Build A Dragon Rampant Halfling Army Quick and Cheap!

Let's build a Halfling army for Dragon Rampant on the cheap! We are always looking for inexpensive ways to field an army on any war game table and Dragon Rampant is a grand game for doing that! We'll show you how to get a halfling army on the table for as little as 46 USD.

Wargames Atlantic has put out a Halfling Militia box set that contains 40, yes we said 40, of the brave folk of the Shire for only 34.95 plus shipping. With it as our starting point we will put together a 24 point Dragon Rampant army. This hard plastic box set allows you to build Halfling Militiamen equipped with bow, sling, halberd, or pike and with options for full command.

In Dragon Rampant a unit of 12 infantry is standard. The box set gives you eight sprues with 5 figures each, 15 different heads and all the equipment seen here.

Let's start with a unit of archers or Light Missile troops for some ranged attacks. You can build up to 16 but only need to field 12. The Robin Hood cap and bare head options would do well on these chaps. We will add the Sharpshooter special rule to give them a better chance of hitting on their rolls.

Next is a core of Heavy Foot. These guys don't attack strong but will give you a solid defensive unit to stay stuck in! There are enough options to build plenty of pike, spear and halberd wielding halflings and we only need 12 for our army so have plenty to spare. For our army we'll use the spear halberds for our heavies! Getting two on each sprue will make us the quantity we need for our unit. Sticking with the kettle hat, or brimmed helmet, will add consistency to the unit

Next we will take a unit of Bellicose Foot which will pack a punch on the attack but are considered to have no armor so defense is low. We'll use the sword and spear options and use the various skull cap helmets. That will give you the third infantry squad for your army

With the remaining four models we'd make a command unit with our general, musician, standard bearer and a hero. These will be a reduced model unit of Elite Foot We'll use the sugar loaf helmets on three of them and the crested helm for our general. You could mix and match anything you really wanted for this unit.

Lastly we'll add some additional muscle in the form of a Lesser War Beast. Northstar Military Figures Rangers of Shadows Deep line has a sweet Ogre for around 10.00. "While not inherently evil, they have a tendency towards violence and cruelty which makes them extremely susceptible to the corrupting influence of the Shadow Deep." For our purposes we can use the old lion and the mouse fable and assume a nice hobbit pulled a large splinter from his foot and now he works with the halflings.

There are a lot of other variations you could use like making 6 slingers to use as a unit of Scouts. Another would be to pick up a special general figure like this halfling hero on his pony, with three accompanying halflings from Copplestone Castings for around 11.00.

Warlord Games now offers halfling cavalry in the form of goat riders and heavy pig riders! You can get  5 goat riders for 28.00 and a command unit for about 25.00.

Options are only limited by what you can find out there on the internet.
So get building something!!

Have a Great Battle!!
The Old Crow

The Hobbit Advance Orders: Elrond, The Knights of Rivendell and Grim Hammers

Games Workshop has more from the Hobbit ready for Advance Order! Place you order tonight (Sunday Jan 27th) for Elrond, The Knights of Rivendell and Dwarven Grim Hammers. You can have them delivered to your local hobby center for pick up on launch day, Saturday February 2nd. You can also have your miniatures shipped to any other address, just place your order by Wednesday January 30th, and they'll ship it on Friday February 1st. Orders placed after the 30th will be shipped on Monday February 4th .

If you have seen The Hobbit an Unexpected Journey by now, you should have been impressed by the ranks of stalwart Dwarven defenders of Erebor. OK they were crushed by a dragon, but they did look great before that.

These Dwarf warrior miniatures are shod head to toe in gleaming battle plate and shining mail.

In the box set you get twelve Grim Hammers. Stout and sturdy figures who come appropriately equipped for defending the halls of Erebor.

Each wears chainmail and is covered from beard to toe in heavy armor  Each model takes a unique pose, swinging their pick hammers or sharp axes at different angles.

