An Ancient Dynasty Dating Back Before Human Record..."

"...The Nautican Empire has reigned supreme over the underwater kingdoms."

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Nautican Warrior B, 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, as I wanted to give the water-breather a bit more of an Atlantis vibe, I decided to give the "warlike under-sea" villain an undercoat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, rather than treat him to a prime of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey - as I've previously done with the resin 3D print of one of tyrant Titan's minions by "Big Mr Tong" some years ago. As a result I was then able to apply a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to his vest, turning it into chainmail as opposed to just a string vest.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three more Nautican Warriors

I then applied plenty of "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue to the model's bare arms, legs and head, and subsequently gave these areas a shade using some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade. Certain parts of the figure, such as the fingers, forehands, eye-ridges, nose and head-tips were later given an extra lick of "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue to help contrast them with the rest of the sculpt from 'three foot away.'

I also considered doing something more than simply dot the fish-man's eyes with a spot of "Citadel" Abaddon Black - perhaps giving them 'normal' black and white eyeballs or pure "Vallejo" Heavy Red ones. But ultimately I figured the pure black ones somehow made the figure look suitably menacing, especially with the aforementioned "Vallejo" Deep Sky Blue highlights surrounding them.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three of four Alien Legionnaries currently being progressed

Perhaps unsurprisingly considering how enjoyable pigmenting this 'test piece' was, I have set to work on the three remaining Nautican Warriors by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Now I'm happy with their colour scheme I've already made some good headway on the trio's chainmail, trident tops and parts of their blaster rifles, so should soon be ploughing through all the base layers of their flesh.

Likewise, I've managed to get all the black leatherwork roughly done on four more Alien Legionnaries by Karl Perrotton's company too. This phase of their paint-scheme is by far the most tiresome and tedious. Yet now it's done on the entire quartet I can simply take each "Flash Gordon" influenced figure in turn and clean them up with plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson...

"Enterprise, This Is Captain William Riker Of The Klingon Vessel Pagh."

"I order you to lower your shields and surrender."

This Kurgun B-1A Battlecruiser was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as "Battlefront Valkyrie" Expansion Set 11 - albeit I was lucky enough to be sent this particular file for free by the tabletop gaming publisher. The two-piece spacecraft has been printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model, and measures an impressive 80mm in length.

The "sleek, heavily armoured behemoth" was primed with plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and shaded with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. I then enthusiastically dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green, before 'picking out' its rear warp nacelle and "devastating massive plasma cannon" with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - Alpha One and Alpha Two

Having completed so straightforward a miniature, I have also (finally) be able to make a start on the last two figures I need to finish from the Systemic Units set by "Beast In The Broch" - namely Alpha One and Alpha Two. This pair of 'leaders' are a bit more colourful than the quartet of Systemic Security minions I've recently been ploughing through, so will doubtless take a bit more time to get tabletop ready than their predominantly black-uniformed guards.

However, I will be incentivised by Graeme Dawson's recent announcement of some more (very welcome) additions to this science fiction range, including some FedSec Technicians and (male) Mutaints, as well as the imposing looking Alien Harvester - which bears an uncanny resemblance to the giant insects seen in the February 1980 television of "Blake's 7" entitled "The Harvest of Kairos". In addition, the company has also announced that a duo of space assassins and two rogue FedSec scientists are now up for pre-order too.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three of the four Alien Legionnaries I'm currently working on

I'm desperately trying to be good with all these temptations, especially as "Beast In The Broch" do a tantalising discount to the cost of their models when pre-ordered. But my painting queue is currently already overwhelmed with all the genres I want to get on my various battlefields, so I really don't want to get too overloaded. Plus I plan to pick up a few more Systemic Security units too, in order to better fill out my patrol squad, so it'll be a sizeable amount of miniatures when I'm actually ready to checkout my online basket.

