"He Slimed Me."

"That's great. Actual physical contact. Can you move?"

This 28mm scale metal model of an Ectoplasmic Entity is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought from their Heroes and Allies range as part of their Paranormal Exterminators 1 deal. Designed to be used with the manufacturer's "fun, cinematic style skirmish" game 7TV - Second Edition, the spectral sculpt is clearly influenced by the character Slimer from the "Ghostbusters" franchise.

Originally I had planned to simply paint this figure using a dark green colour and just get it finished quickly with a splash of shade and a thorough dry-brush. But it then occurred to me that it would make the ideal test piece for my newly acquired "Vallejo" Fluorescent Green. As a result I primed the spooky ghost with "Vallejo" White and subsequently applied a couple of coats of Fluorescent Green over the entire miniature.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Sentient Fungus has been primed. shaded and dry-brushed

I then drowned "Onionhead" in "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green and dusted the figure down with a "Vallejo" White dry-brush. This provided the figure with a sort of Zenithal highlight which I was able to patiently glaze with numerous layers of "Vallejo" Fluorescent Green. The trick really was to allow each passing of the paint to fully dry before applying the next coat, and to focus on those areas of the model, such as the ghoul's face and stomach which had really caught the "Vallejo" White.

The Ectoplasmic Entity's mouth was pigmented using "Citadel" Abaddon Black, whilst his teeth were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally I 'spotted' Slimer's eyes with a couple of dabs of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and resisted the urge to shade them, so as to ensure they stood out that little bit more from the rest of the model.

"Frostgrave" WIPs - This White Gorilla is slowly having all its flesh 'picked out' and shaded

Alongside "Little Spud" I have been speedily making my way through the final four of the company's Alien Pets range, including their recently released Horned Urz cub and Sentient Fungus. With the exception of their bizarre insect-eating Vermilepus, I've really enjoyed pigmenting this line of "Colony 87" models, and potentially plan on using some of them as alternatives to the Vermin Swarms/Feral Dogs encountered as Zone Hostiles in "Zona Alfa" by "Osprey Wargames".

Lastly, I have finally made some significant in-roads on my White Gorilla for "Frostgrave". I've actually lost count how many times I've picked this "North Star Military Figures" model up and quickly put back down again, as I find the disappointing sculpt to be a real motivation-killer whenever I try to paint it. However, I've finally knuckled down to get all the ape's flesh areas finished and now just need to tidy up its hairy fur before I can call the beast done...

“It's Time For Mayhem!"

"Here comes the one-man wrecking crew!”

This 34mm tall resin model of Mayhem is produced by "Kitbash Games", and was bought as part of my pledge from their highly successful "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" in August 2019. A past his prime wrestler who was "infused with unimaginable might" by the avatar of a trickster god, I actually plan to use the casting as a Third Reich super-villain known as the Berlin Brawler for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules.

Having super-glued the figure onto a 28mm lipped base, I first undercoated Miles Maxwell's alter-ego with a double layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone before shading it in "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I then applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the brute's boots, leather belt and cowl, and delicately dry-brushed his laces with some "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three X-Commandos

The former wrestler's toe-caps and spiked belt were given a 'lick' of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I did originally consider just pigmenting the spikes on Mayhem's belt with metallic paint, and leaving the rest as black leather. But in the end decided I rather liked the look of the 'official' plate metal colour scheme.

In order to help tie-in the figure with my Weird War Two setting, I gave his trousers a layer of "Vallejo" German Fieldgrey WWII and shaded them with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Lastly, I picked out the eye-slits in the heavily-muscled maniac's head covering with a couple of lines of "Vallejo" White.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - An Ectoplasmic Entity

Moving my attention back to reducing the sizeable backlog of "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" miniatures I currently own, I have finished dry-brushing and shading the predominantly black uniforms of three X-Commandos. I have also managed to both layer and shade their flesh areas, and now just need to highlight their hands and faces before finishing off their insignias and red berets.

