"Ready Launchers Three And Seventeen."

"Fire."

This 28mm scale lead free pewter model of FedSec Base Commander is manufactured by "Beast In The Broch" and can be brought either individually as SKU: FED18 or as part of the five-figure FedSec Command 2 set SKU: PAK08. Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel, the miniature is clearly inspired by the one-eyed Quute as played by actor Christopher Neame in the 1981 television episode of "Blake's Seven" entitled "Traitor".

"A colonel in the Federation force on Helotrix", the senior officer was primed using a couple of coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then picked out all his uniform's rather lavish rank insignia with using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This piece of Sturmriese Axis Walker has had several stickers added to it

Ordinarily I would also use these colours to 'pick out' the Federation's standard issue carbine. However, as I wanted to make a break from all the black and silver already on show, I decided to pigment the hand-weapon using a basecoat of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal and subsequently wash it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This seemed to be a much better match for the on-screen colour scheme too.

With the first of my FedSec Command Team completed, I have once again turned my attention to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog, and started work on a rather large piece of a Sturmriese Axis "alker for "Konlikt '47" I printed using some "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer many moons ago. The "Warlord Games" STL (Standard Triangle Language) is just piece of a rather complicated looking "colossal Rift-tech construct" and frankly put me right off producing any more parts. But I did think it looked rather good as some sort of energy pylon.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - This Dark Trooper has been assembled, primed and base-coated

Indeed, my recent purchase of the "Secret Wars" expansion book for the "Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game" has put me in need of just such an objective/scenic piece, so I thought now was the ideal time to get it painted. However, it did (understandably) look a little bare for my purposes, so I dipped into my slowly-dwindling collection of 3D decals given to me by “N-FX Game Design Studio”, and 'spruced' it up a bit first.

In addition, I've been battling the first of two Dark Troopers I recently bought as part of the You Have Something I Want Squad Pack for "Star Wars: Shatterpoint". This 40mm scale multipart plastic Imperial super-soldier by "Atomic Mass Games" took forever to assemble due to its overcomplicated design and incredibly fiddly small parts - the number of times I had to hunt around the floor on my knees looking for a tiny piece I'd dropped whilst trying to glue it to a similarly-sized part almost fried my poor brain. Luckily though, I have managed to persevere and finally get the first of the box's four figures ready for some paint...

"They're In The Woods, You Know."

"Always there."

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Beastman 3D, or as part of their DEAL 397 Beastman 3 four-figure set. Sculpted Ernst Veingart, I must admit to particularly disliking the pose of this miniature, as well as the patches of furry hair covering the savage's chest and forearms - something which arguably appears all the more bizarre-looking when seen on the 'official' light-skinned paint-job.

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

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - These FedSec Commanders have had their basic flesh layers applied

The model's loincloth was pigmented with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade so it would tie in with the rest of his group. I also used this choice of colour on the band for the chap's tooth necklace. As with all my previous Beastmen I did consider dry-brushing the miniature's animal fur with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown to highlight it up a bit. However, as I wanted to use this model as cave-dwelling savage for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games" (using the Cultist or maybe Ghoul rules), I felt he'd probably be extremely dirty, so left the piece of 'clothing' alone.

Lastly, I used some "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade on the brute's skull-smashing animal bone, dry-brushed the hand-weapon with a tad more Rakarth Flesh, and lastly added a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dead White to it. I also carefully traced a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal along the metal ring sticking out from the horrific-looking cudgel's bottom, and darkened it down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Diehard Miniatures" WIPs - These Krupps Corp Troopers have been base-layered over their initial prime

With the third of my four Beastmen finally finished I have continued to make some progress on the three officers from the FedSec Command 2 set I recently acquired from "Beast In The Broch". Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel there's a lot more detail on these predominantly black clad Federation officers than I first thought, and that has given me an opportunity to break up their dark uniforms with a little bit more "Vallejo" Gunmetal - whether it be a pair of grenades or some sort of high-tech analyser.

