chuckle when I see all these new companies coming to the plate thinking that they are going to make a quick buck with miniatures. Good laughs indeed as there is not really any money in this biz unless you are a sculptor owner, Reaper, GW, Rackham, WizKids or WOTC. But Dennis always did put the extra effort into the Dark Sword line (As Ron always lets me know) as he new I was such a big fan of his work. Dennis was totally onboard with what we wanted to do. And I think that is why there is a small but growing number of loyal Dark Sword supportors out there now.

Ok, time to go get some stuff done.

Regads,

Jim

Hi-
It's hard to find the right words in moments like these - and that's not because I have to write them down in a foreign language but because I have to and would like to describe something which is all but fathomless. The message I had to read yesterday hit me like a hammer.

I frequently visit the Dark Sword website - most of the time out of routine, often to see what's new and what's coming up and sometimes just in a hurry to check if anything's changed but I leave seldomly without striving a couple of minutes or longer through the gallery to admire the work done by some of the most talented sculptors around. I admire the incredible skill and the eye for the fine detail with wich those guys make small copies, no: personifications of adventurers, who only our thoughts and minds could give a face - until we see these miniatures that give our gameplay and our passion for collecting the fascination many of us feel.

Dennis Mize was one of the best by far. He was an icon. I knew his name long before Dark Sword was founded as many of us did, I guess. I knew his name because his miniatures along with the ones of only a very few other sculptors had that certain expression, the fine detail, and the lively poses that separate the fantasy miniatures I love from standard lead and pewter toys.

I - as many others - knew little more about him but his work. But that I admire really big time. Even more than I admire this extraordinary skill and even more than I am thankful for the fun and joy he gave me with his work, I feel sympathy with his family and friends. It won't be a lot of consolation but it is nothing but the truth that Dennis is remembered for he was able to do something creative which makes him stay in the minds and the hearts of gamers all over the world. That can't be stated about a lot of people and though it doesn't change the way things go it might help to change the way to think of the way it is.

I'm shocked and sad and wish everyone who knew him personally or who is related to him all the best and strength of heart.

Kind regards from Germany,
Ralph

I was lucky , I knew Dennis . Dennis was the man who trained me in
the sculpting of wargame miniatures . That is perhaps the most
precious gift a person might receive ; for now , even though Dennis
has left the building , whenever I knead a little ball of green putty
and start to form a miniature , he'll be right there at my side . Around
7 years ago I was sculpting samurai for Alderac , for me a great
opportunity to sculpt a subject I loved , and more , it was my chance
to try to live up to the reputation of Dennis , whose samurai for Ral
Partha were superb . One of my first roleplaying characters was a
Dennis Mize Ronin . My work for Alderac was not as good as Dennis'
samurai , but when he told me he thought they were quite good it
pretty much made my day , for I had pleased the Master !

Way back when , during the days when " Hanging with The Mize "
was a nigh daily event , it was always a joy to look at his work
in progress and watch him work , which he made look easy . His
technical precision still floors me as it is a skill I've yet to master
after 20 odd years .

After learning of his passing , I was deeply saddened , he was my
friend of 25 years , more than half my life! However , as I looked
around my home it hit me - my art reference library , my movie
collection , a great proportion of my keepsakes are items that I
acquired during my association with Dennis , items we shared and
enjoyed together ; and in a sense because of that he will never
really be gone from my life .

Dennis' sculpts were the ones that originally got me excited about miniatures way back in the Ral Partha days. They're still the ones I have the most to reminisce about, and thought he was years ahead of the rest when it came to realistic looking minis.

I, for one, will miss him.

If I had to wrap everything about Dennis' fantastic talents as a sculptor into a single statement, it would be this: he was the one that changed me from someone that bought miniatures into someone that collected them. No longer was the first concern "could I use this miniature in my game?" but rather "was this something I wanted to have in my personal collection because of its beauty and artistry?" As an avid collector, it is hard for me to measure exactly how many miniatures I have, and who was responsible for every single one. But I can say, with a fair amount of confidence, that Dennis' sculpts from Ral Partha, Reaper, and Dark Sword are among the greatest numbers that I own from any single sculptor. In many cases, I own two and three of the same miniature that he sculpted. Some are painted, many are not; all are treasured.

I normally have no difficulty expressing myself in written words, but this event has truly robbed me of the skills to communicate how deeply this loss to the miniatures community has impacted me. So, I guess simplicity will have to do...

Dennis, we'll miss you and your talents, more than words can say.

~v

You know, I read the message on the home page, and thought I should go home and see how many of Dennis' sculpts I have. Especially painted ones to email to DarkSword.

It dawned on me that while I know he's my favorite sculptor, I had NO IDEA just how prolific he was. All of the old Ral Partha, the box sets, and now DarkSword....

Wow.

Hello All,

Well, I don't have much more to add to what's already been said - Jim summed it up pretty well, I think.

I didn't know Dennis as well as Jim - most of my talking to Dennis was through letters or occasionally over the phone. One thing about Dennis was that he almost always communicated through handwritten letters, never typed. In today's business world where faxes and emails are the norm, his handwritten notes were (and still are) special. It is this character trait that will always stay with me when I think of Dennis.

I could go on about Dennis' technical skill and attention to detail ad nauseum, but everyone here already knows all about that. His body of work speaks for itself.

I don't know if he ever knew it or not, but his work gave pleasure to thousands of gamers and painters, me being one of them. His work is seminal in the way I view miniatures today.

