Top Ten Miniatures Of 2022 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

Once again I’ve been let loose on "Fantorical" for the day, as it’s that time of the year that seems to roll around with ever increasing speed (I think it’s an age thing!) where I root around in the wonderful blog posts you can find here for my ten favourite models that Simon has applied his “magic” brush to in 2022. Now I could ramble on about how it gets harder and harder each year to pick just ten of “Mister Moore’s” marvellous miniatures, but quite frankly you’re here, so you should be well aware of just how high the standard is, so without further ado let’s get on to the “eye candy”…

No. 10 - Gort by "Big Mr Tong" -  September 25th

The big news over on “Fantorical” this year was Simon purchasing a 3D printer, so now, along with all the wonderful figures he buys that I’ve never heard of or seen before, he’s also now printing stuff that has the same effect on me! One of the first of these new-fangled “prints” was this marvellous rendition of “Gort” - the iconic robot from the 1951 classic “The Day The Earth Stood Still”. Now, even though Simon wasn’t happy with the diminutive size of the piece (he wants him bigger next time he prints it), and the trials and tribulations he had getting good coverage with his silver-coloured casing, I have to say I thought the end result was a pure triumph and was so evocative of the original. A smashing figure all round.

No. 9 - Killbots by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - September 19th

Okay, so not actual licensed “Arnie” style T101 Terminators. But rather Crooked Dice’s “let’s not pay a license” versions. But don’t let that detract you from the inspired work that has been done on these robots. Rather than just paint them black and dry-brush them silver (like I would have done), there are actually several layers on these chaps worked up from a grey base though different shades and a “Mig Productions Extreme Rust Wash”. The cherry on the cake for me though has to be the faded “skull” effects on the faces that just lifts these killing machines to a whole new level of “creepy”.

No. 8 - Sentry Robots by "Twisted Pinnacle 3D" - July 26th

Back when I was young there were several things that meant it was Christmas - presents (of course), my Grandparents coming to stay and “The Black Hole” on Christmas day television! Now though I never really did understand what was happening when the “Cygnus” went through the “hole” itself, I still always loved this movie, and especially all the various robots in it. So I was thrilled when these renditions of the sentry robots (sculpted by "Big Mr Tong") started appearing on Simon’s blog. Now these are a perfect example of figures that don’t need to be overly complicated to be good. The palette on these is relatively simple, but get the colours right and then execute the painting itself to this sort of level and you end up with something truly remarkable. They have  just right amount of menace. Lovely work.

No. 7 - General Blackblood by "Mongoose Publishing" - February 7th

I’m a big fan of the “ABC Warriors” comic strip from "2000AD" and this rendition of the “Not very trustworthy Volgon General” looks like he’s stepped from straight off its printed pages, In fact, Simon put paint to several “Warriors” this year and it was a real toss-up as to which team member would make the cut. But by a narrow margin I just felt the colours and details were picked out so nicely that this one topped the tree and I have to say I think he made the “Straw Dogs” proud.

No. 6 - Havelock Type 57 Battlesuit - "Alternative Armies" - July 13th

Do you ever write something that you know is going to get you into trouble? Well I have a feeling this choice might just do that, Now for much of the year Simon has been working his way through the vast quantity of Games Workshop Space Marines he has bought for his “Horus Heresy” project - and very nice they are too I hasten to add. But rather than pick one of them I’ve gone for this wonderful 15mm Havelock type 57 Battlesuit which Simon is using as a dreadnought for a smaller scale Space Marine force he’s progressing in parallel to his 28mm official version. Why? I hear you ask. Well the painting starts with the lovely “Citadel" Sons of Horus Green and after that there's lots of subsequent fettling and attention to detail. This all results in the rich colour scheme shown and is just as outstanding to my eye as it is on the model's larger brethren. Indeed, if I’m totally honest here I just prefer the sculpt over its bigger brothers. Sorry Simon.

No. 5 - Ebon Jaguar Battlemech by "Catalyst Games Labs" - March 7th

So in a repeat of last year I’ve picked a “Battletech” miniature in my “Top Ten”. I love these things, and they take me back to my club days when we used to role play this with the original miniatures. But it’s not just nostalgia, Simon’s re-imagining of them as alternative heavy armour for his homebrew “Weird War 2” battles is both inspired and beautifully done. Quite frankly he hasn’t done one yet I didn’t like, however, the contrasting greys used on this “mech” lifted from a “Fokker” fighter plane's livery, with its “pops” of bright yellow on the canopy suits this mech’s shape so well, and makes it my absolute favourite he’s done so far in this project.

No. 4 - Blood Bowl Dwarf Blitzer by "Games Workshop" - January 17th

Simon is a big fan of “Blood Bowl” and started the year painting up several classic Dwarven players to use in some “Blood bowl Sevens” games. His “Rusty Buckets” team were all excellent and brought back some great memories of playing the original game back in the day - though despite having several of the original teams, I strangely have never owned the Dwarf team myself. The brown and “rust” palette he used was perfect to convey the “out of retirement” nature of the team, and though all the players were lovely there was just something about this Blitzer that put him above the others - maybe it’s his eyes with their “steely glare” to them? I love this little guy.

