The Ghoul King is one of my favorite miniatures. The model is highly detailed all the way down to the dimpled cellulite of his fat rolls. Even the hunk of meat and broken bone in his hand is grotesquely detailed.
It is worth noting that, as far as one can tell around the fat rolls, the Ghoul King is naked. His privates are obscured by the aforementioned rolls, but his sagging butt is clearly visible in all its becellulited glory.
In short, this piece has a fantastic level of detail and does an excellent job of conveying disgust and dread.
Painting it:
The Ghoul King's corpulent body is begging to be painted the most hideous color you can find. I chose a yellow-green-flesh tone mix that gave the skin an oxygen-starved look that was a bit more "alive" than what I use for zombies.
The eyes of the piece are wide enough for a steady painter to detail in some crazy gaze and his broad belly looks perfect for some free-hand decoration (I chose a bloody hand-print).
Other nice bits to paint include his well-used teeth, bloated tongue, and his hands (which seem so odd with their normal proportions).
Finally, all the fat rolls on the Ghoul King's body give even a beginner the chance to make a good looking figure. Just a little shading under each roll gives the King a believable look and small lines of blood running down from his mouth look great as they cross the rolls.
Problems with the piece:
The only problems I have with this miniature are related to his size: with such detailed and thick pewter limbs, he is almost impossible to reposition. I would not even attempt it unless you are good with modeling clay. Fortunately, his default pose is rather menacing. That being said, I would have liked a more stooped-over "coming to get you!" pose. However, the current one is good and has "gluttony" written all over it.
Final thoughts:
This is one of the best Reaper miniatures.
I've been running an undead army in four wargaming systems for about six years and, to this day, no single piece of mine has attracted more attention from opponents and onlookers than the Ghoul King.
Style 4 Beautifully horrible but it could have had a more inspiring pose.
Substance 4 Great value for the money but it takes some work to customize.
