"Spaceknights!"

 "We have only won a battle, not the war!"

This 40mm scale model of Rum was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin both on a Mars 5 3D Printer, and is available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from the "Big Head Chibis" store on "Cults 3D". Clearly inspired by the toy-turned-superhero Rom - which was co-conceived by Scott Dankman for "Parker Brothers" in 1979 - I found the sculpt to be a little under-sized for my purposes, so increased the figure's height to 42.18mm in Chitubox before I printed him out.

In addition, as I wanted the Galadorian spaceknight to 'fall in' with my Marvel United models by "CoolMiniOrNot", I swapped out his 30mm base for one with slightly less height which was sculpted by "Crippled God Foundry". Once assembled, both were subsequently primed using plenty of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and later treated the stone-brick stand to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - The Abomination's shorts have been finished, so just his face is left to go

For Rom himself, I wanted to try and capture some of the shine of his famous "electronically supported malleable statis field armour skin", so patiently applied three separate coats of Heavy Metal by "Scale 75" over him. I then mixed up some "Citadel" Nuln Oil, Drakenhof Nightshade and plain tap water together, sploshed it all over the miniature, and finally gave it a dry-brush of (more) "Scale 75" Heavy Metal.

With the majority of the model now completed, I carefully gave the area around the cyborg's "eyesight synthesis device" a lick of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and blobbed a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red over his actual eyes. These two orbs were then shaded with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and re-spotted with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion. I also used a thick line of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson on Rom's Neutralizer too.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studios" - Two more Tunnel Spiders close to completion

Despite being somewhat distracted by "Big Head Chibis" wonderful range of STLs - I've bought and printed a good two dozen of them so far in recent days - I have still somewhat 'stuck to my guns' by making a little more progress on my "Marvel United" Abomination miniature too. Unlike Rom, I actually own the official Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG) statistics for this comic book character, and fully intend to have the "CoolMiniOrNot" sculpt tabletop ready for a game by early next week.

Furthermore, I'm also working on two more Tunnel Spiders by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" which I had initially hoped 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. All the 'basics' have already been done on these oversized arachnids. But I still need to apply some washes and do a bit of a tidy up on the pair before they can be varnished/flocked...

"His Divine Majesty King Groot The Twenty-Third."

"Monarch of Planet X, custodian of the branch worlds, ruler of all the shades."

This 40mm scale model of Groot is made by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's hugely successful February 2020 Kickstarter for "Marvel United" when it achieved a whopping $2,866,168 in funding. Originally created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby as an invading monster for the November 1960 issue of "Tales to Astonish" for "Marvel Comics", the figure can be found inside the boardgame's Season One expansion box entitled "Guardians Of The Galaxy Remix".

Produced in a light blue hard plastic, I was initially going to prime the miniature with either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna or Charred Brown, as both of these colours have excellent coverage. However, having used these paints on my "Wizkids" and "Atomic Mass Games" sculpts of Groot, I always felt they were much too dark for the "sentient tree-like creature", so in the end went with a couple of layers of "Two Thin Coats" Ancient Forest instead.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - The Abomination has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

The figure was subsequently washed with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, dry-brushed with (more) Ancient Forest by "Two Thin Coats", and had the odd splosh of "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green pushed into its joints, cracks and crevices. Then, so as to blend all these colours together, I added a smidgeon of "Two Thin Coats" White Star to my Ancient Forest, and delicately gave the entire ensemble one final dry-brush.

Lastly, I decided to 'drop' a couple of spots of "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow into the extra-terrestrial's eye-sockets, darkened them down with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and dot them with (a little more) Skulker Yellow by "Two Thin Coats". This brought the model much more in line with Groot's comic book incarnation than the black-eyed, CGI (Computer-generated imagery) version seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Praetor's cloak has been base-layered in preparation of a shade

In addition to the first of my "Marvel United" Guardians Of The Galaxy miniatures, I've also been busy making progress on another of the co-operative board-game's pieces for an upcoming Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG) scenario. As with my finished "Flora colossus from Planet X", I have previously pigmented a couple of Abominations before - so hope to have Emil Blonsky's super-strong alter-ego ready for the tabletop in quick order.

I have also not completely forgotten about completing the Praetor I need to lead my Sons Of Horus force for "The Horus Heresy". This mixture of pieces by "Games Workshop" and "Forge World" is actually rather close to having a coat of varnish slapped over him - especially now I've finally dry-brushed the trio of skulls riding atop his backpack. However, I still need to carefully trace his fiddly-flowing cape with some "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and sort out then traitor space marine's aforementioned backpack too...