To make matters worse, I'm also having to plod away at four more Alien Legionnaries by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" after failing to resist their recent release of a Submarine Security team and Lunar Command crew - all of which have already arrived at 'Fantorical Towers'. These have already joined the Nautican Warriors I have 'waiting in the wings', so I really need to add this predominantly red-coloured quarter to my Heartless Warmonger's ever-growing force as fast as I can...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" October 2026

Science Fiction figures once again completely dominated my past month's output

Things have definitely been somewhat off-target painting-wise over the past few months, so rather than try to focus upon a somewhat ad hoc collection of Undead/Survivor themed miniatures for the annual "Zomtober" challenge during October, I thought things might be a bit more productive if I once again simply concentrated upon my backlog of a single, individual company. Of course, where I can I do plan to pigment a grisly ghoul, ghost or zombie, but considering just how badly the last four weeks' output turned out to be, I think I'd rather apply my paintbrush to some figures which inspire me to get them tabletop ready rather than aimlessly 'flit' around my lead mountain looking for something to tie in to a specific event.

Such a decision will hopefully allow me to get enough models varnished and flocked in time for some games of "Adventures in Time & Television" before the end of the year - a self-made solo/co-operative ruleset based upon my M.I.S.S. system. I've recently had to update the core of these homebrew rules to accommodate some of the 15mm figures/vehicles I have completed from "Alternative Armies" The Ion Age range, so bringing them up to speed for 28mm battles shouldn't prove too difficult.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three of the four Alien Legionnaries I've recently found

Resultantly, I plan to predominantly work on a number of sculpts produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" in order to obtain a better understanding of what I need pick up from the manufacturer's stall whilst visiting the fairly imminent Wargames Association of Reading (WAR) annual wargames show Warfare. Initially, this'll focus upon more of Karl Perrotton's Alien Legionnaries, which will form the 'bulk' of the opposition for my game - and four of which I unexpectedly stumbled upon whilst having a bit of a rummage through my 'pile of potential'.

I have though also got my eye on some Nautican Warriors I recently purchased, which will give the 'randomly generated' villains a totally different aspect should they enter the contest. I am already working on a pilot piece for this evil underwater race, and will probably pick up their leader, Emporer Poseidus, along with a couple more packs of Nauticans when I attend the aforementioned show in the middle of November.

September 2026 - Crooked Dice Game Design Studio continues to extend their lead in my Top Five Manufacturers

By far the biggest disappointment of September was failing to even get the four Systemic Security miniatures by "Beast In The Broch" finished. Admittedly, the remaining two figures are reasonably close to completion. Yet I am now far behind working on the set's two leading characters: Alpha One (standing) and Alpha Two (advancing), and have vowed not to order the company's latest releases - along with another load of System Security units, until I have them done too.

My fingers are most definitely crossed regarding my output over the next few weeks, as not only do I already have a load more 15mm "Alternative Armies" infantry en route, including enough Retained Knights to significantly 'fill out' my (not) Dark Angels contingent. But I am also awaiting many of the latest Submarine Crew sculpts from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". However, I do feel as if I will need to get a few actual games in to help maintain my hobby mojo as the shorter days start to draw in...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Modiphius Entertainment" April 2026

Last month's output was surprisingly dominated by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and Super-heroes

Having successfully completed my four-month long Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP), and rather pleasingly managed to better last year's 'score' of 246 points by a further 13 points, I thought I might turn to a range of 28mm "soft resin" models I haven't paid much attention to for six years. Indeed, it's been so long since I last picked up one of the Star Trek Adventures Tabletop RPG figures produced by "Modiphius Entertainment" that the entire range appears to have subsequently been 'shelved' as a physical product, and are now only available as part of their "Print at Home" STL (Standard Triangle Language) files.

Perhaps slightly disconcertingly I haven't actually decided to pigment a quartet of these figures over the next few weeks through choice either. But rather as a result of a D12 dice roll, which saw me number a dozen of my hobby drawers and then randomly pick one for this month's project. However, as luck would have it, the particular container chosen was simply packed full of all sorts of goodies, so in the end I did have some say in what my brush-tip would be tackling throughout April.

"What is your name..?"

Furthermore, I have also finished another 28mm scale white metal model by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” for the Angry Piper's "Forced March" painting event over on his "Dead Dick’s Tavern and Temporary Lodging" wargaming blog. Available either separately as Alien Legionary 1A, or as part of the company's four-figure Alien Legionnaries set, this Ernst Veingart sculpt is clearly strongly influenced by Danilo Donati's costume design for the Emperor Ming's minions seen in Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon".

