"The French Imperial Army..."

"...was the land force branch of the French imperial military during the Napoleonic era."

This 28mm scale metal model is produced by “Wargames Foundry", and these days can be purchased as part of the identical eight-figure FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing blister. However, I actually found this miniature last year in a loft-enshrined blister of ten Perry Twin sculpts labelled Chasseurs In Campaign Dress Advancing - a packet which was embarrassingly bought over two decades ago.

The Frenchman was initially primed using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and then rather roughly had his uniform/cuffs base-layered using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. I next tackled the soldier's numerous (and genuinely terrifying) leather straps using a few of layers of  White Star by "Two Thin Coats", before 'muddying' them up a bit with some watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sons Of Horus space marine is having its details slowly 'picked out'

Having arguably overcome the Chasseur's biggest hurdle, I patiently started applying a little "Vallejo" Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green to his epaulettes and sabre-briquet ribbon, "Vallejo" Gold to parts of the trooper's sword and pure "Citadel" Abbadon Black to his cartridge pouch. In addition, I painted the miniature's back-pack and gun-stock with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and his bedroll in "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

With the official paint scheme from the Newark-based company's website well in mind, I gave model's shako covering a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and sploshed it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Before dolloping the figure's plume with "Two Thin Coats" White, Skulker Yellow, "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade and a second dry-brush/dollop hybrid of (more) "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow. Lastly, I patiently dry-brushed the main uniform with some extra "Vallejo" Heavy Blue to help bring out some of the sculpt's details.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - Three primed Pap C Guy - A miniatures

Somewhat doggedly returning to last month's main goal, I have managed to work my brush-tip across another 28mm plastic space marine by "Games Workshop". I'm still developing the fastest approach I can to painting my Sons of Horus tactical traitors - as I seem to need so many of them, simply to field a basic 500-point force - so I decided to complete all the "Vallejo" Gold shoulder-pads and kneepads on this particular piece first, before moving on to the "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Gunmetal stages.

Furthermore, I've finally breathed a little life into my "Elegoo" Mars 3 Pro 3D printer by producing three 28mm Pap C Guy - A multi-piece figures by "Papsikels Miniatures". These guys are clearly inspired by the Gundam MSM-04 Acguy, and have been primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna as a result. Perhaps with hindsight I should have upscaled these models quite significantly - as the mass production amphibious mobile suits are manoeuvred by a human pilot in Anime. However, I think they're rather cute so will probably just add them to my Earth Resistance Force (verses Aliens, Predators & Terminators) as friendly robots.

"A Chance For Faramir, Captain Of Gondor, To Show His Quality."

"There goes a lord who tamed a wild shieldmaiden of the North!"

This "cartoon scale" white metal figure of the Game Kastle Knight Mascot is produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range as a single casting. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, I have sanded off the prominent letters 'GK' on the warrior's shield, and painted him so he can be used to proxy the second son of Denethor II as a Gondorian Heavy Foot Character for “Dragon Rampant” by "Osprey Games".

Initially primed with two coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, the Captain of the Rangers of Ithilien was layered in "Citadel" Ironbreaker, enthusiastically washed with Nuln Oil, and eventually dry-brushed using some (more) Ironbreaker. The “the younger brother of Boromir” then had his belt, sheath, straps and tuft of hair 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, whilst his belt buckle and sword-hilt were spotted in Gold. All of these areas were subsequently washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

MSM-07 'Z-GOK' WIPs - The giant robot's feet and ankles have been primed. shaded and dry-brushed

Finally, the future Lord of Emyn Arnen had his 'bruised' shield pigmented with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and his face painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. The captain's nose, cheeks and lips were highlighted with a few additional lines of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

Stepping away from fantasy wargaming, and focusing upon the somewhat new genre of Gundam, at least for me, I have been slowly working my way up the MSM-07 'Z-GOK' 1/144th scale "Bandai" model kit I recently purchased from "MCM London Comic Con". "The most successful amphibious mobile suit line produced by the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War" I thought it actually best to start painting this robot from the feet up, and resultantly have been working on a few sub-assemblies.

"Wizkids" WIPs - The Scourge, Firefall and the Black Panther

Disconcertingly, this "HG Universal Century" figure is clearly designed to be repeatedly re-positioned, courtesy of numerous articulation points, so has proved a tricky painting subject with some of the flex in its joints. Indeed, even having super-glued the feet to its ankles, the two parts still provide plenty of movement due to some internal rubberised 'ball and socket' fittings which are rather difficult to permanently fix in position.

Lastly, I've made some significant progress on three "Heroclix" models I recently restored to my painting queue having partially-pigmented them some moons ago. The "Wizkids" Spaceknight Firefall has unsurprisingly taken up the majority of my attention, owing to Tarn's flame-covered shoulders, but the entire trio now just need some washes, a little dry-brushing and tidying up before they'll be ready for the tabletop...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Blood Bowl" June 2019

"Blood Bowl" WIPs - These Greenfield Grasshuggers have been assembled and primed

This month's themed attempt to desperately diminish my mountain of unpainted metal, plastic and resin models will see hopefully me progressing a number of "Games Workshop" plastic figures from their fantasy football game "Blood Bowl" range. Currently I'm working on a number of partially-painted Chaos Chosen players for the Doom Lords, but in addition to finishing some of these Beastmen off, I am also determined to pigment a number of figures from the newly-released Greenfield Grasshuggers Halfling Team.

Indeed, my aim is to actually try and complete a half-dozen miniatures from the two opposing clubs, so as to start a small-scale league which will ultimately feature representatives from the Champions Of Death, Reikland Reavers, Nurgle's Rotters and Gouged Eye. To begin with though, I have merely assembled and primed a pint-sized Hopeful, a Catcher and a Hefty from "one of the most esteemed teams in the game", with the aspiration that an additional three more Hopefuls will join my painting queue once the initial trio are completed. 

"Bandai" WIP - The 'Z-GOK' has been assembled and had its feet primed with "Vallejo" Turquoise

An element of this hobby which has never really captured my imagination before has to the science fiction media franchise known as Gundam, and its almost fanatical obsession with giant robots. As a result, no-one was arguably more surprised than myself when I walked out of the latest "MCM London Comic Con" carrying a 1/144th scale "HG Universal Century" model kit of the MSM-07 'Z-GOK' amphibious mobile suit.

This Principality of Zeon mass produced robot by "Bandai" will potentially be one of a 'handful' of miniatures I would like to build and paint over the next few months, in the hope that I can eventually field a couple of small forces to battle across a 15mm scale tabletop. Astonishingly, considering the sheer number of components which the figure comes in, I have already assembled the brute and super-glued its feet on a plastic 120mm oval stand produced by "Games Workshop".

"Toon Realms" WIPs - Grunt the Boar, the Frog Prince and Grimm the Wolf have been under-coated

However, my problems have actually only really now started, as the 'Z-GOK' is clearly multi-pose toy with numerous points of articulation. So I am clearly going to have to permanently fix its joints together whilst I apply a brush to its numerous sub-assemblies; two things I have very little experience of at this present moment in time. Plus, it'll be interesting to see how its pre-coloured plastic will take to "Vallejo" and "Citadel" paints... 

Lastly, I have managed to prime a few more "Toon Realms" models by "Lucid Eye Publications" with the emphasis being on some of the range's large(ish) animal-based characters. Grunt the Boar, the Frog Prince and Grimm the Wolf are absolutely packed full of detail, with the formidably-sized Canis lupus potentially being the first of a Warg pack scouring Middle Earth.