"Doctor, Be Careful. It's Obviously A Dalek."

"You were lucky to find the Tardis in all that jungle."

This 28mm metal model is manufactured by "Black Tree Design" and can be bought as DW155 - Vicki from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. "A student of a 25th century school system", the sculpt is clearly based upon one of the first Doctor's travelling companions as seen in David Whitaker's 1965 television story "The Rescue", and has languished in my collection for at least a decade. Indeed, I may even have purchased the figure as far back as twenty five years ago, when it was cast by "Harlequin Miniatures".

Probably primed with a double-helping of "Vallejo" White in late 2023, when I had planned to pigment the 'fourteen year-old space traveller' as part of a large "Doctor Who" project, the orphan then had her boots and dress base-layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. At the time I recall thinking that her legs were bare. However, having recently spotted some artwork capturing the young girl's early adventure on the planet Dido, it appeared that Vicki was actually wearing a pair of stockings.

"The outcome is certain. The ape primitives are no match for my warriors. They will be crushed."

Resultantly, the model's legs were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before being carefully dry-brushed with a little more "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. This aforementioned illustration also convinced me that the time traveller's dress wasn't plain black either, so it was subsequently picked out in "Vallejo" Storm Blue, and later darkened down a bit with a splash or two of "Citadel Nuln Oil."

To be honest the actual casting on this piece was pretty poor, especially on the child's bare arms. So in the end I simply settled for giving all of Vicki's skin a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and dash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshtone. I then went back with an incredibly fine brush-tip to highlight some of the more flat areas back up. The companion's hair was painted with a base layer of "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow, a dousing of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and a dry-brush of (more) "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow. In the photographs of actress Maureen O'Brien's on-screen character it seemed that her collar was decorated with a silver pattern of some kind. However, there was no such detail sculpted onto the dress which I could see, so considering how very small the figure was, I decided to leave the area bare.

"Great Escape Games" WIPs - Both Butch & Sundance have been primed and base-layered

Sticking with both "Black Tree Design" and "Doctor Who", I have also managed to finish another 28mm metal Sea Devil too - A classic monster from Peter Davison's tenure as the time travelling Doctor. Available as DW510 - Armoured Sea Devil, this miniature was predominantly painted using "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, "Citadel" Nuln Oil, "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly, I simply haven't been able to resist starting work on the Butch & Sundance figures by "Great Escape Games", which I recently bought at "Beachhead" 2025. I must confess to being a bit surprised that the 28mm metal sculpts were multi-piece miniatures - albeit, they are dynamically posed. But once they were assembled, I've managed to get the beginnings of a base layer or two on the gun-slinging pair of outlaws for Dead Man's Hand.

"They Outnumber Us Ten To One!"

"We can't stop them!"

These two 28mm metal single-cast figures are produced by "Athena Miniatures" as part of their Apocalypse Survivors range, and are part of the eight-man squad found inside the Swindon-based company's AS11 British NBC set. Purchased as part of a much larger impulse buy whilst I was wandering around the stalls at "Warfare" 2024, these miniatures are based upon the disconcerting notion of Russia suddenly invading the United Kingdom following some great calamity - whether that be a nuclear strike, zombie incursion or some deadly extra-terrestrial attack.

Both models were undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, and drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then layered the soldiers' boots, gloves, gas masks and firearms with "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Lastly, the troopers' L98 A2 rifles and lenses were later treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I did consider adding a little "Vallejo" Heavy Grey to parts of their semi-automatic weapons, as seen in the official photographs I was using for a colour guide. However, I felt this would just make them 'disappear' amidst the NBC suit, so decided to leave well enough alone. 

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Primaris Space Marine has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

I did however want to mark them out from their Soviet opponents, so took some inspiration from the pictures of the figures' ammunition pouches, and splodged these equipment bags with some round(ish) dollops of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. This basic camouflage pattern - which I unashamedly borrowed from my days painting 15mm German Panzergrenadiers for "Flames Of War" - was later splashed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before each area was highlighted back up with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna.

In addition to my latest "Invasion! 1999" reinforcements, I have also started working on a 28mm plastic Primaris Space Marine I was very kindly sent for free by the "eBay" shop "ibstock_tackle". Now, to be brutally honest I have little interest in Warhammer 40K these days. But did fancy testing out a colour scheme for the Dark Angels Chapter which I could then later possibly apply to some of Lion El'Jonson's warriors from the Horus Heresy.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Two members of the Moscow Militia

Admittedly, according to "Games Workshop" lore the Loyalists of that era were all dressed in black armour. However, I've had enough of painting miniatures "Citadel" Abaddon Black recently, and can't shake the mental image of the First Legion always being adorned in their (modern day) green hue. Resultantly, I wanted to see if I could come up with a palette I could use for both timelines, and felt this particular miniature would make the perfect pilot piece.

