LoTR - New Purchases

The LoTR painting campaign continues with another 38. This includes some of the first new models I've bought for a while. $150AUD for 14 models - yikes - there's a reason I merely rely on my 10-year-old eBay purchases. Prices are crazy, and while I like the LoTR sculpting style they are far from cutting edge - and haven't changed from the early 2000s from what I can see.

My 2023 LoTR painted total now stands at 162. All the 10-year-old eBay stuff is done, save a dozen or so excess orcs and Rohirrim, and a set of 6 Dol Amroth Knights. I think I did 336 in 2022. I only play skirmish games with low model counts so 500+ models in two years, for just one game genre, is a pretty big deal to me - output probably even exceeding my childless years of yore.

Arwen was outrageously expensive - $35AUD for 2 models - but my daughter is pleased at more female LoTR representatives.

I'm not a big fan of basing but emboldened by my success with the Balrog, I essayed a simple 'creek' base on Arwen and the Galadhrim Knights.

The Haradrim were another purchase. I kinda wanted an Mumak, but the raiders were a more sensible option both financially and gameplay-wise.

 

Finally I 'bulked out' my painting with a quick two dozen orcs; with green and red themes.

 

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The pink $3 dollhouse ruined palace of Arnor is yet to be properly completed, but even with a quick spray+drybrush it forms a useful addition to our 'secondhand store castles.'  We are getting quite a tableful of these, and since my son isn't using the ones I donated to his sandpit I'll probably reclaim them as well and give them a quick coat...

In other news....

I'm also prepping 1:100/15mm tanks (PSC and Zvezda), for which I'll probably continue to develop my own homebrew "Tank Mordhiem." The Zvezda ones snap together (which my son does for me before I glue them for strength).

Burrows and Badgers is due to be playtested and reviewed (my daughter is keen to get some cute mousemaid warriors) and initial read through seems like a sensible set of rules, though I am less keen since I discovered it has hitpoints. 

I and my son have assembled some vikings for Ragnarok but the more I think about it, the less I actually want to play the rules (the setting and campaign is cool, the rules are merely average to meh). 

My 7 year old loves minis and is by no means a rough kid, but he is hard on them as he swooshes them around like the toys they are supposed to be. I reckon I'll get him some 15mm historicals as metal 15mm seem the most resilient models I have and allow the possibility to mix with Hot Wheels etc as he is not hung up on scale. Suggestions as to the best brands welcomed.

I also really need to paint and assemble my Imperialis Aeronautica and Dropfleet Commander minis and they sit near my workbench along with French Indian Wars regulars and undead pirates... ....but I just found some Mantic space dwarves so my kids want to make a wargame of the PC game Deep Rock Galactic. And they found my Quar pretty quirky and fun. Oh well - it's a hobby not a job - I guess I can do whatever...