"By My Clever Riddles..."

"I'm setting Batman and Robin up for the kill!"

This 28mm plastic pre-painted "Wizkids" miniature of a Lackey is number 019 from the "DC Comics" Hypertime range, and has been painted to coincide with the palette I’ve previously used for my Riddler’s Mole Hill Gang. However, as I wanted him to be a pistol-toting minion, as opposed to one carrying a cruel-looking crowbar, I have substituted his close combat weapon with a gun-hand cut from a Marvel “Heroclix” Infinity Challenge Henchmen model.

Happily, due to the nature of the plastic and the hand in question butting up against the crook’s body, I didn’t need to use anything other than super-glue to ensure the replacement piece was securely attached. Albeit, the new hand is somewhat larger than its predecessor and is adorned with a non-matching fingerless glove…

Judoon WIPs - These two alien mercenaries just need their toe-caps to be picked out

The model was initially undercoated with “Citadel” Abaddon Black, and had his trousers and woollen hat treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Niel-Tan Green. The Lackey’s jumper was then painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Violet and "Citadel" Druchi Violet. Finally, the hand-gun was given a coat of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and washed with Nuln Oil.

Due to an imminent self-imposed deadline to pitch a substantial Judoon faction up against the Fisher King in a "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" miniatures game, I have been persevering with the last of my pewter "Rhinoceros-headed humanoids" by "Warlord Games". These two black-clad mercenary police will actually give me more than I need to field a 'basic' six-strong Judoon force. But as I was already going to be painting one of the models it seemed silly not to work on my final unpigmented figure at the same time; especially as the sculpts are identical.

"Victrix" Napoleonic French WIPs - Work has finally started on the two soldiers' backpacks and muskets

Lastly, I have spent quite a bit of time progressing a pair of plastic Napoleonic French by "Victrix Limited". It's been some years since I last attempted to 'pick out' all the straps, pouches, bags and cuffs of so detailed a Line infantryman, and my enthusiasm for renewing this 'Marengo' project has been slightly dampened by the fact I can no longer use the same "Citadel" paint colours as those which I applied on my previous Frenchmen.

Fortunately, I have managed to find some suitable alternatives within the "Vallejo" Game Color range, and additionally located an old, yet still very usable, OOP pot of "Citadel" Asurmen Blue wash. I have also undergone a little 'shopping therapy' by taking full advantage of "Warlord Games" Black Friday sale and ordered myself a rather nice Napoleonic 1809-1815 Russian 6 pounder cannon...

"Now that Batman And Robin Have Been Put Away on Ice..."

"...Nothing can stop our ingenious ice crimes!"

This 28mm plastic pre-painted "Wizkids" Lackey is number 019 from the "DC Comics" Hypertime range, and forms the beginnings of a "Gotham" gang for the former cryogenics expert, Mister Freeze, which I actually started working on over eighteen months ago. Intended to resemble Doctor Shivel's bobble-hat wearing goons from the February 1966 "Batman" Television story "Instant Freeze", the figure has been slightly converted, courtesy of a small ball of two-part modelling putty, and should have originally been finished during the 2016 "Forgotten Heroes" challenge.

Having drilled a small hole in the top of the figure's head, inserted a small piece of metal rod, and sculpted a simple 'bobble', the henchman was primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black and had his trousers painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then layered his jumper and hat with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, and treated them to a wash of  "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

Zombie Gunfighter WIPs - The undead cowboy has already had all but his head painted

The lackey's 'bobble' was 'picked out' with "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey, whilst his crowbar was given a coat of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Finally, I painted the chilly criminal's flesh using some "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and then simply picked out his fingers, nose, ears, lips and cheeks with more "Vallejo Heavy Skintone. The miniature's base was flocked using some "Games Workshop" Snow.

Setting aside my "Heroclix" models momentarily, I've been lucky enough to find some time to continue working on another of my Zombie Gunfighters by "Wargames Foundry". I managed to get a handful of these pistol-carrying brain-eating cowboys painted during last month's Zomtober challenge, and hope to get the rest of the 'blister' finished over the next few weeks.