"Korg Of Krona, Son Of O-Korg And Ahna."

"Brother-killer of Margus."

This 40mm scale model of Korg is made by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's highly successful February 2020 Kickstarter for "Marvel United" when it achieved a whopping $2,866,168 in funding. Based upon Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby's "member of the alien species Kronan" for "Marvel Comics", the figure can be found inside the boardgame's Season One expansion box entitled "Tales Of Asgard".

Produced in a light blue hard plastic, the "one- time prisoner of the Red King on Sakaar" was primed using a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, and had all of his rocky-like skin shaded in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. These 'armour plates' were then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown so as to bring out all of their wonderful sculpt's details.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Groot has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Now obviously, for those fans only familiar with the warrior via either "Bigchild Creatives" official paint-job, or Taika Waititi's 2017 film "Thor: Ragnarok", this particular palette is going to seem a far cry from the predominantly grey appearance of the 'silver screen' character. However, I'm not a fan of this incarnation at all, and much prefer the tan/orange look from his comic book appearance in Issue Ninety Three [Volume Two] of "Incredible Hulk".

With this colour scheme in mind, I applied some "Two Thin Coats" Cold Corpse Blue to Korg's gladiator armour, darkened it down with a splosh of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and later lightened it back up with a dry-brush of (more) Cold Corpse Blue by "Two Thin Coats". I also gave his belts a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Eartshade, whilst the Stone Man's buckle was treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Big Head Chibis" WIPs - Lady is being painted from her boots upwards

Having completed the latest "Marvel United" piece I hope to use for the Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG), I've rather impulsively set to work on the co-operative boardgame's model of Groot. This particular super-hero's statistics feature in the MMRPG's Core Rulebook - as opposed to just having a brief cameo in the game's starter set scenario like Korg, so can easily be used as part of the central roster in any future campaigns.

Furthermore, I've been busy producing the latest figures produced by "Big Head Chibis" as part of their "Patreon" monthly subscription, on my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer. This has really helped galvanise me into cracking on with the company's Lady [Jaye] sculpt - which I now need to get tabletop ready in a hurry, before I'm completely swamped with several other models from their range...

"Tunnel Spiders Are Revolting, Simple Creatures..."

"...That feast on whatever prize their webs ensnare."

These two 28mm scale metal arachnids are manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought as part of their five model DEAL 290 Tunnel Spiders. Sculpted by Pedro Navarro, the miniatures were originally going to be one of my entries into Angry Piper's "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog. But as that particular event has now been finished for several weeks, I've simply finished painting them for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games".

The models were undercoated using a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before being heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. The duo were then absolutely drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and had their numerous eyes/spots 'picked out' with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. As a final touch I dotted all of the spiders' pupils with a little dab of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Korg just needs some dry-brushing and minor detail work

Alongside this pair of eight-legged horrors, I have managed to almost finish work on my 40mm plastic sculpt of Korg by "CoolMiniOrNot". This particular piece from the company's Marvel United boardgame is destined for a role in one of my upcoming games of the Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG), so I've been steadily 'chipping away' at the Kronan gladiator to get him tabletop ready for some time.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm for the super-strong 'Stone Man' has been somewhat rocked by the discovery that the character isn't actually playable in the "Escape From Planet Hulk" starter scenario as I thought, and instead can just be used as a source of "Inspiration" for the regular heroes as they tackle the adventure. I do believe there's a set of fan-made abilities available. However, as I'm still very much learning the game, I am currently just sticking to the official rules.

"Big Head Chibis" WIPs - All the areas on Lady have been 'boxed off' with "Citadel" Abaddon Black 

Happily though, my passion for MMRPG hasn't been too badly dented, due to the wonderful range of similarly-styled figures produced by "Big Head Chibis" as part of their "Patreon" monthly subscription. This will hopefully give me access to a ton of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files which I can print out on my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer, and use for the numerous minions I will require for my battles.

One such miniature is Lady [Jaye]. Due to her jungle-flavoured attire, I'm planning on producing a handful of these sculpts to form a gang of poachers who will unwisely target the wildlife of Wakanda, and resultantly face the wrath of T'Challa - the Black Panther. I've also found a source of appropriately-sized bases to use for my various goon squads, courtesy of "Crippled God Foundry", after I found out the ones supplied by "Big Head Chibis" are much too tall when compared to those supplied with Marvel United. This means I'll now be able to print out as many as I need, whenever I need them, rather than rely upon "eBay" to buy them...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "CoolMiniOrNot" July 2025

"Besides our own universe, there’s countless others, each with their own versions of super heroes and villains."

