Orc Red Skull Tribe...

The latest Orc regiment is definitely old skool and rather obscure...

Back in 1991 Scottish company Fantasy Forge released a box of resin Orcs scuplted by Kev Adams which have unfortunately sat in the attic for two decades.

They have now been rescued and painted up as part of my Olde Skool Warhammer project (though I want to do a little more shading on the banner...).

The box only contained twelve miniatures, two basic poses with head variants. Detail was very good and the casting quality top notch with none of the problems that seem to afflict GW's Finecast.

To beef the unit up I added four old Heartbreaker Orcs (also scuplted by Kev Adams in the nineties) and painted up one of GW's original movement trays for them.

Working on finishing a Red Orc infantry regiment and some 1985 Kev Adams Goblin Wolf Riders next...

Barking Mad...

Unfortunately my WHFB2 project hit a bit of a brick wall over the summer (if we can call what we had a summer here in the UK) but I am dedicating most of this month to cracking on with the Orcs and Goblins so hopefully this blog will seem some more regular posting!

Dipping my toe back into the fantasy water I finished painting an old Citadel C27 Hobhounds and Hobgoblin Master set that I've had sat around since the mid-eighties (along with a regiment of Hobgoblins).

I pondered on how to mount the figures as I liked the idea of the Hobhounds being unleashed to attack enemy units and in the end adopted a similar approach to the Dwarf Rocketeers by building a sabot base for the miniatures. I added foil leads, I'm not 100% convinced this works but it looks better with them than it does without.

Back to the Red Orcs next I think...

Flight of the Walküre...

Progress of the Red Orcs has been steady but slow this week with 'Real World' work impacting time available to paint, however this does give me the opportunity to show off something I finished off earlier this year for the Dwarf army.

I've never been a great fan of GW's Dwarf mythos, for a race that worship tradition and abhor change they sure seem to develop some technological marvels! Top of my hate list is the gyrocopter. I don't know why, I just don't like the concept or the models GW have released over the years.

With this in mind it is somewhat hypocritical of me to replace the gyrocopter with Dwarf rocketeers but I tell myself that for an army with gunpowder, rockets are a much smaller tech leap than a steam-powered helicopter! :-)

Whatever, the models are conversions of the old Dwarf plastics, which whilst not as good as the current ones do have loads more conversion potential. The rocket packs are dragon-head standards from the set, winged helmets used to allow for changes of direction, the only new bits added being some sticks of dynamite from the Miners box set.

The idea was pinched from the excellent Dwarf forum Bugman's Brewery and whilst the models are individually based on 20mm x 20mm bases I have made a 40mm square sabot base for the two rocketeers so they can be used as a gyrocopter proxy by Saul if he fancies using his Dwarves down the local GW.

Painting Conundrums...

I hit a bit of a painting conundrum recently with regards to my Orcs. Back in the Eighties I painted the Citadel/GW Orcs and Goblins green. Not the luminous Goblin Green from GW but Humbrol French Artillery Green, a more olive green colour that looked more natural. However for the Nick Lund Chronicle Orcs I went with a terracotta flesh washed with sepia brown oil.

The problems in trying to recreate the particular looks has proven varied to say the least. I thought the French Artillery Green would be the most problematical until I discovered how Napoleon's artillery crews made it in the field (mix yellow and black and et voila!). The Chronicle brown though has been a problem.

I've tried a few experiments over the last couple of weeks and settled on a slightly darker and redder look than previous, but one I like and has a link to the old Red Goblins that existed in early Warhammer lore before being erased from history by the GW Design Studio.

The three Orcs here (all Grenadier IIRC) are painted slightly differently (Vallejo Red Black, Burnt Cad. Red and Flat Brown over a black undercoat) but the end result is similar enough and one I am pleased with so it's now full steam ahead on a unit of 21 Nick Lund Red Orcs.

Wagons Ho!

Whilst I continue my experiments on what colour to paint the Nick Lund Orcs I dug out these photos of the Dwarves Mining Wagons which have been painted up to use in a Wagon Train/Ambush game.

They are variants of the model that came with the 7th Edition Skull Pass set which I believe are found in the current Dwarf Miners box (I'm not 100% sure as Saul won the sprues in a luck dip at the local GW a few years back).

I made some slight tweaks to the models to ensure they weren't all identical, the major addition being the inclusion of contents in the wagons. I dropped a small piece of plastic card in them and piled some wall filler on top before adding some sand and small rocks which I painted to represent unrefined gold ore (I have no idea what gold ore is supposed to look like so drybrushed black over gold which allowed for flecks of gold to shine out).

I love the little Goblin prisoner in the cage, a wonderful little touch amongst the plethora of extra odds and sods on the sprues. GW may do many things wrong these days, but sometimes they still get it right... :-)

Black Orc Chopped Skull Tribe

Whilst the main focus of my army will be old Citadel and Chronicle metal I am not averse to using more recent releases and consequently have dragooned this unit of current plastic GW Black Orcs into the fold.

This unit was constructed and painted by Saul and myself a couple of years back but I wasn't overly keen on the plate armour look (the models would be sooo much better with some fur as a contrast), however drawing on the rusting techniques used on the Harlequin Great Orcs I am much happier with them now.

I also took the opportunity to replace the standard that came with the figures with one made from the foil from a tube of tomato puree. The design is similar to one I found on the web. To my mind Orcs are not the worlds greatest artists and the John Blanche designs of yore that many paint seem somewhat ridiculous to my eye, so all the banners and shields in the army will have a simple and rough look to them (the only exception possibly being the Hobgoblins when I get around to them).

Turning Nipponese...

This cursed unseasonal warm weather has seen 'She Who Must be Obeyed' cracking the whip and forcing me into the garden on various horticultural duties. This has had a negative impact pretty much any painting though I have discovered a unit of GW plastic Black Orcs that Saul and I painted up a couple of years back. I must confess I didn't like them, too much silver armour so I am taking the opportunity to rust it up and they are looking much better and I need to finish off the tomato puree to purloin the foil tube to make a standard! :-)

Wargames Factory Samurai (photo Wargames Factory)

In the meantime my mind has been pondering other armies and despite a lifetime fear of painting samurai I have become increasing intrigued with the idea of a small Nipponese army based on the Imperial Cathan list in WHFB2 and bits from the Warhammer Armies project Nippon sourcebook. The idea of Samurai, Ninja and Vimto Warior Monks on the tabletop does have a certain appeal and to this end I did a little ebaying, picking up a box of the new(ish) Wargames Factory plastic Samurai and a couple of boxes of their Ashigaru for £13 a box, slightly over 50p a figure which is pretty good value.

Wargames Factory Ashigaru with spear (photo Wargames Factory)

Whilst painting efforts will have to concentrate on the Goblinoids for the planned summer gaming project, planning out both the Undead and Nipponese for later in the year will, I hope, provide encouragement if I start to flag and suffer from Orc fatigue!