Top Ten Manufacturers Of 2024 - A "Fantorical" Viewpoint

It's strange how some unpleasantness experienced at the start of a year can have such a long-lasting impact upon a wargamer's enthusiasm for the hobby. However, having decided to leave the Fourteenth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) early, and resultantly found myself facing a table full of miniatures I'd been busily prepping/progressing for the event, that's precisely the predicament I faced in the first week of February 2024. Admittedly, I did persevere with my collection of primed figures by "Black Tree Design" and "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" until I had gotten a large number of them tabletop ready. But after a couple of months I found my mojo to be completely spent, and disappointingly didn't really pick up my paint-brush with any great gusto until the Autumn - due to suddenly being once again bitten by the Napoleonic Era bug.

To make matters worse though, the host of my wargaming website "Wix.com", suddenly decided to dramatically increase their costs and focus on income generation for store-owners, rather than people like myself who simply wanted to run a website. This caused me to immediately cancel my subscription to their service, and spend many a painful week manually bringing all my hobby posts/pictures back across to "Blogger.com". Resultantly, my overall productivity was frustratingly down on previous years, whilst my determination to finish many of the models originally destined for submission into the AHPC greatly hindered my focus upon new projects. Luckily, I eventually shook off this 'funk', and despite my previous love of 3D printing seldom surfacing due to FEP/suction issues, I did fall 'head over heels' for many a 28mm metal miniature instead...

No. 10 - "Warlord Games" - "Bolt Action"

It would certainly be fair to say that compared to past periods, I somewhat fell 'out of love' with this Nottingham-based manufacturer during this year. I didn't attend their Open Day, nor did I buy into any of their new Epic range releases either. Indeed, the company only appears because at the very end of 2024 they released the Third Edition of "Bolt Action", and subsequently caused me to start assembling/painting a 28mm Italian army using their excellent plastic infantry sprues.

No. 10 - "Athena Miniatures" - "Apocalypse Survivors"

One of the best things about physically visiting wargaming shows is suddenly spotting a line of models I have never even heard of, and just such a thing happened at the recent "Warfare" with this firm. Initially, I was actually drawn to their Franco-Prussian War figures. But then spotted the various British squaddies and Russian invaders which made up their post-apocalyptic United Kingdom, and walked away from their stall with several plastic bags of goodies.

No. 8 - "Alternative Armies" - "The Ion Age"

Definitely a product of the AHPC and victim of its fallout, I set aside a handful of this company's long abandoned 15mm vehicles to pigment for the event. Disappointingly though, once completed, I never had the motivation to progress any more of the wonderful miniatures I own from the range - so the finished hover tanks and armoured cars were simply safely placed inside some plastic containers where they disconcertingly dwell to this day.

No. 8 - "Fenris6661982" - "The Lord Of The Rings"

Doubtless this is a rather controversial "eBay" seller due to their Black Numenoreans resin figures seemingly being closely based upon the original (OOP) sculpts once sold by "Games Workshop" for the "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game". However, at the time of purchase they were one of several stores advertising various 3D prints of J.R.R. Tolkien's "cruel oppressors" on the e-commerce marketplace, and it wasn't until I finally found a pair of my old official metal miniatures that their true 'exactness' became abundantly clear.

No. 7 - "Lost Heresy Miniatures" - "Vulgorn Guards"

One of the few 3D Printing Patreon/Tribes to actually cause me to power on my "Elegoo" Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, Bill Thornhill's nod to "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" actually caused me no end of issues - largely thanks to my resin tank's FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) being too loose to produce successful prints. However, once I did have my hands of some useable 'not-Vogons' I soon got them tabletop ready, and built up a sizeable seven-figure squad.

No. 6 - "Black Site Studios" - "Lunar"

Arguably viewed at one point as my 'break-out' manufacturer of the year, I was deeply smitten by this American company's resin-cast astronauts, Soviet cosmonauts and sugary-sweet space pet. In fact, I even went as far as to order a 6'x4' Asteroid gaming mat from "Deep-Cut Studio" upon which to play out some large-scale moon-based battles. However, the high expense of buying/shipping their various mining factions, rovers and additional spacemen from across the Pond proved all too much; especially when I discovered items I had ordered direct from "Black Site Studios" weren't even in stock (despite their webstore saying otherwise), and they knew they'd be at least a two month delay to have them made but didn't feel obligated to tell me that.

No. 5 - "Games Workshop" - "The Horus Heresy"

Despite a little dabble with some long OOP (Out Of Production) metal models from their "The Lord Of The Rings" range, the vast majority of my focus for 2024 as far as this Nottingham-based manufacturer was concerned, was on their 28mm hard plastic MK IV armoured Space Marines. Disappointingly, I never managed to finish my third ten-man unit of Sons of Horus due to the monotony of pigmenting their 'blue-green' "high grade composite ceramite plating" and "Vallejo" Gold trim. But I did get tantalisingly close, and definitely should have 'ensured' that I am able to eventually field a 500-point traitor army for "The Horus Heresy" in the forthcoming year.

