"You Haven't Got A House Anymore, Savage!"

 "A stray shell from a tank blew it apart."

This 28mm metal single-cast model is produced by "Athena Miniatures" as part of their Apocalypse Survivors range, and comes as part of their AS04 Survivors Set 4. Bought as part of a much larger impulse buy whilst I was wandering around the stalls at "Warfare" 2024, this assortment of four-figures are based upon the perturbing premise that Russia has suddenly invaded the United Kingdom following some great calamity - whether that be a nuclear strike, zombie incursion or some deadly extra-terrestrial attack.

The young boy was undercoated with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and had his trousers pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. I then layered the child's hooded jacket with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, shaded the garment with plenty of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and very carefully dry-brushed it with a little (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue to help pick out all its truly tiny details.

"Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest."

The final steps consisted of me painting the figure's rather large backpack in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade - which is almost the size of the nipper himself - as well as patiently applying a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshtone over his face and hands. To be honest I did consider giving the kid some gloves. But I thought the sculpt's pose better suggested he had slightly frost-bitten bare hands.

Alongside my diminutive Apocalypse Survivor I have (perhaps unsurprisingly) completed two more 28mm scale metal models made by “Wargames Foundry". Sold these days as FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing, the pair of Napoleonic Frenchman were primed using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and then had their uniform/cuffs covered in a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - These Guard Lancers have been primed in the main colour of their horses

The soldiers' numerous (and genuinely terrifying) leather straps were treated to some White Star by "Two Thin Coats", before being 'muddied' up with a bit of watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Lastly, I worked my way through all of the skirmishers' various details, using colours such as as "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green on their epaulettes and sabre-briquet ribbons, "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil on their bedrolls, and "Two Thin Coats" White, Skulker Yellow, and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade on the miniatures' helmet plumes.

With just a final Chasseur to finish in order to create a small unit of smoothbore musket-carrying Frenchmen, I have also (finally) made a start on this year's phase of my Napoleonic "Black Powder" project by assembling (and priming) a pair of cavalrymen from the Newark-based company's old FN275 French Imperial Guard Lancers In Campaign Dress. For the next twelve months I'm aiming to get at least a handful of tiny horse (two models) units completed, alongside a handful of cannon, so plan to get the duo tabletop ready in quick order...

"Never Give Up!"

 "Never Surrender!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You Are Under Arrest, British Scum!"

 "Come out from hiding!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Terrorist! Kill him!"

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

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

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

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

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

"If It Gets Off This Planet."

"It'll kill everything."

These 10mm scale metal Xenomorphs are produced by “Pendraken Miniatures” as code SFC5 Small Creature from their Alien Creatures range, and come in a pack of ten single-pose sculpts. Somewhat disconcertingly though, the models are actually 15mm in height from base to tail-tip, so seemingly fit in far better with other figures from that larger scale rather than anything else found inside the Middlesbrough-based manufacturer's 'Old Science Fiction' range.  

The critters definitely seem to show H.R. Giger’s creations during the early stages of their transition from Chest-burster to adult drone, so in August 2021 I simply pigmented them as smaller versions of the dark grey/black "endoparasitoid extra-terrestrial species" depicted on the Silver Screen. This time round though I was tempted to change their palette to the much lighter, almost white-coloured hue seen in Ridley Scott's 2017 film "Alien: Covenant".

"London Is Only Thirty Minutes Away!"

However, as I was planning on just adding these miniatures to my current horde of Xenomorphs, I eventually decided to stick with their 'original' colour, and subsequently undercoated them with a couple of lashings of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The models were then dry-brushed using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and treated to a double-helping of "Citadel" Nuln Oil so as to tie them in with the rest of their brethren.

One change I did make though was to create two bases of four figures each, in order to represent a pack of the predators rushing at their prey, as opposed to just plonking them in pairs upon the small plastic "Flames Of War" stands by "Battlefront Miniatures" I have used in the past. This was done purely to add an extra element to my homemade rules, and increase the chances that the young Xenomorphs' opposition could potentially get swamped by the rambunctious infants - and resultantly be torn to bloody shreds by them.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - This Austrian Jaeger is having all his details 'picked out'

In addition to my latest Alien reinforcements, I have completed another of my Soviet invaders by "Athena Miniatures". Taken from my third AS12 Russian NBC four-figure set, this 28mm metal model was painted using “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII , "Citadel" Nuln Oil, "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

Finally, I have started to turn my attention to an Austrian Light Infantryman from the "Wargames Foundry" blister AN038 Jaegers 1805-15 Running. This will be a test piece so I can work out how best to tackle all the soldier's straps, cuffs and collars, before moving on to paint at least another three identical figures to form a tiny unit (for "Black Powder")...

"Why Do We Have To Kill It?"

 "It'll kill them all."

