"One Ship Against An Entire Fleet?"

"That's a helluva plan B!"

This multi-part 32mm scale resin model of a Female Human was bought as part of the Star Trek Adventures: Next Generation Away Team Set by "Modiphius Entertainment" and is sadly no longer available as a physical figure. However, the sculpt can still be purchased from the company as either an individual STL (Standard Triangle Language) file, or as part of their Star Trek Adventures - Print At Home - TNG Away Team Set.

The 'commonplace little creature' was initially undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and roughly dry-brushed with "Vallejo"Heavy Charcoal, before I 'picked out' her phaser and tricorder using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then applied a little "Vallejo" Turquoise to the miniature's uppermost uniform to mark her out as belonging to Starfleet's science/medical division. This area was later shaded with a little "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, before being dry-brushed with a smidgeon more "Vallejo" Turquoise.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - Three more members of the Away Team readying themselves for teleportation

The Ensign's Federation insignia was carefully traced out using a dollop of "Vallejo" Gold and later washed with a little "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I eventually went with some "Citadel" Doombull Brown for the figure's hair, darkened it down with plenty of Agrax Earthshade, and tried to highlight it back up with a delicate dry-brush of (more) Doombull Brown.

I did strongly consider giving the rest of the model's uniform a thorough drowning in "Citadel" Nuln Oil - which is something I do for a lot of my predominantly black-costumed miniatures. However, these days I find that the "Vallejo" Matt Varnish I regularly use to protect my paint-jobs dries a little sticky, and this inevitably attracts oils from my fingers as a result. This handling tends to therefore act as a 'natural way' to highlight the figure - so I simply left it alone with its original "Citadel" Abaddon Black prime and "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal dry-brush.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - A trio of FedSec Commanders

In addition to this first member of my "Star Trek: The Next Generation" landing party, I have also been dutifully progressing three more 'crewmen' for that era. Once completed this consignment should bring last month's randomly-selected drawer challenge to a conclusion and allow me to focus on the four remaining 28mm metal models I have to get tabletop ready from blister JD 15 Don Uggie Apelino & The Ape Gang by "Citadel Miniatures".  

Lastly, I've managed to make a little more headway on the three officers from the FedSec Command 2 set I recently bought from "Beast In The Broch". I do like the extra chunky feel to these particular sculpts, as it makes 'picking out' all the detail on them a lot easier than the arguably less-well cast "Star Trek" figures - which despite being 32mm in scale, appear far more realistically proportioned, and are resultantly far more difficult to work on...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Beast In The Broch" August 2026

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" once again dominated my (meagre) output for July 2026

After last month's rather dismissal effort to paint up another quartet of my 32mm scale resin cast figures by "Modiphius Entertainment" for their Star Trek Adventures Tabletop RPG, as well as zero contributions to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog, I thought I'd take a break from challenges for the next four weeks and simply pigment whatever takes my fancy. As a result, I have ordered (and duly received) a number of "Blake's Seven" inspired sculpts from "Beast In The Broch" and plan to slap as much paint on them as I can muster.

First up will be the three officers from the company's FedSec Command 2 set. "Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel and cast in lead free pewter", I actually feel that these particular figures are probably a little too 'chunky' for some of the range's other models. But that hasn't dampened my enthusiasm for getting the likes of Terran Federation officers Major Thania, Colonel Quute and Major Provine onto my tabletop.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - The three figures found inside FedSec Command 2 set.

Likewise it would be great if I could manage to get some of the miniatures finished from the manufacturer's Systemic Units set too. Clearly based upon "The System" which was responsible for building the Liberator, these figures arguably appear a little more slender to the eye than their Federation counter-parts - despite also being "digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel".

Furthermore, I'd really like to play 'catch-up' with the aforementioned "Star Trek" models I failed to get finished in July. I only managed to get one crew-woman from the science fiction franchise's Original Series done, so would like to make some headway with my plan to get a landing party based on the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D too. Most of these miniatures' uniforms are predominantly black, so fingers crossed I can a few of them ready for varnishing over the coming weeks.

July 2026 - Crooked Dice Game Design Studio finally takes the lead in my Top Five Manufacturers

With this 'backlog' in mind, I haven't forgotten about the remaining figures I've yet to complete from blister JD 15 Don Uggie Apelino & The Ape Gang by "Citadel Miniatures". To be fair, I have been trying to 'pick away' at these classic sculpts for some time. However, I always seem to get distracted by my latest new arrivals (or interest), and subsequently end up pushing them back down the queue.

To make matters worse, my enthusiasm for "Star Wars" appears to have attained fresh heights as a result of my playing the card game "Star Wars: Unlimited" by Fantasy Flight Games. This addiction has rather curiously caused me to purchase a couple of "Star Wars: Shatterpoint" boxes - to add as non-canon adversaries of my previously painted Count Dooku. So I'd very much like to get them assembled, primed and pigmented before the coming month is concluded too...