Having seemingly found the better part of my hobby mojo during the past four weeks, largely thanks to a deep interest in the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game (MMRPG), it seems pretty obvious to keep the momentum going for at least another month by painting some more "CoolMiniOrNot" 40mm plastic models for their collaborative boardgame Marvel United. Admittedly, I only managed to get a quartet of super-heroes tabletop ready - and one of those was already partially-pigmented. But my enthusiasm for the MMRPG has never been higher, and I'm currently determined to play some games using the Chibi-style miniatures just as soon as I can.

Furthermore, my need for some hoodlums, goons and toughs to get beaten up by the likes of Nick Fury, Doop and the Black Panther, has also got me back using my Mars 5 3D resin printer by "Elegoo". Originally, I rather naively thought I could just buy some of the Marvel United gaming pieces separately, so as to field a handful of Ultron drones or Hydra terrorists. However, the second-hand market (e.g. eBay) has proved far too expensive for such a plan, with most single figures fetching a distinctly off-putting tenner a pop (including postage & packaging).

"Big Head Chibis" WIPs - Lady has been primed, and is currently having her base worked on

As a result I have turned to the likes of "Big Head Chibis" on "Patreon", and subscribed to their monthly service. This has already given me access to some STL (Standard Triangle Language) files which I can use to produce a number of generic minions, as well as some other sculpts that should make good hapless civilians to rescue/protect. Such models really will be crucial for some of the larger games of MMRPG I have planned, as simply having a few A-List characters repeatedly stood battering one another will inevitably get pretty boring quite fast.

To begin with, I've printed off a copy of Lady, who seems to be partially based upon Staff Sergeant Hart-Burnett from the animated television series "G.I. Joe". I figured she looked pretty jungle-themed in her green-hued attire, so would make a good goon for some nefarious expedition into the Kingdom of Wakanda or the Savage Lands. My plan is therefore to use this particular miniature as a test-piece for a colour scheme, and then produce a few more (possibly mirrored) to bulk out the squad.

June 2025 - Little change in my Top Five Manufacturers

June has historically always been an incredibly poor time for my painting, going back a good decade, so despite me failing to finish as many figures as I had initially intended, overall it was actually quite the success. Indeed, compared to the previous month, it was a positive triumph, and has even seen me start a completely new project in the form of "Star Wars: Shatterpoint" by "Atomic Mass Games" - albeit, the issues I've had assembling some of these miniatures has already badly dented my desire to glue any more together for the moment.

This month I have a good handful of (more) Marvel United figures close to completion, and alongside the 3D prints from "Big Head Chibis" this should see me playing a few games of MMRPG. If that does happen, I would imagine my output will increase even further, as I always find rolling some dice and actually using painted pieces on the tabletop really enthuses me to get even more models completed. Plus, I haven't completely taken my eye off the ball when it comes to my hefty Napoleonic backlog by "Wargames Foundry"...

"Never Give Up!"

 "Never Surrender!"

This 28mm scale metal model of Galactic Explorer 1A is manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought individually as MINI 1927 from their Space Travellers range, or as part of their four-figure DEAL 492 Galactic Explorers I. Sculpted by Ari Níelsson, the miniature is clearly based upon actor Tim Allen's character Jason Nesmith/Commander Peter Quincy Taggart from Dean Parisot's 1999 science fiction film "Galaxy Quest".

The figure was primed with a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey, before having his boots, trousers, hair and much of his torso layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then 'picked out' his insignia, epaulettes and Ion Nebulizer with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and splosh of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also applied quite a heavy dry-brush to Taggart's pants and top, so as to slightly break up the predominantly black colour scheme.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Work has finally started on Squirrel Girl in earnest

Lastly, I tidied up all the "Vallejo" Neutral Grey areas, drowned the entire model with (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and patiently dry-brushed the Commander's upper tunic with a little (more) "Vallejo" Neutral Grey. I did consider applying some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to the miniature's hair, as per the 'official' display paintjob by "Mystic Spirals". But in the end decided that the movie version of the NSEA Protector's leader looked a lot darker - so stuck with the original "Citadel" Abaddon Black colour scheme.

