Volo's and Mordenkainen's Foes Minis Full Review - D&D Icons of the Realms

[@jrvaters915]

Dammit, I really LOVE this set! As a collector, the more monsters I get the better! I still enjoy PC related minis but a set fully dedicated to monsters is right up my alley. This will be one set I’ll be buying many boosters of. Thanks again for the kick ass content!

[@commanderbbshockwave8698]

Yeah, this is probably the first set not to contain any PC/NPC minis. Even Mad Mage was full of humans. Really enjoying this set and Avernus too.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Yeah, I agree that it's refreshing that we didn't get any standard humans, elves, and dwarves finally. I feel like this set is fantastic for those mini collectors who have those basic creature/PC needs already met. -Theo

[@Ploige]

@@commanderbbshockwave8698 I lead the RPG team at WizKids and that was our goal on this set. Glad you liked it.

[@commanderbbshockwave8698]

@@Ploige Thanks Patrick! Yeah after the two Waterdeep sets there was a large influx of PC/NPC minis and it was nice to have a more creature focused set. I think the Premium releases are the way to go for PC minis - plus Nolzur's of course - since after this many D&D and PFB sets, there are a lot of existing options for most classes and races to choose from for minis. Most of us buy the sets for the monsters and cool named NPCs. I am also excited for the upcoming Arkhan set, do you plan similar sets with major NPCs or maybe Demon Lords in the future?

[@Ploige]

@@commanderbbshockwave8698 We are working closely with Wizards on future sets like Arkhan. We are also expanding our premium painted character line significantly. As for Demon Lords and Archdevils, you will have to wait and see...

[@hordeofkobolds289]

These look awesome, I hope my local game store gets some in stock soon!

[@TheGallantGoblin]

They released this week in the US, so if they ordered any, they should be on the shelves now. -Theo

[@theillethedartisan7514]

Same!

[@mjcook7863]

Another great video. I really appreciate the time you guys took breaking down the mini per brick/box at the end.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thanks, Mike. Grady spends a lot of time on that. I'm glad there's folks out there who find it useful. -Theo

[@wesmaass4669]

Great job breaking down the brick, I look forward to using some these in my campaign.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thanks, Wes! -Theo

[@thelastlaugh9724]

You can never have enough gnolls 😂 really interested in some of these monsters but i'll be grabbing the ones I want on the after market. Thanks for the great review best mini review channel on KZbin hands down.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Heh. Who knew gnolls were so divisive! :-) Thank you for the kind comments! Which ones are your favorite in this set? -Theo

[@thelastlaugh9724]

@@TheGallantGoblin favourites definitely the Alhoon and the Banderhobb but I really like the Eladrins as well and of course the Gnolls(my favourite monster race)

[@TheGallantGoblin]

I'm right there with you. Those are my faves too (except the gnolls! :-P) The next time I make a character for myself, I might go with an eladrin actually. -Theo

[@thelastlaugh9724]

@@TheGallantGoblin I'm a sucker for characters with bows so the Autumn and Winter Eladrins are my faves of the them.

[@Ploige]

@@TheGallantGoblin Gnolls rock! As do hags...

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Best mini reviews ever made compare and see.... my opinion

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thank you so much! -Theo

[@ImaginationHobbies]

i appreciate the monster diversity. I loved your comment on the trapper and dwarven forge

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Haha, thank you kindly. I can't wait to switch out one of my Dwarven Forge tiles for the trapper and see the reaction from the player caught inside. -Theo

[@ThriftySteve]

This looks like a great set! I like the emphasis on Shadowfell

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Very curious to see if the next adventure has a strong Shadowfell presence... -Theo

[@ColinMacInnis]

Love these videos and 100%. I went into that typical lore-deep-dive that DMs do. The shadowfell is a really cool space. Hopefully more to come for it 🙃

[@ThriftySteve]

@@ColinMacInnis yeah, I love that they go the extra mile to give some info on the creatures as well... sparks my imagination!

