The figure I’m showcasing today was painted quite some time ago, and has only been rebased in recent times – so not quite enough work for me top count him as part of my finished figures for this year.
It’s Bob Olley’s Ogryn Sergeant, which to me is the truly Archetypical Ogryn. Not the first Ogryn model, mind you – that particular honour goes to Jes Goodwin’s effort of 1988. Regardless, and despite my own huge preference for Jes’ work over Bob’s, Bob’s Ogryn here remains the most defining figure of the range ever sculpted – and never bettered or even equalled in my opinion.
I originally painted this model back in early 1989, not long after it’s release. It got stripped down and repainted in the early noughties, this time with Auscam fatigue pants to match my Imperial Guard Regiment (who I need to update and photograph sometime as well) and a Māori-style arm tattoo, following my repeated travels to New Zealand.
I blame this figure for starting my long love affair with Citadel’s (and others’) Ogres. I just wish Bob’s later Ogryn efforts (for Citadel, and even for Maxmini) lived up to this figure’s quality, but alas – nothing yet. Perhaps we’ll get lucky one day and Bob will sculpt some more fantasy or Space Ogres to compliment his range of Scrunts (not-Squats)?
Azazel's Bitz Box. 
Without question, the definitive ogryn.
I have the Maxmini ones and they are quite nice, but they have that GW ogre like, heavy bellied physique. I dont know if that makes them make more sense scientifically – I suspect that a real ogre might look more like that – but the physique on your figure shown here is what I want my space ogres to look like.
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I’d have been all over the Maxmini ones if they didn’t have godawful-looking weapons. Are they metal or resin? I’d assumed metal so more work than I’d be willing to do these days to rearm them with better looking weapons. They also all seem to share the same torso and left arm?
If only there was a way to get hold of a batch of these original Ripper Guns – again they look much nicer than the ones that came later – that look more like belt-fed grenade launchers:
http://dspaintingblog.blogspot.com.au/2009/04/old-school-stuff-ogryns.html
I don’t mind the 3rd-gen ones, but never managed to pick any of them up (I think):
I’ve got some OK-bull conversions I started about 10(?) years ago and got about half-done. I actually found them in a minis case on the weekend, so it might be time to finish building and start painting them soon even…
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My Maxmini ogryns are metal, but they are only available in resin now AFAIK. The weapons are not great, its true. I try not to let things like that put me off too much though, I try to let some of that stuff slide: I will never get through my projects if I dont. I would have been far happier if the weapons looked more like the original ripper guns, thats for sure.
The new plastics arent bad, although costly, but thats a given. I have plans to pick up a box at some point and make Nork, an Arbites style ogryn and the classic guy form it. Im not interested in making units for games, but I think that I could have some fun with that kit. I wonder if there are enough ripper guns on that to swap out with the MaxMini guys… hmm… dangerous, time consuming thoughts 😉
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I’m not a big fan of old GW stuff, but I do love Bob Olley. Going through my old minis and identifying, he’s been turning up more than I’d have expected. Mostly orcs and goblins, but whilst discussing the pending Mierce KS3’s celtic faction, I remembered I had these awesome dudes:
https://db.tt/N1YKnB6J
https://db.tt/eexNqO4K
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I like the old GW stuff a lot, generally speaking. A mixture of quality sculpts, the greater freedoms the sculptors had back then and a bit of nostalgia thrown in sometimes for good measure. Having said that, I’m no one-eyed “Oldhammer only” fan, either. I find that Bob’s very distinctive style works wonders for some things, and not at all for others – for me anyway.
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I was thinking of you over the weekend. Guy I reconnected with used to own a gaming shop and was showing me his boxes and boxes of oldhammer stuff, he’s got a ton of stuff from that era. I was drooling over his old blood bowl box (not sure the edition, small box), but he had sooo much stuff.
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Small thin box sounds like the re-release of 3rd edition. (without the cards, I think). BB still holds up well today as well. Rules are free and online, lots of options for boards, teams and dice out there as well. Well worth sorting yourself a set and a couple of teams (buy, convert, whatever you prefer!)
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