Along with my Galactic Explorer, I have made some more progress on my (admittedly grand) design to paint a number of 40mm plastic Marvel United gaming pieces to use with the Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG). As a change of pace though, I have momentarily swapped out the Kronan gladiator Korg I have been slowly working on for the much more dynamically-posed Squirrel Girl instead.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPs - This young apocalypse survivor is close to completion

This rejig of my painting priorities is only temporary, as I will need Thor's super-strong former foe when I play the MMRPG's Escape From Planet Hulk starter scenario. However, I have recently picked up the hardback copy of the ruleset, and discovered it has the statistics for Doreen Green's bushy-tailed alter-ego inside. This has encouraged me to put some (more) paint on the "CoolMiniOrNot" figure somewhat sooner than I was expecting, as I now may well swap Squirrel Girl into my team's roster instead of one of the super-heroes which come with the starter set.

Furthermore, I have quite quickly slapped a few coats on one of the models from Survivors Set 4 by "Athena Miniatures". I actually own two of this particular adolescent survivor of the apocalypse after owner John Caboche kindly snuck a couple of freebies into my most recent order - so I'm rather keen to at least get one of the duo tabletop ready as soon as possible...

"King T'Challa Is The Black Panther."

"A sacred title that must be both inherited & earned by the current Wakandan ruler."

This 40mm scale model of the Black Panther is made by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's highly successful February 2020 Kickstarter for "Marvel United" when it achieved a whopping $2,866,168 in funding. Based upon Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's "protector of the fictional African nation of Wakanda" for "Marvel Comics", the figure can be found inside the boardgame's Season One expansion box entitled "Rise Of The Black Panther".

Produced in a light blue hard plastic, this particular incarnation of King T'Challa appears to be have sculpted by the "Bigchild Creatives" team to be similar in appearance to the character's cinematic outings rather than his comic book adventures, and this caused me a few headaches when deciding what colour to paint the incredibly frustrating vibranium bands encircling most of the super-hero's body. I really wasn't a fan of the almost luminescent purple hoop paint-jobs I saw, nor the dull grey ones.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Some of the final stages painting the Black Panther

In the end I therefore decided to go with a metallic silver look which also seemed to be quite popular with my fellow painters, and also tied in quite nicely with Black Panther's appearance in the Russo brother's 2016 movie "Captain America: Civil War". Resultantly, I primed the miniature with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and then dry-brushed it with "Vallejo" Gunmetal - so as to help me see all the cords, circles and swirls. Sadly, this didn't really work out as I'd hoped, as some of the vibranium simply seemed to blend back into the legs as if the sculptor didn't know where it actually ended, and also there were a few nasty-looking casting flaws on the figure which would need careful navigating/hiding.

These issues caused me to carefully apply a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black in between all the vibranium, and highlight the "rare metal" with a line of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. However, as I wanted T'Challa's necklace to especially standout, I ensured this area was much more strongly coated in "Vallejo" Gunmetal, before applying some "Citadel" Nuln Oil to it. Finally, I carefully 'picked out' the claws with a combination of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Jango Fett's base has been base-layered, shaded and dry-brushed 

With the Black Panther finished, I have found the time to make some more progress on my plan to paint several 40mm "Star Wars: Shatterpoint" plastic models. As with my previously completed Count Dooku miniature by "Atomic Mass Games", this Jango Fett figure comes from the skirmish game's Twice the Pride Squad Pack. However, along with a Magnaguard, its assembly using the unhelpful instructions on the manufacturer's website, actually put me off the entire hobby for a few days.

Indeed, those with sharp-eyes may well spot that the Mandalorian bounty hunter isn't standing as he should be upon the piece of scrap metal glued to his base. This is because I was actually going to use the base for a Magnaguard I put together, as the incredibly frustrating multi-part combat droid appeared to be so fragile that I was going to use the terrain piece to bolster its connectivity to its stand. In the end though, I changed my mind. But by then the debris was firmly fixed in place, so I couldn't match up Fett's foot with the hollow designed for him to stand in...

"I Sense Great Fear In You, Skywalker."

"You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them."

This 40mm scale model of Count Dooku is produced by "Atomic Mass Games", and comes as part of the company's "Star Wars: Shatterpoint Twice the Pride Squad Pack". Based upon the physical likeness of the late, great Sir Christopher Lee, the eight-piece miniature was assembled using the instructions found on the Minnesota-based manufacturer's website, and glued to one of the tabletop game's 40mm circular bases.

