"Known As The Chameleon By Her Fans..."

"...Snakeskin is a master of disguise."

This 23mm tall metal model of the Union Winger, Snakeskin, is made by “Steamforged Games Ltd” and can be purchased as part of the “Guild Ball” Halloween-themed boxed set, "The Dark Harvest". Chillingly depicting the young woman's grave, complete with burning candle, broken face-mask and rising undead hand, this figure can be used as either an in-game harvest marker or "may be alternately used" as a player in your team.

Disappointingly, despite the "sinewy and powerfully built" player coming as a single cast piece, I did find the edge of the burial mound to be slightly warped. This caused the miniature to sit a little too proud above its plastic lipped circular base, and discouragingly, no amount of filing or sanding seemed to rectify the situation. In the end I therefore had to shelve my obsessive–compulsive disorder, and simply prime the piece with "Citadel" Abaddon Black. 

The Union - "A mismatched bunch o' mercenaries, scum and criminals for the most part."

As the majority of the figure was actually mud, I simply dry-brushed all the earth in precisely the same manner as I do almost all of my gritted bases, using first Doomsbull Brown, then Rakarth Flesh, and finally a heavy wash of Agrax Earthshade. Once the shade had dried, I 'picked out' the dead Sultarish's shattered mask with "Vallejo" Gold and “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade, and used a combination of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green for her decaying claw-like limb.

Snakeskin's tombstone was painted using a base-coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and then some more "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey; which was lightly drawn over the grave marker in order to highlight all of its detail. In addition, I used some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to pigment the plant's branches, and a spot of Heavy Green to colour its leaves. These areas were subsequently washed with "The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green where appropriate.

"Vixtrix Limited" Frenchman - The soldier has yet to have his eyes, face and hat finished

Finally, I spent a little time busying myself on the miniature's solitary half-burnt out candle, sputtering away on top of the head-stone. I have seen its wax painted red previously, and was sorely tempted to replicate just such a colour scheme. But in the end I decided to stick to the usual off-white palette by using some "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand and a dab of Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter”.

Obviously such a 'simple' subject has given me a little extra time to focus upon some of my other partially-painted models. Not wanting to waste this valuable opportunity, and in dire need to catch up with my Napoleonic tally marker, I have spent a considerable period 'picking out' all the straps, baggage and rifle parts on another "Victrix Limited" bicorne-wearing French Fusilier from Bonaparte's 1804 - 1807 army...

"Those Who March With Us Will Certainly Face Abuse..."

"...Misunderstanding, bitter animosity, and possibly the ferocity of struggle and of danger."

These two 28mm metal miniatures of Sir Oswald Moseley's bodyguards can be bought, along with their British Union of Facists leader, as Code 403012203 from the "Warlord Games" German Army range, and are "modelled upon Mussolini's fascist party." Costing an additional 13 points per man, the Blackshirts' rules can be found within the "Bolt Action" book "Campaign: Sea Lion", and accompany the former "Conservative MP for Harrow" everywhere on the battlefield.

Initially undercoated with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, the para-militarists were highlighted with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and later washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The bruisers' belt buckles were painted using a combination of Ironbreaker and (more) Nuln Oil, whilst their hair was 'picked out' using either "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade or "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Judoon Ghost WIPs - The Fisher King's minion has been washed and dry-brushed

Finally, one thug's club was pigmented with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and his companion's knuckleduster was given a lick of "Vallejo" Brass. Both of these areas were then treated to a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

To be honest, despite the straightforward palette, I found both of these miniatures quite a struggle to finish on account of their faces, and particularly their small eyes. I know that some hobbyists prefer to avoid painting pupils by simply applying a dark wash into a sculpt's facial recesses, and I've never been so tempted to follow such a technique as I was with these two chaps. In the end though, having found it impossible to pinpoint two spots of white for each eye, I settled for just the one and hope they don't appear too cross-eyed as a result.

Snakeskin Harvest Marker WIPs - The dead "Guild Ball" player can be used as an alternative sculpt on the pitch 

Sticking with "Warlord Games", I've been asked to pen an article for their "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" website as to how I went about converting my two Judoon ghosts to accompany their towering Fisher King miniature on the tabletop. As a result, I've spent a bit of time progressing the final figure's paint-job, and thus hope to have the undead extra-terrestrial mercenary finished and ready for posting by next week.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, I've also found myself momentarily drawn back to "Guild Ball" by "Steamforged Games Limited". The company recently released "The Dark Harvest" boxed set as a seasonal special edition to celebrate Halloween, and as soon as I saw it contained deceased versions of the players who have so far been killed whilst playing the medieval sports game, I knew I had to paint them up...

