Ral Partha Chaos Ogre Mage

Every Ogre tribe needs a shaman.  Luckily Ral Partha took care of that: The Chaos Ogre Mage.

This model is of the same scale as the Bob Olley Ogres.  Hence the reason I went with this model rather than the larger Citadel Butcher model.  Also I wanted something that looks a little more mysterious than the GW model.

Ral Partha Chaos Ogre Mage

The paint job was rather simple: my standard basecoat, followed by Reaper Stormcover Grey.  I then used a diluted Army Painter Dark Tone ink to darken the grey, with the folds getting a coat of NATO Black as a final touch.  Ritterlich Blue was used to highlight the extreme ends of the folds.

every Chaos Ogre should have a magical demonic sack

I considered doing some sort of pattern on his clothing.  However I felt that the model was sinister-looking enough to stand as is. 



Ral Partha Skeletal Ogres

What is an Ogre army without a few animated corpses to go with it?  Both Ral Partha and Citadel made skeletal Ogres.  Sadly I do not have any of the latter's models.  The RP range only contained two sculpts, one with an axe and one with a club.  These baddies are suitable for a number of games and were specifically done for Dragon Rampant, as the entourage for my Chaos Ogre Mage.  Every sorcerer needs undead guards.

Ral Partha Skeletal Ogres

The prep work was the same as my Skeletal Giant.  The only difference was that after Deck Tan I airbrushed Reaper Master Series Yellowed Bone.  That color was the base upon which the wash was applied.

 

The armor was done with both Blackened Steel and Tarnished Steel.  Washed in Army Painter Dark Tone ink, then dry-brushed to bring out highlights.  I would imagine there are some conversion possibilities for weapon heads with these guys. 



Realm of Chaos Citadel Minotaur

Minotaurs are probably my favorite monster from first edition AD&D.  I have collected many different examples of the creature over the years.  I am not fond of the new GW plastics.  Give me a metal sculpt any day please.

Anyway, here is another Ebay rescue: a Citadel Realms of Chaos Minotaur.  Citadel produced many versions of the Minotaur over the years.  This guy is tied with another one for my favorite sculpt. 

Citadel Realms of Chaos Minotaur

This model is unarmed, which is part of his charm.  he is obviously either 1) excited, 2) upset, 3) both.  This guy would fit in perfectly in a skirmish game, especially on old Realms of Chaos Slaves to Darkness warband game.  Just don't stair at his junk.  That would be inappropriate.

This model was painted in the same scheme as my Ogres.  Reaper Olive Skin tone just seems to work for so many critters.  Hair was done with my Walnut Brown wash. 

 

There is not really much else to say about this figure.  A simple sculpt which is easy to paint.  

 

 

Ral Partha Skeletal Giant

Huge skeletons.  Gotta love em.  The Ral Partha Skeletal Giant is another favorite model of mine.  This is a solid sculpt, with only one part to assemble: the sword into the hand. 

Ral Partha Skeletal Giant

My preparation for this model was a little different than others.  For skeletons I use a simple process: base coat the whole model in Tamiya Deck Tan.  Then pick-out the remaining details and finish off with an overall wash on the bone with Army Painter Strong Tone ink.  Drybrush any metal bits and the model is basically done.  I don't do any additional work to the bone, preferring to let the wash do the work.  It forms into irregular patterns which create a realistic look which is ok on the tabletop.  I did lighten the teeth a little, do make them pop a little more.

Need a new outfit I think

I used Reaper Master Series Chestnut Brown for the leather, with a Rust Brown highlight.

"Roar!"

 



Armor was done with Reaper Blackened Steel.  Mail was done with Tarnished Steel.  All then lightly drybrushed after the wash.

 

This model is easily big enough to work alongside any modern giants and or monsters. 

Ral Partha Jabberwock

If it is not clear I am a sucker for older models.  This fellow from Ral Partha is another one of those hidden gems IMO, the Jabberwock.  He is small when compared to modern GW monster models, perhaps the same size as a Chaos Spawn.  However, one must realize that this was sculpted for 25mm, not 28mm.  Put him beside a model from Grenadier Miniatures and he looks fine.  Not every fantasy monster model needs to be the size of a 1/72 scale tank. 

Ral Partha Jabberwock

Painting this fellow was quite easy.  After airbrushing my standard Tamiya paint base I airbrushed on Reaper Dusky Skin as the base coat.  I then made a wash using Dusky Skin Shade to deal with the recesses and used the Dusky Skin Highlight to, well, highlight.  Other details were picked out as needed. 

