"Enterprise Is Cleared For Launch."

"Hailing frequencies open, sir."

This 32mm scale resin model of Lieutenant Uhura was bought as part of the Star Trek Adventures Original Series Miniatures Set by "Modiphius Entertainment" and is sadly no longer available as a physical figure. However, the sculpt, featuring an excellent likeness of actress Nichelle Nichols, can still be purchased from the company as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from their Print At Home range.

The Bridge Officer was initially primed using a layer or two of "Vallejo" Heavy Red before having her uniform shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. This clothing was then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red, before it's iconic insignia and Nyota's rank wrist stripes were carefully 'picked out' using a little "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"This is not merely a fight for survival."

I next painted Uhura's boots and hair with pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to her legs, hands and face. As I wanted to suggest that the linguistics specialist was wearing tights, I gave her legs a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, whilst the rest of the woman's flesh was treated to some Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I dotted Nyota's earpiece and Type-2 hand phaser with "Vallejo" Gunmetal and darkened the devices down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

In addition to Lieutenant Uhura I have also completed a second 32mm scale Bomb Coffin by "Trench Stench". As with the first Sarcophagus Mine I recently completed, this model was downloaded for free as part of their three-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from the company's "Patreon" subscription service.

"Perry Miniatures" WIPs - These four confederate soldiers have had all their different areas 'boxed'

Forming part of their Ghosts of the Nomansland range for "Trench Crusade", and produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer, the miniature was predominantly pigmented using "Vallejo" Bronze and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade over a "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna undercoat. In addition I used White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green for the sculpt's spooky spectral flames.

Despite all these 'distractions', I haven't forgotten about the first four Confederate soldiers from my recently acquired the American Civil War - Battle in a Box starter set either, and have managed to spend a little time on the "Perry Miniatures" 'boxing off' all their different coloured areas. This process has certainly made me rethink my technique for future American Civil War combatants - as they're all going to be primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black from now on...

Heretic Troopers..."

"...Can be encased in suits of thick armour that have been filled with explosives."

This 32mm scale Bomb Coffin is produced by "Trench Stench" and was downloaded for free as part of their three-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from the company's "Patreon" subscription service. Forming part of their Ghosts of the Nomansland range for "Trench Crusade", the Sarcophagus Mine was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer.

Super-glued onto a plastic 30mm circular stand, the figure was primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, base-coated with Bronze, and shaded using some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. It was then lightly dry-brushed with a little (more) "Vallejo" Bronze, before I set about 'picking out' all of the various flames rising up around the casket's base using some White Star by "Two Thin Coats".

"Wizkids" WIPs - This Displacer Beast has been primed, and had its based worked on

To be honest I did initially consider pigmenting this area just using "Vallejo" Neutral Grey and some "Citadel" Nuln Oil, as I thought they were supposed to be the trails of smoke pouring out of the coffin's bottom as its internal fuse sparked away. However, having done some research I felt that the fire was probably more likely to be some sort of unholy, spectral energy which was helping to lift the deadly sarcophagus across the battlefield towards its enemies. As a resultant, I simply washed the flames with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green, and carefully caught its edges with a smidgeon (more) "Two Thin Coats" White Star.

With the first of my Trench Crusade force completed, I have been busy working on another model I pulled out of the plastic drawer I recently randomly chose for this month's main painting project. Unlike the other figures I selected though, this particular sculpt was from "Wizkids" Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures range for "Dungeons & Dragons", and would make a welcome addition to my ever-growing wandering monster menagerie.

"Perry Miniatures" WIPs - These four Confederate soldiers have had their shoes blocked in

For now I've only managed to permanently plonk the Displacer Beast upon a "Games Workshop" 50mm round base, prime the "monstrous predator" with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and finish dry-brushing the large rock its standing upon. But I should be able to get the "Lawful evil" creature completed reasonably quickly whilst working on some of my more time-consuming models during the next couple of weeks.

Lastly, I have managed to get the 'groundwork' completed on the first four Confederate soldiers I have assembled from my recently acquired the American Civil War - Battle in a Box starter set by "Perry Miniatures". My plan is slowly 'pick away' at this quartet area by area over the coming month whenever the opportunity arises, and, much like my ongoing Napoleonic project using "Wargames Foundry", get five to six Tiny (four-figure strong) units completed for each side before settling down to some basic battles of "Black Powder"...

"I Will Not Be President Of A Ruined Empire!"

"There are no women like me. I am unique."

This 28mm scale piece of scenery is comprised of the Desert Shrine Scatter Terrain by "CobraMode" and the 1:21 scale resin miniature of The Leader by "Totters Yard Customs". The sanctum was created using some "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer, whilst the 'statue' was very kindly gifted to me by its manufacturer to use on this project due to it failing their rigorous quality control standards - Not that I could see anything wrong with it myself.

Having been super-glued on a 120mm x 90mm oval MDF base by "Warbases", the altar was primed using plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey to help bring out all the sculpt's marvellous details. I then set to work aging the piece by 'picking out' all of the dirt which had accumulated around it with a combination of "Citadel" Doombull Brown, Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade. I also added a bit more colour to the piece by applying some "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the two bowls located near the central plinth.

