Orc Head Hunters WIP

Hack, hack,hack. Orc long swords clear the way.

I created long sharp looking blades from flattened brush bristles, these match the ones carried by the Copplestone Half-orcs. I always thought the Colin Patten Ragnarok Goblins and the Mark Copplestone Half-orcs would go well together.

Also in the mix are some very old Citadel Orc figures (Fantasy Tribes), aswell as the brand new Ragnarok sculpts.

The skulls and heads are subtle but should be noticeable when based.

A few Oathmark Goblin leaders got roped in too. I don't know why I held off for so long before using them, this unit of elites seems a worthy home for them. They are sculpted by Mark Copplestone too, so they fit right in next to his Half-orcs from the Nineties.

I still need to Matt varnish the large standard, The giant Orc is from Reaper Miniatures. It's a great sculpt, that calls upon the Angus McBride MERP illustrations again for influence. 

Both the Warlord Games and the Wargames Atlantic plastics do the same. Who would have thought the old Osprey books illustrator would have such a huge impact on the look of Middle Earth figures. The old Icon orcs for LOTR also are styled on his illustrations. This is very handy, as a lot of different manufacturers can be put together with their style of armour matching.

Maybe it should be this unit of beserkers that goes in front of the other two assualt columns. It would make more sense that way.

 

Elven Tailored Surcoats.

While finishing off some old Elves that have been sitting around for two years, I had an idea. I dug out the 0.5 pen and tried out some simple leaf designs. Once dry, I washed over the leaves with some green ink for colour.

This new unit incorporates some of the Russet browns into the blue colour scheme. When I started painting these Elf archers, they were based on High Elves. Lots of nice blues and gold's. Later when I started my Battle of Five Armies project, Silvan Elves were called for with their browns and greens. These latest paint jobs are a good blend of the two, and help merge the forces together.

 I also used the pen to go around this shield pattern to make it more of a detailed design.

A Lucky Find

While buying some more Tamiya paints in the local hardware store, I was swept away by this beauty.

 On checking the bristles, they were a perfect size for throwing spears/ javelins. When choosing these brushes for spears etc, you have to gage it by eye. It can be a little hit or miss but it pays to check the brush section once in a while.

I used the same method as before, squeezing and cutting the flattened bristle to shape. Now I have three sizes of bristles for every occasion.

The ones I had been using before were good for heavy war spears, these new spears have a more realistic scale to them. Something that will come in useful with the 28mm Arthurian and Saxon armies.

Here is a little update on the head hunters while the camera was out. The new Sauron shoulder pieces seem to be working well. I'll have to use this method when the other plastic Orc kits come out and I want some elite Mordor Uruks.

 

Orc Head Hunters

I thought I would mix up a couple of head wielding Orcs to include in the head hunter assualt column. These were made from Oathmark and Warlord Games plastics. The arm holding the head came from an old plastic GW Goblin.

 Something a bit new, I included the eye of Sauron onto the armour. Should work okay when dry brushed.
 

15mm Early Saxons

I was taken with the new range of 15mm from West wind 'war and Empire', so I thought I would buy a bag. This bag was a bit of a tester really just to see what the sculpts are like. Well, they turned out to be very nice indeed.

The detail on the little figures was good and there was a good variety in the pack too. This pack is the raiding early Saxons.

Of course this puts me in a dilemma, for I have been collecting 28mm Arthurian forces for a future project. If I paint up a 15mm army will I still want to go there in 28mm?

I wonder if painting 24, 15mm is the same time as painting 12, 28mm. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I suppose I had better give it a go and find out.

I suppose the advantage of 15mm is you can just do base colours then give them a wash and jobs done.

Here is a line up of 28mm figures. Artisan, West wind 15mm, Foundry and a Conquest Norman/Elf.

 The Fellowship of the ring sets out from Rivendell.

Adding Skulls from eBay

A bag of fifty 28mm skulls from eBay add a little bit of extra detail. Fomorians look better with a few human heads on their belts as do Orcs.

This third assualt column of the Wolf's Teeth I want to turn into brutal head hunters. These resin skulls certainly give the unit that unique look.

A Fomorian champion with the trophies to prove it.

Even these classic old Citadel figures get an upgrade.

This sacrifical stone circle will definitely need a few more heads dotted around.

 

Getting a head with the painting

I picked up some skulls from eBay while I was working on my Fomorians. I thought now would be a great time to use them while making a new standard. 

They also help to create head hunters among the Orcs.

It was a lovely day for undercoating today...makes a nice change.