"The Vulcan Science Directorate..."

"...Was the head scientific authority of the Vulcan High Command."

This 32mm scale resin model of a Vulcan Female was bought as part of the Star Trek Adventures: The Original Series Landing Party Miniatures Set by "Modiphius Entertainment" and is sadly no longer available as a physical figure. However, the sculpt can still be purchased from the company as either an individual STL (Standard Triangle Language) file, or as part of their Star Trek Adventures - Print At Home - TOS Landing Party Set.

The "warp-capable humanoid species from the planet Vulcan" was initially undercoated in "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, and had her boots 'picked out' with a little pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then attempted to give the impression of the Ensign wearing dark-coloured tights by applying a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil to her legs.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - This "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Ensign is almost finished

Unfortunately, this technique didn't seem to work as well on the Vulcan's much paler limbs as it had done on Lieutenant Uhura's far darker legs, so I soon decided to give the areas a second layer of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition, I gave the figure's hands and face a lick of Reikland Fleshshade, before carefully tracing out the model's fingers and face with some extra "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

To show the miniature came from Starfleet's science division I gave her uniform a good coat or two of "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue, shaded it with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade and later dry-brushed the dress with (more) "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue. To be honest I wasn't all that impressed with the final result of this colour combination. But didn't really want to repaint the Vulcan with a red miniskirt as I felt the highly logical alien race probably wouldn't be part of the U.S.S. Enterprise's security division.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Two Beastmen and a Deep Sea Diver Ghost

Sticking with "Star Trek" and "Modiphius Entertainment" I have also been working on a female scientist from the company's Away Team boxed set. This resin cast model will be the first of my Twenty-Fourth Century Federation figures, and will hopefully lead to me fielding enough miniatures for Captain Jean-Luc Picard to lead against both the already painted Borg and Romulans.

Lastly, I've not forgotten the number of "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" sculpts I have populating my hobby desk. As a result I have managed to 'pick away' at both the two remaining Beastmen I need to get finished, alongside their (not) "Scooby-Doo" Deep Sea Diver Ghost...

"Zoinks!" A Ghost!"

 "Hold your breath, and don't move a muscle!"

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as MINI 1336 Undead Astronaut, or as part of their DEAL 375 Spooks four-figure set. The miniature is sculpted by Andrew May and is clearly influenced by the villain from the 1969 "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" animated episode "Spooky Space Kook".

Able to leave "glowing footprints and fingerprints that dissipate after an undetermined time", the model was primed using "Vallejo" Steel Grey and heavily shaded with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. It was then enthusiastically dry-brushed using some (more) "Vallejo" Steel Grey, before having its elbow/knee joints, as well as its belt carefully 'picked out' with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - This Vulcan scientist is almost tabletop ready

The miniature was actually a bit more complicated than its cartoon counterpart, so I decided to apply a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to its belt buckle and the tubing on its back-mounted breathing apparatus. I next tackled the ghostly apparition's infamous glowing skeletal face by dabbing a load of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" into its open space helmet and later giving the area a good dousing in some watered-down "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red.

This approach certainly gave Henry Bascomb's disguise a nice, gory head, especially when I subsequently highlighted it with a little additional "Two Thin Coats" White Star rather than use the colour of the foiled criminal's space-suit as seen in the television show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I thought this 'change' made the head look a bit too stark in comparison to the rest of the body, so I blended it in a bit with a touch of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - A trio of "The Next Generation" ensigns partially painted

Alongside my latest (not) Scooby-Doo villain I have been progressing a number of Federation crewmen by "Modiphius Entertainment". In particular a Vulcan scientist for my "Star Trek: The Original Series" Landing Team. I'm not sure whether the "Citadel" Nuln Oil over the female ensign's legs has particularly worked as black tights, as the technique did for Lieutenant Uhura's much browner legs, so I've actually applied a second shade on them to see if that sits better.

In addition, I've turned my eyes to working on an Away Team for the U.S.S. Enterprise-D's timeline, even discovering a Tellarite crewman amongst my previously assembled backlog. Hopefully, due to the lack of colour on their Starfleet uniforms, these miniatures will prove a lot faster to get tabletop ready, and help me successfully achieve my random drawer challenge for this month with a few days to spare...

"These Brutal Beasts May Be A Lost Underground Dwellers..."

"...Or come from a land before time." 

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Beastman 3A, or as part of their DEAL 397 Beastman 3 four-figure set. Despite being by sculpted Ernst Veingart, I must admit to not being a big fan of this particular miniature as I dislike the patches of furry hair covering the savage's chest and forearms - something which arguably appears all the more bizarre-looking when looking at the 'official' light-skinned paint-job.