"Modiphius Entertainment" WIPs - Q, Sulu and Uhura

In order to make the statue appear a bit battered by the ages, I decided to initially give it a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Bronze, shade it with "Agrax Earthshade", and highlight it back up with a patient dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Bronze. I next carefully applied some streaks of the "Citadel" Technical Paint Nihilakh Oxide to its numerous folds, and later blended these areas in with (even more) "Vallejo" Bronze.

Finally the model and its stand were drilled, and pinned together using a little (too much) super-glue, green-stuff and an old drill bit. Obviously the more eagle-eyed will doubtless guess that this piece of scenery is destined for my "Blake's 7" tabletop as part of the President's Garden on Earth - where doubtless in the near future the likes of Roj Blake, Avon, Jenna and Vila will encounter Servalan, Space Commander Travis and a whole host of Federation troopers.

"Perry Miniatures" WIPs - Four Confederate soldiers assembled and primed

Sticking with Science Fiction I have also managed to get a little work done on three "Star Trek" miniatures by "Modiphius Entertainment" as part of my monthly random drawer challenge. I'd actually already started pigmenting this trio a few years ago, so I am hoping the likes of Uhura, Sulu and the ever enigmatic Q won't actually take all that long to complete.

Furthermore, I've taken a bit of a plunge by picking up the American Civil War - Battle in a Box starter set by "Perry Miniatures", and assembled four of its Confederate soldiers. This purchase was almost solely influenced by a recent rewatching of the 2020 American television miniseries "Grant", and will almost certainly be something of a slow-burn project over the coming months...

"The Second Wisconsin Infantry Regiment..."

"...Was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War."

These twenty 15mm scale metal Union soldiers are produced by “Warlord Games” and can be found inside their rather hefty "Epic Battles: American Civil War" The Iron Brigade boxed set, The stand consists of two five-figure Command strips, complete with officer and drummer, as well as two 'generic' five-model trooper strips, and was painted to represent part "of the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac."

Having watched a few unboxing videos about the size difference between these castings and the range's (slightly smaller) plastic miniatures, I decided to snip off all the Straw Hats' bayonets. This meant the top of the soldiers rifles were now roughly level in height with their polymer-based brothers-in-arms. Furthermore, I decided to pigment the command line already in situ on its 60 x 20mm rectangular base, and the others separately on wooden sticks.

"It suffered the largest number of casualties as a percentage of its total enlistment of any Union Army unit."

The soldiers were primed using a double-coat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I then sploshed their trousers with "Vallejo" Steel Grey and their jackets in "Vallejo" Storm Blue. Both of these areas were subsequently shaded using "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, before I patiently 'picked out' their straps with a line of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. I also took this opportunity to dab their belt buckles and hat badges with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Gold, and later a dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

The drum's skin was given a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, whilst its straps (and the officer's gloves) were carefully teased out using a tiny amount of White. These details were eventually 'dirtied up' with a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The sword, odd metal cup and tops of the Iron Brigade's rifles were coated in "Vallejo" Gunmetal and a spot of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Unfortunately, I did find these figures incredibly prone to chipping, no matter how careful I was, so despite the relative straightforwardness of their palette, I was forced to repeatedly return to the odd frock coat, satchel and sleeve to 'repair' some minor damage.

Perhaps the biggest disaster I faced with these models though, came when it was time to apply a couple of 15mm flags by “GMB Designs” to the ensemble, using the products ACW19 - Large Stars & Stripes/HQ Flags and ACW22 - Iron Brigade, Wisconsin Regiments, Gettysburg. These paper banners are admittedly a little big for the range. Yet as I like their bold, eye-catching effect on the tabletop, I'm perfectly willing to ignore their historical inaccuracy. However, unlike their plastic counterparts, there isn't a great deal of space on the two standard bearer's poles - due to them apparently being sculpted in contact with the troopers' hats and shoulders.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Iceman is slowly being dry-brushed with "Two Thin Coats" White Star

This seems to have been a design-issue even for the official paint-jobs, as one flag always appears to be smack in the face of its carrier. I therefore thought I might be able to cut the shaft away from each figure to give my banners a bit more room. But one slice of my sharp modelling knife later and I was looking at a missing rod on my carpet floor. Resultantly, I ended up super-gluing the regiment's stars & stripes across the bearer's bonce on what little was left of his stick, so I could 'fix it' in place behind the officer's head.

With the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge now underway. I have started working on my 32mm scale plastic Iceman for "Marvel Zombicide" by "CoolMiniOrNot". I always like to get an early entry in, as organiser Curt Campbell is very clear about disqualifying any participants who don't submit something within the events opening four weeks, and having previously put my brush-tip to Bobby Drake's brain-hungry zombie incarnation, I thought this version should prove a 'quick win'...

"Prince Dracula! The Turks Are Falling Back!"

"They retreat! Sultan Mohammed is defeated!"

This 28mm scale Vlad Dracul is produced by "Wargames Atlantic" and can be downloaded for free as part of a multi-piece set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" subscription service. Based upon the Voivode of Wallachia seen in Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 horror film "Bram Stoker's Dracula", the miniature was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer.

Sculpted wearing the Prince's iconic suit of Southern Carpathian armour, the figure was assembled and primed using a double-helping of "Vallejo" Heavy Red. Unfortunately, despite being desperately delicate with the warrior's lengthy spear whilst putting the blood-thirsty ruler together, it was at this point that disaster struck and I inadvertently snapped off the top of its shaft.

