With the recent arrival of Defence of the North, we reached out to the Middle-earth team to find out what they’ve been working on for their own collections. Have they aligned themselves with the forces of Good to valiantly defend the lands of the north from the Dark Lord’s horde? Have they fallen from grace and joined Sauron’s minions in their various assaults across Middle-earth? Or have they done a little of both?
Jay Clare’s Beornings
The Beornings make for an interesting painting challenge because they are not an organised military force. Factions such as Minas Tirith or the Easterlings benefit from a uniform and consistent look across their entire army, but the Beornings don't have standard-issue equipment or clothing. I made sure that no models in a matching pose shared colours in the same place, making each one feel unique.
As the Beornings are dressed in simple, hard-wearing outdoor clothing, I stuck with a plain, natural palette. Various shades of brown, green, and grey were used on the shirts, jackets, trousers, and boots – though I made sure to use a variety of fur colours to add diversity to their pelts. I decorated the bases with some brightly-coloured flowers, just like the ones that can be found in the meadows surrounding Beorn’s home, to add flashes of colour across the miniatures.
Jay Clare’s Host of the Dragon Emperor
Easterlings are an army that I have been interested in for as long as I can remember, but until very recently they didn’t have many options. Defence of the North changes all that, giving the warriors from Rhûn plenty of choices when it comes to constructing an army. I wanted to use the Host of the Dragon Emperor Legendary Legion, so the Dragon Emperor, Rutabi, and Brórgîr were all key inclusions.
I wanted to differentiate between the new Black Dragon models and the Easterling Warriors, so I painted the cloth on the members of the Dragon Cult black, and the robes on the standard warriors a dark red. The next step will be to paint a mounted Easterling Dragon Knight, and to convert some Black Dragon Kataphrakts using the shields from the Easterling Black Dragon Warriors kit from Forge World, riding into battle for the glory of the Dragon Cult!
Rob Alderman’s Erebor Reclaimed
I already have a sizable Iron Hills force, so picking up Dáin Ironfoot, King Under the Mountain and Thorin III Stonehelm was a simple decision as it would allow me to easily field a War of the Ring era Erebor force. I was particularly thrilled to get started on Thorin – the idea of being able to put my own spin on a character from the books was an appealing challenge – and who doesn’t like painting fiery ginger beards?
I began with the metallics, as the Iron Hills Dwarves are dressed head-to-toe in thick Dwarven armour. This allowed me to complete all of the messy stages, such as drybrushing and applying washes, without worrying about smaller details. Once this was done I could take my time carefully picking out things like belts, straps, and faces. I’m excited to play through the Narrative Scenarios that feature Dáin and Thorin III, such as The Hosts Clash and The Plains of Erebor, but before I do I will need to add King Brand, Prince Bard II, and a Dale contingent to my collection!
Lewis Collins’ Easterlings
I’ve traditionally leaned more towards the forces of Evil when it comes to Middle-earth. I love the variety that regular warriors have thanks to the rag-tag and unorganised nature of Orcs and Goblins. However, the Easterlings gave me the opportunity to try my hand at an army of uniformed bad guys! I like alternative colour schemes for many of my forces, drawing on real-world influences. I wanted to have an eastern feel to my army, which conjured up images of vibrant pinks, jades, and teals and formed the basis of my colour scheme.
I’m particularly pleased with how the converted Captain has turned out, as they started life as the casualty that comes with the Easterling Kataphrakts. I began by sculpting pieces of armour and cloth across areas on the back of the miniature that were previously flat. I then gave them a flowing cape and manoeuvred the joints until I found a pose I was happy with. I sculpted the rock to the base to add some more height and make them look a little more dynamic. In the near future I intend to add a swathe of the new models to my army – 18 Black Dragons and six Dragon Cult Acolytes will be first before tackling the Dragon Emperor himself!
Thanks very much to Jay, Rob, and Lewis for showing us these awesome armies. Have you been inspired to start your own army with the defence, or destruction, of the north in mind? Let us know over on the Warhammer Official Facebook page!
