Mapper - Metal Elves

slinky · **Posted:** Mon Apr 13, 2020 1:02 pm

Mounted Denethor is very nice, and the whole army is super impressive all together - Nice work!

Grumpy Gnome · **Joined:** Sat Feb 15, 2020 1:17 pm **Posts:** 81

Great work mate!

Mapper · **Posted:** Wed Apr 15, 2020 5:10 pm

After finishing my tower, I started thinking how I wanted to use it. I've been thinking about doing a city square or dock area so started looking at which hirst arts molds or a gaming mat I would have to buy. Really didn't want to cast a whole lot of floor tiles when I remembered I had bought a Lemax cobblesone/pebble mat from Michael's at an after Christmas discount several years ago. It wasn't where I thought I had it but finally found it stuffed underneath a couch.

It was too red to use as is, so spray painted it grey, drybrushed with white, scattered spots of brown and green and now I have something I can use. Doesn't cover my whole gaming table so might have to get another one or think how I can incorporate it.

Also finished a recent ebay purchase metal Mordor Troll, this time using a quash stem as a stump on the base.

slinky · **Posted:** Wed Apr 15, 2020 5:25 pm

That squash stem works really well!

Grumpy Gnome · **Joined:** Sat Feb 15, 2020 1:17 pm **Posts:** 81

As usual your work looks great mate. The mat works particularly well.

DaveT · **Posted:** Wed Apr 15, 2020 8:32 pm

That mat is great -- nice work.

Qwertz8 · **Joined:** Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:31 pm **Posts:** 57

Agreed on the mat - I think the splashes of color work great to make it look interesting and not too uniform. The armor on the troll looks a little light for my taste, maybe could have used a black wash.
Also, the army shots are quite impressive, well done!

captainquark · **Posted:** Fri Apr 17, 2020 3:36 pm

The mat looks great for what seems like not too much effort

I also love that statue topper using the Minas Tirith knight, I've made one using a warrior but never thought to use a Knight, looks great :yay:

Mapper · **Posted:** Fri Apr 17, 2020 3:54 pm

Quertz8 - you're right, I went back and compared the armor to my other trolls and it was lighter, thanks for the suggestion of another wash.

Kuribo · **Posted:** Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:36 pm

That mat is a really good find. You have a knack for finding good stuff at Michael's! Having a textured mat is definitely a nice improvement upon the flat mouse pad type of mats that most of us use. It just makes it that much more immersive. Your thread is always inspirational and this update is no exception!

Mapper · **Posted:** Fri May 01, 2020 8:18 pm

Inspired by CaptainQuark's battle report on a Gondorian force going to destroy a catapult (shades of John Wayne's Alamo where they go to destroy the large Mexican canon) I went on to Ebay and was lucky to find a metal catapult and separately a catapult troll. The catapult was in pieces and heavily primed but all the pieces were there and being metal, easily stripped. The troll was missing his right arm so I had to repurpose and reposition an excess right arm that had been holding a drum stick. Still not totally happy with the hand, might have to go back and trim some fingers.

Not having a crew, I had to convert and repaint some orcs into a crew.

The crew member with the sledge hammer/maul - I made the maul by cutting a bit off a finecast sprue and drilling a hole through it, and put it on a pike where I had removed the ends.

A little bit of work on the troll and catapult, but ended up being cheaper than the finecast model currently at GW and was in metal!

Grumpy Gnome · **Joined:** Sat Feb 15, 2020 1:17 pm **Posts:** 81

Nice work mate! I love to see pieces salvaged and restored like that.

slinky · **Posted:** Sat May 02, 2020 7:59 am

The crew is great, excellent work of old bits and pieces

Mapper · **Posted:** Mon May 18, 2020 2:24 am

Next bunch to try and finish off, Morannon Orcs.

Because the orcs are 80% armor, I decided to prime them using either Army Painter Gun Metal or Plate Mail Metal spray paints.

That reduced the time on doing each orc and using Nuin Oil, managed to tone down the primer.

My first bunch done, an Orc patrol.

Started doing my second group when I realized that I hadn't done any conversions. Change of right arm, change of angle on spear arm, used an Mordor Orc head on one.

Will turn one into a banner holder.

Some conversions (with more to come)

Need to reduce this pile

captainquark · **Posted:** Mon May 18, 2020 11:47 am

Great work Mapper, I love seeing how you convert the models so that you don't have duplicates! The catapult crew turned out especially well! :yay:

I used the same priming method with my morannons :lol:

Primed with leadbelcher, hit the skin and cloth with a basecoat and then slap the nuln oil on, super quick and easy tabletop standard, which is what you need for these horde-type armies :lol:

Grumpy Gnome · **Joined:** Sat Feb 15, 2020 1:17 pm **Posts:** 81

Great work mate! I love your conversions. Good call on the metallic primer.

Mapper · **Posted:** Thu May 21, 2020 2:20 am

Thanks! I enjoy doing conversions, I do try and reduce the same poses in my armies. Usually works better with evil armies, for some reason good always seems to have capes and limits what I can do :-D

. If I can't change the pose, I at least give the flesh a different tone.

Mapper · **Posted:** Sat May 23, 2020 6:04 pm

I would get more painting done if I moved my finished figures out of sight. :-D

I tend to look at them and imagine scenarios where I could use them.

An Orc Patrol escorting the catapult and crew when they get ambushed. Could be an Battle Companies scenario similar to baggage train and/or the troll attack. Could have one company escorting the catapult or two companies seeing who can kill the troll and disable the catapult. I would have the troll able to dig boulders out of the ground and hurl them at the attackers.

The mind wanders, back to painting.

Kuribo · **Posted:** Sat May 23, 2020 7:37 pm

That is a good looking bunch of orcs, Brett! I think the contrast of them in the fair trees and terrain that seems well-suited for elves really makes for striking pictures :yay:

slinky · **Posted:** Tue May 26, 2020 8:38 am

Kuribo wrote:

That is a good looking bunch of orcs, Brett! I think the contrast of them in the fair trees and terrain that seems well-suited for elves really makes for striking pictures :yay:

Yeah, like they have made inroads into Lothlorien! :sad:

Mapper - Metal Elves

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