Guild Ball Report: The Union Verses The Engineers

THE UNION VERSES THE ENGINEERS GUILD

This game was played using the Quick Start rules of “Guild Ball” by “Steamforged Games Ltd”, and is the first in a series of 'friendlies' between the Union and the Engineers Guild, which should hopefully allow us to slowly build up our Season Three teams. For the opening match, both clubs will field the minimal number of players (the captain and two team members) on a 2' x 2' pitch, with the winner being the side to attain six victory points. In addition, apart from two small trees representing the teams' goals, there will be no extra scenery or terrain in place to affect either "how the ball reacts" or "how models traverse the pitch."

"Greetings sports fans, and welcome to today's so-called 'friendly' between the mismatched bunch o’ mercenaries, scum and criminals known as the Union, and the clockwork machines of the Engineers Guild. Both sides have everything to play for, with the losing side vowing to finance their opponents for an entire nights worth of ale at landlord Stone's Whisky & Beer Workshop. Leading out the home favourites is the ruthless pirate king of the sea, Union club captain, Blackheart, followed by the deadly Rage and formidably-sized Centre Back, Fangtooth. Whilst only now emerging to the boos of the crowd are their opposition, Ballista and the Mechanica, Velocity and Hoist..."

THE TABLETOP - THE UNION'S HOME FIELD

Having won the coin toss and elected to kick-off, Fangtooth ponderously jogged forwards towards the pitch's centre circle and attempted to punt the ball across the half-way line into the Engineer's side of the field. The excited crowd roared as the massive brute's bare foot successfully connected with the inflated pig-skin and heaved it into 'enemy territory'.

Utilising one of her two influence, Velocity sped northwest towards to take possession of the ball, and then used another influence to re-position herself (using "Dodge") further south, deeper inside her team's half of the field. Blackheart, spotting that his centre-back had clearly kicked the ball far too close to the Engineer's best goal-scorer activated his character trait "Shadow Like", and moved 2" towards the Mechanica striker for free. With a swirl of his cutlass he then sprinted a further 6" towards his target.

FANGTOOTH KICKS OFF FOR THE UNION

Sensing his team-mate was already in some danger, Ballista moved east towards Velocity and with a 'thunk' hit Blackheart square in the chest with a crossbow bolt. The Figeon's "Deadbolt" character play caused the sea pirate to suffer a 2" push backwards, knocked him down and caused him three damage. It was first blood to the Engineers, and the already hostile crowd started to murmur about invading the pitch and stringing the portly defensive midfielder up by his ankles. Realising he might be in imminent danger from attack, and not just from the players on the opposing team, Ballista spent his final two influence activating his "Minefield" ability, and surrounded himself with a 4" wide aura of mines...

Skirting Fangtooth's "Foul Odour" (a character trait which automatically forces any model within 3" of the Ethraynnian to treat open-ground as rough-ground), Rage spent his only influence to sprint 7" towards the centre of the pitch, and then watched as Hoist moved northeast to intercept him. However, before the Mechanica could reach the "Maverick", Fangtooth was upon him, charging into the clockwork player with a frightening bellow, and subsequently adding four dice to his attack pool. Nine dice rolls and four hits later, the battered Engineer automaton had just eight health points left, and would have had less if not for his "Tough Hide".

VELOCITY TAKES POSSESSION OF THE BALL, FLANKED BY BALLISTA

Snatching the initiative, the Union pressed home their attack on the Engineers' attacking midfielder, and quickly had the crowd roaring in pleasure as Fangtooth seemingly floored Hoist. Unfortunately though, the Mechanica used his "Sturdy" character trait to "ignore the first knocked-down condition placed upon it". But didn't manage to stay on its wooden feet for much longer as the foul-smelling behemoth battered it down into the mud, and gained the Union some valuable momentum in the process.

Meanwhile, somewhat east to the centre of the pitch, Ballista charged into the prone Blackheart, and rolled ten attack dice as a result. Despite suffering -1 to his Defence due to being "Knocked-down", the pirate king's armour deflected two of the Engineer's seven successes. But that was not enough to prevent him from suffering two damage and being pushed 2" back. In addition, the unsportsmanlike assault gained Ballista's side a valuable point of momentum, something which would prove invaluable in the near future...

