A few months back, we announced the upcoming new plastic Éomer, Marshal of the Riddermark. With the arrival of this stunning new miniature now imminent, we thought it was time for Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game writer Jay Clare to sit down with Gavin Newton, the sculptor responsible for Éomer, and get his insights into designing such an iconic character.
Jay Clare: It’s fair to say that designing Éomer was an exciting project! What did you enjoy most about the process?
Gavin Newton: Éomer is one of the greatest fighters of the race of Men – certainly the best within the kingdom of Rohan! The opportunity to sculpt a warrior of such exceptional prowess was really appealing.
At the Battle of Pelennor Fields, Éomer is a hero in his prime who’s brimming with confidence, even in the face of such overwhelming odds. Little details show a warrior unfazed by the horrors before him, such as the way he holds his spear, effortlessly flicking it upwards so he can reposition his hand to launch his spear towards his foe. It’s almost as if he’s saying “Point me at that Mûmak and let me deal with it!”.
Jay: There’s no shortage of options in this kit. What inspired you to include so many on the sprues?
Gavin: In the Strategy Battle Game, Éomer’s profile contains a lot of options. I wanted hobbyists to be able to build their model to represent any combination of wargear they wish.
I made sure that there were alternative arms for both the foot and mounted versions, so that Éomer can be holding either his sword or a throwing spear, regardless of whether he’s on horseback or not. Éomer’s shield is also optional, just in case players would rather not take it, and I even managed to fit some optional barding on the sprue so that Éomer’s horse can either be unarmoured or armoured.
The last option I managed to squeeze onto the kit were some extra heads. Though these are purely aesthetic, they allow hobbyists to have Éomer either helmeted or unhelmeted, to show the likeness of Karl Urban, who plays Éomer in the movies.
Jay: What challenges did you face when sculpting Éomer?
Gavin: One of the main challenges was finding space for everything I wanted to do! I knew it was going to be really complicated to get all the options we wanted onto the frames. However, I do love a good puzzle, and that’s exactly what this turned out to be.
The trickiest part was designing the horse’s optional armour, as the shield needed to have contact points that would allow it to be attached to either the horse itself or to the barding. Finding these contact points was the key to making it all work.
Jay: The poses of the models are fantastic. How did you select the stances for both the foot and mounted versions of Éomer?
Gavin: When choosing a pose for Éomer on foot, I wanted a static, stoic pose that conveyed the confidence and strength of the future king of Rohan. The composition has a triangular shape to it, providing a strong and recognisable silhouette for the model.
For the mounted version, I wanted to recreate the scene in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King™ where Éomer stares down the Mûmak War Leader before launching his throwing spear into the Mahûd’s chest. This provided its own difficulties, though, as the pose had to accommodate both a throwing spear and a sword swing, which are quite different arm movements. Getting the sweet spot right between the two was a rewarding challenge.
Jay: What would you say you are most proud of with Éomer?
Gavin: Probably the fact that I managed to achieve the negative space between the reins and the horse. It’s always nice to be able to add that extra level of realism by not having the reins attached to the horse. I also feel that this helps contribute to the drama of the pose, showing the horse and rider working together as one – which is exactly what the Horse Lords of Rohan are renowned for.
Jay: Finally, now that Éomer is about to be released, how are you going to build yours?
Gavin: When I do the foot version, I’d like to represent Éomer from the scene where he first meets the Three Hunters on the borders of Rohan. So, for that I’ll have him unhelmeted and holding his throwing spear.
For the mounted version, I’d like him to be thrust into the thick of battle, so probably with sword, helmet and an armoured horse!
Thanks, gents! What an interesting insight into designing this fantastic character! Éomer, Marshal of the Riddermark will be available to pre-order this weekend, but until then, share with us how you plan to assemble yours on the Warhammer Official Facebook page.