Miss Fantorical 2025 - An "Undercoat" Painting Pageant

Another twelve months have flown by and once again I have been asked to do a review of the "Fantorical" miniatures painting blog for the year just gone. As has become traditional, I have picked a miniature for each month and then picked an overall favourite. My choices are based on the paint job, the miniature itself, what I think is interesting and some other factors - such as quirkiness, and how unusual they are. Some months had some straight forward choices, whereas others proved to be a much harder decision with multiple models that would ordinarily have made a straightforward pick in a different month. Rules are rules though, and unfortunately some great painted miniatures therefore didn’t make it onto this list.

January - Megalodon Dorsal Fin (Submerged) by "Loot Studios" - January 13th

This is such an interesting miniature. It is a 3D print of a shark fin cutting through some water, and as well as being a really nice miniature with some excellent water effects, it also conjures up some iconic images. Indeed, the music of John Williams just comes into my head when I see it. The paint scheme is simple. But I think the water has been painted especially nicely.

February -  Sundance by "Great Escape Games" - February 28th

Moving from 3D prints to an old school metal miniature we have a wild west figure that I thought was different and very charming. I have been tempted by Dead Man’s Hand for a while after playing a demo game at a wargames show, so maybe that is why I picked this particular miniature model. The painting is great, and you are drawn to the face as you always should be. I just really like this one and not a Stetson in sight!

March - Ned Kelly by "Great Escape Games" - March 12th

Now, I don’t really like to pick two miniatures from the same range, and certainly not one after the other, as variety and unusual choices are part of my picking process. However, sometimes things just work against that! This is a model of an iconic outlaw that I remember from a television show when I was young, and whose appearance is both unique and very different. His inclusion in a cowboy game was a great idea, and he just has so much to like about him from the painting, to the quirkiness and the nostalgia.

April - Moscow Militia by "Wargames Foundry" - April 18th

I do have a soft spot for Napoleonic miniatures as "The Silver Bayonet" is one of my favourite games at the moment. This one is slightly unusual in that the bright colours you would normally associate with the period are replaced with grey and brown - which I thought was very interesting. It is the painting on this one though that really grabbed my attention, especially the face. It looks absolutely amazing with superb eyes, and a truly stoic/determined expression that really appeals. Great painting on this one.

May - Retained Knight by "Alternative Armies" - May 30th

This was picked with a massive amount of personal bias as I just love the Blood Angels Space Marine Legion in the Horus Heresy era, and as these "Ion Age" miniatures were painted to represent them I was hooked straight away. We do though move from 28mm to 15mm in scale, and I have to say the detail picked out on this smaller sculpt is very impressive. Just look at the loin cloths and shoulder pads. But it is the gold armour of the hero that really stands out here. Massive personal bias but who cares!

June - Doop by "CoolMiniOrNot" - June 18th

Tough month this one, with some lovely miniatures to pick from and I went for one I had never heard of before! Why? Well, he just looks fun and I think that the vibrant green paint scheme just makes him really really pop. At first I thought it was slimer from Ghostbusters, so after reading the posting it made me go and look up this comic book character. Interesting little mini and really good painting.

July - Space Marine Praetor by "Games Workshop" - July 14th

Another tough pick as I really liked Abomination painted/posted during this month. But my love of the Horus Heresy just pipped him to the post with this monster of a space marine ("Games Workshop" does mess up scales a lot!) hero which was slightly converted from the plastic original. I think the Sons of Horus paint colour is excellent and he does look so cool.

August - Hungarian Officer by "Wargames Foundry" - August 21st

More Napoleonics you say? Yes, I reply. I can just hear the theme music to "Sharpe" as I type! This fella is a complete contrast to the previous Russian choice with bright colours and lots of golden bling - Much more like it! I think it is the unusual white and blue colours that I like about this one too, which look so good and make him stand out in my opinion.

