Top Ten Manufacturers Of 2014 - A "Fantorical" Viewpoint

The fifth article covering my favourite miniature manufacturers over the years, this period focused predominantly upon my obsession with World War Two, whether it be the odd 10mm Soviet tank by "Pendraken Miniatures", some 28mm Allied vehicles originally cast by "Bolt Action Miniatures", or a veritable horde of brain-hungry German zombies by "Westwind Productions". However, it also encapsulated a remarkable fascination with some of the smaller scales within the hobby, such as 6mm and 15mm, which seemed to stem from a desire to pigment a variety of Modern Day British forces, as well as some "Rogue Trader" era inspired 'space knights'.

No.10 (Joint) - "Bolt Action Miniatures" - "Bolt Action"

It’s incredible to think just how long this particular resin model of a British Daimler Dingo Mk II Scout Car was left languishing in my ‘To do’ pile. But considering that “Bolt Action’s splendid line of 28mm World War Two miniatures and vehicles” was sold to “Warlord Games” in late 2008, this resin automobile must have been sat gathering dust on my painting table for a good six years or so before being finished. Fortunately, despite having little interest in historical gaming, the scout car made a welcome armoured mobile unit for my allies “Weird War Two” force using the “Savage Worlds” rule-set by “Pinnacle Entertainment Group”.

No.10 (Joint) - "Warlord Games" - "Bolt Action"

Despite having little interest in actually playing Rick Priestley and Alessio Cavatore’s “Bolt Action” tabletop game itself, this “re-release from the BEF Miniatures range” was one of a small handful of vehicles I planned to add to my British Commonwealth forces for “Weird War Two”. However, unlike the partially-painted A11 Matilda Mark I Infantry Tank which was meant to accompany it, this “classic light truck” was not only completed, but actually saw some occasional battlefield action; albeit my Flying Standard 10' "Tilly" Truck's most enigmatic role was probably being a simple ‘prop’ for a game of “Zombie TV” by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”, which saw Doctor Who and U.N.I.T. battle an ever-increasing invasion of Cybermen….

No.8 - "Pendraken Miniatures" - "Alien Creatures"

Something of a mixed bag, but predominantly motivated by a desire to reinforce my H.R. Giger aliens with an alternative fast-moving unit, this Middlesbrough-based manufacturer initially caught my eye courtesy of their somewhat oversized 10mm Face Huggers. These diminutive parasitoids not only proved straightforward to paint, but fortuitously proved perfectly scaled to accompany my larger “Ground Zero Games” Xenomorphs in their bloody battle against Humankind. In addition, I was rather pleased to pigment a few stands of reinforcements for both my English Civil War Royalist Army, and Russian (winter) World War Two force.

No.7 - "Ground Zero Games" - "Xenomorphs"

Bearing an uncanny resemblance to H.R. Giger’s famous motion picture extra-terrestrials, these xenomorphs seemed the perfect opponents for my 15mm Prydian Army by “The Ion Age”, and finally saw some tabletop action as a sizeable antagonistic horde during the year despite actually being bought at “Colours” 2013. To make their journey to the battlefield even more remarkable though, a number of the figures were actually stripped in methylated spirits and re-painted during this period, whilst others were re-based from their original 40mm x 60mm rectangular stands onto some “Battlefront Miniatures” bases so as to better tie-in with a never-realised “Flames Of War” cross-over…

No.6 - "The Ion Age" - "The Prydian Army"

Strongly influenced by this 15mm range’s nostalgia-inducing similarities to the old “Rogue Trader” miniatures by “Games Workshop”, I returned from “Salute” 2014 with a rather sizeable consignment of these models and quickly set to work painting up a small(ish) force of Retained Knights and the Prydian Army Muster. Admittedly, I didn’t actually pigment these figures in their “famous red and white” uniforms, but my desire to field some proxy Crimson Fist Space Marines and Imperial Guard still saw a fair few of these figures on the tabletop, as well as a couple of vehicles.