In addition I've returned to the three Krupps Corp unit blister models I bought from "Diehard Miniatures" whilst at this year's "Salute". As I plan to use the miniatures to represent the Norts from the "Rogue Trooper" comic book series in "2000 A.D.", I was never really happy with their "Vallejo" German Grey undercoat as it looked far too dark to the almost blue-suited villains I remember from my youth. Then recently I spotted a digitally coloured version of artist Dave Gibbons' Rogue Trooper: Total War splash page on the "Rebellion Publishing" website, and realised this was precisely the colour scheme I had in my 'Mind's Eye'. Resultantly, I've base-layered my trio of 'pilot pieces' with some "Vallejo" Sombre Grey to use for their chemsuits main colour instead...

"One Ship Against An Entire Fleet?"

"That's a helluva plan B!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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...

"They Seem A Pretty Subhuman Species."

"Yet the master race."

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

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

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The three remaining Beastmen

The Beastman's loincloth was hit with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before I 'picked out' the heavily-ornated belt threaded around the fellow's waist with a little "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I did think about subsequently dry-brushing the animal fur with a little more "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. However, as I wanted to use these models as cave-dwelling savages for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games" (using the Cultist or maybe Ghoul rules), I felt they'd probably be extremely dirty, so left the piece of 'clothing' alone.

To finish off my test piece, I used some "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh and Agrax Earthshade on the brute's formidable animal bone, and later dry-brushed the hand-weapon with a tad more Rakarth Flesh, as well as a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dead White. I also dropped a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal along the metal ring sticking out from the implement's bottom, and darkened it down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"CobraMode" & "Totters Yard Customs" WIPs - This statue has yet to be base-layered and weathered

Perhaps unsurprisingly, having completed the first of my fearsome quartet I have carried on working on the remaining three Beastman I bought. Disappointingly though, due to my dislike of some of their details I am finding the trio rather hard work to progress, and am now unsure whether I will get the rest tabletop ready in time for the Angry Piper's "Forced March" painting event over on his "Dead Dick’s Tavern and Temporary Lodging" wargaming blog.

To mix things up a bit I am also tackling a piece of terrain I predominantly made using some "Bambu Lab" Jade White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer. The Desert Shrine Scatter Terrain itself is by "CobraMode". Whilst the resin 1:21 scale miniature of The Leader which I'm using as a statue, was incredibly kindly sent to me by "Totters Yard Customs" so I could use the ensemble for some future "Blake's 7" gaming...

"The Weapon Is Ours..."

"...And safe because it guards itself."

This 28mm scale metal Supreme Commander was bought from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" way back at "Salute" 2016. But is now available as SKU: FED01 from "Beast In The Broch". Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the miniature is clearly inspired by actress Jacqueline Pearce's unforgettable portrayal of Servalan during the BBC science fiction television series “Blake’s Seven” - even going so far as to wear the character's costume from the 1979 episode "Weapon".

Having already painted a figure of the "principal villain" before wearing an all-white dress, I was somewhat loathe to do so again. So instead decided to opt for a "Vallejo" Heavy Red undercoat, before sploshing her with plenty of "Citadel" Carroburg. The "powerful figure in the Terran Federation" was then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and had her skin 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"Black Tree Design" WIPs - This Gell Guard has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

I also applied a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal" over a "Citadel" Abaddon Black layer on to the Supreme Commander's carbine pistol, as well as her elaborate neck collar. This part of the costume actually consisted of thin wire. However, as with the cloth's gossamer waist and sleeves, I thought a much more solid colour would suffice for my sanity's sake. The metallic areas were later shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Finally I tackled the miniature's face, and decided to go with some "Vallejo" Heavy Blue eye make-up and Heavy Red lipstick. Unfortunately, the raised detail on one side of the sculpt's head wasn't quite as pronounced as I would've liked, so ultimately I ended up painting in Servalan's instantly recognisable close-cropped haircut, as opposed to being able to simply allow my brush-tip to follow any contours on the figure.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Three Italian Infantrymen have been assembled and undercoated

Sticking with metal miniatures I've owned for a few years, I have dug out five Gell Guards by "Black Tree Design" which I had initially planned to pigment during last year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC). These "Doctor Who" monster from the anti-matter universe were bought way back in September 2020, and have rather embarrassingly been suffering at the bottom of my grit-tin for the past thirteen or so months. Resultantly, I figured it was high time I slapped some colours on them and tried to hint at the 'bubble-wrap' costumes which they wore during the televised story "The Three Doctors".

