(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge” [IV/IV] March 2026

Last month's output was a mixed bag of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Napoleonics

Thanks to a strong showing during the past four weeks, I'm pleased to say that I'm only 46 points short of beating my tally for last year's Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP), and resultantly only need to paint another ten 28mm scale miniatures which I started working on prior to last December. Much of this success has undoubtedly been due to my continuing love of "Wargames Foundry" and their Napoleonic range. But also to a very sudden interest in the original version of the Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game (MESBG) by "Games Workshop" and a group of Hobbits' deadly encounter with lots of Uruk-hai at Parth Galen.  

Indeed, spurred on by this enthusiasm for Middle Earth I have already finished work on another 28mm scale Uruk-hai armed with a crossbow. Like a number of similarly equipped miniatures I currently have sat upon my hobby table, this particular metal "Games Workshop" figure had already been primed "Citadel" Abaddon Black from an earlier attempt to make it tabletop ready, so to begin with I just gave the model's armour and weapon/bolts a lick of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal, Thrash Metal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

 "We come to kill, by sun or moon."

I then applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red with a "Citadel” Devlan Mud wash onto the orc's flesh, and carefully applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade over the creature's shoes, loincloth, hair, gloves, straps, belt, pouches and crossbow. As a final step, I treated the brute’s knife sheath to a little “Vallejo” Heavy Brown and washed it with (more) “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

Alongside my personal challenge's final month, I thought I'd also participate in Angry Piper's Forced March challenge over on his blog "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging". This means that I'll be predominantly focusing upon getting at least one infantry (or cavalry) unit completed during the month - providing "its more than a one-model unit".

February 2026 - The year already seems to be shaping up into a battle between "Wargames Foundry" and "Games Workshop"

Currently I have a number of such units I want to get finished, not least of which would be a sizeable gathering of Uruk-hai - possibly for the old The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring mass-battle miniature wargame by "Games Workshop", so this new goal shouldn't really prove too problematic. In fact, my painting area is currently filled full of Napoleonic infantrymen, Alien Legionnaries, Beastmen and 3D prints which would adequately fit the bill if enough are pigmented.

As to whether or not something new might sneak up upon me as "The Lord Of The Rings" has, I cannot say. I have a number of one-off miniatures I would like to finally get finished - before they're probably stored away again in a box until next year's PPPP, and such diversions can invariably cause me to start wandering down yet another rabbit hole of wargaming which I hadn't anticipated venturing down before...

"You're Making Me Nervous, Wastelander."

"Back off now, or I will open fire."

This 28mm scale Power Armoured Trooper is sculpted by "Big Mr Tong" and can be downloaded for free as part of a ten-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from his "Patreon" subscription service. Based upon the "high-protection Power Armour" depicted in the "Fallout" post-apocalyptic role-playing video games, the miniature was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer.

However, as I wanted to use these particular figure with "Fallout: Factions" by "Modiphius Entertainment", and therefore needed it to be 42mm in height, I significantly upscaled the sculpt using "Chitubox" Basic by 122.74%. Furthermore, I decided to 3D print him out using medium supports - simply to ensure he survived any suction issues my resin vat might cause - and whilst such thick supports did cause a few indentations once removed, I felt they could easily be 'written off' as battle damage.

"I've got full authority to gun you down if you don't comply. Back off."

To make matters even more complicated though, I also wanted this particular survivor to be the flame-thrower carrying leader/champion of my Brotherhood Of Steel faction. This meant I had to go searching through my various bitz boxes to locate some suitable plastic parts from a couple of the numerous "Games Workshop" "Warhammer 40k" sprues I own, and then spend a good hour kit-bashing the Trooper together.

Once finished, the model was super-glued onto a 40mm circular plastic base, primed in "Scale75" Thrash Metal, shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Scale75" Thrash Metal. I then carefully 'picked out' all of his visible elbow, knee and shoulder joints, as well as the chap's breathing tubes with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before applying a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red" and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to his right shoulder-pad.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Frodo just needs his hair painted before being finished

Lastly, I sporadically applied some Extreme Rust Wash by "Mig Productions" to various parts of the soldier's heavy armour and 'thrown together' weapon to represent their poor, badly weathered condition, and then gave the entire ensemble a light dry-brush of (even more) "Scale75" Thrash Metal to help blend it all the different colours together - including his "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil rear-mounted fuel tanks.

With such a time-consuming project, I haven't really had much time to progress anything else apart from the old 28mm metal miniature of Frodo Baggins I recently became reacquainted with whilst rummaging through my backlog looking for something else. I believe that this wonderful little sculpt comes from "the original metal Fellowship of the Ring boxed set that "Games Workshop" released in 2001", and has rather surprisingly reignited a desire in me to play some more "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game" in the near future...

“The Reason I Beat The Austrians Is..."

"...They did not know the value of five minutes."

This quartet of 28mm scale metal models are produced by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their AN002 German Infantry Marching set. The figures are four of eight identical Napoleonic Austrian infantrymen sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry found in the blister, and proved a little bit annoying due to a few casting flaws cropping up post priming.