No. 3 - Talos by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - May 28th

Now I’m always banging on about how well Simon does black (and I will be again before the end of this post), but one of the other things he excels at is weathered brass - as seen on many of the truly wonderful statues he presents through the pages of his blog. It would therefore be remiss of me to not include what was, in my opinion, his most impressive one this year. So I give you - Talos the Titan. Albeit in this case not for use menacing “Jason and his Argonauts” but instead as a fearsome automaton created by “Dr Argo” for the 7TV rule-set. The colours are sublime and perfect to represent the brassy casing of the Titan but it’s the subtle use of "Citadel" Nihilakh Oxide that really brings this 60mm tall figure to life.

No. 2 - Black Widow by "CoolMiniOrNot" - April 30th

I love superheroes. In fact, one of the first things that attracted me into following Simon’s blog was that he paints quite a lot of them, and of course he never disappoints when he’s applying paint to one of my favourites. Furthermore, as I have said so many times over the years (so much so I should have it permanently on “cut and paste”) he does do black phenomenally well, so when he combines the two there is a very good chance that figure is going to be near the top of my “Top ten” list for the year in question. So after that long introduction I give you this wonderful “Chibi” version of the “Black Widow” - everybody’s favourite Russian (Not that she has an awful lot of competition at the moment!).

This lovely figure has only been enhanced by the immaculate work Simon has put into it, the colours are perfect, his trademark gloss varnish gives a lovely sheen to her leather costume and the vibrancy of her red locks and blue tinged shock-sticks provide subtle but needed counterpoints to the black of her jumpsuit. This is not the only Black Widow Simon has painted this year, he’s also painted a very nice “not” version by "Reaper Miniatures" too, and a tough choice had to be made between the two I’ll tell you. But this version just tipped the scales in my view. I've also just realized that I haven’t personally painted any “Supers” for well over a year now. But this young lady has definitely got me wanting to put that right ASAP, and I can’t give higher praise than that!

No. 1 - Giant Robot by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - December 10th

And so we come to my number one favourite miniature of 2022, and it’s another robot. Indeed, I have just realized that eight out of my “Top ten” figures this year are robots! I don’t know if this says something about me, or if Simon just painted a lot of very wonderful mechanical machines this year - I'm going to go with the second option I think!. Now, as has already been shown with a couple of my other choices one of the things Simon is so very good at is seeing a figures potential in a project outside of the one it was originally designed for, and this is a perfect example of that skill. Anyway, Simon waited until the end of the year to paint this behemoth and push poor Natasha Romanoff off of the top spot. Another piece for a “Weird War 2” project, this time in 28mm scale, is this 90mm tall “Giant Robot” which was a chart topper from the moment I set eyes on it!

Where do I start? The colours, as always, are absolutely perfect, being a spot on match for US world war two mechanized equipment. The chipping, visible at the edges of the panels, looks so right. Whilst the rust effects are also superbly done, with even the faded decals adding to the overall effect. There is a lot of thought and work that has gone into this model. It is not only a wonderful thing but a perfect example of Simon’s outstanding craftsmanship, and that’s why it’s my number one of 2022!

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And that’s it for another year. Time to start the recriminations about the “ones that got away” or rather the ”nearly” figures that didn’t quite make my list. Several did make my short (I mean long) list and I’ll mention a few. However, you really should look back through Simon’s website pages to find the following honourable mentions…

The aforementioned version of Black Widow by "Reaper Miniatures", the 3D printed Cybermen, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Frankenstein’s Monster and "Marvel" comic book Abomination. Not to mention, the Strawman and Strawbears, his “Hotwheels” conversions, the Eidolon, numerous 15mm German Panzergrenadiers, SpyBots, and of course, the 28mm Horus Heresy Space Marines. Honestly, the list goes on…But what would have been number eleven on my list..?

No.11 - Witch Knight by "Alternative Armies" - July18th

As usual, I’ll finish by thanking Simon for allowing me to run roughshod across the pages of his most excellent of blogs, as well as giving his time and effort in trying to drag ten decent figures from my own motley collection. Please head over to "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" if you want to read how this should be done properly and by someone who can actually string words together. That just leaves it for me to wish all of you out there the very best of New Years, and I sure like me, you look forward to seeing and reading everything Simon’s website provides us with in 2023.

Cheers Roger.

"Instruct All Regenerated Cybermen To Evacuate The Ship."

"You will return to Cybercontrol and inform main fleet of our intention."

These four 28mm scale Cybermen were sculpted by "Big Mr Tong" and can be downloaded for free as part of a ten-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from his "Patreon" subscription service. Based upon Eric Saward's incarnation of the Mondasians as first seen in his March 1982 "Doctor Who" story "Earthshock", the miniatures were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer.