THE TWO CAPTAINS BATTLE ONE ANOTHER IN THE CENTRE OF THE PITCH

Suspiciously smirking at Blackheart's fate, the butcher-like Castellyian clearly has his eye on the Union captain's armband for himself, Rage charged Hoist and, thanks to Fangtooth's 'Ganging-Up' bonus, attained an impressive eight hits. Sparks started to fly from the internal workings of the Mechanica, as he was reduced to five health points and suffered a "Concussion"; one of Rage's character plays which robs its target of one influence.

With a blood-thirsty roar, and entering an absolute "Frenzy", the meat carver-carrying psychopath attacked Hoist again, and then again. Pieces of wood flew from the attacking midfielder's limbs, as Rage literally began chopping him to bits, and by the time the maniacal Union player had finished, the automaton had but a couple of health points left.

FANGTOOTH AND RAGE BATTER HOIST INTO MATCHWOOD

Unwisely though, all eyes had strayed away from Velocity, and suddenly the Engineer's striker sprang into action with an 8" sprint straight up the centre of the pitch towards the Union's goal. With a series of clicks, and using its side's momentum, the Mechanica kicked the ball directly towards the tree in front of her. The Ethraynnian rolled four dice, needing just one to succeed, and watched as they landed on a one, two, three... and finally, a four. The automaton had scored, and the Engineer's Guild were 0-4 victory points up over their opponents...    

Despite a crescendo of boos and yells the ball somehow found its way back onto the pitch, in the northwest corner, behind Rage and Fangtooth. Blackheart, sensing his team needed his leadership now more than ever, used a momentum to "Take A Breather" (and remove his Knocked-Down" condition), and then charged into the goal-scorer velocity. The Union captain rolled ten dice, but as a result of requiring 5+ to hit (due to the Mechanica's high Defence), the pirate king only caused two damage and created a single point of momentum.

BLACKHEART CUTS UP VELOCITY, BUT ONLY AFTER THE STRIKER HAS SCORED A GOAL

Hoist, likewise, similarly used a momentum to "Take A Breather" and then flung himself at Rage. The wooden attacking midfielder managed to cause one damage, push the Union player back 1" and generate a momentum point. But was less successful in his assault upon Fangtooth, as the Human centre back simply relied upon his "Gluttonous Mass" to ignore "the first time each turn" that he is "hit by an enemy attack or character play".

With the match already entering its final phase, Fangtooth finally silenced the annoying clockwork machine desperately trying to pummel his huge frame with brass-knuckled fists, by knocking Hoist's head clean off. The Engineers' bench would need some time to properly re-assemble the mechanical construct and in the meantime the Union were awarded two victory points for the Take-Out; bringing the team of cut-throats back into the game with a score of 2-4. Incredibly however, the smelly behemoth was far from finished, and spending two influence subsequently lumbered into Velocity and started battering the Engineer's star striker for three points of damage. 

FANGTOOTH GOES ON A RAMPAGE, AS THE UNION SEEMS TO GAIN THE UPPER HAND

Realising that he must act quickly or lose his second Mechanica to the Union's attacks, Ballista fired his crossbow at Blackheart, but cursed as he saw the bullet ineffectively fly wide of its target. With a shout of fury, the portly captain charged into his cutlass-wielding foe, and sensationally caused five points of damage with a successful 'wraparound' attack.

Staggering, the pirate king lashed out at both Ballista and Velocity, and managed to inflict a single wound upon both with a swish of his formidable blade. In return, the clockwork striker caught Blackheart a solid blow to the side of the head, causing the Union Captain one point of damage. But the Sultarish wasn't too phased, as to his west Rage collected the ball, and looked towards an unprotected Engineers goal.

To the south, a large amount of booing indicated that somehow the Engineers' "Icy Sponge" had miraculously managed to get Hoist back upon his wooden feet, and despite sparks flying all over the place, the attacking midfielder was once again in the game. With smoke pouring out from inside the Mechanica's central workings, the automaton sprinted towards Rage, but was soon wallowing in the mud on account of his intended target anticipating his intention and charging into him first.

RAGE'S MOMENT OF GLORY IS RUINED BY AN ICY SPONGE AND HOIST

The Union player's meat cleaver viciously hacked into Hoist's wooden torso, and momentarily left the Mechanica bleeding black oil all over the place as a result of 'nicking' a "Crucial Artery". The sight incensed Rage, and going "Bezerk" the attacking midfielder tore into the automaton for a second time, causing two more damage and generating another momentum point for his club.

