Saturday, 27 May 2017

Ral Partha Ogres, Bob Olley sculpts

Bob Olley is probably my favorite sculptor of all time.  His work for Ral Partha, Citadel and Reaper Miniatures capture, in my opinion, the essence of early Fantasy Roleplaying games and tabletop games.  So, without further ado, I present the Ral Partha Bob Olley Ogre collection.

The original Ral Partha collection contained 13 distinct sculpts.  All are featured below.  Each has a different character all their own.  Being cast almost 30 years ago they are smaller than the huge models which pass for Ogres today from various companies.  Despite their smaller size these guys remain my all time favorite Ogre models from any range.  These figures are true 25mm scale, not 28mm scale.

The Bob Olley Ogre Family
 The whole tribe (well almost), on parade (if Ogres can parade).  I have a couple more kicking around that I have to finish (several actually, from both Ral Partha and Reaper).  These were painted with Reaper Master Series paints, specifically with earth tones with matching tartan fabric (blue and greens) and shaded with my own homemade washes (no GW products here).  This small model count could easily work with Osprey Publishing's Dragon Rampant.  I will have to do a review of this fine system in the near future.  One could also build a much larger Warhammer-style army with these sculpts, since the sculpting variation is sufficient to provide interesting units if painted properly.

Reaper Miniatures Ogre
Bob Olley sculpted the larger Ogre Chief while working for Reaper Miniatures.  His size is somewhat larger than the others, since Reaper does not really manufacture true 25mm scale figures.  However the sculpting contains the same character as his earlier work, so he fits right in (some Ogres are larger than others, just like humans in real life).  This group would count as Bellicose Foot in Dragon Rampant.


Ral Partha Ogre Standard Bearer
 The Tribal Standard Bearer.  I didn't know what to do so his banner is just a larger tartan version of the overall clan.

Ral Partha Ogre Herald
 The Herald is from a separate clan offshoot.  Hence is tartan pattern is reversed. 
Ral Partha Ogre Spearman
 Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye.


Ral Partha Ogre Commander
 The next three are of more heavily armored ogres, the elite of the clan.  In Dragon Rampant they would count as Heavy Foot with the Offensive trait.
Ral Partha Ogre Heavy with Axe

Ral Partha Ogre with Poleaxe and Ogre Champion



The next four are more lightly armored.  In Dragon Rampant they would count as Bellicose Foot.
Ral Partha Ogre Spearman 1 and Guardman with Spear

Ral Partha Ogre with Cleaver

Ral Partha Ogre with Greatsword

Ral Partha Spearman 1


Ral Partha Ogre Crossbowman and Assault Longbowman
 The missile troops form the last part of the clan. The tartan pattern is more pronounced on these guys than others.  This unit would count as a Heavy Missile unit in Dragon Rampant.
Ral Partha Ogre Crossbowman

Ral Partha Ogre Assault Longbowman



I have several more non Bob Olley Ral Partha Ogre sculpts which will be showcased in the future.