Budding Hobbiest

deezoid

Hiya. Need some help here. My 8 year old son has started to get interested in the LOTR Warhammer stuff - and I am too. He want's to collect the figures and I'd like to build models. Is this hobby going to cost us loads - and if so can any one suggest how to do it on the cheap. Any alternatives to Games Workshop modelling products etc. Any help in making this a cheaper - and therefore more enjoyable for me - hobby would be appreciated.
Cheers

de5p0i1er

If you collect the books every week or whatever they supply plastic models (cheaper then metal) of all the main characters aswell as the rank and file but its been out a while and you may not be able to get the early issues and will have to buy the full rule book to get the missing parts.

Hope this helps.

deezoid

Yeah, have picked up a few, but to be honset the plastic figures are a bit crappy! When I was a wee lad I had a load of lead figures, they seem so much better.

Venom

Ex gamer/painter/player here and I have to say that the expence of the hobby was the factor that made me give it up.

Games Workshop are as good at putting the boot in on the customer, cost wise as they are at making fantastic minitures and games.

Unless you start using other manufactures models instead of the Games Workshops one's or buy them second hand I cant see how you can get it done on the cheep.

Sarky

Look in a model shop besides GW. There are plenty of LOTR models being made, some of which look niceer than the GW ones. If you can substitute a few expensive models here for a few cheap models there, then grand.

Borzoi

If your looking for top quality figures to paint, try Prince August who produce a LOTR range under the Mithril brand.

They're made down in Macroom, Co Cork.

The figures are a diffeernt style to GW, more classical, less spiky.

If you want more general figures, there are countless other manufacturers, all styles and eras.

deezoid

Thanx for that lads. The Mithril stuff is quite nifty. I remembered I had a friend in Easons, and he said he'd give me all the remains of the LOTR magazine with figures every fortnight - so free is the cheapest I can collect stuff at. I bought all the paint and stuff and I started painting at the weekend - I didn't realise how long each figure would take!

Sarky

An undercoat, then 3-4 colours per model, and you should have a respectable horde of goblins in a day.

Certain models can take days on thier own though, when you want it "just right"...

Pugsley

Originally posted by Sarky
Certain models can take days on thier own though, when you want it "just right"...

As i found out after spending 2days on my abaddon, and a day and a half of kharn, doing all the runes on my farseer musta took about 10hours aswell

Sarky

Ah, but it's worth it at the end, isn't it?

I mean, once the eye strain has worn off...

I've spent 2-3 days painting some of my models. Although I don't bother with much detail on the common troops, I'll spend extra attention on my Ork Nobs, and I am immensely proud of some of them. Particularly the one that started off as a Goff Nob, but has Nazdreg's powerclaw, a blood angel's leg for his other arm, and a couple of sluggas spliced and diced into a bionic big shoota to become part of my Bad Moon warbosses bodyguard...