Finally, I've somehow found my enthusiasm for my Napoleonic project also gaining ground once again, so have dived into a couple more figures from the RN043 Moscow Militia with Muskets blister by "Wargames Foundry". I'm currently hoping to get a quartet of these marvellous Alan Perry sculpts finished before the end of the month, and perhaps then move on to some (more) French opponents, or perhaps the start of an Austrian Jäger unit..?

"The Narodnoe Opolcheniye..."

"...Was a Russian militia that fought in the French invasion of Moscow in 1812."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their RN043 Moscow Militia with Muskets set. The figure is one of eight Napoleonic Russian soldiers sculpted by Alan Perry found in the blister, and has somewhat helped to re-enthuse me for my long-running Black Powder Age project on account of the infantryman's reasonably straightforward attire.

Being rather keen to follow this miniature's official paint-job as shown on the Newark-based manufacturer's website, I primed him using my usual mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Vallejo Surface Primer Black, and had his trousers base layered with "Vallejo" Neutral Grey. I then pigmented his winter jacket with plenty of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and thoroughly shaded both colours with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As a final touch for this particular process, I went back with some (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and dry-brushed the Russian's sleeves and the bottom of his greatcoat.

"The ape primitives are no match for my warriors."

All of the militia member's numerous straps, his belt, ammunition box, baggage and headwear were given a simple lick or two of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before tiny little details such as the man's buckle and hat decoration were carefully picked out with "Vallejo" Gunmetal. These tiny areas were later washed with a spot of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also used this combination for all the metal areas of the infantryman's musket. Finally, I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to the Russian's bushy beard, boots and any wooden elements of his firearm, and subsequently sploshed them all with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

I'm rather pleased with myself for (finally) finishing this particular model, as I intend to also use him as the human manifestation for my Russian Werebear in "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". Despite the figure carrying a musket rather a heavy weapon (as described in the rule-book), I figured the firearm could simply be unloaded, so he could just swing it like a club until such time as the fellow successfully transforms into his far furrier (and much stronger) form.

"They will be crushed."

Alongside my second Napoleonic miniature of the year, I have completed two more 28mm metal models by "Black Tree Design". Available as DW510 - Armoured Sea Devil from their "Doctor Who" range, this pair of identical sculpts were initially undercoated with a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, dry-brushed using some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. 

I next tackled some of the details on the aquatic race's uniforms, and ornate 'samurai-like' helmets, along with the creatures' hand-weapons, using a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a dash (more) of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, the monsters' flesh was simply given a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before being shaded using some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade...

“Beachhead" Showcase 2025

"It feels like this exciting weekend sneaks up on us every year."

Seeing as this "ninth annual Beachhead event" was my first wargaming show of the new year, I found myself surprisingly excited as I drove down to the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) in Dorset. I'd actually missed the previous one, and had therefore largely forgotten my past disappointment with its lack of new vendors. Indeed, this time round I already knew some of the stores that were going to be attending, and was very eager to reacquaint myself with "Athena Miniatures" excellent range of Apocalypse Survivors.

What I hadn't forgotten though was the tabletop games expo's entry fee, especially as I paid for my ticket in advance, so I was quite keen to ensure that I obtained significantly more 'value for money' with this trip than I had twenty-four months earlier. Sadly, I must confess that I did not; albeit I did manage to stick around for more than a couple of hours - which is twice as long as I did last time.

A few of the Exhibition/Participation Games in the Main Hall

To be fair, the problem I encountered this time round though wasn't really the lack of 'fresh-faced' manufacturers trying to tempt me with their new wares. But rather surprisingly, a distinct lack of vendors full stop. According to their website, Beachhead didn't even house fifty vendors - a third less than that at Warfare 2024, so after approximately thirty minutes of walking around I'd actually toured the entire Main Hall, and began pouring through the colourful event guide looking for a non-existent second sales area.

Now obviously there is so much more to "Beachhead" these days than its vendor room, with the weekend also containing boardgames, tournaments, demonstration/participation games, workshops, card games and role-playing. In fact, its organiser Pete Valinski waxes quite lyrically about how the event has evolved "from a wargaming show into the tabletop extravaganza" I experienced, and I think therein lies the problem. I'm no longer its target audience, as I'm simply not interested in the majority of the services it now offers.