Having been washed, cured and then removed from their supports (applied through "Chitubox" Basic following each figure being rotated at a thirty degree angle), the silver giants were undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black and given a double-helping of "Vallejo" Gunmetal. The models were then washed using "Citadel" Nuln Oil, dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal, and treated to a combination of "Scalecolor" Speed Metal and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red on their hand-weapons’ power cylinders.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - Four of ten Sardaukar which have been primed and dry-brushed

Somewhat disappointingly, these miniatures are only half the number of "Big Mr Tong" sculpts I had intended to enter into the Thirteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge for its opening week, Luckily, I have provided myself with some leeway in my overall schedule of submissions so as to achieve my target of 500 points (approximately one hundred 28mm figures). But it certainly hasn't been the flying start I was hoping for.

As a result I aim to knuckle down over the next few days and pigment ten of the prolific Patreon-based sculptor's Sardaukar models (from David Lynch's 1984 American science-fiction film "Dune"), replicating the simple palette I devised on a test model late last month. This should help me get somewhat back on track, and provide me with a little 'wriggle room' when it comes to old/new model ranges or rule-sets unexpectedly distracting from my main focus.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Three Yeti which now need their eyes and claws 'picking out'

One such 'interruption' has definitely been "Warlord Games" announcement that their soon to be deleted "Doctor Who" range was having a "Last Chance Clearance" sale, with all their metal sets suddenly being sold at half-price. I had actually convinced myself that I had bought all the miniatures I wanted from their "End Of Time" offer - having repeatedly pillaged the Nottingham-based company's Mythic Americas collection in order to qualify for the free figures I wanted.

However, this latest deal prompted me to 'pick up' several more Mire, Movellans, Headless Monks, Ogrons, Tetraps and even a Pyrovile to help bolster my forces, and additionally grant me access to a second set of free Yeti. These 48mm tall robots were an absolute joy to paint in the past, and this time round will be pigmented predominantly using colours taken from the "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" range so as to bring a little contrast to my formidably-sized furry 'sixsome.'

"The Fields Of Normandy" 15mm Battle Report: Secure The Woods

THE SAS ATTEMPT TO SECURE SOME WOODS IN NORMANDY 1944

This game was played using "The Fields Of Normandy" rule-set sold on "Amazon" using some of the figures from my 15mm "Flames Of War" collection, and took place on a small layout made up of Hexon II terrain boards by "Kallistra" - which I both painted and flocked many moons ago. In addition, I used some now seemingly out of production (OOP) autumn pine trees by "Battlefront Miniatures" to help bring the mission more to life, rather than simply use a paper map as per the paperback book.

“The story so far… It is 1944 and as part of Operation Epsom the Sixth Royal Scots Fusiliers have been ordered to seize the German-occupied city of Caen. Facing the deadly task of advancing against an almost invisible enemy consisting of hidden machine-guns, the infantry regiment have asked the Special Air Service (SAS) to secure some nearby woodland from which they hope to launch their attack..."

THE TABLETOP - NORMANDY 1944

The British consist of two SAS squads both armed with rifles and grenades. They will enter the woodland together at its most southern point. An unknown German unit lurks amongst the trees. But cannot be identified, nor it's line of sight established, until it has been "revealed" by the British. The scenario has just four turns, with the SAS needing to both reveal and clear the German unit before time runs out.

SERGEANT BENNETT LEADS HIS MEN INTO THE QUIET WOODLAND

Sergeant Bulldog Bennett of Alpha Squad took the initiative and rolled a 4 & 5 on the British Orders Chart - leading the grizzled veteran to simply Advance into the woods to the North-East of his current position. Bravo Squad subsequently rolled a 2 & 4, which gave them the opportunity to Advance and/or Scout. The special forces decided to Scout North and, having rolled a 6 on the Enemy Unit Reveal Table, quickly established their opposition was none other than a German Light Machine Gun team.

This was the better of the options, as the alternative was a Heavy Machine Gun post. In addition, the Panzergrenadiers were pointing their weapon to the South-West, meaning that Sergeant Bennett's squad could approach their position without entering the formidable weapon's line of fire. Unaware that they had been detected, the Germans were unable to do anything at this time.

THE SAS DISCOVER A GERMAN LIGHT MACHINE GUN TEAM

With their target now sighted Bulldog was somewhat delighted to roll a double 3 on the British Orders Chart. It meant Alpha Squad could Advance within range of the Light Machine Gun team's flank and subsequently seek Cover (giving them a +1 to be hit). Bravo Squad also rolled well, with a 3 & 6 allowing them to Advance and Fire upon the enemy. This they did, but they then disastrously failed to hit the Germans, and ended their turn out in the open.

SERGEANT BENNET SEEKS COVER WHILST BRAVO SQUAD ATTACK

Due to their superior firepower, the Panzergrenadiers only required a 6+ to cut down Bravo Squad. However, the Germans somewhat surprisingly rolled a 1 & 4, meaning that they had somehow missed their completely open target.

Realising his men were in deadly danger, Sergeant Bennett was elated to roll a 1 & 6 on the British Orders Chart. It gave Alpha Squad the chance to throw a grenade at the Light Machine Gun team, something which simply hits on a 6+. Astonishingly though, they also failed to land a successful hit, and were forced to duck back down with Bulldog grumbling about his bomb being a dud.

