"From The Ashen Wastes Of Aera..."

"...The Zeek Scuttlers creep endlessly, seizing all they can."

This 32mm scale Zeek Burrower is produced by "Artisan Guild", and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the figure comes as part of the company's October "Guildhall" subscription release, and represents "the larval stage of the Scuttler."

In the official lore these creatures are insectoid-shaped thieves who steal "old tomes, precious metals, equipment and supplies" from whatever hapless races they encounter. However, I plan to use them to represent the Trident Realm Of Neritica for "Kings Of War" by "Mantic Games", and intend to pigment a trio of these younglings to represent a Tidal Swarm.

"Black Site Studios" WIPs - These four Soviet Cosmonauts have been primed and shaded

Resultantly, the model was super-glued onto a 40mm circular base and primed with plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. It was then utterly sploshed in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, and sporadically dabbed with a little "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green so as to create the illusion of algae sticking to the crab-like creature's limbs and lower carapace. These areas was later blended in with a second dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

For the Burrower's top-most carapace I simply applied a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, shaded the chitinous armour in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. The Zeek's eyes were subsequently picked out with a little Skulker Yellow by "Two Thin Coats" and washed with a small amount of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Finally, the entire model was treated to a heavily watered-down layer of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to help smooth down all of the dry-brushing.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - These Frenchmen have had their muskets repainted

Perhaps somewhat impulsively, I've also begun work on four more 32mm Soviet Cosmonauts by "Black Site Studios". I'm still rather enthused for the American company's "Lunar" range, and want to build up a sizeable Russian contingent which I can then use as random encounters for some homebrew battles based upon "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". I aim to use several of this particular sculpt as basic (Moon) Bandits, so want a good half dozen or so tabletop ready just in case during a scenario someone rolls for an ambush.

In addition, I'm still slowly plugging away at the four Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry" I had hoped to have finished by the end of last month. Unfortunately, I recently realised that I'd stupidly mis-painted their muskets (pigmenting the barrels in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and the wooden parts with Gunmetal), so have had to rework all of their firearms before moving on to their epaulettes...

"Spurred On By A Feeling Of Manifest Destiny..."

 "...The United States was able to rally its people behind a new desire for space heroes rooted in a nation's pride."

This 32mm NASA Astronaut is produced by "Black Site Studios" for their "Lunar" skirmish game, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set, but has been both 'mirrored' and quite heavily converted in order to represent an experienced fighter on the Moon's surface.

Indeed, as I plan to use this range of miniatures for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games" - with some lunar surface homebrew amendments - I thought this model would make an excellent Veteran Hunter for my American faction, so subsequently kitted him out with some extra shoulder pads, a Markam S11 pistol and some spare oxygen tanks. All of these additional 'bitz' were taken from the remaining cast resin pieces I had left over from the aforementioned Starter Box.

"Artisan Guild" WIPs - These Zeek Scuttlers have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Once assembled the astronaut was super-glued onto a "Citadel" 30mm circular stand, undercoated with "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue, positively drowned in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue. I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade to the piece of insulation material running along the edge of the astronaut's backpack in order to slightly break up the monotony of the spaceman's palette a little bit.

Of course at this point I realised that in 'mirroring' the STL on Chitubox I had inadvertently moved the tubing to the American's left side. However, I don't think it's terribly noticeable or distracting from the figure himself - and perhaps could be seen to denote the chap is simply left-handed..? The miniature's hand-weapons were quickly treated to a lick of Citadel "Abaddon Black", layered in "Vallejo" Gunmetal and later shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Wizkids" WIPs - This old "Heroclix" figure has been dusted down so its details can be 'picked out'

In addition to finishing my veteran NASA Astronaut, I have also been busy pigmenting a quartet of Zeek Scuttlers I aim to use for "Kings Of War" by "Mantic Games". These insectoids will hopefully make good proxies for the Trident Realm Of Neritica, and should prove pretty straightforward to get tabletop ready on account of their predominantly brown (with a little bit of green to represent sea algae).

I'm also very much aware that my annual Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) challenge is aimed at getting many of my long-forgotten, half-started projects tabletop ready, so with that in mind I've picked up an old plastic "Heroclix" Bat Sentry miniature I began working on way back in February 2020. This  75mm tall model comes from "Wizkids" DC HeroClix Unleashed expansion, and is one of the random encounters I have planned for a campaign based around Batman's main villains fighting for territory against one another in Gotham City.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge" [I/IV] December 2025

Painting output for November 2025

Having had a rather lack-lustre November where I was much more focused upon 3D printing more miniatures than actually getting any paint on them, I thought I had better knuckle down for the following month and begin my annual Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) -  a seventeen week long persona; challenge to pigment as much of my unfinished backlog as I can. Last year I only managed to whittle away at half of the models I had planned to pigment - attaining a total of just 246 points using my tried and tested productivity scoring system. So this time round I have a target to beat. 