The "sinister Sith Lord" was first undercoated with a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before having his trousers pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then 'picked out' his belt and cloak with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and doused the two areas with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Korg's base layers have now all been applied

I applied a little smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the once a respected Jedi Knight's lightsabre, and carefully (because it feels as fragile as anything) drew some "Vallejo" Heavy Red along its plasma blade. This particular part was later shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and delicately dry-brushed with a little (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

I also gave the hair and beard of Grand Master Yoda's former padawan a touch of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and a lick of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As I wanted to try to capture Darth Tyranus' whiskers, I subsequently went back and dabbed at the sculpt's detail with (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats". Finally, I gave Count Dooku's cape a thorough dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna in order to add some shade in its folds.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Galactic Explorer is almost finished

With the first of eight planned "Star War: Shatterpoint" figures I have purchased finished, I have continued with my cunning plan to paint a number of Marvel United gaming pieces to use with the Marvel Multiverse RPG (MMRPG). My hobby desk is currently absolutely swamped with these Chibi-like 40mm plastic models by "CoolMiniOrNot". So to try and keep sane I am just focusing upon the Kronan gladiator Korg, who is encountered at the start of the MMRPG's Escape From Planet Hulk starter scenario.

In addition, I have found a few moments to potter away at one of the Galactic Explorers I quite recently purchased from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". I admittedly picked this particular (not "Galaxy Quest") figure as something different from all the larger-scaled stuff I'm presently focused upon, so I'm not really sure when I'll finally get the fellow tabletop ready...

"Information About Doop's Origins..."

"...As with anything else about him, is difficult to verify."

This 40mm scale model of Doop is manufactured by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's highly successful April 2021 Kickstarter for "Marvel United: X-Men" when it achieved an incredible $5,988,089 in funding. Created by Peter Milligan and Mike Allred, "everyone's favourite talking blob" (and his hero cards) can be found in the boardgame's Season Two Promo Box.

Produced in a light blue hard plastic, the X-Force's official videographer was primed using a mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats". The artificial being's rubble-strewn base was then layered in "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and finally dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey.

"CoolMiniOrNot"WIPs - Korg is being painted from the base upwards

I then began working on the sculpt's camera equipment by patiently picking out all its metallic components with a smidgeon or two of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition, I managed to get a dollop of "Vallejo" Heavy Red onto the actual shutter button, and later darken it with a bit of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. 

Doop himself was washed using plenty of "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green, before being dry-brushed with (more) Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats". The ally of Howard the Duck's X-Symbol was subsequently carefully traced out with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I did consider adding a little dark green to the emblem - as seen in a couple of the comic books. But in the end decided to leave it plain - which seemed to be the predominant canon colour scheme. However, I was convinced to add a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson" to the Krakoan's eyes, as well as dot the pupils with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Count Dooku is almost finished

Sticking with my plan to paint a number of these Marvel United gaming pieces to use with the Marvel Multiverse RPG, I have set to work on Korg. The Kronan gladiator is one of the first allies encountered in the MMRPG's Escape From Planet Hulk Starter Set, so before I dive into that beginner's adventure I thought I'd better get him tabletop ready.

Furthermore, I've managed to make a little more progress on my aspiration to paint several of the figures from Star Wars: Shatterpoint by "Atomic Mass Games". To begin with I plan to simply focus upon a few of my favourite characters from the Prequel Trilogy, starting with Sir Christopher Lee's Count Dooku. I really don't know how many of these rather expensive plastic 40mm miniatures I'll get finished. But I currently own eight of the multi-part models, so would certainly like to get them done before I purchase any more...

"It's Never Felt So Good..."

"...To feel so angry."

This 40mm scale model of Red Hulk is produced by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was unlocked during the company's highly successful January 2023 Kickstarter for "Marvel United: Multiverse" when it achieved an incredible $4,787,626 in funding. Created by Joseph Loeb and Ed McGuiness, the anti-hero figure (and his respective hero/villain cards) can be found in the boardgame's Season Three Promo Box.

Produced in purple hard plastic, Thaddeus E. "Thunderbolt" Ross's alter-ego was primed using a mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Heavy Red. The former US military general's trousers were then dry-brushed with some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, before the entire miniature was drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As a final step to this stage, I later carefully dry-brushed all of the model's flesh with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Doop now just needs a little tidying up before being finished

With the basics now finished, I set about 'picking out' some of the sculpt's details. As a result, the figure's eyes were first dotted with a little "White Star" by "Two Thin Coats", and subsequently spotted with a smidgeon of Skulker Yellow and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Furthermore, the Red Hulk's hair and moustache were given a lick of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey (so as to provide a little contrast to his "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey base), and sploshed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, these areas were patiently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Neutral Grey.