"Mongoose Publishing" WIPs - The Midnight Surfer is slowly having his details 'picked out'

Cursing my awkwardness, I did initially consider trying to super-glue the two parts back together where they broke - something which can ordinarily be quite easily achieved where "Loctite" instant adhesive and "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin are concerned. However, I figured a stronger join might prevent future accidents - especially as the hand-weapon was intimidatingly long. So instead snipped the spear-tip off and filed down the pole in Dracul's hand.

Whilst this re-positioning did add to the weapon's wobbliness, it also allowed the blade's head to slightly snuggle into Vlad's hand, and create a much stabler connection. Following these repairs, the figure was shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, carefully dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and had its helmet's eye-slits 'picked out' using "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Unsurprisingly, the spear tip itself was pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, whereas the shaft was treated to some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These Iron Brigade troopers still require some detail work

Alongside my second 'Count Dracula' miniature, I have also started working on some dust-covered 28mm scale metal models originally manufactured by “Mongoose Publishing” as part of the company’s infamous 2012 “Judge Dredd Miniatures Game: Block War” Kickstarter. I'm hoping to clear a few of these "2000 A.D." comic book characters off of my painting desk before the start of the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), and decided to go with the Midnight Surfer first.

Finally, I've set about progressing a fourth five-man strip of Union soldiers by "Warlord Games". These particular 15mm Epic scale figures come from their "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range and represent the North's Iron Brigade. Sadly, the little metal infantrymen appear to chip incredibly easily, and resultantly require almost endless 'touch-ups', so my enthusiasm for a massive force of the Black Hats has significantly stalled during the past few months...

"Nothing Could Be Heard."

"But the infernal din of their discharge."

This 15mm scale plastic Confederate Artillery piece is produced by “Warlord Games” and is from the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range. One of four identical grey-coloured sprues I bought via "eBay" way back in January 2022, the large gun and figures were originally going to be painted separately on wooden sticks.

However, having found that technique incredibly time-consuming, the entire ensemble was eventually permanently attached to its square stand using plastic glue, and primed with a couple of coats of “Citadel” Abaddon Black. I then focused upon the cannon's wooden carriage and wheels with a double-helping of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, as well as plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to help 'dirty it up'. Finally, the artillery piece itself was 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Bronze and (more) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - These three Sons of Horus Space Marines have been assembled and primed

Owing to my desire to tie this particular cannon in with my Florida regiment, I painted the majority of the four crewmen using a combination of "Vallejo" Sombrey Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I did though want to mix their attire up a little bit, so put a pair of the Johnny Rebs in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade trousers. I also took this opportunity to pigment any broad-rimmed bonnets (or rather Straw Hats) with a mixture of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow, before sploshing them with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

With my basic Confederate force now complete (at least for now), I have managed to undercoat some more 28mm MK IV former Luna Wolves Space Marines by "Games Workshop". To be honest, I was somewhat in two minds as to whether I was going to work on this particular scale much more this year, due to my interest in the much smaller Adeptus Astartes figures found inside the "Warhammer: The Horus Heresy Legions Imperialis" box set - which "Games Workshop" have been struggling to put on shops' shelves for the past few months.

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

Luckily though, this lengthy delay, combined with a hefty price tag, has completely eroded my interest in another project set within the "fictional galaxy-spanning civil war", so rather than painstakingly working my way through an eye-watering 223 8mm tall plastic miniatures, I aim to simply push on with pigmenting a third ten-man unit of tactical infantrymen for my heroic-sized Traitor army instead. Indeed, I'm hoping to get this sizeable formation finished before the end of December, and finally get some games of "The Horus Heresy - Age of Darkness" under my belt.

In addition to slapping a pot of "Citadel" Sons of Horus Green all over the place, I've found a little hobby time to continue my current 'love affair' with "Marvel Zombies: A Zombicide Game" by "CoolMiniOrNot". Admittedly, my Undead Iceman actually comes from the game's "Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance" expansion set. But that hasn't stopped me from wanting to get Bobby Drake's brain-chomping alter-ego tabletop ready in a hurry...

"Instead Of Being Called Private Soldiers, Every Man..."

"...from the colonel in charge of the entire battalion to the newest recruit – called themselves Riflemen."

This 28mm scale metal model is sold by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased either as part of their B080 British Riflemen set. The Newark-based company didn't actually have this blister on their shelves when I visited their premises earlier in the year. However, the top chap behind the counter disappeared into the nearby casting room, and quite quickly returned with a plastic bag containing my sought after assortment.

Having previously learnt a valuable lesson in giving my Riflemen a dark undercoat, the officer was primed using a mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Vallejo Surface Primer Black. I then applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Brown to the soldier's trouser turn-ups and sploshed them with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before applying a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey to the rest of his pants and drowning them in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This ACW Artillery crew are close to having all their details 'picked out'

The figure's red sash was simply traced out with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, whilst any gold areas, such as his whistle and sabre's hilt were treated to some "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The miniature's famous coloured jacket and shako plume was 'picked out' using "Wyvern Green" by "Two Thin Coats", and later shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Due to wanting the coat's fur to be a different brown to the man's turn-ups, I applied a little "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to these areas.

To finish my foot commander off, I gave the officer's shirt a smidgeon of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and dirtied this up with some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. In addition, I tidied up the model's collar, cuffs and shako with pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and gave his sabre a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As a final touch I highlighted the sword's blade edge with a careful dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - This Zombie Hulk is being 'bloodied up'

Alongside my latest Napoleonic infantryman, I have been making some steady progress on a third 15mm plastic four-figure cannon crew for Epic Battles: American Civil War by "Warlord Games". Having previously pigmented the big gun, I am patiently applying my brush-tip to each Johnny Reb in turn, and decided to mark the unit out as belonging to the 1st Florida Regiment by giving two of the cannoneers noticeable straw hats.

Lastly, I've managed to spend a little more time on my Zombie Hulk by "CoolMiniOrNot" - a project which has suddenly completely captured my imagination, courtesy of playing some games of "Zombicide" using the Marvel Zombies: X-Men Resistance expansion set. This version of the rules allows players to actually be the mutant super-heroes who are caught inside Professor Xavier Institute when the apocalypse strikes, rather than the brain-hungry, super-powered cadavers found inside the base game. Resultantly, I intend to paint a mixture of the plastic models from both boxes for a future Zombicide campaign.

"The Mouth Of Sauron Is One Of The Gúrzyul."

"Mortal servants of Sauron whom he made ageless through dark arts during the Second Age."

This 28mm scale metal model of an "unwholesome being [who] speaks for Sauron" is produced by "Games Workshop", and can be bought as part of a two figure set from the Nottingham-based company's "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game" range. Somewhat embarrassingly however, I purchased my already-assembled miniature at a wargaming show's second-hand stall many years ago, and since then it's sat neglected in a drawer gathering dust.

Originally a long-abandoned entry for a past Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), the "tall, evil man who wore black robes and a black, lofty helm" was re-primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, brusquely dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then 'picked out' the rider's belt and sword scabbard with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before layering both the horse and man's armour, the face-grill and two-handed sword in “Vallejo” Gunmetal.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - These three MK VI Space Marines are at various stages of completion

All of these metallic areas were subsequently sploshed in “Citadel” Nuln Oil and carefully dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Gunmetal. To mark out the stallion's armour though I gave the plates a lick of "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash, and subsequently highlighted their edges with (another) dry-brush of "Vallejo" Gunmetal. I also attempted to pick out some stitch-work on the odd piece of cloth with a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red, as seen on the "official" paint-job. However, I really didn't like the way my ham-fisted effort turned out, so soon reworked the areas using "Citadel "Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Finally, I 'picked out' the sharpened teeth of the "renegade who came of the race of those that are named the Black Númenóreans" with a few dollops of White Star by "Two Thin Coats", and his partially-visible chin with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. To complete the somewhat gory look the Mouth of Sauron sported in the 2003 movie "The Return of the King", I later 'bloodied these up' with a dash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This ACW Artillery crew are slowly having their details 'picked out'

Encouraged by the release of the Daemons of the Ruinstorm rules by "Games Workshop" for "The Horus Heresy", I have also managed to make a little headway on some Sons of Horus models which have been impatiently lurking on one of the edges of my painting table. Two of the 28mm figures were assembled from the plastic sprues found inside the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness boxed set. Whilst the Traitor Esoterist Consul was bought from "Forge World" in March and seems to have taken an age for me to assemble once I've washed the resin pieces.

Lastly, I've purposely set aside some time this month to finish the third and final 15mm Confederate Artillery piece by “Warlord Games” I built for my initial foray into Epic Battles: American Civil War. I'm planning on making short work of this large gun and crew as I'd also like to finish a metal command stand of Union Iron Brigade before November's end, and resultantly focus upon some other infantry companies for the North before the year concludes...

“Colours" Showcase 2023

"Yes! We are on for Colours 23."

With my pleasant memories of last year's show at Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire, still firmly ensconced in my mind, it would arguably have been rather remiss of me to have failed to attend this year's "Colours" by Newbury & Reading Wargaming Society'. Sure, my previous journey to the site's Car Park 4 was a chaotic nightmare. But having learnt my lesson to check the show's website beforehand for directions, I felt reasonably confident that I'd be able to make the ninety minute long journey with far fewer frustrations than last time.

A view or two of the First Floor, including the "Lard Zone"

Disconcertingly though, my Sat Nav had other ideas, insisting that I enter the market town from the wrong direction and resultantly forcing me to slowly fight my way through some seriously heavy Saturday morning traffic. To make matters worse, it also repeatedly attempted to take me to the main entrance at the western side of the venue, so ultimately ended up being binned in favour of my memory from twelve months ago. This eventually saw me through safely enough, however, the complete lack of signs along the route was not helpful, and would certainly have been greatly appreciated.

Some of the demonstration/participation games put on by "Two Fat Lardies"

To mix things up a bit this time round, I decided to 'hit' the First Floor traders first. This choice turned out to be a good one too, as the large spacious area wasn't particularly busy, so I was able to mooch about the stalls relatively freely. Quite possibly the highlight of this initial 'scouting trip' was "Scarab Miniatures", who were selling some truly fantastic looking 28mm metal Great War figures for a mere 'pound a pop'. As such, I could quite easily have walked away with a significantly heavy bag load full of Austrians and French. Luckily, it was a little too early in the day to 'hit the trigger' quite yet, so I moved on before my wallet had a chance to inadvertently fly open.

More demonstration/participation games put on by "Two Fat Lardies"

Enjoyably, I next encountered the "Lard Zone" which had previously seen a lot of success at "Salute" 2023. Run by "Two Fat Lardies", this space had several of the company's games running, so I spent a short while thoroughly enjoying the different tables, genres and rule-sets on display. In addition, I was able to have a good look at the scenic wares of "The Last Valley", "F4 Freddie Terra Firma" and "Last Man, Last Bullet" - the latter of which had a number of World War One trench-works and Black Powder-era earthworks at various scales. A number of these seemed rather suitable for the American Civil War as well, so we ended up nattering for ten minutes about fortifications during this conflict, such as those at the Battle of Fredericksburg,

Plenty of scenic pieces on show by "The Last Valley, "Last Man, Last Bullet" & "F4 Freddie Terra Firma"

Following on from these visits, I ascended to the Second Floor and joined the jostle along the length of the show's Bring and Buy sale. To be honest, I found this one of the few disappointing aspects of this year's "Colours", as there simply wasn't a great deal to catch my interest due to it largely consisting of boxes full of painted miniatures. Doubtless many a visitor interested in such purchases scooped up a bargain or two. But for me there was a distinct lack of bare metal or plastic.

Some of the demonstration/participation games put on by the Society of Ancients

Instead, I busied myself looking at the different demonstration/participation games filling up the floor. A number of these caught my eye, most notably a 6mm battle being shown by the Society of Ancients for their intriguing "Mortem Et Gloriam" (MeG) rules. This biblical battle looked good and I was rather impressed when one of the members highlighted that the much larger sized tabletops surrounding me were all using the same game - just in different scales. Bemusingly though, I was then handed over to another fellow who seemingly felt the best way to sell me on the "multi-award-winning ancients wargames rules" was by quickly 'putting me in my place' for daring to even suggest that "Xenos Rampant" could be used to play some Napoleonic skirmishes - something I'm currently working towards.

A selection of models from "Gringo 40's" Vietnam range

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I therefore decided to promptly leave the area utterly uninvested in MeG, and instead briefly made my way around the other pitched battles before moving down to the Ground Floor.  This was absolutely bustling with activity, with several stalls momentarily capturing my attention. Of particular note was "Gringo 40's", whose range of Vietnam War and Napoleonics had me drooling over their display cabinets.

A selection of models from "Gringo 40's" Napoleonic range

Ultimately however, I only succumbed to the usual suspects of "Warlord Games" and "Pendraken Miniatures" - who managed to ensnare me with a 15mm all-metal Siege Mortar Battery for Black Powder Epic Battles: American Civil War, and a ton of 10mm World War armoured vehicles respectively. Indeed, I felt a bit guilty just buying from two manufacturers who I regularly purchase from online, rather than from one of the numerous 'cottage industry' companies present at the show. But in the end, I decided to simply support my current hobby projects, rather than 'dip my toe' in yet another period or genre...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Warlord Games” September 2023

“War means fighting, and fighting means killing.”

Having thoroughly enjoyed my first few games of ACW Epic Battles Black Powder over at the Solent Wargamers Club in Portsmouth, I thought that this month I'd once again focus upon my 15mm Confederate Army for Rick Priestly and Jarvis Johnson's rule-set. I'm probably a little over a third of the way through the "Warlord Games" miniatures I need to paint for a small scale game, and therefore hope to 'lick' at least another three twenty-figure stands into shape over the next four weeks.

However, whether all of these soldiers will be Johnny Rebs is debatable, as I'd quite like to start building a similarly-sized Union force up to act as opposition for a dedicated campaign or two. To that end I have purchased and started work on a battalion of Iron Brigade - something I ultimately envision consisting of an impressive fifteen infantry stands spread across three "regular" regiments.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Four primed Napoleonic Russian infantrymen

In addition to these rather optimistic goals, I am hoping to start a somewhat more manageable Napoleonic project using various 28mm metal figures by "Wargames Foundry" - after discovering an absolute ton of the Nottingham-based manufacturer's old blisters in my loft. I have previously attempted a few similar enterprises in the past, most notably using "Victrix" plastics way back in 2011 and then again in 2017-2018. But the sheer scale of pigmenting such a colossally colourful endeavour has always sapped my enthusiasm quite quickly.

This time round though, I intend to begin with just a handful of miniatures aside, and rather controversially use/adapt "Xenos Rampant" by "Osprey Publishing" for some skirmishes. This should allow me to pick and choose particular sculpts which catch my eye (or rather have few white straps) and perhaps over time help me build towards a large enough collection where I can potentially consider Black Powder. or General d'Armee/Sharp Practice by "Two Fat Lardies", Furthermore, I aim to 'field' a mixture of different Allies against the French Empire, so will initially be adding some more Russian infantrymen to my already finished British Riflemen for a tenuous Third Coalition force.

