"The Grenadier Battalions Were Kept In Army Reserve..."

"...And used in decisive moments as a breakthrough force or to stabilize the wavering line."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching set. The figure is one of eight identical Napoleonic Austrian infantrymen sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry found in the blister, and didn't take quite as long to paint as I feared - once I'd worked out what colours I was going to apply to its considerable detail.

The model was primed using a couple of layers of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and washed with some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade in order to help all its straps and creases stand out a bit. The elite infantryman's collar, cuffs, waist-band, helmet and turnbacks were given a lick of "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue and a splosh of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. This colour scheme followed that shown on the 'official' paint-job, and having done a meagre bit of research into the army's uniforms apparently suggests the unit originated in Lower Austria.

"If we are to divert the asteroid which is on a collision course with this planet."

Unlike my Austrian Fusiliers though, I decided against picking out one of the shoulder straps in a different colour - so as to suggest it was connected to the soldier's water bottle, and simply left it plain "Two Thin Coats" White Star. I did however, apply some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the drinking container itself, as well as use a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on the Grenadier's sabre hilt, scabbard tip, ammunition pouch and helmet plate.

Lastly I applied a little "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and Wyvern Green by "Two Thin Coats" to the model's plume - in line with the colours used on the "Wargames Foundry" website. These areas were subsequently shaded with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade and Nuln Oil respectively. I did also momentarily contemplate trying to 'dot' the dark recesses of the eye sockets. But in the end felt that the figure looked good enough as it was, with his actual eyes overshadowed by his impressive helmet.

"We must warp out of orbit within thirty minutes." 

In addition to my latest Napoleonic test piece I have also completed two more medium asteroids by "Fat Dragon Games". This pair of sizeable space rocks are included in the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set, and were produced using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer before being super-glued onto a 60mm and 70mm round MDF base by "Warbases". 

The duo were primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and base-layered using "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then shaded the rocks in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, dry-brushed them with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and gave both the asteroids (and their bases) a much lighter dry-brush of Heavy Bluegrey. Finally, the models' stands were washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and flocked with a little 2mm tall Chilli Red static grass so I could also use them as scatter terrain for any future Moon/Mars surface battles too...

"Kirk, You Do This..."

"...You'll never sit in the captain's chair again."

This Terran D-3A Destroyer was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set. The two-piece starship has been printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model.

Somewhat intriguingly, the 'kit' also comes with a rig STL, which allows you to produce a docking bay of sorts that supposedly lines up the spacecraft's single engine with the hull. However, I really didn't think the model required such a device - feeling you could easily align the two parts using just the naked eye, and indeed, when I did superglue the vessel together using the rig I found the engine to be slightly off-kilter from where I'd have plonked it if doing it manually.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Three Napoleonic German Grenadiers at various stages of completion

Once assembled, the miniature was undercoated using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then patiently dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before 'picking out' the warp nacelle on its propulsion unit with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

Currently I'm planning to use all this range's starships for some homebrew "Star Trek" rules - based upon the Original Series and its subsequent movies, so must confess that this particular sculpt has left me a little bemused due to only having a single warp nacelle. For now I plan to use it as a proxy for the U.S.S. Excelsior under Captain Lawrence H. Styles' command, due to it being disconcertingly larger than the Frigate model which I'll be using for my Constitution-class substitutes. However, as "Fat Dragon Games" continue to produce more designs I may well change my mind...

"Hasbro" WIPs - The Hulkster is just doing up his bootlaces

With so simple a painting subject completed, I have unsurprisingly found plenty of time to make some more progress on a trio of 28mm metal Napoleonic Austrians by "Wargames Foundry". These identical figures from the Newark-based company's blister AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching, are arguably showing their age in their casting. But should be reasonably quick to get tabletop ready, now I'm a bit more familiar with all the different details on them.

In addition, I have been lucky enough to acquire an STL scan of the old WWF Hulk Hogan action figure by "Hasbro", so have produced an approximate 40mm scale version using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer. As with the Andre the Giant miniature I own, the detail is rather soft, so I'm planning on just using a few base layers and washes to get the Hulkster ready for a "Wrestlemania III" rematch...

"As With All Efforts Of Humanity..."

"...War and conflict seemed to be an inevitable part of these endeavours beyond Earth."

This 32mm resin miniature is produced by "Black Site Studios", and forms part of the Lunar Core Game pre-order I made with the American-based manufacturer way back in July 2021. These days the model is available as either part of the five-figure set SKU: LNR6809BSS - NASA Astronauts, or the manufacturer's current Two-Player Starter Box, and was put together using elements taken from the incredible number of hands, weapons and equipment pieces which came inside my old starter box.

Prior to painting, the "rocketeer" was super-glued to a "Citadel" 30mm circular stand, rather than one of the bases which came with the kit, and then armed according to the role I see him playing in a homebrew version of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games" which I'm planning. As I intend to have this particular chap wielding a two-handed heavy weapon (as per a Sapper), I gave him a big stonkingly heavy mining drill to hold.

