How to kickstart your miniature Jeff Goldblum collection

This year’s Gen Con was full to bursting with new games, as many as 560, according to some estimates. We’ve covered some of the trends that we saw, including a surge in roll-and-write games and a chaotic wave of new party games. But there was another unusual item at the nation’s largest tabletop gaming convention: a tiny, beautiful, plastic Jeff Goldblum.

UnmatchedThe immensely popular and well-known skirmish game, which pits Hollywood actors against historical heroes is now available in a new set of Jurassic Park inspired baddies. The Unmatched Jurassic Park: Dr. Sattler vs. T. RexCurrently out of stock You get a $30 Ellie Sattler figurine and a gigantic Tyrannosaurus. Ellie also gets a sidekick — a tiny plastic token with a picture of Dr. Ian Malcom on it, a two-dimensional object wholly incapable of containing his raw, sexual energy.

Restoration Games placed an order for 10,000 Ian Malcom figurines in plastic. They came with an ink wash and were made to order. Team members spoke with Polygon about the fact that minis were sold out long before they could keep any aside. Although a handful of miniatures were on display at the booth, they received overwhelming demand. A second batch of miniatures is on its way.

But this isn’t the only Jeff Goldblum gaming miniature currently in production. Strata Miniatures is currently working on a set of figures based off the Dark Dice real play series. This crowdfunding campaign launches in October. Among them is the powerful elven sorcerer named Balmur — portrayed by none other than Jeff Goldblum. An early render of the miniature shows Balmur in an impressive stance with one arm up to cast a spell. He also has a wide, hawkish smile. The finished miniature — painted by David Fisk, better known on line as Dungeons and Dry-Gins — features lots of freehand work, including a beautiful tattoo.

Photo: Strata Miniatures

Photo: Strata Miniatures

“The amazing sculpt encapsulates not only his chiseled good looks but also his ‘twinkle in the eye’ personality,” said Fisk, speaking with Polygon on Twitter. “On a more serious note, I was really keen to do justice to his cultural heritage and made a custom skintone mix just for him. Most miniature paint manufacturer’s ‘skin tones’ are tailored for Caucasian colouration so it was an interesting challenge.

Unfortunately, there is no Jeff Goldblum miniature suitable for tabletop gaming at the moment. But I’m confident that this will be resolved soon because, as we all know, life finds a way. In the meantime, Dr. Ian Malcom is going to sit on my desk while Warhammer TV presentser. Louise SugdenGet me a tutorial on how to paint these rock-hard, glowing abs.