No. 5 - "Pulp Figures" - "Boys In Blue"

Pigmented purely as a somewhat straightforward submission for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, as part of a Pulp-themed side-challenge, these ten Boys In Blue were supposedly the spearhead of a huge push of Bob Murch’s miniatures for the event featuring many more figures from the Canadian sculptor’s Gangland Justice Range. Sadly however, despite managing to include the first black police officer in New York City,  Sergeant Samuel J. Battle, as well as a vintage call box and fire hydrant into the mix, my momentum for this project disappointingly soon petered out just before the year’s end…

No.4 - "GHQ Models" - "Micro Armour"

As a wargamer I am somewhat prone to impulse purchases, and never has this weakness been more aptly demonstrated than by the Micro Armour boxed sets by “GHQ” I bought at “Colours” in 2011. Three years later and I finally started to plough my way through both my Modern British Combat Team and Modern Mujahadin/Al Qaeda Combat Team. These “super detailed 1:285 scale figures” were incredibly fun to paint, despite their eye-watering diminutive size, and I became so enthused with the range that I even managed to finish a fair few vehicles for my British forces as well.

No.3 - "Mongoose Publishing" - "Judge Dredd"

There can be little doubt that the 2012 “Judge Dredd” Kickstarter by “Mongoose Publishing” had both a positive and negative impact upon my hobby. True, the tardiness in the company's sculpting, casting and delivery of their supporters’ numerous pledges would debatably ruin their reputation. But it also provided me with an opportunity to slowly pick my way through a number of Street Judges, two versions of “Old Stony Face” himself, and the arch-nemesis of Mega-City One’s toughest lawman, Judge Death. I even managed to pigment Nu-Earth’s last surviving Genetic Infantryman, despite having wisely ‘backed out’ from Mongoose Matt’s calamitous “Rogue Trooper” Kickstarter at the last minute…

No.2 - "Westwind Productions" - "Secrets Of The Third Reich"

Thoroughly enthused by the “Weird War Two” setting for “Savage Worlds” by “Pinnacle Entertainment Group”, and the sheer range of supernatural forces on offer by “Westwind Productions” and their “Secrets Of The Third Reich” miniature range, it was probably inevitable I was going to end up painting a significant number of zombies for my battlefield; both German and Soviet. In addition, the Oldham-based manufacturer also lured me into their darkly Gothic Steampunk Victorian setting, with four well-sculpted London Bobbies from their tremendously successful Kickstarter “Empire Of The Dead: Requiem”.

No.1 - "Wizkids" - "Heroclix"

Undoubtedly inspired by several battle reports utilising the “7TV” rule-set by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”, and much more “Marvel Worldwide” focused than “DC Comics”, my collection of re-painted (and re-based) plastic “Wizkids” models saw its numbers significantly swell throughout 2014. However, it arguably wasn’t until the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge towards the very end of the year that I truly ‘knuckled down’ with my “Heroclix” and polished off a small raiding force of U-Men to follow the Black Manta, as well as a trio of Dreadnought robots to do the bidding of Ultron.

6mm Zombicide Report: The Middle Eastern Alliance Verses The British Army

THE MIDDLE EASTERN ALLIANCE BATTLES THE BRITISH ARMY

This game was played predominantly using the ‘Season One’ rules of “Zombicide” by “Guillotine Games”. However in order to better represent the spirit of "Battlefield Evolution: Modern Combat" by "Mongoose Publishing" we used some homemade "Hurlbat" terrain tiles and a handful of resin buildings produced by "Baccus 6mm". As I wanted to try out the rules playing with modern military forces, and have plenty of painted “Micro Armour” models ready for the table, we simply swapped the Survivors and Walkers, with Fedayeen, Rifleman sections and Land Rovers.

“The story so far… The British Army have recently seized control of Carrion City. From there they plan to strike west and capture Vampiville; a heavily fortified town which comprises of inner and outer settlements. Aware of its military importance the local Revered Leader has deployed a small number of dedicated civilian troops armed with AK-103 automatic rifles to delay the British until such time as the Middle Eastern Alliance can arrive. Realising they must strike now the British have ordered the Land Rovers of Alpha Team to race west and establish a cordon around Vampiville. Whilst the riflemen of Bravo Team are to follow and once reunited with their colleagues take both parts of the town...

THE TABLETOP - EACH TILE REPRESENTS A MOVEMENT ZONE

Before we started Alpha Team were awarded the skill 2 Zones per Move Action on account of their transportation. Whilst Bravo Team started the game already armed with L85A2 assault rifles. The objective was simple in that both Teams had to reach the interior of Vampiville. All the other rules of the "Zombicide" Tutorial scenario, such as a reduced Fedayeen deck and special starting equipment, were followed. Which meant that the game started with two of the Revered Leader’s Fedayeen Squads already in play….

