The pig-face orcs that never were

Painted: Orcs

I've shared quite a few D&D encounter groups here, but I've been holding out on you when it comes to the orcs. This is another project that I finished years ago (early 2010) but I only now finished the legwork for a proper post. I think I'll come back and say some more about the project to convert these from several varieties of Grenadier orcs (and one goblin), but pics will do fine to fill up this particular post. Essentially, after scouting my options for 25mm D&D orcs I decided to bring together a bunch of dissimilar orcs produced along an even spread from as early as the late seventies up through late eighties and that I happened to have lying around, and attempt a sense of cohesion by means of adding the same pig-snout to each, made from greenstuff. The pig-face, of course, is that attribute orcs have in official D&D illustrations from throughout the seventies but that almost no miniatures have besides the Minifigs ones ~1977 and the Otherworld ones (~2007?). And so these are a bit of a what-if—the orcs that never were.

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: Fantasy Lords (second series)
Set: 020 Orc Command Group
Figure: M255 Orc leader
Base markings: M255
Release date: ?
Sculptor: John Dennett

  

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: Fantasy Lords (second series)
Set: 020 Orc Command Group
Figure: M256 Orc drummer
Base markings: M256
Release date: ?
Sculptor: John Dennett

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: AD&D "Solid Gold Line"
Set: ?
Figure: Lesser Orc w. Spear
Release date: 1980
Sculptor: Andrew Chernak
Notes: It's possible this was an alternate figure in the 5002 Monsters box set.

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: AD&D "Solid Gold Line"
Set: ?
Figure: Lesser Orc w. Bow
Release date: 1980
Sculptor: Andrew Chernak
Notes: It's possible this was an alternate figure in the 5002 Monsters box set.

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: AD&D "Solid Gold Line"
Set: 5002 Monsters
Figure: Lesser Orc w. Sword
Release date: 1980
Sculptor: Andrew Chernak

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: AD&D "Solid Gold Line"
Set: 5002 Monsters
Figure: Lesser Orc w. Waraxe
Release date: 1980
Sculptor: Andrew Chernak

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: Battle Lords
Set: 1602 Orcs, Army of the Black River
Figure: M112 Orc w. Club
Base markings: M112
Release date: 1986
Sculptor: John Dennett

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: Fantasy Lords
Set: 109 Orcs
Figure: Orc
Release date: ?
Sculptor: John Dennett

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: Fantasy Lords
Set: 108 Goblins
Figure: Goblin
Release date: ?
Sculptor: John Dennett

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: AD&D "Solid Gold Line"
Set: 2011 Orc's Lair (also in 103 Orcs blister pack)
Figure: B. Axeman
Release date: 1980
Sculptor: Andrew Chernak

 

Manufacturer: Grenadier
Line: AD&D "Solid Gold Line"
Set: 2011 Orc's Lair (also in 103 Orcs blister pack)
Figure: E. Swordsman
Release date: 1980
Sculptor: Andrew Chernak

A face off to show you their size

As always, the whole collection is also on flickr.