Hobgoblinry
Tuesday 28 November 2023
Some 15mm orcs
Some 15mm orcs from Alternative Armies. These are to be based on a 40mm square for maximal massed-battle flexibility. I'm unsure whether to keep them as a group of skirmishers or to mix them in with some of the other orcs I'm working on (Eureka, Chariot, Tin Soldier, etc).
Monday 20 November 2023
Some 15mm beastmen
These are 15mm Demonworld beastmen from Ral Partha Europe. They'll shortly be rebased on a single 40mm square.
Saturday 11 November 2023
A 15mm giant beastman
This hefty fellow is part of Ral Partha Europe's 15mm Demonworld range. He'll make a fine behemoth in HOTT and other such games.
The stolen shield and severed head are sufficiently ambiguous in scale that he'd work fine in 28mm too - perhaps in the 'minotaur class' (guardian beasts?) in Kings of War.
I also plan to combine him with smaller beastmen as a 'unit filler', perhaps as the central third of a 120mm-frontage unit in Impetus or as the command company in a Fantastic Battles group.
Monday 6 November 2023
Bugbears in 15mm
These are terrific 15mm bugbears sold by CP Models. Although originally designed by Bob Olley as 15/18mm, they're marketed as 20mm, but to my eye, they're a bit short to be 7'+ in that scale (though they would make great hobgoblins. They would also make terrific 28mm goblins (of an especially fierce and hirsute sort).
I'm going to base these together on a 40mm square, so that they can be used as brutes (doubled warband) or behemoths in Hordes of the Things or as some sort of super-heavy infantry in Fantastic Battles. As I have at least three more bases to do, they'll be able to double up to give 80mm frontages for Impetus or work as goblin 'luggits' in Kings of War with a couple of individuals on 20mm squares between two 40mm bases (thus giving a 100 x 40 footprint). And for Hobgoblin, I'll just throw a few bases together to make a unit.
I've been trying out this simple yellow skintone on a lot of 25mm goblins for D&D. I'm quite happy with it - despite being such a bright colour, it's somewhat subterranean-looking, somehow, and it just squeezes into Tolkien's 'sallow' bracket for orcs.
(Below is a scale comparison with 1/72 Dark Alliance orcs and "15mm" Battle Valor orcs - base still to be painted and matt varnish still to be applied!)
Monday 30 October 2023
Sunday 29 October 2023
Some 15mm orcs
I've been gradually putting together some 15mm forces on 40mm squares. The main aim of these is to play Fantastic Battles, but they'll also work for Hordes of the Things, Mayhem and other games - including Dan Mersey's Arrowstorm, which I recently bought and which looks very interesting.
These are Battle Valor orcs. They're absolutely huge by 15mm standards and would even work as 4' tall D&D-stye goblins in 25 or 28mm. I'm aiming to paint up a few bases with some command figures on 20mm squares. That will allow four bases and four command figures to be used as a goblin regiment in Kings of War.
Tuesday 10 October 2023
RAFM wizard
Here's an old RAFM wizard from the 80s: part of the wonderfully characterful Wanderers and Warriors range. He's part of my 25mm megadungeon/old-school D&D project - the idea is to have a host of player-character types so that players can quickly pick a suitable miniature and get going once they're rolled up a character. I could see this fellow ('Nimrod the Bold Wizard', according to the catalogue) working well as a villain too.
I originally conceived this as a 1/72 project; I'm using the same monsters and even some of the same character figures (especially elves and dwarves). But there are just so many better character options in 25mm.