"Angus McBride: Tolkien" Topic

Here are some images I have found on the web . . .

Orcs:

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Other Tolkien Illustrations by McBride:

link
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Question:

What I can't figure out is if these actually appeared in a compilation of his work on Tolkien or if they are scattered among all the different Tolkien art books out there.

Does anyone know?

CC

According to the Angus McBride coffee table book I have, he did some artwork for an illustrated version of Lord of the Rings that was never published.

Don't know if these are from that or something else, but it's a possibility.

I love his work, makes me nostalgic for my long lost high school/college RPG days. Those illustrations were used extensively by ICE for their Middle Earth Roleplaying.

Actually, those books are what interested me in Angus' work to begin with, would love to see the answer to your question. I am unaware of any compliation of these works though.

I really loved that style too!

The closest thing I've seen to the McBride Orcs are these figures, though I really wish they had been for 25mm-28mm:

TMP link

I may still use them as Goblins though. They have a lot of detail and character for 20mm!

CC
PS. I should be able to post some comparison photos tonight. Stay tuned.

I have seen many of these as cover art for Middle Earth Roleplaying supplements

It was his art that ages ago desided how I imagine LOTR.

Not the Hildebrandts', not Bakshi's take, and especially not Jackson's horrible movies.

Am I just getting nostalgic in my old age (of almost 42), or has nothing better come up since McBride did those?

And, most importantly, why have so few miniature manufacturers caught on to that look?

CC

I have seen many of these as cover art for Middle Earth Roleplaying supplements.

Yes, a lot of them. I think I.C.E. even published an Angus McBride Artbook (or two).

Trapondur,

Wow!! Really??

CC

I Think some of the Black Tree
LotR orcs had the right feel.

Well, I have seen at least two LOTR McBride-only artbooks, and I am absolutely sure that at least one of these was from I.C.E.

Actually, they are rather common on eBay, even if they go for a little bit of money these days.

There's an auction for the book "Angus McBride's Characters Of Middle Earth" up on ebay right now, here:

auction

It's all work he did for ICE as part of their Middle Earth Roleplaying line of books – I have pretty much all of them, I think, from 1st Ed through to the end. Wasn't always McBride, but his stuff was far and away the best.

I always thought the cover to the Minas Tirith book was a perfect translation of Gandalf's encounter with the Witch King as presented in the ROTK book, something the movie botched (in it's extended edition) horribly – and I'll admit to liking the movies.

D6 Junkie,

Are these the ones you mean?

link

If so, they look too much like WHF.

I think that the closes approximation in 25-28mm might be Thunderbolt Mountain, though I sure like the almost Asian or Sea Peoples look of the helmets in McBride's illustrations.

CC

And, most importantly, why have so few miniature manufacturers caught on to that look?

I dunno, Cacique, they look like pretty much bog-standard orcs from the olden days. Back in the 80s orc and goblin figures looked like that, before GW went with that big mouth, Hulk-green, cartoon look that dominates today.

Bob, thanks a million!!!

Trapondur, is that the one you were thinking? If so, do you recall what the other one was called?

CC

"… they look like pretty much bog-standard orcs from the olden days. Back in the 80s orc and goblin figures looked like that, before GW went with that big mouth, Hulk-green, cartoon look that dominates today."

Polynikes,

Just imagine what could be done with those now, with today's quality sculptors and with improved sculpting and casting techniques!

CC

No idea, it's been ages, but that one in the auction rings a bell, if that is by I.C.E, then that's the one I meant, I guess.
Maybe the second was a calendar, instead of a book, not sure, but I know that it was only McBride.

As of the BTD, no not the regular fantasy orcs, rather than the LOTR range.

Either in the Forces of Darkness sub-range here:
link

or the Forces of the Wizard's Tower sub-range here:
link

Trapondur,

I don't know why I had never seen those before!

They have some of that "McBride" general feel. Thanks for making me aware of them.

CC

I don't know why I had never seen those before!

Well… what with them having lost the license to GW, and having to rename the entire range to Legions of the Realm, that's little wonder.

Plus, I don't know if they do any type of marketing, because some of their more recent releases are quite astounding in quality, but I've never read or heard about these releases anywhere other than their website, not even here on TMP.

Mithril Miniatures orcs looked like them

FYI:
McBride did a number of illustrations for the ICE Middle Earth: the Collectible Card Game. I am fairly sure a number of those illustrations are unique to that set-
I can look around for card names and such, and get back to you (might even find links to said illustrations…)

Andy,

Any pictures of those "Mithril" ones anywhere?

CC

Mithril is here:
link

Regards, the Gorb

Ya know, those 20mm orc sculpts by that man who passed away not too long ago look very much like they were inspired by McBride's illustrations. I don't remember who's got the rights to those, although I think they are still available.

Chogokin,

You are absolutely right. These are the ones:

TMP link

CC

Here are some comparison photos:

link

It's way past my bedtime, so I will label the photos tomorrow.