September - Andre the Giant by "Hasbro" - September 4th

One of the reasons I enjoy browsing "Fantorical" is the unusual miniatures that you come across, and this one appeared from way out of left field. I don’t know much about wrestling. But I have heard of this gentleman - helped enormously by a memorable appearance in "The Princess Bride". So, a miniature based on an action figure? Interesting and very quirky. However, it is the painting on this one that won me over as the skin and face are just top notch. Excellent painting on full display here.

October - Killer Croc Thug by "Knight Models" - October 20th

I really like Batman and have a soft spot for the excellent sculpts of "Knight Models", so this one was always in contention. I think this is a good example of a photograph not doing full justice to a painted miniature as it looks so good in the green scaly flesh. As well as the excellent reptilian skin, the colour of the jeans is a particular standout for me as they look so good. All round just a nice sculpt and a nice paint job.

November - Plague Lord by "Mantic Games" - November 24th

A 10mm scale model of what appears to be a bit of a giant monstrosity on the battlefield. I just love the way these have all been painted. They all look so good in my opinion that I had to include one of the three posted on "Fantorical".

December - Bat Sentry by "Wizkids" - December 12th

"Heroclix" miniatures are sometimes a bit ropey when it comes to the sculpt and the material. However, this one looks excellent and I thought it was actually produced by "Knight Models" at first. This is a lovely looking model that has been painted so well Just an overall great combination of miniature and paint job.

Well, that is my top 12. My overall favourite is……

The unusual and quirky and exceptionally well painted Andre the Giant by "Hasbro"! Just very different and so well done.

I am sure my choices were not always the same as yours so feel free to say what your favourites of 2025 were and may your pile of unpainted miniatures reduce in 2026!

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2025 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

It’s that time again folk’s, when once a year Simon lets me play fast and loose with his blog and pick what are in my opinion the ten best miniatures he has painted in 2025. Each year this gets harder to do as there is just so much good stuff to choose from. So without further ado let’s get stuck in to the real stars of the show…the miniatures.

No. 10 - Plague Lord by “Mantic Games” - November 18th

If you're only an occasional visitor to this blog you could be forgiven for thinking it’s all just 28mm stuff. But regulars will be more aware that Simon does tend to “dip his toe” into other scales as well, and a perfect example of this are these smashing 10mm scale versions of Mantic Games' “First Generation Plague Lord” figures. Now I have the 28mm version of a figure very similar to this, and I have to say my painting of that is no more detailed than this tiny rendition - truly outstanding stuff!

No. 9 - Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms by “Wargames Foundry” - November 10th

Simon’s continued efforts within his Napoleonic project cannot help but be admired. As something I flirted with many years back I am well aware of how taxing and soul destroying gazing upon rows and rows of intricate infantry can be, so each time another of his perfectly pigmented Napoleonic protagonists appears on his blog I have to tip my hat both to his exceeding good paintwork, and his resilience. I chose this British line infantry soldier for the Top Ten, as he sums up perfectly both the period and quality Simon has put into it.

No. 8 - Falklands British Infantry by “Pendraken Miniatures” - August 30th

More British infantry at the number eight spot too. Though this time we jump forward over a hundred years and down a scale or two, with these sublime versions of troops dispatched to the Falkland Islands during the 1982 conflict. Painting 10mm figures looks easy, but I know from experience that to get results as good as this requires a lot of skill and a steady hand to pick-out all the details - something that has been done with real aplomb here.

No. 7 - Dalek by “Black Tree Designs” - February 24th

Daleks. The scourge of the universe! Who doesn’t love a Dalek? Well basically anyone who has to paint them. It’s the domes that are the killer, and of course there are so many of them too - fifty six in fact! And they all have to be perfect. Luckily the ones on show here are as is the classic dark grey colour scheme made popular by “Genesis of the Daleks”. I have great admiration for a well painted Dalek, and Simon’s are some of the best I’ve seen.

No. 6 - Kurgun C3-A Heavy Cruiser by “Fat Dragon Games” – September 24th

Always one to cut his own path when it comes to starting a new project, Simon decided to do some “Star Trek” universe gaming, But rather than use “Official” miniatures he found some that though conveying the flavour of the original television series, were in my opinion much cooler looking! This was never more evident than in this version of a Klingon Heavy Cruiser. The ship's design is awesome, and the dark green colour scheme is both alien and menacing in equal measure. Absolute top work!

