"The White Costume Worn By Natasha Romanoff..."

"...Is a specialized suit designed for cold-weather environments and stealth in snowy landscapes."

This 40mm scale plastic figure of Natalia Alianovna "Natasha" Romanoff was made by “Atomic Mass Games” and could be found inside the original Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Box set. However, I actually bought this particular miniature second-hand from "eBay" way back in  November 2020, so I could paint the Avenger up wearing her white suit as seen in the (2009-2010) four-issue miniseries "Black Widow: Deadly Origin" by Paul Cornell.

"A product of the infamous Red Room", the entire model was probably originally primed with a double-helping of either "Vallejo" White or it's "Citadel" alternative for that time. I then went over the entire costume using some heavily-watered down "Citadel" Nuln Oil in an attempt to create some shadows. To be honest this approach seemed to work reasonably well on her legs. But by the time I started applying my 'mix' to her arms and back the "Citadel" Nuln Oil had turned all sticky and goopy - Frustratingly a problem I repeatedly experience with this latest incarnation of the Shade.

"Fantasy Flight Games" WIPs - These old Wookies have all been primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna

As a result, I ended up dry-brushing over the Russian's "sleek, white, tactical bodysuit" with some White Star by "Two Thin Coats". This managed to remove much of the mottled effect the "Citadel" Nuln Oil had caused on the figure. However, it also gave it a somewhat chalky look - which is precisely what I had been trying to avoid in the first place. With the Black Widow's stealth costume finished I quickly moved on to her leg straps and gun holster with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

Lastly, Natasha's automatic pistol and zipper pull tab were pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst her electroshock wrist weapons, and circle-covered belt were initially layered with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before being coated in Gold and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The secret agent's famous hair was simply treated to a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, a dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and final a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

"Citadel Miniatures" - All of the detail on Don Uggie is being 'picked out'

Having completed the third incarnation of Natasha Romanoff I now own for Marvel Crisis Protocol, I have settled down to working on all four miniatures from the old "Wookie Warriors" Expansion Box for "Star Wars: Legion" by “Fantasy Flight Games”. I actually painted up this exact same set over seven years ago. But saw the preassembled models on sale for a reasonable price second-hand and simply couldn't past them up.

I'm also slowly making some progress on my old Don Uggie figure by "Citadel Miniatures". Now all the criminal's sleeves and spats have been 'picked out' I'm reasonably happy I know what colours to pigment the rest of the extraordinarily well-dressed Ape. In addition, I have made a tentative start on the gorilla's biggest enforcer Joe Bananas - albeit I am tempted to put the bruiser in a lavender suit as opposed to the tan one I originally envisaged him wearing...

"A Death Dog Is An Ugly Two-Headed Hound..."

"...That roams plains, and deserts."

This 32mm scale Death Dog is produced by "Titan Forge Miniatures" and was downloaded as part of their four-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from the company's February 2023 "My Mini Factory" subscription service. Forming part of their Mortal Enemies Set 35 for "Dungeons & Dragons", the "Medium Monstrosity" was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer, and has rather embarrassingly been gathering dust on one of my hobby shelves for over a year.

Super-glued onto a plastic 40mm circular stand, the figure was treated to a coat of "Vallejo" Grey Primer, before being base layered with Berzerker Red by "Two Thin Coats". It was then shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and had its paws picked out with Abaddon Black. To be honest this was largely due to my difficulty in seeing just where its claws where on the model - and my increasing doubt that I could reach such tiny details with a brush-tip loaded with "Two Thin Coats" White Star with any sort of accuracy whatsoever.

"Titan Forge Miniatures" WIPs - The two remaining Death Dogs

To try to blend in this 'botch job' with the rest of the model I dry-brushed all the lower legs with (more) "Citadel" Abaddon Black in exactly the same way I do for my horses, and this hopefully provided the effect of the "Neutral Evil" animal limb colour increasingly becoming a wine-like red as the beast's fur became more prominent. Having much later viewed the 'official' "Dungeons & Dragons" illustration of a Death Dog I realised I needn't have worried, as the fiend clearly has black claws anyway.