A DUD GRENADE MEANS SERGEANT BENNETT CAN ONLY WATCH BRAVO SQUAD'S ASSAULT

Now it was really up to Bravo Squad to take control of the dire situation, and a roll of a 2 & 5 gave them the opportunity to once again fire upon the Germans. If they failed, they would have the chance to Advance North-West into the Woodland, and at least seek some shelter amongst the trees. However, the second order wasn't needed, as the SAS took out the Panzergrenadier Light Machine Gun team, and safely established a deployment zone for the Sixth Royal Scots Fusiliers...

“Blonsky Became A Large Scaly Humanoid Even Stronger Than The Hulk.”

“In accordance with [Stan] Lee's wishes, the character defeated the Hulk in their first battle.”

This 40mm scale miniature of Namaste Haiku was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "C27 Studio". The 60mm tall sculpt is clearly inspired by Stan Lee's comic book co-creation - The Abomination, and designed to be used as an 'alternative' figure for the Marvel Crisis Protocol rule-set.

Along with a 75mm scale version, the model also comes with its own 50mm circular base. However, as I dislike trying to print off anything of that size which is supposedly (super) flat, I decided to just print out the rubble upon which Emil Blonsky’s alter-ego stands and then superglue it upon an 'official' spare plastic stand by "Atomic Mass Games". I then used some green-stuff to blend the join in, and primed the entire ensemble with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"C27 Studio" WIPs - Namaste Haiku shaded, dry-brushed and base-layered

‘Deliberately exposing himself to a greater quantity of the same gamma radiation that transformed Bruce Banner into the Hulk’, I decided to use the former KGB agent as an opportunity to test out some of "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" I've recently been sent by "Trans Atlantis Games" to trial. As a result, I applied a double-helping of Emerald Green over Haiku to use as a prime, shaded the miniature with Battle Mud Wash, and dry-brushed him with (more) Emerald Green. I later used a similar process for the rubble, swapping out "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" colours for "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and Nuln Oil to as to match the basing palette I’ve previously used on my ‘official’ Marvel Crisis Protocol figures.

I initially picked out the hideous lizard-like creature’s eyes, torn trousers, teeth, finger nails and toe nails with Doom Death Black by “Two Thin Coats”, and subsequently applied either White Star, Skulker Yellow or Marine Blue to the appropriate areas. With the exception of the monster’s clothing – which was given a liberal shade of “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade – all these parts were then washed with (more) Battle Mud Wash by “Two Thin Coats” so as to dirty them up. Finally, I went back in with some additional Emerald Green and Skulker Yellow to help tidy things up, as well as bring a little focus to the super-villain’s deep-set pupils.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - This Panzer IV has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Alongside my first entry into the Thirteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, I have also managed to make some steady progress on a 'test' 15mm scale plastic Panzer IV by "Battlefront Miniatures". This tank will be one of four fully tracked armoured fighting vehicles I want to field as part of my 50-point German D-Day Defence force for "Flames Of War", and has rather embarrassingly been sat gathering dust upon my hobby table for quite a while.

Part of this delay has admittedly been because I simply couldn't make up my mind as to what camouflage scheme I wanted to use for my tanks. The hard-backed "Colours Of War" painting guide by "Battlefront Miniatures" is rather good at suggesting a variety of different palettes, as have been the numerous colour historical photographs I've perused. However, in the end I was rather intrigued by the notion that Panzer IV crews would pigment their chassis in all sorts of different designs dependent upon what materials were to hand and their particular fancy. As a result I plan to apply a scheme similar to the one I used for all the Panzergrenadiers' helmets, in an effort to tie the entire force together...

"It Is The Thirty-First Millennium."

'Under the leadership of the Immortal Emperor, the Imperium of Man has stretched out across the galaxy.'

This 28mm plastic miniature of a Space Marine is by "Games Workshop" and comes from the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness boxed set by "Games Workshop". The multi-part figure has been assembled wearing MK VI armour and will form part of a (second) ten-man strong tactical squad for my five-hundred-point Sons of Horus traitor force.

Considered to be "one of the larger Legions of the Legio Astartes", the model was initially primed with "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green, before being heavily washed with Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) Sons Of Horus Green. I also applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to one of his shoulder-pads, his grenades, Bolter, chain bayonet, backpack, helmet, and the joints of his Corvus Armour.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Three primed Nazgul dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal

The Space Marine's power tubes, "anti-personnel ballistic weapon", and equipment were later treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then gave the miniature's right shoulder-pad a single coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before applying some "Vallejo" Gold and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to it. These areas were later highlighted using some additional touches of "Vallejo" Gold along the edges, iconography and rivets.

As with all my Sons of Horus I lastly applied some "Scalecolor" Speed Metal to the figure's eye lenses. These were subsequently given a lick of "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red respectively and tidied up with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I also applied a couple of the many decals found on the "Games Workshop" Sons of Horus Legion transfer sheet onto the model's bare shoulder-pad and lower leg.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - Four Cybermen layered in "Vallejo" Gunmetal

With the Thirteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge now underway, I have started focusing a fair amount of my hobby time solely upon the miniatures I want to enter into the event. Quite embarrassingly, some of these 28mm scale sculpts, such as a contingent of Nazgul by "Games Workshop" for their "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game", were originally primed for last year's competition, so I've put several of them towards the front of my queue this time around...

