Alan and Michael Perry
 Supplied to White Dwarf by their mother, an early shot of Alan and Michael Perry at work in 1985.[2c] | |
|---|---|
| Known For |
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| Born | 1961 |
| Birthplace | Enfield, United Kingdom |
| Active Period | 1978 - 2014 |
The twin brothers Alan and Michael Perry were Games Workshop miniature sculptors from 1978[2a] until 2014.[1]
Contents
Biography
Miniature Sculpting
Alan and Michael were born in 1961 and grew up in North London.[3] The Perry Brothers were still in school when they begun their careers at Games Workshop. The pair had been sculpting their own 90mm miniatures at the time when Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson took an interest in their work. The Perrys met Ian and Steve at the Hammersmith Games Workshop store to show their miniatures, and were hired soon after.[2a]
Together with Jervis Johnson and Rick Priestly the Perry twins set up Warhammer Historical.[4] During their heyday the Perry twins were involved in up to 90% of the sculpts made by Games Workshop.[5] Amongst their most famous sculpts is The Green Knight.[2b][5]
For a time the twins owned an M3A1 Stuart[3], but had sold it by 2008 and bought a Bren Carrier.[2d]
Today they operate their own miniatures company, Perry Miniatures, which creates historical miniatures for various periods of history from the Crusades to the Second World War.[5] At the time Perry Miniatures was created, the twins were still working at Games Workshop.[6] Today their efforts are focused on Perry Miniatures and creating 54mm World War One sculpts for Peter Jackson.[1]
Reenacting Incident
The Perry Brothers are keen reenactors, where they participate in English Civil War and War of the Roses reenactments.[2d][4][5] It was whilst participating in a reenactment of the Battle of Crécy as the crew of an English cannon, that one of the most defining moments of Michael's life took place;[2d]
"While preparing for the second shot of the day I shoved the ramrod into the barrel of the cannon. However, there were still some burning embers in the chamber, which ignited the gunpowder as I pushed it into the barrel. The resulting explosion sent the ramrod flying out of the cannon; unfortunately my right hand was still gripping it at the time! There is video footage of me flying a good eight feet in the air - I landed unconscious and on fire!... My arm was still attached but very mangled, although they [French ambulance crews] wouldn't let me look at it. I remember asking Alan how it looked."
"I was trying to look on the bright side and told [Michael] he might lose his thumb.
Michael's right arm was amputated, though he made a swift recovery. As a right handed sculptor this posed a large challenge for Michael, though only ten days after the accident he had scultped his first miniature with his left hand. The twins also have good memories of reenacting. Later while reenacting in Switzerland Alan had John Howe fall out of a tree and land on him.[2e] The twins and John became close friends, and while at one of John's art shows in Paris the twins met Peter Jackson.[2e]
The Lord of the Rings
"If I wasn't making movies, Alan and Michael are doing what I'd love to do as a career."
The twins became close friends with Peter Jackson,[2e][5] and so, in 1999 the Perry twins begun work on The Lord of the Rings models. They begun sculpting work before the first film was released, and had a security guard at their studio to stop leaks. Every single miniature they sculpted for the Lord of the Rings had to be approved by both New Line Cinema, and the actor they had sculpted.[2e] Through their friendship with Peter Jackson they appeared as extras in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King alongside fellow Games Workshop employees Brian Nelson and Alessio Cavatore. Michael Perry has used his amputation to his advantage and has performed as an armless extra in other films and shows such as Band of Brothers.[2f]
The Perry Brothers were able to use their appearance in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King to sculpt themselves amongst the dead bodies on the base of the Mûmak figure.[4][7]
Works
Books
- Warhammer 40,000
- Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
[Help] - Warhammer 40,000 3rd Edition Rulebook [Help]
- Codex: Catachans (3rd Edition) [8]
- Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 1st Codex) [Help]
- Codex: Imperial Guard (3rd Edition, 2nd Codex) [Help]
- Warhammer Historical
- "The first four books"[4]
Sculpts
The Perry brothers have sculpted many figures for Games Workshop over years including, but not limited to;
- The Valhallan Range[2c]
- Catachan Jungle Fighters[2c]
- Captain Al'Rahem[2c]
- The first Hive Tyrant model[2c]
- Bike with Space Marine riders
Sources
- 1: Facebook - Perry Miniatures (archived from the original 22 August 2025, last accessed 22 August 2025)
- 2: White Dwarf 348 (AU): Thirty Years On:
- 3: Osprey Publishing - Author Profile: Alan Perry (archived from the original 15 November 2010, last accessed 22 August 2025)
- 4: The Last Alliance - Perry Twins Interview (archived from the original 13 December 2007, last accessed 22 August 2025)
- 5: Woehammer - The Perry Twins: A Life in Wargames (archived from the original 23 August 2025, last accessed 23 August 2025)
- 6: Perry Miniatures (archived from the original 14 December 2007, last accessed 23 August 2025)
- 7: Games Workshop - Grey as a Mouse, Big as a House: Painting a Mumak (archived from the original 7 July 2007, last accessed 23 August 2025)
- 8: Codex: Catachans (3rd Edition), pg. 1