Ral Partha Jabberwock

The figure has several small warts modeled onto it.  They are almost imperceptible and easy to miss when painting.  I love the rather bizarre pose.  It looks like he is dancing to the "Chaos Bop".

"Look into my eye!"

"Look at me, I am awesome and weird!"



This guy took perhaps an hour to paint.  I considered doing the wings another color but I am not sure a stark dark color would look good with the muted skin tone.

Anyway, that is the Jabberwock, the Dancing Fool of Chaos.

Reaper Miniatures Ettin, "Borka, the Maneater"

Over the past couple of years I have concentrated on painting 15mm Sci Fi figures to the exclusion of all else.  However, this year I made a conscious decision to return to my roots: 25/28mm Fantasy.  There was one caveat though: I didn't want to paint huge army-scale projects.  Over the years I have painted countless figs and the prospect of painting hordes of more models was just brain numbing to think about. 

After some consideration I came to a compromise with myself.  Since we are in the Post-Warhammer Age I was now free to paint what I liked vs what I needed to.  Games like Dragon Rampant and The Hordes of the Things set my mind free from the GW Matrix and my imagination began to explore other modeling opportunities. 

Reaper Miniatures Ettin

One of my first stops was Reaper Miniatures.  My Ral Partha Ogres needed an appropriate giant to play with (yes I have several Citadel Giants already but they are not aesthetically suitable) and the Ettin fit right in. 

The color scheme was done in the same pattern as my Ogres (see my previous posts).  The tartan pattern was carried though where possible.  Painting shields is never fun for me and I was at a loss for what to do and after several abortive attempts I settled on black with my custom symbol of the Great Maw.

"La la la la!"  hear Borka sing

 

He does have some interesting features depicted which might be trying to tell a sad story: a child's rag doll around his belt and an accompanying small human skull hanging from this chest.  Are they related?  Only Borka knows, and he has been silent despite my questioning. 

What is it with Ogres and Hogs?

In game this model could be used as a Giant in Warhammer, an Elite Foot with perhaps the Venomous upgrade in Dragon Rampant or as a Behemoth in Hordes of the Things.  This guy was super fun to paint, taking 3 hours from start to finish. 

Citadel Ogre Tyrant, "Nosra, King of the Ogres"

Citadel is probably my least favorite manufacturer for Ogre models.  As such I don't  have many of them, in fact only one: the Ogre Tyrant, aka "Nosra", Ogre King.

This fellow was an Ebay rescue many years ago.  His paint job was quite horrible.  However, into the vat of 99% alcohol and presto: a new man so to speak

Citadel Ogre Tyrant

 This guy was painted in the same scheme as previous models.  No need to go into details here.

I really wanted to carry the tartan pattern forward onto this model.  Since the only fabric was his pants I had to settle for that as a canvas. 

Love my back fat!

This guy is obviously bigger than my Ral Partha models.  However, since Nosra is the King Of All Ogres that is fitting.  He is a big eater you know.

Ral Partha Ogres, circa 1970s & 1980s

Continuing on in my Ogre series we shall review a few very old sculpts by Ral Partha.  The front two beasties were released in 1979, with others released sometime in the 80s.  While older, these models still fit aesthetically into my Ogre army which consists of quite older sculpts.

 These Ogres are smaller than later sculpts from various companies.  The sculpting is average and typical of the period.

Ral Partha Ogre "Boo!"...scared yet?

 I like this guy.  He looks like he just jumped from around a dungeon corridor.  The hair was done with my homemade Walnut wash.....very lightly. 

Must be an Italian Ogre...shave your back!

Ral Partha Ogre with Club

 This sculpt had no body hair that I could discern.  There were tiny bumps here and there but I could not tell if it was hair or skin texturing.  The model actually reminded me of my late father-in-law (bless his soul).  When our boys were young they called my wife's father Grampa Shrek, on account that he was tall, muscular and bald.  So, rather than try to model hair I decided to paint this guy in homage to Grampa Shrek. 

Yes I have no body hair.

Ral Partha Armored Ogre

 This is the first example of an armored ogre that I could find anywhere.  An average sculpt.

Ral Partha Armored Ogre with Greatsword

 The second example of an armored ogre in my collection.  I continued on with the tartan pattern from earlier models. 