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thanks for that! I'm hoping that I can inspire story ideas for any random minis you may get in a booster box or give you reasons to track down a particularly interesting creature mini to add to your collection! And I'm eager to see more Shadowfell adventures too. I really think we'll see something Shadowfell-related from Wizards in 2020. -Theo

[@Jarethenator]

That was a good Marvelous Mrs. Maisel reference.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

One of these days I'll sneak a Gilmore Girls reference in. :-) -Theo

[@Thornspyre81]

Just bought the 8 pack brick today and am extremely pleased. I only got one duplicate so that was great.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Glad to hear that! Only one duplicate is great-we usually get 3 duplicates from a brick. -Grady

[@GlapenBapen]

nice. did you get one of the ogres

[@biteso2333]

I love all of these monsters they’re so cool!

[@TheCreativeKobold]

Being mainly a DM, this might be my favorite D&D set by Wizkids! All the different creatures are really nice to have, whilst random "dwarf warrior" and "elf archer" mini options are in excess(both in D&D/Pathfinder sets, and from other manufacturers). Also agree that the set could've done with something instead of the gnolls, but at least they're nice gnoll sculpts. Great stuff as always! :D

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Agreed, CK. Thank you so much! Really curious to see what interesting minis we'll get in the Eberron set up next. -Theo

[@TheCreativeKobold]

@@TheGallantGoblin Yeah, that one's also going to be interesting. At least there should be a good handful of Warforged. ;)

[@TheGallantGoblin]

My friend Jack played a homebrewed warforged in our Storm King's Thunder campaign. Those minis would have come in handy then. I just sent him off to Hero Forge. :-) -Theo

[@TheCreativeKobold]

Absolutely! But I think HeroForge might've been a good idea anyway - at least my players always want to have their minis highly customized in such ways that presculpted minis don't always do the job for them. ;)

[@TheGallantGoblin]

That's understandable. I haven't made my own mini there yet, but I'm very tempted to. Maybe when I have an important NPC who will be sticking around for awhile. -Theo

[@josephskiles]

I really love this set . I use trolls all the time and the secondary market is fairly cheap for the one in this set

[@ImaginationHobbies]

Great narration! Thanks!

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thank you! -Theo

[@oscarsiri2763]

At last! a Morkoth! I like the Forgotthe Realms "Threat From The Sea" novels and they inspired me for underwater adventures, but there were limited minis for underwater Sea creatures (not all are sahuagin). There were aboleth and kuo toas but they are more underdark sea creatures. Modern sets have many of those, thankfully. I liked this video a lot!

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thank you! It's a shame we didn't get a dedicated Saltmarsh set. You may want to go back and see our recent review of the mini set for Skull & Shackles if you want to see even more underwater and coastal creatures. They're Pathfinder instead of D&D, but they'll mix in just fine with your D&D set. -Theo

[@oscarsiri2763]

@@TheGallantGoblin Skull & Shackles had super minis too!

[@Ploige]

@@TheGallantGoblin So many things to focus on.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

@Patrick O'Hagan, Oh, I can imagine. Luckily this far along in the Icons lifespan, I don't feel like that aren't any glaring holes in the collection. These days it seems to be about supporting new adventures and adding in niche monsters and PCs. Thanks! -Theo

[@flappajack97]

Really hope to see a nightwalker, oblex and starspawn mini’s in the future!

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Heh excellent choices! We hope to see those too! -Grady

[@commanderbbshockwave8698]

Nice review, thanks for getting the whole set out so fast! :) I am on quite the opposite spectrum, I can never have enough gnolls! :) To each their own! We still need a Hunter and Fang of Yeenoghu. That said, not a fan of the 5E lore on them, it makes them boring "always chaotic evil" mindless hordes. Older edition Gnolls were more nuanced, even if mostly still evil. Love the Alhoon, that starry robe is amazing. Morkoth is great to finally have as a mini, and I do like the 5E lore on them. Blue Abishai is just as well sculpted and painted as the Red was! And interesting how big the Allip is, quite larger than a human. The new Marut takes some time to get used to, but I like their new connection to Modrons. Here is hoping a later sourcebook gives us Hierarch Modrons (Decaton, Nonaton and so on until Primus himself) so we can get minis of those... and also, a Tridrone would be nice to have at last.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thanks! We again got the case late actually due to delivery problems at our FLGS, but, it is what it is. Hehe, fair enough! I don't mind the gnolls too much, but with all the yeenoghu demons in the last set, I'm just a bit hyena-ed out. Yeah, in retrospect the alhoon may be the best mini in this set. It would make for an amazing boss encounter. And yes, we definitely need those remaining modron. Especially after that mislabeled tridrone/kraken priest debacle back in MM3. I'm betting the modron play a role in the next adventure too... -Theo

