“The Aforementioned Rimmer, To Whit, Me, Attended Inspection Parade."

"He was totally naked except for a pair of mock-leather driving gloves and some blue swimming goggles."

This 28mm miniature of Barry was made by "Y.F.T. Design Studio" and forms part of the company's limited release 'Scarlet Midget' - Cosplay Away Team. Very much a ‘look-a-like’ for Chris Barrie’s character in the "British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf", the second class technician was initially primed using two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, subsequently washed with “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green.

In order to slightly break up the model’s somewhat monotonous palette, I ‘picked out’ Arnold’s shoes in “Vallejo” Black Green and strongly considered using the same darker paint for his hat too. In the end though I simply settled for shading his footwear with some (more) “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green and applied a little Ironbreaker to the hologram’s ‘H’.

"Lister to Red Dwarf. We have in our midst a complete smegpot!"

With Rimmer finished, I have also applied myself to completing another of my Work Gang Boromites by “Warlord Games”. This particular extra-terrestrial miner will actually lead my latest unit for “Beyond The Gates Of Antares” and actually proved something of an experiment from the oft-times tedious technique I’ve been previously applying upon this specific genre of miniatures.

Ordinarily, I have been priming my Boromites with “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, and then washing them with “Citadel” Nuln Oil so as to better see all the detail on the sculpts. This initially seemed like a ‘cunning plan’ as this combination of layer and shade is the one I use to pigment all of the aliens’ rocky hides, and resultantly gave me the opportunity to complete a good two-thirds of each figure with a really simple process very early on in the painting process.

"Borom itself vanished into the Antarean collapse at the end of the Second Age..."

Unfortunately however, in subsequently having to ‘pick out’ all of the models’ intricately detailed, as well as occasionally hard-to-reach, armour with “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre and “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade, I usually end up having to ‘clean up’ much of the grey ‘skin’ areas later on, essentially re-doing the vast majority of it and ‘wasting’ a considerable amount of time. With this figure I therefore undercoated the entire miniature in “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre and only concentrated upon painting his stony flesh until the end.

Disappointingly, because this Work Gang Leader was so much more detailed than his brethren and carried his Mass Compactor in a rather unorthodox manner, it soon became evident that the figure was always going to be a rather long-winded paint-job, so any hope of comparing my ‘new’ approach to his colleagues was never going to really work. All I can say though is that having painted another Boromite using my old technique since, I’ve a feeling I’ll be using the “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre undercoats for any future additions to my 500 point Scouting Force…

"I Am Usually Referred To As The Master."

"We Time Lords are expected to face death with dignity."

This 32mm-tall "pewter" model of the Master is produced by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "I Am The Master" boxed set. Based upon Roger Delgado's incarnation of the renegade Time Lord, the "recurring villain" made his first appearance in Robert Holmes' January 1971 BBC television story "Terror Of The Autons" and would "become a main character in the show's eighth season."

Originally primed using two layers of "Vallejo" Black, the evil Gallifreyan was dry-brushed with Heavy Charcoal and subsequently shaded courtesy of some "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition I 'picked out' his shirt sleeves with a line of "Vallejo" Dead White, and applied some extra Black on the fiend's leather gloves in order to create a little contrast.

"It's a mayday, sir. SS Pevensey Castle, they say they're being attacked."

The Master's face was undercoated using some "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and washed in "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I later used some (more) "Vallejo" Skintone to highlight his nose, ears, mouth area and parts of his forehead. As a last touch, I dry-brushed some Heavy Bluegrey across his hair, blended it in with a little "Citadel" Nuln Oil. 

With the alien time traveller finished, I'm now looking forward to pairing him up with my fully-painted Sea Devils faction for an upcoming "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" battle against the Doctor. Armed with both a Tissue Compression Eliminator, as well as a Fencing Blade, Roger Delgado's character generates a highly useful pair of Fate Tokens and has "Two Wounds" (allowing him to twice "choose to ignore the effect" of a Shocked or Exterminated result by placing a wound token on his Recruitment card).