No. 5 - Gell Guard 2 by “Black Tree Designs” - January 20th

Well I was mightily impressed with the painting of this miniature (and the other two also painted about the same time) - both when they appeared for the first time, and again when I set about compiling this Top Ten. But it was when I saw the actual episodes of Doctor Who it appears in again this week on “U& Eden”, due to them re-showing "The Three Doctors" over the festive period, that I was struck by just how incredibly accurate Simon’s rendition is. Seriously 'Google it' and be amazed! I like my figures to be finished with a matt varnish, whereas Simon prefers a gloss finish and I have to say it works a treat on these guys. They could have glided straight out of the story. Beautifully done!

No. 4 - Retained Knight by "Alternative Armies" - May 30th

I’ve already mentioned my admiration for Simon’s ability to find alternatives to official figures to play games with, and perhaps my favourite version of this is his 15mm take on “Warhammer 40K” using miniatures from Alternative Armies “Ion Age” range. Figures for this project have made my Top Ten before in previous years. But this “Special Character” clad in gold with “Blood Angels” red accents was just too good to pass over this year, and has again got me perusing the “Alternative Armies” website!

No. 3 - Andre the Giant by “Hasbro” - September 4th

Though the classic era of the World Wrestling Federation “WWF” passed me by, I did of course know who all the main players were as they were pretty much household names and popular toys at the time. And it was the “toy like” appearance of this lovely figure that really spoke to me. This is hardly a surprise as he was scaled down to just (just?) 70mm tall by Simon, but still a massive figure by our standards. The painting is of course up to Simon’s normal high standards and even more impressive due to the increased height of the model. It really brings the character's oversized personality to wonderful life.

No. 2 - Korg by “CoolMiniorNot” - July 7th

If you like your superheroes  “Chibi” style then you’ve come to the right place, as there have been many super (pardon the pun) large headed versions of all your Marvel favourites appearing on this blog over the last twelve months. Indeed, it was our mutual love of all things “Superhero” that originally brought Simon, myself and our respective blogs together in the first place. Resultantly, it would just be so wrong of me not to include at least one of this genre in my Top Ten list, and it was a difficult choice too as they have all been so good. But the absolute perfection in colour palette and execution of Korg, along I admit with him being a favourite character of mine, just edged him above the rest.

No. 1 - Bat Sentry by “Wizkids” - December 12th

So we come to the top of the tree, the big kahuna as it were, and what I hear you ask could keep the beautifully painted miniatures above from the Number One spot? Well strangely enough I did put a Batmobile in my Top Ten last year. But this is on a whole new level! The Batmobile/Bat Sentry is a sort of “Transformer” that I didn’t even know existed until I read Simon's post (see you learn stuff here as well as basking in the lovely painted miniatures!). Of course I’ve waxed lyrical about his exceptional skill with black coloured miniatures before, and that is on show in spades here too, contrasting to perfection with the radiant yellow Bat symbol that fair glows upon its chest, as well as the red menacing eyes. Then add in the dark metallic’s on the joints and accents, and you have what looks like a simple black miniature, but is in fact covered in small yet important details. Like good movie music it is there but it don’t shout, just subtly enhances the whole viewing experience. Absolutely gorgeous, and a perfect example of Simon’s work, this is my number one of 2025!

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So there you go, ten wonderful miniatures from a blog full of wonderful miniatures, and if you follow the links some damn fine reading as well! So grab a cup (or glass) of your tipple of choice and go back to enjoy a year’s worth of great blogging. It’ll get you in the mood for all the wonder that is no doubt to come over the next twelve months. If you want to read some good writing and see some not so good miniatures, then you can check out Simon’s take of my last two years work (yes I’ve been much less prolific than him I’m afraid) here…

https://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com/

All that leaves me to do is first off thank Simon once again for letting me “tend his baby” for a night. I hope I haven’t turned away too many of his followers, and of course to wish all of you out there in blog-land the very best New Year. I hope all your endeavours, be them gaming or otherwise, are as successful as you wish, and the year proves to be healthy, safe, successful and secure for us all.

