Mining for Lead-Orcs

This mining session focuses on the big green guys, Orcs.  After discovering that I had to have some Orc Units in order to field my Goblins due to the old Warhammer Armies minimum requirements, I started filling the boyz unit requirement with the Warhammer Fantasy Regiment.  A big box of plastic miniatures seems like old hat nowadays with all the plastic sets that are available but that wasn’t the case back in the 80’s.

This was the first of its kind with a massive 60 figures per box!  I would say the biggest drawback is that they were spread over 6 different races: Orcs, Goblins, Dark Elves, Wood Elves, Dwarves, and Skaven.  It worked out great if you had a friend to trade unwanted races with. 

Again this is pre internet and ebay so it wasn’t as easy to get rid of unwanted figures as it is now.  I did manager to trade some of my extras off or use some of the odds and ends like Stuntie heads on banners and such.  as previously posted I used the goblins to round out Sticker's unit.

Next up is the box of Harbroths Orc Archers to fulfill the Arrer Boyz requirement in the armies list.

Back in the day you could also have crossbows so I proceed to pick up a few of them as well.  

Next boxed set pick up was the Orc War Wyvern. 

Some minor conversion work with the horns reversed and a green stuff tongue.  I selected the lance figure as the rider and utilized the other as my unit leader for my Boar Riders.  Since I mentioned them here they are. 

I wasn’t much of a Citadel boar fan but when Marauder released their boars I decided to dive into a unit or two.  The riders are a mix of Marauder and Citadel figures.  I had intentions to have a unit of Savage Boar riders as well but I haven’t gotten around to collecting all of the necessary figures.  

Here is the heavy support a spear chuckers and a few rock lobbers with appropriate crews. I guess the Iron Claw stone thrower is technically a goblin unit but I threw it in with the others.

I’d love to get a hold of the Man Mangler and Lead Belcher boxed sets but I’ve never been able to find them within a price range of my liking, it’s always good to have some goals to strive for.  

Last up is one of my favorite units, they are Marauder Orcs.  I love their look with an Asian/Mongolian  influence and have used them as an allied Hobgoblin unit at times over the years.  I would like to get a few more to bulk up their numbers.

The Unearthing of Treasures-Mining for Lead

 I’m a little off pace with the posting, I think I’m now 2-3 weeks off schedule.  It’s been a busy couple of weeks and to be honest I’m in a rut with the painting.  Just haven’t been able to get the momentum going on the brushes since the start of the new year.  Instead of pushing myself back to the painting desk I decided on a different approach.

Why not talk about stuff I’ve already painted!  It started off with Diego’s Greenskin Wars Kickstarter prompting me into investigating my current Orc and Goblin army.  I wanted to be thoughtful in what I bought instead of just buying one of everything!  As I sorted the various boxes of lead I decided to be smart and use technology for an assist.  I repeatedly see fellow gamers mention their surprise upon stumbling on miniatures that they had forgotten they owned.  In conjunction with the assessment of my collection I decided to take pictures of each unit.  They certainly helped a somewhat, shall we say slower memory in keeping up with the inventory!  A side benefit is that I have pictures of my collection to post.  They say that a picture can say a thousand words, so I will let them!

Orcs and Goblins are my first true love of Warhammer and Citadel Miniatures!  My first Citadel slota-base figures were from a pack of the Citadel Collectors Series Goblin Raiders 1605 which contained a goblin archer and in my opinion one of the most iconic fantasy images of all time, a Goblin Wolfrider!  Both sculpted by the greatest greenskin sculptor ever Kevin "Goblinmaster" Adams!  He also did most if not all of Diego's Greenskin Wars line.

JRRT helped set that fantasy image in my head along with Rankin and Bass. 

The most recent movies of the LotR and Hobbit series just cemented it.  

I had been a bit of a hodgepodge collector prior to that, snapping up the odd Superior or Grenadier or Ral Partha model.  Really whatever caught my eye or imagination.  Once I laid eyes on these guys I was hooked and I horded goblins especially wolfriders.  I then got my hands on a copy of Warhammer Fantasy Battle (WHFB) 3rd and the companion Warhammer Armies book and was dismayed to see that there wasn’t a standalone goblin force.  One of the only positive things that happened with 4th edition was the splitting of the two groups.  Naturally I picked up a few of the bigger fellows so I was legal.  Again I gravitated towards the fantastical and got into the Orc Boar Riders, a second place finisher to the wolfriders as a fantasy image. From there the horde grew with boxed sets from the ground breaking plastic Warhammer Regiments, Harboth's Orc Archers, Machineries of Destruction Goblin Battle Chariots, Skull Crusher, and the Wyvern Rider.  I'll start off with the little green fellas since they are my favorite and show the rest of the green hoard over a few posts.

First up are the Wulf Boyz, they are a combination of Citadel and Marauder wolves and riders

Their heavy support, the wolf chariots.  These are a combination of Citadel and Iron Claw models.  I have a couple more awaiting paint.

As previously mentioned the unpainted Iron Claw chariots

Next up are the Warhammer Fantasy Regiment Plastic goblins with their patron saint on the banner!  It was the 80's after all!  Note the plastic Dwarf regiment head on the banner.

Here are some additional units of spears.

A custom built hero on a spider.  The Spider is actually the lower section of a Dryder from Grenadier that I had from my youth. A little green stuff and the horns off the plastic regiment dwarf helmet and instant giant spider!

Some Fanatics and a shaman which I actually think is from Heartbreaker but I honestly don't recall.

Some of the 4th edition clubber and netters, a few of the net handlers are actually 2 figures sculpted together on a single base.

A pair of the mighty Skull Krushers, less the crews which must be in another box someplace.

I included the snotlings pump wagon with the goblins.  I cant claim the paint job on this one, I found it at a used book store a few dollars and had to snap it up.

A second one awaiting assembly and paint.  There is the full compliment of snotling riders along with the famous/infamous little guy flipping the bird!

I this odd shot of some extra bits, back in the day when there was the Bitz Service I ordered the pump wagon sides and upper deck to kit out a lower body that I already had.  It took them 3 tries before they finally got it right sending me the lower deck and left side twice instead of the upper and both sides.  I'm sure I can figure out something to do with them!  Big Green Guys up next.