Samwise Gamgee from Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

I am told that translating a book into a movie is no easy task. Certainly, there have been examples of this being done well. Jaws, for instance, is a much better as a film than it was as a book, in my opinion. It was more visceral, had a much better ending, and dropped one of the most unnecessary subplots in favor of simplicity. Unfortunately, there are many more examples of poor adaptations, some of which completely destroy characters or themes. While I will admit that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy did a wonderful job of visually capturing the wonder of Tolkien’s fantasy, I am afraid that some of the plot choices were not to my taste.

The unnecessary fake death of Aragorn in The Two Towers served only to waste screen time and fooled absolutely no one. The modifications to the Dead Men of Dunharrow created a very large plot hole while diminishing the importance of the living forces at the Minas Tirith. But worst of all is the severe damage done to the character of Samwise Gamgee, who is arguably the most important character in the book. While other characters were stronger, wiser, and more noble than the humble gardener, it was Sam’s doughty courage and stouthearted devotion to getting the job done that… well, got the job done. Sam was the consummate everyman who succeeded with only his willpower and common sense while others failed all around him. This was all undone by the filmmaker’s decision to give Gollum “a win” by turning Frodo against Sam, and Sam’s willingness to be dismissed by Frodo. There is no clearer example of valuing a superficial “payoff” over substantive writing, but I digress.

Today we are talking about something that I think DOES do justice to this most compelling hobbit. Of the four halflings featured in the Fellowship of the Ring box, I think Sam’s miniature is the most interesting, well sculpted, and was the most fun to paint. There was very little cleanup, the likeness was acceptable (other than the left side of his face being a bit flattened), and since his clothing is all very utilitarian and simple, there was no confusion over the color palette! In addition, there was a pleasant variety of materials to render, given all of the various supplies and gear that he carries on his back. In short, I greatly enjoyed painting this miniature.

And with that, I have finished the hobbits! As I had previously stated, these miniatures are SMALL! It may be difficult to appreciate in the pictures, but these are mounted on standard 25mm bases, at least until I finish the 3D modeled base I have been planning for the group. To give you a better perspective, here’s a group shot with a US penny for reference.

Like I said… small! Anyway, now I can move on to some of the larger members of the Fellowship. Despite being easier to see, some of these models have some rather problematic sculpts, but we’ll cover that when we get there.

---

Flesh:
The skin received a base coat of VGC Heavy Skintone (72.140), followed by shading of the eye-sockets, lip crease, and the underside of the nose with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The eyes were then blocked in with VMC Ivory (70.918) and the iris was dotted with German Camo Black Brown. The major forms of the body were then lightened with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC Flat Flesh (70.955), followed by initial highlights with pure Flat Flesh, followed by point highlights with a 1:1 mix of Flat Flesh and VMC Light Flesh (70.928).
Some tonal variation was added with the inclusion of some VMC Old Rose (70.944) to the highlight tone and some Vallejo Fantasy Pro (VNP) Burned Flesh (74.002) to the shade tone.

Hair:
Blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). Major forms were picked out with a 1:1 mix of GCBB and VMC German Camo Pale Brown (70.825), then lightened with pure German Camo Pale Brown. Individual tufts were then highlighted selectively with VMC Cork Brown (70.943).

Pants:
The entire area was base coated with VMC German Fieldgrey WWII (70.830). The major folds and creases were lightened with a 2:1 mix of German Fieldgrey and VMC Green Grey (70.971), followed by highlights with a 1:1 mix of the same colors.

Shirt and Coats:
For Sam’s jacket, a base tone mix was created with a 2:1 ratio of VPA Dark Mud (70.316) and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). This was left in the recesses, while the major forms were brightened with the incremental addition of VMC Medium Grey (70.987) to the base mix, with final highlights being pure Medium Grey. Texture was created with short stippling strokes.
His shirt was base coated with a 1:1:1 mix of VMC German Camo Pale Brown, VMC Sky Grey, and VMC Ivory (70.918). A small amount of German Camo Black Brown was added for a shade tone, and additional Ivory for a highlight tone.
Sam’s waistcoat was painted in a striped pattern a 2:1 mix of VMC Neutral Grey (70.992) and VMC German Camo Black Brown for the darker stripes and the mid-tone of his shirt for the lighter stripes.

