The Lord of the Rings: Armies of Middle Earth: April 2009

Wednesday, 1 April 2009

Uruk Hai scouts

I had sort of missed the fact that there was a second plastic set of Uruk Hai. Having only glanced at the box I thought that they had just changed the name of the original figures. This second set, of course, represents the creatures who've "taken the Hobbits to Isengard"! They should be used for the Amon Hen and Wrath of Rohan scenarios.

I painted them slightly differently from my other Uruk Hai using the colours from the original costume designs.

Uruk hai Scout Helmet

I've got another ten about half way finished so may have a go at them this weekend. I certainly need to complete a few more figures to get back on my painting target.

War of the Ring movement trays

It was a block of Uruk Hai pikemen that sold me on the idea really.

These have been hard to come by and I couldn't even get any infantry ones at Salute but I picked up some today in the GW Oxford Street branch. It's weird that the existence of the trays in advance of the rules is getting me back into the LotR again but it is!

Anyway, here are some of my Rohan figures entrayed.

Wargaming Middle Earth

I confess that I had never been a fan of The Lord of the Rings until Peter Jackson's monumental films came out. I had never read the books and had, years before, given up on The Hobbit half way through. Now I have read most of them (I am still struggling to finish the Return of the King) and whilst acknowledging their influence and scope still don't think they are particularly readable.

No, for me , it was the fantastic images created by the film that inspired me. Oddly, when Games Workshop came out with their Fellowship of the Ring boxed set I didn't buy it as I couldn't see how you could turn a film featuring largely invincible heroes into a satisfactory game.

It wasn't until D'Agostini came out with their Battlegames in Middle Earth part-work that I got interested, at the prompting of my little boy, Guy, and subsequently subscribed to the magazine; eventually collecting every issue.

I painted the 12 goblins included in the first issue in a day and my little boy and I immediately played a game using these and the cardboard Aragorn included as well.

Since then I must have acquired hundreds of figures, although very few are painted. Most are designed by the Perry brothers and are, as a result, completely gorgeous. Some of them are truly remarkable portraits, in 25mm, of the actors who played the parts in the films.

Occasionally, LotR games are played at Guildford but the main driver for me in getting more figures done is Guy, who loves playing the game.

So over the next year or so I will see how many more of these splendid figures I can get onto the gaming table and even have a go at making some scenic items.