I did consider giving the super-strong brute's fingernails a quick layer of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, just like I did way back in 2019 on my "Heroclix" Red Hulk. However, there was some disconcerting 'flash' covering these details on my miniature, so I felt leaving things alone would be the wisest (and sanest) course of action on this occasion. Instead, I simply plonked a little "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion over Thunderbolt's tongue, and darkened it down with a dash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Count Dooku is being painted from the boots up

Alongside the General, I have also made some more progress on the co-operative boardgame's figure of Doop. The actual X-Force videographer himself is a pretty straightforward project, albeit I'm not a fan of the comic book incarceration's red eyes - preferring them to be plain black. But there is a ton of detail on the quirky-looking character's camera which I've been patiently working through.

Furthermore, I've finally decided to take a little leap into the world of Star Wars: Shatterpoint by "Atomic Mass Games". I don't actually own the core set, nor have any intention of doing so. However, as Sir Christopher Lee's Count Dooku is by far my favourite villain from "a galaxy far, far away". I simply couldn't resist picking Darth Tyranus up...

"Ripley, We Have To Talk."

 "We've lost contact with the colony on LV-426."

This trio of 10mm scale metal Xenomorphs are sold by “Pendraken Miniatures” as either a pack of five single-pose sculpts under the code SFC2 Medium Creature Type 2, or as part of their SFC-AP Alien Creatures Army Pack. However, the sculpts are much closer to 15mm scale (from head to tail-tip) than 1/150th scale, so will rather conveniently mingle alongside my growing collection of deadly extra-terrestrials by "Ground Zero Games" rather than form part of a separately sized nest of the space "serpents".

In addition, I actually began working on these models a good few weeks ago, so they would contribute to last month's Monster May(hem) Challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, as H.R. Giger's creation for the 1979 film "Alien" is still widely regarded as the most famous science-fiction monster of all time. However, an unexpected and rather disconcerting disinterest in any painting whatsoever completely ruined that cunning plan, so I figured I would simply just get the three xenomorphs tabletop ready now instead.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - The Red Hulk, Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Korg

The miniatures themselves were understandably dead simple to pigment, thanks largely to the heavy-lifting being achieved via an undercoat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The aliens were then dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, liberally sploshed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and later had their domed-heads touched up with a smidgeon (more) of Abaddon Black, so as to make them slightly stand out from the rest of each horrifying creature.

So straightforward a paint-job has also given me plenty more time to work on some of the "CoolMiniOr Not" figures I want to use for my foray into the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game (MMRPG). I have been desperately trying to stick to five of the six central super-heroes found in the rule-set's Escape From Planet Hulk Starter Set - namely Captain America, Black Panther, Storm, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), and Wolverine (Laura Kinney), with these "Marvel United" gaming pieces. But frankly, still haven't been able to resist working on a few of my favourite comic book characters as well.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Doop has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Resultantly, I've dug out a load of the figures from the board-game's various expansion boxes, with such notable luminaries as Red Hulk, Sauron, The Thing, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau), Groot, Sasquatch and Doctor Doom all unhelpfully littering my hobby table. I have also found my model of Korg. The Kronan gladiator plays a 'big' role in the MMRPG opening adventure I plan to play, so will need some tender loving care with my paintbrush if I wish to have him join the protagonists as an ally.

In addition, along with the "Enter Hydra" adventure, some maps, FAQ and Errata, I've found some free MMRPG character sheets online - one of which is for the X-Force videographer Doop. I know absolutely nothing about this extra-dimensional being, so thought it might be fun to have him as a possible team-member (or random encounter) for a future scenario should the opportunity arise...

"We're The United States Of America."

"We only team with winners."

This 40mm scale model of Nicholas Fury (Earth-1610) was produced by "CoolMiniOrNot", and unlocked during the company's highly successful February 2020 Kickstarter for "Marvel United" when it achieved an incredible $2,866,168 in funding. Co-created by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Allred, as well as based upon both the physical likeness and demeanour of actor Samuel L. Jackson, the figure (and his twelve cards) can be found in the boardgame's Season One Promo Box.

