Challenge Submission #4 - The Lord of the Rings Good, Bad and Ugly.

 Last winter my painting focus was on whittling down my large collection of unpainted Dwarves, Goblins, Orcs, Rangers, and Uruk-hai from the Games Workshop Lord of the Rings range of miniatures, with a few character figures thrown in for good measure. That still left more than a few unpainted, and I thought some would lend themselves nicely to a few of the Quadrant XII Challenges. These are all 28mm metal miniatures released as blisters, or part of boxed sets. Alas, many of them are now out of production.

All were primed black with a rattle can, and then painted with Vallejo acrylics. Depending on the colour, or the effect I wanted to achieve, I used either washes or drybrushing.

Boromir and Lurtz

Aragorn at the Battle of Helm's Deep

Saruman and Grima Wormtongue

Legolas Greenleaf of the Woodland Realms

 

Thanks for reading.
 

From the Challenge: Nazgul on Fellbeast and 1/48 Panzer III Ausf M

 

Last year (related to the Challenge!) I picked up the Battle of Pelennor Fields box set from Games Workshop, with the intention of painting this Ringwraith on a Fellbeast. And less than a year later, here it is already!

The paint scheme is pretty straightforward - tones of grey with the leathery bits washed (repeatedly) with GW Reikland Shade. The clever bit about this ain't the painting though - it was the construction of the model...

See?!? The kit comes with two "necks" for the Fellbeast, as well as two riders - both a standard (!) Ringwraith and the Witch King!

Here's the Witch King with his flaming sword. I used magnets to facilitate easy back-and-forth swappery. 

I countersunk a pretty big magnet into the body of the Fellbeast. Not too hard to do.

Then, I cut off the pins on the necks and superglued on 5mm magnets. They hold the necks on pretty securely and I'm happy with that. Nice of GW to provide two different necks as well as riders.

Next up was a Bandai 1/48 Pzkpfw. III Ausf M. While still equipped with the venerable KwK39 L/60 main gun, there were 250 examples of the Ausf M produced between October 1942 and February 1943, and they were deployed mainly to replace frontline losses - including at Kursk.

I painted the tank in an early-'43 camo scheme taken from the Panzer Colors book - yellow over dark grey. The grey is Mechanicus Standard Grey and Dawnstone washed with Nuln Oil, with Zandri Dust as the yellow overcoat. Decals are from Pedinghaus and the decal folder.

The Ausf M had a modified exhaust valve to facilitate deep wading, as well as the triple smoke dischargers. 

I did a bit more weathering on this model than I did on the previous Pzkpfw I models... some sponge chipping and dust application with Steel Legion Drab drybrush. 

I like how the yellow and grey camo turned out on this one. It'll be a good addition for mid-war gaming and it's in the correct 1/48 scale :-)

Happy New Year!

Orc Companies of Mordor

This is the last of my Lord of the Rings mega-projects, and the one that took the longest. I started this just after I had completed my Elven Heroes of Rivendell and Lothlórien back in April. The first company of orcs took approximately a week to paint, the second company took two, and the third nearly a month and an half. It was a combination of burnout after cranking out nearly 300 minis over the winter, plus the lure of longer days and nicer weather that pulled me away from my workbench. However they are now complete - three companies of Mordor Orcs each consisting of a captain, a banner, four bow, four two-handed weapon, eight spear, and eight hand weapon and shield, 78 minis in total. 34 are the newer plastic figures, while the rest are all metal, including 38 'old school' releases that I picked up secondhand about the same time as I bought my metal Dwarves. 

 

All the figures were mounted on their bases, and sand and pebbles were glued on before priming everything black using a rattle can. The paints were primarily Vallejo water-based acrylics using lots of different shades of gray and brown with the occasional muted red, blue, or olive green. Once the base colours were applied the figures were treated with Army Painter Strong Tone Quick Shade. I then painted the bases and applied some pale green flocking to give them a unique look, different from my other Lord of the Rings armies. Once all the ground work was complete, they all got sprayed with a few light coats of Rust-Oleum Matte Clear spray to take down the shine left by the Quick Shade. I still have an armoured troll waiting in the wings to supplement all these orcs to provide a serious threat on the battlefield for the forces of Mordor.

