Middle Earth Mega Project

Denethor in his right mind was described as much more sophisticated and Machiavellian than Theoden in Rohan, but lost his mind with the death of his favourite son and trying to master the Palantir, something that the true King of Gondor was able to do.

A cheap but risky character to include on the table top. For 35 points he is packs a wallop with F5 S4 A2 but at the same time he is a bit of a liability. If he fails a moral check at the beginning of every turn (and Boromir isn’t alive on the tabletop) his marbles are in absentia and the Evil player gets to control him. This means that he can kill good models, who will not strike blows if they win a fight.

A Ring Wraith using ‘Sap Will’ and ‘Drain Courage’ can seriously twist his knickers and increase the chances of him failing that crucial courage test, with a bit of blue on blue battery resultant as toys are thrown from the pram and he dishes out more fruitcake than the ‘Great British Bake Off’!

If you like your Gondor army with a large side helping of Bananas, Denethor provides a colourful if somewhat speculative risk for any Gondor Army. When pitted against low level heroes and troops, Denethor can dish out the spankings, which is great, as long as they aren’t yours!

After my previous post featuring Gandalf on the stump that is all that is left of the Bridge of Khazad Dum, my “Middle Earth Mega Project” would not be complete without a look at the opposite side of the bridge, not just in terms of visual but of the mindset of the Balrog!

It’s quite easy to sympathise with the Balrog given hindsight. How would you feel if your home was invaded by a bunch of ruffians, who woke you up from a deep slumber by dropping buckets and suits of armour down wells, throwing stones into ponds and upsetting the wildlife, enraging the neighbours and their pets, as well as destroying the local and only bridge (clearly an exemplar of “Post-Durinic-Dwarven-Minimalism” and no doubt listed by the local planning department), causing you to fall into a near bottomless chasm where you were to be rudely assaulted by a cantankerous old man, clad in a grey dressing gown who frankly could do with a bit of a wash up and a shave!

I don’t know about you but I would be “FLAMING-ANGRY”!

“Trolling” a matter that I am sure has absolutely never taken place on any Tolkien related group, forum or gathering, and certainly not by bored and bothersome “Normies”!

This is another great sculpt by Games Workshop from back in the Days when the films were fresh in the cinemas, depicting the point where the Mighty Cave Troll in Moria almost Spanks the Granny out of Frodo, by attempting to create Middle Earths first ever Hobbit kebab! Fortunately Frodo didn’t get skewered and the film didn’t end there!

I have painted the Troll as naturalistically as possible to paint a fantasy creature, and painted the Foe Spear a deliberately contrasting Mithril like shine in direct contrast, which also adds to the feel that it was a Dwarf weapon.

A great addition to any Moria Army and always an entertaining Monster on the table top.

This one is dedicated to my two work pals who’s names I shall simply Tolkien-ify (I think I have just invented that expression, please everyone use it so that the Concise Oxford Dictionary has to publish more Fantasy related nonsense?) as “Spam-Wise Ray-Gun” and “Tricksy Mr. FroJoe Entwood” who have inspired me to create some of these posts during our daily work Tea-Time-Tolkien-Talk!

A really colourful moment in the Extended Edition of ‘The Return of the King’, I look forward to recreating it on the table-top with some of my gaming mates, who previously nick named the handsome chap above as ‘Mr. Whippy’! He does in fact remind me of character working on a building site in Dagenham who was obsessed bacon sandwiches and ice cream, so perhaps Mr. Whippy is not too far out!

I love the models of Frodo and Sam in Orc armour which add a load of possibilities to use them as infiltrators in my own scenarios.

One of my favourite moments in the Trilogy, Gandalf standing his ground against easily scariest monster in Middle Earth, guaranteed to test the fortitude of anyone’s bowel control!

It wouldn’t be a “Middle Earth Mega Project” without a depiction of this legendary moment.

I scratch built the Moria Mine workings (more on this to come) for this competition as a backdrop and a fun piece of M. C. Escher inspired modular scenery madness for my games.

In the background are various fools that should be flying!

A particularly memorable character and army from the ‘Return of the King’ movie and a great addition to anyone’s collection, the King of the Dead and his insubstantial chums are a power to be reckoned with on the tabletop. This guy if he gets a wound will kill even an Oliphant dead.

I used an effective yet incredibly simple (reminds me of my Cousin Olly’s appalling chat up line aimed at the now Mrs Cousin Olly) paint scheme. I used a ratio of circa 1/4 mix of Daler Rowney ‘Sap Green’ (375) with G.W. Skull White. I then dry brushed with the original mix mixed with more skull white at a 50/50 ration. I then dry brushed really finely with pure Skull White. This gives the unit a spooky tone that is seen in the film and is most striking on the tabletop.

I used clippers to cut several of the Warriors and the King himself of their bases, and drill holes with a pin vice to accommodate  a copper rod, to match the way they vapourously (I think that I have just invented a new word?) move and float around the battlefield and their subterranean purgatory.

I plan to use these chaps as a powerful backup to Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, the Sons of Elrond and the Grey Company as a late arriving relief force at a Mega Siege of Gondor and Battle of the Pelennor fields that I am Planning.

Gosh. this ones definitely a “Bit Scary” to the level that it will have our arachnophobe pals dumping their lunches at first sight!  Better not show to Justin of OTT Fame!

I painted the unfortunate Frodo from the old “In the Clutches of Shelob” boxed set on a built up 40mm base. I used pebbles and sand to for a rocky outcrop for Shelob to place her unwitting “Din-Dins” in the form of Frodo tied up in Spider-Silly-String and apparently covered in slobber (Sounds like a fun Friday night!).

I used a pallid green built up with mixed flesh tone highlights to give a sickly look to the poor Hobbit.

I plan to use this fun piece for an objective marker for my “Cirith Ungol” Army.

I have had a lot of fun with this truly horrible character, and love the whole bloated, foul, corpusculent look that he embodies on the tabletop. Always fun at the head of a ‘Goblin Town’ army, even though I have yet to see them do anything other than get ignominiously spanked and routed off the tabletop!

I also love the cobbled together throne with a somewhat foul surprise.

Clap! Snap! the black crack!
Grib, grab! Pinch, nab!
And down, down to Goblin town
You go, my lad!
Clash, crash! Crush, smash!
Hammer and tongs! Knocker and gongs!
Pound, pound, down underground!
Ho, ho! my lad!
Swish, smack! Whip crack!
Batter and beat! Yammer and bleat!
Work, work! Nor dare to shirk,
While Goblins quaff, and Goblins laugh,
Round and round far underground
Below, my lad!