Garrek Gorebeard WIPs - The chieftain still contains a lot of unpainted detail

Similarly, I've continued to make some good progress on the first of my "Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire" plastic figures. The quick-start sheet to this "action-packed combat game" states you only need (paint) four of the miniatures found within the starter box, before you can "quickly" be taken "through the basics of moving and attacking with your fighters."

As a result I'm initially focusing upon the Bloodreaver Garrek Gorebeard, and slowly working my way up his impressively-detailed sculpt with my paintbrush. The "chieftain of a murderous band of Khorne-worshippers" will be joined by Blooded Saek in the game's introductory battle, and should also prove an eye-catching character on the "Age Of Sigmar" tabletop, now "Games Workshop" have released his Reavers' statistics for its "story-driven" wargame too.

"The Origin Of The Boromites Goes Back To Ancient Times..."

"...When humans first began to mine and exploit the resources of Antarean space."

These five 28mm metal Gang Fighters are made by "Warlord Games" and can be purchased as the Boromite Gang Fighter boxed set. Arguably detailed to the point of frustration with all the alien miners' lumps, bumps and reflex armour, these armed extra-terrestrials are all the miniatures needed in order for me to field a second Gang Fighter Squad on the tabletop.

Originally primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, the figures were shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and subsequently had a layer of Chaos Black applied over all their weaponry and hip-flasks. These metallic areas were then treated to a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, whilst those carrying "long-ranged" Mag Guns had their weapons' power lights 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

"Borom was not a planet but a star surrounded by a rocky asteroid belt..."

I painted all of the Boromites' numerous pouches using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and then turned my attention to their yellow(ish) armour and "separate multi-functional nanite receptor nodes" with some "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. The Gang Leader's Lectro Lash was created by applying a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki across the hand-weapon's orb and later washing it with some "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

These five miniatures make up the second of the two planned Gang Fighter Squads I will be fielding as part of my Boromite Scouting Force, and costs 112 points in "Beyond The Gates Of Antares" on account of each member being given Plasma Grenades ("at 2 points per model"). "Warlord Games" have recently updated their Boromite Army list to version 2.0. But fortunately, they've also kindly emailed me a free copy as a Portable Document Format (PDF) and having perused it the points haven't changed for the units I have assembled for my army, so it looks like I'm still on track for a 500 point force.

"Heroclix" Lackey WIPs - The 'converted' gunman needs some facial highlighting and his hat shaded

Having patiently persevered with my latest Boromite infantry unit, I've once again turned to my vast collection of pre-painted plastic "Wizkids" models to give me something far more straightforward to paint for a short while. This converted "Heroclix" Lackey still has a little work left on him to do, but should soon form part of the Riddler's ever-expanding crew for my "Mutants & Death Ray Guns" "Gotham" campaign.

"Sometimes You Have To Play The Role Of A Fool..."

"...To fool the fool who think they're fooling you."

These two 28mm pre-painted plastic “Wizkids” Mime Monsters are both figure number 041 from the New Jersey-based company's “Horrorclix” Nightmares line. However, rather than deploy the pair of 'guardian monsters who rescue victims' for the discontinued "collectable miniatures game" I instead, plan to utilise them as "hand-to-hand specialists" for my Joker gang when playing a Gotham-focused variant of "Mutants And Death Ray Guns" by "Ganesha Games".

Both models were originally undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey in order to 'mask' their pre-paints, and had their boots 'picked out' using a combination of Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Their trousers were then simply treated to a layer of Abaddon Black" and I started work carefully following the line of their braces with "Vallejo" Heavy Red. Unfortunately, at this point in the process I encountered a bit of a problem with the softness of one of the Mime Monsters' sculpts, which simply made it impossible in places to trace any sort of detail whatsoever.

