Over at the Starburst Secret Gaming Thunderdome, we’re always interested at looking at hobby starter sets. Getting into tabletop gaming can be a tricky thing and the right sort of starter set can be a perfect introduction or a fantastic gift for young gamers.
Games Workshop sent us a copy of the Orruk Warclans Gutrippaz + Paints Set for their Age of Sigmar game, so we thought we’d take a look. This is a painting starter set for putting together a basic squad of Orruks (which is Games Workshop’s fancy name for their brutish looking orcs.). This is not a game on its own; it’s intended as a way of getting people into painting models or for experienced types to update their collection.
We get three push-fit Orruks. They’re unpainted (obviously) and still on the sprue, so you’ll need clippers or a sharp knife to get them assembled. These are cruel looking models and they are very, very easy to put together. No glue is required (though old hands might want to dab a spot here and there) and they fit together fine. There’s a guide to assembly and it’s quite an obvious build. They’re all wielding spears and looking mean, and the models are the right balance of well detailed and easy to paint.
Talking of the paints, we get in six in total. The green Orruk Flesh is new to the range and it’s nicely orc-like green. We get a Leadbeclher (a silvery metal paint), the leather coloured Steel Legion drab and two ‘effect’ paints – Stirland Mud (a mud like paint for the base of the model) and Agrax Earthshade, a paint that is applied to most of the model and will add a shading effect. Oh there’s a starter brush, which is unremarkable but does the job. Great for new and old hobbyists alike.
The instructions are fairly easy, the models are simple to put together and it’s quite fun to paint. If you have a lot of nostalgia surrounding Games Workshop starter kits, you’ll be delighted to learn that this is as just as much fun to use as their previous kits. This is also a great choice for fantasy fans who are looking to do something simple but creative, and snarling Orruks are way more fun than a colouring-in book.
