"A Legendary Hero..."

"...To lead your Blood Angels into battle."

This small stand of two 15mm miniatures by "Alternative Armies" is comprised of a figure taken from their "The Ion Age" limited edition pack IAFL01 Hackett and Tasker, and one from Code IAF008 Retained Knight Post Charlie. The sculpts are designed to be used with the company’s “Patrol Angis” rule-set. But I’ve based and painted mine as a (proxy) Blood Angels Legion/Chapter Special Character for a home-brew game I've somewhat loosely based within the early Warhammer 30k/40k universe.

Perhaps understandably, it was the model of "the highly ranked Knight Commander Hackett" which took most of my attention, and not just because the little chap "is restricted to 500 numbered packs after which the moulds with these miniatures will be destroyed." As a result he was primed using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, base-layered with plenty of Gold, and finally heavily shaded in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Two Mast Beasts and a Strawbear

I then dry-brushed the leader with (more) "Vallejo" Gold, before settling down to the rather time-consuming task of picking out all the micro-details on his space-armour. This largely meant carefully tracing out Hackett's shoulder-pads with "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Two Thin Coats" White Star, as well as dotting the odd piece in "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson". I also carefully picked out the model's sword hilt using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Finally, I decided against making the figure's sword blade particularly colourful, as I didn't want it to clash with all its gold armour. So stuck to simply pigmenting the Octa Sword with "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also chose not to give the sculpt's robotic arm any special attention, preferring instead to leave it gold so it would just mingle in with the rest of the colour scheme.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Two Tunnel Spiders and a Goat Kin

The Retained Knight was much more straightforward to get tabletop ready, having been undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Red. The 'beaky' space marine was subsequently heavily washed with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. Finally, the crouched guy's hand-weapon was layered with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and later treated to a combination of “Vallejo" Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Despite getting these two miniatures finished in a reasonably quick time period, I have disappointingly not made much progress on a number of metal figures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" I was hoping to submit as entries into Angry Piper's annual "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog. Quite bizarrely, I've probably been wargaming more than painting over the past few weeks. But do still intend to get a number of these weird creatures finished in reasonably quick succession, as I want them as super-natural encounters for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". 

"You Are Under Arrest, British Scum!"

 "Come out from hiding!"

This 28mm metal model is produced by "Athena Miniatures" as part of their Apocalypse Survivors range, and comes from the company's AS12 Russian NBC four-figure set. I've been working on a dozen of these sculpts since stumbling across them whilst at "Warfare" 2024, and with this final figure now finished intend to use them for some classic "Invasion!" skirmishes set during the classic comic book strip created by Pat Mills for "2000 A.D." in the late Seventies.

The Soviet Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence trooper was initially undercoated using a couple of layers of “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, and shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. He was then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII so as to bring out all the folds/creases in his rubber suit, and subsequently had his buttons 'picked out' with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

The Russians and British square of against one another whilst investigating some grisly murders

This fairly simple palette meant that the miniature was predominantly finished quite quickly. However, I thought the model looked a tad plain, so decided to break its overall look up a bit by using a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil on both the Russian's gloves and over-boots. I also thought the soldier would look more menacing if I painstakingly applied some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to his firearm and eye lenses. As a final touch then trooper's respirator and rifle butt was given a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

In addition to my painting, I have also managed to play another game of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". This time round we decided to have a straightforward shootout between a force of British adventurers and my Russians, so chose to use the rule-set's opening scenario - The Investigation. However, rather than have a Hobgoblin suddenly appear during the battle, we decided to have a (Straw) Troll emerge instead.

The Russians bravely look for clues whilst being peppered by the British infantrymen

Things definitely got off with a better bang for the British as their 95th Riflemen managed to successfully pepper the Russian infantrymen. The sharpshooters' more accurate rifles clearly gave them a distinct advantage over their musket-wielding opponents, and began racking up hit after hit. Disappointingly, a good deal of the recruitment costs spent by Tsar Alexander I's officer had been foolishly placed at the feet of a peasant who claimed he could transform into a formidable Were-bear.

Once the (Straw) Troll appears the British quickly ask the Russians for a ceasefire

But after a few rounds, during which the Moscow Militia came under increasing fire, there wasn't a sign of the huge hairy animal anywhere to be found. Instead, the Russian's brave leader uncovered the aforementioned large (Straw) Troll which had been slaughtering the locals, and quickly agreed with Major Sharpe of the British contingent to combine their forces to confront the brute. This team-work seemed to be a splendid idea, and before long the monster terrorising the English line was taken down.