"Heroclix" WIPs - The Joker accompanied by lackeys destined for Mister Freeze and the Riddler

As a result, I washed the successfully painted suspenders with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and gave the creepy-faced creature's beret a generous dollop of Abaddon Black, and left its counter-part's straps pure Abaddon Black but painted its flat-crowned hat with "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. To finish the "Horrorclix" Nightmares off, I washed both of their grey ribbed shirts with Nuln Oil, and 'picked out' their ghoulish faces with "Vallejo" Dead White and a wash of Pale Grey.

Unsurprisingly, my enthusiasm for re-painting "Wizkids" models is currently rather high, and has been 'fanned' by the arrival of some more "Heroclix" models from "Troll And Toad"; a webstore which "offers one of the Largest selections of Yugioh cards, Pokemon cards, Magic the Gathering cards, and Collectible Miniatures at Great Prices." This has caused me to take a sharp modelling knife to a couple of figures in order to 'create' a second gunman for the Riddler's crew, as well as base and prime an alternative sculpt of the crowned prince of crime armed with a sub-machine gun and maniacal grin.

Zombie Gunfighter WIPs - The corpse is slowly having his decaying detail 'picked out' and washed

In addition, I have finally returned to five DC Comics "Heroclix" Hypertime lackeys I started to paint as the beginnings of a gang for Mister Freeze eighteen months ago. All of these plastic figures were slightly converted so as to give them winter bobble hats as part of the 'Forgotten Heroes' challenge, and courtesy of my renewed fevered fervour for "Gotham" I have already almost finished the first of them.

Delightfully, I've also found myself 'powering through' my meagre collection of Zombie Gunfighters by "Wargames Foundry". With a little bit of luck I am hoping to post at least three brain-chomping cowboys for this week's Zomtober challenge entry, and provide my recently completed Crusaders of the Order with some shambling, but potentially still deadly with a gun, opposition...

"Security? I Seen Better Security In A Sieve Than Arkham Asylum!"

"You go ahead and try to negotiate... I'm getting to some cover."

This 28mm pre-painted plastic “Wizkids” model of Harvey Bullock is miniature number 015 from the "DC Comics" The Joker's Wild “Heroclix” range. Contentiously created as a lieutenant by Archie Goodwin for issue 441 of "Detective Comics" in 1974, the "crooked police detective" didn't really come to prominence until Doug Moench and artist Don Newton introduced him "as a device to resolve the ongoing plot-line with Gotham City's corrupt mayor Hamilton Hill" in the April 1983 edition of "Batman".

The "wise-cracking loudmouth with a Brooklyn accent" was initially primed with a thinned down layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. This was due to the miniature's pre-paint having quite worryingly softened much of the sculpt's detail, and my eagerness not to therefore worsen an already bad situation. Harvey's shoes were then 'picked out' with Heavy Sienna, and, along with both his huge overcoat and fedora, were later heavily shaded using "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. 

Boromite Gang Fighter WIPs - The alien is slowly having all his reflex armour 'picked out'

The doughnut -lovin' Detective's trousers, tie and hat-band were simply painted "Citadel" Abaddon Black, whilst his firearm and belt buckle were treated to a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Finally, his dirty, soured shirt was base-coated "Vallejo" White and subsequently stained with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshade.

I was actually in two minds about purchasing Bullock's "Wizkids" model on account of all the pictures of poor, thickly-coated pre-paints I'd seen on the 'interweb.' Ultimately however, I decided to buy one as I simply couldn't imagine any series of linked wargames based upon the "Gotham" television show not featuring the overweight, grizzled cop. Disappointingly though, I fear my concerns have somewhat materialised around how little detail I was able to extract from the figure's soft-sculpting; particularly his face and tie...

Zombie Gunfighter WIPs - Clutching a large revolver the corpse just needs some washes to be applied

With the latest addition to my "Mutants And Death Ray Guns" campaign completed however, I have found a little more hobby-time with which to continue working on the 500 points worth of Boromites I need to paint in order to deploy a Scouting Force for "Beyond The Gates Of Antares". I've actually already managed to get a couple of these metal "Warlord Games" miniatures finished this month, but want to be able to 'field' a second five-figure strong squad of Gang Fighters before I post up (yet) another article on them.

