Da Brute Force

 

-Oi, anything need to be «really» crushed boss??

Happy 2021 everyone! 💃

The big black orcs have arrived. Funny unit to paint and to put together. I wanted something that really really screams BLACK ORCS with the old school vibe, as the fourth edition ones are a bit naked and do not fit the theme with the 3rd ed early slotta and preslotta boys. I wanted to collect an entire Jes Goodwin unit. However, I do not want to find myself completely bankrupt, which could be the possible scenario trying to get the entire collection in so little time for the III OWAC.

It is not impossible, but you should snipe some evilbay and fb group purchases. 

In the meantime when I was doing all the preparation stuff for the next OWAC, Knightmare miniatures announced an entire line of his Iron Orc (aka black orcs) by none but Kev Adam. Sign me in. That saved me time for the OWAC and a solution for the unit, because another problem with Jes' black orcs is the amount of different sculpts. If I'll be mortgaging the house for those miniatures, at least only for one of each sculpts.

The Iron orcs do not blend completely with the Jes sculpts because they are completely different but it is the point with the third ed. orcs. Their armour is ragged and more oldhammery than other iterations of the black orcs from the different WHF editions. They match perfectly by not matching with each other.

And you will say "but that reasoning is stupid". Indeed it is, that's why it works. See for example the musician, a miniature that only exist in metal in the 4th-5th ed. black orcs. It doesn't match in style with any of the other miniatures of the unit. Neither with any of the other orcs of the army!

One of them is fine, too many of them will be horrible for my taste.

They're not bad miniatures, it is only they don't have the ragged pelts and clothes, lack armour, their armour has no spikes or broken parts... However, Jes' black orcs have little of those things that can blend with other units of the army. Kev new black orcs too, their complex armour patterns and lots of spikes, ragged clothes and such mix very well with other units. Their faces are not the traditional Kev's orc face.

I wanted them to be a bit different only in their skin tonnes and more armoured and intimidating. The armour fix the later, so I decided to try something different for the skin tonnes. That's why I went for the purplish colour and the deep purpleish greens.

The banner was the opportunity to make also something similar to the old Thatcher witch face. I selected a local witch for that matter.

Also, check patterns, yay!

That's it for the more elite troop of the army. Next one, a huge horde of little fellas.

Big Boss needs his retainers: Da Big 'Uns

 

-Who needs to be smacked, boss.

Good ol' Harboth

 -Oi! Let's do an epic last standing pose!

The Boys (da orcish ones)

Sacks don't start themselves, ma bois! 

Never too late for Orctober

 

Spooky season meets Orctober and voila! a blog necromancy with some greenskin reinfocerments.

It has been the weirdest year and so it is the weirdest way of showing you all the last of the reinforcements: making a post without the rest of the army!

The next month I'll be publishing the different parts of the orc horde for those of you that didn't visited the Old World Army Challenge blog during this year's edition. Do not despair, I'll promise showing each unit with the same devotion I painted them!

However, I, as a slow painter, couldn't get in time some of the extras, and several spare miniatures of my connection didn't get into the deadline. So after a break in the hobby I restarted with these little fellas so my orc collection is complete... for now.

I tried to approach another green variation for these two orc boys in my quest for a rabble with lots of mixed skin colours. I started with the VMC German Red primer and worked towards a mix of VMC Flat green and English uniform/desert yellow. With a tip of VMC Light Green Blue for the lights, trying to get a less warmy green than my yellowish green of the Big Uns. The dark armour contrast with the slightly less muted green compared to other members of the boys but it is not so bright as the bigger orcs. Also I was going for a barbed dragon scales or possibly more reddish colour but at the end, the lizard/dragon skin shield was a more crocodile style.

Then the little goblin archers followed with a more greenish yellow tonne, starting from the VMC English Uniform over the German Red primer and mixing flat green and a bit of GW Elysian green.

I love the experiment with the turquoise clothes and it is simply playing with some VMC grey, flat green and the light green blue. The shadows are a bit of VMC Signal Blue glazing.

Finally, our beloved overlord forgives me! my payment for the OWAC. I had these two "almost finished" and were used in the challenge. Well, the goblin was used because I forgot were did I put one of my goblin spearmen and I had to include it in the photo... But some touched here and there were missing and I also wanted to paint the big un's shield with an inscription for the OWAC admin.

I think I had a pair of Harboth's archers elsewhere but I think that, until I complete my 20 orc projects (next year!) these are all the greenskin for a while.

Stay tunned for this blog revival and the post for each orc unit of the army!