First in the firing line are a number of 32mm Soviet Cosmonauts (and a couple of NASA Astronauts) by "Black Site Studios" which I produced on my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer for their "Lunar" skirmish game. Rather embarrassingly, all of these figures should have finished by now, so I aim to get the vast majority of them tabletop ready toot sweet. In addition, I aim to play a few games featuring the models in order to test out my homebrew Moonscape rules based upon "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Publishing". This always helps refuel my enthusiasm for a project, so I'm hoping it will help re-energise this one too.

"Artisan Guild" WIPs - These Zeek Scuttlers have all been primed using "Vallejo" Heavy Brown

In addition, I really want to get cracking on a number of Zeek Scuttlers I recently printed to use for "Kings Of War" by "Mantic Games". I'll be adapting this race of insectoid thieves into some crab-like denizens so as to represent the Trident Realm Of Neritica, and am close to completing my predominantly brown-green colour scheme's test piece. A good percentage of my starting force - consisting of a leader with three infantry regiments and a swarm are already based ready for my paint-brush, so with any luck a number of these wonderfully-detailed STL (Standard Triangle Language) files will be fully varnished and flocked before the PPPP concludes.

Sticking with "Mantic Games" and 3D printing, I'm also hoping to knuckle down and get a fair few of the Nottingham-based manufacturer's Epic Warpath miniatures done. Perhaps unsurprisingly given how many of the 10mm models I can squeeze onto my Mars 5's build plate, I already face an almost overwhelming sea of grey resin soldiers, infected monsters and space dwarves. So I really need to get a fair few finished before I'm completely overwhelmed by them.

November 2025 - No change whatsoever with my favourite manufacturers of the year

Lastly, I still own an embarrassing number of unfinished Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry" - many of which I first worked on over a year ago. This particular Black Powder project has fallen way behind schedule, and I now doubt I'll ever catch-up to where I wanted to be with it. However, next year I fully intend to get some cavalry units completed, and maybe the odd cannon crew too - both of which are needed to play Mike Lambo's "Battles of Napoleonic Europe: A Solitaire Wargame" properly.

My fingers are most definitely crossed that all these plans will help bolster my wargaming fruitfulness after the worst November I've experienced since I first began keeping a record of my hobby productivity over a decade ago. Of course, I wouldn't have minded too much if it was due to me being more busy playing than painting. But sadly that simply hasn't been the case...

The Plague Is A Highly Virulent Form Of Alien Bio-Weapon."

"Once the Plague starts to spread on a colony or planet, the only way to stop it is via blockades, Deadzones and planetary isolation."

This pair of 10mm scale Plague Lords are manufactured by "Mantic Games" for their "Epic Warpath" wargame, and were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the figure comes as part of the company's Epic Warpath Plague Army. But I actually picked mine up as a freebie from the Nottingham-based company's current Epic Warpath - The Battle for Phrovox campaign on "My Mini Factory", and simply mirrored the pose so as to create a little variety on the battlefield.

Due to the the massive mutants actually being 25mm in height, the heavily infected duo were super-glued onto a couple of plastic 25mm circular bases, undercoated in "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, drowned in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand. I then carefully applied a delicate dry-brush of "Two Thin Coats" White Star across the topmost ridges each miniature, before 'picking out' parts of their chitinous armour with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue.

"Artisan Guild" WIPs - This Zeek Burrower has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

These plates were later washed with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade and dry-brushed them with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, before I added a smidgeon of "Two Thin Coats" White Star onto the Plague Lords' teeth, layered their tongues with "Vallejo" Heavy Red over its tongue, and finally washed these areas with a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I was momentarily tempted to use some of the 2mm tall Chilli Red flock I currently use for my "Lunar" models to half-heartedly suggest the astronauts are on the planet Mars. But as I had already unconsciously coloured their bases brown, as opposed to the grey palette I use with my Martian landscape, I decided to stick with my usual green grass instead.

Alongside this foray into "Mantic Games" own miniatures, I have also been rather busy 3D printing some models with which to play the Nottingham-based company's "Kings Of War". However, rather than use their 'official' range of figures, I thought I'd make use of many of the STLs I own by "Artisan Guild". For openers I'm planning on simply fielding a small force representing the Trident Realm Of Neritica, and felt a few of the crab-like Zeek Scuttler sculpts would be nicely appropriate.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - These French soldiers have had all their metallic areas 'picked out'

For openers I've gone with a trio of Burrowers to represent a (Tidal) Swarm as the models really remind me of the Horseshoe Crab. This project really is in its infancy, yet as usual I've allowed my enthusiasm for it to get the better of me and have already got some Scuttlers (Heavy Infantry), Skirra (Siren Hero) and Scuttler Knights sat waiting for some attention on my hobby table.

