Some miniatures for Song of Blades and Heroes (Frostgrave undead and construct)

[Hobgoblin]

Excellent job, as always! I especially like the expression on the face of the gnoll with the pole axe. Has a great snarl.

Thanks! Yes, he's my favourite gnoll of all time.

Retro-Warhammer? That sounds like the way to go! Conquer the system with non-GW models!

There is nothing more old-school Warhammer than playing Warhammer with non-GW figures! Exhibit A: Bryan Ansell's legendary chaos army. White Dwarf also used to run pictures of Warhammer games with non-GW figures, including Thistlewood and the Pelennor Fields scenario. Good times!

[DivisMal]

I had no knowledge of that post, but this is pure awesomeness! It’s also interesting that it’s kinda lost knowledge where those minis came from.

…

In the days before Atlantis was drowned by the Sea a large number of miniature producers rose to power and quickly fell. It was the days of true chaos…

[Hobgoblin]

I had no knowledge of that post, but this is pure awesomeness! It’s also interesting that it’s kinda lost knowledge where those minis came from.

…

In the days before Atlantis was drowned by the Sea a large number of miniature producers rose to power and quickly fell. It was the days of true chaos…

Ha! Quite!

Every time I look at that post, I seem to be able to identify one more (this time it was the Heritage troglodyte with the open mouth). I think the first one (with the lion head and eagle-headed club) is almost certainly a conversion; the club looks to be the same one carried by a Trish Carden troglodyte and one of her C38 chaos beastmen. Not sure what the base figure is, though, or whether the head is scratch-built.

That army was featured in Warhammer Armies for third edition, with many of the non-Citadel figures visible: elegant reminders of a more civilised age.

[Hobgoblin]

Here's a Tin Soldier orc painted in a simple, retro style with lots of blacklining in ink. He's part of my 25mm RPG project, but I've decided to switch to square MDF basing for these figures, so that they become cross-compatible with my 28mm stuff (and 15mm in some cases).

I'm also increasingly interested in campaigns that combine RPGs and wargames, and may take our long-running but increasingly occasional D&D campaign in that direction. Square bases are handy for that, as you can turn a ten-orc dungeon encounter into a 100-strong warband by using a 1:10 figure scale. And 20mm bases are small enough that the figures are still manoeuvrable in dungeon environments.

[JollyBob]

The gentleman seems to have forgotten his trousers....

Lovely painting, I hadn't seen Tin Soldier figures before. You make them look a lot better than the pics on the website...

The vividness of the chap's.... chap... makes me think of the old question about orc blood, if the skin is green, then surely the blood should also be, but we have all painted wounds in very human tones.

[Basementboy]

Lovely painting! Nice work on the jewels

[Storm Wolf]

Well he want's to be a bit careful when he sheaths his sword 

Lovely bit of painting 

[Pattus Magnus]

Real orcs don’t wear pants. At least that seems to have been a trend in the ‘80s - Ral Partha also did a bunch of pants-less orc and goblin sculpts around that time. I don’t recall whether the RP lads were as heavily endowed as the Tim Soldier fellow here.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, all!

Real orcs don’t wear pants. At least that seems to have been a trend in the ‘80s - Ral Partha also did a bunch of pants-less orc and goblin sculpts around that time. I don’t recall whether the RP lads were as heavily endowed as the Tim Soldier fellow here.

They were not!

Yes, a lot of the Tin Soldier figures seem to have been heavily influenced by Ral Partha - but done in very different, highly stylised manner. The classic pantless RP goblins (especially the giant goblins aka half-orcs aka orcs) were first produced in the late 70s (which may partially explain their fashion choices!).

[DivisMal]

Concerning the fashion choice, I would like to add that pants are a fairly late development in human history and pantless orcs would fit in to the culture usually associated with them, i.e. not a nomadic horse breeder society!

Lovely model and great painting.

[Hobgoblin]

Concerning the fashion choice, I would like to add that pants are a fairly late development in human history and pantless orcs would fit in to the culture usually associated with them, i.e. not a nomadic horse breeder society!

Lovely model and great painting.

Thanks - and good point! I'm working on the wolf-mounted version of this figure, but his various accoutrements prevent any analysis of his underwear!

I suspect I'll end up using these guys as hobgoblins in D&D: they're quite chunky and well equipped (in terms of weaponry as well as appendages!). Unfortunately, there are only three variants: this guy, an armoured infantryman with a polearm and a very heavily armoured crossbowman. But they come in packs of three, so they at least have a regimented look.

Tin Soldier UK also does a more extensive line of orcs, but those are very different: taller, ganglier and more naturalistic - quite similar to Citadel's Fantasy Tribe orcs:

[beefcake]

Excellent work.
Tin soldier were the first ever miniatures I bought. 15mm orcs.
Closely followed by the asgard range of minis. Takes me back.

[Hobgoblin]

Thanks, beefcake!

Here's an old Grenadier orc by Nick Lund, painted to fit in with some that I painted six years ago; I used different techniques to paint this guy, but he matches them closely enough, and I'm rebasing the others in this style, which fits in well with all my gaming mats and dungeon tiles.

[Philotep]

Oh I love this one! The color scheme is great, makes me regret having painted mine green 

I had never seen any Tin Soldier Orc, I agree that they are close to FT Orcs, thank you for displaying them.

[Hobgoblin]

Oh I love this one! The color scheme is great, makes me regret having painted mine green 

Cheers! Meanwhile, yours makes me regret not painting mine green!

I had never seen any Tin Soldier Orc, I agree that they are close to FT Orcs, thank you for displaying them.

You're welcome! They're nice figures, I think - and they bulk out the FT ranks very well. Absurdly cheap, too - about £1 a figure last time I bought some.