First look at the new Hobgoblins

Welcome guys to a new concept preview!

As we announced in our latest roadmap, we are embarked in a new visual and artistic journey in Patreon where we are developing new fantasy races and miniatures with a distinctive look and more grounded in historical aesthetics, without abandon our classic fantasy approach.

Today we would like to introduce the Hobgoblins, coming this February 2026 to Highlands Miniatures.

Introducing the Hobgoblins

The Hobgoblins gather inspiration from the Arab nomadic tribes, the ancient Mesopotamian and Persian empires, and the Ayyubid Sultanate. The influence of these historical warrior cultures -from the layered lamellar armour of Ayyubid heavy cavalry to the distinctive turbans and robes of desert warriors- will play a huge role in the design of these miniatures.

We wanted to create a fantasy race that feels genuinely threatening on the battlefield. Where goblins rely on numbers and orcs on brute strength, Hobgoblins bring a certain degree of organisation, discipline, and a military sophistication, more in line with Tolkien's Orcs.

Before diving into the individual unit types, let's take a look at the base anatomy of the Hobgoblins. We use this basemesh as a design template to later modify or add new elements in order to keep everything on scale and properly suited for the miniatures.

The Hobgoblin physique is ape-like, stocky and powerful, with broad shoulders and thick, elongated and muscular limbs built for endurance and combat. Their simian facial features -prominent brow ridge, flat nose, and pronounced underbite with jutting lower fangs- give them an intimidating, bestial appearance with human resemblance.

Hobgoblin Warriors

The Hobgoblin Warriors are the core infantry of the Hobgoblin horde. Armed with hand weapons and protected by basic layered armour or plain leather with metal studs, they represent the somewhat disciplined backbone of any Hobgoblin army.

For the Hobgoblin Warriors we designed a distinctive silhouette combining practical armour with Middle Eastern aesthetic influences. The conical helmets wrapped with cloth turbans are inspired by Arab and Persian warrior traditions.

The ragged cloth tunics, loose trousers, studded leather, scale armour and helmets add variation between individual miniatures, opposed to the homogeneous armour of the Sons of Marduk Dwarfs.

These miniatures are designed over a 20x20mm square base, but 25x25mm square bases are recommended at 32mm heroic scale.

Here you can see a sample selection of weapons and shields available for the Hobgoblins:

Here you can see some of the references that have inspired us to design these miniatures:

Here you can see a size comparison between a Marduk Warrior and a Hobgoblin Warrior:

Hobgoblin Archers

In order to bring more variation to the Hobgoblins, as they rely heavily on infantry miniatures, we decided to create distinct designs for melee and ranged units.

For the Hobgoblin Archers we followed a lighter, more mobile approach, gathering inspiration from the renowned bowmen of the Arab tribes and Persian armies.

Here you can see some of the references that have inspired us to design these miniatures:

Hobgoblin Backstabbers

We designed the Hobgoblin Backstabber -a stealthy assassin unit that operates in the shadows- to add some character and variety to their Hobgoblin forces, with a distinctive face wrapping that conceals their features.

This design is inspired by the hashishin assassins and desert raiders of the Middle East, creating a figure that looks equally at home slipping through enemy camps or lurking in bazaar alleyways. The curved blade tucked into the belt at the back -visible in the rear view- gives this miniature its name.

Here you can see some of the references that have inspired us to design these miniatures:

Hobgoblin Riders

The Hobgoblin Riders represent the elite heavy cavalry of the Hobgoblin horde. These are the warlord's chosen warriors, armoured in the finest lamellar plate and mounted on fearsome wolfs.

For the Riders we designed the most elaborate armour in the range, featuring layered lamellar plates reminiscent of Ayyubid heavy cavalry and Persian cataphracts. The distinctive plumed helmets with their horsehair crests mark these warriors as the elite of their kind, drawing inspiration from the prestigious cavalry traditions of the great Middle Eastern empires

These miniatures will come with spear and with bows, for melee cavalry and ranged cavalry options.

Here you can see some of the references that have inspired us to design these miniatures:

What's Next?

We'll continue working on these miniatures and developing the Hobgoblin range for the upcoming February 2026. Even though we run a very tight schedule, your feedback and suggestions are incredibly valuable for a future refinement of these miniatures.

Let us know in the comments what you think of the Hobgoblin aesthetic and what additional unit types you'd like to see in the future!