Draconian WIPs - A Guard, Soldier and Noble all in various stages of painting

Alongside owning the Traits "Sneaky" (which means he may always claim cover even if in the open), and "Parry" (which allows him to utilise Defence Battle cards in order to cancel certain enemy hits), this version of the Master may also be equipped with the Adventure Card "You Will Obey Me!" for free; potentially allowing him to hypnotise an enemy Character within 6" once per turn. The goatee-bearded villain can additionally take the Adventure Card "Tempus Fugit" (which under particular circumstances can force an opponent to discard one of their Adventure Cards "with no effect").

Having completed my latest Master, I have continued plugging away at the Draconian models I need so as to field a faction of the reptilian humanoids for the tabletop. My main priority is to paint the three pistol-toting sculpts required in order to deploy the Draconian Soldiers Recruitment Card, but as I had a spare Noble and Bodyguard model, I thought I might as well pigment the lot as a batch...

"A Combination Of Strategy, Tactics, And Absolute Mindless Violence..."

"...Blood Bowl is the classic game of fantasy football."

"Hello sports fans, and welcome to the inaugural edition of Monday Night Football. I'm Jim Maddenberg and despite the start of the season still being a couple of months away, coaches are already pulling their teams together in the hope of playing a few preseason games."

"One such club is the Doom Lords, a Chaos Chosen "Blood Bowl" team produced by "Games Workshop" and owned by a mysterious being commonly referred as ‘The Overfiend’. My fellow co-commentator, Thom Grassyglade has more. Thom..?"

Chosen Blocker & Beastman Runner WIPs - The models have been assembled and primed

"Well one thing's for sure, Jim, this Dark Gods-worshipping side will at least have a ball to play with during the club's opening match. One of six plastic Chaos team balls found within The Doom Lords boxed set, the skull ball was super-glued upon a 25mm circular base and primed using "Vallejo" Black."

"It was then treated to a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, before any visible leather was 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. These areas were subsequently washed with some "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade."

Beastman Runner WIPs - The players come with an assortment of horned heads

"Great update, Thom, and I see one of Blood Bowl’s most dangerous teams have also released some early pictures of some of the players they'll be hoping to trial in the weeks to come. Boy, those Chosen Blockers look a formidable sight. I bet they came in quite a few pieces prior to assembly?"

"Indeed they did, Jim. Both Blockers are seven-eight piece multi-part kits, and can be built with alternative heads too. To be honest though, the first of the Doom Lords' eight Beastman Runners are just as complicated to construct, as the ferocious Cloven Ones come with a choice of six different pairs of horns."

"Thanks Thom, that wrap's up this show, but please join us again next time when we'll be taking a closer look at some of this team's players..." 

"Legions Of Doombots Pursue Doom's Maniacal Plans."

"Some are more deadly than others..."

This 38mm tall “Wizkids” model of Doombot 3095 is miniature number 106 from the Secret Invasion Marvel Comics "Heroclix" range and was once also available as part of the New Jersey-based company's Fantastic Four 2010 Starter Set. Created by Doctor Doom to act as robot soldiers, and "often equipped with weapons such as laser rifles", these Servo-Guards "were programmed to recognise any enemy", as well as "protect the people of Latveria."

The plastic figure's original pink pre-paint was 'masked' using two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Violet and had it's boots, gloves and pants 'picked out' with Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. I then applied some a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil to the defence droid's firearm and head. These areas were later dry-brushed with more Ironbreaker so as to try and bring out the sculpt's somewhat soft detail.

Hiss, Cuss & Silent Weerd WIPs - The three Search/Destroy agents have been built, based and primed

The Doombot's face was painted using some "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, a splash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and a 'highlight' of some additional "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone to brighten up its cheek areas and nose. Finally, the automaton had his purple armour shaded with "Citadel" Druchii Violet.

Maintaining my momentum for the "Strontium Dog Starter Game: The Good, the Bad and the Mutie" by "Warlord Games", I have assembled, based and primed the three metal miniatures which can be found within The Weerds expansion box. Consisting of Cuss, Hiss and Silent, who "fought alongside Johnny Alpha during the first mutant war", I actually experienced a couple of frustrating problems with these miniatures.

