Defenders of Helm's Deep- Theoden

"The end will not be long,' said the king. 'But I will not end here, taken like an old badger in a trap.... When dawn comes, I will bid men sound Helm's horn, and I will ride forth."

Theoden, Son of Thengel, King of Rohan! Saved by Gandalf from the poison of Wormtongue to lead his people in the War of the Ring, he perished aiding his allies on the Pelennor Fields. As with my recent Gamling, this figure is from Games Workshop's excellent Defenders of Helm's Deep pack.

I was already on a roll painting Rohirrim armor, and the practice gained from Gamling stood me in good stead painting his liege. I like the darker, engraved look of the armor from the film, but not the full brown color on the breastplate. As before, dark washes were used to achieve a similar but still metallic effect.

I also added a fair amount of enamel inlay in and around the armor's brasswork. This is most notable on the shoulder, which I felt needed more detailing than the plain metal. Gloss varnish was applied over the inlay, which accounts for the sheen in the photograph.

I'm also very pleased with the pale hair. I had originally intended to paint it a tone closer to Bernard Hill's hair from the films, but the dirty white better befits the aged Theoden.

Forth Eorlingas!