3mm epicer than epic

[Jon Williams]

Is he from transexual transilvania !!!!! 🤣

[Deleted User]

What are the pike things at the bottom? Looks like 6mm?

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

They are 3mm Microworld orc spearmen, Thomaston. I have modified them by clipping out the spears and adding plastic broom-bristle pikes. I squish the tips and carve then down into pike points.

I should have some photos of them up, complete, tomorrow.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Jon Williams]

Thaddeus that is what I call dedication, the  orc pikes are remarkable you must have the patience of a saint to do that, I found it difficult enough trying to replace a missing pike with a plastic bristle to one of my 6mm ECW figures .

Totally in awe of the work and details you put into your figures

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Know Your Orcs, Part 1: The Suizz

“You sorry gits keep those pigstickers pointed straight or I’ll lop the gronches off ther lot of yez!”

— An anoymous Suizz sergeant

 

“Bombardier! Target right front, range 200 spans! See those suizzlesticks off!”

— The preferred Dwarven method for dealing with Suizz pikeblocks.

 

“Place the witchdancers behind the giantess. With any luck, those armored greenies will charge up gronch-happy and only realize their mistake once they are well stuck in.”

— Moon Elf Prince Etienne de Fleurs, musing on how to counter Suizz Guards.

 

While orcs have a well-deserved reputation for indiscipline and mob actions at away features, the tribal grouping known as the Suizz proves that there is an exception for every rule.

Moss farmers of the high mountain meadows of the Khazal Range, the Suizz have been in close contact – and thus conflict – with the Khazal Dwarven Holds for centuries. In the face of this, and as a matter of sheer necessity, they’ve developed a degree of discipline and coordination that is decidedly un-orcy.

The Suizz have little in the way of mounted troops, but their close-in heavy fighters are some of the best in Albyssia. Unfortunately, they have few of them. Fortunately, after much trial and error, they’ve settled on an effective combined arms weapon mix for their tribal hordes.

The average Suizz is armed with a pike or a bow and the whole of the tribal mass of common orcs is formed into tercios, imitating (in rough and ready form) Elven tactics. Big ´Uns are segregated off into dedicated shock troops and the heavily armored “Bosses’ Guards” form a central reserve.

While dwarven shieldwall and axe tactics are still quite effective against Suizz pike blocks (even more so now that the Dwarves can mass produce gunpowder), the Suizz counter is an improvement over the traditional orcish plan of “line everybody up and ‘ave at it!” As the Suizz put it, “Pigstickers keep them runty shits as far away as fukin’ possible”.

The Suizz are effective and disciplined enough that they are one of the few orc tribes that can hire out as mercenaries to the other races, providing masses of cheap pike-and-bow fodder for lowland armies. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved. The Khazal Holds can stomp the Suizz, but prefer not to because the losses incurred are usually too high for a slow-breeding race like the dwarves. Meanwhile, the Suizz have a healthy respect for their bearded neighbors and would pretty much rather fight anyone else. Because social cohesion is greater among the Suizz than other orc tribes, they are constantly strapped for cash, being that the orc economy is based on “chits”, processed from the genital organs of other orcs. Hiring out to the lowland kingdoms solves this problem, however, with traditional payment being the Suizz’ right to castrate all enemy dead and prisoners (as well as their own dead, of course). This is a great boon for the Suizz’ employers as these orcs will literally work for dick.

As the Suizz saying goes, “No chits, no gits!”

For obvious reasons, the Suizz refuse to fight females: “There just ain’t no percentage innit, Boss”.

For more information on how to make chits, go here: https://orcstain.wordpress.com/2010/11/19/firststain/

NSFW or the squeamish.

Did you know? The other orc tribes of Albyssia call the Suizz’ pikes “Suizzle Sticks”.

 

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

The typical result when orc big ‘uns go after Amazons. The Suizz aren’t any smarter, but generally know better.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Jon Williams]

That’s a great story there putting meat to the bones of your orc tribe plus using the Swiss as a model for their fighting style

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Suizz pike block, led by a hero and his retinue.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Jon Williams]

That’s a mean looking horde of greenskins you have there Thaddeus.

Is the 3mm fantasy range available in the UK?  Or only shipped from the US

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

I think Microworld is trying to get Vanguard to stock it in the UK. Talk to Vanguard and tell them you are interested!

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Jon Williams]

I’ll shoot off an email to vanguard in the morning cheers Thaddeus.

I’m getting back into my old bad habits, seeing a new period, or new range of figures and I drop what I’m doing and sideline off.

Arrrrgh it’s like wargamers porn looking at your figures on your blog Thaddeus lol

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Wargamer porn, you say? Check out O8’s 3mm naked gaulish fanatics. Small, but perfectly formed. 🙂

Though for female figures, Microworld’s elven sorceresses have proportionally the largest secondary sexual characteristics in wargaming. Worse than Brother Vinni.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Deleted User]

I like the lok of the orcs. The irregular pikes makes them more real than the usual uniform cast. How many of these are you making? Can you do a little guid on where to snip and glue?

I was going to buy some of those orcs but decided not to, having no orcs in my fantasy setting. Now I’m looking for 3mm to try that pike modification on.

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Sure! It may take awhile, though! We’re moving house in the next few weeks!

I plan on doing a minimum of four stands and a maximum of eight.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Basically, I take plastic broom bristles and crush the end with a dull wire cutter. I then slice the flattened bit into a point — the more irregular, the better. I slice off the pike at 10mm down the bristle.

I then carve out the spear right at the hand, using a sharp exato knife. I whittle the butt end of the pike into a point. I place a glob of gel super glue (Zap-A-Gap) on the hand and stick the pike in. The gel’s enough to keep it upright.

The first rank has holes drilled the pike should slot in. The second has their pikes tilted forward. The third and fourth ranks have theirs’ upright. The natural variation caused by a bit of sagging in the glue gives the strips their irregular appearance. The glue may muddy the orc’s facial features, if you’re not careful, but you really can’t see that through the pikes unless you hold them very close. I prefer to use a lot of gel glue to make sure things are really stuck in there, and if some of the faces get a bit gummy… well, they’re orcs.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Deleted User]

Drill a hole in 3mm minis?

[Thaddeus Blanchette]

Yeah. Not so much a hole as a pit, to the right/bottom of the shield. A pin vice and a small bit and it’ll only take a few seconds.

We get slapped around, but we have a good time!

[Author]

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