That's Not Barry White

Yes. They are not Barry White (no, I'm not dropping this joke, and I shall be returning to it), or even Barrow Wights. They are (mainly) Army of the Dead miniatures which I shall be using as Barrow Wights in the Quest of the Ringbearer campaign.

This decision was driven by three factors. First, they are dead, just like Barrow Wights. Last, they don't appear in the films and there is only a very limited description of their appearance in the book, so I'm free to interpret them as I choose. Everything, these seven miniatures were significantly cheaper than four of the GW models (of which there are only two sculpts), and for a single scenario, that matters.

I got these from the same seller as Tom Bombadil and Gollum, and they are the old metal sculpts rather than the newer plastic models. I suspect the plastic Army of the Dead being widely available, thanks to being in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields starter box, probably affected the price I paid (which was about a pound per model).

You see, the trouble with me is I'm a bit cheap. Therefore, that sort of price makes me very tolerant of having duplicate sculpts. I may do a couple of weapon swaps or add shields to address this in time.

These two models arrived with broken swords and I initially thought, "what am gonna do with you?" However, that was a easy thing to fix, and slightly damaged weapons is not a massive issue on long dead corpses.

Some of them needed a bath in Dettol to remove some paint as they'd only partially been stripped, and there there was a surprising amount flash to clean up on models that had been painted.

In terms of painting, I followed a very straightforward guide from the GBHL Podcast (video here), which starts with a white (I used Grey Seer) undercoat. Then there is simply a coat of Nihilakh Oxide technical paint, a wash of Biel-Tan Green and then a drybrush of Ulthuan Grey (I used Administratum Grey, as that's what I had). Easy to do and makes them look a bit minty.

I kept the basing simple. I've seen lots of people add a misty effect with cotton wool or cushion stuffing. This can look brilliant, but can also sometimes look like they're all riding on clouds or molesting sheep. Given that they are really only going to be used on the Barrow Downs or Pelennor Fields, I opted for just grass.

Some people also pick out the weapons and armour, but I'm lazy and like them just the way they are.

The final miniature is neither Army of the Dead or a Barrow Wight, it's a Twilight Ringwraith. It is one of three sculpts which reflect the Ringwraiths as they appear to Frodo on Weathertop when he puts the Ring on.

It always struck me as an odd choice of a miniature to make, as I can actually see a gaming opportunity for them in their intended roles. Even on Weathertop there are five Ringwraiths but only three twilight sculpts.

For me, he will be a more than suitable Barrow Wight, and possibly in time the King of the Dead. If asked about his lack of beard and less decayed look, I shall simply say it's the King when he was younger.

Another seven miniatures done, and I now have everything I need for the next scenario: Fog on the Barrow Downs. Hopefully I'll be playing my game, baby, and a game report will be forthcoming soon.

Acquired: 115

Painted: 133