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Author Topic: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - now with 1980s vintage Orc archers  (Read 11491 times)

Offline Hobgoblin

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Re: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - Rescuing Some Old 1980s Orcs
« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2022, 12:18:36 PM »
Great stuff! The banners are fantastic, and the conversions are great!

I've never seen an intact version of the first dart-wielder (the guy you gave a spear); he must be among the most consistently broken Citadel figures.


To me the old pre slotta Orcs were the best. I have a few of those myself.
I could never get into the comical style they morphed into.

I feel much the same - though I'd make an exception for the very first slottabased range of Orcs. But many of those were conversions of the preslotta range; for example, Axe Killer is a variant of our friend with the dart, and various others recycle bodies and heads from the preslotta era.

Offline Cubs

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  • "I simply cannot survive without beauty ..."
Re: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - Rescuing Some Old 1980s Orcs
« Reply #16 on: April 14, 2022, 12:20:52 PM »
Go man go! Best orcs ever.
'Sir John ejaculated explosively, sitting up in his chair.' ... 'The Black Gang'.

Paul Cubbin Miniature Painter

Offline Diablo Jon

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Re: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - Rescuing Some Old 1980s Orcs
« Reply #17 on: April 15, 2022, 06:35:38 AM »
Phenomenal.  You've really captured that 80's/early 90's vibe. 

Conversions are smoothly done, they add great variety.

To what you said earlier, it never fails to astonish me just how well a lot of those sculpts hold up, once given a more modern paintjob - top case in point always being Jes Goodwin's Eldar, imo.

Thanks. I agree Jes Goodwin's stuff ages very well. I painted up some first edition Aspect warriors a few years back that are still as nice if not better as anything Eldar GW puts out today.

Offline Diablo Jon

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Re: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - Rescuing Some Old 1980s Orcs
« Reply #18 on: April 15, 2022, 06:43:36 AM »
To me the old pre slotta Orcs were the best. I have a few of those myself.
I could never get into the comical style they morphed into.
Brilliant work on those old figures - puts mine to shame.
Morts

Thanks

Great stuff! The banners are fantastic, and the conversions are great!

I've never seen an intact version of the first dart-wielder (the guy you gave a spear); he must be among the most consistently broken Citadel figures.


I feel much the same - though I'd make an exception for the very first slottabased range of Orcs. But many of those were conversions of the preslotta range; for example, Axe Killer is a variant of our friend with the dart, and various others recycle bodies and heads from the preslotta era.

I have to say Darts seem like an odd weapon for orcs, a little two subtle in my mind, the slotta based version of this mini with the big axe seems more Orcy. I do have quite a few early slotta orcs, as well as the solid base Fantasy tribe ones, (mostly because collecting OOP miniatures means taking what you can get) you can see how many got a re-design when they changed from solid to slotta base.

Go man go! Best orcs ever.

Thanks seeing as finding your painted orcs on the internet was what spurred this project  lol

These figures can be quite hit or miss with people, but iblove them. Great refurbishment! The death banner orc is excellent.

Thanks
« Last Edit: April 15, 2022, 06:49:30 AM by Diablo Jon »

Offline Hobgoblin

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Re: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - Rescuing Some Old 1980s Orcs
« Reply #19 on: April 15, 2022, 07:13:33 AM »
I have to say Darts seem like an odd weapon for orcs, a little two subtle in my mind, the slotta based version of this mini with the big axe seems more Orcy.

Curiously enough, the Orc army list for first-edition Warhammer (in Forces of Fantasy?) had Orc guards armed with darts.

I wonder if their origin might lie in The Lord of the Rings, as in this description of the Uruk-hai at Helm's Deep:

"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall."

This might have nothing to do with it, of course, but early-80s miniature designers did seem to pay a lot of attention to Tolkien (see, for example, the details on the Asgard and early Ral Partha goblins: S-runes on helmets and the like). I reckon, though, that when Tolkien says "darts and arrows", he probably just means "arrows". He's fond of an archaic rhetorical technique in which the same thing is named twice ("Orcs and wolf-riders", for example; there's no doubt that the wolf-riders are Orcs).

Anyway, just a thought! I wonder if anyone ever fielded units of Orc guards based on the two dart-wielding figures.

