"I Ain't Afraid Of No Ghost!"

Having completed my ‘Ghost Rangers’ I have been scrambling around for some suitable miniatures to act as ghosts. I didn’t really want to purchase any new miniatures, and instead scoured my ‘lead mountain’ for some models that I wouldn’t ordinarily have painted.

These “Newark Model Soldier Company” models were given away free upon entrance to a number of the “Partisan” wargaming conventions, and just go to show how many of them I have attended over the past decade. They consist of (starting from the left of the back row): ‘Laurence the Asylum Attendant’, 'Paul the Postman’, ‘Stuart the Telegrapher’, ‘Harold the Hero’ and ‘Little Lau the Chimney Sweep’. The container of ‘ghost slime’ (to be used as an objective marker) is a plastic model from the old “Games Workshop” ‘Warhammer 40k’ boxed starter set ‘The Battle For Macragge’.

I actually used these models as a test for a colour scheme I want to use on a “Games Workshop” ‘Lord of the Rings’ Army of the Dead force, so I undercoated them all with Skull White. I then simply gave them a wash of Thrakka Green, a wash of Devlan Mud, and dry brushed them Skull White. I now plan to paint a second ‘Paul the Postman’, ‘Stuart the Telegrapher’ and ‘Little Lau the Chimney Sweep’ to help fill out the numbers of ghosts. I’m sure I’ve seen a butcher model somewhere as well...?

"Who You Gonna Call?"

One of my smaller projects for 2010 was a planned set of homemade rules based upon the “Ghostbusters” films and cartoons (using the 1986 Ghostbusters Role-Playing Game” by “West End Games” as a starting point). However my recent exposure to the numerous variants of “Song of Blades and Heroes” has lead to my discovery (and purchase) of the “Fear and Faith” Horror Skirmish miniatures rules by “Ganesha Games”, and as a result I’ve concentrated simply on painting some models for the venture instead. Indeed, one of “Ganesha Games” forthcoming supplements is entitled “Ghost Rangers” and is described as “A full campaign for those guys you’re gonna call when the town is full of spooks. Hunt them, stock them, and remember, never cross the streams.”

I’ve previously seen these “Heresy Miniatures” superbly converted with proton backpacks and ghost traps but I quickly wanted them painted, based and ready for action. The models consist of HSF008 ‘Inspector (with coffee) Bob Jones’, HSF009 ‘Inspector Johnson’, HSF010 ‘Inspector Camille Van Towe’, HSF011 ‘Inspector (with scanner) Kane’, and HSF012 ‘Inspector Knuckles’.

I wanted my ‘Ghostbusters’ to wear their original ‘light brown’ costumes so Venkman, Stantz, Spengler and Zeddemore were all predominantly painted Dheneb Stone and washed with Devlan Mud. The red emblems were simply painted Mechrite Red and Baal Red; and their belt buckles Burnished Gold and “Coat d’arms” Brown Ink. As I thought Melnitz should stand apart from the foursome I painted her uniform with Astronomican Grey and Badab Black.

The stone circle is a resin piece I purchased a couple of years ago whilst at “Colours” in Newbury. As I plan for it to ‘emerge’ within a cityscape (as an objective), it was undercoated Chaos Black, and then dry brushed using Codex Grey and Fortress Grey. The standing stones were painted with Calthan Brown and Devlan Mud, before being dry brushed with more Calthan Brown.