In addition, I have started the push towards pigmenting a large number of 3D printed models by "Big Mr Tong", starting with a squad of five Cybermen. These "Doctor Who" monsters should be reasonably quick to complete considering that some simple dry-brushing will carry the lion's share of the work. So I'm hoping to have them finished within the next few days...

"You're Doomed! You're All Doomed!"

"I'm a messenger of God. You're doomed if you stay here!"

This 40mm scale resin figure of Jason was sculpted by Nikola Stankovic and 3D printed for me by "Encounter Terrain". The miniature's STL (Standard Triangle Language) file is available under the creator Splunjohnny on "Cults" website and was clearly inspired by Sean S. Cunningham's 1980 American slasher film "Friday The 13th".

"Depicted as a non-verbal, indestructible, machete-wielding mass murderer" Voorhees was undercoated with a double helping of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before having his trousers treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Stormy Blue and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The homicidal maniac's jumper was then pigmented with "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and a splash of Carroburg Crimson to suggest it was somewhat blood-soaked from a previous kill.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - 3D printed/primed Sardaukar and a Sentry Robot

I tidied up Jason's shirt and boots with a little more "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and applied plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown to his tattered jacket. This garment was later shaded using "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. In addition, I gave his machete a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Ordinarily I would then go back and dry-brush the actual blade with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal. However, I wanted to keep the hand-weapon dull-looking, to tie-in with the 'undead' look, so didn't bother on this occasion. Instead I applied some "Vallejo" White to the villain's infamous hockey face-mask, and found myself rather perturbed by how 'chalky' it had become, despite watering it down. As a result, I turned to White Star from "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" range, and once that had dried, dirtied it up with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - 3D printed/primed Sardaukar and a Sentry Robot

Finally, I 'picked out' the raised stripes on the sculpt's headwear with some lines of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and a dash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. I also gave the monster's hands, head and neck a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and wash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I did consider bloodying these areas up a bit with some (more) "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. But chose to simply leave them be, and stuck with the bare hands even after I spotted plenty of pictures of the silver screen slayer wearing black gloves.

With the start of the Thirteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge now less than a day away, I have spent some considerable time 3D printing, basing and priming more of the 28mm scale figures I hope to pigment during the event. In addition to expanding my collection of Sardaukar troopers by "Big Mr Tong", I have also produced some extra Sentry Robots to help bolster up the automatons bought from "Twisted Pinnacle 3D" (via "Etsy") I painted earlier this year...

"Germany’s Air Force And Navy Could Do Little To Resist Invasion."

"The defence of ‘Fortress Europe’ would therefore fall squarely onto the shoulders of the army."

These four plastic 15mm miniatures are sold by “Battlefront Miniatures” and can be found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”. The figures consist of a non-commissioned officer (NCO), and three riflemen. Together they form the sixth and final base of MG34 and K98 Rifle teams I require for my second (maximum-strength) German Panzergrenadier Platoon.

As with all my other “FoW” German soldiers, the figures were initially super-glued onto wooden strips, before being primed in “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, shaded using “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII. Their details were then ‘picked out’ predominantly using “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, Gunmetal, Buff, German Camouflage Dark Green, Heavy Brown and a series of “Citadel” Shades.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - Three Cybermen and a Sardaukar trooper primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black

In addition, the Panzergrenadiers' rifle tops, the NCO's submachine gun, and water flask stoppers were given a combination of “Vallejo” Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil. Whilst the camouflaged helmet covering was treated to some “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. The headwear was then washed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before being highlighted back up with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, of Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna.

Alongside my "Flames Of War" project I have also been busy 3D printing, basing and priming a large number of 28mm scale figures for the imminent Thirteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. This year I plan to achieve my annual goal of 500-points by simply pigmenting approximately one hundred models, and not become distracted/obsessed by the any of the event's side challenges, so resultantly I've chosen my miniatures with a bit more thought than in the past.

Some of the Warhammer display models for "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game" and "Warhammer 40K

First and foremost this means that the majority of the sculpts will be pretty straightforward to get finished, predominantly just requiring a shade and subsequent dry-brush over their undercoat. I've also broken the next three months down into weekly targets, with a number of science fiction figures crafted by "Big Mr Tong" being front and centre first in order to see whether my goals are achievable.

In addition, I hope to clear a few half-started projects I still have left lying around my painting table, and recently sought some inspiration as to potential colour schemes by visiting the Warhammer store in Portsmouth. This trip was particularly valuable as it gave me some ideas as to possible palettes for a number of partially-painted Warg Riders I own. I want to field a party of these giant wolves as part of my Isengard Army for the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. Sticking with all things "Games Workshop" I was also impressed with some (dirty) white and red Warhammer 40k scenery I spotted - which got me thinking about the large number of such plastic kits I own that are still on their sprues...

"The Destroyer Is Forged From An Unknown And Enchanted Metal."

