Wednesday 14 September 2016

Never Mind The Orruks

Of course I had to paint some Age of Sigmar greenskins, and of course I was suckered into the jaw-dropping value of the 'Getting Started' Ironjawz set.

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.
To sum up: buy the monstrous cavalry and get a set of infantry and a character for free!
You'll feel like you're *making* money!

Let's not dwell on the impact to my unpainted leadpile and crack on with the minis!


The other appeal of this army was how quickly I reckoned I could paint them. I had a definite idea of how I'd like Ironjawz to look, and it didn't include yellow armour (what sadist would paint that much yellow?).

A black primer, then a drybrush of metal, a splash of technical paints to make them rusty, and I'm all done!

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.
The best part of all: no eyes to paint.

... that plan got a bit scuppered when I had the moronic idea to add checks as an accent.

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.
So. Many. Checks.

In truth, they were pretty quick to knock out, even with my self-sabotage with all the bloody checks. Quick, and I'm very chuffed with the result. Between the crazy helmets and the rusted armour, they have a 'Brian Froud's goblins from Labyrinth' look that I was going for (although considerably more pumped).

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.
An iconic helmet. Literally.

In most of the illustrations, the unit's Boss is the one going bare-headed, but when I saw the Banner Icon, I had to try it out as a comically oversized helmet.

I know what you're thinking: how's he supposed to bring his arms down over those enormous horns to chop with the axe? Well, I don't believe that kind of long-term strategy is appropriate for an Orruk, and you should be ashamed for thinking it.

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.
Gork alone knows how I posed this drummer at a right angle from his drum.

It's quite likely I'll be knocking out a few more Ardboy units (once I scan see the foothills of the Leadpile again), so to remind myself of the super-quick system:
  • Armour: Black Primer, Ironbreaker drybrush, Typhus Corrosion Wash, Reza Rust drybrush
  • Skin: Elysian Green base, Drakenhof Nightshade wash, Nurgling Green drybrush
  • Horns: Zandri Dust base, Agrax Earthshade wash
  • Tusks: Ushabdi Bone base, Seraphim Sepia wash
  • Eyes: Pallid Wych Flesh
  • Weapon heads: Ironbreaker drybrush x 2, Tinny Tin accents, Nuln Oil wash
  • Weapon hafts: Tallern Sand base, Reikland Flesh wash
  • Belts and Straps: Balor Brown base, Agrax Earthshade wash
  • Checks: Pallid Wych Flesh & Chaos Black, thinned Agrax Earthshade wash
  • Base: Skrag Brown, Blackfire Earth, Flayed One Flesh drybrush

I kept the weapons rust-free, and even gave them another lick of Ironbreaker, since I wanted them to be distinct from the armour, and it made sense for an Orruk to keep his blade sharp. The rest looks wonderfully grimy. I only hope my pot of Typhus Corrosion lasts for the entire army.

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.
This mouse hunt just got serious.

For the bases, I decided to embrace the Age of Sigmar-ness and do something totally different to the Old World grass/leaves/badlands. Since these guys are all about iron, I went with a kind of Martian landscape: barren and lots of red ore. So I guess that puts these guys in the Realm of Metal - Chamon!

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.
Chamon! Chamon! Sing it with me.

As 8th Ed Black Orcs, I was never going to collect these (having a massive amount of their predecessors), so I'm glad I got the chance to paint these up. They're fun to work with, and about as Orky as an Ork can be.

But I'm especially glad that I never had to model them for a ranked-up regiment. They barely rub along on 32 rounds; having to fit them onto 25 squares, and then get them into a regiment where they had to be removed and replaced, would be a special kind of hell that would have me rebasing in a heartbeat.

Orruk Ironjawz Ardboyz for Age of Sigmar.

And so begins my second Age of Sigmar army: Force of Destruction, with a decidedly green tint.

2 comments:

  1. I am sure that you have seen already; but if not, have you been tempted by:
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1273312680/war-is-coming-forest-goblins

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh Kickstarter ... lead me not into temptation.

      Delete