Orc warband

So, with the inevitable summer Mordheim rush approaching, I have decided to create a new warband. Orcs this time, and not just any orcs, but old school ones!

I found a great box at my local shop containing a mix of old orc and goblin platics, specifically one black orc, one orc boy, one arrer boy, two goblins, two night goblins and a fanatic. Perfect start for a warband! Adding to these a few old metal ones I had in by (bottomless) bitz box and I had everything I needed.

First up to be painted was the plastic orc boy. I love the design on these orcs, and even though the details might be a bit poor, the overall look is nevertheless better than todays boys.


Next up was the shaman, and I think that this is one of the very best models ever to have been produced.


I have started work on the black orc, expect him within a few days.

Great paintjob on some great looking old-school figs. I actually thought of buying a box of assorted orc minis. It is a pack that contains 2 old black orcs, 2 orcs w swords, 2 orcs w bows and a handful of goblins. It was cheap too, and will make for a great base for just the kind of warband you are making

Btw, I LOVE your nail-polish

AHA, someone besides myself who uses their thumb nail for a palette...GREAT minds & all that! Like alot of the older GW minis, the Old Orcs & Goblins, while not being exactly state of the art, have a certain charm about them that is lacking to a degree in the newer stuff. NICE choice of color & WELL DONE!

Nice! Love the old-school orc, indeed a lot of character (somewhat more cartoony). Even though it is almost classic ( tha red ones go fasta ...) the red color suits these guys very well!

How much time did you spend on each model?

Deafnala: I have been using my thumnail as my palette for as long as I can remember . I am also a compulsive brushlicker ^^. As for the models, the one thing that I like the most is the equipment, especially the armour.

Opheliate: Buy them, and start an old school warband you too! We could start a movement

vampirekhaine: I did try to give them an old school paint job, right down to the radioactive green skin colour. I spent maybe 90 minutes on each model. I decided not to batch paint any model in this warband, as I want every model to look detailed and unique.

The one thing me and my gaming mates like the most is that the old models represent the orcs statistics more realistically. They have basically human stats but with T 4. The "new" orcs looks about ten times stronger than aa human, but according to their stats, they would tie in a arm-wrestling match. The old models makes more sense, as the orcs haven't got arms the size of Reddwood trees

So, here is my black orc. He will be the leader of my warband, and I plan to give him the black orc blood-skill as soon as possible

Awesome!

I have to agree with your comment on the shaman! By far the best Orc model every produced!
I too use my thumb nail as a palate, its so convenient.

I must say the red armor on the black orc is blended very nicely.

old school models and an old school paintjob too boot! its obvious you know your techniques very well. im no fan of the plastic black orc(as i had to field large blocks of them and they had to carry a ram in a siege game). the shaman on the otehr hand is an awesome sculpt by Brian nelson, if my memory doesnt let me down. it has a lot of paul bonners orciness to them and that is all good to me:)

any more?

Great looking figures!
Just gotta love those old orcs. Even the plastic ones have so much character in them.
There's no school like the old school, as they say.
Painting is great, red fits very nicely with those figures.
Please update soon, can't wait to see more.

Thanks for the kind words!

Finished the arrer boy and a spear goblin, and started work on a big un (the drummer from the old metal command group). I will take pictures in the morning, too sleepy now.

I actually have quite alot of old metal orcs from the period as I began to collect an all-metal army of orcs several years ago. Just as I got started, the plastic orc regiment box was released and that project fell into the mothbag.

So, arrer boy and goblin, here are the pics! Also included is a wip of one of my big uns. Incidently, does anyone know if you can buy a banner when forming the warband?

Coming along nicely. I agree that the old orcs have more charisma than the new ones. Somewhere along the line Citadel decided to make monsters out of the orcs, which might look cool sometimes, but I miss the quaint charm of the old more humorous ones. Great choice of models and very crisp painting (the blending is particularly good). Keep them coming!

The new "old" stuff looks TERRIFIC! Since I'm working on some similar thingies, I find your WIPs to be particularly inspiring. SO...give an Old Man a reason to get up in the morning AND keep up the GOOD WORK!

Meh. Its all a matter of taste. Excellent painting on the old models, sir.

I do find it interesting that the shaman is grouped with the 'old school' since his release heralded the end of the old style orcs and the beginning of 'new' look. Both styles are cartoons, the 'new' one is just more menacing. When the change occurred it got raves.

Those old swords make great cutlasses now! Yarr!

The shaman was released in 1996, years before the plastic regiment box for the orcs came out, so I consider it part of the old orcs.

Anymay, here is my big un.


Quite alot of details on this one, and I am not sure I am too happy with him. Screwed up the red highlights and made them too bright. I tried to fix it with a red wash but I´m not sure it worked very well...

I will paint two more goblins, then this project will have to take a break. Building a chaos warrior army for a tournament. I will take some better pictures of the warband when they are finished, no more thumb palettes!

I really like the orc model you use for the big-un. I really like the general "east-asian barbarian" look of many of the older orc models! Almost like huns!

Anyway, I think you have done a great paintjob, and see no reasona s to why you should be unhappy with it. Allthough I DO think its good to be ones own worst critic

So, the last two models for a while. The fanatic is meant to be used as a stand-in for the other goblins when I give them mad cap mushrooms.

I like it man, really classic figs painted up nicely. Always a pleasure to see. Especially loving the skin tone you've worked out there.

So I did some counting and it turns out I don´t have quite enogh models for a warband. So I painted another one, but only after I worked some on my warriors of chaos army. That one has to be done by the end of May so I don´t really have time for another project

Anyway, here he is.


Gonna see if I can´t get him the madness injury and get him nice and frenzied

The skin tone is really simple, base coat of orkhide shade, then a drybrush of orkhide mixed with necrotite green (p3), then another drybrush with more necrotite, then another with pure necrotite, and finally a very light dusting of necrotite mixed with white. So basicly, drybrush drybrush drybrush.

The fanatic is great, really like that model. BTW, I think I know why I prefer the old models... my son is playing a orc warband, and they are some mean fellows, really tough to beat. He even named them The Mean Green Fighting Machines (and the individual models are named after Turkish and Greek dishes... it lends strange atmosphere to the game having your warband shot at by the Feta Boyz...).

The Lads are coming along VERY NICELY. I like the Goblin minis better once they developed more pronounced, pointy noses & a Marty Feldmanesque look, but your older Guys fit well with the Orcs...I REALLY like the Archer. All VERY WELL DONE!

In the name of threadomancy I command this thread to rise! Rise back to the world of the living and to the world of page 1!

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Ok, so I have gotten some more work done on my old school orcs. I present to you Gorfang Rotgut!


I have several identical arrer boys finished too, and lots more on the way.

WELCOME BACK! Isn't a bummer how Cruel Reality seems to only intrude on life's enjoyable aspects?
Gorfang may very well be the coolest of a very cool War Band...VERY NICELY DONE!