Ogres: My new army

I started Ogres recently. I always liked them, since they first came out, when I was in college but didn't want to commit to buying them for various reasons. Then a few close friends started them, and for various other reasons, I put off and was put off of collecting them.

A couple of weeks ago a friend gave me the hunter model with sabretusks in metal as a birthday gift. It opened a door as it were. I routed out plastic bulls I had fun putting together and converting for my warriors of chaos army. I stripped off the conversions, found replacement parts, and ebayed some bits and pieces.

Arriving in the mail have been: a Tyrant model, a Butcher model, and the paymaster maneater. All in glorioius metal! Like many others, I prefer metal to the current finecast.

I also ebayed the army book, two gorgers, and another tyrant/bruiser model. Again in metal, again, all models I like.

I started a lengthy thread on warseer regarding 'Ogres for beginners' and this eventually led me here. I know there are many great articles and resources to read, and I will get around to them, but for me the whole point of the hobby and forums is the social interaction side of things.

When I have all these models painted up, I think the battleforce will be a nice next step. I've already ordered some bits for conversions, and have a theme in mind for my army, but that will be for my project log

For now, I am waiting for a dry day where the air isn't damp to spray my models black.

Anyone out there?

Battalion is the best option IMO, so good job there!

Wish I could spary the models I need to, but it's about 15-20 degrees here in NY, so we'll have to wait.

Welcome to the Mountains!

NY or NYC?

I had a couple of days when I could have done but I had visitors, so that was a no-go.

Ya I'm sort of craving a battalion. Got some spoils of my ebay conquests in the mail a few days ago: bits, 2 gorgers, and a bruiser, on top of a tyrant, maneater and slaughtermaster which already arrived last week.

Those beautiful ogre plastics call to me in my dreams like a siren...

The Battallion is the way to go. As the Ogre models are basically identical (Ironguts and Leadbelchers just have an extra sprue in the box...), the Battallion is a diverse thing. Allows for assembly into the units shown on the back, a combination of the set or even converting into characters. Converting a Bruiser is usually the beginning of the character line-up

After a Battallion (or two), I'd suggest Mournfangs or an Ironblaster. Relatively straight-forward to use in games, and they give you lots of bitz goodies to use in future conversions

- Loran

I save up for battalions instead of being Bull/Gut/LB kits. You get one of each, for cheaper then all three put together, and because of sprues left over from previous Battalion boxes, you can pretty much do what ever you want with em. The Ogre Battalion box is probably the MOST flexible in terms of what you can make out of it.

Maneaters, long as you have a mournfang kit somewhere, or large pistols/exotic weapons, from other kits, check.
Bulls, up to 16 of them per box.
Iron Guts, up to 16 of them per box.
Lead belchers are more limited though, at 4 per box max.

You can make tyrants, bruisers, and with just some minor work (to cover up lack of gut plate) butchers and slaughtermasters, as well as a firebelly, although the firebelly probably has the most work to stand out.

@ Loran - Yeah I think this will be my next purchase, after I paint up at least my bulls, hunter and sabre tusks. Want to stagger the painting, assembling and purchasing. I like the character models and such, so I will pick up what I want as oppose to convert, with the exception of maybe a bsb. I keep hearing good things about the ironblaster and mournfangs, but I really want to paint up one of the big guys, either the Stonehorn or Thundertusk. I really love the model and its got me super excited!

@ NemoSD - The Ogre battalion box - the best thing since sliced bread Already got the paymaster Maneater, and love the araby, pirate and ninja. Will ebay them all at some point. That said, it would be fun to do a unit of my own up as well near the end of assembling the army, a conversion project of sorts, possibly a unit to mirror or echo Golfag and him accompany them. Regarding characters, as I have said above, I already have a slughtermaster, 2 tyrants/bruisers and will convert a standard bearer from plastic.

With other characters I might try to convert another butcher and possibly and maybe firebelly, but I love the look of the proper model. I'd like to convert one as close to it as possible.

One more thing(s):

(1) Iron fists or additional hand weapons on bulls?

Also my conversion pieces arrived today! Lizardmen bits so far. Some shields were too small for gut plates, but they will be armour plates for my ironguts. The troglodyte head was waaaay too big for my hunter to use as a gut plate but it will hang from a double bsb. Also, need mroe 40mm bases...

One more thing(s):

(1) Iron fists or additional hand weapons on bulls?

Simple, Iron fists

Yeah if you want to use them in a large block go for the IF.

As small 3 man chaff they benefit more from the xhw imho.

As an ogre noob could someone please expand on the positive side of taking iron fists over extra weapons, thanks

in a block the second ranks gets 3 supporting attacks, with xhw we would have 4. And you have to buy it for the entire unit. Only the front rank will benefit from it.

With the IF you will get an extra point in armour and a parry save to boot. It's just more bang for your buck.

Oh definitely, go for whatever you think looks cool! That's what I do, which may be the reason for the usual loss in the games

As for the iron fists versus additional hand weapons, the effects in game are well-answered by Evoluo's post. I also think that the iron fists look suitably simple yet brutal Ogre-ish weapons: "I'll hit you till you're dead!" -type of a thing

- Loran

Thanks for the explanations guys.

Also a nice image with the iron fists Loran. Reminds me of Wrex from Mass Effect 1: 'If we die I'll kill him'.

Got any games in yet Mage?

Nope, not with xmas being here. And I do shift work which doesen't help. I have been converting the gut plates on some ogres and finished assembly on my gorger no 1, bulls regiment (but do need to green stuff some of the Troglodyte head on the banner), butcher, maneater, hunter and sabretusks. Stripping a second gorger and tyrant/bruiser. Everything else needs green stuffing and some assembly.

I do have some Gnoblars coming in the mail

Nice.  Don't feel bad, my last few games have revolved around me playing against myself!

Interesting. Still talking about Warhammer yeah 

To be honest my friends and I are all busy with the Christmas period so not so much happening on the wargaming front, but I'm am assembling, priming and painting a good bit.

Managed to get some 5th ed vampire counts characters primed, planetfall, night boblins, warmachine bane thralls and ogres too.

Hey MAge, sorry for the late reply. Upstate, not NYC. The "real" NY as we call it, but I'm biased, hehe 

Looks like you're coming right along with your collection! Where's that battalion! Hehehe

Got a few more things in the mail, but no battalion yet.

Converted 5 out of 6 bulls with lizardmen shields on their gut plates, and got some gorgers and metal character models off ebay. I think ten gnoblars on the sprue arrived at my parents today.