Likewise I've found myself equally as committed to progressing a few more undead cowboys for this month's Zomtober challenge. Sold courtesy of "Wargames Foundry" I'm hoping to get at least one packet of the Newark-based manufacturer's Zombie Gunfighters finished before the competition's deadline expires, and resultantly am ploughing headlong into the second of their magnificently dead seven...

Mutants & Death Ray Guns Report: The Joker Verses The Riddler - "Battle For Gotham Village" - Part Two

THE RIDDLER'S CREW DEFENDS THEIR CLAIM ON GOTHAM VILLAGE

“The story so far… The Joker, the Riddler and Two-Face have decided to try and establish their dominance over Gotham City once and for all, by 'taking over' large areas of Batman's place of residence in an effort to be declared the metropolis' undisputed crime king. Determined to bring this violence to an end however, is Commissioner Jim Gordon, whose G.C.P.D. have begun retaking the streets in the name of justice..."

GOTHAM CITY - THE JOKER MAKES HIS MOVE TO CONQUER UPTOWN

"Having decided to launch a bold attack upon the Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso in Gotham Village, and snatch the territory away from Edward Nigma, the clown prince of crime has come face-to-face with the puzzle-obsessed Riddler and seemingly gunned him down. Despite losing their leader however, Edward Nygma's crew continue to try and hold off the Joker's muscle-bound thugs..."

THE TABLETOP - GOTHAM VILLAGE

Mutants & Death Ray Guns Report: The Joker Verses The Riddler - "Battle For Gotham Village"

Galvanised by the apparent demise of his boss, the Riddler's gunman plugged the closest Joker thug with a bullet, and then leaped behind a crate checking his fire-arm. The weapon was unfortunately empty, so he'd need to re-load it with his only extra ammunition clip before he could do much else. The crowbar-armed goon surrounded by Joker thugs approached the nearest one and swung his weapon. The blow momentarily brought one of his opponents to the ground, and encouraged Nygma's third crew-member to dust himself off and also leap into the fray developing on the western edge of the Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso.

Dismayed at the evident 'fight' still left in their opponents despite the 'death' of the Prince of Puzzles, the Joker's men simply re-positioned themselves on the edge of their target's roof-top...

THE JOKER'S THUGS DOMINATE THE ROOF-TOP AS THE RIDDLER'S GOONS REGROUP

Clutching his crowbar, one of the Riddler's goons aimed a hefty swing at the thug he'd recently felled, and put the unarmed criminal out of his misery with a killing blow. The goon's similarly armed colleague forced another of the Joker's minions back towards the sheer drop separating the two buildings, whilst the Riddler's gunman quickly reloaded his pistol.

Two of the Clown Prince of Crime's musclemen leapt upon the Riddler's goons, and throwing a huge punch, tried to make their superior numbers count. With the sound of a crowbar clipping the side of a head however, the Joker's thugs were soon put right, and another of the unarmed minions was down for the count. Sensing that his forces were about to be overwhelmed by Edward Nygma's more heavily-armed men, the white-faced criminal mastermind and expert chemist ordered for another of his gang to vault over onto the roof-top of Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso.

DESPITE THEIR NUMBERS THE JOKER'S THUGS START TO FALL BEFORE TWO CROWBARS

Fending off the Joker's gang as if they were an invading boarding party attacking their prized galleon, the Riddler's crowbar-armed goons tightened their grips on their hefty weapons once again, and with a heavy blow battered another thug to the ground. Three of the Clown Prince of Crime's minions was now out of action and that meant it would only take the purple and green-attired crew-members to fell a fourth muscle-head to win the day for Edward Nygma.

Having initially appeared on the verge of victory with the 'demise' of the Riddler, the Joker was now facing imminent defeat at the hands of his opponent's obstinate crew. He rushed to the eastern edge of Gotham Village Cathedral's roof and took aim at one of the crowbar-welding goons thwarting his plans for domination. The shot rang out, Nygma's man fell to the floor, but it was only a flesh-wound, and Edward's minion would clearly soon be back on his feet if the Joker let him. With a curse, the Clown Prince of Crime waved for his final henchman, still sheltering behind a sofa, to cross over onto the roof-top of Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso.

