(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge” [II/IV] January 2026

Last month's output ranged from spacecraft to spacemen, and even a small bit of terrain

Having already completed a quarter of my latest Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) I thought I'd spend the next four or so weeks focusing upon a number of 28mm plastic soldiers produced by "Warlord Games" - which frankly have been gathering dust on my shelves for far too many months. The majority of these figures will be World War Two Italians, as having bought the Nottingham-based company's "Bolt Action" Third Edition rulebook, as well downloaded their Italy Army List [dated September 2024], I thought I might finally finish a force of Benito Mussolini's fascists I've previously assembled, based and undercoated.

In addition, I couldn't resist recently picking up a copy of Issue 454 of "Wargames Illustrated" as it had a sprue of US Firefly Jump Infantry 'cello-taped' to its front cover. In the past I've experimented with "Konflikt '47" using my quite considerably-sized collection of "Secrets Third Reich" miniatures by "West Wind Productions". But never got on with that range's Jet Soldiers - finding the sculpts significantly smaller than the rest of my models. So thought I might try the 'official' figures for a change, and maybe even pick up half-a-dozen Axis Stahltruppen Heavy Infantry as opposition if the mood takes me.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Three of the six US Firefly Jump Infantry I've assembled for "Konflikt '47"

I'm also eager to continue working on the brood of Zeek Scuttlers by "Artisan Guild" I have produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer. With my unit of Burrowers now finished and ready to represent a Tidal Swarm for the Trident Realm Of Neritica in "Kings Of War", I plan to get both my army's leader and a couple of basic infantry units completed 'toot sweet.'

Lastly, I haven't forgotten how badly my Napoleonic project has started floundering in recent times. I was fully expecting to have doubled the number of French skirmishers and Russian militia I could field over the past few weeks. However, disappointingly I haven't finished a single one, and now enter a year in which I had planned to solely focus upon cavalry units rather than (more) infantry. As a result I hope to get the eight outstanding soldiers finished as soon as I can, and then potentially look at only doing a handful of horsemen before plunging back to more muskets and bayonets.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - This Napoleonic French skirmisher is now close to competition

There can be little doubt that my productivity over the past few months has been somewhat low when compared to my output of previous years. To be fair a lot of this has been down to the sheer variety of miniatures currently available to me - something which has caused me to leap from one manufacturer to another with little rhyme or reason. The number of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files I now own in embarrassingly high and means I now spend a lot of my hobby time tinkering with my 3D printers rather than actually putting a brush-tip on a model.

Somewhat disconcertingly I don't see that changing any time soon either, as I have now started printing and painting scenery too - something I've always tried to avoid in the past. Of particular note has to be the numerous pieces of scenery I just acquired from "Saucermen Studios" via their "Beyond The Trenches Of Despair" Kickstarter. Whether it be ruined walls, trench systems, bunkers, towers or concrete barricades, I am currently slowly producing as much of this stuff as my "Bambu Lab" A1 Mini can cope with - and then I'll be moving onto another terrain project concerning various sewers, dungeons and pyramids following the success of "Death x Tiles: The Lost Temple" campaign by "Cast N Play"...

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2025 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

It’s that time again folk’s, when once a year Simon lets me play fast and loose with his blog and pick what are in my opinion the ten best miniatures he has painted in 2025. Each year this gets harder to do as there is just so much good stuff to choose from. So without further ado let’s get stuck in to the real stars of the show…the miniatures.

No. 10 - Plague Lord by “Mantic Games” - November 18th

If you're only an occasional visitor to this blog you could be forgiven for thinking it’s all just 28mm stuff. But regulars will be more aware that Simon does tend to “dip his toe” into other scales as well, and a perfect example of this are these smashing 10mm scale versions of Mantic Games' “First Generation Plague Lord” figures. Now I have the 28mm version of a figure very similar to this, and I have to say my painting of that is no more detailed than this tiny rendition - truly outstanding stuff!