August 2023 - "Pendraken Miniatures" & "Warlord Games" trump the resin-based "Big Mr Tong"

Astoundingly, my productivity currently appears to be at an all-time high for this point in the year, with last month proving my busiest August since 'records began'. Indeed, my obsession with "Pendraken Miniatures" 10mm metal WW2 range and "Warlord Games" array of 15mm plastic ACW models, has remarkably proved my belief that 3D printed figures would dominate my hobby-time this year as being completely wrong.

It would also seem that my interest in 28mm scale wargaming is on a surprising decline, probably thanks to my developing love of large-scale rule-sets which allow me to provide 'flanking sweeps' with regiments/armoured units. My intention to play some small-level Napoleonic encounters may well slightly address this imbalance over the next four weeks. But with most of my focus settling upon the American Civil War, I don't see me presently having the time to apply a few coats to many more larger-sized miniatures...

"Six Pounder Guns Had Mostly Disappeared From The Union Armies By 1863."

"But the Confederates continued using them until the end of the war."

This 15mm scale plastic Confederate Artillery piece is sold by “Warlord Games” and can be found on their Epic Battles: American Civil War Infantry Frame. This is the second of three cannons I require for my Johnny Rebs force, having recently discovered I need to field a trio of these stands to form a six gun six-pounder smoothbore artillery regiment in "Black Powder".

As the 'kit' comes in three different pieces, with a pair of soldiers holding each wheel and the actual cannon, I decided to paint the miniatures separately and gave the figures a couple of coats of “Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then busied myself by 'picking out' the odd set of trousers using either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, or "Vallejo" Steel Grey and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These Iron Brigade soldiers are slowly having their details 'picked out'

With the pants all finished, I turned my attention to predominantly applying some "Citadel Nuln Oil" to the Confederate's already "Vallejo" Sombre Grey jackets, and subsequently spent some additional time applying both a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and a dash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to their kepis to better mark the crewmembers out as artillerymen. I was slightly tempted to mark this particular unit out as belonging to Florida's contribution to the Civil War by having a couple of the soldiers wear 'straw hats'. But in the end settled upon them having either "Vallejo" Sombre Grey or "Citadel" Abaddon Black broad-brimmed headwear.

I had hoped to just plonk the big gun in between the weapon's completed miniatures and give it a quick lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, Brass and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, the paint and varnish on the models made 'squeezing' the unpigmented cannon into an already tight space a real chore. Furthermore, when it came to basing the team's rectangular stand with PVA glue, grit and paint/shade, I ended up having to 'fix' the odd figure which was accidentally splashed in the process. This extra work convinced me that sub-assemblies was not the way to go with future artillery units.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Another ten 'Straw Hats' for my 1st Florida Regiment 

Sometimes such 'pain' can somewhat put me off a hobby project. However, having watched the 2020 American television miniseries "Grant", I've found my enthusiasm for wargaming the American Civil War to be as high as ever, and resultantly I've even started working on some opposition for the Confederacy - namely a Regiment of metal Iron Brigade (or black hats).

Furthermore, I've begun applying my brush to a third stand of Johnny Rebs for my 1st Florida Infantry Regiment, so as to bring it in line with the criteria needed for a small foot unit in Black Powder. It really is early days on this plastic strip, with just some basic layers being applied to the ten soldiers' shoes and trousers. Hopefully though, having learnt some valuable time-saving lessons with this 15mm range in the past, I can push through these reinforcements quite quickly, and then move on to the 1st Mississippi Infantry Regiment...

"The Russian Army Refused To Engage With Napoleon’s Grande Armée..."

"...Of more than 500,000 European troops. They simply retreated into the Russian interior."

This 28mm scale metal model is sold by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their RN023 Infantry in Oilskin Covered 1812 Shako Marching set. The figure is one of eight similar-looking Napoleonic Russian soldiers sculpted by Alan Perry, with all of the infantrymen wearing heavy clothing to protect them from the cold conditions of their country's freezing winter.

As I decided to pigment the miniature using the 'official' palette shown on the Nottingham-based company's website, I primed the "regular" with a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. Ordinarily, I'd next give the fellow a generous splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and a dry-brush. But on this occasion I wanted to try out a new time-saving technique I'm trialling, where I don't do this until towards the very end of my paint-job. This means that I no longer need to repeatedly keep touching up the 'finished areas' of the model whenever my wandering brush-tip strays onto a part of the long jacket.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These two artillery teams are slowly being progressed

I also took full advantage of the figure's all-encompassing coat by simply using a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black on his shoes and leggings, as well as his knapsack, sabre and cartridge belt. Indeed, the need to pick out the soldier's infamous white leather straps with White Star by "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" was pleasantly doable, even after I discovered the Russian's sword tassel was also white - at least according to an illustration I used. All of these areas, along with the scabbard's tip, shako straps and any other spots requiring a dab of "Vallejo" Gold", were later 'weathered' with a small dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

I next applied a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the model's tin water bottle and musket barrel, before using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on the rest of the rifle. At this point I did momentarily consider whether I was going to flock the miniature's base with grass or snow, as the poor Russian appeared to be participating in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the French retreat from Moscow. In the end I decided upon my usual 'green' stand, so I could always mingle the figure/s into a 'warmer weather' Napoleonic unit without too much fuss at a later date.

