(Lead) Mountain Musings - "CoolMiniOrNot" July 2025

"Besides our own universe, there’s countless others, each with their own versions of super heroes and villains."

Having seemingly found the better part of my hobby mojo during the past four weeks, largely thanks to a deep interest in the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game (MMRPG), it seems pretty obvious to keep the momentum going for at least another month by painting some more "CoolMiniOrNot" 40mm plastic models for their collaborative boardgame Marvel United. Admittedly, I only managed to get a quartet of super-heroes tabletop ready - and one of those was already partially-pigmented. But my enthusiasm for the MMRPG has never been higher, and I'm currently determined to play some games using the Chibi-style miniatures just as soon as I can.

Furthermore, my need for some hoodlums, goons and toughs to get beaten up by the likes of Nick Fury, Doop and the Black Panther, has also got me back using my Mars 5 3D resin printer by "Elegoo". Originally, I rather naively thought I could just buy some of the Marvel United gaming pieces separately, so as to field a handful of Ultron drones or Hydra terrorists. However, the second-hand market (e.g. eBay) has proved far too expensive for such a plan, with most single figures fetching a distinctly off-putting tenner a pop (including postage & packaging).

"Big Head Chibis" WIPs - Lady has been primed, and is currently having her base worked on

As a result I have turned to the likes of "Big Head Chibis" on "Patreon", and subscribed to their monthly service. This has already given me access to some STL (Standard Triangle Language) files which I can use to produce a number of generic minions, as well as some other sculpts that should make good hapless civilians to rescue/protect. Such models really will be crucial for some of the larger games of MMRPG I have planned, as simply having a few A-List characters repeatedly stood battering one another will inevitably get pretty boring quite fast.

To begin with, I've printed off a copy of Lady, who seems to be partially based upon Staff Sergeant Hart-Burnett from the animated television series "G.I. Joe". I figured she looked pretty jungle-themed in her green-hued attire, so would make a good goon for some nefarious expedition into the Kingdom of Wakanda or the Savage Lands. My plan is therefore to use this particular miniature as a test-piece for a colour scheme, and then produce a few more (possibly mirrored) to bulk out the squad.

June 2025 - Little change in my Top Five Manufacturers

June has historically always been an incredibly poor time for my painting, going back a good decade, so despite me failing to finish as many figures as I had initially intended, overall it was actually quite the success. Indeed, compared to the previous month, it was a positive triumph, and has even seen me start a completely new project in the form of "Star Wars: Shatterpoint" by "Atomic Mass Games" - albeit, the issues I've had assembling some of these miniatures has already badly dented my desire to glue any more together for the moment.

This month I have a good handful of (more) Marvel United figures close to completion, and alongside the 3D prints from "Big Head Chibis" this should see me playing a few games of MMRPG. If that does happen, I would imagine my output will increase even further, as I always find rolling some dice and actually using painted pieces on the tabletop really enthuses me to get even more models completed. Plus, I haven't completely taken my eye off the ball when it comes to my hefty Napoleonic backlog by "Wargames Foundry"...

"Never Give Up!"

 "Never Surrender!"

This 28mm scale metal model of Galactic Explorer 1A is manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought individually as MINI 1927 from their Space Travellers range, or as part of their four-figure DEAL 492 Galactic Explorers I. Sculpted by Ari Níelsson, the miniature is clearly based upon actor Tim Allen's character Jason Nesmith/Commander Peter Quincy Taggart from Dean Parisot's 1999 science fiction film "Galaxy Quest".

The figure was primed with a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey, before having his boots, trousers, hair and much of his torso layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then 'picked out' his insignia, epaulettes and Ion Nebulizer with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and splosh of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also applied quite a heavy dry-brush to Taggart's pants and top, so as to slightly break up the predominantly black colour scheme.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Work has finally started on Squirrel Girl in earnest

Lastly, I tidied up all the "Vallejo" Neutral Grey areas, drowned the entire model with (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and patiently dry-brushed the Commander's upper tunic with a little (more) "Vallejo" Neutral Grey. I did consider applying some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to the miniature's hair, as per the 'official' display paintjob by "Mystic Spirals". But in the end decided that the movie version of the NSEA Protector's leader looked a lot darker - so stuck with the original "Citadel" Abaddon Black colour scheme.

