The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings: Reader Submission

Today’s reader submission is by Cat Austin. Cat is Manager of Games Workshop Barnet. Cat recently held a Merryment in Mirkwood event at her store. There were people playing the strategy game and  demo games being run. Cat also had her collection of Lord of the Rings models on display which look amazing. I asked if I could photograph them for the blog and she agreed. I now hand over to Cat to tell you about her models.

Cat: Greetings! I hope you enjoy having a look at some of these minis. These are all in various states of WIP. They have been in my collection for a while but the recent injection of Desoloation of Smaug releases and general peak in interest in the Hobbit has really inspired me to knuckle down and finish them. My collection is as extensive as it is diverse and I think the way the Warbands system works to encourage variety is a blessing in disguise, if like me, you are a bit of a hobby butterfly.

Dwarf Warband

I absolutely love the Dwarf range. I will probably go so far to say that they are some of my favourite LOTR minis, they are surprisingly dynamic! I decided to collect a small host of Erebor a long time ago, purely for aesthetic reasons. Blue is just a really satisfying colour to paint! I have based the Iron Guard with ice and snow to represent the fact that they protect trade routes and are mainly outdoors. I will probably add some Dwarf rangers to my collection at some point and continue with the snow and icicles basing. It is fun and looks awesome.

Easterlings

80% of my painting now comes from referencing real life pictures. This way I know from the get go I have a good colour palate and it helps cut out any nasty surprises later. The decision to paint these Easterlings much darker, (as they appear in the film) has really payed off and I am glad I shyed away from doing the typical blingtastic colour scheme to them.

Rohan

Painting cavalry is not something I can say I have had much practise with. It was also challenging painting so much brown and green without making them look drab and boring. More layers to go, but I am quiet happy with them so far.

Radagast the Brown

The fact you can purchase a miniature plastic hedgehog, has put my life into perspective. But on a serious note, look at the tiny hedgehog!!! What is not to love?

Thanks for having a look! I would love to hear your feedback.

Garfy: I hope you all agree with me that Cat’s collection of Lord of the Rings/Hobbit models is a real treat for the eyes. It makes me want to paint more models from this range. Speaking of which, I have a bit of a teaser for all you fans of the Hobbit…