THE JOKER TRIES TO WIN THE DAY WITH ANOTHER SHOT FROM HIS 'GOLDFISH-SHAPED' PISTOL

Realising he was about to be pummelled by the Joker's thug if he didn't get up on his feet immediately, the Riddler's goon snatched up his crowbar, stood up and whacked his assailant to death before the amazed thug knew what had really hit him. The battle was won for Edward Nygma, and despite still maniacally laughing away to himself, the Clown Prince of Crime stole away into the shadows along with his remaining grim-faced henchman...   

"Standing As A Shield Between The Darkness And The Ignorant..."

"From Ancient Greece and Imperial Rome to the present day, mankind has always been preyed upon..."

This 28mm metal Crusader of the Order can be purchased as part of Code DRAC101 - Twilight Order by "North Star Military Figures", and is the first of my submissions for this year's Zomtober challenge. Bestowed with "Nerves of Steel, a suit of armour (counting as Boilerplate)" and starting each game with all his "weapons fully loaded with Silver Bullets for free" the New World knight is one of two non-Hired Gun models which can be fielded when using The Twilight Order in the rule-set "Dracula's America" by "Osprey Games".  

The figure was initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Charred Brown and had his boots 'picked out' using Heavy Sienna. The model was then somewhat drenched in "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. His medieval armour and fire-arms were given a coat of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, whilst his Saint George's cross chest emblem was put in place using a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red and some "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. As a final touch, the collar of the gunfighter's shirt was 'tagged' with a dab of "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey, and his belt buckle treated to a dollop of Brass and some more "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

Boromite Gang Fighter WIPs - The alien is slowly having all his reflex armour 'picked out'

In addition to being lined up for "Dracula's America", I am also planning on using this particular model to represent the Lawman in "Shadows Of Brimstone" by "Flying Frog Productions. The plastic 'policeman' figure in "Swamps Of Death" is frankly a very disappointing, softly-sculpted individual. So as he's meant to be armed with both a Peacekeeper Pistol and a Sheriff's Badge, I thought such an obvious-looking force for justice as the Crusader miniature would make a rather good replacement.

With the first of my two Twilight Order models finished, I have managed to find a little hobby-time to continue progressing the 500 points worth of Boromites I need to paint in order to deploy a Scouting Force on a "Beyond The Gates Of Antares" battlefield. In the past these extra-terrestrial miners produced by "Warlord Games" have caused me a lot of frustration, but currently I'm somehow managing to remain patient enough to slowly 'pigment' all the lumps, bumps and reflex armour of another Gang Fighter.

Mime Monsters WIPs - The "Horrorclix" clowns now just need their white-faces and berets to be painted

As a result of my "Gotham" campaign finally getting underway using "Mutant And Death Ray Guns" by "Gamesha Games", I have also started searching through my collection of "Wizkids" plastic models for any sculpts which would make welcome additions to the tabletop skirmishes. One of the crews I would dearly love to add some character to is the Gotham Heights based Joker Gang, which currently lacks any real thematic feel to its muscle-bound members.

Sadly, having scoured my rather embarrassingly extensive collection of "Heroclix" figures, I wasn't able to source any lackeys which quite captured the spirit of the Clown Prince of Crime. Fortunately however, I was able to find quite a few models from my pile of "Horrorclix" miniatures, and have immediately started finishing off a pair of partially-painted Mime Monsters to use as "Hand-To-Hand Specialists". 

Mutants & Death Ray Guns Report: The Joker Verses The Riddler - "Battle For Gotham Village"

THE JOKER'S GANG INVADES GOTHAM VILLAGE

This game was played using the basic rules for “Mutants And Death Ray Guns” by “Ganesha Games”, and is the start of a campaign involving some of Batman's greatest foes as they jostle for control of Gotham City. This particular scenario is a straightforward roof-top confrontation between the Joker and the Riddler, and comprises of two small 150 point parties fighting across a pair of 8"x 8" high-rise buildings made by "Battle Systems".