THE BRITISH ARMY MAKE READY IN CARRION CITY

Better equipping themselves for the task at hand Alpha Team lingered within Carrion City in order to collect some L85A2 assault rifles. While Bravo Team made contact with some local 'friendlies' who would assist them in stealthily departing the settlement. To the north and west the Fedayeen squads moved in to surround the British Army and pin them inside. Sensing that battle was about to commence the Revered Leader motivated another group of the fanatically dedicated troops to arrive.

FEDAYEEN SQUADS PREPARE TO ENCIRCLE THE BRITISH POSITION IN CARRION CITY

Bravo Team fired into the Fedayeen to Carrion City's west, before striking out along the south coast. Alpha Team took a little longer to dispatch their opponents to the north. but having done so drove their Land Rovers hard and reached the northern coast. The remaining Fedayeen squad travelled east. Whilst their Revered Leader created another group of troops.

THE BRITISH ARMY STRIKE WEST AS MIDDLE EASTERN ALLIANCE REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE

Alpha Team drove to the outskirts of Vampiville, deployed its riflemen, and dispatched the enemy soldiers who had been travelling east from the location of the Revered Leader. Bravo Team shortly arrived at their location, and prepared to use their 'friendlies' to create an opening through the settlement's outer defences. The one remaining Fedayeen Squad travelled towards the British positions, and no new troops appeared.

ALPHA TEAM AND BRAVO TEAM REUNITE JUST EAST OF THEIR TARGET

Bravo Team used the 'friendlies' intelligence to enter Vampiville's outermost buildings and were horrified to find two Fedayeen Squads guarding them. British surveillance also revealed a third squad of enemy troops stationed within the settlement's inner area. The town was clearly well-garrisoned. Bravo Team set to work trying to clear the buildings of the Middle Eastern Alliance forces and managed to destroy one of the squads protecting the outer dwellings. Alpha Team provided additional support and helped completely clear the immediate area of both Fedayeen Squads; including the civilian troops approaching from the south. Eager to repel the British from their settlement, the Revered Leader's soldiers deep inside Vampiville moved east to set up operations in the town's now vacant defences. Whilst their commander created two more Fedayeen Squads in the south-west.

THE BRITISH ARMY DISCOVER THE TOWN IS HEAVILY DEFENDED

Alpha Team poured all their firepower into the town's remaining defenders. But failed to budge them. It therefore fell to Bravo Team to (finally) take Vampiville's outer buildings, and garrison the place before the arrival of the imminent Fedayeen reinforcements. The troops recently created by the Revered Leader rushed north and into the settlement, inspired by the creation of yet another squad behind them.

THE OUTER BUILDINGS FINALLY FALL TO THE BRITISH ARMY

As the desperate city fighting ensued Bravo Team managed to disperse one of the Fedayeen Squads. The British's effort was not going to be enough to hold the outer town however until Alpha Team drove their Land Rovers down the settlement's streets and finally cleared them of opposition. Such a hard-fought victory was only fleeting though as more of the Middle Eastern Alliance's forces arrived to contest Vampiville from the south and the Revered Leader even managed to conjure up enough support for another squad to appear in the south-west.

DESPITE WAVES OF FEDAYEEN FORCES THE TOWN IS TAKEN BY THE BRITISH ARMY

Realising it was 'do or die' Alpha Team defeated their Fedayeen opponents in the outer buildings and pushed west to take the undefended interior area of the settlement as well. The British Army now held the entirety of Vampiville...

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2014 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

Now for those of you expecting a posting by Blax The Kleric I apologise for high-jacking your usual dose of “Fantorical”, but rest assured normal service will soon be restored. But for today only Simon and I have agreed to submit a post to one another's blogs, detailing each others ten favourite painted figures of 2014. So what you will find below are my personal favourites from Simon’s output for the year...

No. 10 - German Zombie Captain by "West Wind Productions" - February

Zombies have been very much in 'vogue' for the last few years, in films, television and of course in Wargames though I am reliably informed by one of my work colleagues (who know’s about this sort of thing) that Nazi zombies are the most evil as they were already evil before they were zombies! All I know is that the ones Simon has painted up are rather nice (if that’s the right word to use for zombies), and I particularly like the Captain figure in his shirt and braces still wearing his officers peaked cap.