Lastly, I am still managing to make some progress on a handful of Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry" I actually started a considerable time ago. All of the identical soldiers come from an old FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing blister I found in my backlog, and I have been doggedly trying to apply my brush-tip to one area on each of them during every hobby session. Currently, I'm working on their muskets - though I have also taken the opportunity to base layer their blankets, and get their gold sabre handles and scabbard tips completed too...

"This Weapon Fires Sticky Goo In A One Inch Wide Line."

"Any units in that line are entangled."

This 32mm Soviet Cosmonaut is sold by "Black Site Studios" for their "Lunar" skirmish game, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set and were actually upscaled by a smidgeon due to the sculpt appearing somewhat less bulky than the cast resin Russian astronauts I already own. 

Furthermore, the original arms holding a shotgun were carefully clipped off at different points in order to allow me to superglue an Adhesive Rifle and empty hand onto the figure. This conversion used a couple of pieces left over from my aforementioned starter box - which I'm always pleased to utilise, and provided me with a bit more variety to my Eastern Bloc force. 

"Mantic Games" WIPs - These Spectra Blademasters have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

The Cosmonaut was placed upon a "Citadel" 30mm circular stand and primed with plenty of "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet. It was then drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet and had its face-plate/firearm layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black.  The Soviet's helmet visor was also subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly, I gave the Adhesive Rifle a lick of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before picking out its quilted carry-case in White Star by "Two Thin Coats". This area was later shaded using some heavily-watered down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and hopefully gives the impression that the tool-turned-trap can get incredibly hot whenever its in use - even on the Moon's surface.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - These Frenchmen have been base-coated with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

Moving over to a smaller size of 3D printing, I have begun work on a trio of 10mm scale Spectra Blademasters by "Mantic Games". Having recently fully committed to the Nottingham-based manufacturer's Epic Warpath - The Battle for Phrovox campaign on "My Mini Factory", I'm really keen to use these Asterian mechs as test pieces for the race's colour scheme, as well as trialling an attempted to pigment their force-field shields.

Finally, I'm still quite merrily picking away at four Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry". My plan is to simply finish an area on the quartet each day until they are done, and am currently making progress on their muskets. Taken from blister FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing I may well use this approach for my future Black Powder projects, as this technique isn't too time-consuming, and also doesn't seem to make all the Frenchmen's details quite so intimidating - at least in my mind...

"Hulking Beasts With No Vestige Of Their Humanity Left."

 "These monsters charge from the front, hitting their victims with unstoppable force."

This 10mm scale Plague Lord is produced by "Mantic Games" for their "Epic Warpath" wargame, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Epic Warpath Plague Army. But I actually picked mine up as a freebie from the Nottingham-based company's current Epic Warpath - The Battle for Phrovox campaign on "My Mini Factory".

The malformed monstrosity is surprisingly 25mm tall so was super-glued onto a plastic 25mm circular base, undercoated in "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, drowned in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand. I then carefully applied a delicate dry-brush of "Two Thin Coats" White Star across the topmost ridges of the figure, before 'picking out' some of its chitinous armour with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue.

"Ammo is a precious resource on the Moon."

To be honest I wasn't exactly sold on this 'official' colour scheme. But having subsequently shaded the plates with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade and dry-brushed them with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Blue I thought the contrast looked really good. Lastly, I dabbed a little White Star by "Two Thin Coats" across the Plague Lord's teeth, a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red over its tongue, and washed both areas with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Sticking with 3D printing, I've also completed another 32mm Soviet Cosmonaut by "Black Site Studios". The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file is from the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set and was slightly upscaled by 1% due to the sculpt appearing to be a bit more slender in its proportions than the cast resin Eastern Bloc astronauts I already own.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Three of four Napoleonic Frenchmen currently being worked on

As with all my Russian spacemen, the miniature was primed with plenty of "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet, drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet. The Communist's helmet visor was later treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst his firearm was 'picked out' with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Lastly, I have finally started making some in-roads on four Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry". I was originally planning on simply bolstering my Austrian contingent this month. But time is already somewhat short, and this quartet taken from the manufacturer's FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing blister were already started just over a year ago - so shouldn't take that long to finish as I dab away at them piece by piece...

“Warfare" Showcase 2025

"Warfare is one of the largest [annual wargames show] in the country."

Having regretfully missed "Colours" a couple of months ago due to an unforgivable double-booking in my social calendar, I was thoroughly looking forward to visiting this year's annual "Warfare" wargaming show at the Farnborough International Exhibition Centre, and - apart from my SatNav inexplicably deciding to divert me off of the motorway and through central Basingstoke only to put me straight back onto the motorway I had just left (!?!) - I got to the venue with plenty of time before the event actually opened.

