REVIEW: The Colors of Destruction - Orruk Flesh, Thondia Brown, & Hobgrot Hide

I'm a sucker for new paints, so there was no doubt that I was going to be picking up the three new colors that came out alongside AoS3! As with most of the newer paints recently, they are themed around a certain release, in this case the forces of Destruction. So how do these new paints feel and what options do they bring us?

I want to start out by thanking GW for sending me the Orruk Paint Set for review, which had the Orruk Flesh paint in it. I went to my local hobby store to pick up the Hobgrot Hide and Thondia Brown paints on my own.

I quickly noticed how these paints are all Base Paints. No Layers, no Shades, just Base paints. This is honestly perfectly fine with me. I often use Base Paints as Layers and vice versa. It's all just paint in the end when it comes to those two kinds, and by being a Base Paint it will at least cover in less coats. Like I mentioned at the start, all three of these colors are themed around the new Kruleboyz, with the Orruk Flesh and Hobgrot Hide being pretty self explanatory in what they're intended for, where as Thondia Brown is great for all the leathers.

The first thing I wanted to do was a quick comparison to some similar paints. Starting with the Hobgrot Hide you can see how it compares to its compatriots above. The top blotch is straight out of the pot, while the one below it is watered down. I decided to do these ones over black to give you an idea of how well they cover. Going from left to right we have Hobrgot Hide, Zandri Dust, Tallarn Sand, Balor Brown, and Zamesi Desert.

Next up is the Orruk Flesh, again, over black. From left to right it's Orruk Flesh, Elysian Green, and Warboss Green. I have to apologize a bit here, since apparently I don't have a very large collection of green paints.

Lastly is Thondia Brown, this time over white. From left to right it's Thondia Brown, Rhinox Hide, Dryad Bark, and Catachan Flesh. These swatches give you a bit of an idea on how they compare to similar colors. With Hobgrot Hide for instance, I would say it falls somewhere between Zandri Dust and Balor Brown, but it also has a slight green tint to it. This would have been perfect for my Nurgle scheme, which basically ended up being this color anyway. The Thondia Brown is saturated than Rhinox Hide, but a little more of a chocolate color. Less red in it basically. I think the Orruk Flesh will get the most mileage out of all of these new paints. It's a wonderful shade of green, and is a base paint so will work wonders for Orruks and Orks. It's similar to Elysian Green, but a bit paler, and a Base Paint instead of a Layer. I would probably use it over a grey primer or maybe even Deathguard Green.

With the swatches out of the way I decided it was time to put some of them to the test. I really like the new Hobgrot sculpts and the Hobgrot Hide is probably the most unique of the new colors, so I decided to paint one of them up.

You can see how I achieved the look on their skin above. It was really quick, and by doing the Sepia wash right over the Zandri Dust, and THEN layering with the Hobgrot Hide I saved a ton of time. The two colors are pretty similar, so once the wash is over top the Zandri and then just left in the recesses you won't really notice. 

I also tried out the Thondia Brown on his "trousers." This then got a wash of Agrax followed by a highlight of Gorthor Brown. There's nothing revolutionary about this color, but I do like that it's a bit more muted than Rhinox for a dark brown. It can never hurt to have more options. For the brown ropes/cording on the model I just painted two coats of Aggaros Dunes contrast paint over top the Zandri Dust primer. The red ropes were a single coat of Blood Angels red over top the primer as well. No highlights on either of those. The metal was a Leadbelcher base coat, with one coat of Nuln Oil for the blades of the weapons. The armor got a few coats of Basilcanum Grey contrast paint, followed by two coats of Gryph-charger Grey contrast paint to give it a sight blue tint. You just want this to be dark. The gold is Retributor with Reikland Fleshshade on it. Lastly, all of the metals got a highlight of Stormhost Silver. The teeth and claws are Black Templar with Fenrisian Grey highlights.

So, what are my final thoughts on the colors? I really like Hobgrot Hide for the unique color it brings. I think it's going to be very situational for when it's used, but will look awesome when it is. Thondia Brown is a great dark brown and gives us even more choices in that area. Orruk Flesh will definitely be the most often used of these new paints. I can genuinely see most non-contrast Orruks and Orks starting out with a base coat of this if you want a lighter green for their skin. There's nothing revolutionary about these colors, like there has been with past releases, but they're all great additions to the range! 

Until next time,

Tyler M