No. 4 - "CoolMiniOrNot" - "Zombicide" & "Marvel United"

I owe quite a considerable bit of gratitude to this Singapore-headquartered company, as the mid-year arrival of their Monty Python's Flying Circus expansion for "Zombicide" finally pulled me from my hobby slump. In addition, I fell back in love with their excellent "Marvel United" boardgame, and began painting a number of its super-heroes/villains for a series of Battle Reports. Sadly, all of this enthusiasm was then completely quashed into the ground by the atrocious management of their Marvel United: Multiverse Kickstarter - which saw my missing pledge abandoned in a factory in China...

No. 3 - "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - "7TV"

Buoyed by my love of Eighties' science fiction franchises such as "Flash Gordon" and the two-part television miniseries "V", Karl Perrotton's "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" was undeniably one of my main 'go-to' miniature makers of the year. Admittedly, I had actually planned to pigment far more of their Rick Rhodes Luna City range during the AHPC than I eventually did. But this misfortune didn't prevent me from pottering on with plenty of Simian Minions and Strawbears once my hobby mojo eventually returned later in the year.

No. 2 - "Wargames Foundry" - "Napoleonic Range"

Easily my most time-consuming project for 2024, and my proudest, the sheer amount of highly-detailed Perry Brother sculpts I tackled with my brush-tip throughout these twelve months was quite astounding. Indeed, I managed to complete a fair few eight-figure units of Russian, Prussian and French infantrymen during this time, as well as a trio of rather formidably-sized Great Big Bellicose Bears. Admittedly, much of this success was undoubtedly due to playing several games of "The Silver Bayonet" ruleset by "Osprey Games", and using these figures for that. But I also achieved my goal of having enough units for two sides to play a simplified version of "Black Powder" by "Warlord Games" too.

No. 1 - "Black Tree Design" - "Doctor Who"

By far the biggest shock of the year, was just how many of these three decades old sculpts I completed, and then did absolutely nothing with. Furthermore, apart from a smattering of Sea Devils during the Summer, all of these miniatures were surprisingly made tabletop ready by the end of April. Much of this productivity was due to their inclusion in my plans for the AHPC, and subsequent successful attempt to attain my target tally despite departing the event early. However, a desire to resurrect an old interstellar war campaign playing some old homemade rules never materialised, and so all of these models were disconcertingly just packed away in a plastic container or three.

It Is Considered A Bad Omen..."

 "...To march to battle with less than a full veteran company."

These three 15mm metal miniatures are from "The Ion Age" range by "Alternative Armies", and come from their IAF008 Retained Knight Post Charlie multi-figure set. Super-glued upon a couple of wooden sticks for a good handful of years, I recently dusted them down and decided to paint them as part of my small(ish) scale "Rogue Trader" era Crimson Fists space marines.

To begin with the trio were simply undercoated with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then picked out their Angis Rifles with a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before applying a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red to their hands. This palette has served me well over the past decade in capturing how I perceive Chapter Master Pedro Kantor's Anti-Ork Warfare specialists to look.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sons of Horus Praetor's left side is predominantly now done 

However, I did want to mark this particular unit out as a Sternguard formation, so decided to apply some "Two Thin Coats" White Star to their helmets, wash them with some heavily watered-down Carchardon Grey, and dry-brush them with (a tad extra) White Star. I decided upon this colour scheme primarily because I felt it made the Adeptus Astartes stand out on the tabletop, and also having perused a Warhammer 40,000 thread on "Reddit", came away with the opinion that I had already inadvertently 'marked' my entire Crimson Fists Chapter out as veterans by previously pigmenting both of their gauntlets red instead of just one.

With the actual models finished, I subsequently set about super-gluing to a medium-sized plastic "Flames Of War" base by “Battlefront Miniatures". This was actually much more time-consuming than it might first appear, as each model is sculpted standing upon a thick metal stand - so I needed to use several sausages of Green Stuff to create a reasonably soft slop around each space marine so I could later successfully sprinkle them with PVA-soaked grit and grass flock.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPs - These Russian NBC Troopers still need to be tidied up

In addition to finally concluding this long overdue mini-project, I have also managed to make some more progress on a genuine defender of Humanity by "Games Workshop". This 28mm Praetor with Power Axe is largely comprised of plastic components from the Nottingham-based manufacturer's Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Age of Darkness boxed set, and due to its insane amount of detail, is quite slowly becoming the leader of my Sons of Horus traitor legion.

Lastly, I am still working on the final three Russian NBC troopers I own by "Athena Miniatures". To be honest these 28mm metal figures should reasonably soon be ready for a coat of varnish, so I'm already looking forward to polishing off a second Soviet unit - which will consist of fourteen members of the Russian Spetsnaz Special Forces, armed with AK47s and an RPGs...

"Each Vexilla Is Created On Terra..."

"...painstakingly fashioned over a period of one hundred standard years."

