"Mounted On A Tripod For Long-Range Accuracy..."

"...And with plenty of ammunition, it is an excellent defensive weapon."

These three plastic 15mm miniatures are produced by “Battlefront Miniatures” and can be found inside the company’s Code GE784 sMG34 Machine-gun Platoon blister for “Flames Of War”. The models consist of a choice of two different Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO), a Machine-gunner, Reloader and the Einheitsmaschinengewehr (Universal machine gun) itself.

Unlike my other “FoW” German soldiers however, the NCO was the only model I initially super-glued onto a wooden strip, as the other two infantrymen clearly needed to be in position upon their actual medium-sized base before I primed them all in “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII. In addition, I actually needed to cut away some of the ammunition feed so as to allow the Reloader to lie upon the ground at an angle so as to stop his feet jutting off the end – something which would really trigger my obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Argonauts Command and Strawbears

All three of the models were shaded using “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII. Their details were then ‘picked out’ predominantly using “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, Gunmetal, Buff, German Camouflage Dark Green, Heavy Brown and a series of “Citadel” Shades. Lastly, I pigmented the sMG34 Machine-Gun using a combination of “Vallejo” Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Alongside the latest addition to my 1944 Beach Defence Company, I have been busy assembling and gluing some recently received figures from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". I'm really trying to immediately apply a brush to any new arrivals these days, so as last week's painting challenge, randomly chosen upon the turn of a playing card, was to pigment ten (more) 28mm scale miniatures, I thought I'd 'break the back of them' before the imminent arrival of my Horus Heresy: Age Of Darkness boxed set by "Games Workshop".

"Hero Forge" WIPs - Beekman, the Rambler and Van Dijk

The metal models are all from the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer's Villains and Monsters range, and predominantly consist of the two multi-part figures which make up their Argonauts Command deal, as well as three Strawbears from their Mummer Procession blister. Hopefully, all of these minions should be pigmented over the next few days, as their paint-schemes should mostly match those I've previously concocted for some Titans and the Strawman respectively.

In addition, I have based and primed the trio of comic book heroes I 'sculpted' using "Hero Forge" for this month's "Forgotten Heroes" event. The Rambler, Beekman and the evil Van Dijk are all taken from the "Time's Rambler" graphic novels by "Mooretoons Publishing", and have been 'seated' inside 40mm circular lipped bases so their 'modelled' bases can better align with the grit I ordinarily apply to my models' stands.

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2020 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

As we draw to the close of what can only be described as a rather unusual year, at least some things are still familiar - the weather is awful, I’ve eaten too much and Simon and myself are back (after a year away) to writing our annual “What I think you painted best this year” posts. Oh, and no doubt as usual we’ll disagree with what we each picked! We both had gaps in the year where our output dropped quite a bit - well in my case I didn’t even start till March - but luckily for me Simon has completed more than enough figures to fill out this post. In fact whittling it down to just ten has been more of an issue for me!

No. 10 - Zygons by "Black Tree Design" – October 3rd

I’m a big “Classic” Doctor Who fan so I was delighted when these wonderfully pigmented Zygon’s appeared on Simon's blog. Though they have been resurrected into the new series a couple of times, these “Black Tree Design” figures are firmly based upon their original appearance in 1975, alongside the Loch Ness Monster. As always, Simon has lovingly recreated the colour scheme of the shape-changing aliens to perfection. A great little trip down memory lane for us “true Who” fans.

No. 9 - Ballmonster by "Precinct Omega" – March 10th

Though a relatively simple sculpt, and I don’t doubt Simon would say also a reasonably simple paintjob too, this “gas filled” antidote to fantasy sports games, was a real surprise when he first appeared. So much so that I immediately had to go to the company web-site and find out more. Luckily, as I was just venturing back into the hobby after a break away, I was able to restrain myself from parting with some hard earned cash right there and then, However Simon’s wonderful work on this and the other later featured “Bad balls” has tested my resolve on more than one occasion throughout this year.

No. 8 - Mole In A Hole by "Oathsworn Miniatures" – August 7th

I love it when Simon’s posts include one of his lovingly painted “Burrows and Badgers” figures, as they are all wonderful sculpts that show off the attention to detail and character that is evident in everything Simon paints. Indeed, I actually picked one as my number one figure from Simon’s painted fig’s the other year! I think this mole is a perfect example of this, and maybe I’m just a big softy at heart but I just find him so dammed cute! And it’s perhaps a good thing that he is apparently no longer available to buy!