Numerous, cruel and utterly incapable of redemption or compassion, the race of Orcs is nonetheless sprung from the same stock as the immortal and graceful Elves. Indeed, the first Orcs were once Elves, yet their fate was to be a very different one to that of their brothers after Morgoth's taint fell upon them. These ruined beings swiftly multiplied, as all unwholesome things are wont to do, and their numbers fed the armies of darkness, first of Morgoth and then of Sauron.

 

In the late years of the Third Age, Orcs are to be found in all the dark places in the world, from which they pose a constant threat to the Free Peoples. Fortunately, the fractious and quarrelsome nature of Orcs ensures that without an exceptional leader, or overwhelming numbers, they are a poor match for the well-trained and organized armies of the western kingdoms. It is only when under the command of one of the Nazgûl or another of Sauron's dread lieutenants that the mailed first of the Orc becomes a thing of power, for Orcs fight with unceasing fury when they fear that which is behind more than that which stands before them.

 

Radbug's Ruffians - for the captain I used a 'Grishnákh' figure to which I added a shield from my bits box. (On a completely random note, Grishnákh is left-handed.)

 

Lagduf's Lads

 

Shargo's Snagas - for the captain I used a 'Gorbag' figure to which I added a shield made from a small thumbtack.

 

I am happy that these are finally off my workbench, and not mocking me on a daily basis. Now that things are starting to open up a bit more locally, I am going to take a break from Lord of the Rings painting for a while, although I hope to be motivated enough to do some Bolt Action figures. I have a few boxes of plastic Russians that need attention.

Thanks for reading.

Elven Heroes of Rivendell and Lothlórien

I am continuing to whittle down my Lord of the Rings 'pile of shame'. All of these figures were based and primed years ago, and then languished on the work bench. I haven't done any elves so far in this current painting spell, so I thought some elven heroes should be next. The six I completed are Gil-galad, Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, Haldir, and a Galadhrim standard bearer. All of these are Games Workshop casting from at least ten year ago, and most have been replaced with new sculpts.

 

 

All of these were painted using water-based acrylics, mostly Vallejo, plus some ink washes of dark brown and reddish brown. The elven armour was initially painted with bronze and then highlighted with gold. In the case of Haldir and the standard bearer, their armour was given a wash of reddish brown prior to the gold. That was followed with further highlighting with a silver-gold mix. Otherwise the method for painting was to lay on a dark colour first, and building up ever lighter layers on the raised areas. 

 

Gil-galad and Elrond

 

Gil-galad was the high king of the Elves and the mightiest warrior of his Age, his bravery and leadership inspiring his followers to carry out great deeds in battle. At the height of the War of the Last Alliance, Gil-galad confronted Sauron, throwing himself into combat with the Dark Lord for the freedom of Middle-earth. Though Gil-galad would never see the Dark Lord finally defeated, for he perished at the hands of Sauron upon the slopes of Orodruin, his name lived on in songs and legends - even those sung by Sam during the closing of the Third Age.

 

A mighty and renowned warrior, Elrond has been at the forefront of many great battles. He fought against Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance and bore witness to the Dark Lord's downfall. It was he who tried to convince Isildur to destroy the Ring for good, an act that would have saved much suffering in the Third Age. Blessed with the gift of foresight, Elrond is able to provide great wisdom for his allies.

 

Elladan and Elrohir

 

The twin sons of Elrond and Celebrian, Elladan and Elrohir are every bit as skilled in combat as their father. The twins often rode alongside Aragorn in his youth, forging a strong bond with the future king through their battles with the Haradrim and the Orcs. Whilst most Elves played little part in the War of the Ring, Elladan and Elrohir joined Aragorn as he ventured into the paths of the Dead and even followed him to the Pelennor and the Black Gate. Together, the brothers are a deadly foe, fighting with a whirl of flashing steel and the precision of the Elven lords of old.

 

Haldir and Galadhrim Standard Bearer

 

One of the most trusted captains and skilled archers of Lothlórien, Haldir is tasked with defending the woodland borders. It was Haldir that led the Galadhrim to Helm's Deep to honour the alliance that once stood between Men and Elves, a noble act, but one that would ultimately claim his life. His sacrifice was not in vain however, as the forces that were brought to the Hornburg no doubt provided incalculable aid in the defense of the great fortress.

