Author Topic: Grey is the colour... of Orcs! (Read 1775 times)

Evil Doctor · « **on:** 16 November 2015, 10:24:16 AM »

I've been inspired by Hobgoblin's excellent thread to agree that to me, grey is the colour! The colour of Orcs that is. Here is a small sample of my preslotta Orcs (and a Troll with a repaired tree-club) with my favoured skin colour. I really hate the look of ‘greeskins’ - I think they generally look daft and to me are synonymous with the comedy goblins so prevalent from various (and one in particular) miniature manufacturers in the 80′s/90′s. I really like my Orcs savage, cruel and evil, and I think the Perry ‘fantasy tribe’ Orcs for Citadel hit the nail on the head.

Anyone else out there agree with my anti-green rantings?

psullie · « **Reply #1 on:** 16 November 2015, 01:43:48 PM »

very nice, and I agree the bright green is a bit much. your grey has a nice sickly paler one would expect from cave dwellers

DeafNala · « **Reply #2 on:** 16 November 2015, 02:02:36 PM »

The Grey Guys look TERRIFIC. That is a FINE idea for the Orcs ...& other subterranean types. Highlighting almost to white might be cool, although the Lads look fine as is. GREAT & INSPIRING WORK!

Hobgoblin · « **Reply #3 on:** 16 November 2015, 02:32:06 PM »

These look great in grey! I would say that mine are more "fish-white" (like Alan Garner's svart-alfar), but my terrible photographic skills mean that I have to use my phone-camera's lowest light setting, which makes them greyer. I wanted mine to look convincingly subterranean. I'm also working up some sallow, "swart" and black ones for Tolkien-themed warbands.

I like the red one on your blog too. I'd imagine he fits in nicely with his grey-skinned kin. A bit of variety's always good. I have a few duplicates, which I'll do with black hides (again echoing Garner's svarts, some of which are black).

Have you seen Duff's astonishing Armoured Orcs? Or these terrific specimens by blackstone? And - possibly the finest old Perry orc I've seen - this one by Cubs?

The old Perry orcs are indeed superb (and there are so many variants!).

What's so great about the Perry orcs - the Fantasy Tribe and Armoured Orc ranges, along with associated models and the very first generation of slotta-based orcs - is that they are convincingly horrendous without being cartoony or steroidal. Rather than looking like oiled-up bodybuilders, they look hungry. And that, of course, is scarier. The current generation of Citadel orcs might steal your rack in the gym or make off with someone's suntan lotion; the Perry orcs would eat you!

Evil Doctor · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 November 2015, 03:07:01 PM »

Some lovely models in those threads, out mine to shame!

What I love about the Perry Orcs is threefold:

1) They don't look stupid, they look mean! Brutish, nasty, but not dim-witted.

2) As you say there are loads of variations and they are quite cheap these days, which makes collecting them fun and not too painful on the wallet

3) They have a heft and weight to them which you get from all the old preslotta sculpts - reminds me of the first time I bought them as a boy and went to school with a chaos warrior in my pocket. Despite the many advantages of plastics, I've just never managed to escape the fact that to me, miniatures should be heavy! Take this chap...