Along with my Galactic Explorer, I have made some more progress on my (admittedly grand) design to paint a number of 40mm plastic Marvel United gaming pieces to use with the Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG). As a change of pace though, I have momentarily swapped out the Kronan gladiator Korg I have been slowly working on for the much more dynamically-posed Squirrel Girl instead.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPs - This young apocalypse survivor is close to completion

This rejig of my painting priorities is only temporary, as I will need Thor's super-strong former foe when I play the MMRPG's Escape From Planet Hulk starter scenario. However, I have recently picked up the hardback copy of the ruleset, and discovered it has the statistics for Doreen Green's bushy-tailed alter-ego inside. This has encouraged me to put some (more) paint on the "CoolMiniOrNot" figure somewhat sooner than I was expecting, as I now may well swap Squirrel Girl into my team's roster instead of one of the super-heroes which come with the starter set.

Furthermore, I have quite quickly slapped a few coats on one of the models from Survivors Set 4 by "Athena Miniatures". I actually own two of this particular adolescent survivor of the apocalypse after owner John Caboche kindly snuck a couple of freebies into my most recent order - so I'm rather keen to at least get one of the duo tabletop ready as soon as possible...

"King T'Challa Is The Black Panther."

"A sacred title that must be both inherited & earned by the current Wakandan ruler."

This 40mm scale model of the Black Panther is made by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's highly successful February 2020 Kickstarter for "Marvel United" when it achieved a whopping $2,866,168 in funding. Based upon Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's "protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda" for "Marvel Comics", the figure can be found inside the boardgame's Season One expansion box entitled "Rise Of The Black Panther".

Produced in a light blue hard plastic, this particular incarnation of King T'Challa appears to be have sculpted by the "Bigchild Creatives" team to be similar in appearance to the character's cinematic outings rather than his comic book adventures, and this caused me a few headaches when deciding what colour to paint the incredibly frustrating vibranium bands encircling most of the super-hero's body. I really wasn't a fan of the almost luminescent purple hoop paint-jobs I saw, nor the dull grey ones.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Some of the final stages painting the Black Panther

In the end I therefore decided to go with a metallic silver look which also seemed to be quite popular with my fellow painters, and also tied in quite nicely with Black Panther's appearance in the Russo brother's 2016 movie "Captain America: Civil War". Resultantly, I primed the miniature with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and then dry-brushed it with "Vallejo" Gunmetal - so as to help me see all the cords, circles and swirls. Sadly, this didn't really work out as I'd hoped, as some of the vibranium simply seemed to blend back into the legs as if the sculptor didn't know where it actually ended, and also there were a few nasty-looking casting flaws on the figure which would need careful navigating/hiding.

These issues caused me to carefully apply a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black in between all the vibranium, and highlight the "rare metal" with a line of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. However, as I wanted T'Challa's necklace to especially standout, I ensured this area was much more strongly coated in "Vallejo" Gunmetal, before applying some "Citadel" Nuln Oil to it. Finally, I carefully 'picked out' the claws with a combination of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Jango Fett's base has been base-layered, shaded and dry-brushed 

With the Black Panther finished, I have found the time to make some more progress on my plan to paint several 40mm "Star Wars: Shatterpoint" plastic models. As with my previously completed Count Dooku miniature by "Atomic Mass Games", this Jango Fett figure comes from the skirmish game's Twice the Pride Squad Pack. However, along with a Magnaguard, its assembly using the unhelpful instructions on the manufacturer's website, actually put me off the entire hobby for a few days.

Indeed, those with sharp-eyes may well spot that the Mandalorian bounty hunter isn't standing as he should be upon the piece of scrap metal glued to his base. This is because I was actually going to use the base for a Magnaguard I put together, as the incredibly frustrating multi-part combat droid appeared to be so fragile that I was going to use the terrain piece to bolster its connectivity to its stand. In the end though, I changed my mind. But by then the debris was firmly fixed in place, so I couldn't match up Fett's foot with the hollow designed for him to stand in...

"I Sense Great Fear In You, Skywalker."

"You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them."

