The "How to do Oldhammer" Thread

[Erny]

Hi!

Heres my first completed unit:



Apologies for the poor picture but its proving difficult to get a decent shot in the stygian gloom of Scotland this morning. I must admit I am rather pleased with how the little chaps turned out, especially when compared to their catalogue picture from East Ridings website.

Hopefully with the small conversions they look suitably Slannish and I will be able to add some pics of my warchief in the morning once I've finished painting him too!

All the best!

Wow these would be great in 28mm too, vicious little poison arrow frogs running around at knee height under the jungle foliage.

Oh and they look great too.

Indeed everything is looking stunning on this thread.

 

[theottovonbismark]

Great stuff everyone! Now back to painting with me !

 

[Just John]

Some great stuff on show so far. I started painting the halflings today - no pictures yet, maybe tomorrow.

 

[phreedh]

Very nice "entries"! I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to paint...

 

[Captain Crooks]

Very nice "entries"! I'm still trying to decide what I'm going to paint...

Same here, I'm considering making a poll, hehe.

 

[Just John]

A WIP of the halflings - there are a few more over on my Muster thread

 

[spacecowsmith]

Hi!

Heres a quick addition to my Slann warband in the form of their brave warchief:



He's had quite a bit of conversion including a new weapon and shield, not to mention a suitably large headdress! More pictures can be found over on my blog:

http://talesfromfarpoint.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/slann-warband-part-5.html

I also have the first five of my close combat Slann almost ready to paint and hopefully should have all ten ready for priming by the end of play today and that will complete the initial challenge!

All the best!

 

[theottovonbismark]

Nice to see some halflings on the go there John!

Those Slann are looking mighty tasty Spacecowsmith.

 

[dieselmonkey]

I missed this while I was on holiday, love the idea! I've got boxes of junk eBay lots I've picked up over the years that aren't worth the time and effort of re-selling, I might try to see what I can put together.

21 figures can't be that hard, right?

 

[Asslessman]

Only managed to sculpt some details of the shields, repair a few bruises and base everyone.

Next step : priming and painting !

 

[theottovonbismark]

Everytime I see those chaos warriors with their pretty halberd tassels I smile in amusement

I assume that they are in fact eyes you have sculpted on there and they are therefore not a deeply perverted take on a Slanneshi warband

 

[Asslessman]

Eyes they are you naughty you

 

[zoggin-eck]

Great thread everyone! Lots of ideas. I've been debating whether I'll jump in or not, since my first thoughts went to mono-pose battlemasters like many others!

Zhu, your blog-post on the Airfix halflings is fantastic. That's much more interesting to me than simply having to have 80's lead models. I hope you don't mind me pinching the idea a little! I've always loved the references to early games/designers making do with 1/72nd plastics. The idea I've always loved is people painting romans green and calling them orcs! Years ago the single mention by Jervis of using them in the Warhammer Ancient rulebook lead me to speed-painting hundreds of the little buggers, so I rounded a few up and painted a test model yesterday. Spending more than just a few minutes on one of these models has been something I wanted to do for a while (it seems most people just dip them and call it a day). Kind of has an Angus McBride feeling with the armour. At this scale, I'd happily use them as goblins, and I don't think it'd be a bad option for anyone very new to the game or just can't justify spending much on the hobby. I'll post a photo once he's based...

Other than that, I have two options/ideas. One with the "cheap/easy to hunt around for" theme, the other simply affordable models from a current manufacturer:

1. Paint up a warband of GW's plastic lotr Uruk-hai and use them as either hobgoblins or half-goblins since they're pretty small/weedy. These are so cheap and readily available since they came in a starter set, paint set and bundled with the magazines. Plus, the target audience has long since grown out of it and trying to sell them online. Along with the other lotr models, damaged job lots that need a little love and care can be a gold mine.

The models themselves I've always liked, but I really am bored with the same old colour scheme. Too many lotr models never went beyond black undercoat and drybrush metal, so one project I've always wanted to do is paint some up in my own colours (brighter!) and use them as something other than Uruk-hai transplanted to Warhammer.

Another reason why I'd choose them is the same old complaints of not being able to use them in Warhammer. Says who? I will, so there!

2. A lesser goblin army based around a "misfits" theme. Lesser goblins who have escaped their miserable lives as slaves and will take petty revenge on anyone else. This lot are outcasts and I want to include some other outcasts like half-orcs or even half/lesser ogres who band together or are forced into slavery by the more numerous, if tiny lesser goblins.

This came about because I really love the 15mm Demonworld goblins re-released by Ral Partha Europe. They gave me a couple of bonus models (an orc and an elf) in an order since they are promoting their skirmish game using the same models (see, it worked!). For the goblins, the only thing I could think of is using them as snotlings, but I already own heaps of snotlings. I really like their bronze giants for their orc army, who kind of look like ogres but more human proportioned.