Indeed, the directions supplied on the Wargames Association of Reading (WAR) website were absolutely spot on, and I was quickly able to park, purchase a coffee and sit down in the warm without any stress of queuing. One thing which did irk me though was the incredibly short wrist band I was told I had to wear at all times. The damn thing barely fitted, and I noticed a few more corpulent comrades-in-arms having to have it stuck to their coats like a lengthy medal ribbon. Perhaps unsurprisingly mine soon started falling off my hand too, so eventually I just plonked it in my jacket's top pocket for safekeeping.

Some of the tempting figures and vehicles on display by "Spectre Miniatures" 

This year my plan was to most definitely have a thorough walk around before making any impulse buys, so after exchanging some pleasantries with Karl ("Crooked Dice Game Design Studio") and Leon ("Pendraken Miniatures"), I began making my way along the Main Hall. These days I always try to ensure I visit everyone by double-checking with the floorplan that you get upon entry. However, for some reason WAR weren't handing out these terribly useful pamphlets this year, so I simply kept walking around and around until I was absolutely certain I had seen everything - as well as double-checking the extremely colourful layout on their website.

One of the first traders to really catch my attention was "Spectre Miniatures", who had a couple of marvellous displays at their booth. I had been hoping that they had brought some "Lunar" blisters by "Black Site Studios" with them, as they're the U.K. stockist for the American company. But sadly they hadn't, so instead I ended up chatting to them about how many of the metal figures from their first "Kickstarter" in May 2014 were now highly sought after as the moulds had long gone - time for me to dig out my untouched sets from somewhere in the loft methinks.!!

The fantastic looking Dungeon Builder by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio"

I also spent some time contemplating the "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Dungeon Builder - which frankly looked absolutely superb on their display stand. The big conundrum for me was whether to pick up some of the actual physical sets, or buy the STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from "My Mini Factory" for my 3D printer. In the end I plumbed for the second option as the ever prodigious Mister Perrotton explained he'd used both resin and PLA (Polylactic Acid) to produce the well-painted pieces before me.

Having promised myself no sudden purchases, I did wilt when it came to "The Dice Miners" who were selling an incredibly useful set of dice for "Magic The Gathering". Now admittedly, these aren't really dice you roll during the game. However, they are designed to remind players as to status changes to their Creatures attack/defence statistics when affected by an Enchantment or Instant cards, and seemed a little more eye-catching than the tiny cardboard tokens I ordinarily use.

"Tribal Conquest" by "Nervosa Games", and some MTG dice by "The Dice Miners"

One of the trends which was definitely noticeable was the number of 3D printers selling their wares across the two vendor halls. Whether it be an absolute ton of different Daleks from "Doctor Who", a plethora of prehistoric monsters or numerous armoured vehicles at all different scales, this production method is clearly fast becoming the 'in-thing' for many a wargamer. In fact, one of the hottest products I saw others carrying around were various bits of post-apocalyptic terrain for "Trench Crusade".

The biggest highlight of the show though, for me at least, was getting a quick game in of "Tribal Conquest" by "Nervosa Games" just before I departed. Now I really don't need to start learning a new skirmish game, or begin painting an entire fresh range of miniatures, so I was sort of hoping I wouldn't get too sucked into the fight. Unfortunately, that simply was not the case, as I quickly fell for the quirky mechanics employed during my fast-paced clash of Stone Age tribes, and delighted in whittling down my opponents with a flaming coconut or lightning bolt...

"The Heavy Cruiser Is One Of The Few Starfleet Ship Designs..."

"...To have more than two nacelles."

This Terran C-6 Heavy Cruiser was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set. The multi-piece starship has been printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model.

Quite interestingly the vessel also comes with a rig STL, which allows you to produce a docking bay of sorts that helps line up the spacecraft's rearmost engine with the hull. Unfortunately, I ended up originally placing my vessel's third warp nacelle back to front, so had to literally tear it off from its support to place it the right way round. Considering how quickly super-glue sets when using PLA this 'manoeuvre' caused quite a bit of damage to the 3D print, so I ended up attaching the piece in line with its fellow engines (as opposed to being a little behind them) so as to cover up my misdemeanour.

"Mantic Games" WIPs - These Plague Lords are having their blue armour 'picked out'

Happily, I don't think my error is too noticeable, even if you look underneath the spacecraft, and will either represent a prototype/refitted Heavy Cruiser, or perhaps a Federation-class dreadnought in my games. The mistake did though rather drastically dampen my enthusiasm for the range, and coupled with my recent preference for resin 3D printing over PLA, has caused my entire (not) "Star Trek" starship project to come to a rather abrupt halt - at least until now that is.