CC

The Black Tree LotR orcs are very nice. They're more of warhammer proportions though than GW LotR or Tom Meier.

And they suffer a bit from 80's skaven poses, i.e.: basically all very similar poses. But the faces and helmets are very nice. You can't see that on the BTD site.

But with the Grenadier Half Orcs the best LotR style figs around, imho.

They were sculpted by Paul Muller who did GW's ghouls and gorkamorka muties and diggers and some dark eldar characters. Now he sculpts undead for Heresy.

The Rebel Mini's are very nice too, as snagas perhaps…

He's definately got that Hildebrandt/Frazetta influence going. I like his very stylized orcs, but his humans are too obviously photographed models. In fact some of the male images even have modern day hair-styles. So when I look at his painting of Balin's Tomb for example, I get the impression that two people painted it. One painted the humans and one the goblins. His backgrounds also lack detail.

I prefer the art of Alan Lee or John Howe (is it John?). Their work is much more homogeneous and has a slightly dreamlike quality to it, as if you are seeing it out of the corner of your eye, which I prefer over "photographic" clarity for fantasy images.

Hey! Listen ta me! Da great art expoit.

I dislike most of Howe's Middle-Earth stuff. Among other things, it's too High Medieval and Arthurian…

Yep those McBride pictures were in the Middle Earth RPG remember that form my early teens some 20 plus years ag. I also had some in various calendars and in a Tolkein Bestiary.

An interesting aside, Mr McBride has the whole Vendel range of Fantasy, I think he is a collector rather than a gamer

Yep, those were the ones, thanks CC! I really ought to get some one of these days…

Thanks for the links to the McBride artwork, CC! Great stuff!

Incidentally, those "Orc soldiers of the Wizard's Tower" from BTD are some of the best renderings of orcs out there, IMO. I just bought some in their recent sale, and they are even better in person than I expected! Along with some by Reaper and Vendel, they are head-and-shoulders (if you'll pardon the expression!) above the goofy, big-toothed GW-style of caricatures we so often see.

I don't know I would classify the helmets in the McBride illustrations I have on my first post, but this "celesta helmet" seems pretty close:

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Close but with a certain "samurai" look to it as well.

Plus, the armor on those McBride Orcs/Goblins looks very Roman, doesn't it?

CC

Yes, I wondered about that "lorica segmentata" look myself. Still, very nice, though.

These are spot on, even down to the lorica segmentata, though at 20mm:

link

CC

The helmets also look Carolingian, check Artizan miniatures for those. They have a nice Boromir proxy in a command pack.

And if Minas Tirith are Carolingians, it makes sense close-by Mordor/Morgul- Orcs have carolingian style 'parody' helmets.

Area 23,

You have just made my day!!!! I've always had my eye on those figures.

When I finally develop a Minas Tirith force, why not try to go with the way I always envisioned them as Late Dark Age Europeans(the McBride way).

Those Artizan Carolignian helmets look fantastic:

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Even the Roman-looking armor of Carolignians fits right in.

CC

This site seems to have most of those images:

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ftp://ftp.sunet.se/pub/pictures/fantasy/Tolkien/

CC

Listings on Fetchbook.info:

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CC

This Mithril one looks very close:

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CC

Does anyone know if Mithril made any others with helmets and armor similar to that Orc?

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CC

Well, I just bought these guys on eBay:

auction

Looks like one of them has armor and a helmet similar to what McBride depicted.

CC

I'm surprised no one has made the connection to the Angus McBride artworks from the MERP module and Mithril miniatures which were designed for them. There are definite inspirations drawn from McBride and there are many covers besides the ones you have shown…

Orolin17,

I did see a similarity. See links above.

CC

CC, You should check out Mithril's Orcs of Mordor set released in the mid nineties. Many of these minis are very 'McBride' in appearence. You can look on the Many Mithril Pages website for references…

Nice!! I'll check those out.

CC

Orolin17,

Is that "Orcs of Mordor" set the same one listed here as MC29?
link

If so, the two figures are very similar to those shown here as M151:

auction

CC

No CC, these are different miniatures produced as a warband set. They are very similar to the ones you've linked to, but they are unique and distinct releases from Mithril. Go to the MMP site and search for MW336. These is a set of about 30 orcs. They are not currently available, but one can (or could) get recasts which are licensed from Time Machine miniatures here in the US…also one see's them on eBay every so often. The 'MC' designation for Mithril figures means that they are still in production as 'classic' figures. MC29 and M151 are the same figures.

MW336? About 30 Orcs?

I will definitely have to get those!!!

This is what is currently showing on the Time Machine Miniatures' site (3 pages of Orcs):

link

They look very, very nice, and not too pricey either!!!

Thanks for the info, Orolin!

CC

Orolin,

I just emailed Time Machine Miniatures about the MM336 warband. I'll let you know their reply.

Thanks again.

CC