"These Are The Voyages Of The Starship Enterprise..."

"Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds..." 

This Terran F-5A 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 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.

Once assembled, the spacecraft 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 nacelles on its two propulsion units with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

"...To seek out new life and new civilizations..."

Due to the basic 'look' of the vessel, and the fact that I plan to use these models for some homebrew "Star Trek" shenanigans as opposed to playing "Battlefront Valkyrie" itself, I thought this particular miniature would make an excellent proxy for Captain James T. Kirk's U.S.S. Enterprise. In addition, I've also started working on some of the asteroids which "Fat Dragon Games" include in their aforementioned Starter Set.

These first two lumps of space rock are from their selection of small asteroids, and just like my Terran F-5A Frigate, were created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer. Somewhat disconcertingly though, the debris doesn't sit upon the stands used by the game's starships, and instead has a (disconcertingly small) circular stand moulded onto the sculpt's bottom. Furthermore, it has an 'arrowhead' pointing out of its base so it can be moved in a specific direction during any "epic fleet battles."

"...To boldly go where no man has gone before!"

As I really didn't like this overall look I decided to snip off the pointer and glue my asteroids to some 40mm round MDF bases produced by "Warbases". I then 'smoothed' down the angle of the remaining plastic stand with a bit of Green Stuff, and gave it a good covering of grit (and PVA glue). Once dry, the entire assemble was primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and later 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 so as to tie them in with the Moon/Mars surface palette I use for my "Lunar" miniatures by "Black Site Studios". This final stage also gave me the somewhat controversial notion to add a little 2mm tall Chilli Red flock around the bottom of the debris too, so I could also use them as scatter terrain for any future 'land-based' battles too...

"Hungarian Soldiers Played A Significant Role In The Austrian Army..."

"...During the Napoleonic Wars, forming a substantial part of their forces."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their AN007 Hungarian Infantry Command set. The figure is one of eight Napoleonic Austrian soldiers sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry found in the blister, and actually proved a bit of a challenge to get finished due to some poor casting flaws on it.

Furthermore, I really struggled to find much in the way of help when it came to reference material regarding the back of the officer's uniform - so the miniature was predominantly pigmented using just the the Newark-based company's website as my palette guide. And as a result I'm not sure how entirely accurate the chap's colour scheme is - albeit I did temporarily forget my promise to myself not to get bogged down in buttons, collars and cuffs too much, and ended up 'picking out' a fair amount of the man's gold braid.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Some of the early stages painting my Hungarian Officer

The model was undercoated using a couple of licks of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and subsequently had his boots (and other areas which needed to remain dark) layered with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade to his trousers - presumably marking the soldier out as being Hungarian, and his tassels, flamboyant waist sash, helmet and sword hilt with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gold. These metallic areas were later hit with a wee bit of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Having scoured around for a suitable-looking light blue I gave the Officer's collar and cuffs a line or two of "Vallejo" Verdigris, and darkened it down with (more) "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. This made parts of the clothing a bit too 'black' for my liking, so I soon went back with a smidgeon more "Vallejo" Verdigris to catch some of the raised details. I also took this opportunity to use some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil on the fellow's blade, as well as a bit of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on his pistol holster.

"They are armed with disruptor arrays and magnetic pulse weapons."

Alongside the latest addition to my meagre Napoleonic Austrian warband for "The Silver Bayonet", I have also managed to rattle off two more Kurgun S-3 Scout spacecraft by "Fat Dragon Games". These vessels were 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.

The single-piece spacecraft were printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished miniatures, and were predominantly painted in "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. However, the (not) Klingon ships were then carefully dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green, and had their warp nacelles pigmented using a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red.

"Soon After Humans Discovered The System..."

"...A race of aliens known as the Kurgun appeared..."

This Kurgun S-3 Scout 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 nacelle with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red.

 "...Claiming the system and all its ancient artefacts as their own."

Having completed the first of my (not) Klingon Forces, I had the time to finish another two of "Fat Dragon Games" Terran S-4 Scouts. As with my Kurgun vessel, both these (not) Federation starships were also created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set.

The models were primed using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. They were then patiently dry-brushed with a little (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before having their warp nacelles treated to a base layer of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and later a line or two of "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

"Last Sword Miniatures" WIPs - The roof to this granary is almost finished

Sticking with 3D printed PLA, I've also managed to make a bit more progress on the first of four Anglo-Saxon Granaries I rather enthusiastically made recently. Sculpted by "Last Sword Miniatures" I'm hoping these buildings will form the core of a Middle Age village I can use for "Pillage" by "Victrix Games", as well as a low-tech settlement for some games of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games".