Like all of my other Terran vessels, the miniature was undercoated using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then patiently dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before 'picking out' all three of the warp nacelles on its propulsion units with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Centurion has been base-layered, shaded and dry-brushed

Alongside my U.S.S. Federation I have continued to dabble with a trio of 10mm scale Plague Lords by "Mantic Games". I'm still currently in two minds as to whether I will support the Nottingham-based manufacturer's "Epic Warpath" Campaign on "My Mini Factory". But these fun little STLs are certainly swaying me, and I hope to also pigment a couple of Enforcer and Asterian test pieces too before I need to come to a decision.

Lastly, I've finally assembled the Centurion in MKII power armour that comes inside the "Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Saturnine" boxed set by "Games Workshop". Frankly, this was an absolute nightmare (not of my making) to assemble, and in the end I had to resort to relocating the model's Servo-skull simply to provide the space marine's back standard with some much-needed stability...

"The British Infantry Was The Only Military Force..."

"...Not to suffer a major reverse at the hands of Napoleonic France."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Napoleonic British Grenadier is sold by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their B041 Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms set. The miniature is one of eight identical soldiers sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry, and due to a combination of its somewhat complicated detail and predominantly white/red colour scheme has actually taken well over a year to finally complete.

The 'Redcoat' was undercoated using plenty of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before having his trousers and any straps pigmented in "Two Thin Coats" White Star. These areas were then shaded using some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade in an effort to 'weather' all the cloth and leatherwork.

"During the course of the wars against Napoleon, the British armed forces were expanded by subsequent Acts of Parliament."

I also wanted to have the model represent a British unit which had red facings in order to help keep my palette simple, so using my limited research chose to make the Grenadier a member of the 33rd "Wellington's Own" Regiment of Foot. This allowed me to paint the entirety of the model's jacket in "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and then wash his coat with (more) heavily-watered down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Furthermore I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade to the miniature's water bottle, and a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the soldier's bag. Lastly, I used a little "Vallejo" Neutral Grey on the miniature's blanket, and later darkened it down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Mantic Games" WIPs - A trio of Plague Lords at various stages of completion

With my tiny unit of British Grenadiers now completed for "Black Powder", I have temporarily moved on to a subject/genre hopefully far less time-consuming in the shape of three 10mm scale Plague Lords by "Mantic Games". The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the model was sent to me for free by the Nottingham-based manufacturer as part of their "Epic Warpath" Pre Campaign Bonus on "My Mini Factory", and may well form the start of a Plague army should I succumb to temptation and purchase "The Battle for Phrovox" All In Pledge.

For now though I simply want to see how the creature paints up, so have actually produced a trio of the sculpt in "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin using my Mars 5 3D Printer - including one which is a mirror image of the original pose. I must confess to being extremely impressed with how well the miniatures look, and hope to get both them, as well as some other test figures for the Enforcers and Asterians, before the "Epic Warpath" Campaign concludes in a couple of weeks time...

"The U.S. Space Program..."

 "...Grew out of the ashes of World War Two."

This 32mm NASA Astronaut is produced by "Black Site Studios" for their "Lunar" skirmish game, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set and represents the American faction's commander. carrying a Markam S11 pistol.

The spaceman was super-glued onto a "Citadel" 30mm circular stand, primed using "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue, drenched in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue. I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade to a piece of insulation material running along the edge of the astronaut's backpack in order to slightly break up the monotony of the rocketeer's palette a little bit.

"Fat Dragon Games" WIPs - This Terran C-6 Heavy Cruiser is slowly being shaded

The astronaut's hand-weapon was simply based coated with Citadel "Abaddon Black", layered in "Vallejo" Gunmetal and later washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst his somewhat futuristically-shaped helmet visor was given a base layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. This area was subsequently treated to some "Vallejo" Gold, plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and a final lick of (more) "Vallejo" Gold.

As I was planning on using this model as my U.S.A. force's leader, I thought I'd take advantage of his differently designed helmet by applying a couple of brush-tips full of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" across its top, and subsequently shading the area with some heavily watered down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This probably wouldn't be the best of ideas in an actual fire-fight on the moon's surface. However, it should certainly make the gaming piece visible on the tabletop.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - This British Grenadier is being painted from the boots up

Alongside my latest "Lunar" miniature I have also been working on a Terran C-6 Heavy Cruiser by "Fat Dragon Games". Created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer this multi-piece starship caused me a few issues whilst initially assembling it - due to user error - so has been sat gathering dust for while with nothing but a "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey undercoat covering it.