Reading the lesser goblin entry in the 2nd ed. bestiary, I finally thought of basing them individually! I love the idea of downtrodden goblins who aren't necessarily less intelligent like snotlings are. Game-wise, lower stats in a few places but higher initiative to represent how quick they need to be to survive is just too cool. The little mention of this also meaning that their wizards are considered reasonably effective compared to their own ilk means I'd love to have them as leaders for the army, rather than a conventional general. The bronze giants will make good half-ogres. I imagine these guys are really mindless and easily manipulated into battle, chained up slaves or even paid off in stolen booze (the usual justification as to why a giant doesn't just east his own army, so it might work here!). I also like the idea of promoting armies/ideas that have fallen aside in recent editions. Half-breeds are never mentioned, and the idea of lesser goblins seems to have been forgotten once snotlings were introduced in WD during 2nd. This army idea is kind of a "if you have the models or like the old background, do it anyway!" theme. An army based around something so small as a single entry (in this case lesser goblins) is something I'd love to try out.

It's also become an obsession with me to buy from companies that still cast old models and who keep re-releasing ones thought oop. I'd rather encourage something like Vikingforge/Alternative armies with old Asgard models, old Grenadier from Mirliton, Ral Partha, Tom Meier dragons from Iron Wind Metal, Black Tree models and so on, blah blah Passing around the same citadel via ebay is cool, but I can guarantee I'd complain and hiss is suddenly all the old models still in print disappeared and claim that I "was just about to place an order".

***

(I also thought about making a force from the contents of Reaper's "Bones" Kickstarter and those released outside of it, since they are very readily available (in store or people flogging off unwanted doubles on ebay) and cheap, but I think everyone who reads blogs and forums is sick of those models by now!)

 

[Asslessman]

Zog, I second you on Zhu's project and I think your approach is a good one.
I believe you could use both solutions with a pixture of LOTR models if yo uhave them (how cheap is a model you already own?) and add some older references. I think it's important to have a link to the old reference at least in one of the models. I chose to use cheap plastic monopose monstrosities for the bulk (with some modelling to kill the monopose effect and I chose an old asgard reference still cast by Alternative Armies as a leader to have something actually old in the band. This should work for you too.

 

[phreedh]

I like your thinking, Zoggin! Especially on daring to go outside the Citadel norm. In an attempt to support that notion, I will not paint a single Citadel miniature this year (except for the one dwarf I need to finish up for a comission). Thanks for giving me some focus! It also helped me decide on the cheapo lot I'll be painting for this and it helps me put half finished projects on the back burner without fretting, as well as getting to some stuff I've been wanting to paint for years. Yay!

For this mini project, I'll do plastic EM4 orcs as hobgoblin rabble. They were kindly donated by Cheetor once upon a time... well, last year. =) Pics when I get home, followed by a night of clipping plastic bases. I hate that part.

 

[whiskey priest]

There is a lot more thought going into people's choice of figures than went into the original post! I'm loving all the different approaches and the love that some long neglected models are getting. I need to get on and finish the Netherport watch. I'll get them undercoated ASAP! Great work everybody and thanks for joining in!
And to all those swithering, there is no time limit on this, get stuck in, see where it leads you! I've accidentally started an empire army I didn't know I had! Who knows where is next!

 

[zoggin-eck]

OK, bugger it, I'll go with both of my ideas I have to wait a week or so before ordering from Ral Partha (I'm poor this week it seems!) and another for the delivery to make it down here, so the Uruk-hai win out.

I chose to use cheap plastic monopose monstrosities for the bulk (with some modelling to kill the monopose effect and I chose an old asgard reference still cast by Alternative Armies as a leader to have something actually old in the band. This should work for you too.

Thanks for the kind words. Fair enough idea having one old model in the mix. Actually, I bought the same Asgard Chaos Warrior (but from Vikingforge, haha) so perhaps he could make an appearance?

Actually, I have an Asgard sorcerer who I think would look good leading the Uruk-hai. Not so much as a Saruman rip-off, more the whole "Evil human baddie with different race henchmen" seen in so many 80's cartoons, video games and of course D&D. A wizard with a shield should freak out some new WHFB player at the very least

The 15mm goblin army, perhaps not. For a change I have a real image in my mind as to how it should look (as opposed to my usual kitchen sink armies!) and also want to try showing an army easily bought from one source, which I think can put off some people when they look at "Oldhammer" armies that are made up of ancient collections supplemented by dozens of ebay and forum purchases. I do plan on giving them some "old-school" (yuck, I actually used that term?) bases, mushrooms and all. I'll also add a catapult using a children's toy easily found (one of those that are packaged with every "kingts" playset in cheapo stores and second hand at garage sales ("yard sales" overseas?) and Op-shops ("Thrift store" overseas?). If that's not old and daggy enough, I don't know what is!

