Hob Plains Drifters

 As mentioned in a previous post, for supposed steppe nomads the 1980s Citadel hobgoblins were sorely lacking in cavalry. The main reason, of course, is that the range wasn’t a priority for the Studio. Beyond the redesigned slotta range in ’85, the hobgoblins got a wee rocket launcher in ’87 and a temple dog rider in ’89, and that was that. Presumably if hobgoblins had been selling like hotcakes then wolf or hobhound cavalry would have been a thing, but I guess they were just too niche.

In the ‘throw all your toys down and let’s have at it’ world of early Warhammer there was always a work around. The Second Citadel Journal (Autumn 1985) contained The Dolgan Raiders scenario, in which human steppe nomads and their centaur chum attack a hobgoblin caravan. The hobgoblins hire the questionable services of some goblin wolf riders, led by one Gutrot, to act as scouts. Obviously, goblin wolf rider miniatures were readily available, so this neatly side stepped the problem of no hobgoblin cav while introducing a fun subplot. In the scenario Gutrot hates the hobgoblin commander Bagnol, so if the scenario is played as 2v2 then the Gutrot/wolf riders player gets extra victory points if Bagnol is killed!

Another workaround for hobgoblin cav I have seen employed by Oldhammerers has been to use the Chronicle N15 or Grenadier orc wolf riders as proxies. I think this works well enough alongside the N12 or Grenadier hobgoblins, as Nick Lund’s orcs and hobgoblins are all pretty hefty units, but I think it works less well alongside Aly Morrison’s slighter C36 hobs. I've also seen people use the 4th ed. Big Hat hobgoblin cav, but they're ghastly.

Chronicle and Grenadier wolf riders I originally bought to use as proxies

I was really pleased, then, when I saw Oakbound Studio were releasing a couple of packs of hobgoblin wolf riders. The wolf riders come in packs of 3, armed with either bows or polearms. I’ve been after some shoot-and-scoot wolf riders for a while so I picked up the bows pack. Here’s 2/3 of the pack coloured in.

As these are Oakbound gobbos, the sculpts are very characterful but also a touch more whimsical than 'spikey death bits'. Scale-wise, though, they are spot on. I think these will work great for a unit of skirmishers, but my quest for C36-compatable mass cav continues.

The Good, The Bad & The Lead Rot

 

The painting queue has been overrun by 1980s hobgoblins, shouldering past the orcs and booting wee Saxons out of their way. The latest batch were so keen to be painted that they forgot to put their trousers on! From left to right we have a DL2 (1984), a pre-slotta C36 (1984) and a slotta C36 (1985), all sculpted for Citadel by Aly Morrison.

They were undercoated black several years ago and it really was high time they were painted. However, when I started to apply the base coats I noticed that one of the hobs appeared to be suffering from early onset lead rot! I suspect that the mini may have been like that back when it was undercoated, but for the life of me I can't remember.

I sought a second opinion on the Oldhammer Community Facebook group and had the diagnosis confirmed. But what to do? In the end I decided to paint and be damned. Either the rot is now inert or it's slowly eating away at the old soldier's insides. If it's the latter then at least he'll get a few turns around a battlefield before his leg falls off.

Hobgoblin banners and shields from WFB 3rd ed. Warhammer Armies

I've also been taking stock of the hobgoblins I'd painted previously. These were my first tilt at a project when I was getting back into gaming. Many have seen a fair bit of action since as a unit of mercenaries in our games of Dragon Rampant. The four C36 hobs below needed some minor battle damage touched up, but otherwise I think they still pass muster.

Likewise, I'm still happy with these two. They are 'Manic Hobgoblin Hero' from the BC2 Monsters Starter Set (another Aly Morrison sculpt) and a Chronicle N12 hobgoblin by Nick Lund (both 1985, I think). It's odd that while the new slotta sculpts for the C36 range leaned further into the Steppe warrior aesthetic, the Chronicle range went in the exact opposite direction. The N12 hobgoblins all have fantastical versions of Samurai arms and armour, with many having a central horn reminiscent of  Japanese oni. Thankfully, this chap has a helmet on and shouldn't look too out of place alongside the older DL2 hobs.

And I'm still ridiculously pleased with how these shields turned out. I'm looking forward to painting more.

I was never going to be satisfied with all the old paint jobs. Rather than just strip and start again, I attempted to renovate the three below by painting directly on top of the old varnish. They're still not going to win any prizes, but they are a definite improvement and will look fine among the ranks.

The chap on the right is the oldest mini in the army to-date. He's 'Grizlock the Hobgoblin' from the 1983 Dungeon Monsters Starter Set. I don't know who sculpted him, but if I had to guess I'd say maybe the Perry twins? Answers on a postcard, folks.