More Short, Bearded Folk

I'm continuing with the Old School theme at the moment.  This time some of the excellent dwarf sculpts that Nick Lund did for Grenadier UK in the lat 1980's.  I love these guys: solid and stoic, heavily armed and armoured, but never comical.  This is how they looked in my mind as I read about the Battle of the Five Armies in The Hobbit.

On a side note, most of these are from ebay.  When many of these sculpts are still available new and quite cheaply from the likes of EM4, Mirliton and Forlorn Hope Miniatures, it never ceases to amaze me what people charge, and pay, for these!

With most of the models either in their original bare metal, or stripped right back, I took a different approach to these.  Instead of starting with a black or white undercoat, I decided instead to start with successive washes of GW Nuln Oil, followed by a light one of Agrax Earthshade, straight onto the bare metal.  This then had a light drybrush of GW Leadbelcher and (very light) to bring out the detail.  Non metallic details were then added using a limited palette of 'earthy' colours.

Shields are viking/anglo saxon in style, inspired not in small part by the work on Jacksarge's Blog.

Hero with big axe, big beard, and big cloak

Awaiting shield details.  Pity the otherwise lovely spear-dwarf sculpt is marred by a badly cast face.

Here's one with the wash, waiting detailing.

I've also picked up a handful more of the Nick Lund sculpted Orcs.  These were already painted, drybrush over black undercoat style.  Not my preferred approach but good enough to give me some ready made opponents.