I like your thinking, Zoggin! Especially on daring to go outside the Citadel norm. In an attempt to support that notion, I will not paint a single Citadel miniature this year (except for the one dwarf I need to finish up for a comission). Thanks for giving me some focus!

Now that made my day Sometimes I feel the more effort I put into writing a post/thread/whatever the less people care or pay any attention. If I've inspired someone, that's really worth it so thanks for saying

I just feel that there's so much out there at the moment, both old and new. I find it odd that so many people who get fed up with GW then declare that they will still buy GW but only online (as if GW mind), go to the "next biggest" company (Privateer Press for example) or build Mantic up as something it isn't, or pretend this new company is the only GW alternative, ignoring even ones as old as GW! I've done the same, until I went on a bit of a "who else still makes old stuff?" binge last year, I decided I'd rather give my money to a range of suppliers, I had so much fun. This little spending spree was mostly brought on by a frustratingly late Reaper Bones Kickstarter and deciding how much I hate stripping second-hand models I guess it hardly counts as varied, if you then just buy lots of the same style Kev Adams greenskins from different suppliers, but the thought's there

Actually, what drew me to this thread and why both whiskey and zhu's posts were such a breath of fresh air to me, is that not all armies need to be old citadel, or make excuses if they aren't. That mindset is the weirdest thing to me, since I didn't think anyone worried about using all citadel armies at the time anyway! I only starter with 4th, but even then I never considered using one manufacturer based on name only. Of course, nothing against "real" citadel collectors though, I still drool over old White Dwarfs and blogs showing as much, and I check Realm of Chaos 80's and Eldritch Epistles every day for updates!

For this mini project, I'll do plastic EM4 orcs as hobgoblin rabble. They were kindly donated by Cheetor once upon a time... well, last year. =) Pics when I get home, followed by a night of clipping plastic bases. I hate that part.

Ahaha, silly me was about to mention that all these mono-pose plastics around could do with some Fantasy Warriors plastics! Any chance you're reading the same LAF thread? Originally I worried about how skinny they look for orcs (since all I played was 8th at the time), but as hobgoblins they'd be great. Even considering Nick Lund's wolf riders as hobgoblins, I still hadn't thought of it! (By the way, I was amazed to learn that they weren't made by Nick, just made to look like his orcs).

http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php?topic=54131.45

I've thought about doing the same so many times. I have a potential player who I'm trying to steer towards Orcs or Dwarfs simply so I can try converting them myself. Kind of an odd challenge, seeing how much variation you can get from three models! I did an order with EM4 just over a year ago. I can't believe I didn't buy any at the time! Ah well, there's plenty more they sell that'll make it worthwhile.

***

OK, I'll shut up now and paint something instead

 

[Zhu Bajie]

Zhu, your blog-post on the Airfix halflings is fantastic. That's much more interesting to me than simply having to have 80's lead models. I hope you don't mind me pinching the idea a little! I've always loved the references to early games/designers making do with 1/72nd plastics.

Cheers man. The idea is there to be pinched! I'm still struggling with the Milliput feet a bit, but making progress. If I'm honest they just could have been used as is, but I want to do a bit more advanced modelling than gap-filling. Got a few "test models" on the go and will post results once they start looking remotely passable.

Look forward to seeing your 1:72 Airfix Roman Orc. Good call on McBride, perhaps some head-swaps with some Airfix WW2 Germans and add little horns on their helmets. I might try that after I've got the Hobbits done.

...Oldhammerifiying Reaper Bones could be a great way of showing the flexibiity, but yes, it's not as interesting.

 

[phreedh]

...Oldhammerifiying Reaper Bones could be a great way of showing the flexibiity, but yes, it's not as interesting.

Best way to oldhammerifying Reaper Bones is to trade them for PayPal balance and buy some nice metal models. =)

On that notion, I have a shitload of Bones to trade off. Any takers? =D

 

[phreedh]

So, to prove I'm not all talk but also a wee bit of action every now and then - here are my 18 plastic EM4 orcs soon to be cheaphammer hobgoblin mourngul renegades. That's 108 points right there, if I add a few shields. They'll be armed w hand weapon even if the models happen to hold spears or bows. This evening I cut them all off their tabs, filed their feet a bit, dug out 18 bases for them and cleaned up 6. 12 more to clean up and glue to their bases and then it's time to wash and prime them. Incredibly soft detail on them, not looking forward to painting them. Will do them real quick and dirty.