In addition, I am close to completing the last of my tiny, four-man unit of British Grenadiers using figures taken from the "Wargames Foundry" blister B041 Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms. This remaining model still has a few details which require 'picking out' and shading. But now I've had my enthusiasm for all things Black Powder re-energised by Mike Lambo's solitaire wargame "Battles Of Napoleonic Europe", should be finished soon enough...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Black Site Studios" November 2025

"Pits rival crews of astronauts against one another as they struggle for control over the precious resources of Earth's moon."

With my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer currently churning out all manner of miniatures using water washable resin, I felt it might be prudent to continue painting a load of "Lunar" models by "Black Site Studios" for the next four weeks, rather than move on to another project instead. In fact, I've even gone so far as to dig out the resin cast/plastic kits I bought from the America-based manufacturer's UK stockist "Spectre Miniatures" in November 2024 - so fully intend to have some members of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), a handful of R.O.C Taikonauts, and a fair few Freelancers before the month is finished.

In addition, I'm hoping to get elbow-deep in Trench Crusade by getting a good dozen or so STL (Standard Triangle Language) files printed/pigmented by "Trench Stench" ready for the tabletop. I don't admittedly know a lot about the different factions for during this skirmish game's alternate World War One timeline. But having subscribed to the company's Tribe on My Mini Factory, I have already acquired enough sculpts to field two noticeably distinct factions.

"Black Site Studios" WIPs - These three astronauts have been undercoated and shaded

Furthermore, I couldn't resist the recent "Penance 1914" Kickstarter campaign by "Westfalia Publishing", which consists of plenty more "32mm Weird War Miniatures for Games in Nomansland." Amongst all the numerous Sisters of Mercy, Nomansland Crusaders, and Macabees are some Wild West-flavoured Gunslingers and Desperados which will quickly find themselves on my Mars 5 3D printer's plate just as soon as I receive my pledge.

Lastly, I have not forgotten I'm a bit behind with my Napoleonic project plans for the year, so fully intend to complete not only the one remaining British Grenadier I have partly-pigmented. But also at least four more Austrian fusiliers. To help spur me on with this particular target using "Wargames Foundry" figures, I have purchased a copy of Mike Lambo's "Battles of Napoleonic Europe: A Solitaire Wargame", and fully intend to play out some of its scenarios using my 28mm metal miniatures using my old Hexon - Hex Terrain by "Kallistra Limited".

October 2025 - No change with "Wargames Foundry" still in top spot

Despite something of a spurt towards the end of last month, there is no doubt that I didn't produce anywhere near as many freshly-painted models during October as I had hoped. However, I did manage to 'kick-start' my previously abandoned plans for my "Lunar" backlog - even if by doing so I actually ended up producing more miniatures than I actually had when I first fell for the range back in September 2024.

I also intend to visit the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre in a couple of weeks time for "Warfare 2025", and will undoubtedly end up purchasing (as well as potentially pigmenting) a few surprise items from that event. In fact, as far as my hobby mojo goes, nothing can beat a good, inspiring wargaming show to ramp up my enthusiasm to do a fair few lengthy hobby sessions - especially if the subject matter is one which I've only just discovered - such as last year's Apocalypse Survivors by "Athena Miniatures"...

"Tribal Nations Warbands Will Centre Around A Core Of Mohawk And Seneca Infantry...

"...Backed by packs of wild beasts acting as fast strike forces."

This pair of 28mm metal miniatures were produced by "Warlord Games" as part of their Mythic Americas range, and could be found inside the Nottingham-based company's five-figure Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set. The animals actually came with circular MDF bases. However, as with the rest of my models for this wargame, I soon super-glued them upon plastic 32mm round bases instead.

The two canines were both primed using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then gave all the legs, bellies, throats and maws a few heavy brushstrokes of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, shaded these areas with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently dry-brushed them with (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats".

"Trench Stench" WIPs - Three Dirt Knights at various stages of completion

So brusque a technique obviously created a strong contrast between the animals' upper and lower bodies, so I carefully dry-brushed the regions where the two colours clashed with some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. I also went back afterwards with some "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and touched up these parts to hopefully blend all the differently hued fur together even more.

As a final step I dotted the two Wolves' eyes and noses with some pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and traced out their forward-facing fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This actually made the pair look a bit toothless to me. So I quickly went back with my brush-tip and ensured that each miniature was sporting a few more teeth than appeared to have been sculpted on them.

"Black Site Studios" WIPs - A NASA Astronaut and two (more) Soviet Cosmonauts

In addition to the last of my Tribal Nations Wolves I have started working on earnest on five Dirt Knights by "Trench Stench" I recently produced on my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer. For once I'm actually hoping that a factory line approach will actually pay some dividends for me, so I'm hoping to get all of the 'Crusader Knights' finished in good time before I start pigmenting the Trench Crusader unit's leader - a rather impressive Mechanised Gunslinger Lieutenant.

