What type of orc do you like?

[maxxon]

While Tolkien's statement comparing Orcs to the "Mongol-types" is undoubtedly insensitive given today's standards,

Incidentally, I once saw illustrations from a South African edition of the The Hobbit.

The orcs looked an awful lot like zulu warriors...

(Yes, this was when Nelson was still in jail and apartheid was still going strong)

[SotF]

I like the more tolkien style, close in appearance to human in many ways, slightly off of normal human and physically a bit better built. More towards the neanderthal look compared to normal humans

[Maspalio]

the Celtos orcs sculpted by Kev White are great...OK they are not really "orc-ish" and I more use them in an "evil humanoid race purpose" and not really as orcs

they are both classic and original...i think I'm the only one on Earth to like them 

(wow...nice pieces of broken english...sorry mates  )

[LeadAsbestos]

the Celtos orcs sculpted by Kev White are great...OK they are not really "orc-ish" and I more use them in an "evil humanoid race purpose" and not really as orcs

they are both classic and original...i think I'm the only one on Earth to like them 

(wow...nice pieces of broken english...sorry mates  )

Nope, I love em too! I just never end up finding a good paint scheme to match their unusual look.

[Momotaro]

Ugly but human-like.  The LotR Uruk Hai plastic scouts are good, just painted up a batch, but a little too uniform for a raggedy orc band.  Their Fellowship-movie era metal orcs are good too.  I've had my eye on the Ral Partha metals for a while as well.

Phil, those GW conversions are amazing!

Don't mind the old-style GW/Foundry orcs and goblins - they have a style all their own and they fit in a world where dwarfs are Norse bowling balls on feet, and elves are long-haired versions of Spock.  AND I LOVE the bowling-ball dwarfs  .  The current GW orcs are a bit too much for me though.

Wargames Factory plastic orcs are so nearly there, but so far...

[westwaller]

I voted for the first category as it is closest to the old skool GW Orcs and Goblins that I prefer. Actually I would be interested to know who the other old skool Gw orc sculptors were besides Kev Adams...

I do not like every Orc from that era, in fact there are some downright awful ones, but there are lots I do. I don't like the 'comedy' Orcs though

I particularly like the scavenged 'real' armour look as opposed to spiky Orc armour.

I don't mind the more 'human' Tolkien Orcs but they are just that: Tolkien/Jackson Orcs.

[Garanhir]

I'm very fond of the old long-jaw orcs from Citadel's early days, and the Partha orcs are very appealing, but my favourites are the Fantasy Warriors half-orcs. They're perfect for my purposes.

[joroas]

[m4jumbo]

The Tom Meier classic Ral Partha orcs and lesser orcs have always been my favorite.

[Dilettante Gamer]

LotR...in my imagination. (Though I do think PJ did a good job with them in the first trilogy. Don't get me started on the deplorable CGI crap in the Hobbit movies)

The Tom Meier classic Ral Partha orcs and lesser orcs have always been my favorite.

Second this - and Thunderbolt Mountain, which share the same sculptor the great Tom Meier.

And I do think the GW LotR orcs are solid - particularly the early metals.




I like them because they're closest to the old Tim Kirk artwork that's always felt, to me, closest to Tolkien's descriptions.   



There was a bunch more in the old SPI "War of the Ring" game I still have from 1979. 

[Doomhippie]

I like the LotR style from the movies. To me orcs are weaker and smaller than humans. That's why the appearance of uruks was such a nasty surprise for everyone: orcs of almost human size. The Uruk-Hai of the movies are too big and strong for my liking but I can live with them.

I don't like pig faced ones at all (even though I love AD&D), I can accept the GW Warhammer orcs for their own world. In fact I kind of like them, but to me, what orcs are all about is the good old Tolkien style orc - with the problem that we have no real detailed description. The quotations from the Hobbit are good but still leave lots of possibilities open.

[Hobbit]

I like the Tom Meier sculpts shown just above. I waxed lyrical about them just recently and have a batch of about 20 on my painting desk just now. Just for the record mine are in a greyish green, perhaps a little lighter than those in the photo.

The sculpts go back to 1979 and the specific one I have I bought over 20 years ago, alas the molds had seen better days. They're quite small by today's standards and come out at about 22mm to the hump of the back so, compared to today's figures are definitely goblin sized. Part of me would like to see them re-sculpted to today's size (but remaining in proportion); the other part of me wants to keep them in the "when I were a lad they knew how to make proper orcs" category 

I generally have no great beef with GW (each to his/her/its own) BUT their whole take on orcs/orks and goblins actively put me off wanting to play any of their games. To me they looked like they were a sculptor's joke that just got wildly out of hand. To this day the only one of their games that I've ever played with any kind of regularity is Mordheim where orcs generally don't feature.

[Momotaro]

Well I would.  Just sayin'... 

[Momotaro]

Also the Asgard range (now owned by Viking Forge), Vendel goblins (now owned by Sergeant Major Miniatures) and Black Tree/Legends of the Realm range (now owned by Scotia Grendel) are all good "human-like" orcs.

[joroas]

Sent to me by another LAFer: