“Hold It. Alpha’s Smart. Double Back For Sure.”

"Escape pods Level K. Watch 'em."

This 30mm tall metal model of one of the Stix Brothers is produced by “Warlord Games” and can be purchased as one of three miniatures from the Nottingham-based manufacturer's "Strontium Dog" range. Part of "a clan of apparently identical mutants of indeterminate number" the bounty hunters were created by John Wagner, Alan Grant, and artist Carlos Ezquerra in October 1980 for a "2000 A.D." comic book story-line which featured Johnny Alpha hunting down Adolf Hitler.

Initially primed using two layers of "Vallejo" Dark Sand, the Vancleef System-born brother was shaded using "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and later dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Dark Sand. The Search/Destroy agent's badge was 'picked out' using a combination of Dark Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, whilst his numerous straps and top of his broad-brimmed hat were treated to a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna before being washed with (more) Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter".

Rocket Raccoon, Monkey Joe, Molly Hayes and Groot approach a dangerous-looking objective marker

As some final steps I painted the cold-hearted villain's hair with "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and treated his skin to some "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I also slightly 'hummed and hawed' over whether to 'spot' the ruthless gunslinger's eyes or not, but in the end decided to leave them "Vallejo" Black as if heavily overshadowed by his spaghetti western styled head-wear and highlight around the cheekbones and nose with a dab or two of "Vallejo" Skintone.

Recently I've become more determined than other to play at least a handful of games a month, and was therefore delighted to grasp the opportunity this past weekend to throw down some of my repainted "Heroclix" collection, randomise a few objective markers across a desert settlement and play a few rounds of my homemade Super-hero rules, "M.I.S.S." This veritable mash-up was a real hoot and based upon the unlikely premise of the Black Manta and his U-Men clambering up out of a desert well so as to invade a settlement and surprisingly finding themselves face-to-face with the forces of the Dark Knight instead.

As Batman strives to reach Ben Grimm, the Man-Thing, Robin and Molly Hayes hold some of the other objectives

At the start things actually looked pretty good for the villainous David Hyde and his firearm-carrying frogmen with the black-costumed knaves shockingly gunning down both Rocket Raccoon and Monkey Joe as the heroes tried to approach an undercover Benjamin Grimm (Objective). However, once Batman and Nightwing joined the fray not even the sinister presence of Black Manta himself could prevent that particular flank from folding under a torrent of bat-shaped throwing stars.

To make matters worse, my formidably-sized contingent of nine U-Men were quickly whittled away courtesy of a nasty combination of gun-fire and jaw-dropping punches, leaving Commissioner Gordon and Molly Hayes to successfully push through to the battlefield's central objective, the Cosmic Cube. Despite my taking down Howard the Duck with a harpoon through the dratted bird's wise-cracking cigar-chomping beak, I was unable to subsequently mount any sort of counter-attack and ultimately watched helplessly as the Boy Wonder beat up the last of my surviving frogmen who were desperately trying to protect a Doctor Pepper drinks machine. What a diabolical performance...