Dwarven Artillery Review!

Hi!

As I am now the proud owner of quite a few dwarf pieces I thought it would be a plan to review some of them so am starting with the artillery!

Dwarven Great Gun

The model comes in two pieces, the main body of the cannon and the dragon headed maw. As per usual with Grendel models there seem to be few, if any mould lines and no air bubbles. The cannons detailing is fantastic from its mighty sculpted dragon head to the runes placed around its length.

The Mighty Cannon

This is a model I am really looking forward to painting as it will look fantastic once its completed! For those players of Fantasy Battle this would make an excellent siege cannon for the dwarves as its far better, not to mention BIGGER than any other cannon out there! My only complaint about the kit is the lack of crew figures. I think I will have some real difficulty finding crew for the kit as no one produces an artillery crew by itself and I dont want to have to make do with GW plastics. I may well have to make do with performing some conversion work on some existing dwarves!

The Good Stuff:

Its HUGE!
The model is really nicely sculpted and really matches the concept art from the book.
The intimidation factor for ones opponents would be great (especially if you plan on fielding a battery of them!

The Bad Stuff:

It may be a bit too big for some people!
The lack of crew is very annoying!

All in all though the great gun is a fantastic piece of kit and well worth the money (It's only £5.99!)

Dwarven Mortar

This is another nice kit, its pretty huge and has a ton of complicated looking cogs and gears to allow it to swivel and turn in a pleasingly steam punkish sort of way, there are lots of nice details ranging from the runic script on the turntable to the crewman having a telescope perched next to him! Again the model is fairly free of defects and bubbles. The kit comes in two pieces, the turntable and the mortar itself.

A Mighty Mortar

The model is described as being a dwarven mortar and while everything seems to fit this description, the crew model lets it down as it looks far too human proportioned to fit as a dwarf. I plan on enclosing the position so its not too much of a problem but its a shame that so many nice details are having to be covered (for example the crewman is cranking the turntable and the already mentioned telescope)

The Good Stuff:

Its a nice big mortar position and is very original looking.
Lots of detail that will paint up nicely.

The Bad Stuff:

Only one crewman and he's not even a dwarf!

Again its real value for money and will paint up really nicely but the not dwarf crewman is a real shame! I could actually see this model as a dwarf made machine being fielded by a human (and possibly evil) force.

The VORTEX SPELL EATING MACHINE

This is a very nice piece of kit and possibly one of the most unusual looking contraptions available to the dwarves! It comes in five pieces, three legs, the base unit with main machine and the dragon skull on top. The kit I got is second hand and a bit dusty with a few bits of loose resin needing cleaned out of the crevices but is otherwise free of defects.

The model is absolutely packed with details ranging from arcane dwarven technology to odd jewels and even a very portly dwarf crewman peering through a viewing device and lots of intricately sculpted detailing. The whole machine looks a bit Flash Gordon to be which is a plus!

The Machines Front

Rear View With Crew

The Good Stuff:

The model looks amazing and totally original!
Its got a crewman who looks like a dwarf!
Will paint up amazingly!

The Bad Stuff

Not currently covered by the Leviathan rules.

If I wasn't painting goblins at the moment I suspect I would be painting this model as its fantastic! I suspect with its combination of technology, magic and engineering it would make for a really challenging project to paint it. Although it doesn't currently have rules in Leviathan I am working on a fan supplement which covers magic and a ton of new units for each faction so hope to be able to use the machine as part of my dwarven army at some point!

If and when I get round to painting it I suspect I will try and use some magnets with the kit which will allow it to turn to fire rather than being a static piece!

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 13!

Hi!

Well heres the finished lesser goblin wartower!


The Wartower!

I added the banner poles with a crows nest to identify it as a command element and the addition of a plastic gargoyle from my bits box and a couple of old Citadel snotlings to make it stand out a bit more. As a side effect the crows news will allow the lesser goblin crew to attack even a titanosaurs howdah in close combat!


Spotters!

I decided to keep away from an overly bright banner (I had originally decided to do a bright yellow and green pattern) as I felt the somewhat grubby brown better suited the lesser goblins. The pattern is based on the simple stickmen imagery from the concept art and features several small figures (presumably lesser goblins) and a larger horned and clawed figure of Gorath!


