"Many Of His Men Were Won Over With Promises Of Glory Or Oaths Of Loyalty."

"And many more followed Horus simply because they always had."

This pair of 28mm plastic Space Marines are by "Games Workshop" and come from the now OOP (Out Of Production) Burning Of Prospero boxed game. The multi-part figures have been assembled wearing MK III armour, and will form part of a Sons of Horus Tactical Squad for the Horus Heresy. Both figures were initially undercoated with "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green, before being heavily washed with Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) Sons Of Horus Green.

I then applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to their shoulder-pads, as well parts of their backpacks and Bolters. The models' power tubes and firearms were subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst I 'picked out' all the ridges on their shoulder-pads and helmet brows with a little "Vallejo" Gold. These areas were later given a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and highlighted with some additional touches of "Vallejo" Gold on the sharpest edges and rivets.

Gondor lines up against the formidable forces of Lurtz and Isengard's fighting Uruk-hai

With two more of my Sons of Horus space marines completed, I also managed to participate in another 500 point skirmish using the "Middle Earth: Strategy Battle Game" rules by "Games Workshop". This time my Isengard force simply faced a similarly-sized army of Gondor in a fight "To The Death!" using the rule-book's second scenario. Once again though we slightly reduced the recommended set-up measurements to better accommodate the three foot square table we were using.

To mix things up from my previous victory, and learn a bit more as to how effective archery can be in the game, I decided to line my Uruk-hai scout archers on my left flank facing Beregond's unit of archers. This shoot-out ultimately just showed how difficult it is to actually hit anyone with arrows when using bows, albeit over the course of the battle my leather-clad "Orc-folk" were slowly whittled down by their better armoured human opponents.

Gandalf unsuccessfully attempts to overcome the magical might of the White Wizard, Saruman

In the centre I placed Lurtz along with his contingent of fighting Uruk-hai and Bezerkers. Initially, these faced across some ruins at Gondor's swordsmen and spearmen. But during the fight I quickly split most of my Bezerkers off to the right so as to tackle my opponent's Knights of Minas Tirith. Quite surprisingly, this proved to a most wise decision, as my ferocious fighters easily withstood the inevitably cavalry charge, and then chopped both Knight and horse to pieces before the battle was over.

This massacre then allowed my Bezerkers to rejoin my Uruk-hai who were battling Gondor's increasingly beleaguered swordsmen, and soon afterwards there was little doubt that Isengard would be victorious once again. However, one of the best moments in the entire game was Saruman's sorcerous duel with Gandalf, which at one point looked likely to see my (true) White Wizard roast his Olórin alive with a devastating Flameburst...

"You Are An Infiltration Prototype."

"Cyborgs don't feel pain."

This 28mm scale metal Killbot is manufactured by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", and can be bought individually as Killbot A, or as part of the four-figure deal - SKU: DEAL 347. The single-cast model was undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, washed in "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green, dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Gunmetal, and subsequently shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

I then applied some "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash to its joints, and blended this in with a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, allowing some of the previously-applied "Vallejo" Gunmetal to still shine through. Finally, its weapon was treated to a combination of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also dotted its eyes using some "Scalecolor" Speed Metal as a base layer, and later dabbed a little "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red over these areas.

Beregond shockingly finds his position assailed by deadly Uruk-hai Bezerkers within the opening turn

With the third of my Killbots completed, I also managed to play some "Middle Earth: Strategy Battle Game" by "Games Workshop", fielding my current 500 point Isengard force against a similarly-sized army of Gondor. As this was our first fight using the rule-set for quite some time we played the opening scenario - Domination, slightly reducing the recommended set-up measurements to better accommodate the three foot square table we were using.

Considering that both sides could immediately deploy up to the halfway point of the battlefield, the main aim of both armies was to push the other back so as to claim the larger share of five scattered objective markers. To this end I placed my Uruk-hai scout archers on the edge of a forest on my right flank, relying upon their "Woodland Creature" special ability to allow them to melt into the undergrowth if frontally assaulted, and 'Heroically Moved' Lurtz and his Bezerkers straight towards Beregond's archer unit on my left. This provided the White Wizard, Saruman, plenty of room in the centre to deal with any threats.

Beregond dies whilst battling Lurtz as Gondor looks to its centre and left flank for victory

This bold move clearly threw Gondor into complete disarray as both the Knights of Minas Tirith and Gandalf repositioned themselves, and allowed Lurtz to smash straight into Beregond's terrified troops. Unsurprisingly, my fierce Bezerkers hacked the armoured human archers to pieces, and soon buried their so-called champion alongside them. In addition, Saruman appeared more than a match for a unit of Gondor swordsmen who thought they'd secure the central objective, courtesy of a Sorcerous Blast and The Palantir.