"Steel Fist Miniatures" WIPs - This Foot Knight will wear red and white to represent Francesco II of Gonzaga

Alongside my latest addition to my miniscule, yet disconcertingly growing 28mm Napoleonic collection, I have made some considerable progress on the two cannon artillery teams I require to fill out my Confederate force's first artillery battery. I had been painting these 15mm plastic pieces from "Warlord Games" Epic Battles Black Powder American Civil War range separately. However, having found subsequently assembling them and pigmenting the large gun a 'right royal pain', I have put my remaining unit together on its stand.

In addition, I have tentatively started slowly working on another of the Renaissance Knights manufactured by "Steel Fist Miniatures" as part of their ten-figure Foot Knights Deal. I've still heard absolutely nothing from the company about either my missing models or second order. But am trying to be positive that they will all eventually arrive, so thought perhaps applying my brush to a second sculpt might help 'push' the gaming gods in my favour...

"The A13 Was Fast But Under-Armoured And Mechanically Unreliable."

"The Cruiser Mark III equipped units in the 1st Armoured Division, but most were lost."

These three 10mm metal British cruiser tanks were bought together in a single clamshell from “Pendraken Miniatures” at Salute 50 and were simply labelled as Crusader III (armoured vehicles). I had originally intended to add them to the ever-expanding winter-based, snow-flocked Battle of The Bulge campaign. But having conducted a bit of research post-purchase I disappointingly discovered that the Crusader III only saw active service in France, Greece and Libya.

Luckily, having encountered a similar situation with the half-dozen Crusader II tanks I also bought at the ExCel Centre-based show, I decided to simply add them to my (fictious) Early Second World War project - Operation Sea Lion. Resultantly, all three quite considerably-sized models were individually super-glued onto plastic 40mm x 60mm rectangular stands and undercoated using "Vallejo" Leather Brown primer.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - The tanks were primed, base-coated & shaded before being dry-brushed

They were then layered with a double-helping of "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2, before being doused in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and later dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2. I also 'picked out' their predominantly covered tank tracks using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before later returning to the hull for a little 'nip' and 'tidy up' using a smidgeon extra of "Vallejo" Russian Uniform WW2.

As a final touch I was going to also add some Union Jack decals to both sides of their hulls to proudly proclaim them as being British. I've taken this rather historically inaccurate step with all my earlier incarnations of the cruiser tank, as well as some Matilda II and Vickers VI armoured vehicles. However, I'm currently out of the small flag transfers, and am impatiently waiting for "Pendraken Miniatures" to get some more BR-127 - Union Jack, St George and St Andrew Flags by "Decal Details" back in stock.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - These Confederate soldiers are at various stages of completion

Alongside my latest Allied contingent I have been working on a few more 15mm plastic pieces from "Warlord Games" Epic Battles Black Powder American Civil War range. Some of these miniatures have been inspired by my desire to ultimately field a fully-painted 'legal' Confederate Army consisting of four three-stand infantry regiments, a three-stand artillery battery, and a single mounted commander. Whilst the fourth officer I'm currently pigmenting is to stand upon my planned vignette representing General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

To see whether it makes it easier for my brush-tip to reach some of the ensemble's harder-to-reach areas, I'm currently painting my two remaining cannon crews in three separate pieces. Once the four artillerymen are finished I then plan to glue the great gun in between them on their rectangular stand and carefully give it a lick of "Vallejo" Brass and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. As a complete aside I have disconcertingly discovered that I didn't use "Vallejo" Heavy Grey on the wooden carriage and wheels (as I recorded in my notes), and despite a few attempts don't appear to be able to match the colour of the original 'test piece' I completed a couple of weeks ago...

"What If I'm Stuck Being A Bear Forever..?"

"How am I gonna figure out how the whole changing-into-animals thing works..?"

This 35mm scale model of One Man Zoo in his bear form was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from "C27 Studio". The sculpt is clearly inspired by Arnold Drake and Bob Brown's co-creation for "DC Comics" - Garfield Mark Logan (a.k.a Beast Boy or Changeling), and seemingly designed to be used as an 'alternative' figure for the Batman Miniatures Game rule-set.

Despite being rather unimpressed with this model's small(ish) size, I still super-glued it to an 'official' "Atomic Mass Games" Marvel Crisis Protocol base, as I originally thought the furry beast had been produced in 40mm scale - in line with the company 's other comic book characters. However, that now appears not to be the case, so disappointingly, all their "DC Comics" figures are noticeably smaller when compared to the larger "Marvel Worldwide" characters, essentially ruining any plans I had to mingle them together.

Both the Confederates and Union suffer with early deployment issues

The figure itself was pretty straightforward to paint and provided an excellent opportunity to test out more bottles from "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" range. The bear was therefore primed in Ethereal Green, shaded in Necrosis Green Wash and dry-brushed with (more) Ethereal Green. I then picked out all his claws and nose with some Wyvern Green and Logan's teeth with White Star. These areas were subsequently splashed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade respectively.

Alongside this rather underwhelming 42mm tall model, I have played my second game of ACW Epic Battles Black Powder over at the Solent Wargamers Club in Portsmouth. As in my first fight I needed to rely upon my good-natured opponent to bolster my Alabama and Florida Infantry Regiments, as well as borrow some additional Confederate cannons. To mix things up a bit we also both fielded some cavalry - which in game can pester flanks and redeploy as skirmishers.