Boromite Work Ganger WIPs - The alien miner still needs a lot of attention

The sculpts themselves are fine, but Cuss and Silent each lost one of their hand-weapons within seconds of my opening their blister. Upon close inspection the pair of miniatures both seemingly suffered with some terribly crumbly metal, and resultantly I have had to drill, pin and super-glue their blasters back into place...

Finally, I have actually been persevering with one of the last models I need to complete in order to finally field my 500-point Scouting Force for “Beyond The Gates Of Antares”. This remaining rocky-skinned miner still needs all his weaponry, ammunition packs and hip-flask to be pigmented, along with his impressive Mass Compactor, but I'm confident I should be able to get the Work Ganger completed within the next few days.

The Boromite Guilds Are All That They Have Of A Home..."

"...For long ago the Boromites spread to the ends of the Antarean universe."

This 28mm metal Boromite Work Ganger is manufactured by "Warlord Games" and comes as part of the Boromite Work Gang boxed set for "Beyond The Gates Of Antares". "Supplied unassembled and unpainted" this extra-terrestrial miner is the third of five miniatures I require in order for me to field a 123-point Reflex Armour-wearing unit armed with Mass Compactors and Implosion Grenades.

Initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, the figure was washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and then had a layer of Chaos Black applied over all its weaponry, ammunition packs and hip-flask. The alien's metallic areas, including its firearm's nozzle, were subsequently treated to a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, whilst its pouch was painted using a mix of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Heavy Red and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

Johnny Alpha & Wulf Sternhammer WIPs - The Search/Destroy agents have been primed

The Boromite's Mass Compactor had its hand-grips and main body slightly corroded with a light touch of "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash and I 'picked out' the weapon's power lighting with "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Finally, the model's yellow(ish) armour, his "separate multi-functional nanite receptor nodes" and mining tool's distortion compensator were all coloured by heavily washing a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre with some "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

Supposedly "released this Saturday & available in your local gaming stores" I'm already discovering my "inner mutant" by assembling Johnny Alpha, Wulf Sternhammer and Gronk from the "Strontium Dog Starter Game: The Good, the Bad and the Mutie" by "Warlord Games". These "central heroes" from the "2000 A.D." comic book series look very crisp metal sculpts indeed, and are accompanied within the box by an MDF flat-packed seven-piece Solar Farm scenery set made from MDF by Sarissa Precision.

The Stix Brothers & Gronk WIPs - All the models have been undercoated

Along with the obligatory rule-book, cards and tokens, the "great value" starter set also contains models of the infamous outlaws responsible for Wulf's death in Prog 465, "the notorious Max Bubba and four of his gang – Impetigo Jones, Brute Mosely, Skull and Low-Down O’Phee." However, rather than assemble them I've decided to start on my favourite Search/ Destroy agency contractors instead, the infamous Stix brothers.

Coming "from an unknown number of apparently identical mutants" these "ice-hearted killers" who "affect the look of gunfighters from Earth’s Old West" appear as if artist Carlos Ezquerra has somehow managed to actually pencil them in white metal, and arrived bundled alongside their Character card, Armoury cards (Gas Bomb and Frag Bomb) and Chicanery card (Stone Cold)...

"Of Course, Lager! The Only Thing That Can Kill A Vindaloo!"

"There's only three alternatives: it thinks we're either a threat, food or a mate..."

This 28mm miniature of Charley was made by "Y.F.T. Design Studio" and forms part of the company's limited release 'Scarlet Midget' - Cosplay Away Team. Clearly a "doppleganger" for Craig Charles' character in the "British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf", the "lowest ranking crewman" was originally undercoated using two coats of "Vallejo" Black, subsequently dry-brushed with Heavy Charcoal and washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

At first I had planned to add some extra colour to the third-class technician by stepping somewhat away from his more recent all-black clothing palette and giving him a red London Jets Zero-Gee football team T-Shirt underneath his leather jacket. Unfortunately however, the paint on this particular figure persistently flaked off for no discernible reason, even after varnishing, so it soon became clear that even my attempt to apply various shades of dark grey across Lister's clothing were doomed to fail...