Another Shot

Well now that the lesser goblin wartower is done I suppose I need to look at getting some more of my stuff painted and judging by the poll which I have been running over the last month or so people want to see goblin infantry and a Gorathosaur. As my Gorathosaurs are still in Worcester I will have to settle for some goblin infantry for the time being. Hopefully I will be able to add a couple of pics of my goblin archer unit over the course of the weekend (Its going to be a nice change from painting really big resin models!)

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 12

Hurrah!

The painting is almost complete now with only a few small bits to complete him, namely the three lesser goblins occupying the crows nest and the banners! Im hopeful of completing the best by tomorrow which will leave me with the finishing touch of adding a plasticard base.


The Completed Howdah!


The Revolting Crew!

Ive taken a pic of the lesser goblin wartower next to the centipede to give an impression of the scale too:


Beasties!

I will try to get an updated image of the completed project posted some time tomorrow!

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 10

Hi!

Well Ive finally got the warbeast finished!


Warbeast Side View


Another View of the Beast!


Rear View!

I managed to drop him which broke off several spikes but a quick application of superglue seems to have sorted it (after a great deal of wailing and gnashing of teeth!)

Next up its the howdah!

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 9!

Hi!

Well the Durham wargames show was quite a success! I managed to pick up a few more goblins and more importantly some orc crew for my warbeasts!

Many thanks to Andy (aka Manic-miner on the Scotia-Grendel forum) for trading me a horde of leviathan goodies! I now have a very respectable number of dwarven vehicles to unleash mayhem on the hapless orcs (or more likely the goblin shield!)

The show itself was quite interesting to have a rummage round and special mention goes to the fantastic pirate game being run upstairs there. I wish I had taken my camera as the board was visually stunning!

But without further ado heres a couple of pics of my lesser goblin wartower:


Not Much Progress!


Almost Visible Beady Eyes!

As you can see Ive only managed to finish the head and thats taken me almost an entire week! I blame this on the sunshine and barbeques and not my lazyness. Still I think that the rest of the beast itself should be doable in a single session while the howdah is going to be the most time consuming as its literally packed with detail!

The model itself is really starting to pull together and despite my half hearted attempts to strip the previous paint off it, it doesnt seem to have suffered too badly. The detail is still there and really shows up with the application of a layer of ink. Hopefully by this time next week when I nip off to Newcastle for my hols I will be able to finish him (at least thats the plan!)

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 8

Hi!

Well painting is finally underway! Thus far Ive just undercoated the wartower, stuck on the basecoat of yellow and given it a layer of orange ink to bring out the scales.


Painting In Progress!

After the ink has dried I plan on giving it another was of red ink in some of the recesses to bring some shading into it. After that its time for the black armoured plates!

Hopefully I will be able to get a couple of updates to this post during the course of today!

All the best!

Mid Day Update!

Hi!

Heres the latest pic of my painting process with the black scales having been blocked in and the shading added to the yellow areas:


Black Stuff!

I hope to have the yellow areas highlighted by the end of this evening and then start work on the scales and spikes...

Leviathan Repaint Part 7

Hi!

Well Ive just finished working on the wartower and once the greenstuff has dried will have to set about painting him!


The Constructed Wartower!


Another View!

I decided to simply add some scales to the carnosaurs head rather than going for anything more complex as it would have added yet more time to the project!


A More Complete View!

I have given the unit a twin standard pole to mark it as a command unit and theres a small platform for a lesser goblin to stand on one side and a strange little gargoyle to perch on the other. At present I still need a metal lesser goblin to take the position (I plan on getting hold of a snotling from GW to fill the slot!) but am going to make a start on the painting as I really want to get on with the task!

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 6

Hi!

Well Ive finally got the spikes added to the wartower!


Spiky!

I think I need to add a couple more on the flanks of the carnosaur to make it look a bit better but thus far its going quite well! I am also pondering on giving him an armoured crest like a triceratops to further re-enforce his heavily armoured look (it will allow me to add more spikes and horns on him but we shall see how he looks once the howdah has been added!)


Another Spiky View!


More Spikes!

The next stage as already mentioned is his head but Im still unsure as to what to do with it so I plan on doing a bit of experimenting with him today to see how he develops. The howdah also needs looking at as I have to add banner poles and a crowsnest which isnt too big a job and just maybe I will be able to start painting him tomorrow!

