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Author Topic: Thorin's Company.  (Read 6662 times)

Offline nicknorthstar

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Thorin's Company.
« on: April 29, 2018, 04:46:06 PM »
It's funny what sparks the inspiration for a project. I was reading 'Fenrir's Middle-Earth labour of love' thread, he mentioned doing 13 Dwarves as Thorin's Company and I thought 'Yes'.

Fenrir has completed his now, so I'm happy to share my project without it looking like I've nicked his thunder.

I wanted to make the Company purely from my plastic Oathmark Dwarves (that was the challenge that inspired me). I wanted them all to be hooded, and then paint the hoods as per the Unexpected Party. There is some artist license here, because all the Oathmark Dwarves are in chainmail, and it's clear that when Thorin's Company put on armour at Erebor, they donned Helmets as well. But I said, there's some license here.
Two of the heads in the Oathmark box set are hooded, so I decided to just use those heads.

Once I started sticking figures together, and adding some variations from other North Star plastics and using green stuff, I realised I actually have little idea how to use putty properly. Only been in the hobby 38 years eh? That meant any ideas of making fat Bombur from a plastic Dwarf were either going to have to be scrapped, or get the Dwarf designer Bob Naismith to do it for me. I've gone with a third option instead. Bob made a metal Dwarf before starting the plastics, and as it is the metal figure is much chunkier than the plastics. So although it doesn't quite fit my vision of Big Fat Bombur, he'll do nicely and keeps it all 'Oathmark'.

So they are all stuck together now, I'll show each one in the next posts.

I'm planning to paint them, but if the project slows up I'll get them done by someone else as I'd like them to join the Dwarf Army that is marching out at the Partizan Show in Newark next month.

Offline Rob_bresnen

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #1 on: April 29, 2018, 04:49:23 PM »
I think they look really nice.  :-*
Theres more 28mm Superhero Madness at my blog, http://fourcoloursupers.blogspot.com/
And for Ultra-modern Wargaming check out Hotel Zugando at http://ultramoderngaming.blogspot.co.uk/

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2018, 05:20:49 PM »
Dwalin
The first Dwarf through the door gets the best description.
I originally used one of the regular Oathmark hooded heads, but when I tried to model his long beard thrust in his belt, that's when my inadequacies with green stuff were exposed.
So I chose a different head, the one with the longest beard, and modelled a hood over the helmet that is on the head. The beard isn't tucked in his belt (and in fact none of them will be 'cus I can't do it) but it's suitably long enough. This is the beard that'll be painted blue of course, under a Dark Green Hood.
Here I've taken a bit of Jackson inspiration. Jackson has Dwalin as the warrior of the company. There are no 2 handed weapons in the Oathmark set, so I've given him arms from the Frostgrave Barbarian plastic set, carrying a 2 handed axe. The rippling muscles fitted in with the Jackson Dwalin I thought. A bit of carving and green stuff removed some of the ragged Barbarian features from the arms, and Dwalin is ready to go.

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #3 on: April 29, 2018, 05:38:35 PM »
Balin.
2nd Dwarf through the door, Balin. His beard is described as White, so I made an effort to make it long with green stuff. Interestingly, Tolkien says Dwarf hair only goes white when an individual gets to about 240 years old. He also says they don't go bald, so scrap one of the Oathmark heads from your Middle-Earth armies  lol
I didn't want Thorin's Company to be carrying shields. I thought it would make them stand out as a group on the table-top, and make them a little more adventurer/ character like. Some, like Balin, I've used the Oathmark shield arm so they are a bit tight into the body, but don't look too bad.

Offline Captain Blood

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2018, 06:09:45 PM »
Great stuff Nick. Those work a treat.
An unexpected party  8)

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2018, 06:32:34 PM »
Fili and Kili
The two 'youths' of the party. As they are described as having the best eyes etc through the book, I thought I'd have them carrying bows. The Oathmark Dwarf frame has a spare bow on it, so that got glued to their backs. I then, for better or for worse, added bowstrings. I made them from stretched sprue, using the old candle method on a couple of the Dwarf spears. I'm not 100% happy with them, they look a bit loose, but I'll keep them as they are.
To tell the difference, I made one right handed and one left handed, armed with hammers. In retrospect, I should have had the bows across different shoulders DOH.
Fili has a bigger nose, as mentioned in Flies & Spiders.
Kili's right arm is a Dwarf sword arm with the hand cut off, and a Ghost Archipelago Crewmens open hand glued on.

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2018, 06:58:27 PM »
Dori, Nori, Ori
Dori is always described as the strongest of the Company, so I've loaded him up with a backpack and rope coil, taken from the Frostgrave Soldiers frame.
Nori is a standard model, but I extended the beard with some greenstuff.
Ori has a bow arm with the bow cut off for a left arm. This is to get away from every Dwarf having a left arm tucked up into his chest, as this is the standard Frame left arm carrying a shield.
This is the Dwarf frame, just in case you've not seen it.

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #7 on: April 29, 2018, 07:14:44 PM »
Oin, Gloin.
Oin also has a bow arm with the bow removed for a left arm. I think this pose with a shield would look great, a conversion for another day.
Gloin. I decided to make Gimli's Dad the kick-bottom warrior with duel weapons, extra axe (Frostgrave Barbarian) and Elf dagger from the Oathmark Elf frame.

Offline Argonor

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #8 on: April 29, 2018, 07:44:53 PM »
Nice looking company.

I still wish the sculptor had not put those small 'shoulder pads' on the Dwarves, I really cannot get my mind around them, but otherwise they make some very tolkienesque characters.

I guess the candle and plastic spear are about the bowstrings? I have seen some ppl use split plastic brush hairs from cheap brush and dustpan sets for easy bowstrings that naturally want to stay straight.
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Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #9 on: April 29, 2018, 07:49:42 PM »
Bifur, Bofur
Bifur has a hammer from the Frostgrave Barbarian set. Dwalin has an axe from the same frame, and I used greenstuff to cover the ragged Barbarian sleeves. I wanted Bifur to have chainmail sleeves, so I cut away the Dwarf arm below the chainmail, and measured the Barbarian arm to be cut to fit. To keep the arm styles the same, I also cut away a Barbarian left arm and converted it in the same way as the hammer arm.
Bofur's arms are both Frostgrave Soldier arms, no conversion, just glued straight on. I gave the only shield in the Company to Bofur, slung over his back.

Offline nicknorthstar

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2018, 07:55:06 PM »
Thorin
I have given Thorin the biggest beard, he is a Longbeard after all. I wanted him carrying Orcrist, so his arm is the Oathmark Elf officers arm. I also put the Elf Officers left arm on the figure as well. I used a metal finial to act as Thorins silver cord that came from his hood.

That's them all. I need to get painting now.

Offline guitarheroandy

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2018, 08:10:31 PM »
Love 'em!! Really great job!

Offline Elk101

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2018, 08:56:45 PM »
I'm very much liking what you're doing with this. The various kits seem to go together pretty well.

Offline Severian

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #13 on: April 29, 2018, 09:08:18 PM »
These are great - lots of good conversion ideas, too. Thorin in particular I like a lot.

Offline Thorlokk the boneless

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Re: Thorin's Company.
« Reply #14 on: April 29, 2018, 09:44:03 PM »
Had then been geared up in the sacks and packs when they left the Shire I would have been down for this.
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