"The armour was stored away in the Temple of Darkness, but it was found by Loki."

This 40mm scale miniature of Lazer Face was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "C27 Studio". The approximately 70mm tall sculpt is clearly inspired by Stan Lee's comic book co-creation - The Destroyer, and designed to be used as an 'alternative' figure for the Marvel Crisis Protocol rule-set.

Along with a 75mm scale version, the model also comes with its own 50mm circular base. However, as I struggle to print anything of that size flat, I decided to simply print out the rubble upon which the "enchanted suit of armor" stands and then superglue it upon an 'official' spare plastic stand by "Atomic Mass Games". I then used some green-stuff to blend the join in, and primed the entire ensemble with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

Abe Sapien and Hellboy encounter a Sinister Bird, a Frog Swarm and Supernatural Fires

"Forged by the King of the Norse gods, Odin", I decided to use the miniature as an opportunity to test out some of "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" I've recently been sent by "Trans Atlantis Games" to trial. Resultantly, I applied a single layer of Sir Coates Silver over Lazer Face, shaded it with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed it with (more) Sir Coates Silver. I later used a similar process for the rubble, swapping out "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" colour for "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and adding some splodges of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the mix to dirty the broken ground up a bit more.

With hindsight I should have taken some additional time checking and trimming away a series of 'pimples' left over from the miniature's supports before I started painting the miniature. However, I didn't properly spot them running down the back of the sculpt's legs until later on, by which time I was almost finished and didn't want to have to re-prime. layer, wash, and dry-brush the re-cleaned area - as that always seems to stand out, in my eyes at least, no matter how careful I try to be to blend the repair work in with the original pigmentation.

A Giant Boss Frog Monster tears the B.P.R.D. field agents apart

In addition to completing the first of my figures by "C27 Studio", I have also managed to play some more "Hellboy: The Board Game" by "Mantic Games", unsuccessfully pitting Anung un Rama and Abe Sapien up against a supposedly mild infestation of Frog Monsters. This adventure really didn't go very well at all, with the Deck of Doom placing the two B.P.R.D. Field Agents onto their back feet almost straight from the start.

Alongside the usual hazards of Frog Swarms and "Supernatural Fires", we experienced a Sinister Bird, "A Heavy Moon" (which stunned the duo completely out of the blue", ,"Ambush" and even a super-powered Frog Monster who was invisible to the naked eye. To make matters worse, the monstrous Boss Frog Creature then descended upon us whilst we lay unconscious in a confined space, quickly splattering Abe's brains all over a wall and sending Hellboy flying into an even smaller adjacent room where he was pummelled to death. Next time we'll be sending in a full-team of four operatives...

Top Ten Manufacturers Of 2021 - A "Fantorical" Viewpoint

My increasing interest in 3D printed miniatures and the companies selling them certainly had an impact upon my painting preferences across these twelve months. Admittedly, the likes of "Zealot Miniatures" and "Rocket Pig Games" don't even feature in this list, as I never got around to finishing quite enough of them to warrant it. But their impact, both in financial terms (as they were expensive acquisitions) and as a distraction from other fantasy-focused ranges (e.g. Frostgrave) was arguably quite profound.  

Similarly as transformative was an unexpected, and quite sudden change in attitude to my pre-painted "Heroclix" collection - which somewhat inexplicably died a total death during these twelve months. Instead, I became much more enamoured with historical and science-fiction based wargaming, even going so far as to once again try my hand at fielding enough 15mm plastics for a game of "Flames Of War" by "Battlefront Miniatures"...

No. 10 - "Warlord Games" - "Epic Battles: American Civil War"

There can be little doubt that my enthusiasm for this range of 15mm scale plastic soldiers was incredibly high when they were first announced by “Warlord Games”. Indeed, I even went so far as to scour my local newsagents looking for Issue 393 of "Wargames Illustrated" so as to obtain a free sprue of figures. Sadly however, my plans to field a vast swathe of ragged-looking Confederates for Black Powder soon departed once I realised just how unsuited to my 'black lining' painting technique the strips of ten models were, and just how long it would actually take me to 'pick out' all their straps, hats, beards, water bottles and rifles.

No. 10 - "Mongoose Publishing" - "Judge Dredd Miniatures Game: Block War"

Whilst I have pottered about with this somewhat 'infamous' range of "Kickstarter" funded figures for some years, I was rather surprised to find myself painting quite so many models from it during these twelve months. Much of this productivity was down to my aspiration to replicate the action depicted within the pages of the “2000 A.D." and “Judge Dredd Megazine” comic book crossover event from 1992 entitled “Judgement Day" during "Zomtober". However, it was actually all started by a trip to the LVL Up Gaming Store in Bournemouth a month earlier, where I spent an enjoyable afternoon play-testing some homemade 28mm Judge Dredd rules. 