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 5

Hi!

Well Ive almost finished up armouring the wartower and all that needs doing now is the spikes (I plan on using sculpey and making the spines separately and then fastening them on with greenstuff as its cheaper than doing the whole lot with greenstuff)


More Armoured Plates!

Apologies for the pic quality! I am leaning towards a darker colour scheme for the tower as the armour will look better if its toned down from the usual yellow and black. He may yet get some sort of stripe effect but we shall see!

Ive also painted a goblin archer for the game as Ive now got enough bits to form a unit 10 strong to give my orc horde some disposable firepower! I will post a pic once Ive got more of the unit finished!

In other news Ive just bought a pile of the old Chainmail miniatures from Dungeons and Dragons as theres some really quite nice sculpts for everything from orcs to dwarves and even a few elves! I really plan on cracking on with the painting over the holidays but as my maximum speed seems to be about three a day for infantry and a warbeast can take up to a week its just as well Ive got nearly four months off!

Im also selling off some old 40k ork stuff to help fund the project so please feel free to peruse the ebay link!

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 4

Hi!

Ive started adding some armoured scales to the carnosaur and will be adding the spikes that will run down its flanks ending in a clubbed and spiked tail. At present I am unsure whether to give him a naturally armoured head or some sort of metal helmet (suitably adorned with spikes!)


Armoured Plates!

In other news Ive started work on some suitably post apocalyptic fantasy terrain in the form of some mutated trees! I will try and get some WIPs of them as I go but at present they are looking a bit bare!

Hopefully the lesser goblins will be ready to paint by the weekend and after that I may have a go at some goblin infantry!

All the best!

Leviathan Repaint Part 3

Hi!

Alas I didnt get much done today but have stated work on my lesser goblin wartower. Thus far its more a case of fixing the air bubbles but hopefully over the next couple of days I will be able to add his armoured hide and other assorted goodness!


Progress!

The next step will be to start adding some larger scales and some armoured patches!

All the best!

A Leviathan Repaint Part 2

Hi!

Well the model has been sat soaking in Mr Muscle oven cleaner for hours and Ive had at it with a toothbrush to remove as much loose paint as possible:


A Partly Stripped Model!

Ive noticed theres a bit of an air bubble problem on the carnosaur as his spines are missing their tips and a large chunk of his tail is missing altogether! This isnt too much of a problem as hes going to be getting a fairly hefty amount of conversion work done to him.


Another Pic!

The paint has come off the surface of the model quite well but the carnosaur has some really deep crevices in its skin making cleaning a bit of a pain! Ive stuck him back in the cleaner and will leave him till this evening and then have another go at cleaning the remainder off.

At present I am planning on lengthening his tail and adding some spikes and possibly even some armour plates (I really want to have a go at making him a spiny devil, covered in armour and spikes. These will be a mixture of his natural hide and riveted pieces of plate added by the lesser goblins) Another possibility is to lengthen his jaw a bit making him a bit more predatory.

The howdah itself will have a suitably large banner pole, crows nest and hopefully some extra bits and pieces to help identify it as a command unit.

I will get some thumbnails worked up and will post them along with an update of the cleaning process in the morning!

All the best!

A Leviathan Repaint!

Hi!

Ive been having a rummage in my parents loft and have found an old Leviathan lesser goblin wartower I painted when I was about 16. Needless to say it looks pretty poor so I thought as the poll I am running is hinting that people would like to see a lesser goblin wartower painted up this would be the perfect time to start!


A Poorly Painted Monstrosity!

I plan on converting this chap a bit once Ive stripped off the paint and turning him into a command unit for my wartowers. Ive found an assortment of useful material ranging from cocktail sticks to balsa wood and plasticard in the same box and will be posting my progress while Im up here in Scotland!


Another Depressingly Poor Shot!

The first stage is going to be stripping the paint off him. As Im not sure what effect paint stripper will have on him I am going to attempt to use Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner which I have been informed will do the job (if somewhat more slowly as it will take a couple of days to lift the paint)

As this is the first Grendel miniature I ever bought I plan on spending a bit of time on him making him look as good as possible and he may form the basis for a small sub force I have been pondering (Essentially a horde of lesser goblins consisting of nothing but wartowers and lesser goblin rabbles!) I may have to add some troop choices in but I quite like the idea of a horde of diminutive goblins rushing around causing mayhem!

