"Put Me Down... So I Can Reform Myself..."

"And I'm ready for those power blasts of yours too..."

This 28mm pre-painted plastic model of Charcoal is by “Wizkids” and can be bought as number 089 from their Marvel “Heroclix” Sinister range. Created to be a "Marvel Worldwide" comic book antagonist by Wallace and Kroja Frost, as part of a Wizard magazine "Create-A-Villain" contest, Charcoal would actually go on and join the Thunderbolts super-team, having initially been their enemy. The Burning Man made his first appearance in the November 1998 issue of "Thunderbolts", and was subsequently "killed in battle with Graviton" after the competition winner attempted to legally claim the copyright of the character from Marvel.

Initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal so as to eradicate the 44mm tall figure's disagreeable pre-paint, Charles Burlingame's alter-ego was washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and subsequently dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. I then 'picked out his rock-hard diamond growths using a combination of "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Asurmen Blue. Finally his eyes were painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

Doctor Doom WIPs - Victor Von Doom, a Doombot and a Servo-bot

The submission deadline for the first Bonus Round of the Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is still a couple of weeks away, and having already begun painting three "Heroclix" robots for it, I had thought I had the matter well-in-hand. However, as the theme is 'Armour' I have suddenly found myself thinking that perhaps a Latverian robotic force, led by their all-powerful armoured monarch Doctor Victor Von Doom, might be a bit more fun to assemble.

As a result I have continued to press on painting my "Wizkids" figure of the Fantastic Four's archenemy and begun priming a large number of the "Marvel Worldwide" super-villain's henchmen; most notably a few Doombots (armed robots who actually wear the face of the real Doctor Doom) and Servo-Guards (sentry robots that are programmed to attack their master's enemies). It's doubtful that I'll manage to get all of these models finished within so tight a target date, especially when I've based twelve of the 41mm tall Servo-Guards alone. But the opportunity to potentially 'field' the genius inventor's court, as once envisaged by co-creator's Stan Lee and Jack "King" Kirby seems too good an impetus to ignore...

Deep Sea Diver WIPs - The figure has been primed, 'black-lined' and had his helmet and boots layered

Similarly, I have found myself mulling over a small(ish) collection of metal models by "Reaper Miniatures". I have previously painted several of these characterful sculpts in an attempt to own enough with which to hold a game set within the "Gamma World" universe owned by "Wizards Of The Coast"; albeit I actually plan to use "7TV" by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" as my rule-set.

In fact, during last year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge I furiously managed to complete sixteen Terminator-like looking Cyber-Reavers as opposition. However, I never managed to then paint enough 'heroic' models with which to thwart them. This time round I hope to correct that oversight, and have subsequently started painting a Deep Sea Diver to represent the (time/universe displaced) Oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau.