Orc Carnosaur

Hi!

Well its been a busy few days here as I finish sculpting work on turning the cheap plastic D&D miniature into a fully operational Orc warbeast but he's almost done:

 Carnosaur Wartower

I must admit that the work has been worth it. This is how I always envisioned the Orcish warbeasts as a primitive sort of gigantic lizard which was mostly mouth and teeth backed up by a massive bulky body.

In my revision of the rules, the Orcs have bred new sub species of warbeasts which are available as upgrades to the core creatures. These range from the Firebelly, a beast with the ability to vomit jets of flame, to the Rivetback, a heavily armoured sub-species. As I have three of the plastic figures, I plan on creating another stock model but also at least one of the dangerous new species too.

Baying Crew!

The crew will be mounted separately on a piece of plasticard so they can be removed and the addition of optional crew like characters and even a light ballista to be swapped out when needed. I must admit I am champing at the bit to get this fellow painted though and will be going for the traditional yellow and black finish as a homage to the classic warbeasts I painted back in the day!

While I am at it, heres a quick list of the warbeasts available to the Horde:

Necrodon: A roughly horse sized creature used as the mount of choice for the Orcish cavalry. Foul tempered and vicious, these creatures are surprisingly agile and will eat just about anything.

Carnosaur: The size of a large elephant and legendary for their uncontrollable frenzy at the scent of blood, these great creatures have immensely powerful jaws that can gobble up any infantry that get in its way and can even pulverise Dwarven steamtanks that get within reach of their terrible maw. This is the most common of the Orcish warbeasts and they ride into battle in specially constructed howdahs on the beasts back either with a mob of spear or bow armed Orcs. They are also used as mobile artillery pieces and equipped with bolt throwers.

Firebelly: A sub-species of the Carnosaur, this beasts hide is cracked and burns to the touch as if a fire burns in its belly. Through vile cross breeding with Dragons, the Orcs have spawned a terrifying new menace which can vomit forth jets of flame. Although riding these beasts is seen as an honour, the crew are often suicide troops as the creature may explode spectacularly if it is wounded. It is visibly a bastard offspring of a dragon and often spouts a set of jagged horns.

Rivetback: When facing the Dwarves with their extensive use of artillery, the Orcs have taken to strapping, rivetting and fastening armour plates on top of the more scaly of Carnosaurs. They are also breeding certain beasts which are naturally more armour plated than common Carnosaurs and these armoured beasts can withstand a direct hit from even the mightiest battle cannon. The extra weight slows down the beast but when facing a defensive force such as the Dwarves this isn't seen as problem. The Orcs also mount a great goring spike on the heads of such beasts to allow them to break the disciplined lines of their foes and savage any other monstrous creature they face.

Spined Devil: Some Carnosaurs are born with tail spikes and a ragged ridge down their back of bone spines. The Orcs value these beasts and often cap their spines with iron or fasten on crushing clubs to their tales. Specialising in destroying infantry formations these beasts are often driven into the midst of the foe, lashing out with their powerful tails and impaling any unfortunate to get too close. The crew of such beasts take great pride in keeping the dead impaled on the spikes after the battle as both a grisly trophy and a handy food source.

Gorathosaur: Since the return of Gorath, some Carnosaurs give birth to a particularly vicious sub-species which has become known as the Gorathosaur. Unlike the more common warbeast, these creatures have a glimmer of intelligence in their eyes and sport a pair of heavy curving horns which they use to gore foes as they charge. Even more unusual is their ability to spit a highly corrosive bile. These are highly prized mounts and it is common to see Orcish Khans using them as favoured mounts.

Necrosaur: One of the larger warbeasts, the Necrosaur is a huge beast with a heavily armoured hide. It is a lumbering beast and as such its howdah will often sport a harpoon launcher to spear and draw back towards it cavernous mouth. The fearsome appearance of these beasts are re-enforced by the tendency of the crew to mount gruesome trophies of past kills on their howdahs.

Titanosaur: The largest beast yet fielded by the Orcs. This vast creature dwarfs any other warbeast and the very ground shakes under their ponderous tread. The sheer bulk of the creature lends it amazing momentum as it crashes through ranks of infantry with ease and crushes enemy warbeasts and engines beneath its mighty feet. Its maw is large enough to swallow whole squads at once and enterprising Khans mount all manner of fiendish devices upon these titans of the battlefield ranging from heavy catapults to iron capped rams.

Hope that gives you some sort of idea as to what I plan on doing over the coming months! I hope to eventually field at least one or two of each of these fearsome beasts in my horde and hopefully by the end of this year, I will be able to showcase a full army of bloodthirsy Orcs!

All the best!