"This week's Red Dwarf contains scenes which are unsuitable for younger viewers..."

Resultantly, I re-pigmented the majority of 'Cloister the Stupid' with more "Vallejo" Black and used a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker with Nuln Oil for his blazooka. I also applied some "Vallejo" Dead White to the skull and crossbones stitched across the self-proclaimed bum's back and 'picked out' some metallic adornments upon his coat with "Citadel" Ironbreaker and "Vallejo" Brass. These areas were later shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade respectively.

I did however manage to get some colour onto the pantheist by using some "Vallejo" Heavy Red on his leg scarf and left sleeve. These scraps of clothing were washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil to help grunge them up, and then carefully dry-brushed with a bit of extra "Vallejo" Heavy Red in order to try and bring out some of their detail. 

Doombot & She-Hulk WIPs - The robot and super-heroine are slowly being blocked and shaded

Undoubtedly the biggest problem I had with this model though, was a slight miscast over Charley's face. Having viewed the sculpt's computer rendering and some of the photographed crisp-looking castings on the "Y.F.T. Design" website, I applied "Citadel" Doombull Brown over his head and hands, washed them with (more) Strong Tone Quickshade and attempted to 'dot in' the man's eyes as close to where they should have been as I could...

With two of my "Nexus Miniatures" finished, I have continued to make some good progress on some far more straightforward plastic "Wizkids" models I plan to use in order to extend my recent Fantastic Four verses Doctor Doom campaign. Despite being an old "Heroclix" sculpt from the November 2002 "Clobberin' Time" range I'm hoping She-Hulk will provide the super-talented quartet with some additional punching power, whilst I've actually dug out a handful more Doombots to add to Victor's robotic Latverian force.  

"Look, That Rabbit's Got A Vicious Streak A Mile Wide, It's A Killer!"

"He's got huge, sharp -- he can leap about -- look at the bones!"

This 27mm tall plastic “Wizkids” model of a Demon Bunny is miniature number 040 from the "Horrorclix" Nightmares range and has been re-painted slightly differently from its original palette in order to closer resemble the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. Guarding "the home of the Legendary Black Beast of Arrrghhh (named for the last utterance of anyone who ever saw it)", the terrible monster with "nasty, big, pointy teeth" appeared in the 1975 British slapstick comedy film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".

"Portrayed in the movie by both a real rabbit and a prop", the miniature was carefully cut from its 'clicky-base' and super-glued on to a 40mm circular stand before being primed "Vallejo" Dead White. The long-eared, formidable-looking fluffy animal was then washed with Pale Grey, before being dry-brushed using (more) Dead White and having its nose 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Black.

Doombot & She-Hulk WIPs - The robot and super-heroine are slowly being blocked and shaded

In the "wicked fun" collectable miniatures game, this "harmless little bunny" transforms into a paranormal demon upon slaying its first victim, and resultantly its sculpt appeared to have been strongly influenced by the grotesquely mutated rabbit which is pulled from out of a hat during "Twilight Zone: The Movie". As this wasn't necessarily the look I wanted I therefore simply left the inside of its mouth "Vallejo" Black (as opposed to red) and washed it's sharp Dead White incisors with a serious splash of "Citadel" Bloodletter.

I then took a piece of blusher pad, and dabbed around the "innocuous" rabbit's already glaze-stained teeth with some "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. This Shade really helped darken parts of the model's mouth and jaws, as if the furry fiend had just dispatched the hapless knight, Bors. As a final touch I also applied some (more) Bloodletter to the animal's "Vallejo" Heavy Red eyes.

