"Ready Launchers Three And Seventeen."

"Fire."

This 28mm scale lead free pewter model of FedSec Base Commander is manufactured by "Beast In The Broch" and can be brought either individually as SKU: FED18 or as part of the five-figure FedSec Command 2 set SKU: PAK08. Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel, the miniature is clearly inspired by the one-eyed Quute as played by actor Christopher Neame in the 1981 television episode of "Blake's Seven" entitled "Traitor".

"A colonel in the Federation force on Helotrix", the senior officer was primed using a couple of coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then picked out all his uniform's rather lavish rank insignia with using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This piece of Sturmriese Axis Walker has had several stickers added to it

Ordinarily I would also use these colours to 'pick out' the Federation's standard issue carbine. However, as I wanted to make a break from all the black and silver already on show, I decided to pigment the hand-weapon using a basecoat of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal and subsequently wash it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This seemed to be a much better match for the on-screen colour scheme too.

With the first of my FedSec Command Team completed, I have once again turned my attention to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog, and started work on a rather large piece of a Sturmriese Axis "alker for "Konlikt '47" I printed using some "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer many moons ago. The "Warlord Games" STL (Standard Triangle Language) is just piece of a rather complicated looking "colossal Rift-tech construct" and frankly put me right off producing any more parts. But I did think it looked rather good as some sort of energy pylon.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - This Dark Trooper has been assembled, primed and base-coated

Indeed, my recent purchase of the "Secret Wars" expansion book for the "Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game" has put me in need of just such an objective/scenic piece, so I thought now was the ideal time to get it painted. However, it did (understandably) look a little bare for my purposes, so I dipped into my slowly-dwindling collection of 3D decals given to me by “N-FX Game Design Studio”, and 'spruced' it up a bit first.

In addition, I've been battling the first of two Dark Troopers I recently bought as part of the You Have Something I Want Squad Pack for "Star Wars: Shatterpoint". This 40mm scale multipart plastic Imperial super-soldier by "Atomic Mass Games" took forever to assemble due to its overcomplicated design and incredibly fiddly small parts - the number of times I had to hunt around the floor on my knees looking for a tiny piece I'd dropped whilst trying to glue it to a similarly-sized part almost fried my poor brain. Luckily though, I have managed to persevere and finally get the first of the box's four figures ready for some paint...

"They're In The Woods, You Know."

"Always there."

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Beastman 3D, or as part of their DEAL 397 Beastman 3 four-figure set. Sculpted Ernst Veingart, I must admit to particularly disliking the pose of this miniature, as well as the patches of furry hair covering the savage's chest and forearms - something which arguably appears all the more bizarre-looking when seen on the 'official' light-skinned paint-job.

Resultantly, I decided to prime 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 palette definitely helped mask the aforementioned details I found disagreeable without me having to resort to filing them off - which is something I did actually consider.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - These FedSec Commanders have had their basic flesh layers applied

The model's loincloth was pigmented with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade so it would tie in with the rest of his group. I also used this choice of colour on the band for the chap's tooth necklace. As with all my previous Beastmen I did consider dry-brushing the miniature's animal fur with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown to highlight it up a bit. 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.

Lastly, I used some "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade on the brute's skull-smashing animal bone, dry-brushed the hand-weapon with a tad more Rakarth Flesh, and lastly added a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dead White to it. I also carefully traced a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal along the metal ring sticking out from the horrific-looking cudgel's bottom, and darkened it down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Diehard Miniatures" WIPs - These Krupps Corp Troopers have been base-layered over their initial prime

With the third of my four Beastmen finally finished I have continued to make some progress on the three officers from the FedSec Command 2 set I recently acquired from "Beast In The Broch". Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel there's a lot more detail on these predominantly black clad Federation officers than I first thought, and that has given me an opportunity to break up their dark uniforms with a little bit more "Vallejo" Gunmetal - whether it be a pair of grenades or some sort of high-tech analyser.

In addition I've returned to the three Krupps Corp unit blister models I bought from "Diehard Miniatures" whilst at this year's "Salute". As I plan to use the miniatures to represent the Norts from the "Rogue Trooper" comic book series in "2000 A.D.", I was never really happy with their "Vallejo" German Grey undercoat as it looked far too dark to the almost blue-suited villains I remember from my youth. Then recently I spotted a digitally coloured version of artist Dave Gibbons' Rogue Trooper: Total War splash page on the "Rebellion Publishing" website, and realised this was precisely the colour scheme I had in my 'Mind's Eye'. Resultantly, I've base-layered my trio of 'pilot pieces' with some "Vallejo" Sombre Grey to use for their chemsuits main colour instead...

"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"...