Mordor Marches - Uruk Archers

Mordor Uruk Archers. Bowmen. Morale Class C.

This is the second and final Uruk Hai unit that the Orc contingent gets. Uruks afterall should not be commonplace. These troops are armed with bows and fire them on the same accuracy table as Gondorian bowmen, so woe-betide the commander that treats them lightly.

Again, for reasons I already stated in my previous post, this unit features a Ralph Bakshi inspired paint job, hence the odd at first glance colour choices.

Mordor Marches - The Uruk Hai

Mordor Uruks. Heavy Infantry Spearmen. Morale Class C.

Larger, stronger and tougher than normal Orcs the Uruk Hai are unafraid of sunlight and are arguably Sauron's best foot troops. To reflect this Uruks get a number of advantages over their lesser brethren.

Of the 30 figures you see here only 16 will be deployed as an Uruk unit, the rest will be used to "stiffen" other Orc units. When a normal Orc unit is stiffened it does not need to test morale when being charged by cavalry. In order to do this the Uruks must be on the front rank of the unit and must make up at least one eighth of total unit numbers.

Now, I am unashamedly a fan of Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated version of the LotR, so when it came to painting this unit I have tried to replicate Bakshi's style. I include my reference photos here so you can judge for yourselves how well I did. But, let me say that this is the first time I have tried such a thing.

I have been deliberately crude when painting these figures, taking far less care than I normally would. You see, I don't see the average Orc as being some kind of artisan craftsman carefully painting a beautiful eye of Sauron on his shield while he grooms himself in front of a mirror. I see foul, rank, debased creatures that love torment and war, accordingly I have done my best to try and capture that notion on the model.

The figures are from Magister Militum and are the Greater Orcs with Pikes. Though in truth calling their long spear a pike is a bit of stretch. I did not go with Copplestone because although their Uruks are fine (being based on Sauraman's Uruks from the PJ films) their normal Orcs are too much in the comical Gee Dub style that has, IMO, blighted Orc figure ranges for far too long.

Mordor Marches - The Olog Hai

Olog Hai Trolls. Morale Class C.

And so, having almost completed the Men of the West (only a couple of Rohan units to go - I hate painting horses!), we begin to fill out the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.

Our first unit are the Olog Hai, recognisable by their black shields and mighty war hammers. There are many different kinds of Troll in Middle Earth such as Hill Trolls, Cave Trolls and Snow Trolls, but the rules recognise only three types; Mountain Trolls, Stone Trolls and Troll-Men (From Far Harad). I am classing the Ologs as Stone Trolls.

According to the army lists you only field three Trolls and three Troll-Men (remember the scale, that's 300 of these brutes), but I am having difficulty finding suitable figures in 10mm for the Troll-Men. From JRRT's description you could possibly get away with 15mm Zulus, if you chopped them around a bit. But at the moment I have gone for six Trolls and will add the Troll-Men in if/when I find something that looks the part.

The figures are Copplestone and you will note that they and their bases have been washed with Nuln Oil from Gee Dub. This is because I wanted the foul servants of the enemy to literally darken the very earth they stood upon, adding just a little bit more atmosphere to the unit. You will also note that they are so big they won't stand together and that their bases have to be staggered as a result.

Oh and one last thing, Trolls have a couple of tricks up their sleeve that I am not telling you about here, that more than compensates for their morale rating of C.