100mm x 100mm x 60mm MDF WIP - The MDF box/building has been assembled and covered in 3D decals

Sticking with "Wizkids" pre-painted models, and enthused by some recent battles involving the Fantastic Four fighting Doctor Doom using homemade rules, I have also started progressing a couple more "Heroclix" miniatures which I plan to utilise for a third tabletop instalment to the super-group's campaign. Hoping to add a bit more muscle to Reed Richards' quartet I have returned to an old figure of She-Hulk that I started painting some months ago, and similarly turned my attention to an especially robotic-looking member of Victor Doom's legion of Doombot minions.

Lastly, I've assembled yet another of the MDF boxes I recently bought from Tepic2000 on "Ebay" to create a Cyber-City tabletop for "Doctor Who: Exterminate!". An accommodating 100mm x 100mm x 60mm in size, I've applied many more of the 3D decals "N-FX Game Design Studio" very kindly gifted me recently to its surfaces and lid, and hope to have the science fiction building finished over the next few days...

"The Ways Of The Earthmen Are Devious."

"Obviously they are preparing the next stage of their plan."

This 39mm-tall "pewter" model of a Draconian Bodyguard is sold by “Warlord Games” and can be bought as part of their "Draconians" boxed set. Based upon the "tall, reptilian species" whose Empire in the Twenty Fifth Century rivalled that of Earth, the scaly-skinned extra-terrestrials made their first appearance in Malcolm Hulke's February 1973 BBC television story "Frontier In Space" and would later be "among the races who... helped imprison the Eleventh Doctor in the Pandorica in order to save the universe."

Initially primed using two layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, the highly honourable alien's limbs and head were pigmented using Heavy Brown and a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The warrior's robes were then shaded with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green and carefully dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green".

Draconian Bodyguard WIPs - The alien needs his golden sashes to be highlighted and tidied up

"Led by the Emperor and his court of nobles", I decided upon a rather tabletop standard solution to my problem of the Draconian's lavishly embroidered oriental-looking shoulder pads and golden flowing sashes, by simply applying both some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Brass to these areas, before later washing them with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

Later I delicately drew some additional "Vallejo" Brass over the costume's ridges in order to highlight all the intricate patterns woven onto the material, and tidied up some of the adjoining Heavy Green areas with a thin line of watered-down Black. As a final touch I 'picked out' the soldier's hand-weapon with "Citadel" Ironbreaker and a dash of Nuln Oil.

100mm x 100mm x 60mm MDF WIPs - The MDF box/building has been painted "Citadel" Ironbreaker

With the first of my three Draconian Bodyguards finished, I have already been slowly working my way through the aforementioned stages on two other identical miniatures. Admittedly, I only actually need two to use for their Recruitment card in "Doctor Who: Exterminate!", but as I have three, I thought I might as well continue to paint them all at the same time.

In addition, I've spent some more time working on the MDF boxes I recently bought from Tepic2000 on "Ebay" to create a Cyber-City tabletop. I have begun sloppily shading a "Citadel" Ironbreaker undercoated 100mm x 100mm x 60mm building with Nuln Oil, and, using some more of the 3D decals "N-FX Game Design Studio" very kindly gifted me, applied a number vents, electronic interfaces and metallic panels to a second smaller facility.

"No Silicon Heaven? Preposterous! Where Would All The Calculators Go?"

"I haven't been this embarrassed since I was loosening my adjustment screws..."

"Cast in White Metal", this 28mm miniature of Kry-10 was made by "Y.F.T. Design" and forms part of the company's limited release 'Scarlet Midget' - Cosplay Away Team. Clearly a "lookalike" for Robert Llewellyn's character in the "British science fiction situation comedy Red Dwarf", the Series III mechanoid was initially primed using some "Vallejo" Black and subsequently dry-brushed with Gunmetal Grey.

The robot butler 's groin socket, hand-held cleaning device and central circular chest panel were then 'picked out' using "Citadel" Ironbreaker, before the figure was entirely washed with Nuln Oil. The automaton's hands and cube-shaped head were later pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

Wildfyre & Dibber WIPs - The two alter-ego "Red Sector" characters have simply been based and primed

As a last touch Kryten's head was additionally given a careful, light dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone in order to try and bring out some of its angular details. I did momentarily consider basing the miniature on a science-fiction themed stand, but in the end went with my age-old mix of "Citadel" Doombull Brown, Rakarth Flesh and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade so it would fit in with the vast majority of my other finished figures.