I actually own a fair few pieces of scenery from this particular Spanish manufacturer - as I joined their Patreon subscription service a few months ago. As a result I have also printed off a set of three different-sized haystacks (in "Elegoo" Water-Washable Resin), and am currently just waiting on the release of a rather large-looking Anglo-Saxon Great Hall to act as my table's centre-piece...

"Deep In The Distant Valkyrie Star System..."

"...The remains of an ancient and powerful alien civilization have been discovered."

This Terran S-4 Scout 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 starship has been printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.12mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model.

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

"Last Sword Miniatures" WIPs - An Anglo-Saxon Granary

To be honest I was a little tempted to begin adding a few more colours to the vessel, as despite its small size, there's a fair few panels to be seen on its hull. However, my plan is to paint up a fair-sized fleet of these Terran starships, and I didn't want to bog down my enthusiasm for the project with tiny details nobody was ever going to see once they were on the tabletop. Indeed, I've bought quite a few of the range's cruisers, frigates, destroyers, cargo carriers, space stations and asteroids, so certainly don't want to dally too long on one specific miniature - especially when I plan to eventually field a few squadrons of Scout ships.

With such a simple paint-job completed, I have had plenty of time to print, superglue and prime the first of four Anglo-Saxon Granaries I own by "Last Sword Miniatures". Whilst I don't currently own a physical copy of "Pillage" by "Victrix Games", it does seem highly likely that I'll be getting in a few games within the next few months, so I thought I had best make a start on building a reasonably-sized Middle Age settlement to use as a suitable battlefield.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - A Napoleonic Austrian Grenadier, an Officer, and an Infantryman

The STL files for both the granary and its thatched roof have been printed out separately using "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and then super-glued together for ease. Just like my Terran S-4 Scout I am not planning on doing too detailed a job on a piece of scenery as I always think terrain should blend into the background of a game, and leave the miniatures to catch the eye. But I do intend to apply some basic washes and dry-brushes to the building once the base layers are finished.

In addition, I've also managed to get a little further along with the three 28mm metal Napoleonic soldiers by "Wargames Foundry" I want to add to my Austrian warband for "The Silver Bayonet". This has admittedly been slow going, as I've really struggled not to get distracted by all the fabulous-looking scenery I can now 3D print using my A1 Mini. However, I have consoled myself with the aforementioned granaries by rationalising that I can always use them to represent a minor farm or small settlement for some Napoleonic shenanigans too... 

"Wolves Hold Significant Cultural And Spiritual Importance..."

"...In many Native American tribes."

This 28mm metal model used to be sold by "Warlord Games" as part of their Mythic Americas range, and could be found inside the Nottingham-based company's five-figure Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set. However, as I plan to use the miniature to represent a Dark Wolf in "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", I decided to go with a predominantly black palette, as opposed to the much lighter one found on the sculpt's 'official' packaging.

The animal was primed using "Citadel" Abaddon Black, vigorously dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then gave its legs, belly, throat and maw a few solid brushstrokes of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, shaded these areas with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and subsequently dry-brushed them with (more) "Vallejo"  Heavy Sienna.

Repainted Tribal Nations Wolves with a much lighter blue-grey coat of fur

Bitterly disappointed with the outcome, I next decided to blend the two contrasting areas with a lot more dry-brushing using both "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and Heavy Sienna, and focused on significantly reducing the amount of brown which was on show. Frustratingly, this didn't really improve the 'look' of the model either - largely due to the miniature's disconcertingly soft details, so in the end I also gave the wolf a serious sploshing of (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

To be honest by this point I had frankly lost the will to live with the miniature. However, a stellar suggestion by Ray Rousell of "Don't Throw A One" fame, gave me the idea to try a couple of alternative colours as a highlight, and see whether I could 'catch' what scant fur ridges were sculpted onto the beast. Resultantly, I initially applied some "Two Thin Coats" Cold Corpse Blue across the animal's back, upper legs and tail, and then later 'caught' these areas with a few brisk strokes of "Vallejo" Neutral Gray.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - An Austrian Infantryman, Grenadier and Office

This process definitely gave the wolf some of the depth I had been grasping for, so having scooped up the two (not) Dark Wolves I previously pigmented last week, I also gave them exactly the same treatment too. Lastly, I patiently 'picked out' the model's fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and simply dotted its nose and eyes with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

Despite my irritations with the now OOP (Out Of Production) "Warlord Games" miniature, I have managed to make a little more progress on the three 28mm metal Napoleonic soldiers by "Wargames Foundry" I want to add to my Austrian warband for "The Silver Bayonet". It really is still early days on the trio. However, having been inspired by the figures, I've actually based and started undercoating the rest of the contents from blisters AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching, and AN002 German Infantry Marching too...

"Today Is A Good Day To Die…"

"...For the enemy crew!"