Finally, I applied a little combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to the two-headed monster's tongues, some "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to its numerous teeth, and a spot of pure "Skulker Yellow" by "Two Thin Coats" to its four eyes. As a last touch I dabbed the miniature's noses with a healthy dollop of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Citadel Miniatures" WIPs - Don Uggie is having all this base layers applied

In addition to the first of my submissions for the "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, I have perhaps unsurprisingly been busy working on the set's other two Death Dogs. These have taken me a little longer to progress on account of the animals been sculpted atop some rocky outcrops, but I should have them finished soon enough now I've settled upon a palette for them.

Furthermore, I've got a bit more done on my 1985 figure of Don Uggie by "Citadel Miniatures". I must admit that the amount of detail on the model, as well as the rest of his Ape Gang, has rather caught me off-guard. As a result I have decided to tackle them one by one rather than as a group, and therefore managed to work out what all the tiny areas on the Judge Dredd foe's pin-stripe suit are - e.g. buttons, flower, tie, and trademark banana...

"Andorians, Yes."

"I've been reading about them in the Vulcan database."

This 32mm scale resin model of an Andorian Male 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 lower half of the "militaristic, blue-skinned" Ensign was originally primed using some "Citadel" Abaddon Black. However, the Base Colour simply wouldn't stick to the miniature for some bizarre reason - even after a few coats, so in the end the model was treated to a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, which proved much more 'adhesive'. Only then did I pick out the alien's boots and trousers in (more) "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Citadel Miniatures" WIPs - Joe Bananas, Don Uggie Apelino and Fast Eeek

The Federation's famous chest insignia was carefully pigmented using some "Vallejo" Gold and a smidgeon of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst the Andorian's Type-2 hand phaser was given a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and subsequently shaded with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As a final touch I gave the model's flesh a coat of "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue and shaded it down with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

To be honest this turned out a little darker than I had envisaged so I highlighted the facial details and fingers with (more) "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue. I also applied some "Two Thin Coats" White Star to the figure's hair, and subsequently darkened it down with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I did consider dry-brushing this area with a tad more White Star by "Two Thin Coats". But in the end thought it looked good as it was.

"Wizkids" WIPs - This Banderhobb has essentially been repainted from scratch after six years

Having completed an extra model from last month's randomly rolled challenge, I thought I'd better get cracking on the motley crew I've based for May. I've actually got five of these classic "Citadel Miniatures" from 1985 on my painting table, and decided to undercoat Don Uggie & The Ape Gang all at the same time. I did look at some of their colour schemes from within the pages of the science fiction anthology comic book "2000 A.D." too. However, as the apes' suits seemed to change depending on the colourist, I decided to simply go with some schemes which I thought would help make them stand out on my "Judge Dredd" tabletop.

Furthermore, as I'm taking part in the "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, I thought I'd better get cracking on an old Banderhobb I've had sat partially-painted in my hobby area for the past six years. As memory serves I gave up on this particular "large, Neutral Evil monstrosity" because I was struggling with doing his belly right, so this time round I have simplified what I what to do with the miniature and plan to focus on giving him lots of boils...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - Monster May(hem) 2026

"Modiphius Entertainment" surprisingly made a big return throughout April 2026

Despite managing to complete my personal randomly drawn drawer challenge last month, my overall output was still a bit lower than what I had both expected or hoped. As a result I thought I'd accept Angry Piper's invitation to join his annual "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, and finally finish a few of the larger models I have had just sat on one side away from my painting area for the past few years.

In addition, I thought I'd do a second drawer challenge, and this time initially appeared to be knee deep in old "Judge Dredd Miniatures Game: Block War" models from the rather controversial 2012 "Mongoose Publishing" Kickstarter - fourteen years has still not calmed my fury over this campaign. However, I also spied a plastic bag containing the classic 28mm metal figures Don Uggie Apelino and his Ape Gang by "Citadel Miniatures".

"Step into a cataclysmic struggle that will decide the fate of humanity’s soul…"

Admittedly these particular "rare, vintage" sculpts date back even further in time than my aforementioned collection of Matthew Sprange miniatures, all the way back to 1985 when Bryan Ansell's company released them in a blister as part of their "2000 A.D." Judge Dredd range . However not only should the set still fit in size-wise with my current painted Judge Dredd collection, but I seem to somehow own three copies of Fast Eeek. So 'he' will provide Don Uggie with some much needed multiple minions, along with the larger 'muscle' of Joe Bananas.

