Nick's 1st Age Project

[nicknorthstar]

Actually, Joan Wyatt's orcs have quite an Oathmark look to them:

That might be because I was part of the design team.

[Hobgoblin]

Aha! Good work, then - those helmets work so well in the Oathmark range!

[nicknorthstar]

One of my ideas, not fully formed yet, is to have the armies of Morgoth slightly 'themed'.

It comes from reading the Silmarillion, not described specifically, but it's there, and that is different armies led by different characters.

So for example, the army that sacks Nargathrond is led by Glaurung the Dragon. The army based at Minas Tirith (V.1) is led by the Necromancer Sauron.

The pics below are my Glaurung and Sauron BTW.

As I said, I not fully thought these through, but an example would be Saurons army would include Werewolves, and therefore more Giant Wolves, Wolf Riders. It would also have vampires in, thinking of Thuringwethil and big S himself changing into one.

Glaurungs wouldn't have these, but maybe he'd have more 'raiding' lighter armed/ armoured Orcs to range across Beleriand.

The Balrogs would be another General type. They would include the biggest and best armoured Orcs, and the Troll Guards, along with maybe other lesser Maiar demon types.

A smaller just Orc army could be led by a lesser Maiar, in the Histories of Middle-Earth the notes suggest some famous Orc Captains are actually Maiar taking Orc form.

These are my first ideas, happy to hear peoples opinions.

[sir_shvantselot]

That wingless dragon is the bees knees.

[Plynkes]

Oh yeah, nice.

You are right, Sauron in his Tol Sirion days needs to have a bunch of monstrous wolves in his posse.

[armchairgeneral]

Surely First Age orcs would be a lot shorter than the Oathmark orcs?

For me the new Crusader goblins are nearer the mark if they had scimitars and helmets?

[nicknorthstar]

Surely First Age orcs would be a lot shorter than the Oathmark orcs?

For me the new Crusader goblins are nearer the mark if they had scimitars and helmets?

Yes, I'm in fan mode here rather than North Star mode. When I say Orcs for my 1st Age project, I mean the Oathmark Goblins only. I agree, the Orcs are too tall for my Middle-Earth tastes. (They were never designed for it of course, Oathmark isn't a Middle-Earth range)

[nicknorthstar]

More Elves of Hithlum.

Painted by Andrew Taylor.

[Pattus Magnus]

Those look very sharp! I like the colour gradient on the shields and the colour palette overall.

[Aethelwulf]

Wonderful elves.

[voltan]

I misread that as Elves on Helium...

Anyway, I love the design on the shields.

[Aethelwulf]

I misread that as Elves on Helium...

[sir_shvantselot]

Like the shield transfers.

[Melnibonean]

 A great thread that I've only just found. I read all about your balrog. I had this figure back in the 80's and it was a very large figure for it's time. A friend of mine has all of my old D&D figures from Citadel, Asgard, Grenadier, Ral Partha and all the rest. He rescued them when I joined the army and has them stashed away in foam padded biscuit tins somewhere in his garage. It would be great to break them out again one day and see what's hidden away.

[Hobgoblin]

Great project!

Lots of scope for 'heraldry' based on the baddie divisions you describe - wolf and dragon emblems, and so on.

Yes, I'm in fan mode here rather than North Star mode. When I say Orcs for my 1st Age project, I mean the Oathmark Goblins only. I agree, the Orcs are too tall for my Middle-Earth tastes. (They were never designed for it of course, Oathmark isn't a Middle-Earth range)

Don't forget their heads and arms, though - you can make good use of those on goblin and dwarf bodies for that large-headed, ape-armed look.

Have you considered interpolating some of the earlier versions of the stories - like the mechanical dragons of The Book of Lost Tales? They're perhaps not congruent with the published Silmarillion, but they'd make a great modelling project!