04 July 2017

Half-Orcs, America and its Gods



Happy 4th to my fellow Americans. (This commercial never gets old.)




Slow progress on the half orcs.


As I've been painting them, I've been thinking that I'd like to add some more half-orcs of varying appearance and size. Initially I was thinking about some smaller half-orcs, but tonight it struck me that I might slip in one or two of the larger Tre Manor brutes that I like using for conversions/Formorication. So...


Hard to tell from the pic, but he's noticeably larger than the rest of them. I took this pic with the big guy on a 40x40, but after cleaning him up and looking at him in the unit, I opted to glue him to a 20x40 base instead and it seems to keep a more consistent density in the unit. I may throw a second Reaper-Manor orc in there too.

So, I'm still on the hunt for other options. I've previously mentioned the Scotia-Grendel orcs, but I think I will hold off on those for a unit of their own. They've got a different aesthetic, almost like an Ian Miller influenced orc. So I'd like to get a bunch, but keep them as a separate half-orc project.* As far as mixing with these, I think I will go back to Reaper for some of the old Bob Olley sculpted orcs. In fact, I think I may pick up a shaman, also by Olley, because I really like this figure...



I also spotted this half-orc while browsing the site, and I think she will end up in the unit too...



As far as some other, smaller half-orcs, I'm still wondering if maybe some of the old Asgard orcs might fit the role... http://www.thevikingforge.net/25mm-fantasy-orcs.html



*FWIW, I 'm getting further into the idea of creating specific mercenary companies or regiments rather than just painting figures and calling them "mercenaries" and being done with it. I'm OK keeping all the generic landsknechts I've got on that basis. But I think my new projects will all have more to them. So the current batch of half-orcs are getting a backstory developed as I paint, similar to the way I've been working on the Scrobbleton Jackrabbit Trading Company for the hobbits. This has a secondary effect of giving me an outlet for putting down some of the geography and cultural background that I've had in my head.

I need to get a Czernobog character. I loved him in the book, I think the TV series did a pretty decent job with him so far.



2 comments:

  1. I really like these. I almost went in for some of those Crimson whatsits Orcs with the last sale, but I've been buying way too much and not painting again. I was just saying that Reaper really has some good stuff. I recently bought several Bob Olley sculpts from there. Can you have too many Orc Shaman?

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