As a result I decided to undercoat mine with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and splosh him with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then went back with some highlights of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna on the brute's facial features and fingers. This colour scheme definitely helped mask the aforementioned details I disliked without me having to resort to filing them off - which is something I did actually consider.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - A trio of Federation officers at various stages of completion

The Beastman's loincloth was pigmented with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before I 'picked out' the seemingly chain-linked belt threaded around the fellow's waist with a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As with the previous Beastman I've completed I did consider dry-brushing the animal fur with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. However, as I wanted to use this model as cave-dwelling savage for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games" (using the Cultist or maybe Ghoul rules), I felt he'd probably be extremely dirty, so left the piece of 'clothing' alone.

Finally, I used some "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade on the brute's brain-battering animal bone, dry-brushed the hand-weapon with a tad more Rakarth Flesh, and lastly added a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dead White to it as a highlight. I also dropped a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal along the metal ring sticking out from the implement's bottom, and darkened it down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Death X Tiles" WIPs - These Starship Mini Set pieces have been shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil

With the second of my Beastmen finished I have moved on to the four "Star Trek" miniatures by "Modiphius Entertainment" I am aiming to get tabletop ready before the month is out. Admittedly, most of these crewmen have simply been 'dusted down' rather than been assembled from cast resin sprues. But I do aim to have a nice mixture of officers from both The Original Series (TOS), and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" ready for action over the next few weeks.

Furthermore, I'm still very keen to contribute to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog by polishing off some of the many terrain pieces I have produced in "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer. To be honest, this is probably going to be something of a slow approach as I'm not a fan of painting terrain at the best of times. However, I have managed to get some basic "Citadel" Nuln Oil washes on a trio of Starship Mini Set pieces by "Death X Tiles"...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Modiphius Entertainment" July 2026

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" dominated my miniatures for June 2026

With both a successful "Forgotten Heroes" event and random drawer challenge under my belt from last month, I thought I'd roll a D12 to see which plastic drawer I'd select a handful of miniatures from for July, and rather surprisingly discovered I'd be painting more of my 32mm scale resin cast Star Trek Adventures Tabletop RPG figures produced by "Modiphius Entertainment". This selection actually comes at a rather opportune time as I was planning to use the miniatures I'd previously pigmented for some games of "Lost Patrol" by "Games Workshop", and only recently realised I was the odd sculpt short of what I needed to field a legitimate landing party.

In addition, having got the enigmatic 'Q' tabletop ready in the past, I thought I should also focus on getting some of the next generation of Federation officers completed as well - quite possibly with the notion of pitting Captain Kirk's crew against that of Jean-Luc Picard's at some future point. Such a move might also make it far easier (and quicker) to get the figures finished as most appear to be wearing the predominantly black colour scheme seen during the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies.

"Death X Tiles" WIPs - Three of nine tiles earmarked for a science fiction boarding zone

Furthermore, for the next three months I thought I'd contribute to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog by polishing off some of the backlog of terrain pieces I have been religiously producing in "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer. For this opening month I felt I should try to see how much of the Starship Mini Set by "Death X Tiles" I could get done, seeing as I've finally settled upon a simple "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey palette for most of the pieces.

To begin with my aim is simply to get a boarding zone completed, which will consist of a 3x3 tile room with a single, open doorway. However, if I can manage to get this quite sizeable area completed within the space of four weeks or less, then I may well start to focus on one of the five much larger rooms I intend my science fiction figures to battle over in future fights. I also have a ton of "Trench Crusade" flavoured scenery by "Saucermen Studios" to crack on with, so may well take a break from the tiles with the odd barricade or bunker.

June 2026 - My Top Five Table has in reality become a rather surprising Top Eight contest

Last month's meagre output certainly saw some surprising congestion strike my most popular manufacturers, with my need to paint at least four models by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" helping them to top position - alongside "Wargames Foundry". On top of that my desire to finish off the squad of second-hand Wookie Warriors I rather impulsively purchased whilst in Poole helped the popularity of "Fantasy Flight Games" rival some of my more usual Top Five contenders.

Fortunately, I feel the next four or so weeks will help ease this bottleneck as I'm sure quite a few more miniatures by both "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and "Modiphius Entertainment" will be on the cards. What's more I'm really hoping to get going again on a few long paused projects which have simply been sat gathering dust on my hobby table for the best part of the year, such as my "Wargames Foundry" Napoleonics for "Black Powder" and some more "Trench Crusade" warriors by "Trench Stench"...

"Wubba Lubba Dub-Dub!"

"Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody's gonna die."

This 28mm scale white metal model of Rick Sanchez is sort of produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” as it's actually composed of bitz from a couple of their miniatures and an alternate weapon sprue. The torso and legs are from the company's MINI 341 Investigative Academic, with its head sawn off and replaced with that of their Crackpot Inventor. I did actually consider just using the entire Crackpot Inventor for a while, but felt that all the scientific gubbins detailed on the sculpt wasn't really in line with Rick C-137's look in the cartoon series "Rick And Morty".