These three 10mm metal endoparasitoid extra-terrestrials are by "Pendraken Miniatures" and can be purchased from their old Science Fiction range as SFC1 Medium creature, type 1. I actually bought these many years ago as part of their SFC-AP Alien Creatures Army Pack, and, due to their quite alarming size, thought they'd mix in very well with my large swarm of 15mm "Ground Zero Games" Xenomorphs which I assembled way back in 2014.

However, rather than just pigment them predominantly in black, I thought I'd tap into the sculpts' dog-like pose, and replicate the brown palette used for the canine-formed killer in David Fincher's 1992 movie "Aliens 3". I also figured I'd plonk all three of the models onto a single Medium "Flames Of War" base by "Battlefront Miniatures", so as to hopefully imbue them with the feel of a hunting pack.

"You try and stop us Volgans taking your food, eh..?"

The figures were undercoated using a mixture of "Vallejo" Charred Brown and Leather Brown Surface Primer, and subsequently base-layered in (pure) Charred Brown. I then heavily washed the trio using plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Unfortunately, as seems to happen a lot with my metal models these days, I found that the "Games Workshop" Shade somehow disintegrated certain areas of my prime/base coat, so resultantly I had to rather annoyingly go back and redo the aforementioned processes once (or even twice) more, simply to ensure that the Aliens had a lick of paint all over them.

In the end, I also decided to give the Xenomorphs a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Charred Brown, simply to completely ensure that no metal was still peeking through my paint-job. In addition, I applied a couple of brush-tips of "Citadel" Abaddon Black across each extra-terrestrial's dome-shaped head, to help make them stand out all the more on the battlefield.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three figures from the Galactic Explorers 1 pack

Alongside these pieces, I have also finished work on another of my Soviet invaders by "Athena Miniatures". Taken from my third AS12 Russian NBC four-figure set, this 28mm metal model was largely painted using  “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Though I did pick out any wooden areas/buttons using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly, I've purchased, assembled and primed the entire quartet from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" recent released Galactic Explorers 1. This was most definitely an impulse buy, as I wanted some extra figures to help 'bulk out' an order, and felt they would be rather straightforward to get tabletop ready. Plus, as a big fan of Dean Parisot's satirical science fiction comedy film "Galaxy Quest", they were impossible to resist...

"The Ned Kelly Gang Were Bushrangers..."

"...Who terrorised the population of the north-eastern district of Victoria, Australia, from 1878 to 1880."

These three 28mm scale metal models are sold by “Great Escape Games", and form part of their DMHG-NED - Kelly Gang five-figure set for Dead Man's Hand. Sculpted by Mark Evans, this box actually contains one more member of the gang than historically existed, and doesn't seemingly identify any specific miniature as representing either Joe Byrne or Steve Hart.

Having been bought a "Salute" 2019, and partially-pigmented around that time, my biggest hurdle with these outlaws was whether I could identify (and match) the colours I originally used on their long coats. In the end I just gave their base layers a good soaking in "Citadel" Nuln Oil or Agrax Earthshade (as appropriate" and then went with whatever "Vallejo" paint I felt would work so as to bring out all the creases, pockets and buttons.

"The Kelly Gang members were declared outlaws, liable to be shot on sight."

As a result, one jacket received a dry-brush of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, another of Charred Brown, and the third with Desert Yellow. I next painted either their shoes or trousers with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and left the remaining boots and pants pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I also took this opportunity to carefully 'pick out' the criminals' hands with some "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and a highlight of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

Lastly, I treated all of the bushranger's infamous 6mm thick iron armour and firearms with a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, and shaded it using "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As with the group's other members, I felt the re-shaped plough mouldboards would look better without any actual highlights, so simply left them all be. Though I did decide to 'catch' all the pistol butts with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPS - The last of my Soviet NBC Troopers are on the painting table

With the entire Kelly Gang now completed, I have found the time to continue working on my third plastic bag of 28mm Russian NBC troopers by "Athena Miniatures". Due to already painting eight of these gas-mask wearing Soviet invaders, I thought I'd take the opportunity with this quartet to see if I can speed up my process by not bothering to 'line' around their rubber gloves and boots until after I've base-layered and washed those areas.

I probably now own enough British Squaddies, Spetsnaz, and various Apocalypse Survivors to keep me going until the end of the year, so don't plan on adding anything new to this project until everything - including a Landrover Mark III - is tabletop ready. However, having been in regular contact with company owner John Caboche, and heard of his future plans for this range, I've got my eye on "Colours" 2025 as a particularly optimistic deadline...

"Bubo Was Forged By Hephaestus..."

"...And sent by Athena to aid Perseus in his quest to save the princess Andromeda."

This 28mm scale metal Clockwork Owl is produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", and was an early bird miniature from their successful "7TV Fantasy Genre Guide" Kickstarter in October last year. Sculpted by Matthew Kent, the figure is clearly inspired by the remote controlled/stop motion model seen in Desmond Davis' 1981 fantasy adventure film "Clash of the Titans".