No. 9 - "Catalyst Game Labs" - "Battletech"

Strangely, despite having never played a tabletop game of "Battletech" I pre-ordered several boxes of these 1:285 scale plastic models just as soon as I saw "Catalyst Game Labs" announce them, and then impatiently waited several months as their release date was repeatedly pushed back. Such situations usually dampen my enthusiasm for a project, but when I did finally get my hands on such sets as the Battletech: Inner Sphere Battle Lance box, I was so energised into crafting a Weird War Two setting where the Axis and Allies fought using giant walkers, that I finished pigmenting over twenty mechs in total.

No. 8 - "Kitbash Games" - "Supers Unlimited"

Having previously dabbled with this range of 28mm scale resin miniatures, courtesy of their creator kindly sending me a couple of characters as a free gift, I suddenly found myself somewhat shockingly preferring to paint these original villains/heroes over my usual mainstay of established "Heroclix" capes and meta-humans. This preference came about because the models matched up so well size-wise with my old “Secrets Of The Third Reich” collection by "Westwind Productions", and resultantly were used to play some skirmish games of Weird War Two at the LVL Up Gaming Store in Bournemouth.

No. 7 - "Atomic Mass Games" - "Marvel Crisis Protocol"

Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments of the year was managing to get a good number of these 40mm scale super-heroes tabletop ready. But not then actually getting a game in. Indeed, one of my main motivators for finishing the likes of Daredevil - who arrived broken and subsequently required some repairs before my project mojo returned - was to complete enough figures to fill out a full roster. Disconcertingly, the rules for this game have now undergone some significant revisions, so many of the cards/statistics which came with the starter set are now out of date and invalid.

No. 6 - "Alternative Armies" - "The Ion Age"

I've always liked the 'beakieness' of the Prydian Army's Retained Knights ever since I first laid eyes upon the 15mm figures, as they remind me of the old "Rogue Trader" era Space Marine from yesteryear. So when the annual “Forgotten Heroes” challenge arrived, I thought it would be a lot of fun to use the sculpts as proxies for Horus Heresy Warhammer 30,000 shenanigans, and started painting up a number of (not) Blood Angels. Admittedly, my deadline for the project slipped quite a bit, but it didn't stop until I had a sizeable number of 'tactical marines', including command and heavy weapons, as well as a couple of vehicles to boot.

No. 5 - "Privateer Press" - "Warcaster"

Due to never really getting on with assembling the multi-part metal miniatures by "Privateer Press" in the past, I wasn't initially completely convinced I wanted to buy any of their 'new' 35mm scale Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika range. However, I soon succumbed when I saw the Iron Star Alliance Squad Starter Set, and rather enjoyed working on all the metallics my colour choice for the 'torchbearers of civilization' contingent contained. Furthermore, the Paladin Annihilators gave me a great excuse to start using “Scalecolor” Cobalt Alchemy.

No. 4 - "North Star Military Figures" - "Frostgrave"

To be completely honest I am not the biggest fan of the sculpting for many of the Frostgrave figures I have ended up pigmenting. I found the look of the White Gorilla, Bear (Rearing To Attack) and Wolves to be both utterly uninspiring, and disconcertingly off-putting when it came to considering putting on an actual game. Yet despite these hurdles, I still managed to build quite the menagerie of creatures and animals for my adventurers to face should they ever once again set foot within the city limits of Felstad's ruins.

No. 3 - "Battlefront Miniatures" - "Flames Of War"

Perhaps I should have realised just how many infantry figures a "Flames Of War" fifty-point force required before buying the “Hit The Beach” Starter Set and getting to work on a German D-Day Defence force, having previously tried to paint up enough soldiers for a British Deserts Rats army. Nonetheless, my enthusiasm for this project not only successfully lead to almost half-a-dozen MG34 and K98 Rifle Teams being tabletop ready, along with accompanying Panzerfaust, Mortar and command bases. But also a couple of small-level games to try out the rules.

No. 2 - "Games Workshop" - "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" and "Epic"

There can be little doubt that a return to Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game halfway through the year completely rekindled my interest in all things "Games Workshop". The Nottingham-based manufacturer had essentially gone right off my radar for well over a year before I returned to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings", and then later would cause me to enter a 6mm scale plastic painting frenzy with a load of classic "Epic" Space Marines.

No. 1 - "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - "Colony 87"

Despite never getting near an actual game of "7TV", "Crooked Dice" were almost twice as popular as their nearest rival, and throughout the year caused me to visit a fair few of my favourite science fiction franchises, such as "The Planet Of The Apes", "Blake's Seven", "Ghostbusters" and "Krull". In addition, the release of some more Alien Pets for their fantastic Colony 87 range had me painting all manner of weird and wonderful extra-terrestrials, alongside a carousel of X-Commandos, Great Apes and even a terrifically-tall resin Treant.

"So, What Do You Think Got To My Tractor?"

"Something the commies built? Some kind of monster? Something from outer space?"

This 28mm scale Giant Robot is produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", and can be bought as SKU: MINI 688 from their Science Fiction range. Sculpted by Andrew May, the multi-piece resin kit comes with a choice of two hands (claw or death ray), and stands approximately 90mm in height. Due to my wanting this 'towering war machine' to be fielded alongside my previously-pigmented Killbots and Spybots, it was undercoated with a double helping of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey before being drenched in "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

I then applied a dry-brush of "Vallejo" Gunmetal to the entire miniature, making sure to especially 'hit' the edges of its head and numerous rivets, and shaded it further with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. To build upon this illusion of the automaton being significantly weathered I later drenched it in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and meticulously dabbed each head with a splodge of "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash. Once this time-consuming process was completed, I attempted to blend everything together with a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey.