The stalls of Shiver by "Parable Games" and Zoontalis: Battle Royale by "Dice Heads"

However, having got the 'doom and gloom' out of my system, I'm pleased to say that there were still a number of things I did enjoy at the show - most notably picking up some more 28mm metal Post Apocalyptic Survivors, British Armed Forces and Russian NBC Troopers from John Caboche's aforementioned "Athena Miniatures". I've already been slowly painting up a number of this range's hand-sculpted figures since first encountering the company late last year, so it took quite a bit of will-power not to go completely mad and purchase the remaining figure sets I don't currently own.

Likewise, I was rather enthused when I suddenly spotted the fantastic looking Dead Man's Hand figures Butch And Sundance by "Great Escape Games". This pair of 28mm metal gunslingers completely caught me off-guard, and as a huge fan of George Roy Hill's 1969 American Western film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", they went straight into my 'shopping trolley'. Now admittedly, I've yet to buy the skirmish game which sees "bands of tough and wily Cowboys, stoic Lawmen, ruthless Outlaws and crazy Desperados fight for fame and respect in the Old West." But as these figures come with their statistic cards supplied, I thought they roguish outlaws would make a nice starter for ten if I do.

Some of the fully-painted "Age Of Sigmar" armies on display in the Tournament Area

My last purchase was definitely not what I was expecting, and was an owl-shaped incense burner from the "Into The Realm" Candle Company. This vendor appeared completely 'out of the blue' amidst a rather 'odd' collection of different entrepreneurs selling everything from canvas artwork through to Pokemon collectible cards, and caught my eye due to their creativeness in cleverly naming their wax melts to fit in with Fantasy RPG locations. Nonetheless, it was a somewhat strange place to find a craft stall, and frankly summed up how eclectic the range of goods for sale were at Beachhead overall...

"It All Began More Than A Century Ago..."

"...On a battlefield somewhere in the Old World."

"Hello Blood Bowl fans. We're delighted to be back with this surprise edition of Tuesday Night Football. I'm Jim Maddenberg, and alongside retired Elven Thrower Thom Grassyglade, I’ll be sharing with you all the latest gossip about Blood Bowl Sevens’ most recent signing - Reuben Redboots.”

“The Dwarf Blitzer has finally signed on the dotted line for amateur side, Bluebeard’s Bombardiers, and will be paid an impressive 80,000 copper pieces per season. However, seeing as the team is owned by wealthy gold mine owner Bruldrin Bluebeard the Third, I strongly doubt he'll be the most expensive player recruited by this burgeoning club.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Some early progress on the Dwarf Blitzer

“Oh absolutely Jim. This 28mm scale second-hand metal miniature was initially (re)primed with a double helping of “Vallejo” Heavy Blue, in order to completely cover the sculpt’s previous yellow and blue colour scheme. The dark-skinned Dwarf's boots, gloves and shoulder-pads were then treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before being patiently highlighted with a little more "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

"All of the Blitzer's metal areas - such as his steel toe-caps, his knee-pads, face-guard, helmet spike, knuckle-dusters and numerous rivets -  were all 'picked out' with a dollop of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, a spot of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, and a generous splosh of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, the player's belt buckle was given a lick of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, whilst his "Vallejo" Heavy Blue trousers, shirt and helmet were shaded in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and highlighted with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue."

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Three upcoming Dwarf Blockers

"And according to a rare interview with a local newspaper reporter just this past weekend, Reuben Redboots isn't the only dwarf old Bluebeard has his eye on recruiting either, Thom. In fact rumour has it that the prosperous proprietor plans to bring in a trio of hard-hitting Blocker Lineman into the squad too..?"

"That certainly seems to be the case, Jim. This wall of heavily-bearded brutality should prove a tough nut to crack in the Blood Bowl Sevens' league, and give Redboots just the sort of protection the blitzer needs to lead his fellow dwarves to endless victories. For now though, the three unnamed individuals are simply at the early stage of having their basic kit fitted."

"Quite so, Thom. Fingers crossed it won't be too long before these beefy fellows are out on the field. For now though that brings this latest broadcast to a close. But please do join us again when we'll be taking a closer look at some of this rising club's other players..."

3D Printing - "Station Forge" - Tarion Assault Squad

"Station Forge" WIPs - Three Tarion Assault Troopers primed, shaded and dry-brushed

All of these models were created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and are available as STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from "Station Forge" on "MyMiniFactory". The armoured aliens are part of a ten-figure multipart collection entitled Tarion Assault Squad which were released in December 2024, and have clearly been heartily inspired by a certain "young race of technologically-oriented beings from the Eastern Fringe" in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

This 32mm set was one of my main motivators for joining this particular creator, as I wanted to paint up a handful of different science-fiction based 'kill teams', and "Station Forge" seemed to readily scratch that itch rather quickly due to releasing "four main factions and bonus models" every month as part of their Tribe. As a result I already own a considerable amount of their other STL files, ranging from infantry, through to armoured suits and massive vehicles, so hope to get a fair few forces printed, assembled and made tabletop ready over the coming months.