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/german-zombie-horde-in-helmets-part.html

No. 9 - Albino Skink Champion - "Games Workshop" - December

“Oldhammer” is a thing that could only be unique to "Games Workshop". No other company has such a fast turnover of figures that models from the Eighties and Nineties could be looked upon with nostalgia (most would still have them in their current ranges!). It is however where a lot of us started in the hobby, so it’s nice to see some of these 'classic' fantasy armies getting dusted off and given a coat of paint (even if I would not dare take on a challenge like this!). Now the figure I’ve chosen is one that I know Simon wasn’t that pleased with, but it’s my choice so he’ll have to put up with it. Though it may not be as white as he’d hoped it would be, I love the fact that 'Gluckle The Greedy' looks like he’s seen many a battle and the contrast to the blue skin colour of the rest of the skinks in his unit really makes him stand out as a special character. Sorry Simon I like him!

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/oldhammer-albino-skink-champion.html

No. 8 - Judge Death - "Mongoose Publishing" - November

Now Simon has done quite a bit of complaining about the quality of the casting on some of these “Judge Dredd” miniatures, but I’ve not seen anything wrong with any of his finished models. Perhaps he’s just clever with how he photographs them!?!. I have liked quite a few of the ones he’s presented over the year but in the end it came down to the two versions of Judge Death. Both are smashing figures and the way the 'ectoplasmic' vapour was painted emerging from the bottom of the giant helmet only version was most impressive (and something I’ve always struggled with!). But in the end the full bodied version just edged it.

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-crime-isss-life-sssentenssse-isss.html

No. 7 - Aliens - "Ground Zero Games" - April

Aliens... Now who doesn’t want an army of these little blighters? After Daleks these have got to be my evil army of choice. They are one of those figures that appear so easy to paint and yet are so difficult to get just right. But that is exactly what Simon has done here with these 15mm xenomorphs. His style of painting and use of gloss varnish finish compliments them perfectly, not to mention that his use of the 10mm “facehuggers” from “Pendraken” is also rather inspired.

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/ground-zero-games-xenomorphs-final-part.html

No. 6 - Iceman "Wizkids" - December

I love superheroes, I could have nearly filled this entire list with the “Heroclix” figures that Simon has repainted (The Rhino and the Thing spring immediately to mind), but I’ve decided to limit myself to just two for my top ten. So for my first superhero entry I have taken a figure that has only recently been completed and that is Bobby Drake, better known as Iceman, from the X-Men. Now this is a figure I own myself, however needless to say mine doesn’t look anything like this. Still in his original clear blue plastic I actually thought the model looked quite good, until I saw this repaint of him. I know that Simon has put a lot of work into getting a sense of coldness into the figure and it really shows. This is a figure that I know quite few people have commented approvingly about and one Simon himself is pretty pleased with and for good reason. A great example of what these figures can look like.

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/stop-fighting-and-make-nice-or-iceman.html

No. 5 - Modern Middle Eastern Alliance Revered Leader "GHQ" - May

6mm figures can be great. They are cheap, are quick and easy to paint and you don’t need acres of space to play in. Having said all that when I first read this blog entry I thought these figures were 10 or 15mm scale that just shows the levels of detail that there is painted onto on these little lumps of lead. He has also taken the chance to build up tiny little diorama. So what could have been just another pretty boring stand of infantry has been given an injection of personality with the simple addition of the camel (is this a subliminal metaphor for the reasons behind the conflict “the straw that broke the camels back" I wonder?); plus it also makes him easier to pick out on the battlefield. All of this goes into making the stand a rather clever little figure base.

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/modern-middle-eastern-alliance-revered.html

No. 4 - Jesus Of Nazareth - "Space Vixens From Mars" - November

A good blog entry should get a reaction from the reader and this miniature certainly did that. I thought I was holding my own in our “Mo’vember” painting challenge when up popped this little fellow (is it blasphemous to call the son of god a little fellow? I don’t know). Anyway as I said at the time “How do you top Jesus!?!” Though it was never a competition, if it had been I think Simon would have won it then and there. Another excellent paintjob and a figure I would never in a million years of even thought existed. Quite brilliantly well played that man.

