writes:Having begun to realize that I might not be immortal 
, I have seen the folly of my ways, and have begun to send off my 15mm Orcs to be painted by my friends at Fernando Enterprises.
Recently, I sent them some Orc leaders to be used to put some order in the rabble. This is the old Orc Command pack from Grenadier, not currently available though I believe Mirliton has the molds. I purchased mine over many years, some in game stores, some on eBay.
There are eight basic figures in the set, not counting minor variations. In my experience, painting services work best when given rather specific instructions - here are the instructions I provided for this lot:
In general: Lime green flesh color. Armor and weapons are dark metallic and rusty. Clothing is in shades of brown.
Two swords/crocodile armor: Paint crocodile to match:
Shields: Black with yellow serpent's eye
Cloaks: blood red
Shaman with staff: Robes in red and yellow. Staff is tan (wood).
Wild boar: To match this:
Drummers: Sticks are bones. Top of drums: human flesh
Flags: Black with yellow serpent's eye
I sent the 48 figures (six packs of eight figures each) off to Sri Lanka. As they painted, I was provided with pictures of each figure type for final approval. In good time, the Orcs returned. I then based the figures on steel bases. Here is how they turned out:
The eight types of figures.
The boar rider. He was just a bit wide for a standard "horse" base, so I found a wider size.
I like the rider sculpt...
...and the boar's snout looks mean.
And a side view.
I think the Orc shamans rock!
I discovered (after the photo session) that there's a minor shaman variant - different only in the direction of the pointing arm.
Standardbearers carrying heavy-looking banners.
Orc drummers. It seems to me that many fantasy rulesets of yesteryear would give a bonus to units that included a 'musician' (drummer, horn blower, etc.) - seems to have been a fad that has faded away...
And a drummer alternate pose - these are wearing helmets.
Caped fighter, could work as a general or hero.
Another standardbearer.
Two-swords fighter in a croc cape.
Orc fighter with crested helmet and shield.
I'm sure my Orc horde will perform better once I unleash these commanders on them!