Due to the mythical, mechanical marvel's diminutive size, as well as my concerns over whether his thin perch would actually survive my usual painting process, I decided to pigment the little fellow a bit differently from how I ordinarily tackle my miniatures, and rely upon "Citadel" Nuln Oil to separate different coloured areas from one another - as opposed to using thin lines of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPs - Three (of the four) Russian NBC Troopers currently being worked on

As a result Bubo and his stand were carefully primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, layered in Gold and washed using "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I then gave the entire bird a careful dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Gold, before giving the owl's face and chest a light dusting of Gunmetal. These two areas were subsequently darkened down with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and re-highlighted using some very carefully placed dabs of (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

Finally, I managed to drop a tiny spot of "Citadel" Abaddon Black into the eye sockets of the model, and later dot them with "Vallejo" Heavy Red. I also decided to simply shade the figure's perch with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brush it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. I did consider using a metallic paint for the stand. But in the end felt it would easily blend in with the Clockwork Owl, so chose a much less glamourous-looking, somewhat bland colour for it instead.

"Great Escape Games" WIPs - Butch Cassidy, the Scarred Man and John Bridges

Along with my recently received "Kickstarter" goodies from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", I have also taken possession of four more 28mm Russian NBC troopers by "Athena Miniatures". I wasn't actually planning on getting any more of these sculpts for a while, as I was planning on focusing my energies upon the company's Spetsnaz models instead. However, as the opportunity arose to make an order with the Swindon-based manufacturer with free postage and packing, I thought I might as well.

Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, given my current preoccupation with "Great Escape Games" and their "Dead Man's Hand" range of outlaws, I have also dug out from my extensive backlog a couple more purchases I made way back at "Salute" 2019. These figures of John Bridges and the Scarred Man have been plonked alongside my current 'on-the-go' model of Butch Cassidy, so should now get some much-needed love and attention in quick(ish) succession...

"Men, We Are The First, Last And Often Only Line Of Defence..."

"...The Imperium has against what is out there."

These two 15mm miniatures by "Alternative Armies" come from their "The Ion Age" codes IAF022 Muster First Patrol (Pose Seven - Muster Patrol Trooper, Charlatan IV 22mm Launcher, Standing) and IAF021 Muster 1st Patrol Command (Pose Three - Muster Patrol Trooper, Medic.), and are probably some of the last remaining models from an old order I originally picked up over a decade ago at "Salute 2014". The soldiers are actually designed to be used with the company’s “Patrol Angis” rule-set. But I’ve based them together in order to form a specialist infantry unit for a home-made set of rules loosely based within the early Warhammer 30k/40k universe.

In order to try and replicate the pale(ish) palette of the Imperial Guard way back when "Games Workshop" first released their '"hard plastic" boxed set in January 1989, I primed both figures with two coats of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, and washed with them “Citadel” Nuln Oil. The duo then had their body armour, shoulder-pads, boots and weapons pigmented in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, whilst I 'picked out' their cap badges with a dollop of Heavy Red and a dash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Alternative Armies" WIPs - Three Taranis Runner Drones

The trooper carrying the large heavy weapon had his bare hands painted using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Skintone and “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade. However, as I wanted the Medic to stand out a bit more (seeing as I was actually using the figure as a range finder for the launcher rather than a field physician), I decided to give him "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade gloves.

Finally, I gave both soldiers’ heavy-looking stowage, as well as any side-pockets, a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Before finishing them off by layering their weapons with some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also used this particular colour combination for the (not) Medic's cybernetic eye-piece - all the better to suggest he was able to see trajectory curves and angles whilst assisting the Charlatan IV 22m Launcher to hit its targets.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPs - These two Spetsnaz figures are having all their straps 'picked out'

Somewhat enthused by my recent reintroduction to "The Ion Age", I have perhaps unsurprisingly also begun work on another trio of (significantly) old 15mm figures from the range - this time taken from IAF081 Taranis Runner Drones. These robots apparently act as a screen for Taranis Tanks in "Alternative Armies" rule-set. But I plan to use a single Transmission Jammer Drone with two Field Repair Drones as a close-combat unit for my games, and plan to paint these ones up for my Crimson Fists.

Lastly, I've also made a little bit more progress on the first of twenty-eight 28mm metal Spetsnaz figures I now own by "Athena Miniatures". These fellows are absolutely covered in straps, bullet-proof armour and ammunition pouches, so despite much of their colour scheme being black, I'm still having to take my time slowly making my way up a couple of test pieces so I can work out what is what on the sculpts...

"Daniel Kelly Was An Australian Bushranger And Outlaw."

"The son of an Irish convict, he was the younger brother of the bushranger Ned Kelly."