With the first of my four Grant-Naylor influenced "clean-up crew" completed, I have actually set about assembling a couple more figures from the "Nexus Miniatures" range to add to my painting queue. Sculpted by Carl Stoelzel these two "instantly recognisable cosplay sci-fi comedy" characters are Arnold 'Ace' Wildfyre and D. Wayne 'Rocky' Dibber.

Boromite Work Gang Leader WIPs - The alien miner still needs his detailed Mass Compactor painted

However, its clear that the Space Adventurers make excellent-looking doppelgangers for Ace Rimmer and the dorky alter-ego of the Cat, Duane Dibbley. I'm especially pleased to get my hands on Arnold, as the sculpt's original planned pose proved somewhat problematic prior to casting on account of him holding a firing pistol in his right hand. I understand the hand-weapon proved too difficult to successfully cast, so was delayed in order for the model's stance to be altered and the gun removed.

Finally I am currently working on a Boromite Work Gang Leader for “Beyond The Gates Of Antares” by “Warlord Games”. I actually had to purchase this particular figure separately from the Nottingham-based manufacturer having lost the original one from my boxed set, and then recently discovered the AWOL alien miner during a big clear up. Despite this though, I had decided to stick to painting my replacement miniature in order to establish whether using a "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre undercoat will make the time-consuming piece quicker to paint...

"Wizkids" Battle Report: Fantastic Four - The Black Panther Strikes - Part Two

THE BLACK PANTHER BATTLES ONE OF VICTOR VON DOOM'S METALLIC MINIONS

"The story so far… Doctor Doom has reactivated the super-strong android, Dragon Man and plans to use the automaton to kill the royal leader of Wakanda. Deducing the Latverian's scheme to usurp T'Challa's throne, Reed Richards and the rest of the Fantastic Four have intercepted the mad tyrant's assassination squad, and together with the Black Panther plan to put a stop to the diabolical plot..."

THE TABLETOP - A DESERTED PART OF NEW YORK CITY

"Wizkids" Battle Report: Fantastic Four - The Black Panther Strikes - Part One

Sue Storm-Richards continued to head east to contest Objective Five (Drinks Machine) with Dragon Man, whilst Ben Grimm slowly followed up behind her. Eager to bring his vibranium claws to bear upon his country's enemies, the Black Panther charged into the Doombot stood just north of the car [Attack: 4 + 2 dice for the Charge]. The chieftain of the Wakandan Panther Clan sliced through the automaton's defences [Heavy Armour: Saves any hits on a roll of 5 or 6] and it exploded into a dozen burning pieces.

Meanwhile Reed Richards curled himself up into a ball and bounced into the gap between Objective One (Bin) and Objective Three (Debris). To his south, his fiery brother-in-law hurled a fireball at the Doombot approaching Objective Three, but discovered his attack was just out of range [Short Range: 10 inches].

With the battle now at its midway point, the Fantastic Four pressed forward with both T'Challa and the super-team's ultra-intelligent bendy-limbed leader charging into the Doombot which the Human Torch had moments before unsuccessfully tried to fry. The humanoid robot was crushed to pieces by the 'dynamic duo', and provided an ailing Johnny Storm with an opportunity to fly back to Objective Two (Grave) and secure it.

MISTER FANTASTIC, T'CHALLA, THE HUMAN TORCH AND THE THING IN ACTION

Further south-east The Thing continued his ponderous run towards Dragon Man, and quickened his pace when he saw Invisible Woman's force field missile simply bounce off of the formidably-sized android's skin [Heavy Armour: Saves any hits on a roll of 5 or 6].

