"One Ship Against An Entire Fleet?"

"That's a helluva plan B!"

This multi-part 32mm scale resin model of a Female Human was bought as part of the Star Trek Adventures: Next Generation Away Team Set by "Modiphius Entertainment" and is sadly no longer available as a physical figure. However, the sculpt can still be purchased from the company as either an individual STL (Standard Triangle Language) file, or as part of their Star Trek Adventures - Print At Home - TNG Away Team Set.

The 'commonplace little creature' was initially undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and roughly dry-brushed with "Vallejo"Heavy Charcoal, before I 'picked out' her phaser and tricorder using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then applied a little "Vallejo" Turquoise to the miniature's uppermost uniform to mark her out as belonging to Starfleet's science/medical division. This area was later shaded with a little "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, before being dry-brushed with a smidgeon more "Vallejo" Turquoise.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - Three more members of the Away Team readying themselves for teleportation

The Ensign's Federation insignia was carefully traced out using a dollop of "Vallejo" Gold and later washed with a little "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I eventually went with some "Citadel" Doombull Brown for the figure's hair, darkened it down with plenty of Agrax Earthshade, and tried to highlight it back up with a delicate dry-brush of (more) Doombull Brown.

I did strongly consider giving the rest of the model's uniform a thorough drowning in "Citadel" Nuln Oil - which is something I do for a lot of my predominantly black-costumed miniatures. However, these days I find that the "Vallejo" Matt Varnish I regularly use to protect my paint-jobs dries a little sticky, and this inevitably attracts oils from my fingers as a result. This handling tends to therefore act as a 'natural way' to highlight the figure - so I simply left it alone with its original "Citadel" Abaddon Black prime and "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal dry-brush.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - A trio of FedSec Commanders

In addition to this first member of my "Star Trek: The Next Generation" landing party, I have also been dutifully progressing three more 'crewmen' for that era. Once completed this consignment should bring last month's randomly-selected drawer challenge to a conclusion and allow me to focus on the four remaining 28mm metal models I have to get tabletop ready from blister JD 15 Don Uggie Apelino & The Ape Gang by "Citadel Miniatures".  

Lastly, I've managed to make a little more headway on the three officers from the FedSec Command 2 set I recently bought from "Beast In The Broch". I do like the extra chunky feel to these particular sculpts, as it makes 'picking out' all the detail on them a lot easier than the arguably less-well cast "Star Trek" figures - which despite being 32mm in scale, appear far more realistically proportioned, and are resultantly far more difficult to work on...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Beast In The Broch" August 2026

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" once again dominated my (meagre) output for July 2026

After last month's rather dismissal effort to paint up another quartet of my 32mm scale resin cast figures by "Modiphius Entertainment" for their Star Trek Adventures Tabletop RPG, as well as zero contributions to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog, I thought I'd take a break from challenges for the next four weeks and simply pigment whatever takes my fancy. As a result, I have ordered (and duly received) a number of "Blake's Seven" inspired sculpts from "Beast In The Broch" and plan to slap as much paint on them as I can muster.

First up will be the three officers from the company's FedSec Command 2 set. "Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel and cast in lead free pewter", I actually feel that these particular figures are probably a little too 'chunky' for some of the range's other models. But that hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for getting the likes of Terran Federation officers Major Thania, Colonel Quute and Major Provine onto my tabletop.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - The three figures found inside FedSec Command 2 set.

Likewise it would be great if I could manage to get some of the miniatures finished from the manufacturer's Systemic Units set too. Clearly based upon "The System" which was responsible for building the Liberator, these figures arguably appear a little more slender to the eye than their Federation counter-parts - despite also being "digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel".

Furthermore, I'd really like to play 'catch-up' with the aforementioned "Star Trek" models I failed to get finished in July. I only managed to get one crew-woman from the science fiction franchise's Original Series done, so would like to make some headway with my plan to get a landing party based on the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D too. Most of these miniatures' uniforms are predominantly black, so fingers crossed I can a few of them ready for varnishing over the coming weeks.