No. 9 - Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms by “Wargames Foundry” - November 10th

Simon’s continued efforts within his Napoleonic project cannot help but be admired. As something I flirted with many years back I am well aware of how taxing and soul destroying gazing upon rows and rows of intricate infantry can be, so each time another of his perfectly pigmented Napoleonic protagonists appears on his blog I have to tip my hat both to his exceeding good paintwork, and his resilience. I chose this British line infantry soldier for the Top Ten, as he sums up perfectly both the period and quality Simon has put into it.

No. 8 - Falklands British Infantry by “Pendraken Miniatures” - August 30th

More British infantry at the number eight spot too. Though this time we jump forward over a hundred years and down a scale or two, with these sublime versions of troops dispatched to the Falkland Islands during the 1982 conflict. Painting 10mm figures looks easy, but I know from experience that to get results as good as this requires a lot of skill and a steady hand to pick-out all the details - something that has been done with real aplomb here.

No. 7 - Dalek by “Black Tree Designs” - February 24th

Daleks. The scourge of the universe! Who doesn’t love a Dalek? Well basically anyone who has to paint them. It’s the domes that are the killer, and of course there are so many of them too - fifty six in fact! And they all have to be perfect. Luckily the ones on show here are as is the classic dark grey colour scheme made popular by “Genesis of the Daleks”. I have great admiration for a well painted Dalek, and Simon’s are some of the best I’ve seen.

No. 6 - Kurgun C3-A Heavy Cruiser by “Fat Dragon Games” – September 24th

Always one to cut his own path when it comes to starting a new project, Simon decided to do some “Star Trek” universe gaming, But rather than use “Official” miniatures he found some that though conveying the flavour of the original television series, were in my opinion much cooler looking! This was never more evident than in this version of a Klingon Heavy Cruiser. The ship's design is awesome, and the dark green colour scheme is both alien and menacing in equal measure. Absolute top work!

No. 5 - Gell Guard 2 by “Black Tree Designs” - January 20th

Well I was mightily impressed with the painting of this miniature (and the other two also painted about the same time) - both when they appeared for the first time, and again when I set about compiling this Top Ten. But it was when I saw the actual episodes of Doctor Who it appears in again this week on “U& Eden”, due to them re-showing "The Three Doctors" over the festive period, that I was struck by just how incredibly accurate Simon’s rendition is. Seriously 'Google it' and be amazed! I like my figures to be finished with a matt varnish, whereas Simon prefers a gloss finish and I have to say it works a treat on these guys. They could have glided straight out of the story. Beautifully done!

No. 4 - Retained Knight by "Alternative Armies" - May 30th

I’ve already mentioned my admiration for Simon’s ability to find alternatives to official figures to play games with, and perhaps my favourite version of this is his 15mm take on “Warhammer 40K” using miniatures from Alternative Armies “Ion Age” range. Figures for this project have made my Top Ten before in previous years. But this “Special Character” clad in gold with “Blood Angels” red accents was just too good to pass over this year, and has again got me perusing the “Alternative Armies” website!

No. 3 - Andre the Giant by “Hasbro” - September 4th

Though the classic era of the World Wrestling Federation “WWF” passed me by, I did of course know who all the main players were as they were pretty much household names and popular toys at the time. And it was the “toy like” appearance of this lovely figure that really spoke to me. This is hardly a surprise as he was scaled down to just (just?) 70mm tall by Simon, but still a massive figure by our standards. The painting is of course up to Simon’s normal high standards and even more impressive due to the increased height of the model. It really brings the character's oversized personality to wonderful life.

No. 2 - Korg by “CoolMiniorNot” - July 7th

If you like your superheroes  “Chibi” style then you’ve come to the right place, as there have been many super (pardon the pun) large headed versions of all your Marvel favourites appearing on this blog over the last twelve months. Indeed, it was our mutual love of all things “Superhero” that originally brought Simon, myself and our respective blogs together in the first place. Resultantly, it would just be so wrong of me not to include at least one of this genre in my Top Ten list, and it was a difficult choice too as they have all been so good. But the absolute perfection in colour palette and execution of Korg, along I admit with him being a favourite character of mine, just edged him above the rest.