If you'll excuse me, now I must go and paint a Dennis Mize miniature. I think that's what he would've wanted us to do.

Ron Hawkins
Reaper Miniatures

I met Dennis in 1989 when I started work for Ral Partha after moving here from the U.K..He was from the Frank Zappa school of sculpting,from the classic zappa breakfast of champions, coffee and cigerettes,to the chaos of dust covered crusha and coke cans liberally sprinkled with cigerette butts,but out of this came some of the best miniatures ever sculpted.
never one to thrust himself forward,never felt quite comfortable at conventions,praise was always accepted with a shrug of the shoulders(did you know for instance he had over 10 origins awards).I can't even guess at the ammount of amazing sculpts he did,it must run into tens of hundreds,the vast majority he didn't even put his name to.dennis would contend that he was only doing his job,and it was better than working.
A master of dry humour and cutting comments,you always came away from a conversation with him knowing you had learned somthing but never quite knowing what it was. He offered teaching,encouragement and critisism to many, many sculptors throughout the years.Once you became Dennis'friend,which I admit was difficult,he was good hearted,always willing to help and advise.the best lesson he taught me was to stick with it and eventually one sculpt would just fall into place,then you would feel like a sculptor,then the real life long struggle would begin.After nearly 27 years sculpting dennis is still miles ahead af me down the road, but as always he is encouraging me to catch up.
there is so much I could tell of him,all I know is our ironwind clan nights will be a little less bright and warm without him,I know he will be there in our hearts glowing like "a little bottle of jager".
Dave Summers.
P.S. Why was this great sculptor never anducted into the Academy of adventure gaming arts and design hall of fame,and isn't it time this oversite was corrected.

A remedy to that issue was put into motion last night Dave.

I sent off an email to Pete from the Academy to see about getting Dennis inducted as Tom Meier and Julie Guthrie have already been inducted.

I used to joke with Dennis about moving forward with this idea and he would just laugh and tell me that he is not a big self promoter.

Now that Dennis has passed on, it is time to move forward.

Stay tuned Dave....

Hey, we need to talk Dragons and soon!

Regards,

Jim

Everyone has made such great comments about Dennis, so I will just add a few remarks from my experiences with him. First of all I must say that he was a realy great guy and a great scultor. I can't remember the first time I met Dennis, it was years ago and probably at GenCon. His work stood out above the rest, especially in those early days when Ral Partha put all other miniature companies to shame. He was part of all that and his work stood out. My only regret is that I wish I have had the opportunity to have gotten to know Dennis on more of a personal level. I considered him a friend. Over the past few years he has been sculpting my line of miniatures for Dark Sword and he did a fantastic job. I was honored that he wanted to sculpt my work. It was an honor for me to know Dennis and we will all miss him and his wonderful art.
The only other comment I would like to make is that his work, sculping miniatures in the fantasy gaming industry, is outstanding and he has been doing it for most of his life... My personal feeling is that he should be honored for his life's work by joining others artists and creative people and being inducted into the GAMA Hall of Fame.
Now, Dennis, go sculpt something big!!! So long old friend.
Thanks,
Larry Elmore

I never knew Dennis; I never met Dennis at any convention, or trade show.

But to me, a typical "American Gamer Customer" I knew his works, and I especially went looking for his works. No matter the vendor or what have you. Dennis did some fantastic art, and really pushed me into Mini's 150%.

It's really a sad day, not only for me, but the Mini community, the artists (as they have stated above) but for me the loss is a heavy toll to bear.

As I read in several other forums, and news bits that the loss of Dennis, as hard as he might have been to work with. He sounded like a real enthusiast to the gaming hobby and industry.

This indeed is a sad day. For anyone to lose such a wonderful talent to not only to companies like Dark Sword, and Reaper. But it extends further than that. It extends to the people like me who look forwards to Dennis and his works.

There should be some sort of tribute to a guy like this. Perhaps a master works collection or something to show off his very best works. Hopefully it can some how benefit a charity or something on behalf of him, or name sake or perhaps a family member such as a sister or a brother. As I understand it that he was not married.

For me, I never actually knew this man, but yet, I feel his loss, and it’s a great loss to the entire mini community. And that will be a very hard “item” to replace, his style, vision, and ultimately his fantastic sculpts.

We as a community truly bear a heavy cross.

Respectfully
Blacksteel

I am another "average gamer" who never knew Dennis personally. All that I can say attests to his craftsmanship - for certain he was a master.
I own much of his work, particularly the older Ral Partas. His work has given life to innumerable PCs and NPCs on my gameboard, and will continue to do so.
So in the way of all artists he lives on.

My name is Taylor and I am one of Dennis' cousins. My dad and Dennis were very close. They exchanged movies all the time and would get into such great and intellectual conversations that people around them would have no clue what they were talking about, myself included. I remember doing a project for school on medieval knights and warfare and Dennis supplied me with several pewter miniatures to make a castle diorama complete with a front lawn battle scene. He also helped me with a project on the Druids, loaning me a copy of a very bad movie about Vercingetorix. When I was little, I was apparently arfraid of Dennis, and would back away from him saying "No, Captain Caveman!" because he reminded me of one of the "frightful" King's Island characters ( I was around four at the time). Over the years though, I have grown to appreciate Dennis as a superior artist and a truly good person. I know that my dad has lost one of his dearest friends and will miss the times that they shared.