Topper the Cave Troll--SBG Paint Job

"They have a Cave Troll."
-Boromir, Fellowship of the Ring

I figured it would make good sense for Goblin Town to ally with Moria for some muscle... namely a gigantic cave troll!

The blending on this figure was a bit of a challenge, and I'm still not totally happy with how he turned out. However, as someone who loves some trolls and already had one from the Mines of Moria box set, I figured he would be easy enough to throw onto the team. The picture doesn't quite do justice...

But one thing I'm certain you're asking: why the name Topper? Why not Az-Glorf Flayer of your Skin or something more.... trollish? I feel like I'm staying more true to Tolkien by giving my trolls more british sounding names. After all, the only troll names we have are Tom Bert and William (I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of symbolism in that.) At any rate, I figured I'd keep on with that trend and name my trolls names like Topper, Harry, Dick, Syd, etc. and so forth.

But what do you all think? Sound off in the comments!

-BG

Boromir--SBG Paint Job

"The mightiest Man may be slain by one arrow. Boromir was pierced by many."
-Pippin

A break from my Goblin Town force, here is Boromir, son of Denethor!

The miniature is a little plastic figure from the Mines of Moria box set. I got that miniature when I was still in middle school!

And here he is from the back, showcasing his shield and the Horn of Gondor.

I'm not planning a Gondor force obviously, but the Fellowship of the Ring are a must paint.

Penny for your thoughts, sons of Gondor?

-BG

Grinnah the Goblin and Army List--SBG Paint and List

"Dwarves your malevolence! Found 'em on the front porch!"
-Grinnah, An Unexpected Journey

Here's Grinnah for my aforementioned Goblin Town army.

The baseplates are still rough... sorry about that still. I continued on with the idea of colored cloth as opposed to brown. Being one of the Great Goblin's chief officers, I figured he would also have some very nice, bright pieces. It made him a load of fun to paint.

The whip on this figure is so dynamic and really sets Grinnah apart from the grunts, even without the extra bright colors.

I also tried layering the skin tones with a lot less washing than the previous troops... it worked really well and will probably polish up the rest of the infantry using this same method.

So what do y'all think? A fine addition to the force?

Also, since we finally have two commanding officers, allow me to show off  my lineup for this faction at 500 pts:

Warband 1

Great Goblin (Goblin King)

-13 Goblin Warriors w. Hand Picks and Axes

Warband 2

Grinnah the Goblin

-10 Goblin Warriors w. Hand Picks and Axes

Warband 3

Wild Warg Chieftain

-2 Cave Trolls w. Chain and Hammers

The first two war bands are standard issue Goblintown stuff, but for painting and fielding purposes, I wanted more than what the faction had to offer pure. Moria seemed to be the best place to ally with, and since I have a special place in my heart for trolls, a quick war band with them and a Wild Warg Chief should round off the force. it was a pity I couldn't fit the Scribe and the Captain in the 500 pt. force, since they're such delightful little models... but, perhaps in an alternate lineup!

The thing that will keep this force from winning is, of course, the gaping, vacuous lack of any kind of bows... but that is the great flaw with Goblin Town as Goblin Town. It won't win tournaments this way, but it should rough up the enemy if it gets close enough (I'm hoping the trolls will be arrow-spongey enough to aid in that goal.)

But what do you think of Grinnah and his men?

-BG

The Great Goblin--SBG Conversion and Paint Job

"Clap snap! The black crack!"
-Over Hill and Under Hill, The Hobbit

So, since you got a shot of my Goblin infantry fighting Gandalf, I figure my efforts would be better spent showing off my first Goblin hero: The Great Goblin himself!

Look at that bulbous dirtbag! The miniature is the standard plastic mini from the Escape from Goblin Town box set.

One thing I wanted to do to set my Goblin Town force apart from the rest is, instead of cladding them in orange/brown material (the color it appears on screen when in orange/brown light) I wanted to make it look like mismatched colorful pieces of fabric. The Great Goblin, as the leader then, would get best picks of these fabrics!

Here he is fighting my Rivendell Elves force... and, since I love making things personal, note the rivendell elf cape hanging across the Great Goblin's buttcheak... it's getting real up in here now!

Hopefully you haven't noticed how he is a conversion... this is because that, since I got this model when I was only 14, things have happened to him since then... namely, the skull on the top of his scepter got lost! I sculpted a new one--made to look broken like where he smashes it fighting Gandalf--and hopefully nobody will notice...

Also, note... I'm not sure if I like the grey of the Goblintown baseplates currently... but that will be updated soon as well.

So, what do you think of our overweight, off key, denizen monarch?

-BG

Gandalf the Grey--SBG Conversion

"Why should I welcome you, Gandalf Stormcrow?"
-Theoden, The Two Towers

Finally onto some more legitimate--although perhaps less colorful--wargaming in the world of Middle Earth!

As someone who has had bits and pieces of the LoTR SBG lying around since Middle School, I've always wanted to play and figured that now would be as good a time as any, and Gandalf would be the absolute best place to start!

First, a shot of him on our new tabletop board while my brother created a magical dry ice effect.

And now we have an actual shot of the paint job and conversion job as he dukes it out with some goblins. He is a plastic from the Escape From Goblin Town set, with the minor conversion of him holding a little blue flame like from Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire. The reason for this conversion was really a necessity... the model was second-hand and missing his second hand! So, a little green stuff, and we see Gandalf revealing himself as the powerful being he truly is.

So, what do you think of the Grey Pilgrim? I'll show some shots of the Goblin Town force I'm cooking up next time! 

-BG