Hopefully I will be able to show a stripped version of the model by the weekend!

All the best!

Heavy Metal Review!

Hi!

I've had to make an unexpected visit to my parents which means I cant get any painting done for a bit but have found that an order I placed on ebay for some MK2 War Golems has arrived here so have decided to write a review of them!

So without further ado heres the MK2 War Golem Black Thunder. The kit arrived in a big blister pack and I was very pleased to find that despite having been shipped to the US at some point and then back here, the model is in perfect condition! The only defect in it is a small bubble on one shoulder but it makes the machine look like its taken a glancing blow in battle and actually looks quite good.

Black Thunder Bits

The kit itself comes in seven pieces, the main body, hips, legs, both arms and the cannon barrels. First off its worth mentioning the detailing on the model is excellent. Of special note is the external ammo hoppers on the arms and even the cannon barrels have some nice work on them!

Black Thunder Rear Detail

The rear of the model even has some nice bits on it including a retractable ladder allowing the crew access to the cabin.

This has thus far been one of the best kits I've got from the Leviathan range and I can see myself fielding large numbers of golems in my dwarf army. It's a far better kit than the MK1 war golem which suffers from tons of flash and a generally unlovely look.

I Intend to try using the MK1 arms with their hammer and mace on MK2 bodies to represent MK1 golems! (It's also worth noting that the MK1 is slightly larger than the MK2 and once I'm back in Worcester I will take some comparison pics)

Next off is the Mk2 War Golem Firestorm Its another nice kit which comes in five pieces, the body, hips legs and both arms. This is a nice fire support beast armed with rocket launchers and while not quite as impressive looking as the Black Thunder is also nicely done.

Like the Black Thunder it has the same legs and hips and the body is similar enough to make swapping parts easy. It's also in really nice condition and has only a couple of nicks in the resin.

Firestorm Bits

As it's got lots of exposed piping on its arms I suspect its rules will have to show it having a lower armour level than some of the other golems but as it's a fire support unit that doesn't really matter! On a side note any 40k player could use the MK2 golems as space marine dreadnoughts as they are suitably boxy and quite gothic looking (they are however twice the size and less than half the cost!)

Firestorm Rear Detail

The boiler on the firestorm seems to have some sort of supercharger as there's a ton of extra exhaust pipes emerging from it which looks really nice (I may add a new ability to it when I write up its rules allowing for an extra burst of speed!)

All in all I am really pleased with both the kits and am now looking forward to finishing my Orc horde so I can start work on my dwarves!

All the best!

The Orcish Horde

Hi!

Heres the first of the reviews of the forces in Leviathan. I am starting with the orc horde as their range is most complete and they have some rather nice warbeasts available.

The orcs were beaten by a combined elven, dwarf and human army thousands of years ago and banished to the barren steppes to die. Despite the harsh conditions the orcs survived and flourished. They tamed mighty reptilian beasts which they ride into battle and with the return of their god Goranth have launched numerous expeditions and assaults across the Ironwall Mountains to attack the shattered civilisations of the other races.

The orc horde is constantly attacking the other races as its population keeps growing so rapidly (every orc litter produces between 10 and 20 young) they need to keep expanding to survive. Coupled with their bloodthirsty nature, orcs are one of the few races flourishing since the breaking of the great seals which unleashed the fallen.

The orcish horde relies heavily on its tame warbeasts in battle but also has a good selection of infantry available.

The leaders of the hordes are the orc Khans who often ride into battle atop warbeasts. Excellent in close combat and with a much needed leadership these mighty warriors range from the great Khans who lead the entire army to unit leaders.

Goblin leaders and heroes are called Khadins and while pretty poor combat troops, give any unit they lead a much needed leadership boost. Also arming them with magic weapons can make them capable of holding their own against better characters.

One of the best things about the orc army is that their god can be featured as part of it. The Eyes of Goranth are small versions of him (they still stand 20 feet tall!) and are both excellent in close combat and have the ability to automatically rally fleeing troops.

At present there are no rules for magic in the game but the orcs can field shamans whose ability to issue potions to boost their troops is a definite plus. Also the orcs can be accompanied by shades. These ghosts of dead shamans can move through any terrain without penalty and their attacks ignore armour making them excellent for killing characters or artillery crews.