In addition, I snipped off the Investigative Academic's left hand and swapped it for one of the manufacturer's Robo-Minion weapon accessories. This particular piece did have a mechanical hand, rather than one made of flesh and blood. However, I figured I could simply paint it using my usual combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and everything would be fine to the naked eye. I did momentarily plan on adding a little portal fluid 'cup' to top of the device. However, the area upon which I'd need to super-glue/pin such a tiny detail was a little to small for my liking, so I simply settled on pigmenting part of the hand-weapon using "Two Thin Coats" White Star and the "Citadel" Contrast Colour Warp Lightning.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These three Beastmen are having all their details 'picked out'

Once assembled the entire kit-bash was primed with "Vallejo" Dead White, shaded using some heavily-watered down "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and dry-brushed with a little White Star by "Two Thin Coats". Sadly, I wasn't at all impressed with how this turned out - probably due to the heat drying my paints the moment they touched the figure, so I ended up washing the model with (more) incredibly-watered down "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and the giving Rick a very patient dry-brush of (more) "Two Thin Coats" White Star.

The mega-genius' shirt was simply 'picked out with a little "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue and a splash of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. This turned out far darker than I had envisaged. But meant that the Investigative Academic's neck scarf was somewhat obscured by the shadows. Lastly, I carefully gave the alcoholic scientist's eyebrows a line of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and daubed his hair with the same colour. Both of these areas were subsequently darkened down with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - Two 'TNG' Starship crewmen and a 'TOS' member of the Landing Party

With my entry for Jez's "Forgotten Heroes" event over on his "Carrion Crow's Buffet" blog finally finished, I have been busy continuing to work on the three remaining Beastmen I started progressing in earnest a few months ago. I plan to use these "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" figures as Cultists or Ghouls for my games of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Publishing", so want to get them tabletop ready 'toot sweet' now the weather has warmed up to the point where I can set up some scenarios in the garage.

Furthermore, it looks like next month's random drawer challenge will comprise of more "Star Trek" miniatures by "Modiphius Entertainment", so I have dutifully dusted down and (already) got going on three crewmen. The eagle-eyed Trekkies will quickly spot that two of my current batch are wearing 24th Century uniforms rather than those of The Original Series (TOS), and that's so I can hopefully field a "Next Generation" or "Deep Space Nine" flavoured landing party at some point in the future...

"And You Saw A Shadowy, Chain-Rattling Phantom?"

"If he's a phantom shadow, how come he leaves footprints?"

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as MINI 1338 Sheet Ghost, or as part of their DEAL 376 Ghosts two-figure set. The miniature is sculpted by Andrew May and clearly inspired by the Phantom Shadow as seen in the January 1970 animated "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" episode, "A Night of Fright is No Delight".

Used as a disguise the "two no-good greedy lawyers named Cosgood Creeps and Cuthbert Crawls", I actually attempted to pigment my spectre using the colours seen in the cartoon series rather than the 'official' paint-job, so ended up applying a double dose of "Vallejo" Turquoise to the entire model. It was then dowsed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil before being dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Turquoise so as to highlight all the folds in its sheets.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - This Vulcan scientist is having her base layers applied

The miniature's chain was simply 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil over an Abaddon Black basecoat. Whilst its eyes and maw were carefully traced using some Rust Orange by "Two Thin Coats". I actually felt that this colour lacked the life I wanted for such a terrifying face, so ended up shading these areas with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I also took this opportunity to slightly deviate away from the broadcast version of the Phantom Shadow by giving its hands a lick op "Citadel" Abaddon Black - rather than leave them to 'merge in' with the rest of its body.

I'm actually now tempted to purchase a second one of these sculpts as there were actually two of the ghouls running around Colonel Beauregard Sanders' mansion, so I've added one to my Wish List for the next time I see "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" at a wargaming show. However, I am a bit loathe to buy a second identical pose. I did consider getting the figure as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from the company's collection on "My Mini Factory" and mirroring it - so it'd appear a little different. But sadly the Sheet Ghost doesn't seem to have been uploaded to the 3D printable object-sharing platform yet.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Various models at various stages of completion

In addition to my latest Scooby Doo villain, I have been busy assembling another member of the Away Team I put together a couple of months ago. I was planning to use the models for some games of "Lost Patrol" by "Games Workshop" and realised that I'd need five Federation crewmen to "locate a crashed dropship in a hostile, sentient jungle" rather than the four I currently own. To shake things up a bit though I thought I'd assemble one of the 32mm scale resin Vulcan females I bought as part of the Star Trek Adventures: The Original Series Landing Party Miniatures Set by "Modiphius Entertainment", and may well make her a 'Red Shirt' rather than the usual Science Officer.

