AD&D figures, LJN 1983.

These plastic, prepainted figures were released in conjunction with LJN's popular AD&D action figure set and followed their designs closely. While close to 28mm scale, they're not really close enough to fly, and the 25mm minis that would be found in 1983 would make them stand out even more. It seems these were still toys and not gaming minis in concept.

This selection compromises the contents of the "gift set", (Ringlerun, Strongheart, Elkhorn, Kelek, Zarak, and Warduke) although these figures were all also sold on individual cards. Two other figures, Skylla and Mercion, were only available on card, and Skylla never had an action figure version initially, whereas every other minifig had a corresponding big sibling toy.

The Gale Force 9 "league of malevolence" minis sold for use with the Wild Beyond the Witchlight module reprise Zarak, Zargash (a character who didn't appear in the LJN toy line but was seen in other AD&D merchandise in the early 1980s such as stickers or the wooden standup kit), warduke, kelek and Skylla.

The action figures, for a comparison of how close the mini figs followed. LJN didn't produce toys for the D&D cartoon characters such as Hank, Uni and Dungeon Master - these were only available in toy form as part of a board game or individually released only in spain and Portugal. Also, the toy line characters didn't feature prominently in the show with only Warduke, Strongheart and Kelek making appearances briefly. Tiamat, at least, appeared frequently, but her toy was rare, not durable, and is now quite pricey.

This disconnect probably split consumer interest: kids who enjoyed the show couldn't get most of the characters from it as toys, and kids who had the LJN toys didn't see most of them on the show.

It mirrors other mismatches in the LJN releases such as the heavy PVC figures being crudely designed and out of scale with the well-made action figures.

Skylla's only toy appearance.