Offline Diablo Jon

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Re: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - Rescuing Some Old 1980s Orcs
« Reply #20 on: April 15, 2022, 02:55:01 PM »
Curiously enough, the Orc army list for first-edition Warhammer (in Forces of Fantasy?) had Orc guards armed with darts.

I wonder if their origin might lie in The Lord of the Rings, as in this description of the Uruk-hai at Helm's Deep:

"But the Orcs laughed with loud voices; and a hail of darts and arrows whistled over the wall."

This might have nothing to do with it, of course, but early-80s miniature designers did seem to pay a lot of attention to Tolkien (see, for example, the details on the Asgard and early Ral Partha goblins: S-runes on helmets and the like). I reckon, though, that when Tolkien says "darts and arrows", he probably just means "arrows". He's fond of an archaic rhetorical technique in which the same thing is named twice ("Orcs and wolf-riders", for example; there's no doubt that the wolf-riders are Orcs).

Anyway, just a thought! I wonder if anyone ever fielded units of Orc guards based on the two dart-wielding figures.

Ha cool I never knew that. I  to would assume Darts meant arrows, or prehaps javelins, in Middle Earth rather than late Roman or Byzantine Plumbata which is what the Citadel orcs are clearly modelled with.

Offline Cubs

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Re: Diablo Jon's Geriatric Orcs and Goblins - Rescuing Some Old 1980s Orcs
« Reply #21 on: April 15, 2022, 09:33:21 PM »
Thanks seeing as finding your painted orcs on the internet was what spurred this project  lol

...ah ... and the cycle of sickness goes on ...

Offline Diablo Jon

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Finally got my hands on a 1984 TA3 Orc War Wyvern, at a reasonable price, to add to my growing Oldhammer Orc army. Sculpted by Tony Acklund (now if I could just find his orc war machine in good condition for a decent price) this was one of those models I always wanted as a kid but never managed to get. Odd, as it sounds now, but back in the early 80s £6.95 was a lot of money for, 10 year old me, and my 50p a week pocket money. Below is the Stuff of Legends entry for the miniature.

http://www.solegends.com/citta/ta3orcwyern/index.htm

This model is probably most famous as being used to represent the, dastardly codpiece poisoner, King Fyar in the classic 2nd edition Blood Bath at Orc’s Drift campaign box.

The last two pictures below show what the model looked like when it arrived in the post. It wasn’t horribly painted but it was bit to brown for me. So I stripped it, fitted the wings better with some strategic metal shaving, filled the gaps with green stuff and added a new base. I even had a go at using my new airbrush on the wyvern but I think I need more practice on that front. I’m pretty happy with how he has turned out and he makes a nice centre piece for my Orc army.














Offline Hobgoblin

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Superb! Terrific work on a tremendous model!

I always liked the fact that King Fy'ar is so well equipped - with spear, sword and crossbow for taking potshots from the air.

Your green and purple scheme rings a faint bell - was there one in White Dwarf with similar colours? In any case, it looks great.

Offline Diablo Jon

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Superb! Terrific work on a tremendous model!

I always liked the fact that King Fy'ar is so well equipped - with spear, sword and crossbow for taking potshots from the air.

Your green and purple scheme rings a faint bell - was there one in White Dwarf with similar colours? In any case, it looks great.

Thanks.

Yes the rider is a real belt and bracers Orc ready for every eventuality.

The Green and purple was pure accident originally I was going to paint him two tone green but as I was painting him I realised the wyvern had patches of feathers so went for purple in those areas as a nice contrast.

Offline Hobgoblin

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The Green and purple was pure accident originally I was going to paint him two tone green but as I was painting him I realised the wyvern had patches of feathers so went for purple in those areas as a nice contrast.

It works very well!

I was misremembering: the one in Tabletop Heroes was blue and purple!

Offline Elk101

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That's really nice, I like that a lot.

Offline Cacique Caribe

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I never thought I would say this of Orcs but … they look gorgeous!  I really love their desaturated skin colors.

Dan

Offline Diablo Jon

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It works very well!

I was misremembering: the one in Tabletop Heroes was blue and purple!

Thanks that is a very cool book how have never come across it before I have no idea?

Offline Diablo Jon

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That's really nice, I like that a lot.

Thanks

 

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