Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: nicknorthstar on April 29, 2018, 05:46:06 PM
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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.
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I think they look really nice. :-*
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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.
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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.
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Great stuff Nick. Those work a treat.
An unexpected party 8)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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.
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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.
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Love 'em!! Really great job!
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I'm very much liking what you're doing with this. The various kits seem to go together pretty well.
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These are great - lots of good conversion ideas, too. Thorin in particular I like a lot.
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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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Totally the right vibe. I love them!
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Had then been geared up in the sacks and packs when they left the Shire I would have been down for this.
It's the artist license thing I mentioned earlier. There's loads of packs, pouches, rope etc on the Frostgrave frames, so each Dwarf could have been laden down with kit. But the Oathmark Dwarves are all armoured. I think Thorin and Co left the Shire without weapons, never mind armour. They have to take the trolls on with sticks. So my Company are armed for war, one would presume post taking Erebor, but without helmets so I can paint them in the right hoods.
Interestingly, Gimli had no problem setting off to Mordor in mail and carrying a shield and axe.
I haven't got the Hobbit to hand, but doesn't Dain show up at the Battle of 5 Armies with an army all carrying backpacks?
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Sweet conversions they really look the part... might have to borrow some ideas from this when I do mine eventually.
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Ori is painted (not based or varnished).
12 to go.
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Loving this thread so far.
Ever since the LAF handover, my gaming buddy and nephew has been ribbing me - sarcastically telling me that from now on I'm to refer to modelling and wargaming as "The North Star hobby." This thread is making that a reality. lol ;)
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Great thread - which really highlights the fantastic opportunities for 'creative' modelling with all the NS plastic kits.
I bought at least a couple of boxes of all of them and have kept one aside for building militia for 20mm square based units for larger games - Lion Rampant upwards to KoW and even 9th Age.
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Looking great.
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Dwalin is nearly done.
I'm not going to show each figure as it's painted, in case I never finish, but I'll show the whole party when they are done.
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Sounds like a target to aim for!
Ori looks great :)
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great stuff!
Nick, please take into account the proper hood and beard colours:
http://hobbitdifferences.blogspot.pt/2013/04/the-dwarves-appearances.html
;D
not that I'm a rivet counter, but it's something that I always remember from the book descriptions (although I don't know them by heart)
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Very nice project, and a proof of the quality of the dwarf set.
The GS work looks a bit crude at points, but this becomes unnoticeable as the painted figure shows.
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Awesome project and well inspired! Hats off sir!!!!
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Old posts never die.
My enthusiasm for painting Dwarves dipped in favour of Johnny Rebs, but I still felt Thorin's Company would be a great addition to our painted Oathmark Dwarf collection.
So I sent the rest of the figures to John Morris of Mystic Spirals.
Here's Balin and Oin!
I'll hold off posting again until all the gang is here.
Cheers
Nick
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Excellent Nick 8)
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Great looking minis and paintjob.
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That is a really cool project. I really like the Oathmark Dwarves in the way that they're designed; I'm just a bit worried that they may be a bit too big compared to my other 28mm figures.
Anyway, Great little conversions (and thoughtful ones at that!) to make each of the chaps a true individual.
The painting's also nice. I like that skin tone.
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Mystic Spirals have finished the paint jobs.
Terrific work.
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That's the way to go :-*
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OK, now, but where are Bilbo and Gandalf? lol
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They look like a load of blokes from Merthyr Tydfil on the lash.
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Wonderful work! The hoods are vibrant.
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They look great!
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The electric blue beard was a bit too 'kawaii' for my taste but other than that they are stella!
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Yep, Blue beard is a bit funny but still well painted. Nice bunch. Love the backdrop as well.
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Best looking dwarves I've seen for a long time. Spot on!
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Yep, Blue beard is a bit funny but still well painted. Nice bunch. Love the backdrop as well.
(https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/54913032.jpg)