The Problem of Five Armies Part 2

Moving on my from the wandering rumination of the first instalment we must address the idea of the third army.

Orcs or ‘not orcs’ as the case may be.

I know they are a fantasy staple but I don’t want to paint just another green skin army so in keeping with ideas governing the Third Ring these chunky fellows will represent ‘Uber men’ bred strong and tough by the trials of the far more brutal world from which they hail.

Still Human in essence yes but corrupted and hardened by circumstance and evolution they have become stronger and larger, haughty even in their dominance over the lesser races of man whom they regard as pests and livestock. The only thing that retards their dominance and gives the true humans a chance of survival is, like their much larger cousins the ogres, their smaller numbers.

The models used will be Westwind Productions orcs and chunky chaps they are too. I have amassed around 70 of these and the weight alone gives one pause. 

Forth will be the Fallen. Another basically true human force but one that has embraced the destruction of the comet and the mutations that worship of such can bestow. A lighter weight army based around oathmark goblins converted to humanity married to half a dozen sprues of Victrix ancients (goths, Dacians etc) 

And finally the dwarfs/dwarves/dwarfoids.

We have a few boxes of these (oathmark light and heavy infantry) to play with so should be able to construct a infantry based army of troll killers. Abetted with scavenged parts from the other kits available in the hoard should hopefully add an original feel to the army.

So that’s it. Easy.

Yeah?

We’ll see.

To the paint table!

Cheers all.

The Problem of Five Armies (approximately)

I consider myself to be the ‘average war gamer’ so am consequently in possession of an embarrassing amount of unfinished projects. With so much in the candy shop coupled with a terminal case of the fickle mind everything is too tempting and I find my attention perpetually pulled from one tantalising idea to the next. Always starting bravely and fiercely yet all too often I am drawn away before consummation as inspiration strikes from unknown and unseen quarters…oooo I’ve got something in the bits box/avalanche that could be converted into that…and off we go again.

Enough I say! Enough.

The most embarrassing thing to admit is despite so much hard work, intricate conversions and pain staking hours attempting to improve my meagre painting abilities I don’t yet have a single complete/painted army to show for 40 odd years (off and on) dedication to our sacred passion.

Shame! Shame and thrice shame and a curse upon my piscine like attention span…

The situation begs of several questions…Can one honestly go to one’s grave without a single solitary painted army? Is it possible, even in theory, to finish an army? Where and how do you safely store said army if by some miracle you were to complete one?

Such questions must wait another day. Call it embarrassment, call it old age, call it a conscious decision to curb the spiralling hobby costs…either way a challenge has surfaced and a hero shall arise…well maybe…

1) Who buys all this fucking stuff? 

Good question. I have about twenty boxes of differing sizes and capacities safely ensconced in the attic/penthouse (plus an uncounted number swilling around and within the work station) dedicated to this sacred pastime. I dread to think of and refuse to calculate the costs involved in amassing such a collection but am happy that no children were harmed, sold or went without during the assembling of the dread edifice so the conscience remains clear…ish…

2) What exactly is the objective?

Mmmm. There are so many great painters out there who seem to find the time to get their armies ‘to table’. Magazines and the t’internet abound with such glorious examples and yes perhaps many are painting professionals, working in the industry full time but not all can be, surely? Are not some everyday working fellows (like myself) who have achieved the impossible dream? Of course they are and where one man can succeed another can creep along in his footsteps. So the objective is to have and to hold a gloriously realised collection of little painted men all standing to attention before their imperious creator.

3) Just one?