"My Mommy Always Said There Were No Monsters."

"No real ones. But there are."

These 10mm scale metal Xenomorphs are produced by “Pendraken Miniatures” as code SFC2 Medium Creature Type 2 from their Alien Creatures range, and come in a pack of five single-pose sculpts. Intriguing however, the sculpts are probably closer to 15mm scale (from head to tail-tip), so surprisingly sit down on the tabletop with my old collection of aliens by "Ground Zero Games" rather nicely.

I also thought these deadly extra-terrestrials would fit in rather nicely with the Monster May(hem) Challenge currently being held over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, as its rules specifically state that the entries needn't be limited to fantasy-based beasties. And frankly, I think there's only a few people who wouldn't think of H.R. Giger's creature from the 1979 film "Alien", if they were asked to name the most famous science-fiction monster of all time.

The models themselves were pretty simple to pigment, largely thanks to a double coat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black doing most of the work. The miniatures were then dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and later had their domed-heads touched up with a little (more) Abaddon Black, so as to make them slightly stand out from the rest of their horrifying horde. 

The Russians and British approach a revenant infested ruined chapel

Alongside my painting, I have also managed to play another game of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". Having previously tackled a couple of the rule-book's PvP (Player verses Player) Scenarios, this time around we thought we'd try a co-operative game of "The Ruined Chapel", and set up a disconcertingly small 30" x 30" board accordingly. In addition, I dug through my collection of scenery and placed a ruin, six gravestones, four clue markers, half a dozen (straw bear) Revenants and plenty of trees as the set-up instructions directed.

As I wanted to use some of my Russians by "Wargames Foundry" for this battle, I selected a sword-wielding Officer, a pair of (recently pigmented) Moscow Militiamen as Irregulars and a lone Infantryman. Whilst my ally went with an assortment of British soldiers from so many different manufacturers as to almost set off my OCD (Obsessive-compulsive disorder). Fortunately, they were being led by a certain Major Richard Sharpe, so I had high hopes that the quartet would at least do a sterling job on the tabletop, even if their different physical sizes was rather jarring to me.

Just as soon as a Vampire appears the British flee from their position

Sadly, things went wrong straight from the start as my Officer bravely marched up to the closest Revenant emerging from behind its gravestone, and was savaged to death. To make matters worse, my British compatriots - having deployed in a corner opposite my own forces - realised that they were too close to one another and couldn't manoeuvre as they had hoped. This caused Wellington's men to waste some actions rejigging their respective positions, and set them up perfectly for the Vampire which appeared right behind them at the end of Turn One.

Disappointingly, things did not get any better for Major Sharpe's contingent in the subsequent fighting, as his soldiers failed to cause any damage whatsoever to the deadly blood-drinker in their midst. Admittedly, some musket fire did start to take its toil upon a pair of Revenants that were closing in upon them from the ruin. But both Richard and his fellow Rifleman took some significant damage themselves in return. Indeed, it eventually became clear that the surviving members of the group needed to head south away from the Vampire as fast as their mud-splattered boots would allow them.

***** 'Bravely ran away, away! When danger reared its ugly head, He bravely turned his tail and fled. Yes, brave Major Sharpe turned about. And gallantly he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet. He beat a very brave retreat, Bravest of the brave, Major Sharpe!' *****

The brave Russians attempt to hold line against the Undead, as the British flee for their lives

Happily however, despite losing my Officer early on, the rest of my plucky Russians got busy bagging plenty of Revenants with their withering gun-fire. This eventually allowed my Infantryman to head into the ruin unmolested, and discover a bag of Silver Shot for his musket. In addition, the top fellow then uncovered a Small Icon, which would soon be needed to save him from the foul jaws of a Revenant.

Outside, an already dire situation was worsening for the remaining British, as a second Vampire emerged from the surrounding woodland to join his fellow Nosferatu in stalking Major Sharpe. Setting up a firing line along the southern-most edge of the map, both forces combined their musketry in a last ditch effort to keep the Undead horde approaching them at bay. This did momentarily appear to be working as one of the blood-drinkers was finally wounded. But in the end Richard and my Russian in the ruin fell, and this caused the rest of our fighters to understandably retreat back into the forest...

The Jägers Operated As Independent Battalions..."