Produced in a bright, light blue hard plastic, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was undercoated with a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being completely layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then applied some Sword Hilt Burgundy by "Two Thin Coats" to his trousers, sploshed them with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and finally dry-brushed them with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sword Hilt Burgundy.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - The Black Panther, Storm and the Red Hulk

Admittedly, this colour combination made the tech-savvy, super-spy's pants a little more red than I had intended, having decided to use Adam Kubert's cover artwork for the August 2023 issue of "Fury" by "Marvel Worldwide" as the basis for my palette. But it also really helped break-up the predominantly dark look of the ensemble, so I decided to stick with it. In addition, I pigmented Nick's leg-holster and flesh with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and shaded both areas with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Fury's base was treated to a brush-load or two of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and later dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. I also picked out the crate the sculpt is standing on with some "Scale 75" Cobalt Alchemy, and a smidgeon (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil. To be honest I was thinking of leaving the stand at that, as I don't like them to clash too much with the 'main' paint-job. However, as it had a partially-buried S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on it, I felt it would be a shame if I didn't give it a touch of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - X-23, Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and the Black Panther

With the first of this month's planned "Marvel United" boardgame pieces completed, and having received my copy of the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game (MMRPG) Escape From Planet Hulk Starter Set, I've found myself rather enthused to get cracking on several more of the "CoolMiniOrNot" figures - selecting those super-heroes and villains whose statistics can be found inside the MMRPG game box. To that end I've been priming and applying a few base layers to the likes of Black Panther, Spider-Man, Storm, and Wolverine (Laura Kinney).

As ever though, I have found myself a little distracted by some of the other great "Marvel United" models I own, such as Sauron, Red Hulk, Doop and a spare Tyrannosaurus Rex (a.k.a. Devil Dinosaur). Resultantly, these too have been added to my factory-like painting queue, in the hope that I can also get them completed before my current enthusiasm for the project inevitably wanes...  

"Straw Bears May Be Derived From The Medieval Carnival Figure Of The Wild Man."

"They were also interpreted by early folklorists as personifications of Winter."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Strawbear is manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought individually as MINI 466 from their Folk Horror range. However, the single-cast piece can also be purchased as part of the Lincolnshire-based company's four-figure DEAL 148 Mummer Procession, along with a Hobby Horse, Accordionist and Drummer.

Spookily, having previously purchased a number of these Andrew May sculpts separately, I stumbled upon this particular miniature whilst rummaging through my rewards from the May 2018 "Children of the Fields - Folk Horror 28mm Miniatures" Kickstarter, as it was unlocked as the campaign's £22,000 stretch goal. I therefore decided to quickly add it to my growing Strohbären as I use them as 'generic' Revenants for my games of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", and at the time had hoped to use it as an entry into Angry Piper's "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Sauron, Baron Zemo and Squirrel Girl

The model was primed using a couple of coats of “Vallejo” Dark Yellow and liberally drenched in “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. It was then heavily dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Dark Yellow and a little (lighter-coloured) Buff, before being sporadically splotched using some “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade and Biel-Tan Green. Finally, all of these colours were blended together with a second dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Buff.

With such a straightforward paint-job finished, I have also been able to get cracking on a number of the "CoolMiniOrNot" 40mm plastic super-heroes and villains I plan to pigment this month from their Marvel United boardgame. I was originally planning on using these rather cartoony-looking sculpts for some four-figure-a-side punch-ups based upon "The Silver Bayonet" rule-set by "Osprey Games" (with some homebrew tweaks). However, having spotted the recent release of the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game (MMRPG) Escape From Planet Hulk Starter Set I've had a bit of a rethink.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Red Hulk, Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Venom

Indeed, having been a major fan of the 1984 Marvel Super Heroes (MSH) role playing game published by "TSR", I've actually ordered the box. Yet rather than fork out for the Deluxe Edition, which I understand contains some 2D acrylic standees of the six main characters, I thought I'd use my Marvel United miniatures instead - so have dug out Captain America, Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Wolverine, (Laura Kinney), Storm, and Black Panther.

Furthermore, I figured I might as well try to do something similar for my MSH starter scenario too - "Day of the Octopus". Those followers with a long memory will recall I actually somewhat successfully attempted to do this using some "Heroclix" sculpts by "Wizkids" a good while back - and might actually carry that project forwards in the future. However for now, I have plonked Marvel United models of The Thing, Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) and Spider-Man (Peter Parker) on my painting table to see just where this plan takes me...

"Active Military Service Lasted Ten Years."

"After which began the Reserve duty (Reservedienstpflicht) till the age of forty."

This 28mm scale metal model is sold by “Wargames Foundry", and can be found inside blister AN038 Jaegers 1805-15 Running. The sculpt is one of eight identical Napoleonic marksmen crafted by Michael and Alan Perry, and slightly surprisingly come in two separate pieces - the actual Austrian Light Infantryman with an open right hand, and his firearm.