[@commanderbbshockwave8698]

@@TheGallantGoblin Oh yeah, I don't have Avernus yet, forgot that it had a ton of Gnoll-Demon hybrids too. Surprised they are just cosmetic appearances - the book did not have any rules for making variant demons for specific demon lords. Funny how the Alhoons are actually weaker than the Mind Flayer Lich (or Illithilich) which I think we got in Rage of Demons, I think? (or earlier). Yet the mini indeed looks so much cooler than that guy with his brain "squishy ball". :) That'd be sweet! I really hope they do a Sigil/Planescape adventure or lorebook in the future.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Yeah, that was a curious choice for the yeenoghu demons. Kind of limited their use though... Heh, well, when you take shortcuts to lichdom, you gotta suffer the consequences I guess. We've all been there. And agreed. I'm very curious to see what adventure books we get this year. Though now that I'm running two Starfinder campaigns, I'll have to find time to get another D&D campaign up and running. -Theo

[@huredits07]

Will you ever show your whole collection of miniatures? Awesome review!

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Hmm... they are all sorted, bagged, and packed away in the closet. Pulling them all out may be more than I can handle mentally. Maybe if I do a big re-organization one day. Otherwise, the best I can do is take a pic of the closet itself. And thank you! -Theo

[@huredits07]

Ok, and your welcome

[@Sparkl3beech]

Man, I want to get into this set for the Meenlocks alone. Those things could be a part of a really creepy side quest...

[@labmansd]

How do the Ogre's from this compare in size to the Pathfinder, I know the giants are smaller are the ogre's also

[@patrickmchugh948]

Great video.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Thanks for watching! -Grady

[@Ouhour]

Every time I check your videos I really enjoy the explanation for each creature. Also, you said it wasn't a good set to buy if we're starting out. Which one would you recommend instead?

[@TheGallantGoblin]

It depends on what you’re looking for. Monster Menagerie I and II are good as all around sets. Both have common player characters. 1 has general monsters and undead and is especially good for Curse of Strahd. 2 has more of the pack monsters like goblinoids and kobolds. Tyranny of Dragons would be a good all around starter set as well as long as you don’t mind getting a lot of dragons or sculpts that are a bit older. Beyond that, if you need a lot of humanoids such as for a city, Dragon Heist is a good choice. Dungeon of the Mad Mage actually has a lot of player character options as well. Rage of Demons is good for demons. Descent Into Avernus is good for devils. -Grady

[@socksieboy01]

What do you use to shine the bases making them camera ready? They look clean!

[@666-l7u]

I had no doubts wizkids minis are absolute worst on the market, but this 8:16 !! Just a greenstuff snot for $15.99? I am genuinely impressed.

[@OverboardDM]

I pre-ordered these months ago

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Hopefully yours arrive soon! -Theo

[@LegoGuyChris]

19:44 ok, am I missing something?

[@TheGallantGoblin]

You mean the Rick and Morty reference? That's an actual product! dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/dungeons-dragons-vs-rick-and-morty

[@LegoGuyChris]

Wow, ok. D&d for higher minded individuals

[@JeremiahLiend]

This is wild. I have these figures, but I have clear bases. Must be a second release?

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Yes, I think so!

[@Alucardswar]

Have you had any experience with missing miniatures from a booster?