Sadly though, a gasp of despair from the blood-mad baying fans, alerted the homicidal Castellyian to the fact that Ballista had finally brought Blackheart down onto his knees, with a blow from the butt of his enormous crossbow. The pirate king had fallen, the rotund captain had been awarded two victory points and the Engineers Guild had won the match 2-6. The game was over...

"It's Probably Because He's Old School..."

"He made his fortune for himself and the guild back during the Century Wars, creating weaponry..."

This 30mm metal model of the “Guild Ball” Engineer Team Captain, Ballista, is made by “Steamforged Games Ltd” and can be purchased, along with Salvo and Velocity, in the Stockport-based company's Engineer Starter Set. Incredibly well-sculpted, the Century Wars veteran is absolutely covered in all sorts of tools, pouches, leather strappings and armour; all of which required careful, time-consuming brushwork with a variety of paints.

Luckily, unlike a number of his team-mates, the club skipper's three-piece figure did not prove too tiresome to assemble, and, once the super-glue had dried, was quickly treated to a double-layer of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. All of the Defensive Midfielder's armour, tools, quarrel shafts and chains were then painted using a combination of Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil, whilst his leather trousers and gloves were treated to some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade.

"We are strange bedfellows. Untrusting of each other, dismissive and always looking to gain political capital..."

The Guild ball player's crossbow was predominantly 'picked out' using the "Citadel" Layer, Doombull Brown, his large apron was painted with "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, and his bolt shafts 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Heavy Red. These areas were then appropriately washed in more Strong Tone Quickshade and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Finally, the Figeon's brass screws and bands were highlighted in Gold, and somewhat sparingly shaded with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade.

Having not fielded the Engineer's Guild, I can't really say how well the Lord Artificer plays on the pitch. But his "Deadbolts" alone would suggest he is a "Guild Ball" player to be feared, with the attack both pushing its target 2 inches "directly away" and triggering the "knocked-down condition", as well as causing 3 damage. In addition, the Captain has, amongst others, the Character Trait "Tough Hide", which means that any "enemy plays that cause [him] damage" are reduced by one point.   

Cybermen WIPS - The Cyber-Leader and three of his Cyber Legion have been undercoated

The very first of my "Salute" purchases this year was the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" boxed rule-set by "Warlord Games". Described as a "fast-paced tabletop miniatures game" which features "two of the Doctor’s most ancient and relentless foes – the hateful Daleks and emotionless Cybermen" clashing together "as they seek to to fulfil their own nefarious ends", this was my must-buy of the wargaming show, and just as soon as the Excel Exhibition Hall opened, I had one of these firmly in my hands.

Admittedly, my motivation for wanting this 'starter set' was to get hold of the twelve "easy-fit plastic Cyber Legion Cybermen" and "Time War Daleks", rather than its numerous (Recruitment, Adventure & Battle) cards and sixteen-page rules booklet. But having scoured through the contents, and read its "Guide To The Time Vortex", I have started building, basing and painting the first of the nine Cybermen and two Cybermat Swarms I need to use for the game's introductory scenario: A Meeting Of Metal...

A unit of Bloodletters attempts to invade Nurgle's kingdom for the glory of the Blood God

"They Live Throughout The Wilderness Of Antarean Space..."

"...In regions inhospitable and void of habitation."

This 28mm metal model of a Ganger is produced by "Warlord Games" and is the second of three miniatures which can be found inside the Boromites' Overseer Squad blister pack. Protected by his reflex armour, and carrying a plasma carbine, the model was predominantly painted similarly to the first of my Overseer's bodyguards.

However, this particular figure did have a couple of additional details which made him stand out from my Scouting Force Commander's other 'close protection' Ganger, such as some delicately sculpted wires leading from the soldier's right shoulder-pad onto a small disc-shaped 'heart-monitor'. All of these 'leads' were 'picked out' using "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and washed with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

Freeborn WIPs - The Feral Fighters have been based and undercoated

Sticking with "Beyond The Gates Of Antares" I have slowly been prepping and priming some miniatures from an alternative faction, the Freeborn, in order to break up the monotony of my Boromites and their "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and Heavy Bluegrey palette. The first of these 'distractions' are from the Mhagris Feral Squad boxed set, and features a Feral Leader, holding a mag gun, and two similarly armed Feral Fighters.