The Infantry consists of primarily orc warriors armed with a variety of weapons ranging from double handed weapons to bows. Reasonably good in close combat but lightly armoured orc infantry is best either supporting warbeasts or taking on opposing infantry as they will struggle to take down opposing big guys.

Goblins are also available and are, as one would expect cheap, they are pretty poor at close combat but can be equipped with shortbows making for nice support units. Also when armed with hand weapons they make good cannon fodder and shields for better units as orcs dont panic at the sight of goblins getting destroyed!

Great orcs are a good assault choice and cheap too. Every second litter in orc society produces a great orc making them quite numerous, if dim. Armed with double handed weapons these ogre sized orcs should hold their own against any infantry and even warbeasts. They also have high leadership (for orcs) making them less likely to turn and run when they take casualties.

Goranths Chosen are orcs blessed by their god making them bigger and more aggressive than normal, quite heavily armoured and well armed these troops are the elite of the orc infantry forces.

Orcish cavalry is heavy and hard hitting. Riding necrodon warbeasts orcs can either skirmish with their bows or drive into the opposing line with polearms. Goblin cavalry is lighter but faster riding Carnodons with an impressive charge but are better being used to skirmish with their bows or charging to support other units in close combat already. Another use for these rapid moving beasts is to assault artillery pieces or small exposed infantry units.

The warbeasts of the orcs form the bulk of their forces and consist of the following choices:

The largest beasts available are the mighty Titanosaur and can cause huge amounts of damage by themselves, a howdah full of orc warriors make them doubly dangerous. Surprisingly speedy these behemoths can also be armoured making them even more difficult to destroy.

Some orc Khans strap two Titanosaurs together creating a platform to support heavy catapults giving the orc army both heavy artillery and a massively dangerous unit. Admittedly at 420 points each you wont field many and they tend to become missile targets so keep them screened or armour them up a bit.

The most numerous orc warbeast is a Carnosaur. Armed with jagged teeth and mighty talons and riden into battle by up to two orcs these beasts are renowned for being difficult to kill.

Necrosaurs are larger versions of Carnosaurs and sport a howdah full of orcs as well. Slow moving but very nasty with a bite that can crush even a dwarven steam tank these beasts are well worth the points.

Goranthosaurs are Goranths gift to his people Imbued with his power these beasts are not only capable of holding their own against other wabeasts and infantry in close combat but are also capable of spitting large quantities of highly corrosive acid.

Lesser goblins are also featured in the army and come in two varieties. Lesser goblin rabble are a mass of tiny goblins hiding behind shields and wielding a mixture of spears and shortbows. Rubbish in close combat but unbreakable these tiny beasts can be a real pain to destroy and make perfece shielding units.

The other variety is the lesser goblin Carnosaur. These lucky bands have managed to acquire a Carnosaur and proudly ride them into battle. The model for this is great with a howdah full of tiny goblins!

Hopefully that will give you a brief overview of the orcs and their forces. I plan on building an orc force in the coming weeks and am currently painting up some infantry units to support the warbeasts. As soon as I get them finished I will get some pictures up on the site!

Dwarven Gateway Review

Hi!

Just time for a quick review this tome of the Dwarven Gateway.

The miniature comes in a sturdy box with the usual colour photo on the front and black and white images of the building on the back. On opening the box I found it very well padded with packaging peanuts.

The kit itself came in 10 pieces, each tower came in three pieces, the gate, parapet, wall and finally some nice winch apparatus which can be used to add a drawbridge to the model. As usual the bits are bubble free and nicely cast and the finished gateway will weigh a ton!

Gateway Gubbins!

There's lots of really nice weathering on the gate giving it an ancient, battle scarred feel. The only real quibble I have with it is that the parapet running along the top is a bit tight to get even a 20mm square base into. It will fit but only just. This is a bit of a shame but may have been caused by shrinkage when the original model was moulded.

Good Stuff: An excellent piece of kit that looks suitably dwarven and is ideal for those wanting to add some interest to their battlefields. The detailing is excellent and I suspect its going to turn out really nicely when painted.

Bad stuff: As already mentioned the parapet is a bit narrow and its difficult to position the defenders on it. Also theres no guide to constructing it! Its not too much of a problem as its fairly straight forward but it may have been handy as I had to do a bit of head scratching before figuring out what went where and which way round to put it!

