Tolkien Orc Kitbash p.24 - Second batch of Uruk-Hai, and more trolls painted.

[Hobgoblin]

Superb - and those shields are tremendous!

They're meant to have an S-rune on their helms, but I figured that would be a step too far even for me

Oddly enough, some of the really old orcs from Ral Partha and Asgard have the S-rune (like a two-stroke C) present and correct.

Are you tempted to do some of the half-orc axemen from the Isen? Those Victrix Vikings and Saxons with Dane-axes offer plenty of scope for them.

[Romark]

Super job on those, especially like the white hand shields

[Captain Blood]

Thanks chaps

Are you tempted to do some of the half-orc axemen from the Isen? Those Victrix Vikings and Saxons with Dane-axes offer plenty of scope for them.

Yes, tempted indeed. And some other allied evil types too. But rather a lot more of the core evil forces to get through first 

I find the bright green a bit Elvish rather than Uruk Hai but the standard of modelling and painting is magnificent

Thanks Mick. Yes, I thought the same thing as I was painting them, but wanted something (other than the shields and their general stature) to somewhat visually differentiate the Isengard Uruks from the Mordor orcs, which are all in dark reds, purples, blacks etc. So controversially went for a somewhat fresher palette for them. I'll tone it down a bit for the rest of the troop when I get round to them

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

You could decide that the Uruks were like Landsknechts and added colours for winning a battle.
The bright green could be plunder from dead Elvish warriors that the Uruks vanquished...

[Captain Blood]

It’s a good story, and I’m sticking to it.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Great kitbashing, excellent brushwork... particularly those shields!

[gamer Mac]

The shields are great, they all look identical.
They are hand painted though not decals?

[Captain Blood]

Thanks lads 

The shields are great, they all look identical.
They are hand painted though not decals?

Yes, handpainted, Colin. It’s actually a pretty easy symbol to paint, but looks very effective. They’re all a wee bit different if you look closely (don’t look closely )

[Peithetairos]

Most impressive. Love the freehands (especially the White Hand). The kitbash worked exceptionally well, they all look cohesive and like they were desigen dthat way. 

[syrinx0]

At the risk of repeating myself, they look bloody marvellous mate.

Indeed.  One runs out of new superlatives to use for kit bashing and painting of this caliber.

[Captain Blood]

Thank you

The next painted contingent completed - scummy orc bowmen.
Once again kitbashed from a variety of plastic sets, plus a little Green Stuff here and there (hoods, capes etc).
The heads are mainly Oathmark goblin in origin, although there’s another Mantic ghoul head in there too (getting my money’s worth out of that Salute freebie!)








I’ve also finished the first of my trolls.
He’s an Atlantis Miniatures orc. I bought six of these (they make about 10 different ones). They’re absolutely gorgeous models - insanely detailed, superbly cast, and with wonderful character - but they don’t look anything like orcs to me.
They do, however, look a lot like how I’ve always imagined trolls to look. Hurray!





Just realised, I missed his goatee - ah well, it can be a wart

Here's Bert, along with his pals yet to be painted…



These boys are supposedly 28mm scale, but come up at about 45mm high including the base (I’ve dispensed with the slottas – slottas, eeeyurgggh – and replaced them with a similarly chunky bases of my own making, to give them that bit of extra stature).

Tolkien never says exactly how big trolls are. Tom, Bert and Bill in ‘The Hobbit’ are simply described as ‘three very large persons’.
I guess that 45mm would make my trolls about nine feet tall, if we take a regular 28mm figure as being around six foot? They’re also extremely butch and beefy. Nowhere near as gigantic as the Weta/Jackson trolls, but plenty big enough to stand out amongst my rabble of orcs.

Atlantis Miniatures do an even larger range of equally wonderful ogres, which are half as big again – about 65mm tall. But their armour, weapons etc, are a bit more sophisticated. Whereas my vision of trolls is that they are very primitive in their gear and weapons.

Anyway, here’s the evil horde so far, mustering sur le table...










I’ve also done a test build of a warg rider - he’s basically just an Oathmark goblin wolf rider.

I must confess I’m not really sold on the Oathmark giant wolves themselves though. The faces are good, but they're strangely hairless beasts apart from a ruff and the tail. These alas, look a lot more like feathers than fur. I’ve noticed the one thing plastic moulding is just terrible at rendering, is fur. It always seems to come out looking look more like stylised feathers. Or leaves.
Luckily, we have Green Stuff, which is excellent for portraying fur and hair. So wolfie has had a generous layer added (wargs should look shaggy, dammit), and the rider has a new fur cape.

I'll get him painted and decide if further adjustments are needed, before I make up the whole dastardly troop...






Next up, the first lift of painted Haradrim…

[Ogrob]

Very nice all around. Love Bert the Troll in particular.

[Severian]

Excellent stuff all round. That Atlantis guy makes a splendid troll.

[Romark]

Excellent stuff all round. That Atlantis guy makes a splendid troll.

+1 

[Mason]

Top notch work all round, Riccardo!
 

I have not been looking this way lately for fear of you distracting me and making me turn to my own Middle Earth lunacy, which is supposed to wait some more,  but I could not resist forever!
Top drawer work on the building (you need to do something about this plastic crack addiction, ya know?  ), most inspirational, and the brushwork is up to your usual insanely high standard, of course.
Those shields!
 

As for the 'alternative' baggage load: That could almost work in the Shire at the end of Return of the King, what with Sharkey's 'industrial' approach.......almost. Maybe something more VSF rather than WW2.
 

Oh, and 'Making Morder Great Again' did give me a chuckle....