Miss Fantorical 2023 - An "Undercoat" Painting Pageant

Better late than never and hopefully a welcome break from elections, sport and hot sweltering days, here are my top picks from the "Fantorical" blog from 2023. Following on from my last set of choices, I have picked a miniature for each month and then picked an overall favourite. My selections are based on the miniature, the paint job, the rule of cool and other eclectic factors, such as nostalgia etc. This means some great models didn’t make the list as it is only one per month and I tried to avoid picking the same type of model if it appeared over multiple months. You may disagree, which is fine, as we all like different things and I encourage you to comment on what your favourite(s) were/are.

January - Cheetah Aliens by "Papsikels Miniatures" - January 18th

These 3D printed miniatures by "Papsikels Miniatures" really caught my eye. There have been a lot of "Alien/s" themed miniatures from this manufacturer's range of STLs. But these ones were different from the more traditional alien we know and love (to run away from!), and the poses were very dynamic too. The painting also captured the xenomorph look. Terrific stuff.

February - E-800 Exterminators by "Papsikels Miniatures" - February 27th

A second choice from this manufacturer - which I have allowed myself to do as it is a different range and we have moved from the organic to the robotic. These miniatures are just awesome and demonstrate that Simon has really mastered the painting of metals and metal work. They look utterly gorgeous and a squad of these on the tabletop would be glorious (and deadly I am sure!).

March - Pak 40 Anti-Tank Gun by "Battlefront Miniatures" - March 31st

This 15mm model is for the "Flames of War" game and, being a bit older, I seem to find myself drifting away from my usual love of sci-fi/fantasy more often towards historical miniatures these days. This model is basically a little diorama of soldiers working a gun on the battlefield and is full of character, life and has no right to be a tabletop miniature as it is so much more. There are ammunition boxes, camouflage and loads of little details that make this a must pick for me.

April - Failed Experimental Battledroid Series 1-B by "Papsikels Miniatures" - April 20th

I get it! I am in danger of being boring here by picking another miniature from this manufacturer. But that just shows how full of character these sculpts are. This model is unusual with some really fine and delicate details. However, it is the cracking painting that really got me here. The metals are amazing as usual. Plus, all the cyborg's wires and other little details have been are picked out too.

May - Groot Thor by "Wizkids" - May 22nd

I know that there are a vast number of Superhero comics, and that includes some weird/whacky stuff and what if scenarios. But I did not know that Groot had this character variant. When I saw it I was like Groot as Thor? What the heck is this!?! It immediately caught my imagination, mainly due to the excellent painting that brought it to life. The tree like details have been expertly painted and it just looks fabulous and full of character. So good!

June - Zombie Silver Surfer by "CoolMiniOrNot" - June 30th

I find the whole Marvel zombies thing weird and intriguing at the same time. It is also great to see heroes and villains as zombies, and this miniature is, quite frankly, awesome. I was wondering how the Silver Surfer could be “zombified” and this is how! I think it is just incredible how a being made of metal can be painted so you know it’s a zombie. Everything about this just screams quality.

July - Napoleonic British Riflemen by "Wargames Foundry" - July 31st

Last year there were an increasing number of Napoleonic miniatures appearing on this blog and they really caught my eye. This period of history looks great on the tabletop, but brings with it untold challenges in terms of the details and colours in those magnificent uniforms. This uniform, whilst not the most colourful, is arguably the most iconic - mainly due to a certain Richard Sharpe I would suggest. I love these. They just look great. I would so love to paint some Napoleonic troops. However, that is one deep rabbit hole to jump down. Hats off to you Sir, these are great.

August - Confederate Soldiers by "Warlord Games" - August 14th

Look at the picture. These are 15mm soldiers. You could be mistaken for believing they were 28mm. This unit is not only painted as a themed Florida unit, but they have different coloured trousers, hats, facial hair etc! The attention to detail is phenomenal and makes these a worthy choice in my opinion because of the effort and love that has been poured into these diminutive soldiers. Finished off by those excellent flags, this little unit looks stunning!

September - Renaissance Knight by "Steel Fist Miniatures" - September 25th

A few of these Italian Wars miniatures were painted in 2023, and were both unusual and full of character. I picked this gentleman as he isn’t sporting the usual steel armour, but a black lacquered set banded in gold. He looks great, as well different and memorable. A great little miniature.

October - Tiger II by "Pendraken Miniatures" - October 13th

This monstrous vehicle is from a 10mm range of miniatures and part of a frightening number of tiny tanks that have been painted on this blog. This one stands out because of its size, and I felt unable to not include a vehicle from this range due to the absolutely phenomenal time and effort that was put into them. A group shot of this army must look glorious!

November - Napoleonic French Fusiliers by "Wargames Foundry" - November 6th

Ooops! I broke a rule and repeated both a manufacturer and genre. I make no apologies as these miniatures look stunning and are so full of character. The Perry Twins are so good at sculpting aren’t they? And the painting has made me believe they are trudging away from Moscow bedraggled and defeated. I must stop myself from ordering a box of Perry Napoleonics…….