No. 1 - Bat Sentry by “Wizkids” - December 12th

So we come to the top of the tree, the big kahuna as it were, and what I hear you ask could keep the beautifully painted miniatures above from the Number One spot? Well strangely enough I did put a Batmobile in my Top Ten last year. But this is on a whole new level! The Batmobile/Bat Sentry is a sort of “Transformer” that I didn’t even know existed until I read Simon's post (see you learn stuff here as well as basking in the lovely painted miniatures!). Of course I’ve waxed lyrical about his exceptional skill with black coloured miniatures before, and that is on show in spades here too, contrasting to perfection with the radiant yellow Bat symbol that fair glows upon its chest, as well as the red menacing eyes. Then add in the dark metallic’s on the joints and accents, and you have what looks like a simple black miniature, but is in fact covered in small yet important details. Like good movie music it is there but it don’t shout, just subtly enhances the whole viewing experience. Absolutely gorgeous, and a perfect example of Simon’s work, this is my number one of 2025!

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So there you go, ten wonderful miniatures from a blog full of wonderful miniatures, and if you follow the links some damn fine reading as well! So grab a cup (or glass) of your tipple of choice and go back to enjoy a year’s worth of great blogging. It’ll get you in the mood for all the wonder that is no doubt to come over the next twelve months. If you want to read some good writing and see some not so good miniatures, then you can check out Simon’s take of my last two years work (yes I’ve been much less prolific than him I’m afraid) here…

https://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com/

All that leaves me to do is first off thank Simon once again for letting me “tend his baby” for a night. I hope I haven’t turned away too many of his followers, and of course to wish all of you out there in blog-land the very best New Year. I hope all your endeavours, be them gaming or otherwise, are as successful as you wish, and the year proves to be healthy, safe, successful and secure for us all.

Cheers Roger.

"An Immersive Set Of Modular Terrain..."

"...For Grimdark Trench Warfare."

This Concrete Defence Wall was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and was produced by "Saucermen Studios" as part of their "Beyond The Trenches Of Despair" Kickstarter. The smaller of two similarly themed cement-based barricades in the range, it has been printed using a 0.4mm nozzle, with a 0.14mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished product.

The model was initially undercoated using "Vallejo" Neutral Grey, and subsequently base layered with a coat of the somewhat darker Sombre Grey. I then applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Gunmetal over the barricade's reinforced viewpoint, and later sploshed the entire piece of terrain with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Saucermen Studios" - This Concrete Defence Wall has had all its spikes and emblems coated with "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna

I next patiently dry-brushed all the concrete with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and the metal plate with (more) Gunmetal. I also applied a few drops of Extreme Rust Wash by "Mig Productions" to the bolts holding the armour sheet in place to hopefully suggest some wear and tear. Lastly, I gave both the spikes and crosses a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before 'picking' them out with a little Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

As I'm now reasonably happy with this palette, I have perhaps unsurprisingly started working on the second, and significantly longer, Concrete Defence Wall which "Saucermen Studios" produce. Like its smaller 'brother-in-arms' this barricade will be free-standing rather than based, and despite its size should prove reasonably straightforward to complete as it doesn't have any steel plates bolted around its windows.

"A transport ship or ferry was a limited role starship."

Lastly, I have completed a second Terran Small Transport vessel by "Fat Dragon Games", which was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer. Available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file as part of the company's Expansion Set Three for "Battlefront Valkyrie", the spacecraft was printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model.

The miniature was primed using "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh, washed with some slightly watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) Rakarth Flesh. In addition, I decided to 'pick out' its propulsion unit using a base layer of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and then a splash of "Citadel" Talassar Blue...

"The Bureaucratic Mentality Is The Only Constant In The Universe."

"We'll get a freighter."

This Terran Small Transport vessel is by "Fat Dragon Games", and was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer. It can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file as part of the company's Expansion Set Three for "Battlefront Valkyrie", and 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.

