The germ of a project: unconventional Middle-earth armies (a switch to 15mm!)

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, both! I've got a good few more underway. Some hard-plastic HotT bases are on their way, so I'll be looking to get at least one horde element on the painting table shortly. The plan for these is to base them before painting - much quicker, I find, and with less risk of messing up the miniatures!

I do think there's a Renaissance/early-modern/modern aspect to the Fellowship in the books. The Hobbits, of course, have their waistcoats and pipes and brass buttons, but Gandalf doesn't sound at all Dark Ages to me with his hat and - overlooked by most sculptors - silver scarf. And Bree is more like something out of Tom Jones than Beowulf. So there are good grounds, I think, for deviating a fair bit from the received medievalisms.

And in line with that, I reckon there's a bit more of the fairy tale in LotR - not just The Hobbit - than is often reflected in Middle-earth gaming. I'm thinking of the fact that Tolkien's approved illustrators included Pauline Baynes and Ingahild Grathmer, whose work has a distinct fairy-tale quality (as do Tolkien's own drawings), and of details like Gandalf's eyebrows projecting beyond the brim of his hat. And the whole Tom Bombadil episode. I think you get some of that same timeless/anachronistic atmosphere in LotR as you do in Anderson's fairy tales.

[jon_1066]

Very much so.  The shire is pretty much a Victorian rural scene being ravaged by the new industry.

A renaissance setting would be great.  The main problem with going later than that are the lack of fire arms so the troops wouldn’t really work.

[mithril]

I do think there's a Renaissance/early-modern/modern aspect to the Fellowship in the books. The Hobbits, of course, have their waistcoats and pipes and brass buttons, but Gandalf doesn't sound at all Dark Ages to me with his hat and - overlooked by most sculptors - silver scarf. And Bree is more like something out of Tom Jones than Beowulf. So there are good grounds, I think, for deviating a fair bit from the received medievalisms.

functionally, the farther you get from the shire, the farther back in time you go stylistically in the books.. the shire is very much a 18th century type setting (tolkien himself even admits this), just without the guns. Bree comes across as a very 15-16th century place. Rohan is very 10th and 11th century, Gondor is very much 6th-7th century Byzantine, etc. the elvish places kinda break from this but understandably given their nature and his investment in writing stuff for them.

note that this even applies to a degree in the hobbit, though it is less obvious. Laketown has a major "iron age celtic Crannog" feel to it for example, albeit much larger and grander than historical ones.

And in line with that, I reckon there's a bit more of the fairy tale in LotR - not just The Hobbit - than is often reflected in Middle-earth gaming. I'm thinking of the fact that Tolkien's approved illustrators included Pauline Baynes and Ingahild Grathmer, whose work has a distinct fairy-tale quality (as do Tolkien's own drawings), and of details like Gandalf's eyebrows projecting beyond the brim of his hat. And the whole Tom Bombadil episode. I think you get some of that same timeless/anachronistic atmosphere in LotR as you do in Anderson's fairy tales.

not surprise given that Tolkien himself had very strong opinions on the nature of "fairy stories" and such, and his legendarium was written largely from the idea of creating a corpus of fairie stories/mythology. (his On fairy stories is pretty much required reading for discussions of the fantasy genre)

[Hobgoblin]

Yes, good points - although I'm not sure about Gondor's role. I can see the Byzantine parallel (which Tolkien makes explicit somewhere, if I remember aright), but isn't it a bit of 626 and a bit of 1453? With a technological level somewhere between the two?

Here are a few more Uruk kitbashes in progress. The chap with the mace needs greenstuff work on and around his helmet, and I'll probably cut the mace down a bit. I'll probably want at least one more on the base to make it a 'proper' horde in HotT terms.

[Samsonov]

When I first read The Lord of the Rings as a teenager my knowledge of history was non-existent and my entire knowledge of wargaming was mid to late-90s Warhammer. Everything was interpreted through the Empire, hence it was a type of renaissance setting.

[Hobgoblin]

Interesting! I remember that when my son was very small, he drew a picture of Shagrat and Gorbag. And they were green (!). The shadow of GW stretches far ...

Actually, I think lots of Tolkien's contemporary readers just assume his Orcs are green because they already associate the word Orc with the colour (and don't notice the scant references to other hues).

[jon_1066]

Nice work on the Orcs.  Looking forward to your imaginings on the other combatants.

[tikitang]

I remember that when my son was very small, he drew a picture of Shagrat and Gorbag. And they were green (!). The shadow of GW stretches far ...

"GW's arm has grown long indeed," said Gimli, "if they can draw orcs as green in the north to trouble us here three hundred leagues away."

"Their arm has grown long," said Gandalf.

[Hobgoblin]

Precisely! 

Nice work on the Orcs.  Looking forward to your imaginings on the other combatants.

Thanks! I'm thinking about the Haradrim at the moment. For the horsemen, I'm thinking about Goth elite cavalry for the mounts - lots of opportunity for the "brazen scale" theme to be continued in the barding, but with heavily kitbashed riders. Long hair and earrings are the big challenge here, I think!

[jetengine]

Say what you like about the Jackson films, they at least gave us Orcs of many colours. Grey, green, yellow, pink, black, brown iirc.

[Byrthnoth]

Long hair and earrings are the big challenge here, I think!

The Victrix Viking set has a few separate hair and beard extension pieces that might be made to work - at least one has some beads which would look good painted in gold.

[Hupp n at em]

Wow, love everything about this project!    The farther you go from existing interpretations, the better IMO.  Show me something new! 

[LazyStudent]

On the early modern theme, have you seen the planned Conquitors from WA? They look like they will have plenty of bearded heads with helms that might be suitable for a kit bash: https://wargamesatlantic.com/collections/all/products/conquistadors

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, gents - lots of handy pointers! The Conquistador kit is a very good call, as are those Victrix Viking bits; I've got a few lying around.

Here are another couple of kitbashed Uruks. I'll probably give them bows on their backs or at their belts. The Uruks are probably going to be the least unconventional and the most 'by the book', but I think the very fact of going by the book on stature and proportions should make them a little distinctive. And then I hope to be a little creative with the paint schemes.

I think these two would make good bodyguards of Bolg if I ever do the Five Armies. But that would open the whole can of worms of getting smaller Orcs for the bulk of the troops. In that sense, the Pelennor is easier because you just need the Uruks.

[Cubs]

Did anyone mention Dunlendings yet? It's not overly unconventional, but I always saw them as Iron Age Britons or Gauls. It hits the right note for a relatively 'primitive' people burning with vengeance for being displaced by the Rohirrim.