Pack Items:
Sam’s pack contains several varieties of items.
Canvas packs were base coated with a 2:1 mix of VMC Medium Grey (70.987) and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822), then lightened with pure Medium Grey, and highlighted with a 1:1 mix of Medium Grey and VMC Deck Tan (70.986). Some smaller pouches were with this mix, then highlighted with pure Deck Tan.
The water bottle and leather pouch were painted with my standard leather colors: VMC Chocolate Brown (70.872), VMC Flat Earth (70.983), and VMC Dark Sand (70.847). A slight glaze of VMC Mahogany Brown (70.846) was applied to the mid-tones of the water-bottle.
The bedroll and shoulder straps were base coated with a 1:1 mix of VMC Pastel Green (70.885) and VMC Dark Sea Blue (70.898), lightened with pure Pastel Green, and highlighted with a 1:1 mix of Pastel Green and VMC Green Grey (70.971).
The rope-sausages were base coated with a 1:1 mix of German Camo Black Brown and Mahogany Brown, lightened with pure Mahogany Brown, and highlighted with a 1:1 mix of Mahogany Brown and VMC Sunny Skintone (70.845).
The pots and pans were blocked in with VMC Black (70.950), then base coated with VMC Black Grey (70.862). Highlights and scratches were added with mixes of Black Grey and VMC Ivory (70.918).

Frodo Baggins from Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

This may be a controversial viewpoint, but I am not very fond of Frodo Baggins. I grew up with the Rankin Bass production of The Hobbit long before reading Tolkien’s writings, and decades before Peter Jackson’s films. As would be expected, I was rather attached to Bilbo Baggins, who was a far superior protagonist. Bilbo outwitted Gollum, slayed spiders, rescued his friends, and not only encountered Smaug but also engineered his destruction. Bilbo was a true hero. His nephew, on the other hand, gets subdued by a Barrow Wight, stabbed by the Witch King, stabbed by the cave troll, accosted by Boromir, lured by the faces of the dead, captured by Faramir, stung and spun by Shelob, and gets his finger bitten off by Gollum AFTER failing to destroy the ring. Frodo is a passive hero who is literally carried through the story by fate and the other characters. And he constantly makes weird faces…

Like the other miniatures in this series, Frodo is very tiny. The facial sculpt is not the best likeness, but the general details are rather crisp and well defined. There were a few minor mold lines to clean up, but otherwise it was straight to primer and paint.

I had previously noted that the costumes for Merry and Pippin were much more colorful and vibrant than what I remembered from the films, and the same goes tenfold for Frodo. In fitting with his financial status, Frodo’s pants and waistcoat are rather plush and velvety, and their rich browns contrast nicely with his deep green cloak. I tried to make Sting slightly lighter and more bluish in tone to distinguish the Elvish blade from the Man-forged weapons wielded by the other Hobbits.

Overall, this was another quick and easy miniature to paint. With its completion, we are a third of the way through the Fellowship, but I still have to create the base for the entire scene as well. I seriously need to set aside some time to focus on the sculpting.

---

Flesh:
The skin received a base coat of VGC Heavy Skintone (72.140), followed by shading of the eye-sockets, lip crease, and the underside of the nose with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The eyes were then blocked in with VMC Ivory (70.918) and the iris was dotted with German Camo Black Brown. The major forms of the body were then lightened with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC Flat Flesh (70.955), followed by initial highlights with pure Flat Flesh, followed by point highlights with a 1:1 mix of Flat Flesh and VMC Light Flesh (70.928).
Some tonal variation was added with the inclusion of some Vallejo Nocturna Fantasy Pro (VNFP) Burned Flesh (74.002) to the shade tone.