Furthermore, I simply can't seem to stop building more astronauts by "Black Site Studios". Despite now arguably owning more than enough Soviets and NASA spacemen than I need, I've picked up a few more 3D prints I found in my 'pile of potential' and converted them using some more of the leftover bitz I own from the American company's 2021 "Lunar" Core Boxed Set...

"Often Favouring Rugged And Ugly Looking Equipment..."

 "...The Soviets have shown themselves to be excellent Lunar inhabitants."

This 32mm Soviet Cosmonaut is produced by "Black Site Studios" for their "Lunar" skirmish game, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set and was actually upscaled a little bit due to the sculpt appearing somewhat smaller than the cast resin Russian astronauts I already own.

The Cosmonaut was super-glued onto a "Citadel" 30mm circular stand and primed in "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet. It was then covered in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet and had his face-plate initially layered with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black.  This helmet visor was subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Black Site Studios" WIPs - These three NASA Astronauts have had their basic work finished

Lastly, the figure's small geology hammer and large briefcase were given a lick of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The metal attaché case was later given a careful dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal to help bring out some of its finer details. I'm not entirely sure what could be contained in such a carryall - as this piece of equipment appears to be unique to the digital product, and there's no card for it in the Lunar Core Game I bought in July 2021. As a result I probably use the model to represent a Soviet Doctor with all their medical equipment locked away safely inside.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I have also been working on more of my NASA reinforcements as well, as I'd ideally like each opposing side to consist of eight or so miniatures. These particular astronauts are all 3D printed from the Two-Player Digital Starter Set too, although a couple of them have been quite heavily converted using pieces taken from my "Lunar" bitz box. Of particular note I spotted that I now owned an STL for a more advanced-looking American space suit, which will now be worn by the faction's overall commander - reducing the cast resin character I've previously pigmented down to a Junior Officer.

"Trench Stench" WIPs - These Dirt Knights have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

In addition, I've rather suddenly found myself being absolutely bowled over by the digital sculpts of "Trench Stench", who rather delightfully "make Trench Crusade compatible miniatures." To begin with I've produced a five-man strong squad of their free to download Dirt Knight STL. Admittedly, whilst the product does carry the "Trench Crusade" tagline it doesn't seem to be a specific unit for the "skirmish-scale tabletop miniatures game set in a horrifying alternate timeline of WW1." However, the quintet could easily be used to represent a band of Crusader Knights - especially as the lore claims that "there are thousands of different crusader Orders from across Christendom."

As a result I have simply 'mirrored' the odd single-pose sculpt to provide the warband with a little variety, and aim to give them a fairly straightforward rusty armour look, with drab brown leather garments to tie in with their Dirt Knight title. In the near future I also plan to give them a Mechanised Gunslinger Lieutenant as a leader, having been sent this STL file as another freebie...

"The Main British Heavy Machine Gun Used In The Falklands War..."

"...Was the L7A2 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG), a 7.62mm weapon."

These eight 10mm white metal British soldiers are by "Pendraken Miniatures" and were bought as part of their Falklands British Army Pack whilst I was visiting "Colours" 2023. Each 30mm x 40mm plastic base consists of two gunners and two loaders from the blister FLB28 - GPMG team, prone, helmet (5 teams) and were painted after I'd super-glued the four pairings onto their respective rectangular stands. 

The models were all primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey. I then began the patient process of 'picking out' all their boots, hands, faces and weapons with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before 'picking out' the troopers' skin with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade." These areas of flesh were later highlighted back up with a dab (more) of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

"The British invested all the money and energy it could raise into the Napoleonic Wars."

The soldiers' GPMGs and accompanying ammunition belts were simply pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also applied a little "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to some of the soldiers' waist pouches, just to slightly break up the monotony of their predominantly 'dirty green' attire.

Alongside these heavy weapon teams for my "Germany 1985" project, I have also managed to get a third 28mm scale metal Napoleonic British Grenadier tabletop ready too. Taken from the “Wargames Foundry". blister B041 Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms, the figure was predominantly pigmented using a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Vallejo" Heavy Red. Both of these colours were subsequently sploshed with some watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to add a little shadow here and there.

"Black Site Studios" WIPs - These NASA Astronauts have been shaded using "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade 

In addition I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade to the figure's water bottle, and a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the Redcoat's bag. Lastly, I used a little "Vallejo" Neutral Grey on the miniature's blanket, and some Gold on his shako plate. These areas were then darkened down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil or Agrax Earthshade respectively.

Obviously, so time-consuming a model has meant that I've somewhat struggled to get much more done on the trio of NASA astronauts I recently assembled using some (failed) 3D printed models from the "Lunar" Two-Player Digital Starter Set by "Black Site Studios", and a handful of cast resin bitz I had left over from the company's original 2021 Core Game box. I'm hoping to still get these miniatures finished before the end of the month. But if not, then I'm currently considering simply rolling the project on into November - as I seem to have really caught the 'moon surface battle bug' presently...

