Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XIII Submission #6 - Some Lord of the Rings Bits and Bobs

 For this submission I decided to work on clearing away a lot of loose ends to make room on my desk for some large projects that are coming down the pipe. What we have today is a mix of Uruk-hai Berserkers, Mordor Uruk-hai, some Dwarf Heroes, a trio of Trolls, and a collection of Mines of Moria terrain and dead.

The three Uruk-hai Berserkers are metal figures from Games Workshop that were mixed in with the secondhand Uruk-hai Scout that I was given. The paint job left much to be desired, so they got stripped back down to raw metal and then were primed black with a rattle can. Vallejo acrylics were used for most of the colors - Cavalry Brown for the skin areas, Leather Brown for the loincloth, sandals, and gloves, and Gun Metal for the helmet and sword. They were then given a coat of Army Painter Strong Tone Quickshade.

 

  The three Mordor Uruk-hai were from another blister of metal figures from Games Workshop that I picked up years ago, and they have been sitting in the pending box ever since they got mounted on their bases and primed black. Again, I used primarily Vallejo acrylics, but also some craft store acrylics that I still have in my paint box. I used a colour called Hippo Grey for the skin areas, and Charcoal for the cloaks. The leather pieces got painted a mix of Leather Brown, Chocolate Brown, and Flat Earth, while helmets, greaves, gauntlets, and weapons were painted with Gun Metal. Finally I gave them a coat of Citadel Agrax Earthshade.

 

 

 

 Next up are four Dwarven Heroes consisting of a Shieldbearer, a King's Champion, and two Heralds.These are resin figures from Games Workshop that were available at one time as metal miniatures. Like the Dwarves I painted for last week's submission, these were mounted on their bases, some sand glued down to the base with PVA glue, and then primed black with an airbrush. I used mostly Vallejo acrylics, but also some Partha paints for the True Blue and Bronze Metallic.

King's Champion and Heralds

 

Side view to show off the banners

Showing off the shield design

A Shieldbearer is a Minor Hero bodyguard

 

 The three trolls are a mix of two Games Workshop Cave Trolls, one in metal and the other in plastic, and a Reaper Miniatures Mountain Troll that I am going to use as a Mordor Troll. The metal Cave Troll I purchased years ago, and like the Mordor Uruk-hai, it was prepped and then gathered dust. The plastic Cave Troll is the one that comes with the Mines of Moria starter box. Somebody bought it, but was only interested in the Moria Goblins and the Fellowship figures, so I ended up with the Cave Troll and the terrain. The Reaper Mountain Troll is a massive metal figure that has since been replaced with a plastic version of the sculpt. Again, Vallejo acrylics were used, followed by a wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade. I had used Medium Flesh on the Mountain Troll as a base colour, and with the Earthshade wash, it came out looking a bit more orange than I expected, but it still looks pretty menacing. These all stand 55-60mm tall.

 

Reaper Mountain Troll, plastic Cave Troll, and metal Cave Troll

 

The backside of the trio of trolls

 

 Lastly I have two sets of terrain pieces from the Mines of Moria starter box. I got one set from someone who only wanted the Fellowship figures and the Moria Goblins, and the other from someone who just wanted all the figures, including the Cave Troll. So I ended up being given a total of 8 pillars, 4 trapdoors, 2 chests, 2 wells, 2 sarcophagi, and 6 assorted skeleton/skull pieces. These were all primed black using a rattle can, and then dry brushed with progressively lighter shades of grey. I used Iraqi Sand on the skeletons and skulls, Stone Grey on all the pages, Chocolate Brown on the chests and book covers, with Bronze Metallic and Gun Metal painted on various other bits. I then used a fine tipped Sharpie to put lines of dots and dashes on the pages to look like writing. Finally everything got a wash with Citadel Agrax Earthshade.

Two sets of Mines of Moria terrain

 

An elevated view

 

A closeup showing the dead and skeletons and the detail on the pages

 Thanks for stopping by.