The models were undercoated using a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black base coat, before having their famous white jackets and trousers treated to a combination of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The infantrymen's collars, cuffs and waist-bands were then given a fine line of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and splash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson - a uniform scheme which apparently suggests that the unit originated in either Budweis or Leitmeritz.

"If you start to take Vienna - Take Vienna."

I next decided to pigment all of their water bottle shoulder straps using a mixture of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Admittedly, according to my various pieces of reference material, this piece of leather was probably silver-grey in colour. But frankly I decided to use it for one of my many short-cuts, and simply picked it out to be the same colour as the hip-flask itself.

Lastly I applied a little "Vallejo" Gold over a Heavy Sienna base layer to the bottom of all the Austrian's sword scabbards, and their helmet plates. These areas were subsequently shaded with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. In addition, I once again contemplated applying some "Vallejo" Gold to the underside of each fusilier's plume - something I hadn't done on my previously painted soldiers. However, this still struck me as an incredibly fiddly enterprise - particularly as I'd now need to go back and do it to the others - so I figured I'd just leave well enough alone.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - This Power Armoured Trooper has been heavily converted to carry a flamer

With another four Austrian infantrymen completed, I'm delighted to say that I've already finished my Napoleonic target for the month, and given my Coalition Army for "Black Powder" the option of fielding two tiny units of Francis I of Austria's fusiliers, or a much more likely single, small (eight-figure) unit. I do also own blister AN014 Late German Infantry Marching which I would like to get tabletop ready at some point this year. So plan to employ all of the 'dodges' I learnt from this set with them too - as essentially its exactly the same figure, just wearing different headgear.

Despite recently spending many a precious hobby hour on my Napoleonic miniatures, I have still managed to convert one of my remaining upscaled 3D prints of a Power Armoured Trooper by "Big Mr Tong" for "Fallout: Factions", and slap some early base layers on the 42mm tall brute too. This chap will be the Leader/Champion of my Brotherhood of Steel squad, and has had his laser rifle upgraded to a flamer using a few plastic parts taken from some "Games Workshop" Warhammer 40k sprues...

"The Brotherhood Of Steel Is A Post-War Technology-Focused Paramilitary Order..."

"...With chapters operating across the territory of the former United States of America."

These three 28mm scale Power Armoured Troopers are sculpted by "Big Mr Tong" and can be downloaded for free as part of a ten-figure set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from his "Patreon" subscription service. Based upon the Brotherhood of Steel's "high-protection Power Armour" as depicted in the "Fallout" franchise, the trio of miniatures were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer.

However, as I wanted to use these particular figures with "Fallout: Factions" by "Modiphius Entertainment", I decided to significantly upscale the sculpts using "Chitubox" Basic. Ordinarily this meant simply enlarging the models to be approximately 32mm in height by making them 108.41% bigger. Something I repeatedly refer to as 'Arnie size' - using the eye-level and dimensions of the Colonist Marine Cyborg Hero E-900 Exterminator STL by "Papsikels Miniatures" as a guide.' However, as these miniatures had slotta tabs, and should be a good head taller than normal folk, I had to be a bit more creative in my mathematics.

"It was founded by rogue U.S. Army officer Captain Roger Maxson shortly after the Great War."

Fortunately, "Modiphius Entertainment" do provide a height chart on their website for many of their "Fallout" figures, so I was easily able to ascertain the Brotherhood Of Steel should be 42mm tall. Taking into account the size of each model's slotta tab, this meant I needed to upscale each isolationist up to a total of 45.10mm or rather by 122.74%. In addition, I decided to 3D print them out using medium supports - simply to ensure they survived any suction issues my resin vat might cause - and whilst such thick supports did cause a few pockmarks on the odd miniature once removed, I figured they could easily be 'written off' as dents in their armour.

Once super-glued upon 40mm circular plastic bases, each model was undercoated in "Scale75" Thrash Metal, shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Scale75" Thrash Metal. I then carefully 'picked out' all of their visible elbow, knee and shoulder joints, as well as their breathing tubes with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Lastly, I sporadically applied some Extreme Rust Wash by "Mig Productions" to various parts of each soldier's heavy armour to represent its weathered condition, and gave their laser rifles a good few more sploshes of "Citadel" Nuln Oil to truly darken them down.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Two of the Voltigeurs in Greatcoat Marching on my painting desk

With "Fallout: Factions" in mind, these three completed miniatures will form the core of my 250-point Brotherhood Of Steel squad - as they'll be used to represent some simple Knights (Grunts) at 60 points each. However, I still need to field a Paladin (Leader/Champion) to finish the group off, so intend to convert one of my remaining 3D prints to carry a flamer using plastic parts taken from some old "Games Workshop" Warhammer 40k sprues. Currently, I only own the "Fallout: Factions - Welcome To Nuka-World!" quickstart rules. So I won't be using the full rules for my early playthroughs. But they should suffice to let me get a good feel for the flow of the game. 