Furthermore, I simply couldn't resist assembling some more 28mm plastic World War Two Italians using some of the Italian Army & Blackshirts sprues "Warlord Games" have kindly been sending me, along with my recent orders. For now, I've simply settled upon a basic five-figure squad. But hope to expand upon this meagre "Bolt Action" force throughout the year whenever the opportunity arises... 

"I'm Very Sorry About This..."

"...But that was the backup system."

This 30mm scale metal Enslaved Computer is manufactured by "Beast In A Broch" and can be brought either individually as SKU: FFF15 or as part of the seven-figure Scorpius Crew set SKU: PAK05. Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the two-piece miniature is clearly inspired by the flight computer of the Scorpio from the fourth and final season of the cult BBC science fiction television programme "Blake's Seven"

Before painting, I actually had a few decisions to make with this kit as to its overall look, and how I was going to base it. For starters, Slave is actually completely housed inside a set aboard a Mark II Wanderer class planet hopper, so I wasn't at all happy with the sculpt abruptly ending at the top of the mainframe's cylinder. Instead, I wanted the Central Processing Unit (CPU) to appear entirely self-contained, so took the rather expensive route of purchasing a second copy of the model, and using the large, square-shaped base for a roof (of sorts).

"Don't be sorry. Be Quiet."

In addition, I really wanted to use the 'figure' with the likes of my Idealistic Leader, Cynical Second, Space Smuggler and Cowardly Thief on the tabletop, as opposed to just having it stuck on a spaceship somewhere - maybe as a terrain feature or objective marker. So resultantly decided to have the miniature represent the computer being in direct communications contact with a crewmember (and presumably providing them with some short-lived House Rule bonus as a result). This meant I simply plonked the ensemble onto a "Citadel" 50mm circular base and gritted/flocked the stand as normal.

"A unique system installed by Dorian, possibly making use of work by Ensor", the model was primed using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being layered with "Vallejo" Gunmetal. It was then positively drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Blade is being painted inside out and from the ground up

With the basics completed, I then just patiently worked my way around all the different buttons, displays and circuit boards with splodges of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, Heavy Green, Neutral Grey, "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and White Star by "Two Thin Coats". Many of these areas were later treated to a shade of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, Biel-Tan Green and Nuln Oil as appropriate.

Having completed the latest addition to my "Blake's Seven" project, I have begun working in earnest on the Blade figure from the old Marvel United Kickstarter by "CoolMiniOrNot". Considering the meticulous detail found on some of this board-game's other sculpts, this particular stretch goal appears reasonably straight forward to pigment, so will hopefully be finished in short(ish) order...

"I Was An Instrument Of The Service."

"So if I'm guilty of murder, of mass murder, then so are all of you!"

This 28mm scale Federated Security Command figure was sold by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". But is now available as SKU: FED02 Psychotic Renegade from "Beast In The Broch". The sculpt is clearly inspired by actor Brian Croucher's vicious incarnation of Space Commander Travis, during the second season of the BBC science fiction television series “Blake’s Seven”.

The miniature was initially undercoated using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black. It was then roughly dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal, before being drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. To slightly break up this incredibly dark colour scheme though, I subsequently applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the model's boots, cybernetic eye-patch and belt.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Four Uranian Royal Guards primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Red

In addition I 'picked out' flesh of the "career officer in the Federation military" with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, splodged his hand-blaster with a dollop of "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and carefully traced out the soldier's chest insignia using a line of "Vallejo" Gunmetal. Lastly, Travis' hair was given a layer of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and darkened with a liberal wash of (more) “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Sticking with both "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and classic sci-fi, I have dug out the four figures which make up the Lincolnshire-based company's Uranian Royal Guard for the upcoming Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC). This quartet were one of several 'add ons' unlocked during the March 2022 "Rick Rhodes And The Pirates of Luna City" Kickstarter, and will hopefully be the start of a focused push to get as many of my rewards painted from that campaign as possible over the next few months.

