"For Truth And Justice!"

"A fight's a fight. And I've never lost one yet!"

This 28mm pre-painted plastic model of Captain America is by “Wizkids” and can be bought as number 069 from their “Heroclix” Marvel Infinity Challenge range. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Steve Rogers was used as a test subject for the Super-Soldier project during World War Two, and transformed by scientist Abraham Erskine "into a nearly perfect human being with peak strength, agility, stamina, and intelligence." Cast by the American government "as a patriotic superhero", the Sentinel of Liberty made his first appearance in the March 1941 issue of "Captain America Comics".

Originally undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue so as to cover the figure's original pre-paint, the model's boots and gloves were treated to a combination of Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. The veteran soldier's bulletproof shield was then painted with "Vallejo" Heavy Red, White and Heavy Blue. These areas were subsequently washed with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, "Vallejo" Pale Grey or "Citadel" Asurmen Blue. Lastly the "First Avenger" had his face 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, washed with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade and highlighted with more "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. As a last touch, Captain America's blue uniform was washed with "Citadel" Asurmen Blue before the entire miniature was gloss varnished.

"Heroclix" WIPs - Doctor Doom, Darkseid and Machine-Man

A somewhat big dilemma I then faced was finding a suitably-sized pair of five-pointed stars from my collection of decals. The detail on Rogers' shield, despite the model's somewhat thick pre-paint, had been raised high enough for me to simply draw the famous emblem with "Vallejo" White. But I wasn't so lucky with the "Timely Comics" character's chest and back. Fortunately I found a couple of ideally-suited stars (including their overlapping face stock) within my World War Two 'durable transfer' collection, and, after a couple of false starts, successfully put them in place.    

With plenty more "Heroclix" models on my painting table, the vast majority of which are eligible for the Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, I have spent some considerable time recently re-basing, gritting, and priming a myriad of super-villains such as Darkseid ("DC Comics") and super-heros like Machine-Man ("Marvel Worldwide"). In addition I have finished inking and dry-brushing a figure of Doctor Doom, and started to paint the Latverian monarch's famous suit of armour.

Karanak WIP - The "Finecast" Flesh Hound has simply been undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Red

Such an overwhelming number of plastic miniatures has still not stopped me assembling and undercoating my Nurgle Host's latest addition for "Age Of Sigmar"; albeit once again I have turned my attention to an allied Chaos unit rather than one specifically blessed by the God of plague, disease and destruction. Karanak is an especially nasty three-headed Flesh Hound, who can both act as a single model and summon an accompanying pack of savage beasts to "relentlessly hunt down the enemies of the Blood God."