Gondor discovers just how brittle its Knights of Minas Tirith actually are

Reeling from these early blows, Gandalf made a beeline straight for my Scout archers, hoping to catch the leather-clad Uruk-hai in a pincer move with the splendid-looking Knights of Minas Tirith. However, a few flights of arrows actually managed to fell one of the armoured riders and cause them to go their separate ways - with a pair even wheeling right back around and moving to help the survivors of Beregond's poorly performing band.

This change in the cavalry's direction set-up one of the highlights of the game as Saruman managed to hurl a Knight into another rider with another Sorcerous Blast, outright killing the first and unsaddling the second. With Gondor's entire right flank eradicated, and Lurtz sweeping towards the centre, Gandalf's only hope was to attack my Scout archers and then follow it up with a charge from some remaining Swordsmen.

Isengard's Uruk-hai Scouts fend off some of Gondor's better-armoured soldiers

A Sorcerous Blast from Shadowfax's rider definitely got my Uruk-hai Scouts out into the open. But with orc blades drawn, and lead by a Captain, the unit still managed to hold their own against the better armoured infantry of Gondor. Indeed, before long, my Isengard forces had completely whittled away their opponents to a quarter of their starting number and collected numerous victory points with their mastery of the objective markers. A well-won victory for the White Wizard was in the books...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "The Lord Of The Rings" September 2022

"A new power is rising. Its victory is at hand."

This month's effort to chip away at my rather large backlog of metal, plastic and resin models will primarily focus upon the completion of an additional 100 points for my Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game Isengard army. To be honest, I already have enough spare "Games Workshop" figures to complete this task in my collection, having previously painted a sizeable amount of Uruk-hai from the Nottingham-based manufacturer’s old "The Lord Of The Rings" range many moons ago.

However, whilst these extra Bezerkers, crossbow-carrying Uruk-hai and sword-welding "Orc-folk" will doubtless prove useful on the tabletop. They are a bit of a hodge-podge. So I'm hoping to bring a bit more cohesiveness to these 'new recruits' by expanding their numbers into viable, standalone units (which I can then swap in and out of different battles/scenarios) rather than just fielding the odd Orc with a bow here and shieldless Uruk-Hai there. I may even manage to finally pigment some Warg Riders having found a long-forgotten box of the cavalry models.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Sauron has been primed, roughly layered and shaded

Furthermore, I thought it might be fun to work on some of the rule-set's more recognisable miniatures, possibly with a view to creating either a Barad-dûr, Angmar, Mordor, or Moria force. To that end I have started working on an old metal figure of Sauron, which I picked up second-hand quite a few years ago. This monster costs a whopping 400 points in-game, but can be used as an unlikely ally for my Isengard army, and would therefore allow me to plonk 1000 points of 'Evil' onto my tabletop should I ever need to.

Hopefully, I can get quite a few battles in over the next few weeks too, and become reacquainted with both how the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game plays in general and all the little nuances of Saruman's swarthy soldiers. To that end, I'm actually planning on running a few playthroughs against an understrength Gondor force I once painted, as well as any 'opposing' figures I can complete this month - such as what if Sauron single-handedly attacked Isengard as he didn't trust the treacherous White Wizard to keep up his end of their bargain..?

August 2022 - The popularity of 3D printing makes it mark with "Twisted Pinnacle"

There can be little argument that the past four weeks have been disappointing as far as hobby output is concerned. In fact, its been my least productive August in seven years, and would have actually been a lot worse if it wasn't for "Twisted Pinnacle" and their excellent 3D prints of the Sentry Robots from the 1979 science fiction movie "The Black Hole". My Horus Heresy project by "Games Workshop" also badly stalled, to the point where I really need to get a 'wiggle on' if I going to field a 500 point Sons of Horus traitor army any time soon. 

Fortunately, my enthusiasm for the hobby has been rekindled with a sudden return of interest in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. This alone should encourage me to increase my prolificness over the next few weeks. However, I also have a few other small-scale projects planned, utilising miniatures from "Crooked Dice Game Design Company", "Battlefield Miniatures" and "Alternative Armies", which should cement my monthly aspirations...

“For I am Saruman the Wise…”

“…Saruman the Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!"

This now long Out Of Production (OOP) 28mm scale metal model of the White Wizard was manufactured by "Games Workshop" as part of their "The Lord Of The Rings" Forces of Isengard range, and was available as Two Towers: Saruman. I believe I bought this figure second-hand at some Wargaming Show a good decade ago, but he’ll now finally take pride and place leading my 500-point strong Isengard army for the “Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game”.