Furthermore, I have completed a third 32mm scale Bomb Coffin by "Trench Stench". As with the first couple of Sarcophagus Mines I recently completed, this model was downloaded for free as part of their three-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from the company's "Patreon" subscription service; albeit having read the "Warbands of Trench Crusade" rulebook a force of Heretic Troopers is limited to only two such 'upgrades'.

April 2026 - No change at the top after a rather lack-lustre month's productivity

Forming part of their Ghosts of the Nomansland range for the "tabletop skirmish wargame that pits the forces of Mankind against the fiends of Hell", and produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer, the miniature was predominantly pigmented using "Vallejo" Bronze and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade over a "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna undercoat. Although I did I use White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green for the sculpt's spooky spectral flames.

Whilst the last four weeks wasn't the worst April I've recorded, it wasn't anywhere near as productive as I thought I was going to be, so I'm hoping that a plethora of big, scary monsters will help shake off this 'hobby funk' and see me rattle off a fair few miniatures. In particular I want to get at least another tiny unit of Napoleonic French by "Wargames Foundry" completed, as well as successfully make a start on the American Civil War models by "Perry Miniatures" I managed to assemble and prime last month. Plus, there's a big collection of unpainted scenery pieces currently loitering my hobby desk which need polishing off before they can be used for some actual games...

"Captain, I See Something."

"Kelowitz, Lang, flank out. Lay down fire on co-ordinates Mister Spock gave you."

This 32mm scale resin model of a Human Male 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 Ensign was actually primed using a combination of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Heavy Red. This was because I thought it would be easier to just base-layer the two distinct halves of the figure in its predominant colours. However, the "Citadel" Abaddon Black simply wouldn't stick to the miniature for some bizarre reason - even after a few coats, so in the end the model was given a complete lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and then had his boots/trousers pigmented in (more) "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - This Andorian Ensign is almost finished

The human's famous chest insignia was carefully 'picked out' using some "Vallejo" Gold and a smidgeon of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst his Type-2 hand phaser was given a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and subsequently shaded with a splosh or two of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Finally, as I wanted the model to represent O'Herlihy from the January 1967 televised episode "Arena", I applied some (additional) "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the miniature's hair.

Despite having completed my randomly rolled four-figure challenge for this month, I thought I might as well finish working on another of the "Star Trek" resin sprues found inside the drawer, so have been patiently working my way up an Andorian ensign too. Admittedly, there weren't any of the "warp-capable humanoid species from the moon Andoria" shown as being part of the U.S.S. Enterprise's crew in the Original Television Series. But I like to think that there some work aboard her in the background.

"Diehard Miniatures" WIPs - These three Krupps Corp troopers have been primed in "Vallejo" German Grey

Lastly, I have managed to base and prime three of the models found inside the Krupps Corp unit blister I was lucky enough to buy at Salute 2026. This "explorer faction that have a long standing rivalry with the E-Corp agents" immediately captured my imagination as they are clearly inspired by the Norts from the "Rogue Trooper" comic book series in "2000 A.D.", and resultantly caused me to start planning a future battlefield based upon Nu Earth.

For now though I just want to get a small squad of these "Diehard Miniatures" sculpts painted, and then take it from there. I do believe I have some Genetic Infantrymen by "Mongoose Publishing" somewhere, and possibly some of the E-Corp agents mentioned in the Krupps Corp troopers' blurb. But with my long-term Napoleonic and American Civil War projects still on the go, I don't really want to leap into another genre with both feet...

"The Trial Never Ends."

"I'm extraordinarily selfish. But it has served me so well in the past."

This 32mm scale resin model of Q was bought as part of the Star Trek Adventures Iconic Villains Miniatures Set by "Modiphius Entertainment" and is sadly no longer available as a physical figure. However, the sculpt, featuring an excellent likeness of actor John de Lancie, can still be purchased from the company as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from their Print At Home range.