Initially I was simply going to use the same "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey colour scheme on the tiny freighter as I use on all my (not) Federation starships. However, I thought it might be nice to make the spacecraft stand out a little more from my fleet, so decided upon a double helping of "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh as an undercoat instead.

"Saucermen Studios" WIPs - Having initially primed this Concrete Defence Wall with "Vallejo" Neutral Grey, I've now decided to re-paint it using Sombre Grey instead

The miniature was then washed with some slightly watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) Rakarth Flesh to help bring out all its details. Finally, its propulsion unit was 'picked out' using my tried and tested combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

With so straightforward a paint-job completed, I have managed to find some time to almost finish pigmenting my test piece for some planned games of "Trench Crusade" in 2026. This small Concrete Defence Wall is made by "Saucermen Studios" as part of their "Beyond The Trenches Of Despair" Kickstarter, and is one of several pieces from the range which I've had my A1 Mini busily producing.

"Wizkids" WIPs - Despite some issues the Black Canary is close to completion

As the model is terrain - and they'll doubtless be a fair few pieces littering my tabletop - I am working on a reasonably simple palette which should be fairly quick to apply, but also still look quite effective. Unlike the vast majority of the buildings etc I paint, I am also not planning on basing a lot of these fortifications on plastic or MDF stands, as their footprints would clearly require several bespoke, irregularly-shaped bases to be specially made for them. 

Lastly, I've made a bit more progress on my "Heroclix" miniature of the Black Canary by "Wizkids". To be honest, now my initial enthusiasm for this particular member of the Justice League has subsided, I'm finding her a little tough to keep picking up due to the sheer lack of detail on the sculpt. I'm not sure if it's simply a bad figure, an overly thick pre-paint job, or a combination of both. But it's proving quite difficult to ascertain what parts of poor Dinah Laurel Lance are costume, and what's not...

"Though Nearly As Large As Their Adult Kin..."

"...They lack cunning or posture, serving instead as diggers and expendable fodder for the hive."

This 32mm scale Zeek Burrower is produced by "Artisan Guild", and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the figure comes as part of the company's October "Guildhall" subscription release, and represents an immature Zeek Scuttler.

Armed "with powerful mandibles" which can "carve through soil and stone" I bought these insectoid-shaped thieves to represent the Trident Realm Of Neritica for "Kings Of War" by "Mantic Games", and thought that a trio of these particular sculpts would be ideal to represent a Tidal Swarm. However, rather than super-glue all three models together on a 120mm x 40mm rectangular base, I decided to keep each miniature separate on a round 40mm stand simply so I could potentially also use them for other game systems.

"All are hoarded in the lair of their Hive Queen, who rules from atop a growing mound of stolen treasures."

As with its two brethren, the Zeek Burrower was primed with lots of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, shaded in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. It was then sporadically sploshed with a little "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green so as to create the illusion of algae sticking to the crab-like creature's limbs and lower carapace. These areas was later blended in with a second dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

For the creature's top-most carapace I applied a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, washed the chitinous armour in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. The monster's hopefully cruel-looking eyes were subsequently picked out with a little Skulker Yellow by "Two Thin Coats" and darkened down with a tiny amount of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Finally, the entire figure was treated to a heavily watered-down layer of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to help smooth down all of the dry-brushing.

"The road to the stars is steep and dangerous. But we're not afraid."

Sticking closely to my present obsession with 3D printed miniatures, I have also completed another pair of 32mm Soviet Cosmonauts by "Black Site Studios". The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file used for both of these Spacemen is from the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set, and were slightly upscaled by 1% so as to better match the size of the slightly bulkier cast resin sculpts I already own.

The Russians were primed with plenty of "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet, drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet. I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to their helmet visors, before 'picking out' their firearms in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil...

"All You Have To Do..."

 "...Is stare Death in the face!"

This 28mm scale pre-painted plastic model of Black Mask was produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 010 from their DC “Heroclix” Collateral Damage expansion. "Commonly depicted as a brutal and ruthless crime lord in Gotham City who has a fixation with masks", this comic book super-villain was created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake, and first appeared in the August 1985 issue of "Batman".