Pants:
The entire area was blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822), then base coated with a 1:1 mix of German Camo Black Brown and VMC Flat Brown (70.984). The major folds were picked out with a complex mix of the base tone, VMC Light Brown (70.929), and VMC Mahogany Brown (70.846). Highlights were applied with an additional measure of the lighter tones added to the same mix.

Vest:
The vest was base coated with a 1:1 mix of VMC Flat Brown (70.984) and VMC Mahogany Brown (70.846). This was tinted with several glazes of VMC Woodgrain (70.828). Highlights were applied with a 1:1 mix of Woodgrain and VMC Light Brown (70.929).

Coat:
The outer coat was base coated with VMC Mahogany Brown (70.846). Shade was applied with a 1:1 mix of Mahogany Brown and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The major folds were lightened with a 1:1 mix of Mahogany Brown and VMC Light Brown (70.929), followed by highlights with a 1:2 mix of the same colors.

Cloak:
The cloak was base coated with a 2:1:1 mix of VPA German Tank Crew I (70.334), VMC Black (70.950), and VGC Night Blue (72.019). The major folds were lightened with a 3:1:1 mix of the same colors, followed by pure German Tank Crew I. Highlights were applied with a 1:1 mix of German Tank Crew I and VPA Highlight German Tank Crew I, followed with point highlights with pure Highlight German Tank Crew I.

Meriadoc Brandybuck from Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Each member of the Fellowship played extremely important roles in the victory over Sauron and the Ring, with some of the most vital contributions coming from the (seemingly) least significant members of the group. While Frodo’s importance as Ringbearer is quite obvious, he would have failed if not for the bravery and persistence of Sam. However, their quest would not have succeeded had the peoples of Middle Earth not united against Mordor, an event which would not have been possible if not for the efforts of the other Hobbits. It was the abduction of Merry and Pippin that caused the three hunters to become involved in the affairs of Rohan, without which the Rohorrim would not have come to Gondor’s aid. It was the plea of Merry and Pippin that roused the Ents and resulted in the downfall of Isengard. It was Pippin’s meddling with the Palantir that drew Sauron’s attention away from Mordor, and hastening Gandalf’s arrival to Mines Tirith. And it was Merry’s courage and attack that allowed Eowyn to slay the Witch King, removing the enemy’s most dangerous captain from the field of battle. Without the presence of these two heroes, Saruman would have retained the west, Rohan would have remained idle, and Gondor would have assuredly fallen.

I had not mentioned it previously, but the scale of these miniatures is TINY!!! The scale is a true 25-28 mm with realistic proportions, meaning that the hobbits stand about 20 mm. Overall, the sculpting was decent, although the likeness of Dominic Monaghan is somewhat lacking. As with Pippin, I chose to follow the colors of the wardrobe reference photos rather than the desaturated and washed out tones from the films. Again, I was surprised at how vibrant the Hobbit’s clothes were in “real life”, but this makes perfect sense given the tastefully cultured lifestyle of the Shire.

Painting was rather straightforward, with the only issues being matching the actor’s complexion and hair color. Also, Merry’s satchel is rather unusual with some sort of circular hoop or stitching for which it was incredibly hard to find reference images. But the colors of his jacket and waistcoat really popped, making for a bright and interesting mini!

As was previously mentioned in regards to Pippin, the base is not painted yet as this piece is planned to be part of a larger scene involving all of the Nine Walkers. Once that is designed, sculpted, printed, and painted all of the stock bases will be replaced.

Overall, I’m much happier with Merry than with Pippin. However, these were the two more colorful Hobbits. Get ready for a heap of browns and grays with the next dynamic duo…

---

Flesh:
The skin received a base coat of VGC Heavy Skintone (72.140), followed by shading of the eye-sockets, lip crease, and the underside of the nose with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The eyes were then blocked in with VMC Ivory (70.918) and the iris was dotted with German Camo Black Brown. The major forms of the body were then lightened with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC Flat Flesh (70.955), followed by initial highlights with pure Flat Flesh, followed by point highlights with a 1:1 mix of Flat Flesh and VMC Light Flesh (70.928).
Some tonal variation was added with the inclusion of some VMC Old Rose (70.944) to the highlight tone and some Vallejo Fantasy Pro (VNP) Burned Flesh (74.002) to the shade tone.

