Essex orcs and Down in the Dungeon

(From Monster Brains)

I've got a soft spot for Essex's Great Scaly Orcs. They're crude but charming and oh-so-old-school.

And it's clear, too, that they were inspired by the rather reptilian orcs (and man-orcs - who don't look any more mannish than their full-blooded brothers) in Down in the Dungeon, about which I blogged earlier today. Compare the image above with those below:

(From miniatures-workshop.com) 

(From the Essex site)

OK, so they're not identical. But they're pretty close. And if you compare the other orcs in the range with the illustrations, the influence is obvious.

Apart from the boar rider, this one is probably the best example:

Look at the armour, the weapon and the crest on the orc above and the miniature on the left below:

All of which makes me like the Essex range even more, in all their primitive glory.

Addendum: the whiskery Essex goblins seem to be based on these guys: