(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Strontium Dog" August 2018

The Stix Brothers WIPs - The "ice-hearted killers" have been primed and are slowly having their details painted

This month's themed attempt to try and reduce my sadly, ever-growing collection of metal, plastic and resin miniatures will focus upon a selection of recently arrived figures manufactured by "Warlord Games" as part of their "Strontium Dog" range. "Defined by legendary comic creators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra" within the pages of the British anthology comic "2000 A.D.", this "skirmish tabletop battle game for two or more players" focuses upon mutated Search/Destroy agents and their "dangerous universe full of outlaws, pirates and corruption."

Fortunately, I was able to have a good preview the rulebook a few weeks before the "Strontium Dog: The Good the Bad and the Mutie" starter game was released, and was therefore rather 'encouraged' to purchase both "the classic confrontation between... Johnny Alpha & Wulf Sternhammer and the infamous Max Bubba’s gang", as well as my favourite Search/ Destroy agents, the Stix Brothers. Resultantly, I thought I actually paint up the comic strip's two main protagonists, alongside arguably their most memorable mutant nemesis' from the town called Stixville on the planet Freedonia.

Neophyte Hybrid Kill Team WIPs - The Genestealer cultists have been assembled and undercoated

For now I've simply managed to prime the first three of the "ice-hearted killers who affect the look of gunfighters from Earth’s Old West", and begin 'picking out' their boots, holsters, straps, gloved hands and firearms. Because "nobody is sure how many Stixes there are" there is always the potential to purchase more of these hopefully straightforward-to-paint figures, but with the Nottingham-based company already offering so many other of the comic's characters, from the Weerdz to Darkus' Howlers, I doubt I'll be tempted to do so for some time yet...

In addition, "Games Workshop" have released their latest incarnation of "Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team", which contains an assortment of their hard plastic multi-part miniatures, including a posse of Devoted Sons. I've loved the look of these Neophyte Hybrids ever since the possibility of a Genestealer Cult was first raised within the pages of "White Dwarf", so simply couldn't resist the opportunity to own a handful of the figures without the need (or expense) of buying a battleforce or bundle.

Boromite Work Ganger WIPs - The alien just needs some of his rocky skin to be shaded

The boxed set comes with enough models for a complete Kill Team, so I have set to work assembling and undercoating my merciless band's leader, Yorl Krauss, and a cult icon carrier already. I'm really hoping to get the makings of these faithfuls ones finished rather quickly, as the Writhing Shadow Tyranid starter set has already been announced and that means potentially building a second team of "multi-limbed monstrosities... armed with rending claws and scything talons" in the near future.

Of course, so many new projects means I've been desperately attempting to finish off some of my older ones, such as my 500-point Boromite Scouting Force for “Beyond The Gates Of Antares”. This final extra-terrestrial miner still needs a portion of his stony skin shaded and his facial features 'highlighted', but should soon bring to an end a somewhat grinding, oft-times frustratingly slow, year-long challenge.