Goblins in Moria

With this project I was again back to a collection of secondhand plastic figures purchased off of eBay, along with some new metal character figures, as well as some metal goblin warriors and archers that are long out of production. In total I had 12 goblins with sword and shield, 12 goblins with bow, 12 goblins with spear, 3 goblin captains, a goblin shaman, a goblin drum with two drummers, and Durbûrz, Goblin King of Moria. 

 

All the plastic minis were in good shape, so no repairs needed to be done. After cleaning up any mold lines, the metal minis were glued to their bases using epoxy. Then a few 'boulders' (actually small pebbles) were glued  to some of the bases using epoxy again, followed by a layer of fine sand that was glued to the bases with PVA. Once everything was dry, all the figures were primed matte black using a rattle can.

 

All the 'rank and file' goblins were painted in an assembly line fashion starting with the skin colour, and working outward from there. The character figures got a similar treatment, but I also painted on yellow eyes with a black slit pupil, as well as any special colours such as the skulls on the shaman, or the bone 'drumsticks' on the goblin drummers. Water based acrylics were used throughout, mostly Vallejo paints. Once completed, everything got a coat of Army Painter Strong Tone Quick Shade, which has become my 'go to' medium for mass armies. When the Quick Shade was thoroughly dry, I painted the bases starting with dark brown, followed by dry brushing on a lighter shade of brown. The 'rocks' were then painted with a medium grey. Finally some small patches of flocking were added in a random pattern to all bases to match the ground work on some goblins that I had done in the past. Here is the final result.

Beneath the peaks of The Misty Mountains lie many Goblin kingdoms. The greatest of these is undoubtedly that of the former Dwarf stronghold of Moria, ruled over by the tyrannical Durbûrz. The largest and most brutal Goblin in Moria, Durbûrz has risen up the ranks before becoming king, and any who have dared to challenge his rule have been swiftly and callously dispatched. Durbûrz rules Moria with an iron fist and instills great fear in those who follow him. [below left]

 

Quite where the Moria Goblin Shamans received their knowledge of dark magics is unknown, although it is likely they learned it in the dark corners of the mountains away from prying eyes. Possessing a crude and brutish form of magic, these shamans are capable of whipping their followers into a bloodthirsty frenzy, enabling them to suffer grievous wounds yet still carry on the fight. [below right]

 

The sound of Goblin Drums heralds only doom and death to those unfortunate to hear it. To the monotonous beat of the crudely fashioned drums the Moria Goblins scurry into battle, driven forth by the constant rhythm. Whilst the sound of bone upon taut skin spurs the vile Goblins forward, the deathly sound strikes fear into the hearts of all of those that know the peril that they now face.

 

Whether it was through a vicious cunning or just out of brutality, Goblin Captains are those that have risen through the ranks to lead Goblin warbands. Although they lack the martial prowess of other races, these Goblin Captains ae not to be taken lightly, and they are certainly fierce enough to give even skilled warriors pause for thought - if only for a moment. (The figure on the right with the spear is actually one of the metal Moria Armoured Goblin Warriors that are now out of production. I had an extra goblin spearman, and I needed another goblin captain, so he got a promotion.)

 

Here are the rest of the four metal Moria Armoured Goblin Warriors that went out of production when Games Workshop introduced their box of plastic Moria Goblins.

 

I also had four metal Moria Armoured Goblin Bowmen that are also out of production. Along with the metal Goblin Warriors, they add some nice variety to the swarm of small, mean-spirited creatures that live a troglodyte existence in the numerous delvings beneath the Misty Mountains.

 

That completes all my Moria Goblins that were in my 'In' Basket, although I still have two cave trolls to paint, one metal and one plastic. With the re-conquest of Moria campaign that I am working on, I may also have to get myself a Balrog.

 

Thanks for reading. Stay safe and healthy.