[@TheGallantGoblin]

No... not that I can recall. Always found the right number of minis in the box. I did have one arrive with a completely missing head once (poor Volo). If you contact Wizkids I imagine they'll send you a replacement. -Theo

[@Alucardswar]

The Gallant Goblin I’ve contacted wizards ofc, neca toys, and wizkids. The only response was, “we only replace the ones that come in a pack.” When I described it as a pack of avernus 😢. Thank you for responding, and please keep up the amazing work. I’ve been a dm for around four years and I’ve been learning a lot from your videos

[@TheGallantGoblin]

How strange. They're advertised to have a certain number of minis inside, so they should make it right when a box arrives with one missing. I'm sorry you ran into trouble with that! I am glad you've found the videos useful though! I appreciate you sharing that with me! Let me know when a creature/mini makes a big splash at your table! -Theo

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

Nice minis

[@dnahines9477]

I was hoping for the playable races from Volos guide as well.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Hmm. Yeah. We have had minis of most of those in prior sets: aasimar, firbolg, kenku, tabaxi, and tritons at least. But indeed, there certainly aren't a lot of them. And I can't recall a goliath or lizardfolk mini in the Icons set off the top of my head. This would have been a nice time to add some of them. -Theo

[@jeffreycrowder2866]

Gallant goblin, what set was a firbolg in? I can not find it at all. Any help would be appreciated.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Icons of the Realms: Descent Into Avernus, I believe the number 35 mini, is a firbolg druid. -Grady

[@jeffreycrowder2866]

Thanks

[@kingtimmy88]

I want that turtle!

[@josephskiles]

You can't convince me that the shadow dancer was not thought up after watching some Hellraiser movies. the picture from the MM looks identical to a cenobite. They need more sets like this, I am really kind of tired of the humanoid creatures that I will never use , I would rather have some rando elf with a bow or dwarf in plate with an ax/ war hammer than some of the weird choices they went with for commons. I would love to see a set with completely generic looking humanoid minis that could be used for anything

[@furkandemirhan8841]

6:06 nice desing

[@pelmen1294]

Bodak I think is actually a mystara creature (not sure on that one though.) Tortles are not from forgotten realms they are a mystara orginal and can be played as a pc though orginally could not be. From monstrous compendium appendix year 1994. Im a little offended that mearls and screwjob crew is taking credit for using this creature. Cave fisher, Korred though a different name, choker, are also from mystara. And some of the other creatures look like creatures from mystara. Its sad too that wizards dragging there hinies or are blocking the mystara hand book which mr welch is trying to get approved. 1000s maybe 10s of 1000s of people want this book but we have to wait for wizards to allow him to make it. I believe he is also working on the mystara monster manual not sure on that one though. if anyone knows how to contact wizards please message in here there sight does not seem to have a contact method or im just missing it.

[@scorpiovenator_4736]

I used to think Mordenkainen's tome of foes was mordenkainen's tomb of foes

[@TheGallantGoblin]

It is when your adventuring party is done with it! 💀 -Theo

[@tromboner98]

This is a set I’ll be cherry picking from on the after market. I want some wood woads, some ogres, that Alhoon, Orkoth, and then down the road I might try to get a death kiss, and a Marut. I wouldn’t mind the trolls, but I’m not willing to dish out a lot of money for them

[@Matthewjohnwilson]

Is this a reupload?

[@TheGallantGoblin]

No, this is a full set review of all 44 sculpts you can pull from the booster boxes. The prior video was a preview of only a subset of the figures provided to us by WizKids before the official release date. We have to buy a case on the release day in order to get the full set to show. We also provide researched lore background for all the figures in this review video while we usually go into the early preview unboxing blind. -Grady

[@Matthewjohnwilson]

@@TheGallantGoblin oh ok :) lol I knew I had seen these figures in a video review before and this is really the only mini review channel I watch. Thought I was seeing double haha.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Yeah a brick of 8 boxes, which was the preview set, will usually have about 29 unique figures so about 35% of these figures will be new if you saw the preview video! -Grady

[@Matthewjohnwilson]

@@TheGallantGoblin P.S. I love love love your channel :) The videos you produce are a lot of fun to watch and learn about the history behind the figures.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Aw thank you very much! We appreciate you watching and sharing your thoughts with us! -Grady