I plan on using this as an objective in games with dwarven defenders desperately trying to stop an attacking orc horde from breaking in. I may have to construct some sort of cliff face with the gateway built into it as it would make an excellent entrance to a dwarven city!

Orc and Goblin Reviews

HI!

Heres the second batch of reviews!

First off theres the Gorathosaur box set:

The model arrived in a sturdy cardboard box with a color photo of the model on the front and various black and white pics of it on the back. The box was also stuffed with packaging peanuts which ensured it didnt get damaged in transit which is a plus (again I lost the pics I took of the box!)

Gorathosaur (apologies for the blurry pic!)

Unlike many of the other Grendel resin kits I have, this one is cast in a yellowish resin rather than the typical gray. The kit comes in three pieces, the body, head and orc crewman. The kit is well detailed with the usual highly effective looking lizard skin effect on the beast while its head also has tons of character (it actually looks a bit depressed!).

The crew figure is quite nice and features an orc with a sword at on a throne. A nice element to him is that his armour is made up of bones! Alas as he's a one piece resin sculpt he's quite static.

The Gorathosaur Crewman.

The howdah itself is a bit odd as the Orc seems to be looking at a big pile of skulls sat in front of him and the sides of the howdah are non existent. Essentially he's just sat on a raised platform. I plan on building up the sides a bit and possibly adding a second crew figure in the form of a banner bearer as the orc on the throne looks quite characterful.

Good stuff: Buckets of character as usual and the Gorathosaur is nicely detailed and unlike most of the other orc warbeasts is armoured to some extent. The orc characters armour is also really nice and quite different from the usual chainmail.

Bad stuff: The howdah is a bit of a let down as its more of a stage than an armoured fighting platform. Also the static pose of the character is a bit of a shame as it would be better if he was waving his sword and bellowing. The Gorathosaurs pose is a bit depressed too with it staring at the ground. I plan on extending its neck a bit to give it a better pose.

Next up is the Goblin Carnodon archers:

The miniatures arrived safely wrapped in bubblewrap and consists of four identical Carnodon cavalry mounts and four identical archer figures. The Carnodons themselves are brilliant. I really like their tubby frame and bad tempered looks and they remind me of really big, angry squigs from warhammer.

Carnodon Bits!

The crew figures are quite nice too which came as quite a surprise. They are nicely sculpted and look suitably goblinesque (as long as you don't mind them having topknots!) As per usual with the resin and metal kits the goblin is in two pieces. The upper body is metal while the legs come as part of the resin mounts.

Carnodon Side Views

Carnodon Front and Back Views.

Alas all the figures are identical which makes making larger units of them a bit difficult. Saying that the goblin riders are provided from the waist up, allowing you to pivot their bodies to a certain extent. The metal components are well cast and without mould lines but the resin beasts are going to need a bit of work as there's a thin line of resin running along their spines which will need cleaning Also one of them has a bit of a blob stuck to one side (it actually looks like a piece of rag which doesn't look out of place and actually adds a bit of variety to the sculpts)

Good stuff: Really nice models, they have tons of character and I can see myself buying more. These look FAR better than the traditional goblin wolfrider!

Bad stuff: The models are all identical and need a bit of cleaning before assembly and painting.

I continue to be very pleased with the range so far. If I'm honest the Gorathosaur is a bit weaker than the rest of the stuff I've reviewed so far as its pose is a bit dejected and doesn't really fit with the enraged beastly namesake of the orcs dark god. Otherwise the range continues to contain some pleasant surprises, being generally far more detailed and interesting than the pictures online would lead you to believe.

I will add some more reviews later but will leave you with a work in progress pic of my Eye of Gorath. He's a very interesting model and will look really good once he's finished. I am going to give him the same colour of skin as normal orcs but he's going to be covered in mystical tattoos to make him really stand out on the tabletop!

The Eye of Gorath

All the best!

Big Batch of Reviews!

Hi!

Well I received my order from the chaps at Scotia Grendel this morning and have been feverishly rummaging around the box and taking some pics for reviews. The nice folks at Scotia even included some nice extras which will be reviewed as time allows!

