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). 

Some 15mm beastmen

 These are 15mm Demonworld beastmen from Ral Partha Europe. They'll shortly be rebased on a single 40mm square.

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.

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!)

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. 

Kitbashed unit with scale versatility

 I'm always keen to maximise the utility of miniatures in different games. This unit is ostensibly a troop of 'luggits' (goblin berserkers) for Kings of War. But as it's composed of a 60 x 40mm base and a 40 x 40 one, it also works as two different sorts of unit. The first is a horde element for 28mm (or 1/72) Hordes of the Things or DBA and many other games:

As base depth is variable in HotT, I'd probably field this as a horde in 28mm and a warband in 1/72 (a scale in which these small-by-28mm-standards goblins are quite hefty). 

Meanwhile, the 40 x 40 unit works as a beast or behemoth unit in 15mm HotT - ogre hunters or whatever. 

I've got already got a few 1/72 goblin units using this scheme (they'll mix freely with these, as the big 1/72 Caesar orcs are only slightly smaller than Oathmark and Wargames Atlantic goblins - I often give the Caesar orcs Oathmark or WA heads). I find that the 40/60 basing is very handy in a game, as by aligning the first rank 60/40 and the second 40/60, you get a nice, coherent unit that's easy to move on the table because the offset basing holds it together.

Here, I've gone with an obvious leader (the chap with the spiky helmet and long sword) at the edge of the 60mm base. When the unit forms up for a 100mm frontage, he marks the 'leader point' for pivoting in Kings of War. 

As I put together more of these, they'll also form 120mm units for Impetus: two 60s or three 40s. 

And, finally, the 15mm orc warbands on 40 x 20 bases that I'm working on will double up as 40 x 40 orcling bases for Kings of War - helping to achieve maximum flexibility!