"Station Forge" WIPs - A Tarion Officer assembled from the multi-piece STL collection

Producing these miniatures was also an absolute breeze due to all the bits and pieces coming pre-supported. This meant it really was just a case of picking the torsos, heads, arms and backpacks which I liked and slapping them on my build plate. The only failures I experienced were where I tucked up some of the larger hand-weapons into the centre of the plate, making it a little difficult for the resin to reach the odd support - and thus causing the part to disagreeably flatten. However, even these pieces are useable either by cutting away the spoilt parts or using them as base debris.

To begin with I thought I'd begin with a reasonably straightforward ensemble of Tarion holding what seems to be the squad's 'go to' firearm. However, I did include a couple of the other weapons released with the kit - most noticeably a long-barrelled gun which is somewhat reminiscent of the T'au Pathfinder's Rail Rifle. All of the figures went together perfectly with a dollop of super-glue here and there - even the team's leader, who 'halt stance' was created using a couple of individual arms, as opposed to the usual 'wishbone' sculpt with both hands already holding their blaster of choice.

"Station Forge" WIPs - Three (more) Tarion Assault Troopers primed, shaded and dry-brushed

The only extra detail I added was to one of the poses which was standing on a piece of terrain. For this particular individual I hooked out a plastic tyre from the NSPIoC05 - Implements of Carnage One sprue for "Gaslands" by "North Star Military Figures", and used that. Despite being a different scale to the extra-terrestrial, as it is actually designed to "customise your die-cast cars into instruments of death", the piece slotted underneath the trooper's foot perfectly.

Colour scheme wise I plan to go with a predominantly brown affair, something similar to the original T'au Sept Fire Warriors palette I recall from my youth, though not quite as ochre as that 'iconic hue which is worn across the Empire as a sort of dress uniform.' This should help me get a fairly significant-sized squad on the tabletop in a reasonable time, as well as help make the models a bit more interesting to pigment as opposed to the predominantly "Vallejo" Heavy Red or "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green I currently seem to be working with...

"For The First Time In A Thousand Years..."

 "Britain has been invaded!"

This pair of 28mm metal models are produced by "Athena Miniatures" as part of their Apocalypse Survivors range, and are two of the eight similarly attired figures found inside the Swindon-based company's AS11 British NBC set. They were actually picked up as part of a much larger impulse buy whilst I was innocently perusing the stalls at "Warfare" 2024, and immediately grabbed my imagination due to being based upon the notion of the Soviet Union invading Blighty following some great calamity - whether that be a nuclear strike, zombie incursion or some deadly extra-terrestrial attack.

Both figures were primed with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, and drowned in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then 'picked out' each trooper's boots, gloves, gas mask and firearm with a base coat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The soldiers' L98 A2 rifles and lenses were later treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. To be honest I was pretty tempted at this stage to leave them be. But as a final touch, I wanted something which would help mark the British troopers out from their similarly attired Russian opponents.

"Paratrooper landings have been reported throughout the country."

I therefore splodged the models' ammunition pouches with some round(ish) dollops of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. This basic camouflage pattern - which I unashamedly borrowed from my days painting 15mm German Panzergrenadiers for "Flames Of War" - was later sploshed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before each area was highlighted back up with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna.

Alongside my British NBC soldiers, I have also begun work on a blister of Napoleonic infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry". I had intended to pigment at least a quartet of miniatures from this manufacturer's almost exhaustingly extensive range every month. However, a few difficult sculpts, such as my recently completed Prussian Officer and a still unfinished British Grenadier, has seriously dented my enthusiasm for the long-term project.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - The first of eight Napoleonic Moscow Militia

I therefore felt I needed to get the momentum going again with some reasonably straightforward models, and spotted a set of eight heavily-bearded Russians from the packet RN043 Moscow Militia with Muskets. Sculpted by Alan Perry, I feel these Narodnoe Opolcheniye should be quite quick to get tabletop ready on account of their clothing predominantly consisting of just winter coats and the odd, colourfully-dyed sash.

Furthermore, the first model I have chosen to paint will also be used as the human incarnation of my (Russian) Werebear for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". The fellow is the only one in the set not to have a bayonet attached to the top of his musket, so even if I later decide to 'fill out' my Russian warband with some more irregular troops, he should still stand out 'loud and proud'....