As BOYL 2015 approaches ever nearer, I look upon my pile of primed (and in some cases - bare lead) miniatures and despair. There is rather a lot to do before the big weekend but all is not lost.
Thank God for the Summer holidays!
As I am now a man of leisure, I have been able to lavish a considerably larger amount of time on painting this past week and these are the results - most of my Hobgoblin army!
First off is a small unit of Hobyars - the elite of the Hobgoblin army, they are made of Nomadic nobles and their retainers.
The eagle eyed among you may have spotted that most of the unit is made up of Aly Morrison's Hobgoblin Warriors, although the Hobhound and his Handler, the Discipline Master and Shaman have been separated out and sent to their respective units.
The leader is the Manic Hobgoblin Hero from the Monster Starter Set - I've also done a mounted version of him on a horse to represent the Warlord Vidhal Timotei - mainly because of his lustrous head of hair.
Can't wait to spring this chap on an unsuspecting enemy - a dastardly Hobgoblin Assassin.
You might also have noticed that these shots are all taken outside. I've always been impressed with Private W's outdoor photography (as well as his stunning collection and inimitable humour!) and have resolved to try it out myself for some time now. As I'm currently up in the Lakes at my folks' place, I don't have my usual set up (which is packed away in the loft at the moment anyway) so circumstances happily forced me into it! What do you all think - personally I'm a convert - especially as I can do it up here far from the prying eyes of baffled neighbours as would be the problem back in York...
Next up is the War Altar, which has been a labour of love for some time. I've been searching for the right bits for ages! Eventually, for the cart, statue and lobotomised slave ogre to pull it, I settled on a nice Far Eastern Ushi Guruma from 4 Ground, a Goblin Shaman's Idol from Foundry, a Grenadier War Troll Champion.
The Hobgoblin raiders from Alternative Armies make a nice Altar Guard - note the Discipline Master from Aly Morrison's Hobgoblin Warriors, ready to administer spikey discipline to the Slave Ogre!
For the Altar's Shaman I went with an old Half Orc Cleric and added in a nice horn I got as part of a bargain blister from Foundry and a random drum I got off ebay because it caught my eye and was only 99p!
For the Idol I attempted to reference Yamantaka - one of the more violent aspects of Buddhism. Lots of fun to paint and I think the blue is quite soothing on the eye after all those reds and browns. You can't quite make it out but i just about pulled off making his rather prominent belly button into a third eye!
And here's the poor bugger who's got to lug the whole thing around! The War Troll took a bit of arm twisting to take on the job - quite literally! That is I had to bend his arms back and twist them into place. One arm had to be cut off and reattached in the right position and luckily Grenadier style chainmail isn't to hard to reproduce with a bit of milliput and a pointy stick!
Continuing the theme of lobotomised Slave Ogres as it's not talked about enough - here are some actual Slave Ogre minis.
4 Ground again came up trumps with two more Oriental style handcarts, which I have left separate from the Ogres so they can be used for other things should the need arise.
Two more Hobgoblin Discipline Masters provide the Ogres with the motivation they need and if you look really closely, you might make out an unfortunate Slave Orc helping too!
These chaps will make up the baggage train and I'll be adding in various pack ponies, chests, luggage and wounded humans to go on the carts. There's also a whole bunch of Slave Orcs and Goblins who will represent the baggage train attendants and hangers on.
And last and definitely least (in terms of a measly BS of 2!) is this small band of skirmishing archers.
Painstakingly collected from ebay over many months. they represent the firepower of the Hobgoblin army, along with the two rocket crews I have featured earlier. I don't think my opponents have much to worry about in my firing phase...
The next few days will see me beavering away to finish off a unit of Hobgoblin warriors, the two Shamans and a few other bits and bobs. I may even get on to the crew for my Time Bandits inspired ship. The ship will have to wait till I return to York but it's pretty much finished.
Fingers crossed, I should be ready for BOYL 2015...
Brilliant stuff! I feel so guilty that none of my hobgobs are painted yet. Can't wait to see them in the flesh
ReplyDeleteYes - hang your head in shame! ; )
DeleteThat'll have to be a treat for another time - can't have too many painted Hobgobs knocking round the internets.
Wow! What a great job. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteCheers Martin - always a good feeling when you've nearly finished an army!
DeleteYep nice stuff !! If you want to increase asian style to your archers you can make bands of red or white color around their bows... like the samurai archers.
ReplyDeleteAND I THANK GOD FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS TOO :)
Vive les vacances indeed!
DeleteGreat tip Nico - might have to give the D&D Hobgob that treatment as he'll be the unit champion with his flashy gear.
I'm noticing a disturbing lack of Violas in this band of ner-do-wells.
ReplyDeleteBut cracking job all the same :)
Thanks Aiteal!
DeleteNot sure if it's my fuzzy head this morning or whether I'm just being really thick but you might have to spell out the Viola reference for me!
ahhh, the comments
Deletehttp://teasgettingcold.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/in-old-cathay-did-hobgobla-khan.html
Which reminds me, Bushido have released and new Shisa, much larger than the others judging by base size/price, but I'm gonna get one at the end of the month and try him out for size as a mount.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/391186352337?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Ah yes, now I recall! I reckon a Hobgoblin musician with one of those Chinese harps would actually be pretty cool!
DeleteCheers for the heads up on the new Bushido Shisa. Might have to invest in one of those at some point. Just about to start work on my Shamans and the two smaller Shisa, which, as you say, are a bit too small for mounts.
Stunning work (and background scenery). A great well themed force.
ReplyDeleteThanks Springisfield - I can't take credit for the scenery though!
DeleteGood job mate :)
ReplyDeleteCheers Chico - still can't tempt you to facing off against these guys? ; )
DeleteBrilliant looking figures- well done !
ReplyDeleteCheers Mr T. - always great when a plan comes together!
DeleteThis army has such terrific character and that alter is such a standout. Awesome work.
ReplyDeleteCheers Smithy - to be honest you can't go far wrong in terms of character with these minis.
DeleteNice choice of avatar by the way!
Wow! Thantsants! Beautiful looking HobGoblin force! And they look amazing outside! Especially photo 14 with the hill in the background. I love that, seems like they are coming down off the hills right into our friendly village! And thanks too for the nice shout-out/reference! I feel the best place for miniatures is outside. Look forward to seeing your force in action! And hey, I forgot to mention that great War Altar, fantastic! The only problem is that my Shaman will want one now too!
ReplyDeleteCheers P.W. and thanks for the inspiration!
DeleteI tried to trick my son into believing that particular shot was real as the perspective almost works. He had to think about it for a second or two! Perhaps the thought of Ogres living out on the slopes of Lonscale Fell isn't all that far fetched...