This 28mm plastic miniature of a Space Marine is by "Games Workshop" and comes from the now long OOP (Out Of Production) Betrayal At Calth boxed set boxed set by "Games Workshop". The multi-part figure has been assembled wearing MK IV armour and is carrying a Legion Vexilla (Legion Standard) which will allow its unit to add +1 "to the Wounds score used to determine if they win a Combat in the Assault Phase."

Due to the miniature forming part of my third Sons of Horus Tactical Squad for the Horus Heresy, it was primed in a couple of layers of "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green, before being heavily washed with Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) Sons Of Horus Green. I then applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to his Bolter, the joints of his Maximus Armour, and a couple of parts making up his backpack.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sons of Horus Praetor is being painted from the boots up

The model's firearm and a couple of areas of its 'advanced power generator' were subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst I coated his left shoulder-pad, left lower-leg and Legion Vexilla with a little "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Gold. These areas were later given a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and highlighted with some additional touches of "Vallejo" Gold on the sharpest edges and rivets.

As a final touch I applied some "Scalecolor" Speed Metal to the Space Marine's eye slits, and then a single layer of the "Citadel" Contrast colour Flesh Tearers Red. I also fixed four of the many decals found on the "Games Workshop" Sons of Horus Legion transfer sheet onto his right shoulder-pad, right lower leg, left wrist and in the middle of his standard's circular central emblem.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPs - Early days on three Russian NBC Troopers

Alongside the last of my Sons of Horus MK IV armoured tactical space marines, I have also started to work in earnest on the Praetor with Power Axe I predominantly assembled using one of the sprues from the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy - Age of Darkness boxed set I bought a couple of years ago. This particular traitor will doubtless take a little while to get tabletop ready, on account of both the myriad of details its original sculpt contained, as well as the various "Forge World" extras I added to him. But I still have my eye on him getting finished before the month is over.

Lastly, I am beavering away on three more 28mm metal models by "Athena Miniatures". This trio of 'Apocalypse Survivors' all come the company's AS12 Russian NBC release, and will double the number of dastardly 'Volgon' invaders I currently own for my "Invasion!" project - based upon the old "2000 A.D." comic book strip...

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

"The people of Britain must understand we Volgans are your friends." 

With my Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) now entering its final furlong, I thought I would mix things up a bit by moving into some of other scales I tend to pigment from time to time, such as 10mm and 15mm. This  change of direction should get me somewhat closer to my personal challenge's target tally than if I remained rooted to just 28mm - as I'm starting to find myself getting distracted by new 'heroic scale' purchases rather than focusing on finishing old projects - and help me clear up a rather large number of wooden painting sticks peppered with primed miniatures which are currently littering my hobby space.

However, I also want to break the back of my most recent purchases from "Athena Miniatures" at "Beachhead" 2025, and get enough of the company's Apocalypse Survivors tabletop ready so I can actually have a game (of adapted "Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games") using them. Having completed an eight-man unit of British NBC soldiers last month, I now need to really focus upon the Soviet invasion force threatening a nuclear bomb-blasted United Kingdom.

"There is only one sentence... Death!"

This will primarily consist of a similarly-sized Soviet NBC unit, along with a set of fourteen members of the Russian Spetsnaz Special Forces, armed with AK47s and an RPGs. In addition, I would like to get a couple of the actual British civilian survivors completed, including a certain shotgun-carrying gentlemen - who I hope will work well as a heavily-bearded proxy for East Londoner Bill Savage in any scenarios based upon the old "2000 A.D." comic strip "Invasion!" I want to game.

To get things off to a fairly strong start, I have already got the varnish and flock on a (fifth) 28mm metal model taken from "Athena Miniatures" AS12 Russian NBC four-sculpt set. This Soviet Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence trooper was initially undercoated using a couple of layers of “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, before being shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII.

February 2025 - "Black Tree Design" quite significantly extends its lead due to interest in "Doctor Who"

To try and break up the monotony of the Communist's rubber suit I then applied a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to his gloves and overboots. Finally, his respirator, rifle butt and coat buttons were 'picked out' with a little "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, whilst his firearm and eye lenses were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Painting wise, the past four weeks have definitely seen an encouraging increase in my productivity; something which has to be attributed to my impressive progress working through so many (really) old "Doctor Who" models by "Black Tree Design". I'm not sure this particular interest in thirty-year old sculpts will continue for much longer - unless I discover another stash of Sea Devils or Daleks in my backlog. But it has helped reinvigorate my hobby mojo to the point where I'm still very keen to clean away the cobwebs on many an old, long-forgotten project or three...

"I Didn't Know You Were The Sundance Kid When I Said You Were Cheating."

 "If I draw on you you'll kill me."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Great Escape Games", and can be purchased as part of their DMH306 Butch & Sundance two-figure set for Dead Man's Hand. The sculpt is clearly strongly influenced by actor Robert Redford's portrayal of the Sundance Kid in the 1969 Western "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", and depicts the outlaw's famous pose during his fatal shoot-out with the Bolivian Army.