Hair:
All of the hair was blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). Basic forms were then base coated with a 2:1 mix of German Camo Black Brown and VMC Light Brown (70.929), then lightened with a 1:1 mix of the same colors. Individual hairs were picked out with a 1:1 mix of VMC Brown Sand (70.876) and VMC Iraqui Sand (70.819), then highlighted with VMC Sunny Skintone (70.845) with limited point highlights of Iraqui Sand.

Waistcoat:
The entire waistcoat was base coated with VMC Brown Sand (70.876). The central overlap was then shaded with a 1:1 mix of Brown Sand and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The major wrinkles were then picked out with a 1:1 mix of Brown Sand and VMC Golden Yellow (70.948), then highlighted with pure Golden Yellow. A very small area of the right breast was further highlighted with a 1:1 mix of Golden Yellow and Schmincke Titanium White.

Pants/Knapsack:
Both areas were blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The major wrinkles were then lightened with a 1:1 mix of GCBB and VGC Heavy Sienna (72.154), followed by pure Heavy Sienna, then a highlight mix of 1:1 Heavy Sienna and VMC Light Brown (70.929). Limited point highlights were added with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Sienna and VMC Sunny Skintone (70.845).

Jacket:
The green jacket was blocked in with a 1:1 mix of VMC Black (70.950) and VMC Black Green (70.980), which served as a shadow tone. The major forms were then base coated with pure Black Green, lightened with a 1:1 mix of Black Green and VMC Gunship Green (70.895), and highlighted with pure Gunship Green. Final point highlights were applied with a 1:1 mix of Gunship Green and VMC Sunny Skintone (70.845).

Cloak/Rock:
Both areas were base coated with VMC Neutral Grey (70.992). Recessed areas were then shaded with a 1:1 mix of Neutral Grey and VMC Black (70.950). The major forms were lightened with a 1:1 mix of Neutral Grey and VMC Sky Grey (70.989), then highlighted with pure Sky Grey.

Sword:
The sword was painted with a standard non-metallic metal application of the following colors: VMC Black (70.950), VMC Pale Grey Blue (70.907), and Schmincke Titanium White.

Peregrin Took from Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game

Before Descent, before HeroQuest, even before Dungeons & Dragons, there was The Lord of the Rings. It is well known that the rise of modern fantasy is almost entirely due to the success and brilliance of Tolkien’s epic novel. Although its literary importance was well recognized from the date of its publication, it was not until the release of the Peter Jackson film adaptation in the early 2000’s that the book was truly embraced by mainstream audiences. Having been a fan of the Rankin/Bass adaptation of the Hobbit and something of a Tolkien purist, I have some issues with the film trilogy and some of the (character breaking) changes that P.J. and crew made to the story. However, the one aspect of the films with which I can take no issue is the visual design and aesthetic created by John Howe and Alan Lee. It seems clear that there will never be a more definitive visualization of the characters, cultures, and weaponry of Tolkien’s world.

Being a fan of fantasy in general and a miniature enthusiast, it only seems logical that I should be drawn to painting the characters largely responsible for both the genre and the hobby. There have been several releases of LOTR miniatures over the years, mostly as part of Games Workshop’s Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, which is a large-scale tabletop war game similar to Warhammer and Star Wars Legion. Having never played the game and not being a fan of the metal miniatures that dominated earlier releases, I chose to paint a more recent plastic release of the Fellowship of the Ring (see below).