Yeah…..Well, that’s the thing see…after another comb/churn through the hoard it would seem that we have enough unused/uncompleted models for more than one army 😬. The wet, sodden feeling of a project expanding exponentially in its birth canal grows deep within the colon if my imagination. But as one great leader once said…it’s only hubris if I fail…

Soo…in the world of the Third Ring which is where the said army/armies are envisioned to exist there are a number of displaced and competing factions. Namely the ones I can create from the hoard without actually spending any money. (NB-I may need a base or twenty and card etc for scratch building movement trays but this is pennies really and I’m also not counting actual modelling supplies, paint and some descent not-too-expensive brushes that I can get along with and have yet to find, as these represent normal/day-to-day expenses)

As seen elsewhere upon t’blog this year’s summer project has begun…the White Wolf Clan are some of the ogres of this world (back story to come) and at a projected 30ish models for the army (that’s all I have) represent a doable goal and a starter for ten (30) army wise.

So who else would inhabit this world?

Humans obviously and in this we have the start of another army (two?) based around the Fireforge Northman figures including what may turn out to be around two dozen cavalry. The idea of a bandit army/warband also tickles the fancy…

More to follow if hubris allows...

Ogre Warband Part 6

Of Axe and Wolf…

 After the completion of the first unit and some piddling around with the second (big armored two handers) the problem of weapons swirled up again from the unquiet pool of unconscious.

What if this particular tribe of ten foot nutters abored the use of clubs swords etc and instead favoured only the ‘sacred axe’ ?

…our chopper who art in heaven, hatchet be thy name…

Just like the use of wolves as harrying units rather than the sabre cats (that I still can’t find) this would set these guys apart from the lowly clubbing neighbours.

Mmmmmmm🤔

But would we have enough axes to furnish 1-2-3…about 29 ogres? One unit of which would need two each as they would be the ‘light’ infantry unit that would normally carry a sword and club etc

To the bits box!!!!

Somewhere in the deep past of my wargaming career I really over ordered on the Minotaur weapons. But that still wouldn’t be enough…black orc bits to the rescue…black orcs must be close to ogre size judging by these great choppers 😳 or probably just another case of manga influenced over sized weapon syndrome.

In any case we now have all the weapons we need bagged and tagged and ready for application to the slowly growing hoard and it’s really making a satisfying dent in the bits box.

With that decision made the piddling around can cease and the job of unit four (2 handed weapons) can be seen to completion.

Eh viola 

The crew so far with the first stab at a standard featuring the company logo. Probably have three or four flags because why not eh? Besides which they need using up. Next stop, light infantry, yeah I know....

Cheers all  

Ogre Warband Part 5

A problem with white fur…

Having knocked a few of the big guys together I turned my attention to the light cavalry/skirmisher element that will also give the warband its totem and theme.

Bloody great wolves.

Where this particular group of ogres hail from does not support a viable population of sabre cats (because I can’t bloody find them) so we turn to the next best thing…dogs! To the lay person…eight Fenrisian wolves to be exact.

Tried basing them individually on 40x40’s the same as the ogres to begin with to make three units of three, but there was just too much room left between them. Too spaced out they didn’t look hungry, ravening or fighting for position for the first bite. Three each on a 40x40 base was too clogged until a minor brain tremor made me realise that two 60x40 bases would make up the same frontage as the basic 6 man ogre unit.

Two wolves on each base, two bases to a unit equalled two units of four wolves. Custom units require custom bases so one 40mm base glued to two 20x20mm bases and reenforced with green stuff…eh viola…no monetary outlay.

Now…colourisation…

Black wolves are cool and scary but our lads hail from the snowy north so what about some lovely fluffy white doggies?

Mmmm…test painting proved troubling and disappointing in the same measure. Dry brushing too much white giving too much of a chalky appearance.

Was about to change tac in frustration when a mild google revealed that many ‘white’ wolves are much more brown and sandy coloured then one might think.

Return to the paint table my son and dig in…

Starting from a wraith bone base then highlighting up to white I then used a number of beige to brown washes to lower the tone and form a darker stripe along the spine and around the muzzle. A couple of light grey washes (Vallejo) on the legs and lower body gave quite a pleasing colour variation while still staying within the basic ‘white’ coat and a much more natural feel to it. Eyes teeth and jaws and I’m pretty happy with the outcome for saying it started badly.

Four down and four to go and makes a nice interval between the main event big guys 👍🏼

Cheers all