For now, I'm simply busying assembling a 500 point force of the "great merchants", so I can see just how formidable a painting project they will be. The Feral Squad are apparently "typical of these war-like savages" by being "armed with relatively simple and cheaply made mag weapons that spray splinters of metal at their target", and appear predominantly blue in colour, with some tan brown accessories...

Ballista WIPs - The Engineer's captain is slowly having all his gears, pouches, tools and equipment painted

Finally, I have once again been slowly 'chipping away' at the last of my 30mm "Guild Ball" Engineer miniatures by “Steamforged Games Ltd”. Team captain Ballista has proven to be an incredibly cumbersome sculpt to progress due to his unbelievably complicated detail, and resultantly has taken an eternity to progress.

However, knowing that once he is completed I'll have the makings of a 'match-fit' amateur side to face-off against my Union squad, is buoying me along. I've even gone so far as to purchase a couple of extra players for both sides in order to help bolster their future rosters and allow me to play the rule-set's larger "mob football" matches.

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2016 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

Incredibly it’s that time of year again when Blaxkleric loses all sense of editorial standards and lets me loose on his most excellent blog to share with you, his dear readers, what, in my humble opinion are my ten favourite figures (a loose term as you will see later) that he has been kind enough to share with his blogging audience from this year’s Fantorical posts. 

Now this job, a joy as it is to perform, becomes harder each year with the standard of Simon’s brushwork (and it would appear his output!) ever increasing. It is however, also a pleasure looking back over the postings and figures that Simon has produced over the year and indeed this year’s number one figures (yes there are two, and no as you’ll hopefully see, I don’t think that’s cheating) were in fact a couple of chaps I had completely forgotten Simon had painted. But I’m getting ahead of myself, anyway here in ascending order are the results of the North West jury….

No. 10 - Beast Of Nurgle by “Games Workshop” - October 13th

"Even after death, however, its presence lingered, as crops grew sickly and many fields had to be torched..."

Though I have to say that I am not the biggest fan of either "Games Workshop" or their Chaos ranges, there was something about this impressive twisting horror that made him stand head and shoulders above his disgusting brethren in my books, and pushed him up to the number ten spot in my list. Simon's superb painting of all of his Nurgle force was suitably “pustulous” (good word that, I should copyright that!) but this is the best figure from his Chaos output for me.

No. 9 - Chinese Guardian Lions by “Wargames Terrain Workshop” - November 29th

"...By the Sixth Century AD they were already popularly depicted as guardian figures."

Okay, this isn’t exactly a wargames figure as such, but I just had to include these wonderfully painted pieces of scenery in my top ten. There has been a bit of an oriental theme running through several blogs this year ("Carrion Crow's Buffet" and "Da Gobbo’s Grotto" immediately spring to mind) and there has been some stunning stuff on show. Simon's contribution is no less worthy of praise. The colours, finishes and tarnishing on these “Foo Dogs” is superb and just so… right. There’s no other way to put it. These would make a great addition to any oriental battlefield (or Chinese restaurant for that matter).

No. 8 - Kitakami Class Tug by “Irregular Miniatures” - September 28th

"Risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her."

I’m a fan of "Irregular Miniatures". I think for the prices they can’t be beaten. To be honest though, some of the ranges are better than others, and these newer spaceships are some of the very best. I own quite a few of the ships myself, but not any of the “Federation” inspired ones that Simon spent a couple of months churning out beautiful examples of. Once again he managed to produce utterly faithful representations of iconic heroes from my youth (albeit this time a starship). Every ship in his collection could make this list, but the very fact that the ship he chose to be his U.S.S. Enterprise was not “line for line” an exact clone of the TV ship, yet he still made instantly identifiable as such, is what made it my stand out of the bunch.

No. 7 - Tree Of The Damned by “Wizkids” - August 3rd

"...Lamenting deeds of which the flowery ground is conscious."

Have you ever seen the film “From hell It Came”? No? Then you should as it is about a malevolent tree stump that kills people, and it’s terrible (but in a good way). The second I saw this miniature I was immediately reminded of that film, though Simon's “stump” is way more impressive than the one in the film. Basing it on a 40mm figure base was an inspired choice and the amount of detail and shading he’s put into the finished product is first rate. If only he’d finished it in matt varnish it would have been perfect (sorry Simon, had to get one dig in about this). 

No. 6 - Fangtooth by “Steamforged Games Limited” - February 5th

"The red mist that flooded the creature's vision dissipated, along with the murderous rage."