Being rather ignorant of casting issues and concerns, I must admit to being rather surprised that this miniature came in two pieces. But a quick dab of super-glue soon seemingly fixed one of the gunslinger's arms in place, so the entire ensemble could be primed using a couple of coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. At this stage I also noticed that one of the bank robber's pistols was mis-cast and missing its barrel. However, I figured there was still enough of the hand-weapon for such a flaw to be overlooked on the gaming table.

"Exterminate. Exterminate!"

The Sundance Kid was dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then began the process of 'picking out' all of his details, using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on his vest, and "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson" for his shirt. I also carefully traced out the outlaw's holster string (tied around his leg) with a thin line of White Star by "Two Thin Coats", and later weathered the string with a little "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

The train thief's guns and buttons were subsequently coated in "Vallejo" Gunmetal and shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before I tackled his hair and moustache primarily with Skulker Yellow by "Two Thin Coats". These areas were darkened down with a careful application of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and then highlighted with a patient dry-brush of (more) "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow. As a final touch I decided to make the gunslinger's shoes and holster stand out a bit more from his all-black suit, by simply giving them a lick of pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sons of Horus Space Marine just needs a final touch-up

In addition to the Sundance Kid, I have also finished working on another 28mm metal, multi-part Dalek by "Black Tree Design". Available as either DW303 - Dalek, or as part of their DW1001 - Dalek Patrol Plus Heavy Weapons Dalek set, the "Doctor Who" monster was predominantly painted using Citadel Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and Celestial Blue by "Two Thin Coats".

I've also managed to find a little more hobby time to plod on with the last of my Sons of Horus Space Marines by "Games Workshop". All of the main colours have now been 'blocked in' and in some places, even highlighted. However, I now need to carefully tidy my way up the 28mm plastic figure, ensuring that all its MK IV armour is finished, and any stray brushstrokes of "Vallejo" Gold or "Citadel" Abaddon Black are covered over...

"Our Father, Who Art In Heaven..."

"Hallowed be thy name."

This 28mm scale resin model of a Praying Mouse is produced by “Oathsworn Miniatures" and was part of the company's "Burrows & Badgers: Furs & Feathers" Kickstarter way back in July 2017. Known as 'Pious' Tom, the Mouse Monk, the figure was originally given away for free during the crowdfunding campaign to any "Pick'n'Mix" or "All In" backers. However, it has since become available to buy as part of the North East English company's "Burrows & Badgers" range on their website.

Due to the sculpt being knelt in prayer, I recall initially being somewhat tempted to plonk the small rodent onto one of the thin-lipped 40mm plastic circular bases I regularly use for my objective markers. However, in the end I superglued the tiny animal onto a lipped 30mm round base instead, and set about priming them with a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. The monk's robe was then shaded using a far amount of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before being roughly dry-brushed in (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"There's nowhere to run!"

Having studied the mouse's 'official paint-job', I next applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the critter's hood. This area was later highlighted with a careful dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. The monk's hands, feet and tail were simply layered in "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently treated to some additional lines of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone along its fingers and toes.

For the figure's face, I decided to try something a little different (and definitely much quicker), by simply giving the area a rough dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone over a Heavy Sienna base-coat. The entire head was then shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and lightened with a much softer dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. Finally, the closed eye slits were just darkened with a streak of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, whereas the creature's fingernails and claws were given a lick of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and darkened down with (even more) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"The Volgs are coming down everywhere!"

In addition to my impulse paint-job - having only discovered the partially-painted model in a drawer the day before I finished pigmenting it - I have also completed the last two 28mm metal single-cast British NBC soldiers produced by "Athena Miniatures" I bought at "Warfare" 2024. Largely finished using lots of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, the troopers' semi-automatic L98 A2 rifles and lenses were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

I also splattered their ammunition pouches with some round(ish) dollops of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna, before drenching their equipment bags with a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This basic camouflage pattern - which I've previously used whilst painting my 15mm German Panzergrenadiers for "Flames Of War" - was subsequently highlighted back up with some extra splodges of (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna.

"Pity? I Have No Understanding Of The Word."

"It is not registered in my vocabulary bank. Exterminate!"

This 28mm metal, multi-part model of a Kaled Mark Three travel machine is manufactured by "Black Tree Design", and can be bought either individually as DW303 - Dalek, or as part of their DW1001 - Dalek Patrol Plus Heavy Weapons Dalek set, from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. Created by Terry Nation, and brilliantly designed by Raymond Cusick, this sculpt is clearly based upon the Time Lord's most feared enemies - who first appeared in the 1963 six-part storyline now known as "The Daleks".

Probably assembled using a little super-glue some twenty plus years ago, this particular figure has always proved a remarkably off-putting figure to tackle on account of all the fiddly sensor globes I'd need to pick out with my brush-tip. This 'intimidation factor' was largely due to my plan to pigment the Dalek in its original colour scheme of silver with light blue bumps, and it wasn't until I recently decided to swap that palette out for the much more painter-friendly one seen in "Genesis Of The Daleks", that I finally decided to get the classic monster tabletop ready.

