Celtos: Fir Bolg – Skeleton Spearmen

Celtos Fir Bolg Skeleton Spearmen

I picked up this pair of Skeleton Spearmen recently via eBay, paired with some Rackham Ghouls. They were reasonably priced and looked nice enough, and I was buying other stuff from the same seller, and I’m building an undead army, so why not?

The one with the helmet had a spike atop his headgear which I thought looked a bit crappy, so out came the clippers and it was a problem of the past. The same fellow also had what I initially assumed was a kind of banded mail but turned out to be somewhat unconvincingly-sculpted ribs. His radius was also way-oversized, with a tiny ulna to match. I decided to cover up these issues by painting both as bone-themed iron armour – the ribs as the banded mail I thought they were in the first place, and the entire right forearm as a bracer. His mate had much more sensibly-sculpted proportions, so they were all left as bone. I painted the pair in the Undead Army’s themed colours – Black and Red with (obviously) Bone, worn metal equipment with worn brass/verdigris-blue-green accents.

Celtos Fir Bolg Skeleton Spearmen

Nice enough figures bought for about AU$2.50 each. Can’t say no to that! Now I just need to get them 10-22 mates and we’ve got another unit for the table! A bit of research has revealed that they’re from the Fir Bolg range for the Celtos Miniatures Game. The tabs of these models had “I-Kore” on them, and so apparently Celtos was originally created by I-Kore, and later sold to Urban Mammoth and later on-sold again to Brigade Models who currently own the game.

Parts of that range seem to have a strong influence from Chronopia, but I’m more interested in sticking to these (Irish, apparently) Skeletons. I might grab some more, now that I know where to get them. I’ve got a soft spot for metal skeletons for some reason. They’re almost like the perfect things for me to paint at work. Might be a few other things for me to pick up as I scour through their range. I better get onto them before they’re sold again or disappear completely!

Lord of the Rings: Moria Goblin Prowlers.

Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers

Moria Goblin Prowlers in SBG formation. A mass of nasty-sharp axe-blades!

Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers

My original trio of Prowlers, painted a few years ago now.

I finally finished these Goblin Prowlers last weekend after starting them about a month ago during my Moria Goblin push. Unfortunately, and, I guess rather predictably, I got sick of painting Moria Goblins, and they sank to the back of the front of my queue. I took them to work a couple of times. but there were just too many of them to get anything substantial done, so they sat for a little while. I finally split them into two groups and took them to work last week to get stuff done in a more focused manner, and then finished them off on the weekend.
Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers

A Conga Line of Prowler Axemen – all newly painted.

Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers

More of the New Blood

Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers

…and only a couple more of this sculpt.

As with this sort of thing, I put more effort into these than I do with faceless plastics, but still – they’re not exactly models that inspire my top-tier paintjobs. I also wanted them to look grotty and grubby, so after my usual highlighting and shading I gave them a glaze/wash of AP Soft Tone. One commentator remarked at one point that they felt that the Moria Goblins were Ochre rather than Green, but my reviewing of both stills as well as and statues and other such merchandise makes them pretty well green. Though it’s more of a light olive. I’m using Citadel Foundation Gretchin Green (sadly discontinued) as a base, then highlighting it with blends into VGA Rotting Flesh. They do blend upwards into yellow-greens, but Ochre really seems to be something based off this particular still, which can be found with more than one tone to it anyway. Either way, this tone fits the Moria mob much more than the traditional Goblin Green of my (and many other) WHFB Orcs and Goblins.
Both pics here just pulled from pages on the intarwebs, with no touch-up by myself except for resizing and renaming.

How Green is my Goblin?

All depends on the light or filter, I guess?

In Kings of War they’ll be part of my Goblin army, though I couldn’t find an appropriate unit for how they’re armed – and the actual goblin infantry all seem to be listed as pretty much rabble.
Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers
Since this simply won’t do, I’ll be using the unit profile of a KoM unit – either Foot Guard with 2-handers or perhaps Berserkers – it works legally as the armies can be allied anyway, and it thematically fits the unit. I’ll be doing a similar thing with the Gundabad Blackshields when I get around to doing them (probably “regular” Foot Guard).
Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers
 My only real issue is that even Goblin Kings in KoW are Yellow-Bellied, so it’ll be a bit odd to have their Elites braver than their leader. Then again… even that kinda works thematically as well if you think about it…
Lord of the RIngs, Middle Earth SBG, Moria Goblin Prowlers
12 for a Regiment of “20”, and two leftover for other duties and fill-ins. Unfortunately with only three sculpts there are no fancy-pants models to be banner bearers or leaders, but such is life. Let’s face it, I’m way too slack to convert any for this mob!