This 40mm scale model of Count Dooku is produced by "Atomic Mass Games", and comes as part of the company's "Star Wars: Shatterpoint Twice the Pride Squad Pack". Based upon the physical likeness of the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, the eight-piece miniature was assembled using the instructions found on the Minnesota-based manufacturer's website, and glued to one of the tabletop game's 40mm circular bases.

The "sinister Sith Lord" was first undercoated with a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before having his trousers pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then 'picked out' his belt and cloak with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and doused the two areas with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Korg's base layers have now all been applied

I applied a little smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the once a respected Jedi Knight's lightsabre, and carefully (because it feels as fragile as anything) drew some "Vallejo" Heavy Red along its plasma blade. This particular part was later shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and delicately dry-brushed with a little (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

I also gave the hair and beard of Grand Master Yoda's former padawan a touch of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and a lick of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As I wanted to try to capture Darth Tyranus' whiskers, I subsequently went back and dabbed at the sculpt's detail with (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats". Finally, I gave Count Dooku's cape a thorough dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna in order to add some shade in its folds.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Galactic Explorer is almost finished

With the first of eight planned "Star War: Shatterpoint" figures I have purchased finished, I have continued with my cunning plan to paint a number of Marvel United gaming pieces to use with the Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG). My hobby desk is currently absolutely swamped with these Chibi-like 40mm plastic models by "CoolMiniOrNot". So to try and keep sane I am just focusing upon the Kronan gladiator Korg, who is encountered at the start of the MMRPG's Escape From Planet Hulk starter scenario.

In addition, I have found a few moments to potter away at one of the Galactic Explorers I quite recently purchased from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". I admittedly picked this particular (not "Galaxy Quest") figure as something different from all the larger-scaled stuff I'm presently focused upon, so I'm not really sure when I'll finally get the fellow tabletop ready...

"Information About Doop's Origins..."

"...As with anything else about him, is difficult to verify."

This 40mm scale model of Doop is manufactured by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's highly successful April 2021 Kickstarter for "Marvel United: X-Men" when it achieved an incredible $5,988,089 in funding. Created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred, "everyone's favourite talking blob" (and his hero cards) can be found in the boardgame's Season Two Promo Box.

Produced in a light blue hard plastic, the X-Force's official videographer was primed using a mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats". The artificial being's rubble-strewn base was then layered in "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and finally dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey.

"CoolMiniOrNot"WIPs - Korg is being painted from the base upwards

I then began working on the sculpt's camera equipment by patiently picking out all its metallic components with a smidgeon or two of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition, I managed to get a dollop of "Vallejo" Heavy Red onto the actual shutter button, and later darken it with a bit of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. 

Doop himself was washed using plenty of "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green, before being dry-brushed with (more) Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats". The ally of Howard the Duck's X-Symbol was subsequently carefully traced out with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I did consider adding a little dark green to the emblem - as seen in a couple of the comic books. But in the end decided to leave it plain - which seemed to be the predominant canon colour scheme. However, I was convinced to add a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson" to the Krakoan's eyes, as well as dot the pupils with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Count Dooku is almost finished

Sticking with my plan to paint a number of these Marvel United gaming pieces to use with the Marvel Multiverse RPG, I have set to work on Korg. The Kronan gladiator is one of the first allies encountered in the MMRPG's Escape From Planet Hulk Starter Set, so before I dive into that beginner's adventure I thought I'd better get him tabletop ready.

Furthermore, I've managed to make a little more progress on my aspiration to paint several of the figures from Star Wars: Shatterpoint by "Atomic Mass Games". To begin with I plan to simply focus upon a few of my favourite characters from the Prequel Trilogy, starting with Sir Christopher Lee's Count Dooku. I really don't know how many of these rather expensive plastic 40mm miniatures I'll get finished. But I currently own eight of the multi-part models, so would certainly like to get them done before I purchase any more...

"It's Never Felt So Good..."

"...To feel so angry."

This 40mm scale model of Red Hulk is produced by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's highly successful January 2023 Kickstarter for "Marvel United: Multiverse" when it achieved an incredible $4,787,626 in funding. Created by Joseph Loeb and Ed McGuiness, the anti-hero figure (and his respective hero/villain cards) can be found in the boardgame's Season Three Promo Box.