Having infuriatingly witnessed two of his three mechanical minions fall to the power of his hated arch-enemies, Doctor Doom ordered Professor Gregson Gilbert's creation to charge into Benjamin Grimm and watched with some satisfaction as the huge dragon-sized automaton pounded upon the hero's rocky hide [Attack: 3 + 2 dice for the Charge]. Fortunately for Aunt Petunia's favourite nephew though, only one of the blows actually did any lasting damage, and the Thing had plenty more left in the gas tank yet [Mass: 5].

With an angry yell, Latveria's benevolent monarch aimed one of his armoured gauntlets in the direction of the Black Panther, and momentarily gave a satisfied sneer behind his metal mask's face-plate as he saw his energy blast wound the king of Wakanda [Shooting: 2 dice]. Nearby, the tyrant's sole-surviving Doombot took a pot-shot at Sue Storm-Richards, but missed.

REED RICHARDS AND SUE STORM-RICHARDS TACKLE THE EVIL DOCTOR DOOM

Despite being under-fire, Invisible Woman reached Objective Five (Drinks Machine), and momentarily paused to watch The Thing impressively dent Dragon Man's artificial casing [Attack: 5 dice]. To the north-west, the Black Panther retreated back to the relative safety of Objective One (Bin), leaving Mister Fantastic to go toe-to-toe with Victor Von Doom; a brawl which saw Reed Richards successfully wound the "skilled sorcerer".

The time for words or even ranged attacks was clearly over, as the final Doombot flew across the battlefield into Invisible Woman. Ably protected by her psionic force field [Armour: Saves any hits on a roll of 6], the female human mutate was unharmed, as was her husband, courtesy of his rubbery-flesh, when Doctor Doom punched him a mere second or two later.

Sadly, Ben Grimm did not come away from his bout with Dragon Man quite as unscathed, and suffered another wound at the clawed hands of the monstrously-winged robot.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR BRAVELY BATTLE THE FORCES OF DOCTOR DOOM

The contest's final round degenerated into a total punch-fest as both Sue Storm-Richards and her metallic counter-part exchanged superficial blows with one another. Whilst the Thing found his usually solid legs start to weaken as the supernatural villain he faced struck home with yet another powerful punch. Meanwhile "the son of a Romani witch" continued to ineffectively pummel away at Mister Fantastic's elastic torso, desperately trying to land a telling blow upon his most hated rival.

But time had to an end for Victor Von Doom, and with the Fantastic Four revealing seven Victory Points worth of Objectives to the Latverian dictator's zero, it was clear he had completely failed in his bid to seize the day and replace T'Challa as Wakanda's ruler...

"When The Cybermen Entered The Telos System, They Took Over The Planet..."

"...Using the cities as cryogenic facilities."

This 70mm x 70mm x 42mm square MDF box was bought from Tepic2000 on Ebay, and converted into a simple futuristic building for my Cyber-City by using several of the excellent 3D decals sold by “N-FX Game Design Studio”. Undoubtedly a fairly straightforward ‘kit-bash’, the tiny installation will be the first of several science-fiction structures I plan to use in order to help recreate the Cybermen’s catacombs on the planet “Telos”; a “grey, barren, rocky world” which first appeared on the BBC Television show “Doctor Who” in the September 1967 story “The Tomb Of The Cybermen”.

Having assembled the box and its lid without any major difficulties using some PVA glue, I affixed a number of 3D decals over its numerous surfaces in order to try and replicate grills, grates and electronic panels. These ‘details’ are self-adhesive and despite sticking to the wood very well indeed, could still be peeled away from the surface and re-aligned whenever I made a slight mistake in their orientation.

"The Cybermen disappeared sometime in the 21st Century... following defeats around human-occupied space."

The sheer amount of different decals Nik Hull has created for this range is breath-taking, and one of my main priorities for this ‘test piece’ was to try and utilise a broad number of them. As a result I felt a hatchway on top of the building would be highly appropriate, along with a series of control boards and ventilation systems around its sides. Once I was happy with the look of the installation I gave the entire ensemble an undercoat of “Vallejo” Black.