The trooper was predominantly pigmented using "Vallejo" Heavy Red, "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and Abaddon Black. However,  his belt buckle and shoulder epaulettes were treated to a little "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, whilst his gloved hands received a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

March 2026 - The battle between "Wargames Foundry" and "Games Workshop" is hotting up

Unfortunately, the previous month has been the worst March I've had productivity-wise since I first started noting my output well over a decade ago, and disappointingly I fear a lot of that inactivity has been due to my trying to push on with older projects as opposed to cracking on with newer ones. True, I have made a bit of a dent in my backlog (in some places). But a lot of the models I have finished won't see the tabletop on account of me still not having enough miniatures from that range for an actual game.

I'm therefore really hoping that my idea of randomly mixing up my painting subjects with some more recent purchases/3D prints will "Gee me [back] up". In recent years this month has been a rather slow time for me, so it should also offer me a good opportunity to get back on track with a few long-term gaming plans (e.g. Fielding some more Napoleonic units by "Wargames Foundry" for "Black Powder). In addition, despite my best intentions I still haven't got many actual battles 'in the books', and firmly believe that these spur me on when the hobby mojo is weakening...

"Summoning Her Strange Sonic Powers..."

 "...Black Canary hurls a whistling whammy at the retreating hearse."

This 28mm scale pre-painted plastic model of Black Canary was produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 036 from their DC “Heroclix” Cosmic Justice expansion. "A metahuman who possesses a unique ability known as the Canary Cry", this comic book super-heroine was created by Dennis O'Neil and Dick Dillin, and first appeared in the November 1969 issue of "Justice League of America".

Somewhat unsympathetically chopped from her 'clicky' base and super-glued onto a plastic 25mm circular base, Dinah Laurel Lance had her rather thick previous paint-job primed over with a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, before being doused in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. The figure's clothing and boots were then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue to bring out some of the sculpt's detail.

"Bring it through safely. Land it."

I next applied some "Vallejo" Neutral Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to her tights in an effort to suggest that these were at least slightly transparent, and 'picked out' her rectangular belt buckle using a little "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Lastly, I gave Black Canary's hair as many coats of "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow as it needed so it stopped looking green, sploshed the area in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently tried to build back some of its colour with (more) Skulker Yellow by "Two Thin Coats".

In addition to Dinah Lance I have also finished another 28mm scale white metal model by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”, which can be bought either separately as Alien Legionary 1A, or as part of the company's four-figure Alien Legionnaries set. Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the miniature is clearly strongly influenced by Danilo Donati's costume design for the Emperor Ming's minions seen in Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon", and is part of an embarrassingly sizeable and is part of a unit I'm currently working on for the Angry Piper's "Forced March" painting event over on his "Dead Dick’s Tavern and Temporary Lodging" wargaming blog.

"Trench Stench" WIPs - These Bomb Coffins have had their spectral flames 'picked out'

The trooper was predominantly pigmented using "Vallejo" Heavy Red, "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and Abaddon Black. However,  his belt buckle and shoulder epaulettes were treated to a little "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, whilst his gloved hands received a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

I've also hopefully completed the 'larger part' of three Bomb Coffins from the Ghosts of the Nomansland range by "Trench Stench". These STL (Standard Triangle Language) files were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer, and are already part of an embarrassingly large pile of grey (resin) I have made for my games set "in a horrifying alternate timeline of World War One..."

"Strange Object In The Imperial Vortex."

"Object entering our control range, approaching the Sea of Fire."

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Alien Legionary 1D, or as part of their four-figure Alien Legionnaries set. Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the miniature is clearly strongly influenced by Danilo Donati's costume design for the Emperor Ming's minions seen in Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon", and, along with a number of its scarlet-coloured comrade-in-arms, has rather embarrassingly been sat awaiting some attention on my painting table for a couple of years now.

Initially primed using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, the trooper was given a dousing in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. The guard then had all of his leather straps and belt carefully 'picked out' with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Furthermore, his belt buckle and shoulder epaulettes were subsequently were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Wizkids" WIPs - Sergeant Rock, Squirrel Girl and Black Canary

In order to create the illusion that the legionary's gloves were made from a different material to his robes, I gave the figure's hands a lick of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion, before shading them with a quick splash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Lastly I applied some "Vallejo" Gunmetal to his face-mask's lenses and shaded the tiny areas with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

With just two more of these Alien Legionnaries left to complete before I can submit the finished unit into the Angry Piper's "Forced March" painting event over on his "Dead Dick’s Tavern and Temporary Lodging" wargaming blog, I've decided to dust down a few (really) old "Heroclix" models by "Wizkids" to help break up the monotony of pigmenting the same, similar-looking miniatures. Indeed, having now finished four of Ming's gas-mask wearing hoodlums in recent weeks, I must confess to losing some of my motivation to get the significantly-sized squad finally finished.

