"Take Your Stinking Paws Off Me..."

"...You damn dirty ape!"

This 28mm scale white metal model of an Albion Rocket Corporation Astronaut is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately or as part of their ARC Astronauts three-figure deal. The figure actually comes unarmed with a helmet-wearing head, but as I wanted to use him as a proxy for George Taylor from the 1968 movie "Planet Of The Apes" I converted him using additional parts taken from the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer's extensive accessories range.

For starters I swapped out the model's space helmet for the bearded Travelling Man head, and cut off his empty right hand at the wrist in order to pin in place one of the four TLS Pistol hands instead. The entire ensemble was then primed with two coats of "Vallejo" White and I 'picked out' some of the cosmonaut suit's numerous buttons with a dollop or two of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

 Statue Of Liberty WIP - The resin ornamental mantlepiece statue has been primed ready for layering

I had originally planned to leave the entire figure pure white, and perhaps simply settle for a small decal of the American flag on one of his sleeves. However, I couldn't source a tiny enough transfer for the miniature and subsequently realised that I had painted several of the suit's numerous displays when I had previously pigmented this particular sculpt a few years ago. As a result I used the combinations of "Vallejo" Heavy Red with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson", "Vallejo" Heavy Blue" with "Citadel" Asurman Blue, and "Vallejo" Heavy Grey with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green on the buttons.

I next applied some "Vallejo" Pale Grey to the folds and creases of Taylor's twentieth century spacesuit, and attempted to better blend these shadows in with a careful dry-brush of White. The West Point graduate's firearm was given a layer of "Citadel" Leadbelcher and drenched in "Citadel" Badab Black. Finally his hair and beard with treated to a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and a splash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Hero Forge" WIPs - The post-apocalyptic survivor has been dry-brushed and had some details 'picked out'

With the first of my three planned "Planet Of The Apes"astronauts finished, I have begun working on a test piece I compiled using the "Hero Forge" Customs Miniatures website. This is definitely an expensive way of getting miniatures made, even with a "GenCon 2020" discount code, but is something I'm hoping to build upon in order to produce a line of models based upon my range of "Time's Rambler" graphic novels.

For starters though, I thought I'd get something reasonably straightforward made - a premium (black) plastic model of myself in slightly post-apocalyptic attire, armed with a big pistol and the obligatory squirrel (!?!). There are some slight striation marks visible on the back of the miniature's long leather coat. However, that has easily been resolved with a lick of paint or two, and certainly hasn't stopped me designing/ordering the first three figures for what I hope to be a sizeable range in the future...