A space ettin!

I realise that I've had this fellow in the works for more than three years (!) now, but he's finally done. He's a converted ettin from the Descent boardgame. 

Ettin, of course, is an archaic English word that means 'giant'. It's cognate with the Norse jotun: both words seem to stem from a root that means 'eater'.

 In the Monster Manual, Gary Gygax describes ettins as two-headed giants that are evidently "closely related to orcs". He probably got his concept of the ettin from the fairy tale Red Ettin, which features a three-headed giant who keeps two-headed cattle. I thought a sci-fi version might do nicely as a space-orc chieftain.

A whole lot more orks ,,,

Here's another batch of space orcs - most of them old Citadel from the 80s, along with a Mantic marauder and a more recent GW ork with a bit of kitbashing. 

 I added a little bit of an homage to the late John Blanche: a titan of illustration and miniature painting, who will be very much missed. RIP.

And another ...

 This is one of Thrugg Bullneck's raiders from the very first 40K releases. He appears to be a leader of some kind, though he's neither Thrugg, Hrukk nor the unnamed squad leader with the heavy bolter. I suspect he was meant to be a second squad leader but lost his position in a mix-up with the heavy gunner. 

Another space orc!

 

Here's another space orc - this one a conversion of a Battle Masters orc. 

Veteran space orcs

Here's a unit of "orc veterans" for Grimdark Future (and doubtless other games). They're a mix of orks and fantasy orcs and black orcs. 

The two black orcs have simply been equipped with pistols to give them sci-fi credentials.

The orc on the left is a Warhammer fantasy orc with an ork head and left arm.

 

Yet more space orcs!

 There's an old John Blanche illustration from White Dwarf that I like, which I think may have been recycled into the third edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. It was used to illustrate an article entitled The Naked Orc, and it shows a group of orcs that vary massively in stature and proportions. 

I'm going for something of the same effect with these space orcs: a diverse bunch of creatures that are united only by a few specific characteristics. These are the latest two: a Mantic marauder and a kitbashed Warhammer Fantasy orc. Many more to come ...

More space orcs!

 

I'm currently in the process of finishing off a batch of orks, many of which were started years ago. In tow of these three instances, I've retouched old paintjobs, mainly by redoing the skin. The one on the right is a new speed-paint: clothes and gear done very quickly with drybrushing and washing; skin done more slowly.

My plan for today was to get at least 10 finished; I'm up to five as of ten o'clock. I had the day off for the task, but the weather demanded plenty of outdoor exercise!