"Trench Stench" WIPs - A trio of Bomb Coffins

I had initially hoped that this trio of 28mm re-paints would prove fairly quick to get tabletop ready. But unlike the Black Canary - who I began progressing late last year, my Sergeant Rock and (to a lesser extent) Squirrel Girl will actually need some significant effort on account of Old Father Time taking its toll upon my earlier work. In fact, DC Comics' non-commissioned officer will effectively need a total overhaul after I discovered the figure was covered in tiny white blotches.

I've also decided to tap into my interest of "Trench Crusade" by producing and undercoating a trio Bomb Coffins from the Ghosts of the Nomansland range by "Trench Stench". These "hazardous battlefield obstacles" were created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer, and should give me another opportunity to devise a reasonably quick method of creating ethereal-looking undead creatures...

(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...

"The Voltigeurs Were French Military Skirmish Units..."

"...Created in 1804 by Emperor Napoleon."

This 28mm scale metal model is manufactured by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their FN103 - Grenadiers Or Voltigeurs In Greatcoat Marching set. The figure is one of eight identical Napoleonic French infantrymen sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry found in the blister, and has proved surprisingly time-consuming due to its numerous colourful details.

"Skilled at sharpshooting", the soldier was first undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and had all of his leather straps, as well as trousers and shako covering, pigmented with a combination of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then carefully applied some "Vallejo" Sombre Grey to his greatcoat, shaded it with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and later highlighted it back up with a little more "Vallejo" Sombre Grey.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This second-hand Frodo Baggins is finally getting some love

I next 'picked out' the skirmisher's water bottle and strap with some "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before plonking a little Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green on the Frenchman's epaulettes, lower plume and sword ribbon. Lastly, I dabbed a spot or two of "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow onto his topmost pom-pom, and shaded it with a dash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

With the first 'recruit' of my tiny, four-figure Voltigeur unit completed, I have spent some time digging through my backlog of half-finished projects looking for something contrastingly different to work on. One such model I found is an old 28mm metal miniature of Frodo Baggins by "Games Workshop" which I believe I picked up second-hand from a wargames show many, many moons ago.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - More Alien Legionnaries getting ready to be recruited

The hobbit has clearly received some sort of paint-job from his previous owner, and ordinarily I would just give such a figure a quick lick of "Citadel" Abaddon Black to cover it over with. However, as this figure is so small, I thought some of its minute details were probably already in danger of being clogged up, so have decided to simply apply my own palette directly on it instead.

In addition, I have selected three more Alien Legionnaries by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" from my "7TV" collection to paint up as the Emperor Ming's minions from Mike Hodges' 1980 science fiction movie "Flash Gordon". As with the trio I've recently done, these miniatures had previously just been given a prime in "Vallejo" Heavy Red, so now need to have all their black straps, gold shoulder-pads and eye lenses properly 'picked out' before being tabletop ready...

"Guards, Halt."

"...Prisoners, follow me."

These three 28mm scale white metal models are produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Alien Legionary 1B and Alien Legionary 1C, or as part of their four-figure Alien Legionnaries set. Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the miniatures are clearly strongly influenced by Danilo Donati's costume design for the Emperor Ming's minions seen in Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon", and have rather embarrassingly been sat awaiting some attention on my painting table for a couple of years now.

Initially undercoated using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, the troopers were each given a positive drenching in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. The guards then had all of their leather straps and belts carefully 'traced out' with a little bit of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and their belt buckles/shoulder epaulettes subsequently were tackled using a combination of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Hail Ming, hail! Ruler of the universe!"

Having previously decided to change the colour of the legionnaries' gloves with the models I did manage to finish about twenty-four months ago, I also picked these figures' hands out with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion. These garments, which hopefully now look as if they're made from a different material to their robes, were later shaded with a quick splash of "Vallejo" Carroburg Crimson.

