All of GW's mounted versions of Gandalf the Gray are very static. In addition to that, they are all on a standard horse with saddle. I like the option of having Gandalf the Gray (more cost-effective than Gandalf the White in most cases) on Shadofax for a period between his escape from Orthanc and his fall in Moria.
The base model is Gandalf on Shadowfax. I sculpted over the straight staff to give it a texture of warped wood and replaced the tip with the tip "donated" by the plastic Mines of Moria set Gandalf model (rip). From that same model I also took the hat since I failed several attempts to sculpt one myself. Finally I added a pouch at his side as he's always shown with it in the films prior to his return as Gandalf the White.
For my version of Galadriel, Protectress of Lothlorien, I wanted her to stand out. GW used the pose in Fellowship of the Ring where she tells Frodo what would happen if she had the One Ring, and as such most players paint her in the blue and gray scheme of her "Treacherous as the sea!" aspect.
I wanted to keep her looking like Galadriel but with as the powerful vanquisher of evil that this profile brought to the game. It was a simple decision and conversion to give her a sword in her left hand (and why not lefthanded?), leaving her right hand up turned with her Ring. I really wanted to use the beautiful Elven blade from the Arwen model, but as I only had one of those and plan to have her as part of my forces in the future, I had to find an alternative. Luckily I have a very large collection of Wood Elves and so one of them was kind enough to donate his blade.
Drûzhag The Beastcaller is a GW-invented character that is a great addition to an army that includes beasts of Mirkwood (spiders, bats, wargs, etc.). As such I really wanted to include it in my Dol Guldur force, but the model just never got my interest. It is too much "fantasy" as GW often runs back to its Warhammer / 40K roots when creating something of their own.
My solution was to make my own. I wanted to start with an Orc that offered both a mounted and on-foot version of the model and had a dynamic pose. The one I went with was Sharku, captain of the Warg Riders of Isengard. I will eventually get a replacement for him (or continue to use my generic captains leading my Warg Riders), but this model was a great foundation.
Just swapping the knife for a spear (Orc Shamans all have spears) made a big difference in breaking the impression of Sharku, but to give it the "Beastcaller" theme I needed more. My option was to give him a "cloak" made from the hide of a Giant Spider.
I am VERY happy with the concept, but not so much the execution. I was still pretty new to sculpting when I did this one. I think when time allows I will dislodge the current spider hide and replace it with something more "realistic" looking.
