From Barks: The Death of Gothmog (Director's Chair)(45 points)

Where has the time gone? I had a bit of a slump in my painting mojo, my lamp gave up the ghost, Captcha is playing up and I haven't been able to comment on all your inspiring posts*, I blinked, and suddenly the end is careering towards me.

Here's my Director's Chair entry for the Snowlord's consideration: The Death of Gothmog. I said Gothmog would be back!

• 1955: Tolkien publishes The Return of the King, and does not specify Gothmog's fate
• 2003: Jackson releases The Return of the King, which also doesn't show Gothmog's end
• 2004: Jackson releases The Return of the King: Extended Edition, which includes the blink-and-you'll-miss-it Death of Gothmog:

• 2008: GW releases a vignette 'The Death of Gothmog'. I like to think this is a Perry.
• 2023: I paint said vignette.

The Death of Gothmog

I got this off eBay, partially painted and broken. I had thoughts of making this into a piece with sabots for the figures, like my Sauron piece, but ultimately decided against it. I've got plenty of Éowyns and recently a plastic Gothmog. I stripped the pieces and reassembled it. I decided to place it on a nice oval MDF base from Knights of Dice. I bulked out a little bit of the groundwork with Milliput so that Éowyn and Gothmog are on solid ground.

Stripped and ready to go

Test fit. Note the narrower metal base before bulking it out a smidge.

I'd thought of doing the miniatures separately, but during a test fitting they got stuck in place so I painted them all together. It wasn't too hard. I started from black and then drybrushed browns and creams in the grisaille fashion, which the French call Le Slapchop.

I could have entered this as Black & White

My favourite part was painting the cloaks. The Rohirrim cloaks are from a Vallejo Russian Uniform base, and the elven ones are built up from German Feldgrau.

I was slightly disappointed with it, but then I flocked it. I used some pretty dry colours to match the film- the Pelennor fields have been somewhat abused by hordes of orcs and stampeding mûmakil- and it really came to life. I haven't varnished it and am pretty afraid to.

Gothmog (and an errant hair on his head)

Aragorn and Andúril.

Nameless orc #748. He's a dynamic dying sculpt,
his helmet is flying off and his sword leaps
from his open fingers.

Gimli dual wields and has a two-handed axe on his back

Éowyn desperately stretches for her dead comrade's sword.

The reverse of the scene

So, that's my Director's Chair entry.

6x 28mm figures (2 prone): 25 points

Director's Chair: 20 points

*also, my w key is sticky. Éoyn, Snolord, groundork

Great work on this diorama, Barks. I haven't seen the extended edition, so I was ignorant of Gothmog's fate. We're lucky that Peter Jackson felt brave enough to add his own details to the story and not just rely on the books. 

You have done an amazing job repairing and painting this set of figures, I shall have to look into that French painting technique you mentioned.