"A Race Of Beings Who Live Under The Surface..."

"...Plan to destroy the Surface World!"

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Nautican Warrior C, or as part of their DEAL 415 Nautican Warriors four-figure set. Sculpted by Iain Colwell and Ian Mountain, this miniature would appear to have been somewhat inspired by Gerry Anderson's Aquaphibians for his 1964 television series "Stingray".

However, having previously developed a palette to give the first of these water-breathers a distinctly blue, almost Atlantis vibe, I primed the fellow with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and subsequently gave him a good lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal afterwards. I then sloshed the entire fishy fiend with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil to his vest, before dry-bushing the garment with a little (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"Attention all guards."

I next applied some "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue to the model's bare arms, legs and head, and washed these areas using some significantly watered-down "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade. As a final step I later returned to certain parts of the figure, such as his fingers, forehands, eye-ridges, nose and head-tips and high-lighted them with an extra lick of "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue.

Alongside this villainous minion I have also found the time to finish another model by "Beast In The Broch" too. This 32mm scale pewter cast miniature of Systemic Security Two can be brought either individually as SKU: ALI04 or as part of the six-figure Systemic Units set SKU: PAK 07. Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel, I've painted the model up to resemble one of the System's guards as seen in the 1979 television episode of "Blake's Seven" entitled "Redemption".

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three of the several X-Commandos currently on my painting table

The guard was undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and later shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then used plenty of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil on the chap's visor and chest area (front and back), before tackling some of his finer details - like pigmenting the communications bracelet in "Scale 75" Decayed Metal and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, his hand-weapon in "Vallejo" Dead White and Pale Grey, and the minion's front-facing tubing in "Two Thin Coats" Ethereal Green and a smidgeon of "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

Lastly, I have picked up a load of models by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" I've not touched - except to place in another drawer from time to time - for a good five years. These X-Commandos from Department X will hopefully now start to regularly 'pop up' on this blog as I want to get a good half-dozen or so of them tabletop ready before the year is out...

"Come On, Look Lively."

"Up the pace, go on. We haven't got all day now."

This 28mm scale metal miniature of a female X Commando is manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and are part of the company’s Heroes and Allies product line. "Lead by the flamboyant Doctor Hugo Strange," the pistol carrying member of Department X is one of many military specialists "tasked with protecting Britain from inter-dimensional, otherworldly and plain strange threats."

Having assembled the soldier by attaching her head to the torso courtesy of a little pinning and super-glue, she was primed "Citadel" Abaddon Black and enthusiastically dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. I then 'picked out her hand-weapon using some "Citadel" Ironbreaker, her shoulder and beret badge with a couple of dollops of "Vallejo" Dead White, and her hip-holster in Heavy Charcoal. All of these areas were later shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"It's not a person, damn it, it's a Borg!"

As I wanted my figure to proxy the U.N.I.T. troopers depicted during the April 2008 Doctor Who television story "The Sontaran Stratagem", I shied away from leaving the Commando's headware all-black and instead pigmented it using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. I also left her badges predominantly white, rather than 'draw in' the red cross upon blue background which the Department of Extraordinary Affairs use as their top secret organisation's emblem.

I painted the miniature's flesh using my standard technique of a "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone base layer, a splash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and finally a highlight on the fingers and cheekbones of (more) "Vallejo Heavy Skintone. Lastly, I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to the soldier's hair, as well as a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to the lady's lips.

"Wizkids" WIPs - An Abominable Snowman, Black Canary and Proteus

Besides finishing the first of my Department X combatants, I have also completed the last two Borg drones I own by “Modiphius Entertainment”. These well-detailed resin figures had the same palette applied to them as the rest of my Borg Collective, and takes my cybernetic extra-terrestrial tally up to twenty two, including a Borg Queen and Locutus of Borg...

Long-time suffering readers of this blog will know that around about this time of year I usually apply to enter the Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, and having successfully done so, I am once again beginning to prime a plethora of models for the event. Unlike my previous attempts though, I thought I'd try to use the opportunity to focus upon a particular backlog of figures I'm struggling with, so resultantly have started undercoating a number of "Heroclix" miniatures by "Wizkids".