I rather think Simon would kill me if I didn’t include at least one of his “Guild Ball” players in my list. Especially considering the enormous amounts of trouble they appeared to cause him when it came to putting the figures together. It is fortunate then that this muscle bound hulk of a brute impressed me so much once he was finally finished. Looking like an escapee from a Mad Max movie, the subtle shading on his flesh is what impressed me most about this chap.

No. 5 - Alien by “Wizkids” - February 23rd

"Besides it looks like the bones were bent straight out."

Now does this count as an actual playing piece or a piece of scenery? I’m not sure, but I do know that either way this is one impressive little xenomorph. Simon has impressed me with his “Alien” figures on numerous occasions now, with his 15mm versions making it up to Number Seven in my 2014 choices. Simon is the master of “black” figures, getting the shading just about perfect in my books. Add into this his use of gloss varnish and you have a rather gory recipe for success.

No. 4 - Zombie Mistress by “Warlord Games” - October 30th

"Don't they know how many corpses there are in the world?"

One of the highlights of the year has of course been “Zomtober”, and as always seems to be the case Simon put his distinctive spin on it once again, taking inspiration from the “Judge Dredd” story “Judgement Day“. All of his Mega City One zombies were worthy of note, but it was this little lady that stuck out in my mind as the star of the show. Brimming with understated menace Simon’s brushwork as is excellent as always and the details and colour choices brought her wonderfully to (un)life.

No. 3 - Failed Experiment Scientist by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” - May 24th

"Nurtured. You don't mean to say you've been feeding him?"

Following on from the Zomtober entry above this figure was part of Simon’s project for the same from 2015, “The Seeds of Doom”; this was of course the classic Tom Baker adventure and this figure of Arnold Keeler perfectly portrays the character's descent from infected human into what is effectively a big slimy compost heap. I was very impressed with the way Simon blended in the “Krynoid” parts with the human underneath, not easy to do convincingly but carried out with great aplomb.   

No. 2 - Enchanter by “North Star Military Figures ”- November 13th

"Enchanters are hands-on wizards who work their magic by investing it in objects or people."

Well last year Simon's excellent "Frostgrave" Witch made it into the top ten, and it appears he’s done it again this year with this equally spectacular Enchanter. Once again the level of detail he’s added to the figure is awe-inspiring and his colour choices are as always spot on. If anything I think I like him better than the witch!

No. 1 - R2-D2 & C-3PO by “Fantasy Flight” - January 19th

"Don't blame me. I'm an interpreter. I'm not supposed to know a power socket from a computer terminal."

As I mentioned at the start of this piece, I had completely forgotten about these two wonderful figures. Indeed, when I was re-working my way through Simon's posts for the year I had initially added one of his (also excellent) Stormtroopers to my short list. But then I came across these chaps and I immediately thought I’d  discovered my potential “top spotters”. The colours are perfect, the details are absolutely spot on and the character in the figures is top notch too. They look as if they had just walked off of the film set. I covet these figures greatly and I think anyone would be justly proud to have them in their collection and that’s why for me they had to be my top choice from Simon's 2016 output.

"The City's central computer told you? R2-D2, you know better than to trust a strange computer."

This is of course just the merest glimpse of Simon’s awesome output for the year, and I’m sure many of you (including Simon) will disagree with many of my choices. There were simply so many excellent figures to choose from I could easily have filled out a top twenty, but special mentions must go to his "Frostgrave" (Witch) Apprentice, The OMAC, Vampire By Night, Captain America, and Manphibian; who would have been a shoe in I’m sure if he’d only finished him! The list could go on and on, but I’m happy with my list as it stands, so it only remains for me to thank Simon, for once again letting me loose with his baby, and to wish you all the very best of 2017’s.

I can’t wait to see what he presents us with then, Cheers Roger.

"The Soyuz Class Starships Were Designated As An Attack Frigate Or Tactical Frigate."

A Federation frigate flotilla comprising of the NCC-1943 Missouri, NCC-1960 Beagle and NCC-1936 Long March

These three 6mm scale metal miniatures of a Perry Class Frigate are from “Irregular Miniatures” Imperial Fleet Spaceship range and can be bought as code DYE2. Measuring 30mm in length and 22mm in width, this sculpt is arguably be starting to show its mould's age on account of a few casting flaws found on its saucer section and aft quarters. However it still makes a very useful proxy for the Soyuz-class Federation starship featured in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" 1992 science fiction television episode "Cause And Effect".

