Hobol Firebreath - The Forest Troll

[HvM]

A while ago I finally managed to get this amazing oldhammer troll that was released in 1984.
So much character in this one! I really enjoyed painting it and I'm already considering to get a few more great oldhammer minis!

Hope you like this handsome young man!

Cheers,
Daniel

[fred]

Nice work. Well not sure nice is quite right for a pustulant troll.

The eyes are especially impressive.

This is a great figure, I still have one from back in the day.

[affun]

Those eyes are unreal. Really great characterful painting and photography.

[aiteal]

That's simply breathtaking, I'm in awe of those eyes. I myself feel i did a good job if my minis don't look like Marty Feldman.

[marrony]

Thats brilliant. I love the old citadel trolls. Old skool coolness bang upto date with a top notch paint job

[Malebolgia]

Wow, that is awesome brushwork and photography. Fantastic work.

[Severian]

Superb stuff.

Another nod for the fantastic eyes. I also like what you've done with the teeth (what he has of them, that is). Great how understated yet characterful these old sculpts are; you've brought this out very well indeed.

[Gabbi]

WOW. It looks like it's painted. No, not the miniature, I know the model it is painted I mean, the whole model looks like a painting. Astounding work.

[Hobgoblin]

Amazing! I don't think GW has ever surpassed that range of trolls. The painting is sublime.

[Andrew May]

Gorgeous work! How was it to paint? I did a reeeeaaaly old Kev Adams ogre/troll and it was a little of a "turd polishing" exercise, that's a little harsh tbh but the sculpting was very rough indeed. Same deal with the ancient "great goblins/gnolls" that I have. Rough diamonds, incredible character but primitive from a technical standpoint.

[Cubs]

I said it before and I'll say it again.

Just too good.

[Nord]

That is beyond good. Truly wonderful. Best paint job I have seen for a while. And great presentation too. Love the face, the skin texture, the veins (freehanded?) and the setting. You raise the bar so high.

[Gibby]

He's awesome. Amazing painting!

[Duncan McDane]

This is not a pj, it's a piece of art. Sheer brilliance  .
Any chance you could write down a quick tutorial about "how to for dummies"?

[Hobgoblin]

I did a reeeeaaaly old Kev Adams ogre/troll and it was a little of a "turd polishing" exercise, that's a little harsh tbh but the sculpting was very rough indeed. Same deal with the ancient "great goblins/gnolls" that I have. Rough diamonds, incredible character but primitive from a technical standpoint.

I think there's a point with the Perrys (1984) where you see a sudden acceleration in the quality of their sculpts. No idea what caused it, but it may have been contact with Tom Meier or just a honing of their craft. The great goblins/gnolls illustrate this really well. If you look at the ones released in 1984, they're streets ahead of the earlier ones. One or two are still quite rough and based on the earlier versions, but (e.g.) the shaman, the long-eared one bottom right, the one with the mace and shield and the top-left one with the spear are so much better; I don't think there's been a better GW goblin shaman since.



The C20 trolls are from 1984, so they're in the sweet spot. The Aly Morrison trolls that followed them are nice, but I don't think Hobol and his kin have been bettered. Oddly enough, I often find Kev Adams' miniatures much harder to paint than their Perry predecessors. I think there's more finicky detail (wrinkles and the like) that can play havoc with highlighting.

I'd echo Duncan's call for some insight into the painting of this tremendous troll! There are so many tremendous and imaginative touches - from the veins to the eyes to the moss on the hammer. Astonishing!