I did consider applying some "Vallejo" Gunmetal to all the face-mask lenses and blaster rifles - even applying a metallic coat to one of the hand-weapons. But I soon settled upon sticking to my original plan of just dotting in the semi-circular eyes and shading them with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and making the guns pure Abaddon Black so as to better match the plain black film props.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Three French Napoleonic Line Artillerymen

With a little dent made in my backlog of Emperor Ming's minions - I clearly bought a fair few four-figure blisters of these fellows from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" in the past - I have started working on a team of Napoleonic French cannoneers by "Wargames Foundry". I wasn't actually planning on pigmenting any new purchases for this project until I'd finished working on a good dozen or so infantrymen I currently have lying about my hobby area.

However, I recently won a spate of auctions for several French cannons by "Wargames Foundry" on "eBay", so thought I better try and complete a couple of miniatures from their FN317 - Line Artillery In Campaign Dress set before they arrived. In addition, it should help me work out just how many men I want manning my field guns - as the set only contains seven actual artillerymen, and I will own eleven cannons - so at some point I'm going to need to purchase a couple more blisters even if I whittle down my crew size to just three or four models...

"The Massive Defeat In 1806..."

"...Shook the foundations of Prussian military theory and practice."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their PN031 Infantry Command set. The figure is one of seven Napoleonic Prussian soldiers sculpted by Alan Perry found in the blister, and frankly almost single-handedly derailed my enthusiasm for the Black Powder period due to some incredibly challenging detail.

In addition, I found the rather washed-out 'official' paint-job on the Newark-based company's website to be disconcertingly green, and it wasn't until I finally stumbled upon a Knotel Uniform plate depicting some officers from the Schlesisches Schutzen-Bataillon that I was convinced of the colour scheme. As a result, the miniature was primed using my usual mixture of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and Vallejo Surface Primer Black, and had its trousers base layered with "Vallejo" Sombre Grey.

"Never before had any first-class army been so swiftly and decisively reduced to impotence."

I next shaded the pants with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed them with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, before 'picking out' the model's cuffs, collar and turn backs in "Vallejo" Heavy Red. These areas were later treated to a splosh of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson too. I was going to use this combination on the officer's epaulettes too. However, I eventually decided to simply mark them out with a little "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade - so they'd stand out somewhat on the tabletop.

The figure's sash was carefully traced out in "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and later dirtied up a bit with some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then tackled the miniature's jacket using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and lashings of "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Finally, the Prussian's sword blade was given a quick coat of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, "Citadel" Nuln Oil and (more) "Vallejo Gunmetal. Whilst his backpack was pigmented in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"This is it. At least it'll be over quickly."

Alongside this time-consuming terror, I have also managed to complete a 28mm metal Alien Legionary 1C by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the model has clearly been strongly influenced by Danilo Donati's costume design for the Emperor Ming's minions seen in Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon", and is one of several similarly-posed space-goons I plan to get tabletop ready over the coming few months.

Predominantly painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, the guard had all of his leather straps and belt carefully 'traced out' in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and his belt buckle/shoulder epaulettes 'dotted' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I also applied a little "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to the legionary's gloves, and some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel "Nuln Oil to the model's face-mask lenses...

"ls This A Civic Reception..?"

"More like a police state."

This 28mm scale white metal model of a 'gas-masked goon' is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately as Alien Legionary 1A, or as part of their four-figure Alien Legionnaries set. Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the miniature has clearly been strongly influenced by Danilo Donati's costume design for the Emperor Ming's minions seen in Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon", and was started in earnest way back in March of this year.

Originally primed using a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, the trooper was given a positive drenching in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. The guard then had all of his leather straps and belt carefully 'traced out' with a little bit of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and his belt buckle/shoulder epaulettes were tackled using a combination of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Vogons are slug-like but vaguely humanoid."

I also decided to slightly change the colour of the legionary's gloves - to suggest they were made of a different material - by 'picking them out' with a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion. These garments were subsequently shaded with a quick dash of "Vallejo" Carroburg Crimson. I did consider applying some "Vallejo" Gunmetal to both the model's face-mask lenses and blaster rifle, but eventually settled on just dotting in the semi-circular eyes, as I thought the gun better matched the film props in plain black, so soon decided to leave it well enough alone.