Having obviously spent a fair amount of my recent hobby time focusing upon "Fallout", I am pleased to say though that I still haven't lost focus on my current Napoleonic Black Powder long-term project, and have actually begun the painstaking task of supplying my Grande Armée with some much-needed reinforcements - initially a tiny unit of four Voltigeurs In Greatcoat Marching by "Wargames Foundry". This should then be followed by another quartet of Late Fusiliers In Greatcoats And Assorted Headgear Marching to make that a small unit (of eight figures), before settling down to pigment a handful of Light Infantry Carabiniers In Campaign Dress And Colpacks Marching...

"Of All Of The Small Winged-Fairies..."

"...Pixies are the most frequently encountered."

This 28mm scale metal miniature of a Pixie is sold by “North Star Military Figures", and is one of the five models which can be found inside their blister TSB022 - Pixies for The Silver Bayonet. I recently picked this set up whilst at "Warfare 2025", as they feature in the original rulebook's bestiary, and I'm rather keen to own figures (in some fashion or another) for all the monsters it covers.

The tiny, mischievous sprite was primed using "Vallejo" Beasty Brown, and had its leggings shaded with a little "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. The little prankster's top was then treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Both the trousers and top were subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Beasty Brown or Heavy Red as appropriate.

"The first virtue in a soldier is endurance of fatigue; courage is only the second virtue."

The miniature's flesh was patiently picked out in "Vallejo" Escorpena Green and sploshed with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Whilst its gnome-like hat was simply given a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, washed in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and carefully dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue. At this stage I was also "umming and ahing" as to whether to give the wee fellow a white beard, eyebrows and hair curl as per the 'official' paint-job, or simply leave these details with just a covering of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

The model's wings actually gave me a bit of a pause for thought, as originally I was thinking about using one of my Scale Color Metallic pigments by "Scale75" on them. However, in the end I decided that I'd just give them a coat of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, douse them in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and later dry-brush the areas with (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats". This very straightforward approach appears to have turned out rather well, and gave me an excuse to keep the Pixie's facial hair plain black so it didn't clash with its supposedly gossamer wings.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - These Power Armoured Troopers have been base-layered and shaded

In addition to the first of my unhelpful fairies I have also completed a fifth 28mm scale metal model from the “Wargames Foundry" pack FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing. This Napoleonic Frenchmen was predominantly pigmented using "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and is hopefully the first of four identical sculpts I plan to use so as to double my French force's skirmisher line.

Lastly, I've made a bit more progress on my five freshly 3D printed Power Armoured Troopers by "Big Mr Tong". These somewhat upscaled STL (Standard Triangle Language) files have been based-coated in "Scale75" Thrash Metal and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil in order to help me better see all the details of the sculpts - as well as remove the odd support I missed having removed them from my resin vat. And stand approximately 42mm tall so they 'fit in' with the official figures produced by "Modiphius Entertainment" for "Fallout: Wasteland Warfare"...

"Bah! Everywhere It Is The Same!"

"I live in a world too small for me!"

This 40mm scale model of Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm was produced by "CoolMiniOrNot", and was released during the company's highly successful April 2021 Kickstarter for "Marvel United: X-Men" when it achieved an incredible $5,988,089 in funding. Based upon Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's human mutate for "Marvel Comics", the figure can be found inside the boardgame's "Fantastic Four" expansion set.

Produced in a light blue hard plastic, the Thing was primed using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. His "flexible, rock-like hide" was then patiently dry-brushed using a little "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone in order to really pick out all of the super-hero's chitinous plates.

"Saucerman Studios" WIPs - This Concrete Defence Wall is almost finished

Admittedly, this didn't make Ben look as orange as he has been depicted in the comic books. However, having previously pigmented a 28mm plastic "Heroclix" model of Aunt Petunia's favourite nephew almost twelve years ago - predominantly using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Orange and some rather uncontrollable Umber Shade, I wanted Grimm to look much more earth-coloured on this occasion.

As a penultimate step I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Blue to the miniature's shorts, shaded this area with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and later carefully dry-brushed the clothing with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue. Lastly, I 'picked out' the exceptionally skilled pilot's eyes and mouth with some White Star by "Two Thin Coats", and applied a little "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to help better show his individual teeth.

"Big Mr Tong" WIPs - These three Power Armoured Troopers have been primed and base-coated

With my latest "CoolMiniOrNot" figure finished, and now ready for some games of the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game, I have also found the time to make some progress on a second, and significantly longer, Concrete Defence Wall by "Saucermen Studios" for my Trench Crusade tabletop. I've actually now produced a few barricades from this set using "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer, so hope to work my way through them all as the weeks go by.

I've also found the time to upscale five Power Armoured Troopers by "Big Mr Tong" on "Citubox" Basic in order to sate a sudden interest in "Fallout" - which has largely been caused by the PC Game "Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7" currently running an event to tie-in with the American post-apocalyptic drama television series. Created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer, these models are now 42mm in height, so as to match the size of the 'official' Brotherhood of Steel models produced by "Modiphius Entertainment" for "Fallout: Wasteland Warfare"...