Finally, I've been busy trying to sate my current appetite for more models produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". This includes the remaining Beastmen I have yet to complete, as well as the rest of their "Scooby-Doo" inspired ghosts, ghouls and villains. Furthermore, with just a few days left until the end of Jez's "Forgotten Heroes" event over on his "Carrion Crow's Buffet" blog, I am going full-pelt on my kit-bashed Rick Sanchez figure...

"Three Teenagers Encounter A Ghost..."

"...Who is in limbo until he retrieves his lost head."

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as MINI 1339 Headless Ghost, or as part of their DEAL 376 Ghosts two-figure set. The miniature is sculpted by Andrew May and whilst clearly associated with the rest of the company's (not) "Scooby Doo" inspired villains, appears to have been influenced by the character of Malcolm from the 1959 British comedy horror film "The Headless Ghost".

Beheaded six hundred years in the past and condemned to wander about Ambrose Castle until his body and head are re-joined, the model was rather simply primed with "Vallejo" Dead White and washed with some heavily-watered down Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats". It was then very patiently dry-dry-brushed with some "Two Thin Coats" "White Star.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three "Scooby-Doo" inspired sculpts

I did consider 'picking out' the monster's pupils with some red as per the miniature's 'official paint-job'. But didn't really like the look of this extra detail, so left the eyes well alone. Furthermore, I also momentarily felt that the figure might benefit from some blood or gore around its point of decapitation. Yet this seemed to be a bit gratuitous for a spooky ghoul who was merely chasing after 'meddlesome kids', so I decided to give that a miss as well.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, in addition to this first of my spectral ghouls by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", I have begun plugging away at some more of their other "Scooby Doo" influenced sculpts. To be honest, I was sorely tempted to pigment them all in the same, no-nonsense fashion as my Headless Ghost. However, whilst I have seen someone online do just this - and mighty awesome they all looked too - I felt I wanted mine to stick closer to their animated incarcerations.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - My 'Rick Sanchez' kit-bash is having all of his details 'picked out'

This has actually proved a little harder than first anticipated on account of Andrew May adding a lot more detail to some of the models than was seen during the original Warner Brothers Entertainment cartoon shows. But with a bit of patience I believe I may well have come up with some palettes that will both nicely represent the classic 1969–1970 designs, and still proved reasonably straightforward to paint.

Lastly, I've made some much needed progress on my entry for Jez's "Forgotten Heroes" event over on his "Carrion Crow's Buffet" blog. I've finally managed to get all of the basic colours blocked in for my converted Rick Sanchez figure (using various bitz and miniatures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio") and basically now need to just tidy everything up before finishing off the mad scientist's lab-coat and hair... 

"He's The Freedom Fighter."

"A symbol of the Wookiee resistance, striking at the Empire from the Shadowlands."

This 32mm scale hard plastic miniature of a Wookie Leader used to be produced by “Fantasy Flight Games” and can be found inside the company's old four-figure strong "Wookie Warriors" Expansion Box for "Star Wars: Legion". Fortunately, I was lucky enough to pick this one up second-hand and pre-assembled from the Retrocave Gaming Café in Poole, having previously pigmented the exact same sculpt some seven years ago.

As with my first painted miniature, the figure was undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, as I wanted this Wookie to somewhat stand out from my other squad I only dry-brushed him with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna (to make his fur appear a bit darker), and then applied some rarely-used Beasty Brown on all of his numerous ammunition pouches. All of these areas were then shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Every great leader needs their own Wookiee."

I next simply applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the Wookie's bandoleer, and later patiently 'picked out' its ammunition clips, as well as the Rebel's Ryyk Blade and Kashyyyk Pistol with "Vallejo" Gunmetal. These parts were subsequently all washed with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Furthermore, I dabbed the Warrior's nose and eye sockets with a smidgeon (more) of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before dabbing the odd gun-holster strap using a combination of "Vallejo" Beasty Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Alongside the last of my Wookies I have based and primed a trio of Spooks and Ghosts produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" as part of my third monthly randomly-selected drawer-based challenge. To be honest I initially thought that all of these monsters were 'inspired' by the Warner Brothers Entertainment franchise "Scooby Doo". However, having done some basic 'Google-Fu' it would seem that the likes of the Headless Ghost didn't surprisingly appear within the "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!" television episodes as I had thought.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Sheet Ghost, Undead Astronaut and Prospector Ghost

In addition, the sculptor Andrew May has added so much more detail to the figures than was ever shown on the animated cartoon show. From a wargamer's perspective this certainly makes the likes of The Undead Astronaut and Prospector Ghost far more interesting to look at. But from a painter's point of view my plan to quickly rattle out a trio of straightforward paint-jobs, which largely just needed a basic undercoat, wash and dry-brush, has been significantly torpedoed in its tracks.