Due to owning ten of this self-same miniature, following a successful bid on "eBay" late last year, I plan to use the soldier to form an initial, tiny (four-figure) unit of sharpshooters for "Black Powder" by "Warlord Games". I therefore primed him with plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, washed his limbs with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and roughly highlighted them with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before setting about to replicate the rest of the palette I used upon a test piece early last month.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Nick Fury is being progressed from the base upwards

After 'blocking out' all the chap's numerous straps with plenty of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, I began tackling the Austrian's rifle, backpack, moustache and hair with a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. These areas were subsequently shaded "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I also slowly worked my way through the marksman's cuffs, collar, straps, fancy shoulder ribbon and hat plume using a combination of Wyvern Green by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

For the final steps, I applied a few licks of "Two Thin Coats" Cold Corpse Blue on the Jaeger's sleeping bag, and some well-placed dollops of "Vallejo" Gunmetal upon both his gun barrel and drinking canteen. All of these areas were later washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Lastly, I applied a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gold to the soldier's coat buttons, sabre handle and hat crest, before darkening down the metallic paint's vibrancy with a dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIP - This Tyrannosaurus Rex's stand has been base-layered and shaded 

I had actually been hoping to get at least one or two more of this particular sculpt completed by now. But have found my enthusiasm for the miniature (and my Napoleonic project in general) to have been severely dampened by an issue with my "Vallejo" Matt Varnish. For some reason the damn product covered the infantryman with very visible white speckles, which meant I had to repaint much of the model before I could base him. This left a very unpleasant taste in my mouth, and essentially killed my desire to get the remaining two sharpshooters finished in the short term.

Fortunately, I have found my hobby mojo to have slightly returned thanks to working on a couple of 40mm plastic super-heroes by "CoolMiniOrNot". These models are supposed to be for the board-game "Marvel United". But I have other plans for Nick Fury and the (not Devil) Dinosaur involving "The Silver Bayonet" rule-set by "Osprey Games" and some homebrew amendments...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "CoolMiniOrNot" June 2025

"In Marvel United, players must work together to stop the plans of an evil Super-villain."

After a pretty miserable May where I frankly painted next to nothing, I thought I'd try to remotivate myself by tackling a number of half-finished 40mm plastic super-heroes and villains by "CoolMiniOrNot". This will certainly help clear a little space on my hobby table as I rather embarrassingly own a fair few of these Marvel United gaming pieces, having decided to 'invest' in the range rather than purchase any more "Heroclix" figures, or those outrageously expensive models produced by "Atomic Mass Games" for Marvel Crisis Protocol.

Furthermore, I aim to complete all the various creatures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" I began assembling and priming for Angry Piper's "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog. Obviously that particular event is now over. However, as I only managed to pigment a single entry for it, I thought I should at least conclude what I started - as opposed to my usual tactic of just sticking the things in a drawer, or plonking them on a shelf simply to gather dust.

"The United Nations called upon Argentina and the United Kingdom to reach a settlement of the sovereignty dispute."

With this mental attitude in mind, I have also finished five more 10mm metal British soldiers by "Pendraken Miniatures" which form part of the company's Falklands British Army Pack. Consisting of a single figure from the following codes: FLB20 - Advancing with SLR, helmet, FLB21 - Advancing under fire, helmet, FLB22 - Kneeling, firing SLR, helmet, FLB23 - Standing, firing SLR, helmet, and FLB24 - Standing, firing SMG, helmet, the quintet were super-glued onto a 30mm x 40mm plastic base.

The models were all undercoated with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, and drowned in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then dry-brushed them with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, and patiently 'picked out' all their boots, hands, faces and weapons using "Citadel" Abaddon Black. For the troopers' skin I applied a little drop of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, followed this up with a dash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and ended the process with a small highlight of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. 

May 2025 - "Athena Miniatures" joins "Black Tree Design" as my favourite current manufacturer

Lastly, the soldiers' guns were simply given some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and splashed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst I applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to any visible rifle butts, and any visible rear ammunition belts or backpacks.

Despite the disappointing output of last month, this humble blog did receive its one millionth visit, which is definitely one milestone I never thought I'd reach. Whether such a landmark will help me break the current funk I'm suffering with I don't know. But it has already caused me to pick up my brushes for a few hours, so I'm increasingly hopeful I'll have a fair few miniatures to post about over the forthcoming weeks.

"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".