"Titan Forge" WIPs - This Death Knight's armour has been base-layered and shaded

I therefore treated the model to a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and began the odious task of encircling all its sensor globes with some thinned-down "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Once this process was completed, I then drenched the entire miniature in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and gave its upper half a careful drybrush with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey.

With the 'basics' finished I moved on to 'picking out' some of the Dalek's much smaller details, using a photograph of the Masterpiece Collection Maxi Bust Genesis Dalek by "Forbidden Planet" as a guide. I therefore applied some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the machine's manipulator arm, dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal, and plonked the infamous sink-plunger with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Titan Forge" WIPs - These two Death Dogs have been 3D printed, based and primed

I also gave its deadly gun-stick a layer of "Vallejo" Bronze, shaded it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and dry-brushed the "standard personal Dalek weapon" using a little (more) "Vallejo" Bronze." Finally, I coated the creature's five-disc eyestalk in "Two Thin Coats" Celestial Blue and a splodge of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. Whilst its two low profile comm lights (on the dome) were simply spotted with "Vallejo" White, darkened in heavily watered down Carcharodon Grey by "Two Thin Coats", and re-dotted with a tad more "Vallejo" White.

Alongside my first "Black Tree Design" Dalek in more than two decades, I have also been working on a Death Knight and his three Death Dogs by "Titan Forge Miniatures". These four models were created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer, and are the start of a fantasy skirmish project I have planned to potter away at for the rest of 2025. For now though, I simply wanted to get the mighty undead warrior and his hounds undercoated, ready for some base layering...

"I Have Found The Doctor."

"And you have your orders. Kill him."

This pair of identical 28mm metal models are produced by "Black Tree Design" and can be bought individually as DW510 - Armoured Sea Devil from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. "Awoken in 2084 A.D. by a group of Silurians who believed peace with humanity was impossible", the sculpts are clearly based upon the "amphibious Earth reptiles" seen in Johnny Byrne's 1984 television story "Warriors Of The Deep".

'Identified by historians as an example of a Silurian subspecies', the two figures were primed using a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and subsequently sploshed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Some of the details on the shock troopers' uniforms, along with each creature's hand-weapon, were then 'picked out' using a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a dash (more) of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Black Tree Design" WIPs - All of this Dalek's sensor globes have been patiently picked out

The Sea Devils' faces and paws were simply given a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before being shaded with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, despite the models' costumes not quite matching the samurai-looking helmets shown on the small screen, I decided to treat their ornate headwear to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Due to currently still being rather obsessed with classic "Doctor Who", I thought it was about time I corrected a major omission in my collection, by finally putting a brush-tip to some old multi-part Daleks. Perhaps unsurprisingly to many, I actually own a considerable number of these "Black Tree Design" miniatures from the planet Skaro. But up until now, I've always been put off painting them due to the numerous sensor globes surrounding their Mark III Travelling Machines.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sons of Horus Space Marine's gold areas have been completed

To get over this 'hump' I've therefore decided to paint a pilot piece up using the fairly straightforward blue-grey/black colour scheme seen in such broadcast storylines as "Genesis of the Daleks" and "Resurrection of the Daleks". Hopefully this'll encourage me to then produce another handful using the same palette, before moving on to the silver/blue livery depicted in some of the science fiction series' earlier adventures.

In addition, I have made more progress on the last of my MK IV wearing Sons of Horus from the long out of production (OOP) Betrayal At Calth boxed set. This particular "Games Workshop" Space Marine has proved a bit intimidating on account of being equipped with a Legion Vexilla (Legion Standard). However, now I've finished all the gold areas on the traitor's Maximus armour, I'm pretty sure I'll soon have him ready for a 31st Millennium battlefield...

"Doctor, Be Careful. It's Obviously A Dalek."

"You were lucky to find the Tardis in all that jungle."

This 28mm metal model is manufactured by "Black Tree Design" and can be bought as DW155 - Vicki from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. "A student of a 25th century school system", the sculpt is clearly based upon one of the first Doctor's travelling companions as seen in David Whitaker's 1965 television story "The Rescue", and has languished in my collection for at least a decade. Indeed, I may even have purchased the figure as far back as twenty five years ago, when it was cast by "Harlequin Miniatures".

Probably primed with a double-helping of "Vallejo" White in late 2023, when I had planned to pigment the 'fourteen year-old space traveller' as part of a large "Doctor Who" project, the orphan then had her boots and dress base-layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. At the time I recall thinking that her legs were bare. However, having recently spotted some artwork capturing the young girl's early adventure on the planet Dido, it appeared that Vicki was actually wearing a pair of stockings.

"The outcome is certain. The ape primitives are no match for my warriors. They will be crushed."

Resultantly, the model's legs were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before being carefully dry-brushed with a little more "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. This aforementioned illustration also convinced me that the time traveller's dress wasn't plain black either, so it was subsequently picked out in "Vallejo" Storm Blue, and later darkened down a bit with a splash or two of "Citadel Nuln Oil."