In addition, I am within a gnat's whisker of completing the Lincolnshire-based company's Ectoplasmic Entity. This corpulent-sized ghost has been painstakingly treated to numerous layers of "Vallejo" Fluorescent Green over the past few days, and now just needs a little tidying up before being tabletop ready.

"You Stare At Him, And He Just Stares Back."

"That's when the attack comes -- Not from the front, no, from the side, from the other two raptors..."

This 52mm tall plastic figure of a Velociraptor is produced by “Mondo Games” and can be found inside the Jurassic Park: Ingen Vs. Raptors board game for "Unmatched". Sculpted to depict the "genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur that originated from Late Cretaceous Asia" in one of their pulse-pounding pulses from the 1993 American film "Jurassic Park", the model was initially chopped from its 25mm stand with a sharp modelling knife and glued upon a 40mm circular base instead.

"A bipedal, feathered carnivore with a long tail", the predator was primed using "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey. I then pigmented all the Raptor's claws and sharp tiny teeth with "Vallejo" White and subsequently treated them all to a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade too.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Kayo the Bouncer is slowly having all her details 'picked out'

As a penultimate step I 'picked out' both the Velociraptor's eyes with "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and a splash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Before finishing the well-detailed dromaeosaurid by coating its tongue with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Following the completion of my third "Unmatched" model by "Mondo Games" I have managed to spend a lot more time focusing upon my entry for Fembruary, and as a result have almost got Kayo the Bouncer table-top ready. I don't actually plan on using the "Kitbash Games" resin miniature for their "Supers Unlimited" rule-set. so have instead painted her to be the Soviet colleague of Stalingrad known as Mother Russia for my own Weird War Two adventures.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Ectoplasmic Entity has been primed, layered and shaded

In addition, I have taken the opportunity of needing to clear some significant space within my "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" backlog prior to their latest successful Kickstarter, Lurkers From The Deep, reaching fruition, to test out my "Vallejo" Fluorescent Green on the company's Ectoplasmic Entity model. I'm not really sure whether this experiment will work, but due to the sculpt's overall smoothness felt that if the worst happened I could always just over-paint or even strip the "Ghostbusters" lookalike.

For now though I've simply been patiently building up the layers of the Model Color acrylic paint over a "Vallejo" White base, and washing "the Ghost of John Belushi" with some "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Once completed the plan is to then lightly dry-brush the entire ensemble with (more) "Vallejo" White to provide a sort of Zenithal highlight, and then glaze over the miniature with (even more) Fluorescent Green; similar as to how I applied "Vallejo" Fluorescent Yellow to my "Heroclix" Zzzax by "Wizkids" last year.

"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.

Napoleonic "Black Powder" Project Planned For 2010

My main project for 2010 will be the creation of both a French and opposing British army from the Napoleonic era using 15mm “Essex Miniatures”. Originally envisaged in March 2007, this venture initially started out as an eccentric attempt to create two “De Bellis Antiquitatis” forces with which to learn Phil Barker’s rules. Indeed I only finished basing a twelve ‘element’ French infantry army (using basic Blades, Bows, Psiloi and Auxilia elements) last month in order to help ‘teach me’ the game.

However the very recent purchase of Rick Priestley and Jervis Johnson’s 1700 – 1900 rule set has changed this goal. Instead, I now hope to have painted enough figures for me to participate in a ‘proper’ “Black Powder” battle (with twenty-four strong Infantry units) by December 2010.

As a result I intend to complete work on at least one (40mm x 20mm) base of 15mm Napoleonic models each week. Only then will I pay any attention to some of the other minor projects I have tentatively given the green light to for 2010.

Foremost amongst these other ventures is a ‘Ghostbusters’ themed homemade rule set using a selection of models from (predominantly) “Heresy Miniatures” and “Wyrd Minatures”, as well as scenery from “Ainsty Products” (via “Old Crow Models”).