I'm also not terribly sure just how many of these ghouls I can get tabletop ready over the next few weeks, as having searched through my backlog I actually found I own quite a few of these evil-doers. I did initially think that I might make good use of some of them with "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games". Albeit I'm now more inclined to simply pigment the Lincolnshire-based company's Meddling Kids set too, and devise a homebrew version of "The Silver Bayonet" which better utilises the flavour of the classic 1969-1970 cartoon series instead...

"Dwelling Underground In Deserted Cave Systems..."

"...These leathery predators using echolocation to track and target prey."

This 100mm tall resin cast model of a Giant Bat is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought as MINI 1064 from their Beasts and Vermin range. Sculpted by Pedro Navarro, the miniature comes in three pieces, and has an impressive wingspan of 90mm. I had hope to initially include it as part of my contribution to the "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog. But now it'll form part of my third monthly randomly-selected drawer-based challenge - as that's where it was headed back to before my dice roll.

Super-glued onto a plastic xxmm circular base, I first tackled the monster's rocky base by treating it to an undercoat of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey, a shade of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Neutral Grey. The flying mammal itself was then primed using plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna before being doused in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and being thoroughly dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"Fantasy Flight Games" WIPs - This Wookie Warrior Leader just needs some additional washes

I also used this opportunity to patiently 'pick out' the Giant Bat's body with a highlight of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, as this would make its pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black face, ears and feet stand out just that little bit more. Furthermore, I carefully dolloped a couple of spots of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson over the creature's pupils to make it look a bit more vampiric - which is what I plan to use the brute for.

In addition I decided that the figure needed its large brown wings to be 'broken up' just a little more, so slowly traced out its claws with a combination of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Unfortunately, the "Games Workshop" Shade went all blotchy on these areas (again), so I ultimately decided to make amends by dry-brushing some extra White Star by "Two Thin Coats" across the claws. To be honest I've experiencing this issue with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade quite often these days, and despite buying new pots the problem still seems to surface. Resultantly, I'm not a fan of the new formula at all and plan to move on to an alternative.

"Dragoon Miniatures" WIPs - Krillin, Chiaotzu and Piccolo

Alongside this right handful of a model, I have also managed to get some time working on the Wookie Warrior Leader I recently purchased whilst visiting "Retrocave" in Poole. Manufactured by "Fantasy Flight Games" and now apparently Out Of Production (OOP), this fur-covered figure has a lot more detail on him than the other members of his squad I've pigmented, so is taking a bit longer to get tabletop ready than I first anticipated.

Lastly, I've been binge-watching the early episodes of Japanese anime television series "Dragon Ball Z" and understandably got myself in the mood to game some Manga-style martial arts. Luckily, I stumbled upon "Dragoon Miniatures" Patreon, so have downloaded a fair few of their early STL (Standard Triangle Language) files as they cover the characters I'm currently familiar with. Unfortunately, their pre-supports haven't proved a great match for the suction taking place inside my resin vat, so these three models - Piccolo, Krillin and the tiny Chiaotzu, are the first combatants I plan to work on as they're the only ones to survive my initial print...

"Big. Covered In Fur. Strong."

"At the end of the Clone Wars, numerous Wookiees were slaughtered by the clone troopers."

This 47mm tall hard plastic miniature of a Wookie used to be produced by “Fantasy Flight Games” and can be found inside the company's old four-figure strong "Wookie Warriors" Expansion Box for "Star Wars: Legion". Luckily, I managed to pick this one up second-hand and pre-assembled from the Retrocave Gaming Café in Poole, having actually painted the exact same sculpt some seven years ago.

As with my previously pigmented miniature, the figure was primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, as I wanted this Wookie to somewhat stand out from my other squad I only dry-brushed him with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna (to make his fur appear a bit darker), and used the somewhat lighter Heavy Brown on his ammunition pouches. All of these areas were then shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Giant Bat will be used as a vampire in "The Silver Bayonet"

Having decided to simply pigment the relevant areas of his bandoleer in "Vallejo" Gunmetal, I also used this metallic acrylic paint to 'pick out' his two ryyk blades too. These parts were then all washed with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Finally, I dabbed the Warrior's nose and eye sockets with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before 'picking out' his teeth using a combination of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

In addition to my penultimate Wookie I have managed to make some considerable progress on the whopping resin cast Giant Bat I recently dug back out from one of my cabinets. Produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", this 100mm tall model is one of four figures I intend to finish as part of my third monthly randomly-selected drawer-based challenge.

"Citadel Miniatures" WIPs - Joe Bananas is having all of his detail 'picked out'

However, my plan to predominantly pigment the brute black has somewhat changed on account of the sculpt's noticeable detail. As a result I intend to turn the fiend into something resembling a brown bat, so I can (hopefully) better show-off all of its fur and wings, as well as it still having a pair of piercing red eyes staring out of a largely dark coloured face. Furthermore, I've already added some lighter brown highlights to the vampire's fur-covered body to help it contrast a bit more from that of its huge wings.