Ral Partha Ogre with Sword

 This fella is a little weird.  He reminds me more of a dwarf than an Ogre. 

Yes, that is somethings leg.  Never forget to bring your lunch to work.

Finally to highlight the size differences between companies and time periods.

From left to right: Grenadier Fantasy Knights 25mm figure; Ral Partha Ogre (1979), Ral Partha Ogre (1979), Ral Partha Ogre, Ral Partha Bob Olley Ogre, Reaper Miniatures Ogre.

These two are the earliest Ogres I have in my collection.  They are very small, on par with a 28mm hero figure.  Perhaps they are Ogre children?



 

Here you can see how scale creep has happened over the years.  The Reaper figure would easily be passed off as a Giant in the 70s and 80s.

 

 



Reaper Miniatures Ogres, by Bob Olley & Ben Siens

Reaper Miniatures is probably my favorite manufacturer of specialty figures for Fantasy Gaming.  Their range is unmatched in selection and the castings require very little clean up. So, lets switch from Ral Partha for a moment and review some of Bob Olley's work for Reaper Miniatures.

These Ogres are larger than the older Ral Partha designs.  They would probably classify as giants in the 1970s and 1980s.  Yes I have Ogres from that period and you will see just how large they are compared to those.  However, despite their size they work remarkably well with the 1990s Ral Partha Fantasy Armies Ogre line.  The differences can be explained away with plausible excuses: different Ogre families (hill vs mountain), genetic variation, exposure to Chaos energies, wicked sorcery....whatever. 

The figures below are not the whole Ogre line by Reaper.  I only painted Bob's stuff, and two models by Ben Siens, since his style is similar to Bob's.  These guys could serve in Warhammer as Tyrants, Bruisers, Ogre Maneaters, or even as Standard Bearers in regular units (rally around the tall guy fellas!).
 

The Reaper Miniatures Ogres

My method of priming has remained the same:

• airbrush the whole model in Tamiya German Grey.
• at a 45 degree angle airbrush the model in Tamiya Deck Tan.

This method gives shading to the areas that need it and lightens the areas that do not.  If I had primed the whole model in black there would be no way I could have achieve the muted tones that a lighter base color allows.  Likewise, if I had used plain white it would have take far too long to paint the whole model since the areas in natural shadow would require more work to finish and there is always one spec of white that seems to be somewhere that I forgot to paint (annoying).  Dark Greys and Tans are perfect for the effect that I wanted.

Lets get into the individual models now.

Vourgha the Ogre by Reaper Miniatures

 Skin was done in Reaper Olive Skin Tone Triad.  The fur was done in the Classic Brown Triad.  Boots were done in Saddlebag Brown, then washed with my homemade Walnut Brown wash.  Walnut brown is my "Go-To" color in my paint collection.  I dilute it 1:10 with my homemade paint thinner.  When used as a wash I find it much superior to say the Vallejo or GW washes (HERESY!).  Most of the washing on the models was done this way. 

 



The wolf pelt was done in Stormcover Grey, washed with highly diluted black, then dry brushed with Ritterlich Blue.

Orankar, Ogre Boss

Orankar's armor looked more like hardened leather than metal (at least to me at the time).  So to change it up it was done with the Redstone Triad rather than traditional metallic colors or a brown.  This guy is an elite amongst his tribe so I wanted him to stand out.


I don't think Wilbur will be talking to Charlotte for awhile

 Orankar apparently takes his lunch to work.  Wilbur was done in the Rosy Skin Triad.

Hill Troll, by Ben Siens

This Hill Troll was sculpted by Ben Siens.  I like this guy; he reminded me of an angry old man, or neighbour that you don't want to run into.  He shall be called Filtch.  His pants were done with Shield Brown and Driftwood Brown.  His shirt was done in the Khaki Triad. 

Filtch takes his lunch too.  The boar was done with the Soil Color triad.
 

Garnuk, the Ogre

 Garnuk was done the same as everyone else.  He likes his club.  It will be used.



Garnuk works out!  Look at that back.

Gurm, Reven Monster

Gurm is another one of Ben Siens models.  He looks remarkably similar to his friends, so he was included in the family.  His armor was also done in the Red Stone Triad since it also looks like hardened leather to me. 

Gurm likes his thong. Check out my warty ass.

All these guys were a blast to paint. 

 Next up will be a blast from the past: Ral Partha Ogres from the 70s and 80s.