 

The Golden Wood is defended first and foremost by the warriors of the Galadhrim, steadfast soldiers who have honed their skills in combat across many wars throughout the ages. Like all Elves, the Galadhrim are skilled with blade, spear and bow. Tasked with the protection of Lothlórien, these warriors shall give their lives in its defence, for should it fall, Middle-earth shall surely follow. The combat bonus of the banner allows the player to re-roll one of the dice rolled to determine who wins the fight.

 

While I already have some High Elves painted, Haldir and the standard bearer are the first Galadhrim figures I have painted. I liked the paint scheme used for these figures on the Games Workshop website, and tried my best to replicate it. I am pretty happy with the results. I have some unopened blisters of older metal Galadhrim warriors in my 'pile of shame', but I think it's time to do some companies of Mordor Orcs next.

 

Thanks for reading.

Wrapping up the Painting Challenge

The Painting Challenge has been over for nearly a month now and I'm trying to get back into the brush-swinging habit - this should be made somewhat easier by the return of winter to the Prairies but I'm having to work at it... anyway I thought I'd try to get myself back into the spirit by posting some of my last Challenge models here as well. Away we go...

From the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge Blog:

Having completed the Chambers of Challenge and offered tribute at the Altar of the Snowlord, all that remains is to post the last few models completed before the end of the Challenge. First up is this Hobgoblin Chieftain on Dire Wolf, from Games Workshop's old Warhammer Fantasy Battles range.

The first army I ever painted for WHFB was a classic "big hat" Chaos Dwarf force, which still maintains pride of place in my cabinets. An important part of the army was a large contingent of Hobgoblin Wolf Riders, which engaged in some "creative reimagining" of battle reports we posted on our blog.

In sniffing around for something to paint at the last minute, I noticed that I had this model that had been waiting for paint for nigh-on 15 years or more. So I got at it!

Makes me want to get the Chaos Dwarfs out again for some old-school WHFB! Barks - take note - I counted 15 SKULLS on this model alone! Must be some kinda record...?

Next up is the King of the Dead to accompany my recently-painted Warriors of the Dead. The King is a metal model which arrived yesterday from an eBay transaction. It was new in the blister, having originally accompanied an issue of the Eaglemoss "LotR" collector's magazine.

As before - simplicity itself to paint. White spray and Biel-Tan Green wash. That's it!

Lastly, another postal arrival from yesterday - a very cool "Death Worm" from Otherworld Miniatures (currently on sale at their site for 4 quid!!)

This monster is a sorcerous construct and not, strictly speaking, undead - at least according to its entry in the Fiend Folio under "Necrophidius". Conscript Brian H. instantly recognized it when I showed it off on our Zoom call last night and directed me to the FF entry. Good knowledge Brian! 

It was obviously another super-easy model to paint and brings the total skull-count for this post to 16 SKULLS. WOW!

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I also posted a wrap-up of my Challenge models on the Challenge blog:

Assembled production

Well, here we are at the end of the Challenge. I'd set myself a modest goal of 500 points which I ended up more than doubling. Still, it wasn't *quite* enough to get me into the top 25 - my good friend Greg pipped me by a mere 6 points! In any event, here's the breakdown of my Challenge production:

• 28mm foot: 75
• 28mm mounted: 3
• 28mm large figures/monsters: 5
• 28mm artillery pieces: 1
• 28mm tanks: 1
• 28mm landing craft: 1
• 28mm furniture/terrain: 12
• 20mm foot: 2
• 20mm cars: 1
• 20mm tanks: 1
• 15mm tanks: 3
• 10mm Titans: 1

self-portrait

I just want to end this post by again thanking Mr. Curt and all of his Minions for running the Challenge for all of us, and also to Lady Sarah and the Minions' other halves for their forbearance and tolerance of the time Curt and the Minions spend on it. Thanks also to my fellow Challengers for the kind words you posted about my work.

See you at the bar...!

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So that's it... I promise I'm going to try to get some models painted... I have an idea what I'm going to do (and I've even finished the conversions and gotten them primed) and I promise you it will be like nothing you've ever seen on the blog...!