Having already finished two of these 'Miranda-class derivatives' before, and been very happy with my paint scheme's match to the Federation's famous "dimmer blue" outer hull colour, I simply gave each model a double layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey as an undercoat and treated them to a generous wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The starships were then roughly dry-brushed with more “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey before I started to 'pick out' their details using “Vallejo” Heavy Red for their Polyduranide nacelle particle apertures, Gunmetal Metal on their forward-facing saucer sensor dishes and Heavy Blue for their warp engine filed grills. All of these areas were then washed with “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson, Nuln Oil and Asurmen Blue respectively.

Ballista WIPs - The "Guild Ball" Captain contains all manner of rivets, pliers, straps and pouches 

With the bulk of my initial Starfleet finished, I have slowly been 'chipping away' at another of my 30mm "Guild Ball" miniatures by “Steamforged Games Ltd”. In the past I've managed to pick up a bit of momentum painting some of the players from the Engineer's Guild Team on account of all three models being wooden automatons, and therefore requiring reasonably straightforward colour schemes. Club captain Ballista however is proving an entirely different ballgame, courtesy of the multi-part, slightly cumbersome sculpt containing some unbelievably complicated detail. Indeed, I'm convinced that all his cogs, tools, buckles and rivets would have undoubtedly put me off this sports game for good if I had selected the  Defensive Midfielder as my 'first port of call'.

As it is I am gradually persevering 'picking out' his brass leg-bracelets, numerous steel pliers and infuriatingly extravagant crossbow... Not to mention the dozen or so rivets peppering his medieval attire. Equally as perplexing is trying to find enough contrastingly different shades of brown with which to paint all the Lord Artificer's leather. The skipper is already adorned with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Iraqi Sand, Heavy Brown, as well as "Citadel" Doombull Brown, and is still approximately only half-completed...

Bloodhunter WIPs - The unit's champion has been washed, dry-brushed and had its details 'picked out'

Lastly I have somewhat succumbed to the lure of the "Games Workshop" Blood God, Khorne, and begun work on the leader of my "Age Of Sigmar" Bloodletters. This Bloodhunter will actually be used as a test piece for my ten model-strong unit, as I actually want to try a different paint scheme to that ordinarily used by the Slaughter-kin. The lesser daemons will still predominantly comprise of red, black and gold. But unlike those depicted within the pages of the "Grand Alliance: Chaos" compendium, I'll be effectively duplicating the more sinister-looking colour combination found inside the illustrations of the "General's Handbook".

This essentially means that instead of just having black claws, the Bloodletters' entire hands and hooves will be given a layer of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and then be blended up into their 'famous' red flesh. Their back spines will also be 'picked out' with black, whilst their ordinarily dark Hellblades (as well as their leader's horn adornments) will now be a strikingly bright shining gold. Hopefully, despite requiring a little extra time per model than my original plans, this more colourful design will really help make my unit stand out on the tabletop, and if it does become problematic then I can always revert back to their more recognisable appearance for the rest of the Crimson Death.     

"They Call Them Mainsprings."

"The construction of them is one of the Cogs most closely guarded secrets..."

This 30mm metal model of the “Guild Ball” Engineer Mascot, Mainspring, is made by “Steamforged Games Ltd” and proved to be something of a difficult painting experience despite the relative simplicity of its colour scheme. The majority of my discomfort was as a result of the multi-part miniature being somewhat too large for its base, and subsequently sitting over the circular lip. This disconcerting placement not only continually irked my sensibilities, as I like my models to fit within the confines of their stands, but also made it nearly impossible to reach some of the figure's details with my brush.

Fortunately despite being cast with separate limbs, the "anti-personnel mine" did prove reasonably straightforward to assemble, at least once I worked out which way it was meant to be facing, and was initially treated to both an undercoat of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and a wash of “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade. With the Mechanica's priming phase finished I then dry-brushed the wooden construct with more “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna before picking out its metallic joints and numerous gears with a combination of “Citadel” Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

"Irregular Miniatures" WIPS - Perry Class Frigate, Oberon Class Destroyer and County Class Heavy Cruiser

Finally, I applied some “Vallejo” Gold to the edge of the construct's carapace, the ends of its insectoid legs, as well as its canopy's bolts, and washed these areas with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade in order to imply that they were made from polished brass. The Indar's ball was quickly painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

As I'm still building up enough players to field the Engineer's Guild, I haven't yet used Mainspring on the "Guild Ball" pitch. The 'giant cockroach' does however appear particularly useful in front of goal on account of its "Super Shot". This Character Play allows the model to add +1 dice to its dice pool and +2" to its range when Kicking; effectively providing the mascot with a 2/6" shot. In addition, the Indar machine can "Overheat", causing "all other models with the 3" pulse [to] suffer 3 Damage and the Burning condition" when it "suffers the taken-out condition during the Activation Phase." Little wonder "even the Engineer's players exercise caution" around the wooden device.