To be honest the actual casting on this piece was pretty poor, especially on the child's bare arms. So in the end I simply settled for giving all of Vicki's skin a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and dash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshtone. I then went back with an incredibly fine brush-tip to highlight some of the more flat areas back up. The companion's hair was painted with a base layer of "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow, a dousing of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and a dry-brush of (more) "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow. In the photographs of actress Maureen O'Brien's on-screen character it seemed that her collar was decorated with a silver pattern of some kind. However, there was no such detail sculpted onto the dress which I could see, so considering how very small the figure was, I decided to leave the area bare.

"Great Escape Games" WIPs - Both Butch & Sundance have been primed and base-layered

Sticking with both "Black Tree Design" and "Doctor Who", I have also managed to finish another 28mm metal Sea Devil too - A classic monster from Peter Davison's tenure as the time travelling Doctor. Available as DW510 - Armoured Sea Devil, this miniature was predominantly painted using "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, "Citadel" Nuln Oil, "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly, I simply haven't been able to resist starting work on the Butch & Sundance figures by "Great Escape Games", which I recently bought at "Beachhead" 2025. I must confess to being a bit surprised that the 28mm metal sculpts were multi-piece miniatures - albeit, they are dynamically posed. But once they were assembled, I've managed to get the beginnings of a base layer or two on the gun-slinging pair of outlaws for Dead Man's Hand.

"They Outnumber Us Ten To One!"

"We can't stop them!"

These two 28mm metal single-cast figures are produced by "Athena Miniatures" as part of their Apocalypse Survivors range, and are part of the eight-man squad found inside the Swindon-based company's AS11 British NBC set. Purchased as part of a much larger impulse buy whilst I was wandering around the stalls at "Warfare" 2024, these miniatures are based upon the disconcerting notion of Russia suddenly invading the United Kingdom following some great calamity - whether that be a nuclear strike, zombie incursion or some deadly extra-terrestrial attack.

Both models were undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, and drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then layered the soldiers' boots, gloves, gas masks and firearms with "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Lastly, the troopers' L98 A2 rifles and lenses were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I did consider adding a little "Vallejo" Heavy Grey to parts of their semi-automatic weapons, as seen in the official photographs I was using for a colour guide. However, I felt this would just make them 'disappear' amidst the NBC suit, so decided to leave well enough alone. 

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Primaris Space Marine has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

I did however want to mark them out from their Soviet opponents, so took some inspiration from the pictures of the figures' ammunition pouches, and splodged these equipment bags with some round(ish) dollops of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna. This basic camouflage pattern - which I unashamedly borrowed from my days painting 15mm German Panzergrenadiers for "Flames Of War" - was later splashed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before each area was highlighted back up with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna.

In addition to my latest "Invasion! 1999" reinforcements, I have also started working on a 28mm plastic Primaris Space Marine I was very kindly sent for free by the "eBay" shop "ibstock_tackle". Now, to be brutally honest I have little interest in Warhammer 40K these days. But did fancy testing out a colour scheme for the Dark Angels Chapter which I could then later possibly apply to some of Lion El'Jonson's warriors from the Horus Heresy.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Two members of the Moscow Militia

Admittedly, according to "Games Workshop" lore the Loyalists of that era were all dressed in black armour. However, I've had enough of painting miniatures "Citadel" Abaddon Black recently, and can't shake the mental image of the First Legion always being adorned in their (modern day) green hue. Resultantly, I wanted to see if I could come up with a palette I could use for both timelines, and felt this particular miniature would make the perfect pilot piece.

Finally, I've somehow found my enthusiasm for my Napoleonic project also gaining ground once again, so have dived into a couple more figures from the RN043 Moscow Militia with Muskets blister by "Wargames Foundry". I'm currently hoping to get a quartet of these marvellous Alan Perry sculpts finished before the end of the month, and perhaps then move on to some (more) French opponents, or perhaps the start of an Austrian Jäger unit..?

"The Narodnoe Opolcheniye..."

"...Was a Russian militia that fought in the French invasion of Moscow in 1812."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their RN043 Moscow Militia with Muskets set. The figure is one of eight Napoleonic Russian soldiers sculpted by Alan Perry found in the blister, and has somewhat helped to re-enthuse me for my long-running Black Powder Age project on account of the infantryman's reasonably straightforward attire.

Being rather keen to follow this miniature's official paint-job as shown on the Newark-based manufacturer's website, I primed him using my usual mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Vallejo Surface Primer Black, and had his trousers base layered with "Vallejo" Neutral Grey. I then pigmented his winter jacket with plenty of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and thoroughly shaded both colours with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As a final touch for this particular process, I went back with some (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and dry-brushed the Russian's sleeves and the bottom of his greatcoat.

"The ape primitives are no match for my warriors."