"The Lord Of The Rings" WIPs - Three Black Numenoreans undercoated with "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black

Heavily influenced by both Mike Hodges' 1980 movie "Flash Gordon" and Universal Pictures' 1936 superhero serial film, this project is doubtless going to cause me to get neck-deep assembling an (Arborian) Marsh Beast, a horde of Mechanical Men, a Uranian Death Ray and even a huge resin Rocket Ship. Plus I aim to 'field' plenty of Forest Fighters, Uranian Troopers, Otherworldly Guards, lion-headed Shieldmasters and Alien Legionnaries if time (and enthusiasm) allows.

Furthermore, I've continued basing more of the twelve Black Numenoreans from "The Lord Of The Rings", which I recently purchased from "eBay". Despite first appearances, these 28mm 3D printed 'cruel oppressors over the more primitive Men of Middle-Earth' are not officially licenced figures for the "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game" by "Games Workshop". But should still serve as suitable-looking proxies for the "fallen group of Númenóreans" in my Barad-Dur army...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge” December 2023

"There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are."

This month's increasingly desperate drive to 'whittle away' at my bloated backlog was originally going to see me start a sixteen week 'purge' of any half-finished or simply 3D printed miniatures surrounding my hobby space.  However, having been kindly contacted by Curt Campbell, I have decided to significantly change this plan and join the Fourteenth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) instead.

Luckily the event doesn't actually begin until the first day of Winter (December 21st), so I intend to spend the intervening period busily 'priming up' enough models to successfully complete my usual 500-point target - albeit I do intend to significantly lessen this burden by gaining bonus points throughout the event's various themed challenges. In addition, I also aim to begin completing a number of the aforementioned 'nearly-done' figures and vehicles I have already set aside for my own personal Partially-Painted project, predominantly focusing upon a number of miniatures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio".

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three Sci-Fi figures at various stages of completion

An embarrassingly large number of these models have sat gathering dust within my storage drawers for far too long, and should 'close some gaps' in a few of my tabletop ready collections. First up are the two Federated Security Command models I recently re-primed, shaded and dry-brushed after a seven and a half year delay. I'm hoping this pair of "Blake's Seven" influenced villains will be pretty straightforward, even if I have decided to apply a predominantly red colour scheme to the Supreme Commander figure - having already used Servalan's more usual all-white palette on the range's Classic FedSec sculpt some time ago.

To mix things up though, I've now added one of the Lincolnshire-based company's 28mm metal science fiction Heroes to the queue, who was perhaps unsurprisingly Out Of Production (OOP) for quite a while whilst "Warlord Games" owned the official licence for "The Doctor Who Miniatures Game". Like the Psychotic Renegade and his evil mistress, this silver-haired time traveller's initial undercoat had become somewhat chipped over time, so he has received a "Citadel" Abaddon Black 'touch-up', before having his smoking jacket base-layered in "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

November 2023 - Little movement amongst my Top Five Manufacturers of the year

Despite getting many a model ready for the battlefield over the last thirty days, I must confess to being a little disappointed in my overall output. This was perhaps somewhat due to so many figures stemming from the Napoleonic range of "Wargames Foundry" and resultantly requiring some considerable time to fully complete. I did intend to off-set this 'burden' with some much more straightforward 3D prints, such as a giant Laputian Robot by "Big Mr Tong" and Vlad Dracul by "Wargames Atlantic". But clearly such 'quick' paint-jobs were not enough.

Furthermore, towards the end of November I became rather distracted by the plastic 32mm miniatures found inside the "Marvel Zombies" starter sets for Zombicide. Of particular note was the cooperative board game's undead Hulk sculpt, which took an incredible amount of patience to pigment - especially after a varnishing mishap meant the large figure required some significant touch-ups. I am admittedly hoping to get some more completed before the New Year kicks in. However, I doubt I'll be willingly tackling any models quite so formidable to put a brush-tip too...

"The 95th Regiment Of Foot Was A New Formation In 1808..."

"...Having originated with the experimental Corps of Riflemen raised in 1800."

This 28mm scale metal model is sold by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased either as part of their identical eight-figure B081 Riflemen Advancing blister, or the Nottinghamshire-based company's B080 British Riflemen set. I actually picked mine up directly from the Newark-based company when I visited their premises earlier this year.