The first of the order of Istar to come Middle-Earth was initially primed with “Vallejo” White and then washed using some water-down “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. Ordinarily, I always use “Vallejo” Pale Grey to shade anything white upon my miniatures. However, on this occasion I wanted to suggest the stain of Sauron’s influence upon the Emissary of the Valar, so went with a different approach from the normal.

"Once he was as great as his fame made him."

To be honest, the end result’s final look wasn’t really what I was after, especially once I subsequently dry-brushed the wizard’s flowing robes with (more) “Vallejo” White. None of the colours seemed to blend together particularly well, and I was also abundantly aware of some very visible streaking effects occurring. As a result I decided to repeat the entire process again using a much softer-bristled make-up blusher, yet still came away with only a marginally better outcome.

I painted Saruman’s hair and beard with a mixture of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and “Citadel” Nuln Oil, before lightening these areas up using a dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and later on, White. Lastly, I applied some “Citadel” Abaddon Black to the magic-user’s staff, and dabbed the stick’s somewhat miscast orb with “Vallejo” White and Pale Grey.

"Leave Hitler to me sonny. You ought to be out of London."

Overall, I was rather unimpressed with this model’s painting, but unfortunately the worst was yet to come when my “Vallejo” Matt Varnish decided to transfer White paint over the entire figure, despite my waiting a day before applying it. If I owned a second Saruman I would have certainly rebased and repainted this particular ruined sculpt as a statue, and turned my attention to pigmenting the duplicate correctly. However, as I wasn’t in this position, I painstakingly ‘saved’ the miniature by re-painting his staff, hair, flesh and eyes; albeit the milky varnish can still be plainly seen in certain areas, particularly those surrounding his beard.

In between my frustrating sessions finishing off the White Wizard, I have also completed work on a second plastic model of a Shadow Cat to use as Hawker class British War Walker. This “Catalyst Game Labs” figure was painted quite similarly to my first mech, predominantly using “Vallejo” Earth and Heavy Green. In addition though, I separated the giant machine’s torso from its legs and later re-attached them at a different angle, so as to give the mechanical brute a bit of diversity in its pose.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Forgotten Heroes" June 2021

"The Horus Heresy is a dark, far future military space opera."

Due to this month's effort to chisel away at my ‘elevation of inspiration’ being strongly influenced by the annual “Forgotten Heroes” challenge over on the “Carrion Crow’s Buffet” website, I will be chiefly focusing my hobby time upon a selection of 15mm figures from “The Ion Age” miniatures range by "Alternative Armies". However, rather than simply paint the human soldiers up in the colours of the Prydian Army, I’ll actually be turning them into suitable proxies with which to refight the famous Horus Heresy of Warhammer 40,000 lore.

As I’ve previously started just such a project in the past, I thought I’d initially crack on with an already partially-pigmented 28mm Noble of Prydia and a converted Retained Knight with an Octa Powered Sword. Despite the fact that the ratio between these Primarchs’ great size in comparison to the range’s 15mm knights is somewhat off, I thought the duo would still rather nicely replicate the dastardly traitor Horus Lupercal and the Emperor of Mankind’s eternally loyal Sanguinius respectively.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Saruman is slowly having his detail 'picked out'

In addition, I hope to get a lick of “Vallejo” Heavy Red paint upon a handful of other figures from “The Ion Age” range so as to create a small contingent of Blood Angels, whilst doing something similar, potentially using Heavy Bluegrey with a "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green shade, for the Sons of Horus. I might even manage to stretch to the odd vehicle, battle-tank or armoured suit, as I have done previously when building a small force of Crimson Fist Adeptus Astartes and Imperial Guard.

Lastly, I still have a handful of models from “The Lord Of The Rings” by “Games Workshop” to finish off so as to complete my 500 point Isengard army for the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. All the figures are already half-complete, albeit my figure of the White Wizard, Saruman, will need some rework on his robes after the watered-down wash of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade proved far less successful in projecting a slightly grubby cloth than I had hoped.

May 2021 - "Games Workshop" elbow their way into my Top Five Manufacturers for the first time in years

The next few weeks should prove particularly productive due to my first foray into the wonderful world of 3D printed models, utilising “FullyCycled” services to manufacture me several sculpts taken from “Rocket Pig Games” brilliantly visualised fantasy range. Despite having had a few problems snapping off the wrong bit here and there whilst cleaning the disconcertingly brittle figures up, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying applying a brush to them, and have several more planned for the very near future.

Likewise, it would seem my enthusiasm for easily the hobby’s most recognisable brand has finally returned with something of a vengeance, so along with my partially-pigmented Uruk-Hai from J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, it may well be that a few more “Blood Bowl” players might be readied for a lick of varnish and static grass…

“The Bulk Of Saruman's Legions Are Composed Of Uruk-hai.”