This 28mm scale metal model is sold by “Great Escape Games", and forms part of their DMHG-NED - Kelly Gang five-figure set for Dead Man's Hand. Sculpted by Mark Evans, I'm not aware of the box specifying a particular miniature to represent Dan, so somewhat arbitrarily decided upon this one. Furthermore, as it's been almost six years since I bought the Australian bushrangers whilst at "Salute" 2019, I also can't find the outlaws' rules card.

Having been partially-painted many moons ago, and seemingly primed using some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, I determined that the crook's long coat had probably been base-layered with "Vallejo" Dark Grey, so resultantly shaded the area with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln. Unsurprisingly, the jacket was then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Dark Grey so as to bring out all the creases, pockets and buttons.

"Alternative Armies" WIPs - Three 15mm Legion Pioneers

Due to wanting the Ned Kelly's brother to stand out a bit more on the tabletop, I decided to apply some "Vallejo" Heavy Brown to the desperado's trousers and wash them with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I next dry-brushed the area with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. However, I really didn't like the rough-looking, streaky highlights this technique produced, so decided to darken them down a bit with a splosh of watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly, I treated both Dan's 6mm thick iron armour and single firearm to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. As with the gang's infamous leader, I felt the criminal's "homemade armour" would look better without any highlights, and simply left it be. I did though manage to 'pick out' Kelly's pistol butt with a little "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Athena Miniatures" WIPs - Early days on a trio of Russian Spetsnaz

Alongside my latest Dead Man's Hand model, I've also been working on three 15mm Legion Pioneers by "Alternative Armies", which I recently stumbled upon in one of many wooden drawers I own. I clearly planned for the miniatures to represent a three-man stand of Chaos Space Marines for my ongoing Warhammer 30k/40k project using The Ion Age range, so have continued pigmenting them accordingly; albeit instead of having red clothing with black armour, I now plan on giving them purple and gold uniforms so I can use them to proxy the Pre-Heresy Emperor's Children Legion.

I have also started making some progress on the first of thirteen 28mm metal Spetsnaz figures I bought from "Athena Miniatures" at last year's "Warfare" 2024. I'm actually a 'man down' as the set is supposed to contain fourteen models. However, after a quick dialogue with the Swindon-based firm's owner John Caboche, the missing Russian should soon be winging his way to me - along with some additional (final) reinforcements I have ordered to round off the Apocalypse Survivors project...

"This Is the Volgan Invasion Of Britain..."

"...And soon this once mighty land lies in anguish under the boot-heel of tyranny."

This trio of 28mm metal models are manufactured by "Athena Miniatures" as part of their Apocalypse Survivors releases, and form part of the company's AS12 Russian NBC four-figure set. Having already painted a quartet of these specialist soldiers of the Red Army in December, I picked up this second plastic bag of sculpts up whilst attending "Beachhead" 2025 just last month, and have rather quickly (at least for me) got them tabletop ready.

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

"Great Escape Games" WIPs - Three members of the Kelly Gang

This fairly simple palette meant that each miniature was now predominantly finished. However, I thought the models looked a tad plain, so decided to break their overall look up a bit by using a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil on both their gloves and overboots. I also thought the Russians would look more menacing if I painstakingly applied some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to all their firearms and eye lenses. As a final touch each trooper's respirator and rifle butt, was given a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Alongside my ongoing Post Apocalypse United Kingdom project using "Athena Miniatures" figures, I have also continued working on some more western outlaws by "Great Escape Games." I genuinely can't explain where this fascination with the Cardiff-based manufacturer's "Dead Man's Hand" range has come from. But I do fully intend to at least complete the remaining four models from my DMHG-NED - Kelly Gang boxed set before March is concluded.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sons Of Horus Praetor is crammed full of details

Likewise I'm firmly focused upon fielding a fully-pigmented 500-points Sons Of Horus Traitor Legion for "The Horus Heresy" within the next few weeks too. This enthusiasm stems from discovering a couple of large bags packed full of resin goodies by "Forge World", and my old Traitor Esoterist Consul - "A forbidden psyker" who I hope will allow me to summon/field many of the daemons I have painted over the past decade too.

Indeed, despite battling with all the detail on my force's Praetor over the past week or so, I couldn't be more excited for the "wargame made by Games Workshop", and thanks to my aforementioned finds, am even contemplating adding a unit of Iron Hands Legion Medusan Immortals and Word Bearers Legion Gal Vorbak Veterans to them. Furthermore, I'll need to also add some core units (and accompanying Headquarter choices) to my ensemble to allow me to field these other Legions as allies, so it looks like this particular project won't stop any time soon...

Top Ten Manufacturers Of 2024 - A "Fantorical" Viewpoint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It Is Considered A Bad Omen..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Each Vexilla Is Created On Terra..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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