Their glorious beards hang down underneath masked helmets.

This plastic kit contains 30 components and twelve 25mm round bases with which to make twelve Grim Hammers. It retails for 35.00 USD.

Elrond is featured in two different ways. On one he rides his horse into the melee, his long sword extended and his expression is one of battle-hardened rage. The other model features him on foot, though wearing the same long, flowing robes and elegant armor across his upper torso. He stands on foot, holding his sword aloft with two hands, ready to strike his foe.

This finely detailed resin kit contains five components, a 40mm round base and a 25mm round base with which to make Elrond on foot and mounted on horse. It does retail at a steep 40.00 USD

An elite band of warriors formed of the nobles in Elrond's house, the Knights of Rivendell are formidable cavalrymen. 

Their devastating charges leave shield walls in tatters, whilst their nimble steeds can weave and dodge through even dense woodland with ease.

You'll get six highly dynamic Knights of Rivendell miniatures in this bow set. They are a beautiful addition to any The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey collection. 

With their cloaks billowing around them, they wearing elegant Elven armor and carry ornate shields, and long lances - though there are also options for one to carry a banner or a war horn. 

They come in multiple poses, each one a variant of a Knight of Rivendell riding their steed into battle. 

The kit also comes with casualties, to denote a fallen Knight of Rivendell.

This plastic kit contains 54 components and six 40mm round bases with which to make six Knights of Rivendell.

The kit is a great set of figures, but it will set you back 50.00 USD retail. As much as we love these miniatures, we find Games Workshop to be pushing the pricing as to be out of reach for new hobby enthusiasts and souring the taste of the older ones

Have a Great Battle,

The Old Crow

The Dwarves from The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey by Gamesworkshop

Well we did go see the Hobbit an Unexpected Journey on opening day and out of everything the dwarves were the most unexpected of all. They were not as lack luster as Tolkien originally wrote them . These guys were very inspirational in their dwarfishness (is that a word?) and would never be stuffed into a sack. Thorin Oakenshield and the dwarves really got into the thick of things with axe, sword, hammer and yes even a bow. The movie gives you  a great deal of background information on the dwarf culture and their lot in Middle Earth.

Games Workshop currently only offers these mighty heroes in the "Escape from Goblin Town" box set. Hopefully they will be made available in a set of their own in the near future. Lets take a look at them one by one! The Leader of this illustrious band of adventurers is Thorin Oakenshield. The front of the model is pictured above wielding Orcrist, or Goblin-Cleaver.

And here is the back of the model. You can see the beautiful scabbard, which is what caught Thorin's eye in the troll lair.

Next in the line is Balin. Balin appears older and more scholarly but can dish it out in a pinch

Dwalin carries a mighty dwarven hammer  and wears some nasty "Brass Knuckles" for dishing out additional damage.

Here you can see the nicely sculpted features like the knife worn on his belt and axes carried on his back.

Bifur uses what could be called a pole arm for a dwarf. It is a sweet combination of spear and halberd rolled into one and carved on the figure in a fierce pose.

Wearing a wonderful hat and swinging his war hammer, Bofur also strikes a grand pose

What troop of dwarves would go anywhere without food and a cook? Bombur fills the roll in a large way. He also utilizes his  iron ladle along with butchers cleaver to handle any goblins that get to close!

Another deceptively grey bearded dwarf is Oin. Yes, he is hard of hearing and his "ear trumpet" can be seen slung on the miniatures belt. he wields his iron shod staff with great force.

The back of the figure shows his dwarfish sword.

Gloin is the closest thing to Gimli you'll see in the movie and as a sculpted figure too. Hear you can see his axes careening wildly and effectively. He also has a full compliment of metal beard ornaments. Quite a family resemblance wouldn't you say?

Dori is finely crafted swinging his sword and mace. The dwarven sword and scabbard are unique to the character.

The rear of the miniature shows the detail in hair and clothing.

