Hobbiton 'Tour'

An excellent 'tour' con be found on -

http://theatlasheart.com/2015/02/17/a-land-of-hobbits-where-to-indulge-in-lord-of-the-rings/

Perhaps I'll do my own sometime, on this blog, as we've been four time, over the years,

Secret Project 1

As I'm taking my time over the Knights of Dol Amroth (Their banners and shields are a challenge for me) I'll put up a hint on the secret project.

The first pic is experimental using on an old piece of plastic that was headed for the bin.

The second is the final piece, just taking shape on foam board (a display board for Agatha Raisin when we had the bookshop)

The 'pavement' is plastic wall from Cheltenham Model Centre,

Colours, as usual, are wrong - must start using a daylight bulb!

Hill Troll Chieftain, Buhrdur

 Here's the Hill Troll Chieftain, Buhrdur, just about finished.

The usual problem with metal in that the metal continually pokes through the paint (I'd forgotten to try roughing it up with a wire suede brush).

I was reduced to painting an area and then varnishing before going on to the next.

My base for his skin colour was Standard Mechanised Grey and then he was dry brushed with scorched brown over most areas.

The base provided with this Chieftain of non-existent Hill Trolls is a much smaller one than usual for a troll but then, he is undersized compare with most of the family.

Knights of Dol Amroth

I hate those little tufts of plastic that GW put on the end of horses hooves and/or on barding that you are expected to believe have a resemblance to grass.

With these Knights of Dol Amroth I've tried to bury the tufts in rock using Milliput.

I'm unsure about the geology shown in the third shot.

Can rocks thrust themselves up through other rocks?

I might end up painting the mound of rock with 'Brown Earth' and topping that with grass to show rocks jutting out of earth mounds or grassy knolls

Dwarf Rangers.

The secret project over, I have been able to get on with these Dwarf Rangers. I've placed them on similar bases to the previous dwarves (years ago) and kept to the coal-field theme. From now on I'll try to include some detail of the paints used. Bows and quivers were Calthan Brown, the tunics mostly Steel Legion Drab.

I undercoated green jerkins and tunics with Catachan Green before using Dark Angels Green. Belts and most of the boots were Scorched Brown and the beards Vermin or Balor Brown plus Scorched Brown/Black mixed and the grey range.
Flesh is based with Mournfang Brown, then Tallarn Flesh, washed with Reikland Fleshsade and touched

up with Tallarn again. The arrows were Snakebite Leather (look it up) and fletched with grey and white.
Cloaks are Mechanised Standard Grey and, of course, highlights are simply up the colour range.

Pretty much what it says on the box.

I couldn't locate any stats for these guys except in the War of The Ring book under Ered Luin Rangers, page 135

Corsairs 3 Swordsmen

Now the swordsmen, also looking for a beach.

They may have to wait, though Heather has suggested something that might work.

Meantime, two new trolls are due to arrive.

With them, a secret project.

Corsairs 2 Spearmen

The next four Corsairs, as you can see, await the resolution of the base problem.

Texture and colour?

Still some little touches to do, too.

Corsairs 1 Archers

Having run out of trolls, for the time being, it's a bunch of shanty singing UmbarCorsairs.

The bases are work in progress as I wanted them on a beach but have been unable to get the right look.

The left one was doused with Cassandora Yellow after a base of Bubonic Brown.

The next two were an attempt at a sandy beach with rocks and the fourth was as per the ideas in a White Dwarf for a coast board.

It looks more like a Red Marley field in autumn.

I've given them yellow sashes etc, rather than white.

They are pirates, after all.

Forgetfull troll

I spotted the fact that the dark skinned troll had forgotten his shield and had to go back for it.

They are so dozy!

Lewis made a suggestion to cover that nasty neck join on the drummer.

Simply give him a helmet.

His 'quiff' was retained by cutting off the bottom of it and fixing it to the neck, up against the helmet.

Now to send for a Mordor Troll Chieftain or a Hill Troll Chieftain or both.

Little point in the latter, I suppose, as there are no hill trolls available.

I do still have a Mordor war catapult with a troll loader.

Possibly a hill troll?

Two More Trolls

The remaining two trolls have turned up.

The left hand one was based white but I had difficulty with that.

Most areas required two coats to avoid patchiness and there always seemed to be little bits of white showing through.

Anyway, I had to coat the skin grey to give a background colour in nooks and crannies and then went for a lighter brown.

I tried a flesh wash too and then more light brown.

Looking at the photos I realise I need to bring up his lumpy skin areas more.

Note, by the way that he's a poor relation of the other trolls. His armour doesn't match from one arm to the other and his leatherwork is all colours.

He's really hacked off about his situation which is why he's 'hacked off' those heads.

His slightly more upright stance was achieved by putting the forward foot on a higher area of rock.

The base for the left hand one was Rhinox hide enabling me to have a much darker skin.