“The story so far… The Joker, the Riddler and Two-Face have decided to try and establish their dominance over Gotham City once and for all, by 'taking over' large areas of Batman's place of residence in an effort to be declared the metropolis' undisputed crime king. Determined to bring this violence to an end however, is Commissioner Jim Gordon, whose G.C.P.D. have begun retaking the streets in the name of justice..."

GOTHAM CITY - UPTOWN IS FAST FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF THE JOKER AND RIDDLER

"Having already launched a series of successful crime waves from the safety of his secret headquarters in Gotham Heights, the Joker has decided to launch a bold attack upon the Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso in Gotham Village, and snatch the territory away from Edward Nigma. Unfortunately for the clown prince of crime though, the puzzle-obsessed Riddler is unwilling to give up part of his province without a fight and has mustered his men in readiness for just such an assault..."

THE TABLETOP - GOTHAM VILLAGE

Attacking from the western edge of Gotham Village Cathedral, the Joker hid behind an abandoned fridge unit, whilst his five thugs tried their best to seek shelter amidst the rest of the rooftop's detritus. The Clown Prince of Crime was armed with a Pistol [Medium Range +1 Combat], and some Joker Venom [Frenzy Drug: gives +1 in melee for the duration of the game]. He was also equipped with the Steadfast trait [+1 on Morale rolls]. The Joker's men were all low-cost unarmed minions with no special characteristics whatsoever. 

On top of Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso, the Riddler was also hidden behind a dilapidated freezer unit, whilst his three-man crew crouched beside an old sofa. Edward was armed with his trademark bladed question mark walking cane [Powered Weapon: +2 in melee] and an explosive 'surprise' box [Fragmentation Grenade: A C4 kinetic attack]. He was also Slippery [so does not receive a Free Hack when leaving a melee]. Nygma's (more specialist) gang consisted of two Goons armed with crowbars [Powered Weapon: +2 in melee] and a Goon with a Pistol [Medium Range +1 Combat]. 

THE RIDDLER AND HIS CREW SEEK COVER BEHIND A FRIDGE AND SOFA

Indignant at the Joker's obvious attempt to seize control of his territory, the Riddler moved east and hunkered down by the roof's air-conditioning unit. Behind him, his three 'stooges' stood still, waiting for their boss to hurl his 'surprise' package at their opponent's gang and 'get the party started'.

Meanwhile, The Clown Prince of Crime, spotting Edward Nygma moving towards the western edge of the Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso rooftop sprang out from his 'hiding place' and fired his 'goldfish-shaped' pistol at him. From so great a distance the shot understandably went wide. However, it was action enough to galvanise the Joker's thugs into moving forwards towards the Riddler, and crouch down behind the various crates, drink machine and sofa.

THE JOKER'S THUGS PRESS FORWARDS AS THE RIDDLER'S CREW RE-POSITION THEMSELVES

Sensing their foe was about to launch something of a foolhardy attack upon their roof-top, the Riddler's gunman moved up to the roof-top's central crate, whilst one of the crowbar-armed goons scampered over to the area's south-western crate. Edward, steely-eyed, remained by the air-conditioning unit and motioned for this of his remaining goon to accompany him.

As deadly as he is laugh is maniacal, the Joker stepped forward, fired his pistol and brought Nygma's closest 'companion' to the ground with a minor flesh-wound. With a roar of laughter the Clown Prince of Crime's thugs rushed west. Three of them stopped at the very edge of the Catherdral's roof-top, and readied themselves for the jump. But a fourth minion made the leap in a single bound and landed in front of the green and purple attired goon situated by the south-western crate. The last of the criminal mastermind's thugs also moved east, and sheltered behind the sofa close to his white-faced boss.

