Wednesday 3 April 2013

Also Advertises Corn Niblets

Despite my scepticism of General Kraken's last WoffBoot army, I've come to think that a Giant could be a useful addition to my Savage Orcs.
(So yes, I basically eating my words here. Mmmm... adjectives.)

Much as I like the new Giant model, there are already two of them knocking around the armies of the WoffBoot, and adding another would make them look like a particularly unattractive tribute to The Rockettes.

Kick those legs up, girls.

Moreover, I've tried hard to steer clear of red/pink in my green/brown themed army, so a huge pale-flesh centrepiece (i.e. the Giant model I already have) would spoil that. The only thing for it - I needed to field a giant orc!

After trawling the internet, however, I was unable to locate a suitable model (not even for ready money). Until I happened upon a charming range of children's toys from a French manufacturer named Papo.

Papo Orc conversion
The toddler I confiscated it from is still crying.

This chap met a lot of my requirements: he's big enough (9cm head-to-toe), is slightly hunched-over (giving the impression of gargantuan scale) and is carrying 'savage' weapons of stone and rough-hewn wood. And look at that grin - who wouldn't love that grin?

He also cost about £4 - a difficult adjustment when building a Warhammer army, but I persevered.

The first step was the converting:
  • There was some definitely non-savage bits that I had to cover up (the metal anklet, the chain, the chestpiece, shoulder guard) - greenstuffing extra furs took care of most of it.
  • I really needed to get a sense of scale in there (so he didn't just look like a big orc), mostly achieved by adding plastic skulls and bones.
  • I wanted to turn his wussy pilgrim's staff into a massive club, so I greenstuffed the skinny lower half and - on the principle that you can't better nature - added a pebble from my garden. The club is stupidly big, I admit, but at least it looks like it could cause 2D6 wounds.
  • Nothing says savage like a bone through the nose, which involved a bit of rhinoplasty. And since I was greenstuffing the face anyway, I made his brows heavier.

Papo Orc conversion
He also has a codpiece of boar tusks
 - because sharp, jagged spikes are exactly what you want down there. 

The undercoating was a worrying moment - the model is soft plastic ("chewable and non-toxic!"), rather than the usual surface. But it adhered quite well.

Papo Orc conversion
And that's my Bank Holiday sorted.


On the plus side, paint sticks to the model really well - I had visions of layers sloughing off, but if anything it's tougher than regular models.

On the downside, the details aren't sharp - which doesn't help my traditional ink-and-drybrush technique. The furs and skin aren't my best work, but I think I've gotten away with it.

In terms of warpaint (of course he was going to have warpaint), I didn't want to copy the simple block-images of my savage orc infantry. Partly because it wouldn't help with the scale issues, and also because it was a hell of canvas to play with.

I decided (somewhat unwisely) to cover half his body in orky glyphs - random and reasonably small, to give the impression of them having been daubed on by lesser greenskins. It took a while to do, and I was seriously running out of ideas by the time I got to the ankle, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

Papo Orc conversion
Welcome to the Valley. Ho Ho Ho.

I only have the base to finish, and a few more accessories kindly provided by General Kraken's giant kit, and the big feller is ready to rock.

9 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. My inner Frankie Howerd just combusted.

      Delete
  2. Love it! I trust he'll make the journey to The Boot regardless of his potential inclusion in your list??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I'm sure I'll take him for walkies. One of the virtues of being made of durable plastic rather than pewter is that he won't break my back.

      Delete
  3. What are the base dimensions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 50mm x 75mm - same as the new Giant (a cavalry base glued to a monster base).

      When he's finished, I'll take another shot of him next to a regular orc, for scale.

      Delete
  4. And I know what you mean about adjusting to non-GW pricing - just wait for my £5.99 monstrous Ushabti horde! (Well, £5.99 was the models - I still had to buy 18 40mm sq base at 50p each!).

    Watch this space...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds intriguing. Warhammer on a budget... who'd have thought it?

      Delete