Alongside the first of what I hope to be a small army of the Emperor's Ming's minions (as I certainly own enough), I have completed a sixth 28mm scale Vulgorn Guard by "Lost Heresy Miniatures". The miniature was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, and contains a fair few flaws as a result of the resin tank's FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) being a little too loose - thus causing some considerable suction which played merry havoc with the STL (Standard Triangle Language) file's pre-supports.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - This Prussian officer is having all of his intricate details 'picked out'

Luckily, the 'slippage ridges' found on one of the figure's left arm isn't all that noticeable, especially with its current palette, and the shallow hole located on its back has been pigmented as if its simply a tear in the alien's rubber one-suit with the greenish flesh showing beneath. This (not) "Hitchhiker's Of The Galaxy" model was predominantly painted using "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" German Grey and Gunmetal, with a significant splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, as well as a little "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Bronze and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on his rectangular-shaped gun.

I've also started to try to play catch-up with my monthly Napoleonic painting goal using "Wargames Foundry" models. Resultantly, I've dug out a Prussian Officer from their PN031 Infantry Command I began working on many months ago, with the intention of getting the colourfully-costumed combatant completed before the year has finished...

"Bring Me... The Bore Worms!"

"No one, but no one, dies in the palace without a command from the Emperor."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Heartless Warmonger is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately under code: SKU: MINI 796, or as part of their four-figure SKU: DEAL 238 Galactic Villains set. The single-cast sculpt is clearly strongly influenced by actor Peter Wyngarde's portrayal of General Klytus in Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon", and is a leftover from last year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC).

"The commander of Ming the Merciless' secret police force", the miniature was undercoated with a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being dry-brushed in “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then carefully 'picked out' all his gold armour with a soldi base layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, including his entire right hand - which according to the movie was completely encased in the malleable metal.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Early days for these three Alien Legionnaries

I next gave all these areas a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Gold, and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before applying some additional "Vallejo" Gold to the odd edge. I did start attempt to dab in some pupils too, using a spot of "Two Thin Coats" White Star. However, I found the actual eye slits to be much too small for my ability, and so ended up applying some "Citadel" Abaddon Black into them to both cover up my botched attempt, as well as darken them down even more.

Alongside "the grand vizier and right-hand man of Ming the Merciless", I have been somewhat busy priming up a few Alien Legionnaries to accompany him on the tabletop. I'm pretty sure I've previously slapped pigment on a few of these "gas-masked goons" before. But can't currently locate where they've been stored. So as I had some spare "Vallejo" Heavy Red sat drying on my palette, I thought I'd make a start on these models.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sons Of Horus Sergeant is having all his detail 'picked out'

In addition, I have once again 'hooked out' the final handful (or two) of my remaining Sons of Horus Space Marines for "The Horus Heresy" by "Games Workshop". These 28mm multi-part plastic traitors should hopefully prove a somewhat straightforward project, despite them being covered in gold armour plating, and numerous 'difficult to reach with a brush-tip' details. Indeed, whilst in the past I have managed to 'soldier' my way through a fair few MK III and MK V armoured figures, I have found these MK IV Adeptus Astartes to be a tough nut to completely crack.

To begin with I therefore thought I'd tackle a Sergeant, which whilst absolutely covered in bits and bobs, including a plasma pistol, appears to be well on his way to being finished. I've started from the unit leader's feet and begun slowly making my way up the model, focusing on highlighting any areas of "Vallejo" Gold and tidying up the leather straps/pouches strapped around his waist...

"Volgons Invade Western Europe!"

 "6.00AM., Friday January 1st, 1999. Black Friday!"

These three 28mm metal models are manufactured by "Athena Miniatures" as part of their Apocalypse Survivors releases, and can be purchased as part of the company's AS12 Russian NBC four-figure set. "Dressed in cold weather gear [and] armed with a variety of weapons", I succumbed to the temptation of picking up a fair few sculpts from this range whilst at "Warfare" 2024, due to the characterful collection being equipped "to do battle with Zombies or Aliens, or whatever has brought about" an end to life as we know it in the United Kingdom.

This premise immediately too me back to the classic "Invasion!" comic book strip created by Pat Mills for "2000 A.D." during the late Seventies, and with a few simple homemade rules I thought I could quite easily adapt "The Silver Bayonet" ruleset by "Osprey Games" for a series of skirmish games set within that war-torn country. Resultantly, all three of these Soviet Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence troopers were undercoated using a couple of layers of “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII.