Rather unceremoniously snapped from its 'clicky' base and super-glued onto a plastic 25mm circular base, Roman Sionis was undercoated using plenty of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before being dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then gave his shirt and teeth a little touch of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and a wash of heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is."

The mass murderer's partially-destroyed metal walkway was given a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, splashed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal. As I wanted to suggest the place was falling apart, I also sporadically added some dabs of Extreme Rust Wash by "Mig Productions" to it, and semi-blended these in with (another) dry-brush of "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

I was tempted to add a little colour to the ensemble by following the miniature's original colour scheme and making the ladder red. However, this struck me as being a bit too distracting for my liking, so in the end I simply settled for pigmenting his briefcase with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Saucermen Studios" WIPs - This Concrete Defence Wall is having all its details 'picked out'

Moving over to my current obsession with all things 3D printed, I've also completed a pair of 32mm Soviet Cosmonauts by "Black Site Studios". Their STL (Standard Triangle Language) file is from the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set, and before being predominantly painted in "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, were both slightly upscaled by 1% due to the original sculpt appearing to be a bit more slender in its proportions than the cast resin Eastern Bloc astronauts I already own.

Lastly, I am continuing to progress a test piece of "Trench Crusade" inspired scenery which I recently produced on my "Bambu Labs" A1 Mini 3D printer. This small Concrete Defence Wall is made by "Saucermen Studios" as part of their "Beyond The Trenches Of Despair" Kickstarter, and is being used as a pilot piece for the colour scheme I plan to use for all my terrain "set in a horrifying alternate timeline of World War One."

"The Larval Stage Of The Scuttler..."

"...Burrowers crawl low on six chitinous limbs, their bodies pressed close to the ground."

This 32mm scale Zeek Burrower is produced by "Artisan Guild", and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the figure comes as part of the company's October "Guildhall" subscription release, and represents an immature Zeek Scuttler.

According to their creator Andrea Tarabella these insectoid-shaped creatures are constantly building "a growing mound of stolen treasures" from those who reside within the Scourgelands, and are foolish enough not to protect their property. However, I plan to use them to represent the Trident Realm Of Neritica for "Kings Of War" by "Mantic Games", and have resultantly been pigmenting a trio of these younglings to represent a Tidal Swarm.

"Fat Dragon Games" WIPs - Two small Cargo ships and a Kurgun C3-A Heavy Cruiser  

The figure was therefore super-glued onto a 40mm circular base and primed with plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. It was then drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, and dabbed with a little "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green so as to create the illusion of algae sticking to the crab-like creature's limbs and lower carapace. These areas was later blended in with a second dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

For the creature's top-most carapace I applied a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, shaded the chitinous armour in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. The Zeek's eyes were subsequently picked out with a little Skulker Yellow by "Two Thin Coats" and washed with a small amount of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Finally, the entire model was treated to a heavily watered-down layer of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to help smooth down all of the dry-brushing.

"Saucermen Studios" WIPs - One of two Concrete Defence Walls currently being painted

With my KoW Tidal Swarm now two-thirds completed, I had intended to move on to finishing some of the remaining Soviet Cosmonauts I have left over from an impulsive stretch using my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer. Somewhat disconcertingly though I have now developed a real love of producing spaceships and terrain with my "Bambu Labs" A1 Mini 3D printer instead - in particular I have utilised my .2mm nozzle and churned out another Kurgun vessel along with a couple of small cargo craft by "Fat Dragon Games" from their "Battlefront Valkyrie" range.

In addition, with my .4mm hot-end fitted, I've begun merrily manufacturing the first pieces of scenery I recently received from "Saucermen Studios" as part of their "Beyond The Trenches Of Despair" Kickstarter. Clearly aimed at fans of "Trench Crusade", I have printed/primed one of their impressive Concrete Defence walls, with the intention of creating a suitably-sized collection of terrain pieces for some future science fiction battles...