THE JOKER CACKLES AS HIS THUGS PREPARE TO JUMP ACROSS TO THEIR OPPONENTS' ROOF-TOP

Anticipating the Joker's assault, the Riddler barked at his fallen crew-member to get to his feet and retreat east away from their opponents. But before Edward could order anything else though, the Clown Prince of Crime took his time to aim a shot right at him, and astonishingly felled the "genius-level intellect" with a single bullet. The Riddler was 'out for the count' and his crew seemingly leaderless.

Encouraged by their bosses incredible success, one thug jumped over the frighteningly deep chasm between the two buildings, and closed in on Nygma's goon by the south-western crate. He was soon accompanied by a second thug, who, throwing a mean punch, caused Edward's crew-member to retreat back a step. Believing that victory was soon to be in their grasp, a second of the Joker's thugs braved the 'leap of faith' and landed on top of the Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso.

It looked as if the Riddler's dominion over the territory was about to fall, especially with the Joker's gang outnumbering the remnants of Nygma's crew two-to-one. But Gotham Village wasn't lost to Edward just yet, and the battle between a steel crowbar and a muscle-backed fist was yet to be fully finalised...

Mutants & Death Ray Guns Report: The Joker Verses The Riddler - "Battle For Gotham Village" - Part Two

"Let Me Kiss You Better! Kiss You With My Big Green Lips."

"I think you'll find the Prime Minister is an alien in disguise."

These three 36mm tall metal Slitheen miniatures are manufactured by “Warlord Games” and can be bought from their "Into The Time Vortex" range. Sculpted to replicate the "family of Raxacoricofallapatorian criminals" during Russell T Davies' 2005 story "Aliens Of London", the rivals of the Blathereen family, were "not [actually] created using CGI technology" on the small screen "but... mechanical prosthetics" and have made the most television appearances "of all the aliens created for the revived series".

All the figures were initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki, enthusiastically shaded with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green and dry-brushed with some additional "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki. Their clawed toes and fingers were subsequently picked out with "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, before being washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand. 

"Ahhhh... Excuse me. Your device will do what? Triplicate the flammability?"

The Slitheen's matter compression units (on their throats) were simply painted using a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Lastly, each living calcium biped had some Strong Tone Quickshade dabbed over all their joints and skin wrinkles. These areas were then blended back into the extra-terrestrial's green flesh by applying a second careful dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki.

Recently, I have become rather inspired by the American crime drama television series "Gotham", which is based upon some of the characters published by "DC Comics"; most notably James Gordon, Bruce Wayne and Oswald Cobblepot. My sudden obsession with this particular programme has inevitably led me to 'dig out' my re-painted collection of "Heroclix" plastic miniatures and also reinvigorated my idea for a Batman-based campaign set upon the rooftops of the Caped Crusader's famous "place of residence." 

Harvey Bullock WIPs - The G.C.P.D. detective is slowly having his softly-sculpted detail 'picked out'

I have previously tried just such a series of battles using the “Pillow A-Go-Go” ruleset by Australian-based company “Fiendish Fabrications”. Unfortunately however, despite playing a pilot confrontation between Batman and the Riddler, as well as a "Marvel Comics" version featuring Moon Knight and Stilt-Man, the project never managed to gain that much momentum and was soon forgotten in favour of the (then) newly released second edition of "7TV" by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio".

This time round I have chosen to utilise "Ganesha Games" rule-set "Mutants And Death Ray Guns" for my rooftop shenanigans, and, rather than wait until I've completed some additional resin scenery by "Ainsty Castings" (probably the project's biggest sticking point the first time round), I am using the pre-printed cardboard terrain produced by "Battle Systems". As a result, not only has the battle for control of Gotham already progressed to its third turn (behind the scenes), but the first clash of competing crime bosses is ready to be resolved... 

The Joker and the Riddler battle for control of Hokus & Pokus Occult Curioso and Gotham Village

In addition, I have realised that the Gotham City Police Department simply wouldn't look right without Jim Gordon's partner, Detective Harvey Bullock, being part of the team. To this end, I have acquired a "Heroclix" miniature of the no-nonsense policeman and am busily painting him up in anticipation of the Commissioner's need for some extra firepower.