The entire Orc & Goblin Tribes range for Warhammer: The Old World is mustering for pre-order this weekend. It’s a true Waaagh! of classic miniatures from the World of Legend, arriving in plastic, metal, and Forge World resin. But believe it or not, they’re not the only old school returnees – shortly after the main range drops, a curated selection of the most fantastic miniatures from the 80s and 90s will be available for a short time on a Made to Order basis. We chatted to the guys behind the decision to bring back some of the best models made before many of you were even born!
JTY: The Old World is partly about nostalgia, and about bringing back iconic models that people miss, hadn’t had an opportunity to get at the time, or who have come to the hobby too late. That’s what Made to Order releases are about – looking at classic models and thinking ‘I’d love to have that’.
There are a few examples in the Orc and Goblin range where we’re really digging into the archives. We’ve remastered the metal giant from the 2000s as a range item in Forge World resin, but we knew we had to touch on the likes of the Stone Trolls and Marauder Giant. These are legends that haven’t been around for 20 years or more – but they were a priority for us because they have such a legacy behind them. Everyone who was a hobbyist in the late 80s and early 90s remembers the Marauder Giant as being one of the biggest kits available at the time.
I remember people had to stick it on four 40mm bases, because they were the biggest bases we made at the time! You had to make your own out of wood, thick card, or plastic bases that you glued together…*
Danny: The project lead is a real Oldhammer** enthusiast, and he has such a depth of knowledge of these older models which he knows collectors have been coveting for so long. Being able to honour those long standing customers is quite a point of pride for him.
Dan: With slightly limited resources we ended up targeting the Marauder Giant for a painting treatment. You’re pulling on the nostalgia element, but we’re still painting to modern standards and techniques. So we had to make it relatable to the newer generation of hobbyists while honouring the original miniature. We consciously ended up referencing the classic colour scheme using modern techniques. It’s such a miniature of itself, that it can hold its own on the field without having to be tied completely into the rest of the faction.
There’s a good percentage of the ‘Eavy Metal team who have never built metal models before, so we had to teach people how to pin the arms, as they’ve never done it before!
JTY: A lot of miniatures for the Old World which have been remastered in Forge World resin are actually a lot more enjoyable to build than they used to be – resin is a lot easier to work with than metal, and because they’ve been remastered they go together so much better. But we’re not remastering everything – things like the Marauder Giant and the Orc Shaman on Wyvern are returning in metal because that’s what they should be. We wanted to be as close to the originals as possible. You’re getting that heavy metal model – which is important because it fits with people’s memories of a miniature that will take time and effort to put together. We want you to have that whole experience.
Most of the main range – even things like the Orc and Night Goblin command groups from the old Warhammer Forge brand – were pretty straightforward to bring back. You’ll have to wait and see whether other miniatures from that era might return – we’re looking at them all on a faction-by-faction basis, but at least some of them will be back.
Thanks guys! The Marauder Giant will be available on a Made to Order basis shortly, joined by the Orc Shaman on War Wyvern from 1993, two sets of Stone Trolls, the River Trolls, and the Black Orc Big Boss with Axe and Shield.
* Of course, those days are over and he comes with a suitable 75x50mm base.
** A term for Warhammer of a certain vintage. No-one can quite agree what, but the borderline is definitely somewhere in the 90s.