From KeithS: Orcs (64 points)

I delved deep into the nostalgia this week and painted a dozen 25mm Orcs from Heritage.  Shortly after starting to play D&D in 1980, my dad bought and painted a number of miniatures, including a set of these Orcs, which were based on the Orcs from Ralph Bakshi's animated Lord of the Rings movie.  I've always loved this look for Orcs and managed to track down newly made sets last year.


Here's the visual inspiration:

Here's the group shot. There's a mix of poses and weapons but they're all pretty similar in style (there are different critters on their helmets, though).  For the shields, I needed something not too taxing for my meager free-hand skills, so squiggly orange wyverns it was.

There are four different poses.  I don't have a particular favorite, though -- they have their charm.  I did NOT do red eyes - I tried it on one or two but they just did not look right.

And the reverse.  In addition to Bakshi's vision, I stuck with Gygax's Monster Manual descriptions for Orcs with regards to their preferred colors and what not, especially since Bakshi's are so dark which just would not do for miniatures.  These are not the best quality sculpts I've ever seen, but I really like the finished product nonetheless.

And, just for nostalgia's sake, here are three survivors my dad painted circa 1981 in all their much-worn enamel glory.

I don't expect to get my current pile of figures finished before tomorrow, so this will have to do for the week!

Keith kicks us off with two posts. and wow these are fantastic! I loved that animated LOTR movie as a child, and was gutted they never finished it. So great choice for inspiration, and you've really nailed that look on these classic sculpts. I'll sprinkle a few bonus points for those shields too - gotta love some freehand designs and the touch of red really lifts the figures.

Phil