"The papers screamed a terrifying headline!"

The models were then shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII so as to bring out all the folds/creases in their rubber suits. This straightforward palette helped get the majority of the trio completed in record time. However, I thought the miniatures would look rather plain, so decided to break their overall look up a bit by using a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil on their gloves and overboots.

I also thought the Russians would look more menacing if I gave their respirators, along with their rifle butts and coat buttons, a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. As a final touch I painstakingly 'picked out' all the firearms and eye lenses with some "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil - hopefully helping to break-up the figures' rather monotone colour scheme even more so.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Heartless Warmonger is having his details 'picked out'

In addition to these new acquisitions, I have pulled out a fair few much older buys from my unhealthy backlog as well. I had planned to pigment many an Alien Legionnaire and Defender Of The Earth from the Rick Rhodes retro science fiction range by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" during last year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC). However, having departed that event much earlier than planned, most of the pre-prepped 28mm metal figures have simply sat gathering dust on my painting table.

That apathy towards these models has now ended, as I thought the likes of their Heartless Warmonger - which wonderfully captures all the hallmarks of General Klytus from Mike Hodges' cult 1980 movie "Flash Gordon" - might make some 'quick-wins' for my own Partially Painted/Printed Pledge instead. This self-motivated drive to finally finish as many side-lined projects is currently going great guns, so I'm confident I'll soon own a fairly sizeable force of dastardly minions for the Emperor Ming to order into battle...

"Constantly Trying To Undermine General Stahl For The Emperor’s Favour..."

"...Professor Krazvo leads his mechanical army to prove that metal is mightier than flesh."

This 28mm scale metal model of Professor Krazvo is produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and can be brought as part of their "Rick Rhodes - Pirates Of Luna City" range. Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the miniature appears to have been inspired by Doctor Hans Zarkov of "Flash Gordon" fame, and resultantly will portray the "brilliant scientist who... forces Flash and Dale Arden to come with him to the planet Mongo" on my tabletop.

Undercoated using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, the figure's boots were simply layered with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and had their markings 'picked out' with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I then tussled with the decision as to what palette to go for, as I was initially planning on doing something to the costume colours worn by Chaim Topol in the 1980 feature film.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Ultron has been layered with "Vallejo" Gunmetal and Silver

However, as so much of that cult movie seemed to revolve around red and black, I wanted something a bit different to help Zarkov stand out from the crowd - and found inspiration in some tinted pictures of actor Frank Shannon's attire during the science fiction franchise's 1936 superhero cinematic serial. As a result, the model's trousers were given a lick of "Two Thin Coats" Wyvern Green, shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and then carefully dry-brushed with a tad (more) "Two Thin Coats" Wyvern Green. Whilst the good doctor's top was pigmented in "Vallejo" Turquoise and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

I next tackled the miniature's belt and chest emblem with plenty of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, some Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before patiently splodging all the raised baubles and details with a little (more) "Vallejo" Gold. I also considered applying the same paint scheme to Krazvo's cuffs and collar. However, I stayed my hand having once again looked at the aforementioned publicity stills, as I got the impression Shannon was wearing some sort of woollen pullover in some of them.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Beast has had his fur dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue

In addition to my "7TV" Co-Star, I have also been pushing along a couple more 40mm hard plastic figures by "CoolMiniOrNot" for "Marvel United". As I currently only have one finished super-villain to battle against in the boardgame, I thought I'd slap some layers on the Ultron model found inside the Starter Box, as well as see how I got on with a bottle of "Vallejo" Silver I recently rediscovered in my stockpile of paints.

I also thought I should bring my heroes up to 'full strength' by adding a fourth member to my team, and decided to go with a miniature taken from the X-Men Starter Set - Beast. This particular comic book character is also a veteran Avenger, so can easily be swapped between the two groups should the fancy take me. My plan is to complete two crime-fighters for every evil genius, so with that in mind I aim to work on my recently stripped Iron Man shortly too...

"I've Unmasked You At Last!"

 "But... It can't be! It can't! Daredevil is... Matt Murdock!"