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/truly-this-man-was-son-of-god.html

No. 3 - Roj Blake - "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - October

I am a big fan of Seventies British science-fiction, and so it would seem is our host here, as not only does he post some very entertaining cartoon strips of his take on classic “Dr who” over on his “Mooretoons” blog, but he has also brought us his continuing painting saga of the original members of the Liberator's crew from “Blake's Seven”. Now if he had finished painting 'Jenna Stannis' I would probably have picked her, but as he hasn’t… (I’m still waiting Simon!), I have picked the main man himself. It’s quite scary how much the finished figure does look like Gareth Thomas, I think he might actually have got his hands on the Master's 'Cellular Compression Device'... I mean you never see the actor and the figure together now do you?

http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/no-im-coming-back.html

No. 2 - Frankenstein’s Monster - "Graven Images" - October

Simon is actually painting up a second ("Heroclix") version of this legendary concoction of body parts even as we speak and from what we’ve seen so far I am sure this will also be an excellent example of the breed. However for the moment I have chosen this lovely (is that the right word) 40mm “Universal Movies” version. I love old horror films and would much rather watch an old “Universal” or “Hammer” atmospheric classic than one of today’s 'gore fests'. Plus this fellow really captures the essence of Boris Karlov’s iconic performance.
http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/look-its-moving-its-alive-its-alive.html

No.1 - Lockjaw - "Wizkids" - November

Now it maybe the fact that I am a big “Silver age” comic fan, or that "The Inhumans” doggie chum has turned up in a few of the classic comics I have been reading of late. But I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for this teleporting canine. If I’m brutally honest when Simon first put him forward as one of his entries into our “Mo’vember” painting challenge, creative as the choice was, I actually found the miniature in question somewhat uninspiring. Therefore it was all the more surprising when he presented the finished figure a couple of weeks later... What a transformation. Here was a figure that I really wish I’d painted. One thing that constantly surprises me on Simon’s blog is his ability to take these “Heroclix” miniatures and, by giving them a top notch re-paint, show what really good sculpts are lurking under the often pretty dodgy paint-jobs they come with. If there’s one thing I’ve come away from “Fantorical” with this year it is “Don’t judge a miniature by the paint-job it comes with!”.
http://fantorical.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/whos-good-bizarro-doggie.html

And that’s why he’s made it to the top of my “Fantorical Favourites” of 2014.So that’s it, my top ten of Blax the Kleric's figures for 2014. All that remains for me to do is thank Simon for coming up with the idea behind this bit of nonsense, and giving me the opportunity to share with you my favourite bits of his output for the year. If you’re interested to see what he thought of my attempts at sloshing the paint and such about please follow the link below:
http://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com/2014/12/26/blax-the-klerics-top-ten-of-2014

Finally I’d just like to wish you all the very best of new years, and may your paint only flow where you wish it to.Cheers Roger.

Modern Middle Eastern Alliance Fedayeen - Part Two

These four bases of 6mm "GHQ" miniatures form part of a larger Fedayeen Squad I've been painting as a Frontline Asset for my Middle Eastern Alliance (MEA) army. Originally the force consisted of a unit leader, accompanied by five stands of soldiers armed with assault rifles. These additional stands give the squad some much needed specialist weapon support in the form of two SVU sniper rifle stands and two AT-13 Sexhorn-2 anti-tank missile system stands.

 

All four bases utilise models taken from the "Micro Armour" stock codes TW1 Mujahadin Individual Infantrymen and TW2 Mujahadin Individual Heavy Weapons. The models were initially undercoated with "Vallejo" White, washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" White in order to bring out their detail. I then 'picked out' the soldier's footwear, weapons, hands and faces with "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The areas of skin were painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Ogryn Flesh wash. Many of the models were additionally adorned with one or two ammunition belts, which I painted using a second hand pot of "Vallejo" Brass followed by a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

In addition I’ve finally knuckled down and started to progress painting of my 15mm “The Ion Age” miniature collection. This particular lead/resin mountain has swelled quite considerably in recent months due to the company releasing a plethora of excellent looking vehicles and terrain pieces, as well as numerous new infantry models – all of which come at a fantastic discount if pre-ordered. As a result I’ve managed to finish painting this Retained Knight Anvil 888 launcher team and should soon have them based up ready for the battlefield.

Pendraken Miniatures English Civil War Cuirassiers

This 40mm x 30mm stand of English Civil War Heavy Horse is actually the third such base I’ve painted over the past eighteen months for my long suffering and far from complete 10mm Royalist Army. All the models are from "Pendraken Miniatures" code EC11 Cuirassier.