All of the militia member's numerous straps, his belt, ammunition box, baggage and headwear were given a simple lick or two of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before tiny little details such as the man's buckle and hat decoration were carefully picked out with "Vallejo" Gunmetal. These tiny areas were later washed with a spot of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also used this combination for all the metal areas of the infantryman's musket. Finally, I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to the Russian's bushy beard, boots and any wooden elements of his firearm, and subsequently sploshed them all with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

I'm rather pleased with myself for (finally) finishing this particular model, as I intend to also use him as the human manifestation for my Russian Werebear in "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". Despite the figure carrying a musket rather a heavy weapon (as described in the rule-book), I figured the firearm could simply be unloaded, so he could just swing it like a club until such time as the fellow successfully transforms into his far furrier (and much stronger) form.

"They will be crushed."

Alongside my second Napoleonic miniature of the year, I have completed two more 28mm metal models by "Black Tree Design". Available as DW510 - Armoured Sea Devil from their "Doctor Who" range, this pair of identical sculpts were initially undercoated with a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, dry-brushed using some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. 

I next tackled some of the details on the aquatic race's uniforms, and ornate 'samurai-like' helmets, along with the creatures' hand-weapons, using a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a dash (more) of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, the monsters' flesh was simply given a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before being shaded using some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade...

“Beachhead" Showcase 2025

"It feels like this exciting weekend sneaks up on us every year."

Seeing as this "ninth annual Beachhead event" was my first wargaming show of the new year, I found myself surprisingly excited as I drove down to the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) in Dorset. I'd actually missed the previous one, and had therefore largely forgotten my past disappointment with its lack of new vendors. Indeed, this time round I already knew some of the stores that were going to be attending, and was very eager to reacquaint myself with "Athena Miniatures" excellent range of Apocalypse Survivors.

What I hadn't forgotten though was the tabletop games expo's entry fee, especially as I paid for my ticket in advance, so I was quite keen to ensure that I obtained significantly more 'value for money' with this trip than I had twenty-four months earlier. Sadly, I must confess that I did not; albeit I did manage to stick around for more than a couple of hours - which is twice as long as I did last time.

A few of the Exhibition/Participation Games in the Main Hall

To be fair, the problem I encountered this time round though wasn't really the lack of 'fresh-faced' manufacturers trying to tempt me with their new wares. But rather surprisingly, a distinct lack of vendors full stop. According to their website, Beachhead didn't even house fifty vendors - a third less than that at Warfare 2024, so after approximately thirty minutes of walking around I'd actually toured the entire Main Hall, and began pouring through the colourful event guide looking for a non-existent second sales area.

Now obviously there is so much more to "Beachhead" these days than its vendor room, with the weekend also containing boardgames, tournaments, demonstration/participation games, workshops, card games and role-playing. In fact, its organiser Pete Valinski waxes quite lyrically about how the event has evolved "from a wargaming show into the tabletop extravaganza" I experienced, and I think therein lies the problem. I'm no longer its target audience, as I'm simply not interested in the majority of the services it now offers.

The stalls of Shiver by "Parable Games" and Zoontalis: Battle Royale by "Dice Heads"

However, having got the 'doom and gloom' out of my system, I'm pleased to say that there were still a number of things I did enjoy at the show - most notably picking up some more 28mm metal Post Apocalyptic Survivors, British Armed Forces and Russian NBC Troopers from John Caboche's aforementioned "Athena Miniatures". I've already been slowly painting up a number of this range's hand-sculpted figures since first encountering the company late last year, so it took quite a bit of will-power not to go completely mad and purchase the remaining figure sets I don't currently own.

Likewise, I was rather enthused when I suddenly spotted the fantastic looking Dead Man's Hand figures Butch And Sundance by "Great Escape Games". This pair of 28mm metal gunslingers completely caught me off-guard, and as a huge fan of George Roy Hill's 1969 American Western film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", they went straight into my 'shopping trolley'. Now admittedly, I've yet to buy the skirmish game which sees "bands of tough and wily Cowboys, stoic Lawmen, ruthless Outlaws and crazy Desperados fight for fame and respect in the Old West." But as these figures come with their statistic cards supplied, I thought they roguish outlaws would make a nice starter for ten if I do.

Some of the fully-painted "Age Of Sigmar" armies on display in the Tournament Area

My last purchase was definitely not what I was expecting, and was an owl-shaped incense burner from the "Into The Realm" Candle Company. This vendor appeared completely 'out of the blue' amidst a rather 'odd' collection of different entrepreneurs selling everything from canvas artwork through to Pokemon collectible cards, and caught my eye due to their creativeness in cleverly naming their wax melts to fit in with Fantasy RPG locations. Nonetheless, it was a somewhat strange place to find a craft stall, and frankly summed up how eclectic the range of goods for sale were at Beachhead overall...

"It All Began More Than A Century Ago..."

"...On a battlefield somewhere in the Old World."

"Hello Blood Bowl fans. We're delighted to be back with this surprise edition of Tuesday Night Football. I'm Jim Maddenberg, and alongside retired Elven Thrower Thom Grassyglade, I’ll be sharing with you all the latest gossip about Blood Bowl Sevens’ most recent signing - Reuben Redboots.”