No. 7 - The Squirrel Man Of Sevastopol  by "Hero Forge Custom Miniatures" – October 25th

Well now what does it say about you, when you want to create a figure of yourself? Well in my case it would mean I didn’t have sense enough not to horrify other people. But in Simon’s case it means you want to know if you could survive a Zombie apocalypse with a squirrel on your hand - I still don’t get the squirrel? Built upon a website, 3D printed and sent to his door, this rather “macho” version of our “blogging” hero has been very nicely painted with his usual attention to black - I’m starting to think Simon is a bit of a closet goth! Albeit a squirrel loving one. The bushy beard is a good likeness too apparently.

No. 6 - FedSec Heavy Trooper  by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" – December 14th

Simon has been churning out these FedSec troopers for so long now that I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t! All of them are great examples of his wonderful brushwork and any of them could make this list, But what sets this chap apart from the rest for me is his weapon, I don’t know if this ever appeared in the “Blakes 7” television series, but if it didn’t it should have. As always Simon's treatment of predominantly black clothing is perfection and puts my daubed efforts to shame. Then add to this the “spot-on” colour of his helmet's banding - Heck! It even looks translucent, and you can see why he is here amongst such vaulted company.

No. 5 - Simian Minion by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" – August 26th

Simon has painted quite a few characters from the original “Planet of the Apes” movies this year, and though I knew I wanted to include at least one of them in my list it was a real struggle to pick the one I thought was the best. But after very careful deliberation and a lot of back and forth, I finally decided that his painting of “Kira” - the female chimpanzee, who appeared in a couple of the films, had a slightly lighter touch to her features, and I felt the colour of her costume was a touch closer to the original than some of the others. This is though just personal choice, and the margins between this and his other “Simians” is very small.

No. 4 - Black Widow Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.  by "Atomic Mass Games" – December 7th

I’ve already mentioned Simon is the master of “black”, and this wonderfully dynamic rendition of Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of “Natasha Romanoff” is just yet another example of his skill with realistically “noir” clothing. Also worth a mention is the skill and patience needed to assemble the sixteen pieces this figure consisted of! In fact he’s such a fan of Marvel Comics' Russian “Femme Fatale”, that he now owns three versions from this range alone (not to mention his Wizkids ones!). They say practice makes perfect, so perhaps it’s no wonder he did such a good job here.

No. 3 - Sterling The Wandering Knight by "Lucid Eye Publications" – January 20th

We go all the way back to the start of the year for my number three choice. This lovely little (and he is fairly little) figure by "Lucid Eye Publications". As I mentioned before with “Mister Mole” and the “Ballmonsters”, things have a knack of appearing on Simon’s blog that you have never heard of before and yet instantly want! I have been back to Lucid Eye’s website on numerous occasions since they first started “popping up” here. Though of all the figures from said company none impressed me more than Sterling here. At first glance he looks pretty simply painted - Black, and a dry-brush of silver. But there is so much more going on here, and when you really look you can pick out all the detail that really brings this little hero to life! No wonder Simon is using him as a stand in for “Boromir” in his “Lord of the Rings” games. The temptation is still strong!

No. 2 - Zzax by "Wizkids" – February 22nd

It wouldn’t be a “Top ten” of Simon’s output without at least one of his excellent “Heroclix” repaints, and this one is a “doosey!”. The stunning layered effect has been built up from heavy ochre through Carroburg Crimson up to final high lights of white (with many combinations of these and other colours in-between!), Even a professional “make up brush” was used in the production of this top notch paint effect. To my eye this is one of the very best re-paints I’ve seen either here or anywhere on the net.

No. 1 - The Blue Scarab by "Kitbash Games" – July 24th

Well, after a long and difficult bout of deliberation with myself - who am I kidding, I knew this lovely lady in blue was going to be my number one from the moment I set eyes upon her back in July. “No goon with a handgun”, was going to beat her and it seems neither was anyone else in my top ten! I could go through all the great details in her costume, and the excellent way Simon has picked them out, but quite frankly it would be a lot easier to point out what I don’t like about her, frankly nothing. A truly awesome piece of work and one that in my humble opinion is the pinnacle of Simon’s continuous top notch painting efforts for “twenty, twenty”.

So there you go - another year over and another fine body of work displayed on one of my favourite blogs. There have of course been several “just missed out” figures that made the short list but failed to make my final cut, and I have to give an honourable mention to all the various stomach turning, pudding’s, jellies and oozes that appeared with startling regularity in Simon’s posts during the year. But rather than list some of my other favourites here, my advice would be to make yourself a cup of tea and look back through the “Finished Figures” category under the header above and revel in some of the magnificent figures on show - from Rats to Robots, Prime Minister’s to Alien Pets, or even Tommie’s to Tomb Guardians, Simon has tackled everything with his usual enthusiasm and aplomb, if you are short of inspiration for 2021, you’ll find plenty there.