I thought I would start off with the Eye of Gorath for my first review:

The miniature arrived in the big box well packed in bubble-wrap and consists of six pieces, the head, body, legs, two arms and two horns. The miniature is cast in hard grey resin and stands about 80-100 mm tall (he's quite stooped and I havent assembled him yet so its difficult to tell!)

The figure himself is nicely sculpted and appears like a huge orc waving his fist and bellowing. The cast is fairly clean with a slight mould line running down either side and a couple of bits of resin which will need cleaning off (such as some on his loin cloth and parts of his fingers) The only poorly cast part are the resin horns which arrived with large pieces of flash attached. This shouldn't be too much of a problem as it will clear off easily (I may even be tempted to sculpt some larger more brutal horns to replace them!

The Eye of Gorath. Alas the pics a bit blurry and doesn't really do the actual model justice!

Good stuff: The miniature is really full of character and very large (easily out bulking the likes of the GW plastic giant) He's also VERY cheap at £9.99 he's great value for money. Also he's a lot more animated than much of the Leviathan line and really looks like he's roaring abuse at his enemies (or indeed his own side!)

Bad stuff: the miniature will need a bit of work with a file and scalpel before he's ready for assembly as there are visible mould lines and some sharp bits of resin needing removing.

Next off I have the Gorathosaur with two crew:

The Gorathosaur is one of the orc hordes medium sized warbeasts and is capable of transporting up to two of Goraths chosen into battle. The miniature is again nicely sculpted with lots of lizard like scales which will i believe, paint up nicely. The goathosaur comes in two pieces, the body and head. The crew figures are metal torsos while their legs come as part of the gorathosaurs resin body. I am not too keen on the crew figures as they aren't nearly as nicely sculpted as the beast. Still hopefully they will paint up ok (I may well replace them with something more suitable)

Both the crew and the beast are free of mould lines and the resin is bubble free (oddly the head is cast from a more yellowy resin, while the body is the usual gray)

The Gorathosar!

Good stuff: Again the miniature is nicely cast and sculpted with lots if interesting detail without being too fiddly. Unlike the Eye of Gorath there is very little needing done to it before assmbly and painting. The Gorathosaur itself is quite characterful as its been sculpted rearing and his head is nicely grumpy looking!

Bad stuff: The crew figures are the weakest point of the kit but as their top half is a separate piece its not too difficult to replace them. Also the picture of the Gorathosar on the Scotia website shows one orc with a bow and the other with a spear, the kit I got had two identical spearmen. As they are going to be replaced at some point its not really a problem for me!

Next up I ordered a pair of Black Orc Warbeasts. Essentially they are identical to Carnosars but appear a bit scalier. I plan on using them as armoured Carnosaurs!

Carnosaurs!

The kit came in a sturdy cardboard box with a colour printed picture of the models (unfortunately I managed to misplace the pic of it!) The beasts themselves are two piece castings, the head and the body.

A nice feature of the kit is that there are two different heads, each with lots of orcish character. Slightly disappointingly there's only one body pose but that's a minor complaint. The beasts are smaller than the Gorathosaur but more heavily built and are sculpted with heavily scaled hides. The crew figures are also resin and come attached to a small resin rectangle which needs removing. A big plus for me is the fact that the warbeasts and crew were sculpted by Kev Adams, creator of the classic GW orcs. Although not to everyone's tastes they are the classic orc look which I far prefer to the apelike GW stuff.

The crew figures.

Although the beasts are mainly flash free there is a ridge on the howdahs which looks like it will need quite a bit of hacking at to remove. Other than that there's a few air bubbles in the open mouthed heads teeth but it's no big thing to fix.

Good stuff: Sculpted by the Kev Adams! Also these are a pair of monsters with real weight and character. With their heavily scaled hides I think they are going to paint up very nicely.

Bad stuff: the resin ridge on their backs are a bit annoying as are the rectangles the crew figures are stuck in. Also the beasts bodies and crew figures would have been nice with more variety in pose. Saying that they are nice sculpts and can easily be swapped for something more suitable or to add variety to units!

I have a ton more stuff to review but will leave it there just now as I need some lunch and I've got some uni work needing done. All in all I am very pleased with the ongoing quality of the Leviathan and Grendel ranges and am itching to get them built and painted! As soon as I've got stuff built I will post some size comparison pics showing the range of sizes from infantry, to cavalry and all the warbeasts!

All the best!