July 2026 - Crooked Dice Game Design Studio finally takes the lead in my Top Five Manufacturers

With this 'backlog' in mind, I haven't forgotten about the remaining figures I've yet to complete from blister JD 15 Don Uggie Apelino & The Ape Gang by "Citadel Miniatures". To be fair, I have been trying to 'pick away' at these classic sculpts for some time. However, I always seem to get distracted by my latest new arrivals (or interest), and subsequently end up pushing them back down the queue.

To make matters worse, my enthusiasm for "Star Wars" appears to have attained fresh heights as a result of my playing the card game "Star Wars: Unlimited" by Fantasy Flight Games. This addiction has rather curiously caused me to purchase a couple of "Star Wars: Shatterpoint" boxes - to add as non-canon adversaries of my previously painted Count Dooku. So I'd very much like to get them assembled, primed and pigmented before the coming month is concluded too...

"The Vulcan Science Directorate..."

"...Was the head scientific authority of the Vulcan High Command."

This 32mm scale resin model of a Vulcan Female was bought as part of the Star Trek Adventures: The Original Series Landing Party Miniatures Set by "Modiphius Entertainment" and is sadly no longer available as a physical figure. However, the sculpt can still be purchased from the company as either an individual STL (Standard Triangle Language) file, or as part of their Star Trek Adventures - Print At Home - TOS Landing Party Set.

The "warp-capable humanoid species from the planet Vulcan" was initially undercoated in "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, and had her boots 'picked out' with a little pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then attempted to give the impression of the Ensign wearing dark-coloured tights by applying a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil to her legs.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - This "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Ensign is almost finished

Unfortunately, this technique didn't seem to work as well on the Vulcan's much paler limbs as it had done on Lieutenant Uhura's far darker legs, so I soon decided to give the areas a second layer of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition, I gave the figure's hands and face a lick of Reikland Fleshshade, before carefully tracing out the model's fingers and face with some extra "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

To show the miniature came from Starfleet's science division I gave her uniform a good coat or two of "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue, shaded it with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade and later dry-brushed the dress with (more) "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue. To be honest I wasn't all that impressed with the final result of this colour combination. But didn't really want to repaint the Vulcan with a red miniskirt as I felt the highly logical alien race probably wouldn't be part of the U.S.S. Enterprise's security division.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Two Beastmen and a Deep Sea Diver Ghost

Sticking with "Star Trek" and "Modiphius Entertainment" I have also been working on a female scientist from the company's Away Team boxed set. This resin cast model will be the first of my Twenty-Fourth Century Federation figures, and will hopefully lead to me fielding enough miniatures for Captain Jean-Luc Picard to lead against both the already painted Borg and Romulans.

Lastly, I've not forgotten the number of "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" sculpts I have populating my hobby desk. As a result I have managed to 'pick away' at both the two remaining Beastmen I need to get finished, alongside their (not) "Scooby-Doo" Deep Sea Diver Ghost...

"Zoinks!" A Ghost!"

 "Hold your breath, and don't move a muscle!"

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as MINI 1336 Undead Astronaut, or as part of their DEAL 375 Spooks four-figure set. The miniature is sculpted by Andrew May and is clearly influenced by the villain from the 1969 "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" animated episode "Spooky Space Kook".

Able to leave "glowing footprints and fingerprints that dissipate after an undetermined time", the model was primed using "Vallejo" Steel Grey and heavily shaded with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. It was then enthusiastically dry-brushed using some (more) "Vallejo" Steel Grey, before having its elbow/knee joints, as well as its belt carefully 'picked out' with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - This Vulcan scientist is almost tabletop ready

The miniature was actually a bit more complicated than its cartoon counterpart, so I decided to apply a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to its belt buckle and the tubing on its back-mounted breathing apparatus. I next tackled the ghostly apparition's infamous glowing skeletal face by dabbing a load of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" into its open space helmet and later giving the area a good dousing in some watered-down "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red.

This approach certainly gave Henry Bascomb's disguise a nice, gory head, especially when I subsequently highlighted it with a little additional "Two Thin Coats" White Star rather than use the colour of the foiled criminal's space-suit as seen in the television show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I thought this 'change' made the head look a bit too stark in comparison to the rest of the body, so I blended it in a bit with a touch of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - A trio of "The Next Generation" ensigns partially painted

Alongside my latest (not) Scooby-Doo villain I have been progressing a number of Federation crewmen by "Modiphius Entertainment". In particular a Vulcan scientist for my "Star Trek: The Original Series" Landing Team. I'm not sure whether the "Citadel" Nuln Oil over the female ensign's legs has particularly worked as black tights, as the technique did for Lieutenant Uhura's much browner legs, so I've actually applied a second shade on them to see if that sits better.