The "extra-dimensional being of unknown origin" was originally undercoated in "Vallejo" Heavy Red, drenched with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and then heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. His shirt and robe's sleeves were then carefully 'picked out' with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before I used a combination of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on his ornate neck-chain.

"Modiphius Entertainment" - These two Red Shirts have been assembled, primed and base-layered

I next pigmented the so-called judge's gloves with some additional "Vallejo" Heavy Red too. But later felt this made them blend in with the rest of Q's attire. As a result I went in and applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to just the inside of the super-being's sleeves, and subsequently used a little trusty "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion on his gloves. This area was shaded with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before I carefully lined the upper fingers with a tad more "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion.

With the enigmatic Q completed I was planning on finishing off the range's Sulu figure. However, I quickly realised that I had either misplaced or run out of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre - which I had previously used on the figure's shirt. As a result I simply grabbed a couple of sprues from the Star Trek Adventures Iconic Landing Party Set by "Modiphius Entertainment" I own, and assembled a pair of ultimately doomed Red Shirts.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - It's early days yet on these four Napoleonic French Carabiniers

This actually proved a little bit more difficult than I planned as the resin cast miniatures were multi-part and didn't seem to take to super-glue very well at all. In the end I had to use a little ball of green-stuff to hold the limbs in place whilst the adhesive dried, and so by the time my Human and Andorian were ready to be painted, my order of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre off of "eBay" had also arrived.

In addition to feeding my current "Star Trek" fix, I have based, primed and begun putting a rough base layer on a quartet of Napoleonic Frenchmen from blister FN062 - Light Infantry Carabiniers In Campaign Dress And Colpacks Marching by "Wargames Foundry". Like a fool I actually thought from just looking at them from the front that these would be quite simple (and therefore quick) to get tabletop ready. However, the sheer amount of detail sculpted onto their rears is flabberghasting, and will doubtless cause me a few headache-filled hobby sessions trying to work out what colour each piece of kit is...

"Displacer Beasts Used Their Innate Magic To Bend Light..."

"...Making them appear to be between one foot to three feet from their actual positions."

This 28mm scale PVC plastic (polyvinyl chloride) Displacer Beast is produced by "Wizkids" as part of their "Dungeons & Dragons" Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures range, and can be purchased unpainted as SKU: WZK72576. Based upon the large cat-like creature found inside the very first edition of the Monster Manual, I believe I bought this model on a whim having seen (and rather enjoyed) Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley's 2023 fantasy film "Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves".

Occasionally described as a panther with six legs and a pair of tentacles sprouting from its shoulders, the miniature was super-glued onto a 50mm circular base and primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The entire carnivorous creature was then repeatedly dry-brushed (and later simply brushed in some areas) with "Vallejo" Imperial Blue, before being soaked in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"There is no beating these troops, in spite of their generals."

I next 'picked out' the Displacer Beast's fangs with some dabs of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently followed this up by applying a little "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey to the inside of the big cat's ears, as well as some "Skulker Yellow" by "Two Thin Coats" onto his pupils. These areas were later shaded using "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and Reikland Fleshshade as appropriate.

Finally, I gave the monster's sharp, thorny pads a lick of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and darkened the tiny spikes down with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, as I wanted to show off the tentacle barbs - which are apparently deadly "enough to punch through pure steel armour, I gave them a rough dry-brush of (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats" to help highlight their piercing points.

"Impossible n'est pas français"

Alongside my latest addition to my "Dungeons & Dragons" menagerie I have (finally) completed the two 28mm scale metal models manufactured by “Wargames Foundry" that I needed to field a tiny unit of Napoleonic skirmishers for my games of "Black Powder". The pair can be purchased as part of their FN103 - Grenadiers Or Voltigeurs In Greatcoat Marching set and having been undercoated "Citadel" Abaddon Black, were largely pigmented using "Two Thin Coats" White Star, some heavily-watered down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, plenty of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and a load of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Created in 1804 by Emperor Napoleon", the soldiers' water bottles and straps were picked out in "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, whilst the Frenchmen's epaulettes, lower plumes and sword ribbons were dabbed with a little Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Lastly, I gave the duo's topmost pom-poms some "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and shaded them with a dash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.