Armies of Fantasy Warriors

As Easter is ending the first unit of Orc Spearmen are done. There are 16 of them, although the original Fantasy Warriors came with 17. However, I’ll be complementing them with unit command figures and the missing 17th Orc later.

The Orcs are standing in front of the very first scratch built buildings I did in the early 90s. The yellow cottage is modeled after a house in a White Dwarf if memory serves. The barn I did on inspiration.

Speaking of memory, I’ve tried to find the ad I saw for Fantasy Warriors. I found articles about the game but none that look like what I remember. But, more on that later. I’m thinking I’ll also dive a bit into some history of the Fantasy Warriors game too. So I’ll aim to make a project  a bit wider than just painting old minis.

After mustering the minis that I got in the Fantasy Warriors box, there are a few missing to reach the 102 announced on the box cover. But no worries, since I had this project in mind even before aquiring the Fantasy Warriors box I had already ordered 1 bag each of the EM4 plastic orcs and dwarfs. These are the original Copplestone orcs from Grenadier.

With an early jumpstart of the project, I already have 16 Orc spearmen that just need some basing before being done. Im pretty happy with them, and I think the color scheme will work fine for the Orc army. It also matches my old GW 4th ed plastic goblin spearmen and archers.

Most of the models I aquired were unpainted, although a few are now taking a bath in T-red the swedish solution to old paint removal. There are a few broken spears and other bits so Im thinking I’ll convert those models to be standard bearers and warmachine crews.

Most of the dwarves were in a better state. Still a few missing to make the original 51 dwarves. They will be getting reinforcements from the purchase mentioned above. Have to start thinking about a color scheme for them. In an old Sinkadus (old swedish rpg magazine) there is a paint tutorial featuring a Fantasy Warriors dwarf crossbow man. Thinking I’ll have that as inspiration.

With my first copy of the rpg Dragons and Demons, THE swedish fantasy rpg in the 80s and 90s, I got paper standees and two gridded gameboards. In 1990-91 Äventyrsspel started selling Grenadier’s fantasy miniatures at a pace of releasing 48 new miniatures about every 3 months. I was hooked, but my pocket money limited the amount I could afford. The grenadier miniatures were my first fantasy miniatures.

This project is a mix of my very first fantasy miniatures and newly acquired old Grenadier fantasy miniatures and new miniatures of the old sculpts (from Em4, Forlorn Hope and Mirliton). It is also return to the swedish rpg-world of Ereb Altor which is the setting where I imagine my armies. The Orc armies control by the Witchmaster of the Black Tower and the Dwarfs from a Dwarven Hold in the Aidne Mountains.

Just south of the Aidne Mountains lies Zorakin, a land of knights and chivalry. I have started painting on one of my first knights. He will most probably be from one of the knightly orders protecting Zorakin from the orcs in the Aidne Mountains and in the forest that dominates one of the country’s two peninsulas.