The North's Cavalry unit dismount within some woodland

Having never used horsemen before I thought this was a great addition to the game, and really enjoyed Rick Priestley's easy rules for getting them to perform sweeping gallops along the troopers' lines, as well as the obligatory cavalry charge. Unfortunately, this inexperience did though lead to me somewhat bunching up my initial deployment, with the riders almost colliding with one of my foot regiments as I attempted to form up around a crossroads.

Happily however, things hadn't exactly gone according to plan for the Union either, with the North's four infantry columns squeezing out any opportunity for their artillery battery to open fire without having to navigate some woodland first. This meant for the moment at least, I wouldn't have to worry about President Lincoln's cannons mercilessly pounding away at my forces. But what I didn't take into account was how devastating old Abe's cavalrymen would be once they had dismounted and started sniping at me from the trees.

Johnny Reb's left flank caves in, leading to a desperate clash of cavalry

In fact, once the Yanks were in position firing at my left flank, my Confederate forces were quickly whittled away. So by the time the Union soldiers returned to their horses, I had already lost almost half my force and was facing down a nearly endless line of Northern troopers marching straight towards my remaining men in the centre. This really left me with just one opportunity and resulted into a massive cavalry charge between the two armies' horsemen. It was a close-run clash of sabres and appeared destined to go on for a turn or two more, when my Johnny Rebs shockingly decided to escape the battle and give the field to my victorious opponent.

"Briefly Serving As Commander Of The Confederate District Of Florida..."

"...James Patton Anderson returned to the field in July 1864 during the Atlanta Campaign."

This 15mm scale plastic Confederate Commander is produced by “Warlord Games” and came free on a sprue accompanying Issue 397 of "Wargames Illustrated". The mounted figure is from the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" range and is actually supplied with a square stand. Nevertheless, as I wanted my officers to stand out a bit more on the tabletop, I decided to glue the single-piece model to a thin-lipped 30mm circular base instead.

Both the soldier and his horse were painted almost identically to that of my previously-pigmented Henry DeLamar Clayton using a mixture of “Vallejo” Heavy Blue, “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade, “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, “Vallejo” Steel Grey, "Citadel" Nuln Oil, “Vallejo” Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Abaddon Black. However. as I wanted this particular miniature to represent Colonel James Patton Anderson of the 1st Florida Infantry, I (doubtless quite wrongly) gave his broad-rimmed hat a mix of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre/"Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to represent the famous straw hats worn by those troops.

My Confederate forces are joined by even more Johnny Rebs to face a Union army

Somewhat deflatingly however, having now attended the Solent Wargamers Club in Portsmouth for a couple of trial games of ACW Epic Battles Black Powder, it has become clear that I don't actually need more than one mounted officer for my current force, as a single figure is able to command a seriously sized force. Indeed, having proudly set up my three infantry stands of the 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment, two infantry stands of the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment, and my cannon crew, I needed my extremely forgiving opponent to help bring me up to the minimum four three-stand regiments and three artillery bases with models taken from their own impressive collection of Confederates.

To make matters worse though, once my Johnny Rebs were finally lined up on the battlefield ready to face the Union, my first ever command roll failed leaving my entire battalion stood stationary simply watching the enemy. I'd love to say that this inaction was simply a cunning ruse to fool the North into overconfidently pushing forwards and inadvertently placing their Zouaves in front of their cannon. But that would be somewhat dishonest of me. Suffice to say though, President Lincoln's forces came straight at me, desperately trying to squeeze their infantry lines between a forest and wooden building.

As my Confederate line swings left, old Abe's blue-bellied boys start to take a pounding

Surprisingly, whilst this show of force absolutely terrified me. It also allowed my much more spread out army to pivot its left flank around the side of the aforementioned house, and threaten to rake old Abe's Yankees from two directions. For the next few turns this essentially is just what happened, with the Union's morale slowly being whittled away by some crushing Confederate firepower. Eventually, the blue-bellies by the house completely broke and disappeared from the battlefield, whilst the Zoauves, brutally battered by my cannon, started involuntarily retreating back behind their own artillery pieces.

Sadly however, not everything was going my way, as my freshly-painted 1st Florida Infantry Regiment started to buckle from 'a hard pounding' on my right flank. To be fair, this Confederate contingent was squaring off against the main body of Lincoln's boys. But I was somewhat gutted to see the Straw Hats slowly start moving backwards, and away from the sustained onslaught from which they had been suffering.

The Confederate line holds, despite the eventual loss of the 1st Florida Infantry Regiment

This perhaps inevitable loss did leave both my cannon crews and my right flank badly exposed, as I had deployed my 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment on the left to support my 'encirclement' of the North. Resultantly, I really needed my artillery pieces to do a lot of damage upon the enemy soldiers bravely strung out in line directly in front of them, and after a few more turns where both sides simply mercilessly fired upon one another it was clear that they could just that.

Repeatedly assailed from two sides and doubtless having beginner's luck on my side, the Zoauves and a second (normal) Union infantry regiment decided that a full-on retreat was most definitely the better part of valour. The Yankee's decision to deploy their artillery behind their soldiers had clearly cost them dear, and Johnny Reb had quite astonishing won the day with a surprisingly two-pronged attack which had only occurred because they'd failed their opening command roll...