"The field strength of the infantry increased..."

The miniature was primed with plenty of "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue, drenched in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue. I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade to a piece of insulation material running along the edge of the astronaut's backpack. I had hoped this darker shade would help break up the monotony of the spaceman's palette a little bit. But disappointingly it's a little too close in hue to the predominant colour to make much of a difference - especially once they've both been washed with the same "Citadel" Colour Shade.

The model's large hand-tool was first 'picked out' with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, layered in "Vallejo" Gunmetal and finally sploshed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. However, as I wanted to make it look a bit grimy, even rusty, I also dabbed some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on parts of it, and later gave it a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal. The astronaut's helmet visor was simply coated with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, carefully layered with Gold, and finally washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"...Whilst a new drill book allowed for training for skirmishers in the line regiments."

Despite my renewed enthusiasm for all things "Lunar" rather surprisingly returning from out of the blue, I have also managed to complete another Napoleonic figure by "Wargames Foundry". Taken from their Austrian range's blister AN002 German Infantry Marching set, the 28mm scale metal model was undercoated using a couple of layers of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and shaded using some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

It was subsequently painted largely using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade,"Vallejo" Heavy Red, "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, "Vallejo" Gunmetal, "Citadel" Nuln Oil, "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This soldier completes my task of getting four of the identical sculpts by the Perry Brothers tabletop ready, and means I can now field a tiny-sized unit of either Budweis or Leitmeritz volunteers for "Black Powder."

"The Klingon Empire Makes Use Of Several Classes Of Starships."

"The Bird-of-Prey is one of the most common Klingon ships."

This Kurgun F-3A Frigate was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set. The single-piece spacecraft has been printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model.

The vessel was initially undercoated using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and shaded with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. I then carefully dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green, before 'picking out' its warp nacelles and (forward-facing) antimatter-based photon torpedo launcher with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red.

"The bloody loss at the battle of Austerlitz (1805) was the catalyst for change."

In addition to my latest acquisition for my (not) Klingon Defense Force, I have found the time to finish another Napoleonic figure by "Wargames Foundry". Taken from their Austrian range's blister AN002 German Infantry Marching set, the 28mm scale metal model was primed using a couple of layers of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and shaded using some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to the infantryman's collar, cuffs and waist-band - which apparently signifies that the unit originated in either Budweis or Leitmeritz. Furthermore, I 'picked out' one of the shoulder straps using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to show it belonged to the soldier's leather encased water bottle.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - One of four Austrian Grenadiers currently being progressed

Lastly I applied a little "Vallejo" Gold over a Heavy Sienna base layer to the bottom of the Austrian's sword scabbard and helmet plate. These areas were later shaded with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Of course the underside of the miniature's plume should also have been treated to a thin line of "Vallejo" Gold. But frankly this looks really difficult to achieve without making a considerable mess, so in the end I decided to settle for a straightforward, tabletop standard, and simply leave it pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

In between 'chipping away' at both my backlog of 3D printed starships and Austrian fusiliers though, I have also made a bit more progress on one of the figures from the "Wargames Foundry" blister AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching too. I'm currently trying to tackle four of these identical sculpts simultaneously. However, as I need just one of these models for my Austrian "The Silver Bayonet" warband, I've been primarily focusing upon just a single miniature...

"The Conflict Lasted Seventy-Four Days..."

"...And ended with an Argentine surrender on 14 June, returning the islands to British control."

These five 10mm metal British soldiers are by "Pendraken Miniatures" and were bought as part of their Falklands British Army Pack whilst I was visiting "Colours" 2023. The 30mm x 40mm plastic base is comprised of a single figure from the following codes: FLB25 - Officers, with SLR/SMG/map, helmet, FLB26 - Radio Operators, helmet, and FLB24 - Standing, firing SMG, helmet.

The models were all originally super-glued onto a wooden painting stick, undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey. I then began the patient process of 'picking out' all their boots, hands, faces and weapons with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before dabbing at the troopers' skin with a brush-tip covered in "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

"Klingon starships are known for their warrior culture and are primarily used for military purposes."

These areas were later shaded with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and highlighted back up with a smidgeon of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. The soldiers' guns were simply pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to any visible rifle butts and the odd rear-located ammunition, as well as some "Two Thin Coats" White Star and (heavily watered-down) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the officer's map.

Alongside the latest addition to my slowly growing "Germany 1985" project completed, I have managed to rattle off another Kurgun S-3 Scout spacecraft by "Fat Dragon Games". This vessel was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file as part of the "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Four Napoleonic German Grenadiers

The single-piece spacecraft was printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height, so as to minimise any striation lines on the finished miniature, and was largely painted in "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. However, the (not) Klingon ship was later carefully dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green, and had its warp nacelle pigmented using a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red.

