"From Out Of The Marsh Bursts The Gnashing Jaws..."

"...And whipping tentacles of a terrifying Marsh Beast."

This 28mm scale resin model of a Marsh Beast is produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and can be brought as SKU: MINI 1297. Sculpted by George Fairlamb, and heavily influenced by the Arborian Swamp Creature briefly depicted in Mike Hodges' 1980 science-fiction movie "Flash Gordon", this multi-piece miniature has been sat in my 'Pyramid of Possibilities' since I first received it way back in 2022, following the Lincolnshire-based company's successful Pirates of Luna City Kickstarter.

Ultimately shot by Prince Barin with a laser pistol, the monster had all its sharp-tipped tentacles super-glued into position, before being treated to an undercoat of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and Heavy Green. The ensemble was also given a lick of pure "Vallejo" Heavy Green, shaded with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Biel-Tan Green, as well as dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These four Uranian Guards are being painted from the feet up

I then 'picked out' all of the Marsh Beast's cruel-looking spikes using a combination of "Vallejo" Charred Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and momentarily considered dry-brushing their very ends with an additional touch of "Vallejo" Charred Brown. However, in the end I left well enough alone, and instead just darkened down both its gaping maw and some moss-covered patches on its body with (more) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. These areas were later treated to a careful dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Green to help somewhat blend them in with the surrounding blubbery mass.

With the first of my post-Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) projects completed, and my enthusiasm for all-things "Flash Gordon" positively thriving, I've continued working on four Uranian Royal Guard figures (also) by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", Like so many of the uniforms utilised by Emperor Ming, this quartet will be predominantly pigmented in red, so I'm hoping to use the merciless minions as 'test pieces' for a simple palette that I can then apply to all the Alien Legionnaires I also own.

Despite the X-Commandos being thwarted by moving scenery, Sarah Jane wins the day for Tweedy

My hobby fervour has also been greatly enhanced by a first game of "7TV" using the recently-released Core Rulebook. This small-sized head-to-head between the (Space) Duchess, her Jackbooted Sadist and Titan Gladiator bodyguard, against the meddlesome Tweedy Mattison, his companion (Sarah Jane) Meddings, and two X-Commandos was an absolute riot - even if we did resort to using some old Countdown, Gadget and Profile cards rather than use the latest ones.

Foremost of this encounter had to be some incompetent scenery chap moving a ruined wall in front of Mattison's Heroic Extras to thwart their early attempts to overpower my Titan Gladiator (as per "Set Dressing"), and the Duchess seducing one of the X-Commandos. But in the end I twice succumbed to some fiendish "Script Editing" , which saw the show's Stars swap places, eventually allowing Meddings to use her Prototype Jammer a couple of times on-the-trot to take-out my giant mechanical Extra...