In addition, I've turned my eyes to working on an Away Team for the U.S.S. Enterprise-D's timeline, even discovering a Tellarite crewman amongst my previously assembled backlog. Hopefully, due to the lack of colour on their Starfleet uniforms, these miniatures will prove a lot faster to get tabletop ready, and help me successfully achieve my random drawer challenge for this month with a few days to spare...

"These Brutal Beasts May Be A Lost Underground Dwellers..."

"...Or come from a land before time." 

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Beastman 3A, or as part of their DEAL 397 Beastman 3 four-figure set. Despite being by sculpted Ernst Veingart, I must admit to not being a big fan of this particular miniature as I dislike the patches of furry hair covering the savage's chest and forearms - something which arguably appears all the more bizarre-looking when looking at the 'official' light-skinned paint-job.

As a result I decided to undercoat mine with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and splosh him with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then went back with some highlights of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna on the brute's facial features and fingers. This colour scheme definitely helped mask the aforementioned details I disliked without me having to resort to filing them off - which is something I did actually consider.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - A trio of Federation officers at various stages of completion

The Beastman's loincloth was pigmented with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before I 'picked out' the seemingly chain-linked belt threaded around the fellow's waist with a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As with the previous Beastman I've completed I did consider dry-brushing the animal fur with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. However, as I wanted to use this model as cave-dwelling savage for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games" (using the Cultist or maybe Ghoul rules), I felt he'd probably be extremely dirty, so left the piece of 'clothing' alone.

Finally, I used some "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade on the brute's brain-battering animal bone, dry-brushed the hand-weapon with a tad more Rakarth Flesh, and lastly added a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dead White to it as a highlight. I also dropped a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal along the metal ring sticking out from the implement's bottom, and darkened it down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Death X Tiles" WIPs - These Starship Mini Set pieces have been shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil

With the second of my Beastmen finished I have moved on to the four "Star Trek" miniatures by "Modiphius Entertainment" I am aiming to get tabletop ready before the month is out. Admittedly, most of these crewmen have simply been 'dusted down' rather than been assembled from cast resin sprues. But I do aim to have a nice mixture of officers from both The Original Series (TOS), and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" ready for action over the next few weeks.

Furthermore, I'm still very keen to contribute to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog by polishing off some of the many terrain pieces I have produced in "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer. To be honest, this is probably going to be something of a slow approach as I'm not a fan of painting terrain at the best of times. However, I have managed to get some basic "Citadel" Nuln Oil washes on a trio of Starship Mini Set pieces by "Death X Tiles"...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Modiphius Entertainment" July 2026

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" dominated my miniatures for June 2026

With both a successful "Forgotten Heroes" event and random drawer challenge under my belt from last month, I thought I'd roll a D12 to see which plastic drawer I'd select a handful of miniatures from for July, and rather surprisingly discovered I'd be painting more of my 32mm scale resin cast Star Trek Adventures Tabletop RPG figures produced by "Modiphius Entertainment". This selection actually comes at a rather opportune time as I was planning to use the miniatures I'd previously pigmented for some games of "Lost Patrol" by "Games Workshop", and only recently realised I was the odd sculpt short of what I needed to field a legitimate landing party.

In addition, having got the enigmatic 'Q' tabletop ready in the past, I thought I should also focus on getting some of the next generation of Federation officers completed as well - quite possibly with the notion of pitting Captain Kirk's crew against that of Jean-Luc Picard's at some future point. Such a move might also make it far easier (and quicker) to get the figures finished as most appear to be wearing the predominantly black colour scheme seen during the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.

"Death X Tiles" WIPs - Three of nine tiles earmarked for a science fiction boarding zone

Furthermore, for the next three months I thought I'd contribute to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog by polishing off some of the backlog of terrain pieces I have been religiously producing in "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer. For this opening month I felt I should try to see how much of the Starship Mini Set by "Death X Tiles" I could get done, seeing as I've finally settled upon a simple "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey palette for most of the pieces.