These two Terran Light Cruisers were created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and are available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of their "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set. The two starships are exactly the same file. But one was printed using a 0.4mm nozzle, and the other a 0.2mm Hotend, in order to show the difference in striation lines on the finished model.

The space vessel is specifically "optimized for printing on FDM printers and print without supports", and was actually one of the main motivators for me to purchase an A1 Mini. In fact, I have previously tried to print these miniatures on my "Elegoo" Mars 5 resin printer using Water Washable Resin, and whilst the Terran craft came out alright, several broke apart as I fought with a wallpaper scraper to remove them from my build plate [n.b. It was probably a big mistake to print them flat onto the plate without supports].

"Immerse yourself in the universe of massive space combat without breaking the bank!"

Clearly inspired by Gene Roddenberry's science fiction media franchise, both Light Cruisers were primed using a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, shaded in copious amounts of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. This process really helped draw the eye to the layer lines in the filament created by the larger (much less precise) 0.4mm nozzle, and whilst I don't think it looks too out of place on the starship's saucer section. The marks definitely cause a lot of detail to be lost when it comes to the rectangular panels on the sides of the vessel's hull.

As a result I decided to simply use the less agreeable-looking Terran spaceship as a test piece for my (not) Ferederation fleet's colour scheme, and 'picked out' its warp nacelles, some top section and its bridge with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The aft warp coils were then treated to a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue, whilst the forward ones were given a lick of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red. I didn't however like the look of the red though, so eventually repainted these areas using the aforementioned "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue instead.

"Austria suffered significant defeats at battles like Marengo, Ulm, and Austerlitz, leading to territorial concessions."

I next applied a smidgeon of "Two Thin Coats" White Star to the bridge nodule, and later dabbed it with a spot of "Vallejo" Pale Grey. Finally, I gave the two rectangular top sections a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and a splosh of "Carroburg Crimson". This palette certainly made the vessel stand out somewhat. But having looked at "Fat Dragon Games" 'official' colour schemes for the range, it was clear that anything red was being used for the (opposing) Kurgun spacecraft, so I dropped it (and the white bridge) for the more refined Terran Light Cruiser.

With such straightforward paint-jobs completed, I have also managed to finish a fourth 28mm scale metal Napoleonic Austrian by “Wargames Foundry". Found inside blister AN038 Jaegers 1805-15 Running, the marksman was sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry, and was predominantly pigmented using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Two Thin Coats" Wyvern Green and "Citadel" Nuln Oil...

"Dark Wolves Are Often Found Running With Werewolves..."

"...Or in service to other evil powers such as vampires."

This pair of 28mm metal specimens of Canis lupus were sold by "Warlord Games" as part of their Mythic Americas range, and could be found inside the Nottingham-based company's five-figure Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set. However, as I wanted to use these particular models to represent Dark Wolves (or at least Grey Wolves) in "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", I decided to go with a predominantly black palette, as opposed to the much lighter one found on their 'official' packaging.

The two canines were all undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, enthusiastically dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then gave each of the animals' legs, belly, throat and maw a few solid brushstrokes of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, shaded these areas with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and subsequently dry-brushed them with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - A Napoleonic Austrian Grenadier, Officer and Infantryman

Somewhat disappointingly, this technique didn't quite work out as I had hoped - largely due to the sculpts being disconcertingly soft in detail, especially the fur. Resultantly, I thought my beasts looked more like Alsatian dogs or Doberman than ferocious wolves, so decided to blend the two contrasting areas with more dry-brushes of "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and Heavy Sienna - as well as use this opportunity to greatly reduce the amount of brown colour on show.

In the end I also gave the entire ensemble a generous wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil in a last, desperate effort to darken down my paints, and carefully 'picked out' their fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I considered whether to dot their eyes with an unholy red - specifically marking them out as Dark Wolves, or stick to them being pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black - as I have done with the other Tribal Nations Wolves I've previously painted.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Three Napoleonic British Riflemen

As I was somewhat doubtful I'd ever pick up (or debatably find) another box of these now OOP (Out Of Production) miniatures, and actually now may well purchase some of the 'proper' Dark Wolves produced by "North Star Military Figures" in the future, I decided to leave them as they were - and thus let me use them as 'natural' Grey Wolves should I ever be inclined to work on a Mythic Americas project.

With my "Silver Bayonet" itch still not really scratched, I have also spent some hobby time basing and priming a number of 28mm metal Napoleonic figures by "Wargames Foundry". This month I would really like to pigment enough of the range's Austrian models to field a force of (historically-themed) monster hunters, so I have purposely plucked out miniatures from AN007 Hungarian Infantry Command, AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching, and AN002 German Infantry Marching to help with that aim. Furthermore, I couldn't resist seeing if I can perhaps 'bulk up' my four-figure British Riflemen unit by adding some more 'recruits' from blister B080 British Riflemen...