Blightlord WIPs - The Putrid Blightking has been undercoated, washed and dry-brushed

Having recently finished a flotilla of ten 'Romulan Raiders' by "Irregular Miniatures" I have found my own version of the Utopia Planitia Starfleet Yards on Mars busily constructing an equally formidable Federation force. As a result I've partially painted three more of the manufacturer's Perry Class Frigates to use as 'Soyuz-class Federation Starships', two more Oberon Class Destroyers to use as 'Miranda-class scientific/patrol vessels' and a County Class Heavy Cruiser to use as the NCC-2000 U.S.S. Excelsior.

"STAR TREK: ATTACK WING" - Commander William T. Riker confronts the Borg

Finally I've been assembling a number of multi-part plastic "Games Workshop" models to add to my diminutive "Age Of Sigmar" Nurgle host. This Blightlord is the leader of nine other Putrid Blightkings I hope to build and paint next month. However the "enormous, bloated warrior, festering with pustules and plague" was simply too tempting a figure not to prime, wash and dry-brush. As with my Lord of Plagues I plan to paint the favoured mortal servant of Nurgle predominantly green, and use a combination of "Vallejo" Brass and the "Citadel" Technical paint Nihilakh Oxide on both his armour and weaponry.

"Hoist..."

"I am especially fascinated with the automaton..."

This 28mm metal model of the “Guild Ball” Engineer Attacking Midfielder Hoist is made by “Steamforged Games Ltd” and is one of the manufacturer’s “Season Two” releases. 

Reasonably straightforward to assemble, this multi-part miniature figure was initially undercoated with “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and washed with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade. The predominantly wooden construct was then dry-brushed with more “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna before having his metallic joints and numerous bolts ‘picked out’ with a combination of “Citadel” Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. As a final step I applied some “Vallejo” Gold to both the edge of the figure’s head, and around his breastbone. These areas were subsequently washed with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade in order to suggest that they were fashioned from lightly polished brass.

As with the automaton's team-mate Velocity, the player’s insert illustration makes it clear that a number of other metallic areas, such as the midfielder’s waist gears, shoulder pads and knee pads, should also partially be painted in brass. But as I found it somewhat difficult to apply just a thin layer of "Vallejo" Gold onto Hoist's head and chest areas I thought I would leave well enough alone...

I’ve yet to field the Engineer's team for a game of “Guild Ball”, but according to his rules, the player would appear to be "a resilient ball-carrier" who can "learn from the plays of other opponents." Indeed Hoist's "True Replication" ability allows the "wood and metal" construct to "choose a character play on target enemy [Human] [non-Captain] model's card and replace this Character Play with it for the rest of the game."

In addition the Mechanica enjoys the character traits "Tough Hide", which reduces any damage taken by -1; "Reanimate", which allows him once per turn to recover 3 Hit Points (and remove all conditions) when ordinarily the Indar would suffer the taken-out condition (0 Hit Points); "Sturdy", which allows the automaton to "ignore the first knocked-down condition place upon it", and "Drained [True Replication]", which means Hoist's influence is increased by [+0/+1] whenever he is actually imitating one of his opponent's Character Plays.

"Guild Ball" distractions aside I have been making some steady progress on my "Star Trek" project using some vessels from "Irregular Miniatures" impressive 6mm Spaceship range. Currently I'm working on two five-model strong batches of the manufacturer's Dysonian Blitzspear Class Corvettes. These tiny, somewhat fragile to handle, piratical fighters will hopefully form the vanguard of Romulan fleet determined to invade Federation space. But for now, they'll simply have to settle for being a thorn in Captain Clark Terrell's side.  

Lastly I have been continuing to paint my two Beasts of Nurgle for "Age of Sigmar". These "Finecast" miniatures are cast by "Games Workshop" and are proving reasonably simple to paint on account of them predominantly needing just a few washes and dry-brushes. Certainly the greener of my two "mottled pallid slug(s)" is close to completion. Whilst it's tan-coloured colleague has a bit more work to do before I can even begin to pick out his claws, tusks and formidable tongue.