 In order to ‘tie-in’ with the rest of my King’s Lifeguard forces, the models were initially undercoated with “Vallejo” Gunmetal Grey and then washed with Black Shade. I then dry brushed the cavalry soldiers’ armour, helmets and swords with more Gunmetal Grey. Their helmet plumes were painted with Heavy Red and washed with Red Shade, and their boots picked out with Heavy Ochre and Umber Shade. For the horses I simply undercoated them either “Vallejo” White or Heavy Sienna and then washed them entirely with some more Umber Shade.

 I’ve still got a handful more of these 6mm "GHQ" "Micro Armour" miniatures to paint and base, but I’ve finally finished enough to start basing up the majority of my Fedayeen Squad SVU sniper rifle and AT-13 Sexhorn-2 anti-tank missile system stands.

 I've also managed to start using “Citadel” Abaddon Black to help pick out some of the detail on three models from the "Empire Of The Dead" boxed set EOTD-07 London Bobbies. I'm actually in a bit of quandary with these 28mm miniatures by "West Wind Productions", as I am not sure how best to bring out the dark ‘Bobbie” blue of their uniform and capes. In the past with such subject matter I’ve either undercoated them black and then dry brushed them dark blue, or simply painted them dark blue and applied a dark blue wash.

Sally 4th Wargames Figure Warchests

Despite my best intentions the size of my model collection, be it lead, plastic, resin or MDF mountain, continues to grow. As a result storage space has increasingly become a problem so I’ve invested some time, and a little money over the past couple of weeks trying to remedy my shortage of shelf space. Having decided to abandon my current practice of simply using plastic bead craft storage boxes for my miniatures, I’ve taken the plunge and bought some precision laser cut MDF Wargames Figure Chests from the “Sally 4^th” website found here: http://wargamesbuildings.co.uk.

I only purchased five of their MDF boxes, including lids and appropriate inserts, in order to see just how well they’d accommodate all the 6mm and 15mm models I’ve been painting recently. Currently these figures are stored in a variety of brightly coloured plastic craft containers, which despite their considerable size, are unable to hold many of my miniature bases due to the odd sizing of their compartments; doubtless though they’re ideal for keeping beads and suchlike safely housed.

When the package from “Sally 4^th” arrived, I must confess to being a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of pieces confronting me, and as a result was somewhat concerned that I had made an expensive mistake; especially as each Chest costs approximately £12 with the lid and insert.

Fortunately my package included an excellent ‘Assembling your Warchest’ guide, and having identified which MDF parts made up a single lid I was able to set to work with my PVA glue. I’d actually strongly recommend that you build the lids first as they come together far easier than the warchests and once dry make a useful housing structure to sit your warchest inside whilst you wait for its glue to harden. It also ensures that the lid will fit over the warchest when you’re ready to start stacking them up.

The 40mm square slot inlay has proved ideal to accommodate most of my 6mm “GHQ” miniatures as I can snuggly fit two of their 40mm x 20mm stands in each space, allowing me to house 40 bases of “Micro Armour” infantry and (small) vehicles per tray.

I must also extend a big thanks to Chris Abbey at “Sally 4^th” for specially cutting two 30mm x 40mm inserts out for me. These will allow me to not only store my larger “Micro Armour” vehicles but also a large part of my ever increasing “Pendraken Miniatures” 10mm Second World War Eastern Front collection.

Finally I bought a couple of inserts specifically designed to hold both the small and medium “Flames of War” rounded-corner bases by “Battlefront Miniatures”. I actually plan to use them to help store both my “Ground Zero Games” Xenomorph models and my Prydian Army by “The Ion Age”.

Modern Middle Eastern Alliance Fedayeen - Part One

These six bases of 6mm "GHQ" miniatures are the start of a large Fedayeen Squad I'm currently painting as a Frontline Asset for my Middle Eastern Alliance (MEA) army. The force currently consists of a unit leader, accompanied by five stands of soldiers armed with assault rifles and utilises models taken from the "Micro Armour" stock codes TW1 Mujahadin Individual Infantrymen and TW2 Mujahadin Individual Heavy Weapons.

 

As I've previously mentioned when compiling the Revered Leader stand for my MEA force I've found it rather difficult at this tiny scale to identify the leader bases from amidst the rest of the infantry. So in order to more easily recognize the Fedayeen unit leader I placed a donkey (doubtless heavily laden with ammunition and additional supplies) besides the kneeling/pointing figure.