Up to this point, the only GW/Citadel miniatures I had painted were from the HeroQuest and Talisman ranges. Unlike these older figures, this set was rather small and more realistically proportioned, being roughly similar to the Hero sculpts from Descent 2nd Edition. The costumes are film accurate and the likenesses are passable, but some of the poses are not conducive to a single part molding. (For those unfamiliar with this manufacturing technique, the injection mold is made of only two pieces, the front and the back. In order for the two pieces to separate after the plastic hardens, there can be no undercuts or overhangs that would bind the mold. This often results in simplification of a character’s form in order to eliminate gaps or divisions between body parts. For instance, Legolas’s right arm is held close to his body, resulting in the fusion of his forearm and neck region into a solid lump with very distorted anatomy when viewed from any angle other than straight-on).

Wanting to save my favorite characters for later, I decided to begin this series with Pippin. In researching his color palette I was surprised to find that his costume contained some very rich colors. Owing to some unusual film grading and the fact that their clothes quickly become covered with dust and marsh water, my previous impression of the Hobbits’ attire was of rather dull, earthy tones. In order to enhance the individuality of what would otherwise be four very similar characters, I chose to favor the appearance of the wardrobe reference photos (left) over that of the films (right… notice how washed out the colors are at the time of second breakfast, assumedly mid-morning).

The painting was rather straightforward and pleasantly quick. As for the base, I have a plan to sculpt a scene from the novel (which scene will be revealed at a future time) with each character’s base being a removable portion of that scene. This will allow each miniature to be complete on its own as well as contributing to a larger presentation.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with this miniature. The sculpt of the face is a little wonky, with his eyes being somewhat slanted and cat-like. But what can you do? Still, it’s very refreshing to be able to paint a recognizable character quickly and move on to the next subject. More halflings will be along shortly…

---

Flesh:
The skin received a base coat of VGC Heavy Skintone (72.140), followed by shading of the eye-sockets, lip crease, and the underside of the nose with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). The eyes were then blocked in with VMC Ivory (70.918) and the iris was dotted with German Camo Black Brown. The major forms of the body were then lightened with a 1:1 mix of Heavy Skintone and VMC Flat Flesh (70.955), followed by initial highlights with pure Flat Flesh, followed by point highlights with a 1:1 mix of Flat Flesh and VMC Light Flesh (70.928).
Some tonal variation was added with the inclusion of some VMC Old Rose (70.944) to the highlight tone and some Vallejo Fantasy Pro (VNP) Burned Flesh (74.002) to the shade tone.

Hair:
Blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). Major forms were picked out with a 1:1 mix of GCBB and VMC German Camo Pale Brown (70.825), then lightened with pure German Camo Pale Brown. Individual tufts were then highlighted selectively with VMC Cork Brown (70.943).

Pants:
The entire area was base coated with a 1:1 mix of VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822) and VMC German Fieldgrey WWII (70.830). The major folds and creases were lightened with a 1:2 mix of the same colors, followed by pure German Fieldgrey. Limited highlights were applied with VMA Hemp (71.023).

Jacket:
This area was blocked in with VMC Dark Sea Blue (70.898), which was left in the deepest recesses as a shadow tone. The major forms were then base coated with a 1:1 mix of Dark Sea Blue and VMC Turquoise (70.966), followed by a 1:2 mix of the same colors, and a highlight of nearly pure Turqouise. A final point highlight was applied sparingly with a touch of VMC Ivory (70.918) added to the previous 1:2 mix.

Cloak:
The entire cloak was blocked in with VMC German Camo Black Brown (70.822). A base coat of VMC Burnt Red (70.814) was then applied. The major forms were picked out with VMC Red (70.926), lightened with a 1:1 mix of Red and VMC Sunny Skintone (70.845), followed by highlights with a 1:2 mix of the same colors.

Rock:
The stone was base coated with VMC Neutral Grey (70.992). Recessed areas were then shaded with a 1:1 mix of Neutral Grey and VMC Black (70.950). The major forms were lightened with a 1:1 mix of Neutral Grey and VMC Sky Grey (70.989), then highlighted with pure Sky Grey.

Sword:
The sword was painted with a standard non-metallic metal application of the following colors: VMC Black (70.950), VMC Pale Grey Blue (70.907), and Schmincke Titanium White.