"...Assigned to the various brigades, as required, and soon proved their worth in the field."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their blister AN038 Jaegers 1805-15 Running. The figure is one of eight identical Napoleonic marksmen sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry found in the set, and somewhat surprisingly come in two separate pieces - the actual Austrian Light Infantryman with an open right hand, and his firearm.

As I own ten of the exact same-looking miniature, following a successful bid on "eBay" late last year, I thought I'd use this particular sharpshooter as a test piece for a (reasonably) straightforward paint scheme, before possibly pigmenting the rest of my 'win' in batches of two or three. Resultantly, I undercoated him with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey in an attempt to get the majority of his semi-famous uniform completed almost before I'd really started. 

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Two more Austrian Jaegers set to soon appear on the tabletop

In hindsight, this was probably a minor mistake though, as I soon discovered that much more of the soldier required a lick of "Citadel" Abaddon Black than the Opaque "Vallejo" Game Colour I primed him with. However, discovering such things is precisely why I was only working on a single model, and at least the lighter colour allowed me to see all the different areas on the incredibly-detailed miniature - especially once I had shaded his limbs with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and roughly highlighted them with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey.

With the basics now finished, I began tackling the Austrian's rifle, backpack, moustache and hair with a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. These areas were later darkened down with a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I also patiently worked my way through the marksman's cuffs, collar, straps, fancy shoulder ribbon and hat plume with a combination of Wyvern Green by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. This somewhat tied the sharpshooter in with my British 95th Riflemen, as I used these exact paints on their uniforms too.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three of the four figures from the Galactic Explorers pack

Furthermore, I thought I'd try some "Two Thin Coats" Cold Corpse Blue on the chap's sleeping bag, before 'picking out' his gun barrel and drinking canteen with a brush-tip of "Vallejo" Gunmetal. All of these parts were later washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, I applied a dollop of "Vallejo" Gold to the soldier's coat buttons, sabre handle and hat crest, and then darkened its vibrancy down with a splosh of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Alongside my first Jaeger I have also managed to make a little bit of progress on three of the four Galactic Explorers I recently purchased from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". These models still have a long way to go to become tabletop ready. But proved a reasonably straightforward distraction from all the fine detail found upon my Perry Brothers' Napoleonic miniature...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - Monster May(hem) 2025

"In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the term monster refers to a variety of creatures."

Having taken a few weeks sabbatical from my hobby table, I thought I would step back into my painting and wargaming 'guns a blazing', and take up Angry Piper's invitation to join his annual "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog. Resultantly, I have dusted down a few intimidatingly large models which have been unceremoniously side-lined over the years, as well as selected a few (semi-new) miniatures I may well assemble/paint alongside them.

In addition, I fully intend to crack on with a number of partially-pigmented Napoleonic figures I was toying with just last month. Indeed, whilst I aim to get a few "big and mean" monsters completed for the aforementioned non-competitive contest, my main aim over the next four or so weeks is to at least get a couple more (tiny) units tabletop ready for my "Black Powder" Coalition forces. This should then encourage me to work on a similar number of the Emperor Bonaparte's soldiers throughout June (and maybe July too).

"Terrorist! Kill him!"

Speaking of long-running projects, I have completed another 28mm metal figure by "Athena Miniatures" from their Apocalypse Survivors range. This particular sculpt is from the company's AS12 Russian NBC four-figure set, and is the eleventh such soldier I've got tabletop ready since first encountering the Swindon-based manufacturer at "Warfare" 2024. 

As with all the other Soviet Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence troopers, the model was initially undercoated using a couple of layers of “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, and shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The 'invader' was then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII so as to bring out all the folds/creases in his rubber suit, and subsequently had his buttons/rifle butt 'picked out' with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

April 2025 - A less than productive time has caused little change in my favourite manufacturers

Despite a fairly encouraging start last month, my productivity completely dried up by the end of April, leaving me with a semi-successful output when compared to what I usually achieve annually at this time of the year. However, I did finish enough Moscow Militiamen by "Wargames Foundry" for a four-man unit, and 'chewed' through a fair few 10mm Xenomorphs by "Pendraken Miniatures".

This dalliance with the smaller scales probably won't stop any time soon either, as I'm really enjoying the simplicity of such figures when compared to the complexity of Napoleonic uniforms. Together, I think they make a good combination to help me push through some time-consuming paint-jobs, and should also help me maintain my enthusiasm whilst tackling the "big jobs" I have planned for "Monster May(hem)" too...