The Napoleonic soldier was primed using a mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Vallejo Surface Primer Black, before having the majority of his famous uniform pigmented in Wyvern Green by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then moved on to the Greenjacket's water bottle with a smattering of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade, whilst carefully drawing some "Two Thin Coats" White Star over the model's bread-bag.

Some British Riflemen encounter a formation of French Fusiliers

I next selected a little "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade for the Rifleman's gunpowder horn, and sploshed both the container and aforementioned linen haversack with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This left me with just the infantryman's backpack and Baker Rifle, so I applied a basecoat of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey to the top of his knapsack, Gunmetal to his firearm and Shako badge, and Heavy Sienna to the odd strap and firearm. All these areas were subsequently washed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil or Agrax Earthshade as appropriate.

As a final touch, I picked out the soldiers' scabbard and plume pin with a dab of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, as well as some "Two Thin Coats" Wyvern Green and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to the headdress itself. In addition, I carefully applied some slightly thinned-down "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the soldier's collar, shako, epaulettes and cuffs so as to tidy them up from where my brush-point had previously got a little careless with other colours.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These figures have been primed. shaded and dry-brushed

Following the completion of my fourth British Napoleonic figure, I have momentarily turned my attention to a pair of Federated Security Command figures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", which I rather embarassingly bought at Salute 2016, assembled/undercoated just as soon has I got home, and then plonked away in a drawer untouched for over seven years. Indeed, Karl Perrotton doesn't even sell them anymore, having agreed to move both his Future Freedom Fighters and Federated Security miniature ranges over to "Beast In The Broch" a couple of years later.

Despite being 'under cover' the two models were in surprisingly pretty poor condition, so I have re-primed them using a mixture of "Vallejo" Gloss Black/"Warlord Games" Pitch Black and "Vallejo" Heavy Red, before starting to shade and dry-brush them. I've strangely been inspired to paint the pair as a result of listening to the old "Big Finish" audio play "Blake's 7: Warship", which I probably haven't properly listened to since its release way back in January 2013...

“Bow Down Before My Majesty…”

“…And feel my flame!”

This 28mm scale resin model of Immolator is manufactured by "Kitbash Games", and was produced as part of the company's highly successful "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" in August 2019. “Banished from the Krellan Empire by order of her mother, the Grand Majestrix Immah’lashan XXII”, I actually plan on using the alien princess’ sculpt as an American super-hero known as Mistress Mississippi for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules.

Having securely attached Immah’latar onto a 28mm lipped base, I initially primed the figure with two layers of "Vallejo" White, shaded the miniature with “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green and dry-brushed her with (more) “Vallejo” White. This technique gave the model the appearance of being some sort of spectral ghost, and for quite a while I was actually contemplating leaving her at that.

"Stay where you are."

However, I eventually decided that such an effect would probably contrast better if the treacherous royal herself was properly pigmented, so applied a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Green” and “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green to her thigh-length boots, gloves and costume. In addition, I steered far away from the yellow-flesh of the Immolator’s ‘official’ palette, and instead went with “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

I did consider going with some sort of green effect for the character’s long, flowing hair. But ultimately decided upon my fairly generic recipe of “Citadel” Abaddon Black, a dry-brush of “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal, and a wash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil. Finally, I dotted Immah’latar’s eyes with a couple of dabs of “Vallejo” White and then treated them to some dollops of Fluorescent Green.

"Battletech" WIPs - This Shadow Cat has been primed, washed and dry-brushed

Alongside my latest Super-hero, I have also finished the last of my 28mm Federated Security Mutaints originally produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. This figure will form a six-woman formation which will accompany Space Commander Travis during my “Blake’s Seven” campaign, and nowadays is available from "Beast In The Broch" - along with many other 'dead-ringers' from the BBC science fiction television series.

Lastly, I’ve managed to get cracking on a Shadow Cat “Battletech” model I aim to paint up as a British Hawker-class medium War Walker. I’m really enjoying working on these pre-built 6mm scale (1:285) models by “Catalyst Games Labs”, and soon hope to have enough finished for an initial play-through of my home-brew Weird War Two rules…

“The Stinger Was A Light BattleMech…”

“…Built in 2479 as a direct competitor to the Wasp.”