To begin with my aim is simply to get a boarding zone completed, which will consist of a 3x3 tile room with a single, open doorway. However, if I can manage to get this quite sizeable area completed within the space of four weeks or less, then I may well start to focus on one of the five much larger rooms I intend my science fiction figures to battle over in future fights. I also have a ton of "Trench Crusade" flavoured scenery by "Saucermen Studios" to crack on with, so may well take a break from the tiles with the odd barricade or bunker.

June 2026 - My Top Five Table has in reality become a rather surprising Top Eight contest

Last month's meagre output certainly saw some surprising congestion strike my most popular manufacturers, with my need to paint at least four models by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" helping them to top position - alongside "Wargames Foundry". On top of that my desire to finish off the squad of second-hand Wookie Warriors I rather impulsively purchased whilst in Poole helped the popularity of "Fantasy Flight Games" rival some of my more usual Top Five contenders.

Fortunately, I feel the next four or so weeks will help ease this bottleneck as I'm sure quite a few more miniatures by both "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and "Modiphius Entertainment" will be on the cards. What's more I'm really hoping to get going again on a few long paused projects which have simply been sat gathering dust on my hobby table for the best part of the year, such as my "Wargames Foundry" Napoleonics for "Black Powder" and some more "Trench Crusade" warriors by "Trench Stench"...

"Wubba Lubba Dub-Dub!"

"Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody's gonna die."

This 28mm scale white metal model of Rick Sanchez is sort of produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” as it's actually composed of bitz from a couple of their miniatures and an alternate weapon sprue. The torso and legs are from the company's MINI 341 Investigative Academic, with its head sawn off and replaced with that of their Crackpot Inventor. I did actually consider just using the entire Crackpot Inventor for a while, but felt that all the scientific gubbins detailed on the sculpt wasn't really in line with Rick C-137's look in the cartoon series "Rick And Morty".

In addition, I snipped off the Investigative Academic's left hand and swapped it for one of the manufacturer's Robo-Minion weapon accessories. This particular piece did have a mechanical hand, rather than one made of flesh and blood. However, I figured I could simply paint it using my usual combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and everything would be fine to the naked eye. I did momentarily plan on adding a little portal fluid 'cup' to top of the device. However, the area upon which I'd need to super-glue/pin such a tiny detail was a little to small for my liking, so I simply settled on pigmenting part of the hand-weapon using "Two Thin Coats" White Star and the "Citadel" Contrast Colour Warp Lightning.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These three Beastmen are having all their details 'picked out'

Once assembled the entire kit-bash was primed with "Vallejo" Dead White, shaded using some heavily-watered down "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and dry-brushed with a little White Star by "Two Thin Coats". Sadly, I wasn't at all impressed with how this turned out - probably due to the heat drying my paints the moment they touched the figure, so I ended up washing the model with (more) incredibly-watered down "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and the giving Rick a very patient dry-brush of (more) "Two Thin Coats" White Star.

The mega-genius' shirt was simply 'picked out with a little "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue and a splash of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. This turned out far darker than I had envisaged. But meant that the Investigative Academic's neck scarf was somewhat obscured by the shadows. Lastly, I carefully gave the alcoholic scientist's eyebrows a line of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and daubed his hair with the same colour. Both of these areas were subsequently darkened down with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - Two 'TNG' Starship crewmen and a 'TOS' member of the Landing Party

With my entry for Jez's "Forgotten Heroes" event over on his "Carrion Crow's Buffet" blog finally finished, I have been busy continuing to work on the three remaining Beastmen I started progressing in earnest a few months ago. I plan to use these "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" figures as Cultists or Ghouls for my games of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Publishing", so want to get them tabletop ready 'toot sweet' now the weather has warmed up to the point where I can set up some scenarios in the garage.

Furthermore, it looks like next month's random drawer challenge will comprise of more "Star Trek" miniatures by "Modiphius Entertainment", so I have dutifully dusted down and (already) got going on three crewmen. The eagle-eyed Trekkies will quickly spot that two of my current batch are wearing 24th Century uniforms rather than those of The Original Series (TOS), and that's so I can hopefully field a "Next Generation" or "Deep Space Nine" flavoured landing party at some point in the future...