Lastly, I've made some nice in-roads on my classic Joe Bananas figure by "Citadel Miniatures". Dating back as far as 1985, this 'muscle' for the Judge Dredd villain Don Uggie Apelino is finally getting both the time and attention that he needs, and should hopefully be tabletop ready within the next few days. I did encounter a few problems trying to ascertain which parts of the hoodlum's tommy-gun were metal and wood. But have since worked these out - at least to my satisfaction anyway.

"Banderhobbs Were Enigmatic Monsters Of Shadow And Flesh..."

"...That seemingly hailed from the Shadowfell."

This 28mm scale PVC plastic (polyvinyl chloride) Banderhobb is currently available from "Wizkids" as part of their "Dungeons & Dragons" Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures range, and can be purchased unpainted as SKU: WZK72576. However, I actually bought mine from "Tritex Games" back in January 2020 when the figure was first released as an Uncommon, Large-sized pre-painted figure from the American company's "Icons of the Realms: Volo's And Mordenkainen's Foes" set.

"Known for capturing targets at random", the model was super-glued onto a 50mm circular base and primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Green. The 'humongous creature' was then drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, thoroughly dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green, and had the majority of its spots 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Fantasy Flight Games" WIPs - These two Wookie Warriors are getting their details 'picked out'

The model's bulbous gullet was pigmented in "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The somewhat emotionless monster's sharp teeth and claws were subsequently patiently picked out using a little White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and a dollop or three of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to help weather them down a bit.

As a final touch I initially painted the Banderhobb's large eyes with some additional Skulker Yellow by "Two Thin Coats". However, despite this being in line with all the official pictures I found of the creature online, I didn't like it, so decided to go with some "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson instead. These orbs were later treated to some extra "Vallejo" Heavy Red around the miniature's pupils to try and highlight them up a bit.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Giant Bat has been primed and base-coated

With this somewhat late entry for the "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog finally finished, I have been busy beavering away on the last two Wookie Warriors I recently purchased whilst visiting Poole. Produced by "Fantasy Flight Games" and now apparently Out Of Production (OOP), these fur-covered figures have definitely rekindled something of an interest in "Star Wars: Legion" in me. So I may well see if I can't add a few more of the range's models to my painting queue in the near future.

Lastly, I've begun working on some miniatures for my third monthly randomly-selected drawer-based challenge - which contains, amongst other models, plenty of sculpts sold by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Resultantly, and with a mind half on "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", I thought I'd work on their multi-piece 100mm tall resin cast Giant Bat...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - Forgotten Heroes June 2026

A trio of "Titan Forge" Death Dogs were completed for "Monster (Mayhem)"

Having at least managed a far better May than I have during the past couple of years, thanks largely to my participation in Angry Piper's "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on his "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, I thought I'd dedicate some of this month's hobby time to visiting "Carrion Crow's Buffet" and helping Jez celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of "Forgotten Heroes" event. This is an annual affair I really enjoyed being involved in during its formative days, and resulted in the creation of many of my Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. predominantly using various "Wizkids" plastic pieces from their numerous "Heroclix" lines. 

In recent years though, I've not been quite so inspired to cobble a figure together using bits and pieces from various manufacturers due to what I want being available as STL (Standard Triangle Language) files, and so my interest (as well as my participation) has disappointingly waned. This time however, I thought I should go back to its roots, hack up a metal figure or two, and pin an ensemble together.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This 'Rick Sanchez' has been kit-bashed from a couple of figures

Fortunately, I already had just the very model in my collection, having chopped up the body of a Investigative Academic by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", stuck the company's Crackpot Inventor head on its shoulders, and added a Robo-Minion weapon accessory to use as a portal gun. This gave me a rather agreeable looking Rick Sanchez from the animated science fiction comedy franchise "Rick And Morty", and a solid start for "Forgotten Heroes" too.

Furthermore, I also thought I'd do a third drawer challenge for this month, even though I still had plenty to do on the "Citadel Miniatures" blister Don Uggie And His Ape Gang from May. Somewhat coincidentally, my random roll picked a drawer absolutely packed full of more of Karl Perrotton's figures, so I'm reasonably confident I should be able to both complete the gangsters I didn't finish last time, as well as polish off a fair few more miniatures from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" as well.

May 2026 - "Modiphius Entertainment" finally enters the Top Five

The past four weeks certainly saw an odd mix of subjects being pigmented, with a couple of blasts from the past being treated to a lick of my brush simply because they brought back some nostalgic memories. Of particular note for this were the two Wookie Warriors by "Fantasy Flight Games" I got tabletop ready having purchased them on the spur of the moment second-hand. Now admittedly I don't have any current plans to play "Star Wars: Legion" any time soon. But I may well polish off the two remaining fur-covered rebels in the near future simply for completion's sake.

