Orcs of the Cracked Rock - More Vendel Orcs

[Old Hob]

Thanks all. I'm really pleased you like them.

Yes, they look fantastic! "Goblin-soldiers of greater stature", indeed!

The GB minis worked great for this, especially after a bit of neck surgery. They're on a par in stature with the Oathmark goblins. They'll be noticeably shorter than most human-sized 28s, but not overly so, which I think is probably about right for well equipped orc soldiers. The Crusader goblins are smaller again, so the current plan is to use them for 'non-uruk' skirmishers and general rabble.

I really like the Wargames Atlantic head on the left with the pointed helmet - it's got a really Tolkien-esque feel to it somehow.

That head is definitely the pick of the bunch. Some of the other WA heads are a bit underwhelming, but it's wonderful to have so much choice.

[Hummster]

Those Ragnarok goblins are very nice and I like what you have done with the GB plastic kitbashes.

[Verderer]

People following this thread might want to know that I was in contact with Ragnarok minis, and asked them if they will produce some orcs with bows. The response was that they will, after they finish the current human (Norse?) project. So good news, but need to be patient...

Got my order from them too.

[Old Hob]

Those Ragnarok goblins are very nice and I like what you have done with the GB plastic kitbashes.

Thank you

People following this thread might want to know that I was in contact with Ragnarok minis, and asked them if they will produce some orcs with bows. The response was that they will, after they finish the current human (Norse?) project. So good news, but need to be patient...

Got my order from them too.

That's excellent news. I know Colin's a one-man band, so always expected a bit of a wait. I've been eyeing up his new Norse casualty markers and wondering about some head swaps...
There's been a bit of a pause on my Ragnarok orcs while I'm waiting for a banner from a kickstarter. Should have them finished soon, though.

[Old Hob]

Hi folks. What a week I've just had. Not only did the Cracked Rock boys actually win a game of Dragon Rampant (apparently the trick was not to march directly at the heavy missile unit!), but a couple of days later my goodies from the Osmoticmeld kickstarter from Myriad Miniatures arrived. Back of the net! I've been waiting (and waiting) for the Green Skull Banner to complete the hus-uruks. So without further a do, here it is. I varnished this fella this morning, so he's still a little bit shiny!



I'm not sure I've really done John's beautiful sculpt justice, but I decided to keep things simple and get it done. I also wondered what the banner could possibly be?

The Unholy Thorn (Diablos Spinosa)

In springtime the blossom of the unholy thorn produces a powerful soporific. The prey is overcome and as they slumber the snake-like roots of the tree slowly envelope the victim, who is then absorbed. Unusually for a vampiric tree, the unholy thorn is not primarily concerned with nutrition. Rather, the tree drains its prey of memories and experiences, and possibly soul. It is thought that the tree is somehow able to keep the prey conscious throughout this process. How long this process takes depends on the complexity of the mind and the store of experiences. A fox, for example, may take the tree several weeks to absorb, a reasonably intelligent child may last six months or more, and one of the immortal elves may take up to a century to fully drain. It is a horrible death.

It is assumed that the tree is at its most vigorous after absorbing a fully sentient being. Conversely, a tree that has had slim pickings over several years will eventually become dormant. When your fancy sees a face within the trunk of an old, gnarled thorn, it is likely that the tree is a now dormant Diablos Spinosa and that the face is in fact the likeness of one of its victims.

All of which means that I've finally completed the Ragnarok Miniatures armoured goblins set.






I've also been slowly tinkering away at a few other bits and pieces for this army. Inspired by Pattus' wolf riders, one thing I've finally made a start on is the wargary. Here's the test miniature.



There's a few things I'll do differently on the others, but overall I'm happy with the look. More soon.

[Pattus Magnus]

I’m biased as hell, but I definitely like your warg rider test figure, he looks great! I also like the standard bearer, the standard reminds me of the standards in some of the line art illustrations in the WFB 3rd edition rule book (which is a good thing)! The whole effect in that unit is just excellent, in my (very biased) opinion.

[AdamPHayes]

War Gary? Not a very orcish name.

🙂

[Chimpfoot]

War Gary? Not a very orcish name.

🙂
Got a nice ring to it 🤔🤣
Lovely minis too 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[beefcake]

War Gary? Not a very orcish name.

🙂

Clearly you've never met Gary when he's angry and had a few too many beers.


Love the banner by the way

[Old Hob]

Cheers all.

War Gary? Not a very orcish name.

🙂

 

It's the orcish equivalent to A Boy Named Sue. He's grown up to be one mean hombre.

[Hobgoblin]

Great work on these! That's an amazing unit, and the standard's fantastic: shades of Ian Miller.

[Old Hob]

Great work on these! That's an amazing unit, and the standard's fantastic: shades of Ian Miller.

Thanks Hobgoblin. Appreciated. And a good call on the standard. It's from the Osmoticmeld range, a collaboration between Ian Miller and sculptor John Robertson. There've made some crazy stuff link

[gibby64]

Really nicely done!

[Grumpy Gnome]

Great work! 👍

[Old Hob]

Thank you Gibby and GG. Very much appreciated.

So, you've all read the posts where a fellow gamer has to self isolate due to the plague and uses the opportunity to knock out an entire chapter of space marines or whatever. When I finally succumbed to Nurgle's caress a couple of weeks ago I thought I might be able to use the time off work to make a serious dent in the painting queue. What I hadn't counted on was the shaking hands, the aching eyes, the constant brain fog and generally being good for nothing. In the end I only managed a single stand of gobbos. I wasn't sure about sharing them - the paint jobs are grungier than I would like - but as this thread is about the journey as much as the destination I decided I would share and be damned.

The impetus here was to use up the odds and sods leftover from kit bashing the uruks (p.3) to build some tribal levy troops. I haven't gone into the army fluff too much on LAF, but very briefly, the Cracked Rock is the orcish name for a high pass through a cleft in a mountain range, and can also refer to the fort which guards the mouth of the pass. When the old empire declined and fell the fort was squatted by the Cracked Rock tribe who in turn subjugated the surrounding goblin tribes. A levy of troops forms part of the tribute demanded from these sub-tribes.



A lovely chap over on the Oathmark Discord had described the uruks as looking like foederati. I was very pleased with this comment. So when I was thinking about possible shield designs for the levy troops I thought it might be cool to riff on the designs in the Notitia Dignitatum.



I'm not sure I've really nailed this. It looks a little off to me. All the same, I'm calling these done for now and moving on to the next unit (some of those brilliant North Star goblin slave slingers). I can always overpaint the shields at a later date. Onwards and upwards.