Easterlings: Kitbash & Conversions

Using the OTT Warhammer Dark Elf/Dark Elves Corsairs I am slowly piecing this project together. In the Warhammer-box came 10 warriors and my intentions are to make two companies for War of the Ring, which of course means 16 bases distributed on two 8-men trays. 
      These bases preferably have warrior models on top - not that it matter since War of the Ring is more about the companies' placement rather than the individual models' ditto. Why it do matter slightly is naturally because of the hobby aspect. We all know that fillers can be overused, and also: In order to not willingly and knowingly confuse your opponent, it should be obvious what profile or slot your models represent, if a company - such as these two that you will see below - consists of a mongrel mix it can be quite the challenge to identify the type/corresponding stat-line!
    In this case, I go my normal Llama-route and invent my own stat-line - a stat-line based on some background I have typed up and that basically says that these guys, although accomplished warriors in their own way, more are some sort of private police of some mighty oligarks in the Rhûnish capital of Bórost rather than the elite heavy infantry they look like. The individual warrior of the Dragon Guard has slightly bigger aspirations than the normal warrior (as well as a slightly more evolved political awareness that may help him survive in the long run) and I wanted these guys to be especially different from the normal stereotype of any elite warriors depicted anytime or anywhere, whether it be within a historical context or an imagined elite warrior: The soulless warrior-bot that would execute his brother in arms just because someone higher up in the hierarchy ordered him. A stupid stereotype that I remember being exposed to numerous times in my childhood - and certainly a stereotype with some sort of foundation within some or the other human culture, but nevertheless a stupid stereotype.
    I have a tendency to drone on about some detail for a while I have noticed. I'll just stop myself here and post a separate post with the background story that motivates the rather bland statline below:


Dragon Guard, rare formation (XX points) 
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Fight: 4. That's high enough for this urban and softened "elite" unit.
Strength: 4. A lot of formations have S4 in WotR, and so too does this one have.
Defence: 6. This is high for a shieldless formation and I have my reasons - they also have another "save" planned under Specials.
Resilience: 1.
Attacks: 8.
Courage: 5. This might seem a bit high, but I have my reasons for this.
Specials: Something pertinent to their faked dragon paraphernalia and also something that ties in to their cloaks and stupid dual-wielding that is such a shitty fantasy klichée... Still, these models were very well suited for dual-wielding swords.



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The very humble beginning:

By using paper one can quite easily get a more Easterling look on the armour; making small scales is actually not that difficult with this very suiting thick, glossy paper, what is difficult, though, is attaching it. I literary had little pieces of paper and glue all over my fingers after finishing this one little model to the above left...

Easterling heads come at a premium, which is a price I am not willing nor able to pay, so I gladly took on the enjoyable task to look for suitable heads. Some without helmets and exactly the same head as a certain War Priest controlling the Rhûn War Automatons/Rhûnish Stone Brutes...

This is the obvious filler company... left over models, 40K-pieces, old bases and even a little baby dragon, for some reason... This is what I classify as an enjoyable problem: It is a problem to try to fix this into something nice but it is a problem without any repercussions of true meaning. This is an enjoyable problem unlike the problem of not having enough money, or quitting your job because you hate your boss, or not having a home etc...

Size comparison (the painted models are just basecoated, I have actually gone from n00b to newb when it comes to painting, and rightly so after 7-8 years and 1000 models later). The Dragon Guard probably is twice the size of the first models from Lord of the Rings (Warrior of Minas Tirith and Warrior of Rohan, I am looking at you.)