"Now Known As The First Country To Land A Man On The Moon..."

 "...The Soviet Union developed a proud and complex relationship with space travel."

This pair of 32mm Soviet Cosmonauts are produced by "Black Site Studios" for their "Lunar" skirmish game, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set and were actually upscaled by 1% and 2% due to the sculpts appearing somewhat smaller than the cast resin Eastern Bloc astronauts I already own. 

Indeed, the entire set came as something of a major disappointment to me, as rather than provide me with six multi-piece rocketeers (three NASA and three Russian) - similar to the bitz found on their five-figure sprue SKU: LNR6805BSS - Soviet Cosmonauts, it instead just provided me with three fully-posed miniatures instead. As a result, having noticed that the model's air-tank was noticeably shorter than his physical comrades-in-arms (despite him being stood on a rocky base), I enlarged the STL on "Chitubox" Basic and mirrored one of the spacemen to provide a little more variety.

"Black Site Studios" WIPs - This trio of NASA Astronauts have been primed in "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue 

The Cosmonauts were first super-glued onto a "Citadel" 30mm circular stand and undercoated with plenty of "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet. They were then both drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet and had their face-plates/mass shotguns layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black.  The Soviet's helmet visors were subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly, each figures' firearm was given a lick of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The hand-drawn illustration on the hand-weapon's item card for "Lunar" shows part of the gun also being red. Yet having already used this colour on the astronaut (as well as using a red flock for my Martian/Moon basing) I thought this was probably overkill - so just left the shotguns metallic.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - This Napoleonic British Grenadier is being progressed from the boots up

Alongside my latest Russian reinforcements, I have also started working on three more NASA astronauts too. Just like the Soviets, this trio of spacemen come from the Two-Player Digital Starter Set. However, they were created on my old Mars 3 Pro 3D printer and suffered a few failures - which has resulted in two of them receiving some additional cast resin hands/equipment and bitz that came with the original Lunar Core Game way back in July 2021.

In addition, the end is now most definitely in sight with the (tiny) four-figure British Grenadier unit I want to field for my Napoleonic "Black Powder" games. I've still got a few more details to pick out on these soldiers taken from the "Wargames Foundry" blister B041 Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms. But I should still manage to get the quartet fully-painted before my personal deadline expires at the end of the month...

"This Immensely Large Black Wolf Seems As Big As A Horse."

"It has fiery eyes, a thick coat of fur, and spikes crowning the top of its spine."

This 28mm scale Orr'ugs Wolf is produced by "Artisan Guild" and was downloaded for free as part of a multi-piece set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" subscription service. One of four different poses, this impressive sculpt was originally 80mm from nose to tail, but has actually been reduced in scale down to 'just' 45mm in "Chitubox" Basic to see whether it would work as a Dark Wolf for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games".  

Initially I actually 3D printed four versions of the animal, ranging from 30mm, 35mm, 40mm and 45mm for a friend, so they could see which size they wanted to fit onto a 25mm circular base. In the end they went for the 40mm miniature, whereas I liked the notion of a larger beast sitting upon a 30mm circular stand. I still have a couple more wolves from "Warlord Games" Mythic Americas range to paint - to use as Dark Wolf proxies. However, I much prefer these figures in both size and detail, so may well print out another dozen or so at some point to use instead.

"The Kingdom of Great Britain (later the United Kingdom) was the most constant of France's enemies."

Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer, the 'wandering monster' was primed using "Citadel" Abaddon Black and dry-brushed with plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. It was then shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before being lightly dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. The brute's eyes, teeth and claws were patiently picked out using a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and later washed with some "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson or Agrax Earthshade as appropriate.

In addition to my horror-themed 'test piece', I have also completed a second 28mm scale metal by “Wargames Foundry". Taken from their B041 Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms set, the Napoleonic British soldier was predominantly pigmented using a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Vallejo" Heavy Red. Both of these colours were subsequently sploshed with some watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to add a little shadow here and there.

"Knight Models" WIPs - Batman's base topper along with Peacemaker and Eagly

I also applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade to the figure's water bottle, and a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the Redcoat's bag. Lastly, I used a little "Vallejo" Neutral Grey on the miniature's blanket, and some Gold on his shako plate. These areas were then darkened down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil or Agrax Earthshade respectively.

I've also been busy working on some more of the STLs provided by "Knight Models" as part of their "Batman Miniatures Game" Gotham Lord Tribe pledge on "My Mini Factory". Some of these models come on some incredibly detailed base toppers, so currently I'm slowly working my way through one for the Dark Knight himself, along with Peacemaker and his sidekick Eagly...