December - Orr’ugs Wolf by "Artisan Guild" - December 9th

This is a 3D print from a fantasy range of miniatures that has really stood out for me by giving off some serious World of Warcraft vibes. I also adore this sculpt. However, the painting really brings this to life with the fur looking absolutely amazing. I really love the transition from light to dark with the darker coloured facial features making this wolf look very nasty indeed. I adore the painting on this so much. It is stunning.

Well that is my top 12. My overall favourite is……

The Artisan Guild Wolf. I cannot tell you how well painted this miniature is. It is absolutely brilliant. Amazing. Glorious.

Hopefully I will be forgiven for my tardy submission of my review of 2023 as it brought back memories and hopefully inspired you to look at past entries for inspiration. Perhaps you might also now give some of these manufacturers a look too as they are well worth a peep. Goodbye and thanks for reading.

"Not All Heroes Wear Capes."

 "Some wear full plate armour and wield a raw plucked chicken."

This 32mm scale plastic model of a Knight with a raw chicken is produced by “CoolMiniOrNot” as part of their Monty Python's Flying Circus expansion for "Zombicide", and was sculpted by "Big Child Creatives". Played by actor Terry Gilliam in several sketches during the British comedy television show's first series in 1969, the "poultry paladin... on an epic crusade against epic fails" can be used as a Survivor in the cooperative boardgame.

Able to cross "any distance necessary" to give a fumbling Survivor "a good character-building whack over the head" with his raw chicken, the miniature was undercoated using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being layered with "Vallejo" Gunmetal. He was then drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Daredevil now just needs some odd details to be 'picked out'

The figure's tunic was pigmented in "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, shaded with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and roughly highlighted with a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo Heavy Grey. I also took this moment to 'pick out' some of the armour plate's rivets and decorations using a combination of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Finally, I got to work on the plucked chicken using a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey. The dead bird was then sploshed with plenty of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey, and toned down a little via a splodge of watered-down "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. As a last touch, I also carefully traced out the poor poultry's sewn up eyes with some lines of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Professor Krazvo is being painted from the feet up

Alongside this bizarre "Zombicide" gaming piece I have begun working on the Daredevil miniature found inside the "Marvel United" starter box by "CoolMiniOrNot". I'm not terribly sure just how powerful the Defender is in the board-game. But thought he'd make a good pairing with his old comrade-in-arms, the Black Widow - who I've previously pigmented.

In addition, I've started applying the final touches to Professor Krazvo by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". The scientist is actually a villain according to the "7TV" ruleset. However, I plan to use him as Doctor Hans Zarkov for my "Flash Gordon" project, and have resultantly tried to utilise a palette more akin to the costumes worn by actor Frank Shannon during the science fiction franchise's 1936 cinematic serial...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "CoolMiniOrNot" July 2024

"In Marvel United you take the role of iconic Marvel Heroes."

Despite a somewhat encouraging start to last month's plan to re-energise my hobby enthusiasm, which surprisingly even included 3D printing a number of models to be added to my increasingly long painting queue, my desire to put a brush-tip to any miniature whatsoever eventually once again died away to nothing. Much of this apathy was undoubtedly caused by my urgent need to manually cut'n'paste approximately 500 postings over to this blog from my "Wix" website after I was told I'd need to pay a whopping £273.60 by the end of July simply to maintain it.

Initially therefore I've spent a considerable amount of my recent free time simply publishing old articles and their pictures (back) over to "Blogger". However, even that plan has had to be radically changed following news from "Wix" that they actually now want £403.20 and "may" be deducting it within a fortnight of the renewal date. Obviously, I needed to therefore cancel my plan, but not before I at least had all the missing posts (minus photographs) safe and sound before I did so - just on the off-chance "Wix" simply deleted my content early in a 'hissy fit'.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Daredevil, Ultron and Beast have all been primed

This currently means I have 280 drafts awaiting their pictures before I can (re)publish them, and not much time to paint during my hobby time as a consequence. Happily however, this 'slog' has taken me down some wonderfully invigorating trips down memory lane, and infected me with a desire to both continue my current Monty Python’s Flying Circus expansion set for Zombicide 2nd Edition, as well as recommence another "CoolMiniOrNot" project involving "Marvel United" figures.

I've also decided to see whether mixing the content of my postings up a bit might help 'keep me going', and by that I mean not just produce an endless string of finished models. But actually return to plenty of Battle Reports (possibly weekly) and other hobby-related articles, such as product reviews and my experiences with 3D printing. I think this move would take the pressure off of me having to repeatedly finish pigmenting miniatures, and encourage me to actually paint more for the games I'm playing.

June 2024 - Due to a lack of productivity there's no change at the top of the table for the second month

With this in mind, I have already plucked out my "Marvel United" models for Ultron, the Beast and Daredevil, with the intention of adding these to my battles as part of an ad hoc campaign I hope to cover over the next few weeks. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my 'all-in' attitude to anything I attempt, I've also grabbed a few less 'monotone' figures from my huge Kickstarter Exclusives box, simply so I can potentially potter away on them too if the mood takes me.

Alongside all these comic book and comedy-based characters, I thought I might also scoop up a handful of 'close-to-completion' miniatures which have been loitering around my hobby desk for far too long. These partially-painted side-projects are predominantly metal so should help me 'break up' an otherwise all-plastic affair, and help me scratch the itch for a number of genres/subjects I've rediscovered a liking for having been neck-deep in so many old blog posts...