CC27 Studio WIPs - Lazer Face and Namaste Haiku primed with the "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" range

This technique was rather patiently done as I wanted to ensure that some of the previously-used "Vallejo" Gunmetal still shone through so as to the pair a slight metallic sheen. Once finished, the Giant Robot's cyclopean eye and chest laser were subsequently spotted with a combination of "Scalecolor" Speed Metal and the "Citadel" Contrast colour Flesh Tearers Red. Finally, I applied some fifteen year old American military decals to the deadly machine, feeling that the transfers rather faded, bleached look would suit a towering droid which was still stalking a post-apocalyptic battlefield.

In addition to the Giant Robot, I have also been busy testing out a number of paints from "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" range. These were very kindly sent out by Peter Buxton of "Trans Atlantis Games" and, whilst I've only so far tried out a handful of the colours generously posted to me, they have already become my favourite pigments within just a day.

C27 Studio WIPs - Alien Soldier, I Know Kung-Fu, and Duck-tective

I've been using them on some of the 40mm scale STL (Standard Triangle Language) files by "C27 Studio" I've recently created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, as I wanted to see how well they covered the super-heroic figures with a single application. Being just a tabletop standard painter I'm always keen to try to 'miss a step' in the painting process by priming my miniatures in their main colour, so this experiment provided me with an opportunity to try out the mainstays White Star and Doom Death Black, as well as Emerald Green and Sir Coates Silver.

The dropper bottles all come with agitators inside of them, so a simple shake of each pot certainly seems to mix up their contents good enough for my uses. Furthermore, I've been pleased with how smooth-flowing each colour's consistency is straight from the nozzle, with only White Star (perhaps unsurprisingly) being a bit 'goopier' than its peers. All of them though have provided me with a solid foundation for future layers, with Sir Coates Silver arguably being the most impressive (over an undercoat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black) and I'm now looking forward to getting some further washes/other pigments from "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" range onto the models over the next few hobby sessions...

3D Printing - Day Five - Trying To Replicate 3D Printing Services

"Splunjohnny" WIPs - Barnabas Collins, a Cyberman and a Judoon

These miniatures were created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and are available as unsupported STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from Splunjohnny on "Cults". These sculpts are clearly inspired by various famous television and film franchises and are all created in 100mm scale.

This range is actually one of the main motivators for my purchasing a machine as I had previously been using a 3D Printing Service to produce the models for my tabletop gaming, and up until quite recently I had been extremely happy with their "high resolution" figures. However, much of this satisfaction stemmed from me believing several myths concerning home printing, such as the nauseating smell given off by resin, the nastiness of Isopropyl Alcohol, the financial outlay for a 3D printer, and the enormous effort required to calibrate a device so you can actually achieve a successful print (e.g. exposure settings, curing times and supports).

"Chitubox" Basic easily provides the rafts and supports for all the figures on the build plate

Having invested some hours watching numerous videos on "YouTube" I soon discovered that whilst "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin has a strong, pungent odour, as long as you're wearing a face mask in a well-ventilated area, its effects are minimal. Indeed, my initial thoughts around potentially needing some sort of thermo-nuclear chemical suit swiftly evaporated. Furthermore, there is plenty of advice out there to help a novice get the best from their printer's settings, with "Chitubox" Basic arguably doing the vast percentage of this heavy lifting with just a few clicks of the mouse - at least for me.

Furthermore, despite the definite monetary commitment needed upfront, I quickly realised that no matter how pleased I was with the end result, paying a tenner for each "4k resolution" (plus postage) would quickly add up and surpass the cost of a lower-end 3D printer like the Mars 3 Pro (as well as an "Elegoo" Mercury Plus 2.0 Wash and Curing Machine). True, at the time I also thought I was getting additional value as the service was (in my mind at least) employing some serious time-consuming witchcraft by adding numerous intricate supports to the miniatures and slicing them, as well as reducing their size to 40mm scale.

A size comparison between a 40mm scale 4D Printer Service Terminator (Orange) and mine (Grey)

Disconcertingly however, I have encountered one sticking point since stopping using a 3D printing service, and that has been trying to perfectly match the reduction size they employed whilst shrinking my STL files down from 100mm t0 40mm. Initially, I had simply expected the miniatures to have shrunk by 60%, but that is most definitely not the case.

Indeed, the actual figure appears to be around the 48% mark, with the heights of some previously printed models requiring a little more or less according to my ham-fisted measurements. This difference is debatably not noticeable from a distance on the tabletop, yet it does grate upon my obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) somewhat when I want to add reinforcements to already pigmented forces. Resultantly, I might 'ramp up' future prints to the 48.20% bar to see how that pans out...

This posting and many others can now be viewed on the main "Fantorical" website.