This 1:285 scale plastic model of a Stinger is made by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be bought together with a Marauder, Archer, and Valkyrie in the company’s “Battletech: Inner Sphere Command Lance” boxed set. All the pre-assembled miniatures also come with an assortment of MechWarrior pilot and Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. But as I plan to use this particular sculpt as a Curtiss-class American War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly dark yellowish-green palette.

Resultantly, the 32mm tall figure was initially primed using two layers of “Vallejo” US Olive Drab and shaded in “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. It was then carefully dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” US Olive Drab with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush, and had its windows ‘picked out’ with a little “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

"We exist only to serve."

In order to add a bit of contrast to “the second-ever mass-produced recon 'Mech” I applied a combination of “Vallejo” Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil to the vehicle’s head antenna and gun-arm. I also stuck an American Star and Stripes transfer by “Decal Details” onto both of the machine’s shoulder-pads.

Alongside my second (6mm) "Battletech" Mech, I have also finished working on the first of two 28mm Federated Security Mutaints originally produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. This figure will form a six-woman formation which will accompany Space Commander Travis during my “Blake’s Seven” campaign, and nowadays is actually available from "Beast In The Broch" - along with many other 'dead-ringers' from the BBC science fiction television series.

"The Ion Age" WIPs - These three 15mm Retained Knights have been primed "Vallejo" Heavy Red

Lastly, I’m making some progress with this month’s somewhat sizeable entry for the “Forgotten Heroes” challenge over on the “Carrion Crow’s Buffet” website. The main thrust of this submission admittedly revolves around a (converted) Retained Knight and Noble of Prydia taken from “Alternative Armies” 28mm “The Ion Age” range.

However, I also plan to complete a few stands of the manufacturer’s 15mm Retained Knights range, which will be pigmented to (hopefully) represent the Blood Angels Adeptus Astartes from the Horus Heresy. Ideally, I’d like to get sixteen of the armoured followers of Sanguinius finished before the month is out, and then turn my attention to perhaps getting a brush-tip on a few of Horus Lupercal’s forces too…

“A Fast And Manoeuvrable Recon BattleMech.”

“The Wasp was revolutionary for being the first Mech capable of jumping..”

This 1:285 scale plastic model of a Wasp is made by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be bought together with a Warhammer, Rifeman, and Phoenix Hawk in the company’s “Battletech: Inner Sphere Battle Lance” boxed set. All the pre-assembled miniatures also come with an assortment of MechWarrior pilot and Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. But as I plan to use this particular sculpt as a Dacha-class Soviet War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly green palette.

As a result, the 32mm tall figure was initially primed using two layers of “Vallejo” Russian Uniform WWII and shaded in “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green. It was then carefully dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Russian Uniform WWII with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush, and had its windows ‘picked out’ with a little “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

"The Ion Age" WIPs - A (converted) Retained Knight and Noble of Prydia 

In order to add a bit of interest to “one of the most numerous 'Mechs in existence” I decided to apply a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson to the vehicle’s left fist. I also gave the long-barrelled weapon on its gun-arm a coat of “Vallejo” Gunmetal, and washed this area with “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Finally, I decided to search through my collection of “Decal Details” and apply four Russian Stars to the machine’s shoulder-pads and outer thighs. These transfers are specifically designed for 1/285 air or 15mm armour, but I still struggled to find a sufficiently large flat surface on the Wasp to apply them without a lot patience and precision.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These two Mutaints have been base layered

Following on from the first (6mm) “Battletech” figure I’ve ever painted, I have been cracking on with the first two 28mm models I plan to submit for this month’s “Forgotten Heroes” challenge over on the “Carrion Crow’s Buffet” website. This (converted) Retained Knight and Noble of Prydia will hopefully make some quite reasonable-looking proxies of Sanguinius and Horus Lupercal for a 15mm Horus Heresy project I’m slowly building using "The Ion Age" range by "Alternative Armies".

In addition, I’ve assembled the last pair of 28mm Federated Security Mutaints I own by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. These figures will form a six-woman formation which will accompany Space Commander Travis during my “Blake’s Seven” campaign, and are actually available these days from "Beast In The Broch" - along with many other 'dead-ringers' from the BBC science fiction television series.

