"Games Workshop Balrog" Topic

I got this Balrog for my upcoming Siege of Gondolin game. I found one painted, thought I would show it off….I wish I had two of them.

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Cheers,
Tom

The painting looks pretty good. It's a huge model how do you transport it?

But it has wings….

Very nice piece, now you just need a couple of dozen Dragons for him to whip forwards.

Very nice, and the terrain is outstanding, too!

Doug

But it has wings….

"suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall"

Very nice. I like the extended whip. My one is still a work in progress. Yes it is done, but I see things that I could touch up hear and there to make it better, so I am not sure if it is complete.

There are those who argue that the Balrog's wings were merely metaphorical and thus it could not have flown up out of the pit or perhaps, eagle like, flown a hobbit and a ring into Mordor.

Never mind the psychotic wizard who kept whacking it with an elven sword all the way down.

Really, given that the Balrog (and the wizard) are spirits or the the divine thought clothed in flesh or "Maia" it's likely that if it wanted or needed wings it could get them without precluding other Balrogs lacking wings.

Tolkien himself can't really be counted on here as like any good artist he kept changing his mind about things and trying to make them work better.

It may be that the wings are in a box with a cat and the dark lord of the eagles who ate a hobbit and took the ring for himself and set the world to rights.

There are lots of animals that have wings but can't fly.

Looks great. I really need to get one of those.

Xin

I like that a lot!

RebelMike
Rebelminis.com

Looks great!!

Thanks! I was asked that on my blog about the Balrog flying….I think maybe a few feet off the ground but not enough to go over the wall. In the book they breached the gate, didnt meantion much about climbing or flying over the walls of Gondolin.

hzcmcpheron---
And as far as transport…if you were talking the castle…it is modular…I made it into about 9 pieces out of foam.

If your talking about the Balrog transport…I dont go anywhere with it…..

Though when it comes to the first age, the early dragons were flightless. Perhaps after the seige of Gondolin the Balrog workplace health and safety committee decided that flying would have prevented Glorfindal from killing three of them. (was it three? I don't recall.

There are lots of animals that have wings but can't fly.

Yep when I was a supernatural lesser god and my 'look and feel' was being discused with my master, I chose the "can I have something useless that doesn't work" option as well.

Me? I chose huge horns made of foam rubber that couldn't hurt anyone but I now regret not chosing vast wings that were incapable of flight. That would be much more sensible…

Remember that Gandalf and the Fellowship ducked out of a regular sized, single door at the Chamber of Mazarbul. How could a creature with actual wings that stretched from wall to wall in a vast cavern (rather than a field of "darkness that spread like wings" – my emphasis) so let's guess and say a 30ft or even 50ft wing span, then fit through a regular sized door?

I know: his wings were – like my horns – made of Nerf…

Seriously…

Remember the simile elsewhere in LotR "Gandalf stood like a wizened tree". Does it mean he was a tree (wizened or otherwise)?

No, of course it doesn't.

Or – closer to home – isn't the Balrogs weapon described as being like a "Stabbing tongue of fire"? Why has no sculptor actually made its sword 'tongue' shaped? A big red flabbie thing with taste buds. But alight.

Ah yes, because not all similies are equally cinematic…

I think that Balrogs are only depicted as having wings because people saw Fantasia:

And then lazy figure sculptors and artists sculpted and painted some Balrogs with wings because they look cool and 'demon-like' – certainly more than they would with a big burning tongue in their hand.

Have a look at these links and find me some wing references or – better still – point out the passage in Tolkien's actual work:

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It's terrifying to think that the Balrog on this page: link hideous as it is, may well be one of the most accurate renditions of what Tolkien had in mind.

Coulda done with being 50% bigger, mind you. And looking a lot less like Lenny the lion holding a piece of garden hose…

John T

Cool, I will not let my dragons fly…may help make a less damaging game…at a fast rate. My dragons are grounded. I am not fond of them anyway…in a game.

tom