This 40mm scale model of Daredevil was produced by "CoolMiniOrNot", and unlocked during the company's highly successful February 2020 Kickstarter for "Marvel United" when it achieved a whopping $2,866,168 in funding. Based upon Stan Lee and Bill Everett's blind crime-fighter for "Marvel Comics", the hard plastic figure (and his twelve cards) can be found in the boardgame's Season One Promo Box.

Originally undercoated using a mixture of "Vallejo" Grey Surface Primer and Heavy Red, the 'Man without Fear' was subsequently layered with (more) Heavy Red, drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and enthusiastically dry-brushed with (even more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. With the basics finished on the "Scarlet Swashbuckler", I then 'picked out' his batons and belt buckle in "Vallejo" Gunmetal, before dabbing these areas with a little "Citadel" Nuln Oil to darken them down somewhat.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Iron Man has been stripped in order for a new technique to be applied

I also decided to carefully trace over the super-hero's 'DD' emblem on his chest with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and spot his eyes using a smidgeon of "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion and a wee splosh of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. I actually considered using this colourful combination on Matt Murdock's gloves, belt and boots too, as per his card artwork. However, I wasn't a fan of this palette to be honest, so simply decided to leave the Marvel Knight well enough alone.

I did though decide to make Daredevil's base stand out a little differently from those I've pigmented before, by treating it to a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Neutral Grey (and later "Citadel" Nuln Oil), rather than the Heavy Bluegrey I ordinarily use. This was due to me wanting the partially broken statue upon which he's stood to be slightly darker in colour than normal - hopefully suggesting that the gargoyle is made of a different type of stone.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Professor Krazvo is almost finished

Alongside my fourth finished figure for "Marvel United", I have also finally taken the plunge with some Paint Remover by "Green Stuff World" and stripped my Iron Man miniature for the game. In the past I've tried various different paints by a variety of manufacturers to create a metallic red I thought looked good on his armour. Unfortunately, despite these efforts nothing every seemed to work, so in the end the gaming piece was simply stowed away in a dusty drawer until I could be bothered to immerse it in the aforementioned foul-smelling solution.

Lastly, I'm making great progress on an old(ish) sculpt of Professor Krazvo by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", I originally started working on during the semi-recent Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Having left that event early, the scientist had been dejectedly sat in a far corner of my hobby space. But now my mojo appears to have returned, I thought it was about time Doctor Hans Zarkov joined my slowly growing collection of (not) Flash Gordon miniatures...

"Not All Heroes Wear Capes."

 "Some wear full plate armour and wield a raw plucked chicken."

This 32mm scale plastic model of a Knight with a raw chicken is produced by “CoolMiniOrNot” as part of their Monty Python's Flying Circus expansion for "Zombicide", and was sculpted by "Big Child Creatives". Played by actor Terry Gilliam in several sketches during the British comedy television show's first series in 1969, the "poultry paladin... on an epic crusade against epic fails" can be used as a Survivor in the cooperative boardgame.

Able to cross "any distance necessary" to give a fumbling Survivor "a good character-building whack over the head" with his raw chicken, the miniature was undercoated using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being layered with "Vallejo" Gunmetal. He was then drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"CoolMiniOrNot" WIPs - Daredevil now just needs some odd details to be 'picked out'

The figure's tunic was pigmented in "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, shaded with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and roughly highlighted with a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo Heavy Grey. I also took this moment to 'pick out' some of the armour plate's rivets and decorations using a combination of "Vallejo" Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Finally, I got to work on the plucked chicken using a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey. The dead bird was then sploshed with plenty of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey, and toned down a little via a splodge of watered-down "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. As a last touch, I also carefully traced out the poor poultry's sewn up eyes with some lines of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Professor Krazvo is being painted from the feet up

Alongside this bizarre "Zombicide" gaming piece I have begun working on the Daredevil miniature found inside the "Marvel United" starter box by "CoolMiniOrNot". I'm not terribly sure just how powerful the Defender is in the board-game. But thought he'd make a good pairing with his old comrade-in-arms, the Black Widow - who I've previously pigmented.

In addition, I've started applying the final touches to Professor Krazvo by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". The scientist is actually a villain according to the "7TV" ruleset. However, I plan to use him as Doctor Hans Zarkov for my "Flash Gordon" project, and have resultantly tried to utilise a palette more akin to the costumes worn by actor Frank Shannon during the science fiction franchise's 1936 cinematic serial...