Indeed, this month may well see me 'finish off' a number of models I've been toying with over the past few weeks rather than plonk them away on a drawer for another day. Along with Don Uggie's minions and the aforementioned Wookies I have also got a rather sizeable Banderhobb by "Wizkids" to put the last touches too - something I'm especially keen to do so that the monster can participate in some of the games of "The Silver Bayonet" I have planned for the coming months...

"Death Dog Saliva Carries A Foul Disease..."

"...That causes a victim’s flesh to slowly rot off the bone."

This 32mm scale Death Dog is produced by "Titan Forge Miniatures" and was printed as part of their four-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from the manufacturer's February 2023 "My Mini Factory" subscription service. Forming part of their Mortal Enemies Set 35 for "Dungeons & Dragons", the "neutral evil" creature was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer, and has rather embarrassingly been gathering dust on one of my hobby shelves for over a year.

Permanently attached to a plastic 40mm circular stand, the sculpt was treated to a lick of "Vallejo" Grey Primer, before being coated in "Two Thin Coats" Berzerker Red and washed with lots of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As I couldn't really make out where its claws were, the hound's four paws were simply picked out with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and then had its lower legs dry-brushed with more of the colour so as to better blend them in with the rest of the model.

"A Wookiee warrior without a ryyk blade is a webweaver without fangs."

In addition, I applied a little smidgeon of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to the two-headed monster's tongues, some "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to its numerous teeth, and a spot of pure "Skulker Yellow" by "Two Thin Coats" to its four eyes. Finally, I gave the miniature's noses a healthy dollop of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

Alongside the last of my Death Dogs, at least for now, I have also completed a second Wookie by "Fantasy Flight Games". Standing 47mm tall and made of hard plastic, the figure comes from the company's "Wookie Warriors" Expansion Box for "Star Wars: Legion" and was picked up both second-hand and pre-assembled from the Retrocave Gaming Café in Poole.

"Death X Tiles" WIPs - This piece is being base layered to try out a number of paint schemes

The figure model was initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed him with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. His ammunition pouches were subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst the rebel's two ryyk blade and parts of his ammunition belts were given a dose of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadle" Nuln Oil.

Finally, I've base-layered a piece of science fiction scenery by "Death X Tiles" from their fairly recent Starship Mini Set. Created using some "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer, the entranceway has been given a lick of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey, "Gunmetal Blue" and "Gunmetal" to see if I like any of the colours - or a mix of the colours. I plan to pigment quite a sizeable layout using the tiles over the next few months and what a palette that is fairly easy and quick to complete, as well as something which won't overshadow my miniatures.

"Go, I Will. Good Relations With The Wookiees, I Have."

 "Wookiees stand out in a crowd."

This 47mm tall hard plastic miniature of a Wookie used to be produced by “Fantasy Flight Games” and can be found inside the company's four-figure strong "Wookie Warriors" Expansion Box for "Star Wars: Legion". Bought second-hand and pre-assembled from the Retrocave Gaming Café in Poole, I actually painted the exact same sculpt some seven years ago. But thought it might be a good move to double the number of "People of the Trees" I could field.

As with my previously pigmented miniatures, the figure was originally undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, as I wanted this Wookie to somewhat stand out from the other squad I only dry-brushed him with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna (to make his fur appear a bit darker), and used the somewhat lighter Heavy Brown on his two ammunition pouches. These areas were then shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Fantasy Flight Games" WIPs - Three more Wookie Warriors currently on my painting table

Having decided to simply pigment the relevant areas of his bandoleer in "Vallejo" Gunmetal, I also used this metallic acrylic paint to 'pick out' his bowcaster too. These parts were then all washed with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Finally, I dabbed the Rebel's nose and eye sockets with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I have continued to plod along with the other three remaining Wookie Warriors from this boxed set - using similar palettes. In particular, I have been busy playing 'catch-up' with the group's impressively posed Leader, which had largely sat untouched in my basing tin whilst I completed my 'test model' for the squad.

"Wizkids" WIPs - This Banderhobb just needs his spots and boils to be 'picked out'

In addition though, I've also managed to get much further on the reasonably large Banderhobb model by "Wizkids" I have been working on for over six years. This frightful "giant bipedal toad" will be another of my entries in the "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog, and may well prove an interesting alternative model for a Troll when it comes to my future games of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Publishing".

To be honest the biggest issue I've always suffered when facing this creature is how I'm going to patiently dollop all of its numerous skin boils. But having now got to the stage where I've needed to tackle this, I have realised that a lot of the lumps and bumps can simply be left green, and I only really need to add some extra colour to the most obvious of spots rather than all of them - this very much being a case of less is more...