Goatboy’s Model Review – Mantic’s Orcs
Goatboy here with another model review. I got a chance to paint up some of the new Mantic Games Orcs. As usual I will do the review based on the these 3 thoughts – Value, Look/Form, and Paintability. Pretty simple so lets begin.
Value – 7 out of 10
These guys are pretty cheap and if you like the look these would be a great batch of guys to fill out an army. They come with a lot of cool options on the sprue and overall I wish that more companies would put out sprue based armies with loads of build options. In fact that is the biggest thing that keeps me out of a game – the lack of options when you building a model. It is why I keep coming back to some games that just give me loads and loads of stuff on a sprue that gets lodged in my foot when I accidentally step on them when I do my jazzercises.
Look/Form – 7 out of 10
Mantic went with a different look for their Orcs and I applaud them for that. We are too used to the normal goofy bastards of space and these guys really look like they might kill you, skin you, and make a totally awesome skirt to wear. Gone are the big fat heads and instead you get a form that looks like a mixture between LOTR Orcs and a D&D style hulking brute. I do like the overall look with massed layers of metal, leather, and chain on each guy that gives the model the look of the hulking bad ass waiting to jump on you when your party goes to camp off the beaten path. I do wish that we had more crazy weapons on there that look menacing and rather unwieldy if it wasn’t carried by a murderous maniac.
Paintability – 7 out of 10
These guys are pretty detailed with chain, plates, and different clothing types mixed together. This lets you break the paint job up as you go from different color sources and helps with finding spot colors as well as creating an interesting model. The armor has a nice layered effect that helps when you start to paint it and go from top to bottom on the model. All in all I found them fairly easy to paint with enough detail and raised areas to help the painter along as well as create shading areas for the painter.
Closing Thoughts
I think this is a pretty good model range overall. I think Mantic is pushing in the right direction by giving the modeler options as well as a decent amount of product at a good cost point. These models and some of the other Orc options I have seen on their site make me excited about the rumored Sci Fi game they are working on. That could really be a game that will get me interested if they give me more options to build a model out as well as decent scuplts.
Goatboy Out!
