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.