Defender's of Helm's Deep- Gamling the Old

"If they come bargaining for our goods at Helm's Gate, they shall pay a high price[.]"

-Gamling, The Two Towers

 Since I was a child I've been fascinated with castles and sieges. It should come as no surprise that the battle at Helm's Deep has always been one of my favorite moments in The Lord of the Rings. It has such wonderful moments- Aragorn's talk with the Uruk-Hai, Legolas and Gimli's friendly rivalry, and the incredible (and unexpected!) explosion of the Deeping Wall. For a while now I've eyed the GW Heroes of Helm's Deep set on shelves, and I finally treated myself to it a couple weeks back.

The first finished model from the set is Gamling, a more obscure character featured both in the book and in the Jackson films. He's described as an old man (who notably knows Dunlending), chief of the watchers on Helm's Dyke. Bob Foster's Guide to Middle-Earth postulates him as Erkenbrand's lieutenant, and that fits from his role as head of the Westfold garrison.

I chose him for a painting contest at my local comic/games store; specifically for the variety of detail on the sculpt. I'm very pleased with how he turned out, especially with the darker tones on the armor and face. The paints on the armor are the same as on lighter toned armor like my Elrond, but the color as been vastly changed by dark brown washes and even some bronze drybrushing.

Originally, I was going to paint an elaborate knotwork pattern (similar to that seen in the film) on his cloak. A triangular design inspired by the Viking digs in York caught my eye, and I decided to use that as a prototype instead. I also used a darker color than usual as a base for the hair, and it made the strands really stand out.

Helm! Helm goes to war!