I then applied two coats of “Citadel” Ironbreaker over the structure, and subsequently heavily washed it with Nuln Oil. I applied this shade incredibly haphazardly, as I wanted the ‘box and its lid’ to appear rather grungy. In addition, I decided at this stage that I wasn’t going to worry too much about it’s interior and base, as these were in all likelihood never going to be seen. Finally, I gave the building a rough dry-brush of (more) “Citadel” Ironbreaker in order to help bring all the “N-FX Game Design Studio” decals to the fore...

Draconian Bodyguard and Staal WIPs - The reptilian humanoid is almost finished

With the tiny MDF installation finished, and my second somewhat larger box being primed, I have somewhat shifted focus upon a handful of Draconian models I need to finish in order to field the “reptilian humanoids” for “Doctor Who: Exterminate!” I’ve already previously completed the faction’s "Unique" Draconian Noble, and now plan to paint three "Brave" Draconian Bodyguards up. I actually only need two of these interstellar imperialists for “Warlord Games” rule-set, but thought I might as well progress the trio of miniatures at the same time.

In addition, the Nottingham-based company has recently kindly gifted me a few Sontarans, so I thought it would only be polite for me to start work on the clone force’s leader General Staal. Commander of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet, the “stubborn” soldier is accompanied by two bodyguards, and a plethora of troops, so should give me plenty of opportunity to get reacquainted with one of my favourite “Vallejo” acrylic colour paints, Gunmetal Blue.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Red Dwarf" July 2018

"Red Dwarf" WIPs - Dave Lister and Kryten

This month's themed attempt to try and reduce my concerning, ever-growing collection of metal, plastic and resin miniatures will focus on a selection of recently arrived models previously produced by "Y.F.T. Design" as part of their "Nexus Miniatures" range. Clearly heavily-influenced by Grant Naylor's British science fiction comedy programme "Red Dwarf", I hope to initially paint up four of these now OOP Perkūnas Mining Corporation "Scarlet Midget" Cosplay Starship Crew figures over the next few weeks, and perhaps then turn to some of the television series' other memorable characters; Ace Rimmer, Dwayne Dibley, Mister Flibble, Kristine Kochanski and Holly.

To begin with though I'll be focusing upon Charley, Felix, Barry and Kry-10. All of whom will make excellent proxies for Dave Lister, Cat, Arnold Rimmer and Kryten. To be honest they're a bit of a mixed bunch, with "The Last Human" proving particularly frustratingly on account of his metal figure stubbornly refusing to take any paint despite being repeatedly primed and 'touched up'.

"Red Dwarf" WIPs - Arnold Rimmer and the Cat

Indeed, even a simple dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal" caused his undercoat to peel away in places. Very annoying, as I was hoping to make the third-class technician's predominantly black palette a bit more interesting by using a variety of different greys. Now though, the plan is simply to keep the miniature "Vallejo" Black and perhaps as a final stage shade a few different areas with "Citadel" Nuln Oil; a technique which strangely does cause a change in the base layer's  colour.

Fortunately, I have had less problems with Kryten, who has already been primed, dry-brushed and washed, and is ready for some detailing. "Y.F.T. Design" also kindly sent me three separate bazookoids with which to use for conversions, and I was sorely tempted to try and provide the "Series III mechanoid" with one. Ultimately though I thought that would prove too difficult and time-consuming, so I've stuck with the model's original hand-tool instead.

Mister Freeze's "Gotham City" crew

I'll also be leaving the sculpts of Rimmer and the Cat alone too, as the computer-generated hologram's pose isn't very convertible, and Frankenstein's extravagantly dressed descendent is already carrying one of the heavy-weapons. Both of these miniatures should prove fairly straightforward to finish on account of Arnold being almost entirely green and Danny John-Jules' character wearing a lot of black...

Lastly, I have finished the third and final “Wizkids” model of Solomon Grundy I previously converted for this year's annual "Forgotten Heroes" challenge. Apart from using "Vallejo" Heavy Violet and "Citadel" Leviathan Purple for his clothing, this member of Mister Freeze's "Cold Pack" has been painted in exactly the same manner as his two peers, and should provide Victor Fries with some cryogenically-enhanced 'muscle'.