The unmistakable "tri peak" hairdo sets Nori out from the rest of the band. The model completes his look with the three braids in his beard. He has his long handled mace raised and poised for an attack on a luckless goblin.

On Nor's back is sculpted his twin swords.

The youngest of the dwarves is Ori. He is carved in a slingshot release, no doubt taking down another goblin. His weapon did not fair well against the wargs!. His knife is seen strapped to his belt and his book bag slung from his shoulder.

Fili is one of the more adventurous dwarf characters and always ready for action. this miniature has a nice fighting pose. His throwing knives can be seen sculpted into his gauntlets..

and his sheaths carved on his back.

Kili is also a younger more adventurous dwarf. Here he is sword raised for the strike. This model has some nice features like the studded gauntlets and belts, extra knife...

and his bow and quiver worn on his back. The figure has a lot of motion carved into it like the coat swirling behind him.

Kili is probably my favorite one in the bunch and overall the sculpts are very nice. They have a good amount of detail but are missing some extra pouches and the likely assortment of paraphernalia a dwarf would have on an adventure. We've also come to expect more from Games Workshop and Citadel miniatures.

With that said, we do look forward to seeing these guys in their own box set and will probably add them to the never ending miniature collection.

Have a Great Battle,
The Old Crow

New Release: The Hobbit Trolls, Hunter Orcs and Fell Wargs Oh My!

Here  we have it, Games Workshops renditions of the Hobbit an Unexpected Journeys bad guys, Trolls,  Hunter Orcs and Fell Wargs. I think the most anticipated figures, other than Bilbo and the dwarves, would be the Trolls who capture Thorin and company. Well Tom, William and Bert are ready to waylay travelers to satisfy their considerable appetites. They are large, tough and exceedingly dangerous.

These Stone Trolls are colossal in nature and are wonderfully detailed models. Their skin is thick, creased and weathered like rocks, and they are garbed in simple clothing such as loin cloths and straps.

They're sculpted in dynamic poses, looming forward with an outstretched arm or towering over their foes, and they carry a range of items - one of them holds up a huge piece of tree, ready to smash it down on someone.

Another clutches a spoon (though there are options for it to be armed with a fork or piece of timber if a spoon isn't vicious enough). The kit comes with a piece of meat roasting over a fire, which is surrounded by rocks.

There is also a small pile of tools and weapons suitable for significantly shorter people, as well as items of luggage.

This kit will run you a whopping 85 USD and contains 44 components, three 60mm round bases, with which to make three Stone Trolls.

To add to the mayhem, you can pick up a kit full of Hunter Orcs! For 35 USD you get 28 components and twelve 25mm round bases with which to make 12 Hunter Orcs.

Hunter Orcs are the fast-moving and fanatical right hand of Azog, a relentless band who will stop at nothing to slay his quarry.

These Hunter Orc miniatures come in an array of dynamic poses. They sport mainly bald heads with tufts of hair in the centre, lending them a savage appearance. They possess muscular torsos with limited armour across their thighs and upper bodies.

They carry bows and a quiver full of arrows is slung over their shoulder, while some grip curved, crude blades.

Hunter Orc on Fell Warg miniatures, as we might expect, also come in an array of dynamic poses. These Hunter Orcs are sitting atop the Wargs, which are sculpted to have the appearance they're on the run. In a variety of poses, the creatures possess a prominent spine, with thick fur covering the front of beast. Each one has a ferocious head, snarling expressions and exposed teeth.

Powerfully muscled, with thick matted fur, Fell Wargs would be considered fearsome even before one saw the dark glow in their eyes and realised that they are possessed by a sinister eldritch force.

This kit costing 40 USD contains 44 components and six 40mm round bases with which to make 6 Hunter Orcs on Fell Wargs.

Let us know what you think of these models and the game. Are you excited for its release and the model range or is it what you expected from Games Workshop.

Thanks for stopping!

Have a Great Battle,
The Old Crow