Produced in purple hard plastic, Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross's alter-ego was primed using a mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Heavy Red. The former US military general's trousers were then dry-brushed with some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, before the entire miniature was drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As a final step to this stage, I later carefully dry-brushed all of the model's flesh with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Doop now just needs a little tidying up before being finished

With the basics now finished, I set about 'picking out' some of the sculpt's details. As a result, the figure's eyes were first dotted with a little "White Star" by "Two Thin Coats", and subsequently spotted with a smidgeon of Skulker Yellow and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Furthermore, the Red Hulk's hair and moustache were given a lick of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey (so as to provide a little contrast to his "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey base), and sploshed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, these areas were patiently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Neutral Grey.

I did consider giving the super-strong brute's fingernails a quick layer of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, just like I did way back in 2019 on my "Heroclix" Red Hulk. However, there was some disconcerting 'flash' covering these details on my miniature, so I felt leaving things alone would be the wisest (and sanest) course of action on this occasion. Instead, I simply plonked a little "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion over Thunderbolt's tongue, and darkened it down with a dash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Count Dooku is being painted from the boots up

Alongside the General, I have also made some more progress on the co-operative boardgame's figure of Doop. The actual X-Force videographer himself is a pretty straightforward project, albeit I'm not a fan of the comic book incarceration's red eyes - preferring them to be plain black. But there is a ton of detail on the quirky-looking character's camera which I've been patiently working through.

Furthermore, I've finally decided to take a little leap into the world of Star Wars: Shatterpoint by "Atomic Mass Games". I don't actually own the core set, nor have any intention of doing so. However, as Sir Christopher Lee's Count Dooku is by far my favourite villain from "a galaxy far, far away". I simply couldn't resist picking Darth Tyranus up...

"Ripley, We Have To Talk."

 "We've lost contact with the colony on LV-426."

This trio of 10mm scale metal Xenomorphs are sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as either a pack of five single-pose sculpts under the code SFC2 Medium Creature Type 2, or as part of their SFC-AP Alien Creatures Army Pack. However, the sculpts are much closer to 15mm scale (from head to tail-tip) than 1/150th scale, so will rather conveniently mingle alongside my growing collection of deadly extra-terrestrials by "Ground Zero Games" rather than form part of a separately sized nest of the space "serpents".

In addition, I actually began working on these models a good few weeks ago, so they would contribute to last month's Monster May(hem) Challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, as H.R. Giger's creation for the 1979 film "Alien" is still widely regarded as the most famous science-fiction monster of all time. However, an unexpected and rather disconcerting disinterest in any painting whatsoever completely ruined that cunning plan, so I figured I would simply just get the three xenomorphs tabletop ready now instead.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - The Red Hulk, Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Korg

The miniatures themselves were understandably dead simple to pigment, thanks largely to the heavy-lifting being achieved via an undercoat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The aliens were then dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, liberally sploshed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and later had their domed-heads touched up with a smidgeon (more) of Abaddon Black, so as to make them slightly stand out from the rest of each horrifying creature.

So straightforward a paint-job has also given me plenty more time to work on some of the "CoolMiniOr Not" figures I want to use for my foray into the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game (MMRPG). I have been desperately trying to stick to five of the six central super-heroes found in the rule-set's Escape From Planet Hulk Starter Set - namely Captain America, Black Panther, Storm, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), and Wolverine (Laura Kinney), with these "Marvel United" gaming pieces. But frankly, still haven't been able to resist working on a few of my favourite comic book characters as well.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Doop has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Resultantly, I've dug out a load of the figures from the board-game's various expansion boxes, with such notable luminaries as Red Hulk, Sauron, The Thing, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Groot, Sasquatch and Doctor Doom all unhelpfully littering my hobby table. I have also found my model of Korg. The Kronan gladiator plays a 'big' role in the MMRPG opening adventure I plan to play, so will need some tender loving care with my paintbrush if I wish to have him join the protagonists as an ally.

In addition, along with the "Enter Hydra" adventure, some maps, FAQ and Errata, I've found some free MMRPG character sheets online - one of which is for the X-Force videographer Doop. I know absolutely nothing about this extra-dimensional being, so thought it might be fun to have him as a possible team-member (or random encounter) for a future scenario should the opportunity arise...