Cheers Roger.

"Kirk, You Do This..."

"...You'll never sit in the captain's chair again."

This Terran D-3A Destroyer was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set. The two-piece starship has been printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model.

Somewhat intriguingly, the 'kit' also comes with a rig STL, which allows you to produce a docking bay of sorts that lines up the spacecraft's single engine with the hull. Personally, I didn't think the model required such a device - feeling you could easily align the two parts using just the naked eye, and frustratingly, when I did superglue the vessel together using the rig I actually found I'd positioned the engine slightly off-kilter from where I'd have probably plonked it if doing it manually.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Three Napoleonic German Grenadiers at various stages of completion

Once assembled, the miniature was undercoated using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then patiently dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before 'picking out' the warp nacelle on its propulsion unit with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

Currently I'm planning to use all this range's starships for some homebrew "Star Trek" rules - based upon the Original Series and its subsequent movies, so must confess that this particular sculpt has left me a little bemused due to only having a single warp nacelle. For now I plan to use it as a proxy for the U.S.S. Excelsior under Captain Lawrence H. Styles' command, due to it being disconcertingly larger than the Frigate model which I'll be using for my Constitution-class substitutes. However, as "Fat Dragon Games" continue to produce more designs I may well change my mind...

"Hasbro" WIPs - The Hulkster is just doing up his bootlaces

With so simple a painting subject completed, I have unsurprisingly found plenty of time to make some more progress on a trio of 28mm metal Napoleonic Austrians by "Wargames Foundry". These identical figures from the Newark-based company's blister AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching, are arguably showing their age in their casting. But should be reasonably quick to get tabletop ready, now I'm a bit more familiar with all the different details on them.

In addition, I have been lucky enough to acquire an STL scan of the old WWF Hulk Hogan action figure by "Hasbro", so have produced an approximate 40mm scale version using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer. As with the Andre the Giant miniature I own, the detail is rather soft, so I'm planning on just using a few base layers and washes to get the Hulkster ready for a "Wrestlemania III" rematch...

"Look At The Size Of The Giant."

 "Andre is seven foot five."

This 70mm tall model of André René Roussimoff was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, and is almost certainly based upon the old WWF Andre The Giant action figure by "Hasbro". Indeed, I actually ended up rescaling the original STL (Standard Triangle Language) file to 55% using "Chitubox" Basic in order to make the miniature more manageable, as well as (semi-successfully) help reduce the sculpt's poorly defined details and roughness.

The "inaugural inductee into the newly created WWF Hall of Fame" consisted of four separate pieces, and once assembled was plonked onto a "Citadel" 50mm circular plastic base. He was then primed with a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. As a final step for Andre's flesh, I subsequently applied a heavily-watered down wash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade over him, and later 'picked out' his fingers and face with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

"The USS Constellation (NCC-1017) was a 23rd century Federation Constitution-class starship."

The Eighth Wonder of the World's boots, wrestling attire, hair and eyebrows were treated to some "Citadel" Abaddon Black. I did consider applying some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to Andre's hair and perhaps a dash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. But, all the photographs of him that I used showed him having very dark hair - so in the end I decided to stick with the colour scheme used for his action figure.

In addition to this highly nostalgic trip down memory lane, I have also finished painting a second Terran F-5A Frigate. The two-piece starship was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set.

"The ship completed three five-year missions."

The spacecraft was undercoated using "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then patiently dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before 'picking out' the warp nacelles on its two propulsion units with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

Unfortunately, another (much smaller) piece on the hot-plate at the time of the model's printing dramatically failed, and caused some of the plastic filament meant for it to slightly 'interfere' with the spacecraft's right flank. This caused the areas to look a little rough, so I decided to make them look like battle damage by dry-brushing them with a little "Citadel" Abaddon Black - similar to that seen on the Commodore Matthew Decker's U.S.S. Constellation in the 1967 "Star Trek" televised episode "The Doomsday Machine"...