"Isn't It Odd..."

"...The most dangerous places are always the most beautiful?"

This 43mm tall Gorilla model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought from their Heroes and Allies range as part of a set of three Great Apes. Designed to be used with the manufacturer's "fun, cinematic style skirmish" game 7TV - Second Edition, the huge primate's rules as a "Neutral Extra" can be found in the 7TV: Pulp expansion Menagerie of Terror.

The figure was initially primed with two coats "Citadel" Abaddon Black and enthusiastically dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal so as to highlight the sculpt's well-detailed fur. I then applied some (additional) "Vallejo "Heavy Charcoal to the Great Ape's chest, hands, face and feet, before shading these parts with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These three X-Commandos have been primed and dry-brushed

I 'spotted' the miniature's eyes with a couple of blobs of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to its forehead to indicate that it was a Western gorilla. This was later better blended in with a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna over the entire area. Lastly I 'picked out' the animal's teeth with some delicate dabs of "Vallejo" White, and carefully coloured its tongue in Heavy Red. All of these details were shaded in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to dirty them down.

In addition to finishing my third and final "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Great Ape, I have also been working on the remaining three figures from the company's second X-Commandos blister. I actually previously painted one of this group's models way back in November 2019, and was in all honestly never really happy with its predominantly black palette choices.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Blackthorn and Alpha Male

Having recently 'overcome' a similar problem with my "Marvel Crisis Protocol" Crossbones miniature by "Atomic Mass Games" by incorporating some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna into the colour scheme, I've decided to do the same with these models' leg-straps and holsters. And may well now even pay a return visit to my earlier female Department X trooper, so as to ensure a consistent look to the entire four-soldier squad.

I've also made some progress on two more of my "Supers Unlimited" figures by "Kitbash Games", including the long-forgotten Blackthorn. I was initially planning on closely following the former human-plant hybridization scientist's 'official' paint scheme, even though I intend upon using the resin sculpt for my own Weird War Two American super-hero Everglades. However, having patiently 'picked out' all the intricate vines snaking about the mutate's body and limbs, I really didn't like the look of my brush-work, so have since decided to go with a mixture of dry-brushing and washes to replicate the swampy-feel of Florida's subtropical wilderness...