[@DebbieBuckland]

the sculpts are good.... but I would definitely be adjusting some of the paint jobs..... the paint job isn't that good on some

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Definitely a valid option to touch them up to your standards! Some of these will eventually make it to the Nolzur’s line where they come unpainted to begin with but it’s hit or miss which ones get selected and can be quite a wait too. -Grady

[@johnkirk2863]

I like the older edition Barghest who has to consume souls of humans to grow powerful and end back in Gehenna..much more of a reason for a party to stop a barghest than one that has to eat goblins to accend..players are not going to care about a Barghest eating goblins

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Unless the players are goblins! *gasp* But yes, that's an interesting historical fact. Thank you! -Theo

[@supman7020]

🤘💀👍

[@dragonballtalk8527]

Bodack was a cardi b song right

[@iamweapon]

The chitines are very bloodborne looking...

[@zenuuleflamesinger1469]

.. .... please send me some.. *Droool*

[@GlapenBapen]

i really want both of the ogres

[@TheGallantGoblin]

We have a list of places online you can check if you just want to shop around for single miniatures. It’s not a definitive list by any means, just places we’ve bought from with no trouble, but it’s a place to start! www.gallantgoblin.com/post/wizkids-minis-booster-sets-demystified

[@Gamarishi]

Some nice minis there! And some ugly monsters hahaha

[@TheGallantGoblin]

Heh, just what we're looking for! -Theo

[@AbsurdSphinx]

No Sorrowsworn...disappointed. Still cool though

[@commanderbbshockwave8698]

I would not be surprised if there would come a Volo's and Mordenkainen's Foes 2, same as how we got Monster Menagerie 1-2-3. :) These books have enough room for several more boosters!

[@TheGallantGoblin]

That's true. I could see them doing that. It's surprising that they never did a dedicated Strahd set. I think we eventually got most of the minis we'd need for that adventure, but considering it's widely seen as one of the best official adventures out there, it feels like a missed opportunity. -Theo

[@commanderbbshockwave8698]

@@TheGallantGoblin Well, I think that was because Curse of Strahd did not have many Ravenloft-specific monsters at all, just your classic werewolves and vampires. Even Elemental Evil had more new creatures in the adventure. So they lumped those minis into MM1. Here is hoping if they revisit Ravenloft, they introduce some creatures from the old 2E setting, like the Bone, Doll, Gargoyle or Stained Glass Golem, Werebat, Broken Ones, Doppleganger Plants (basically the Pod People), Blood/Pyre/Grave elementals, Wereravens, Ravenkin, evil Treants... There are some pretty cool horror movie-like creatures made for that setting.

[@TheGallantGoblin]

If memory serves, they've been teasing something new from the Ravenloft setting. I'm kind of shocked they haven't already revisited it. Those do sound like fantastic additions. Makes me want to get a Strahd campaign going and add in those encounters myself. -Theo

[@commanderbbshockwave8698]

@@TheGallantGoblin Nice! Where do you get your D&D news, btw? I have not heard about this.

[@ndowroccus4168]

TORTLES!!!!! Bleh! Why did they make them the color of Puke? (I love Tortle NPCs)

[@TheGallantGoblin]

We just covered a small company called krakenships that produced 4 unpainted tortle minis (under the safe-from-WotC-lawsuit name of "chellon") currently available on their web store or as an add on on their current, ongoing Kickstarter. They specialize in a lot of the minor races including catfolk, leonin, firbolg, genasi, centaur, etc. so it may be up your alley! Our video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXjcYXWigdugnZI Their store with the tortle/chellon minis: www.krakenships.com/shop/ Their current Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/krakenships/krakenships-miniatures

[@TheSvartulfr]

I tried to be objective but these are the worst miniatures I've ever seen. I'm a player a Dungeonmaster from way back in the 80s but I would never be proud to showcase these in my campaigns. D&D needs to get their act together and make inspiring miniatures these are not even worth melting down.

[@MrRJPE]

Some of these look like a 5 year old painted them.