“Mutaints Are Genetically And Surgically Modified Individuals…”

“…Usually criminals or failed FedSec staff.”

These three 28mm Federated Security Mutaints were originally released by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” way back in July 2013 and were sculpted by Ian Mountain. These days however, the sculpt is available as Mutaint B from "Beast In The Broch", along with many other 'dead-ringers' from the BBC science fiction television series “Blake’s Seven”. 

Before being primed, each metal figure’s head was attached looking in a slightly different direction in order to give each trooper some individuality. The separate heads can actually simply be super-glued into place, courtesy of a small bump sticking out from their underside which can then sit upon the torso’s slightly hollowed out neck. In the past though, I have inadvertently dislodged the head whilst handling the model during its painting, so to make doubly sure it would remain in place, the two pieces were additionally pinned and green-stuffed in place.

"Zombicide 2nd Edition" WIPs - President 16 is slowly having his details 'picked out'

Described as retaining “no memories of their previous selves” having “been conditioned to obey orders without question”, each miniature was primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black and energetically dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal. I then picked out all the Mutaints’ gauntlets and chest coverings using pure "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and subsequently drenched each one in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

In addition, I attempted to make Space Commander Travis’ Command Crew a little more sinister-looking by using "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey for their faces’ flesh as opposed to my regular Heavy Skintone, and shading them with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Lastly, each trooper's firearm was pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"I am Groot."

With the latest additions to my Federated Security force finished, I have managed to persevere with my test piece taken from the “Zombicide 2nd Edition” Presidential Box Survivor Pack by “CoolMiniOrNot”. I’m still not convinced attempting to paint the hordes of plastic figures which were produced during this highly successful Kickstarter is going to be good for my health, but the Abraham Lincoln sculpt seems to be working out reasonably well, and might encourage me to do a second US President once completed.

I’ve also taken the time to return to my previously-painted model of Groot by “Atomic Mass Games” and attempted to lighten the extra-terrestrial's rather dark colour scheme with a dry-brush of “Vallejo” Earth. I rarely return to past projects, however, the Flora colossi’s predominantly “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna (and super-shiny) palette made it difficult to see a lot of the sculpt’s excellent detail, even after applying a couple of coats of Matt Varnish over the "Marvel Crisis Protocol" miniature.

“Treants Are A Peaceful Race Usually Found Roaming Ancient Forests.”

"They spend their time guarding and preserving their woodlands,"

This 72mm tall resin model of a Treant is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be purchased from the Lincolnshire-based company’s Fantasy range. Described as being “fond of other peaceful beings”, the multi-part figure was assembled using a combination of metal pins, green-stuff and super-glue before being attached to a “Citadel” circular 50mm base.

Able to “unleash thunderous destruction on anyone threatening their lands”, I initially primed the miniature with “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna. I then sporadically ‘blotched’ the “nomadic tree shepherd” with some “Vallejo” Earth and shaded the entire ensemble with a mixture of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These three Mutaints just need shading

In order to really bring out all the sculpt’s wonderful wooden details I next took a soft face make-up blusher brush dipped in “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and patiently drew it across all of the raised surfaces on the Treant. This was followed up by an even lighter dry-brush of “Vallejo” Earth.

With the basics now finished, I set about ‘picking out’ all the marvellous mushrooms and slightly intimidating leaves etched upon the “almost Troll-like” creature’s bark. I used “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson for the tops of the toadstools, and “Vallejo” White with a smidgeon of Pale Grey for the fungi’s underbellies. Lastly, I applied a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Green and “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green to the model’s somewhat abundant foliage.

"Berserkers were tough Orcs bred in Isengard."

Sticking with “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” figures, I have made some more progress on three of the last five OOP Federated Security Mutaints I own. Admittedly, these minions of Space Commander Travis haven’t taken too long to base layer, but they still need their eyes ‘dotting’ and washes to be applied before being finished.

In addition, I am pleased to report that yet another 28mm Uruk-hai Bezerker by "Games Workshop" has been completed for my 500-point "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" Isengard force. This particular metal sculpt is identical to one I already recently pigmented, so I decided to make him appear slightly different by leaving his helmet just plain metal, rather than giving it the emblem of the White Wizard, Saruman.