a Load of Old Toby

A Load of Old Toby - Musing on Miniatures, Middle-earth, and the Machinery of Mordor Ash, Iron, and Rust: The Uniforms of Gorgoroth Painting the Dark Lord’s War Machine The Witch King of Angmar Now that we’ve stripped away the clean, 19th-century European military terms and mapped out the true industrial ladder of the Dark Lord’s forces last week, from the lowliest Scud sniffing out a trail to a world-ending Legion breaking down gates, it’s time to talk about the physical reality on the hobby desk. My version of Azog  If Mordor is a bureaucratic machine, then its uniform is the grease, rust, and ash of Gorgoroth. When painting a massive host, whether be it the miniatures from Copplestone Miniatures or a sprawling tide of Wargames Atlantic heavy infantry, you need a palette that feels cohesive but allows the internal, tribal chaos of the lower rungs to peek through. Blog For my money, nothing beats the Vallejo Model Colour range for getting that matte, sun-baked, industrial fil...

A Load of Old Toby - Musing on Miniatures, Middle-earth, and the Machinery of Mordor The Black Speech of Bureaucracy: Reconstructing the True Scales of the Orc Host There is a persistent habit in modern fantasy wargaming to treat the Orc as a purely chaotic creature, a wild marauder who stumbles into battle with little more than a rusty cleaver and a bad attitude. But if we actually look closer at the texts left to us by 'the Professor', a far more chilling reality emerges. Under the shadow of the Dark Tower, the Orc host was not a rabid mob but it was, or is indeed is for those of us who believe the time of the Orc is still to come, an industrial machine. It was uniform. It was counted, registered, and divided by a hierarchy that was as rigid as it was cruel. Orc 'Boss' - Copplestone Miniatures Indeed it would have been almost impossible to keep order within the chaos without some form of loose structure. So I have been working on discarding the clean, modern terminolo...

So it begins! Lord of the Rings - 10mm The Horde Awakens: From Glades of Green to the Ash of Mordor A new week, a new project.  The borders of the Empire are secure and the Wood Elves have retreated to their glades. For now, both of these recent projects grace my display cabinet with pride, looking far too pristine and noble. It was clearly time to ruin that peaceful aesthetic with something a bit more… grubby. First Orc Unit - John Hodgson backdrop  I first crossed paths with the Wargames Atlantic "Classic Fantasy" range last year. There is something about the old-school aesthetic of their Orcs that I love, and I couldn't get them out of my head, they reflect the style of Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith. It started innocently enough: "I’ll just get one sprue," I told myself. "Just a few test models to see how they feel." Archer Unit added next Fast forward to today: The Shadow has lengthened and I have officially spiralled . That single sprue has mutated int...

Empire - 12th Post Averland Halberdiers & Ostermark Swordsmen I’m beginning to think my hobby desk has its own gravitational pull. Here we are at post number twelve, and the "Grand Imperial Army" is finally looking like a force capable of defending the Old World. With two units to show off this week, the display cabinet is starting to get crowded! If you’re just joining this madness, you can find some full army pictures below. This week was a marathon session. To stay on track with my goal of representing every province, I decided to tackle two of the most visually striking liveries in the Empire simultaneously: the bold yellow and black of Averland and the pink-purple and pale yellow of Ostermark. The "Yellow" Challenge: For the Averland Halberdiers, yellow can be a nightmare. However, by drybrushing Vallejo Lemon Yellow over a black primer before applying any base colors, I created a bright foundation. I then used a very thin glaze of Vallejo Sun Yellow. The b...

Warhammer Empire - 11th Post The Bowmen of the Drakwald This week’s update: the Middenland Archers. As I continue my quest to include a representative unit from every province, the rugged woodsmen of the North were next on the list. While Middenland is famous for its stoic infantry and the White Wolves, I felt a unit of skirmishing archers perfectly captured the grit of the Ulric-worshipping wilds. Frontal picture  Preparation and Priming These are classic metal sculpts, and as with the Hochlanders, they required a bit of prep work. I spent an evening carefully removing mold lines with a fresh hobby blade before the standard warm, soapy bath. My painting process remained consistent to ensure the army looks cohesive on the tabletop. I start by applying a solid coat of black primer.  After this I contiune to underpainting a light drybrush of Vallejo Lemon Yellow. This "zenithal-style" shortcut is a lifesaver for identifying the fine details on these older sculpts and provides b...

Warhammer Empire - 10th Post Hochland Handgunners If I’m honest with you all, I just can’t believe this is my 10th post on this Warhammer army. What started as wanting to paint a unit or two of some of the most characterful miniatures has spiraled into eleven units, so many, in fact, that I’m losing count! You can find the entirety of this army on this blog by using the "Empire" tag. Full unit - Front Right Without further ado, let's move onto this week’s update featuring the much-needed  Hochland Handgunners . I’m aiming to paint a Grand Imperial Army featuring a unit from every province, and I am fast closing in on that goal. When Hochland’s turn came, Handgunners were the obvious choice. Command Super Close Up I had pre-ordered these "Oldhammer" miniatures from Games Workshop some time ago, and they finally arrived in the post last week. Once they were on the desk, I began by cleaning the flash and mold lines with a sharp hobby blade, followed by a quick bath...

Wardens of the King The Kings Wardens of Zarkûnbund The Kings Wardens of Zarkûnbund are the latest addition to my burgeoning Dwarven force. I chose the title "Wardens" specifically to distinguish them from the "Dawn Guard", a small homage to the Oblivion series, and because the word carries a certain weight that fits these GW Lord of the Rings models perfectly. The Kings Wardens The Gathering of the Host While the unit is comprised mostly of classic Games Workshop miniatures, I’ve mixed in several other manufacturers to give the unit a unique silhouette. I’ve integrated Oathmark character models for the King, Wizard, and Champion, while a Conquest Models horn-blower completes the front rank. I know mixing manufacturers can be divisive for some hobbyists, but for me, it is the simplest way to make character models truly stand out. It shifts the feel of the army away from a "standard" rule-set look and into something more personal. Since this project is set ...