The models were initially undercoated with "Vallejo" White, washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" White in order to bring out their detail. I then 'picked out' the soldier's footwear, weapons, hands and faces with "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The areas of skin were painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Ogryn Flesh wash. Many of the models were additionally adorned with one or two ammunition belts, which I painted using a second hand pot of "Vallejo" Brass followed by a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. 

 

In a complete change of scale I've also continued to labour on with these 28mm models from the "Judge Dredd Miniatures Game" by "Mongoose Publishing". I've now finished painting all of the gold areas on Judge Dekker and Judge Giant, and sealed these areas with a wash of "Citadel" Devlan Mud. In addition I've started to complete their elbow pads and gloves using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Green with "Citadel" Thrakka Green.

Painting Challenge: Week Ten - 28mm Judge Dredd Miniatures

I tried to finish painting these two 28mm "Mongoose Publishing" models as part of an earlier (fourth week) Painting Challenge, but ultimately found they were taking me too long. As a result I abandoned them in favour of some easier to paint "Heroclix" plastic miniatures by "Wizkids". Over a month later I hope to finally complete them as my subject figures for Week Ten.

 I am also slowly starting to base the nine stands of 6mm "Micro Armour" I've been painting over the past fortnight, having started work on the beginnings of a "GHQ" Middle Eastern Alliance force.

 In addition, having squeezed in three games of 'Aliens verses Imperial Guard' using "Ground Zero Games" and "The Ion Age" miniatures over the past few days, I am steadily progressing painting three more 15mm Retained Knights.

Painting Challenge: Week Nine - (Even More) 6mm Micro Armour

Amazingly my latest Painting Challenge target means I need to paint some 6mm "GHQ" "Micro Armour" miniatures for the third consecutive week. As a result I plan to expand the Fedayeen Squad I painted last week with three bases of SVU sniper rifles and AT-13 Sexhorn-2 anti-tank missile systems.

 

I have also completed two more of the laser cut scenery tiles I recently bought from "Hurlbat Games". These 3mm thick MDF pieces will portray the occasional Built Up Area (BUA) on my battlefield, and allow me to more picturesquely position a Rifleman Section around an occupied settlement, rather than simply place a base of 6mm infantry on top of a building.

 

I am also painting up some additional 15mm models by "The Ion Age" to use as 'Rogue Trader era' Imperial Guard and Space Marine reinforcements. 

Modern Middle Eastern Alliance Revered Leader

This stand of 6mm "GHQ" miniatures is comprised of models taken from their "Micro Armour" stock codes TW1 Mujahadin Individual Infantrymen and TW11 Middle Eastern Civilians. I'll be using it to represent the Revered Leader who will lead the Middle Eastern Alliance force I'm currently painting; having based its force structure upon the one found in the "Battlefield Evolution: Modern Combat" rulebook by "Mongoose Publishing".

Having previously painted a 6mm British Army platoon, I know from experience that it can be very difficult to discern between Fire Team leader bases and the 'rank and file' without getting very close to the models. I wanted to avoid this problem with my Middle Eastern Alliance force so ended up putting a camel on the base, beside the revered leader figure, in order to make it really stand out. 

 

In addition, inspired by the excellent 10mm 'batch painting' recently posted on the "Rantings From under The Wargames Table" blog [http://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/10mm-sci-fi-this-time-its-war/], I'm progressing through the first six "Micro Armour" stands I need to represent a basic Fedayeen Squad, complete with leader and all armed with AK-103 automatic rifles.

LRDG/SAS Dismounted Patrol - Part Two

This is the first of two 15mm "Battlefront Miniatures" stands I've painted over the past couple of weeks; both of which come from the "Flames Of War" blister BR758 LRDG/SAS Dismounted Patrol.

The majority of these soldiers were painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and Heavy Sienna. Both these areas were then washed with either Umber Shade or "The Army Painter" Quickshade Strong Tone. The shorts were painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst the head cloth was first painted with "Vallejo" White before being washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally their machine guns were painted using "Vallejo" Gunmetal Grey and Black Shade.

 

In addition I've started something of a 'factory line' of 6mm "GHQ" "Micro Armour" miniatures in order to 'batch-paint' approximately fifty figures from their Third World Warriors range.