Lastly, I have not forgotten about my Napoleonic Austrian force using some of the fantastic 28mm metal figures by "Wargames Foundry", and resultantly have managed to get some basic layer colours on a quartet of identical models taken from their blister AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching. The first of these miniatures completed will be destined for my Austrian "The Silver Bayonet" warband, as I need one to fill out my seven-man squad - albeit I'll be using the British rules as for some reason the basic rule book doesn't allow me to bring any Jaegers as Riflemen...

"Look At The Size Of The Giant."

 "Andre is seven foot five."

This 70mm tall model of André René Roussimoff was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, and is almost certainly based upon the old WWF Andre The Giant action figure by "Hasbro". Indeed, I actually ended up rescaling the original STL (Standard Triangle Language) file to 55% using "Chitubox" Basic in order to make the miniature more manageable, as well as (semi-successfully) help reduce the sculpt's poorly defined details and roughness.

The "inaugural inductee into the newly created WWF Hall of Fame" consisted of four separate pieces, and once assembled was plonked onto a "Citadel" 50mm circular plastic base. He was then primed with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. As a final step for Andre's flesh, I subsequently applied a heavily-watered down wash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade over him, and later 'picked out' his fingers and face with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

"The USS Constellation (NCC-1017) was a 23rd century Federation Constitution-class starship."

The Eighth Wonder of the World's boots, wrestling attire, hair and eyebrows were treated to some "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I did consider applying some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to Andre's hair and perhaps a dash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. But, all the photographs of him that I used showed him having very dark hair - so in the end I decided to stick with the colour scheme used for his action figure.

In addition to this highly nostalgic trip down memory lane, I have also finished painting a second Terran F-5A Frigate. The two-piece starship was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set.

"The ship completed three five-year missions."

The spacecraft was undercoated using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then patiently dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before 'picking out' the warp nacelles on its two propulsion units with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

Unfortunately, another (much smaller) piece on the hot-plate at the time of the model's printing dramatically failed, and caused some of the plastic filament meant for it to slightly 'interfere' with the spacecraft's right flank. This caused the areas to look a little rough, so I decided to make them look like battle damage by dry-brushing them with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black - similar to that seen on the Commodore Matthew Decker's U.S.S. Constellation in the 1967 "Star Trek" televised episode "The Doomsday Machine"... 

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Fat Dragon Games" September 2025

"The heroic captain and the intrepid doctor cross interstellar space to preserve our health!"

Due to my enthusiasm for all things 3D printed currently being rather high, I thought I'd indulge my passion for using the "Bambu Lab" A1 mini and spend the next four or so weeks focusing upon "Battlefront Valkyrie" by "Fat Dragon Games". Admittedly, I already have enough Terran and Kurgun starships to play a few "Star Trek" flavoured games using some old homebrew rules. But with "DriveThruRPG" recently having a sale on, I've also picked up quite a few more space vessels, as well as pieces of debris and assorted non-combatant craft too.

My plan is therefore to get some small skirmishes under my belt, and then simply build up two opposing fleets. One thing I am currently a little short of though is suitable terrain, so perhaps unsurprisingly, I have already finished painting a second medium asteroid by "Fat Dragon Games". This 50mm tall space rock is included in the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set, and was produced using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer.

"In the 22nd century, Nausicaan pirates built cargo bases into asteroids."

The space rock was super-glued onto a 60mm round MDF base by "Warbases", and painted using "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, "Citadel" Nuln Oil and "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. In addition, I gave its stand a serious sprinkling of 2mm tall Chilli Red flock, as I also plan to use the piece as scatter terrain for some future 'moon-based' battles using the "Lunar" 32mm resin miniatures I've previously pigmented by "Black Site Studios".

Furthermore, I'm really hoping to get at least another quartet of 28mm Napoleonic Austrians finished. This ongoing project using "Wargames Foundry" figures has badly fallen behind schedule in recent months, so I need to push on with it in the background - and felt sticking with some more of Emperor Francis I's soldiers would make my progress a little bit easier. However, I have found a handful of previously started models in my backlog, consisting of British and Frenchmen, so may well try to crowbar these into the painting queue whenever possible.

August 2025 - Last month's Napoleonic push sees "Wargames Foundry" return to the table

Sadly, the last few weeks have not been anywhere near as fruitful as I had hoped - at least on paper. I did manage to hit my (now monthly) goal of completing four Napoleonic Austrians, and also a flotilla of simple-looking starships. However, I also spent some considerable time working on various bits of 3D printed terrain - something I rarely do, and which I don't actually count when working out my overall productivity. So I've achieved a little bit more than the numbers give me credit for.

Somewhat frustratingly, I don't see this situation changing any time soon either, as I'm now rather committed to printing and painting a sizeable Anglo-Saxon village which can be used for "Pillage" by "Victrix Limited" (as well as "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games" at a stretch). Although I have pulled out the rest of my 10mm Falklands British Army Pack models by "Pendraken Miniatures", with a view to getting the majority of them ready for battle - and being so tiny they're rather straightforward to paint in large(ish) numbers...