“The Dwarf Blitzer has finally signed on the dotted line for amateur side, Bluebeard’s Bombardiers, and will be paid an impressive 80,000 copper pieces per season. However, seeing as the team is owned by wealthy gold mine owner Bruldrin Bluebeard the Third, I strongly doubt he'll be the most expensive player recruited by this burgeoning club.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Some early progress on the Dwarf Blitzer

“Oh absolutely Jim. This 28mm scale second-hand metal miniature was initially (re)primed with a double helping of “Vallejo” Heavy Blue, in order to completely cover the sculpt’s previous yellow and blue colour scheme. The dark-skinned Dwarf's boots, gloves and shoulder-pads were then treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before being patiently highlighted with a little more "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

"All of the Blitzer's metal areas - such as his steel toe-caps, his knee-pads, face-guard, helmet spike, knuckle-dusters and numerous rivets -  were all 'picked out' with a dollop of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, a spot of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, and a generous splosh of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, the player's belt buckle was given a lick of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, whilst his "Vallejo" Heavy Blue trousers, shirt and helmet were shaded in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and highlighted with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue."

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Three upcoming Dwarf Blockers

"And according to a rare interview with a local newspaper reporter just this past weekend, Reuben Redboots isn't the only dwarf old Bluebeard has his eye on recruiting either, Thom. In fact rumour has it that the prosperous proprietor plans to bring in a trio of hard-hitting Blocker Lineman into the squad too..?"

"That certainly seems to be the case, Jim. This wall of heavily-bearded brutality should prove a tough nut to crack in the Blood Bowl Sevens' league, and give Redboots just the sort of protection the blitzer needs to lead his fellow dwarves to endless victories. For now though, the three unnamed individuals are simply at the early stage of having their basic kit fitted."

"Quite so, Thom. Fingers crossed it won't be too long before these beefy fellows are out on the field. For now though that brings this latest broadcast to a close. But please do join us again when we'll be taking a closer look at some of this rising club's other players..."

3D Printing - "Station Forge" - Tarion Assault Squad

"Station Forge" WIPs - Three Tarion Assault Troopers primed, shaded and dry-brushed

All of these models were created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and are available as STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from "Station Forge" on "MyMiniFactory". The armoured aliens are part of a ten-figure multipart collection entitled Tarion Assault Squad which were released in December 2024, and have clearly been heartily inspired by a certain "young race of technologically-oriented beings from the Eastern Fringe" in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.

This 32mm set was one of my main motivators for joining this particular creator, as I wanted to paint up a handful of different science-fiction based 'kill teams', and "Station Forge" seemed to readily scratch that itch rather quickly due to releasing "four main factions and bonus models" every month as part of their Tribe. As a result I already own a considerable amount of their other STL files, ranging from infantry, through to armoured suits and massive vehicles, so hope to get a fair few forces printed, assembled and made tabletop ready over the coming months.

"Station Forge" WIPs - A Tarion Officer assembled from the multi-piece STL collection

Producing these miniatures was also an absolute breeze due to all the bits and pieces coming pre-supported. This meant it really was just a case of picking the torsos, heads, arms and backpacks which I liked and slapping them on my build plate. The only failures I experienced were where I tucked up some of the larger hand-weapons into the centre of the plate, making it a little difficult for the resin to reach the odd support - and thus causing the part to disagreeably flatten. However, even these pieces are useable either by cutting away the spoilt parts or using them as base debris.

To begin with I thought I'd begin with a reasonably straightforward ensemble of Tarion holding what seems to be the squad's 'go to' firearm. However, I did include a couple of the other weapons released with the kit - most noticeably a long-barrelled gun which is somewhat reminiscent of the T'au Pathfinder's Rail Rifle. All of the figures went together perfectly with a dollop of super-glue here and there - even the team's leader, who 'halt stance' was created using a couple of individual arms, as opposed to the usual 'wishbone' sculpt with both hands already holding their blaster of choice.

"Station Forge" WIPs - Three (more) Tarion Assault Troopers primed, shaded and dry-brushed

The only extra detail I added was to one of the poses which was standing on a piece of terrain. For this particular individual I hooked out a plastic tyre from the NSPIoC05 - Implements of Carnage One sprue for "Gaslands" by "North Star Military Figures", and used that. Despite being a different scale to the extra-terrestrial, as it is actually designed to "customise your die-cast cars into instruments of death", the piece slotted underneath the trooper's foot perfectly.

Colour scheme wise I plan to go with a predominantly brown affair, something similar to the original T'au Sept Fire Warriors palette I recall from my youth, though not quite as ochre as that 'iconic hue which is worn across the Empire as a sort of dress uniform.' This should help me get a fairly significant-sized squad on the tabletop in a reasonable time, as well as help make the models a bit more interesting to pigment as opposed to the predominantly "Vallejo" Heavy Red or "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green I currently seem to be working with...