I’ll finish as usual, by thanking Simon for allowing me to run roughshod across his excellent blog, as well as taking on the arduous task of finding ten decent figures over on my own humble blog. Roll on 2021, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Cheers Roger.

N.B. You can visit Roger's excellent wargaming blog and see both his excellent output, as well as my own Top Ten of his 'best in show' here: "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table".

"The Squirrel Man Of Sevastopol..."

"...Was legendary for killing zombies whilst protecting the local squirrel population."

This 28mm hard plastic model is from "Hero Forge Custom Miniatures" and was designed using their online character design platform as a 'test piece' to see just what the quality of their 3D printed figures was like. The sculpt was incredibly simple to assemble from all the various body parts, costumes, equipment and weapons the website has to offer, and is largely based upon how I imagine myself looking should the Zombie Apocalypse actually occur.

The model did come on a pre-sculpted circular base, but in order to fit in better with some of my other zed-bashing miniatures I decided to snip around the stand's edges with a pair of pliers, and attach him to a 28mm lipped based instead. The figure was then treated to a double undercoat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and vigorously dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal.

"Mongoose Publishing" WIPs - The three undead Judges are slowly having their uniforms 'picked out'

I then 'picked out' the zombie survivor's numerous buttons and belt buckle with "Citadel" Ironbreaker, and his formidable firearm with Leadbelcher. All of these areas, along with the man's trousers and long leather trenchcoat, were drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The zed-killer's shoes were re-painted pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black to help them stand out a little more.

Finally, the squirrel and warrior's big bushy beard was pigmented using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. Whilst his stained T-Shirt was given a coat of "Vallejo" White and a splash of Pale Grey.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The alien pets have been based and primed

With the first of my Zomtober entries completed, I've made a little progress on three Mega-City One walking cadavers I converted using metal pieces from "Mongoose Publishing" and plastic parts from "Mantic Games". The entire trio will represent Undead Judges on my tabletop, so I have been slowly working my way through the tattered remants of their Justice Department uniforms.

In addition, I have also been busy basing and priming some more of the super-cute Alien Pets produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". I must confess that these "Colony 87" miniatures strongly remind me of the Japanese media franchise "Pokemon", and as a result, I have been watching a few of the cartoon series' earliest episodes so as to further motivate me to paint them. 

"Take Your Stinking Paws Off Me..."

"...You damn dirty ape!"

This 28mm scale white metal model of an Albion Rocket Corporation Astronaut is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately or as part of their ARC Astronauts three-figure deal. The figure actually comes unarmed with a helmet-wearing head, but as I wanted to use him as a proxy for George Taylor from the 1968 movie "Planet Of The Apes" I converted him using additional parts taken from the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer's extensive accessories range.

For starters I swapped out the model's space helmet for the bearded Travelling Man head, and cut off his empty right hand at the wrist in order to pin in place one of the four TLS Pistol hands instead. The entire ensemble was then primed with two coats of "Vallejo" White and I 'picked out' some of the cosmonaut suit's numerous buttons with a dollop or two of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

 Statue Of Liberty WIP - The resin ornamental mantlepiece statue has been primed ready for layering

I had originally planned to leave the entire figure pure white, and perhaps simply settle for a small decal of the American flag on one of his sleeves. However, I couldn't source a tiny enough transfer for the miniature and subsequently realised that I had painted several of the suit's numerous displays when I had previously pigmented this particular sculpt a few years ago. As a result I used the combinations of "Vallejo" Heavy Red with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson", "Vallejo" Heavy Blue" with "Citadel" Asurman Blue, and "Vallejo" Heavy Grey with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green on the buttons.

I next applied some "Vallejo" Pale Grey to the folds and creases of Taylor's twentieth century spacesuit, and attempted to better blend these shadows in with a careful dry-brush of White. The West Point graduate's firearm was given a layer of "Citadel" Leadbelcher and drenched in "Citadel" Badab Black. Finally his hair and beard with treated to a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and a splash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Hero Forge" WIPs - The post-apocalyptic survivor has been dry-brushed and had some details 'picked out'

With the first of my three planned "Planet Of The Apes"astronauts finished, I have begun working on a test piece I compiled using the "Hero Forge" Customs Miniatures website. This is definitely an expensive way of getting miniatures made, even with a "GenCon 2020" discount code, but is something I'm hoping to build upon in order to produce a line of models based upon my range of "Time's Rambler" graphic novels.

For starters though, I thought I'd get something reasonably straightforward made - a premium (black) plastic model of myself in slightly post-apocalyptic attire, armed with a big pistol and the obligatory squirrel (!?!). There are some slight striation marks visible on the back of the miniature's long leather coat. However, that has easily been resolved with a lick of paint or two, and certainly hasn't stopped me designing/ordering the first three figures for what I hope to be a sizeable range in the future...