 “Some of the most deadly and savage warriors in Middle-Earth.”

This 28mm scale metal Uruk-hai armed with a crossbow is manufactured by "Games Workshop", and is one of four differently-posed missile models sculpted for their Forces of Isengard range. Back in the day the figure came as one of three randomly chosen models in a single "The Lord Of The Rings" blister, but I actually picked up this particular warrior second-hand at some Wargaming Show.

Saruman’s super-strong orc had actually been previously primed (presumably with “Citadel” Chaos Black), as well as had all of its armour and hand-weapon layered, shaded and dry-brushed, during one of my painting sessions a decade ago. As a result I simply applied the modern day colour equivalents of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal, Thrash Metal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil to these areas whenever my errant painting required tidying up.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - This WoodWard has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

I then gave the brutal warrior's legs, arms and chin a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before 'picking out' the savage soldier's shoes, loincloth, hair, gloves, straps, belt, pouches and crossbow with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. In addition, I treated the brute’s knife sheath to a little “Vallejo” Heavy Brown and highlighted his teeth in White. Both of these areas were later washed with (more) “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

In addition to my latest Uruk-hai I have been making some fine progress on a couple of my 3D printed resin miniatures designed by “Rocket Pig Games”. The WoodWard is probably going to end up as one of the stalwarts of my ‘Nature’ force, so I’ve been testing out some straightforward dry-brushing on him as I’ll doubtless end up asking “FullyCycled” to print me off some more in the near future.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - This Clockwork Mage is slowly having its details 'picked out'

The Clockwork Mage on the other hand will be the leader of a predominantly robotic force determined to invade the living world. I plan to make the vast majority of this army “Vallejo” Brass and Gunmetal, so have been busy studying the sculpt’s details to establish where I can separate the two different metallic colours from one another – a difficult prospect for a figure whose mechanical appendages appear to ‘melt’ into one another.

These two models also demonstrate one of my frustrations with not knowing how big the “Rocket Pig Games” miniatures will be until they arrive upon my doorstep. For example, I have already settled upon having “FullyCycled” print me off any humanoid-sized characters in 32mm scale, so the Clockwork Mage stands at 48mm in height with his fiery hands raised above his head. However, some of the other figures I have bought in 40mm scale so as to ‘dwarf’ this sorcerer have actually turned out to be significantly smaller than the magic user, such as the so-called Fungal Giant.

“This Nest Of Wingless Mole-like Mammals…”

“…Hover through a mild form of telekinesis.”

This 28mm scale white metal model of some Owl-Shrews is sold by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought as part of their Alien Pets deal. The tiny animals are actually only 6mm in length individually and are designed to be used with the company's other "Colony 87" sci-fi civilian miniatures "for any RPGs and tabletop wargames."

Sculpted by Andrew May, the diminutive critters were initially undercoated using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and shaded with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. They were then dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before having their main bodies darkened with an extra application of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. Finally, all of their eyes were ‘spotted’ with “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - The Uruk-hai Crossbowmen have had their shoes and legs layered

Alongside the last of my Alien Pets, I have also been making steady progress on a small unit of Uruk-hai Crossbowmen for my 500 point strong Isengard army. One of the more interesting mechanics of the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game by “Games Workshop” is that armies have a bow limit due to “the many hundreds of arrows” needed during a confrontation, and as a result only one third (rounding up) of each force’s warrior models may be equipped with a bow.

In the past I’ve actually just used a small contingent of normal Orcs equipped with crude bows as the evil White Wizard’s missile troops. But this time round I thought I’d supply my initial scouting party with some much more thematically-based crossbows - which whilst significantly more cumbersome than my previous archers due to not being able to move and shoot in the same turn, will fire bolts twice the strength of an arrow when unleashed.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - The Grave Gnasher's "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna weapon has been replaced with Gunmetal

Lastly, I’ve made some major inroads on my Grave Gnasher by “Rocket Pig Games”. This bizarre-looking 3D printed resin figure has actually proved a bit of a head-scratcher palette-wise as I’ve been in two minds as to whether it should be bedecked in precious gold or silver. My original plan was to use the 32mm miniature as the magical leader of Nature fighting off the mechanical machinations of a Clockwork Mage.

However, as the creature is clearly aligned to Death, I’ve already been contemplating using him as the commander of a third force firmly formed around the Undead. This change in the project’s direction has caused me to abandon my initial idea for the earth-based fiend to be wearing colourfully rich bracelets and weld a massive golden hammer, and instead re-paint the figure using a much more muted steel hand-weapon…

“Demon Is Actually The More Common Term For Extraplanar Entity.”

“Few of the demons in Frostgrave have come of their own free will or for their own purpose.”

This 28mm scale metal model of a Minor Demon is made by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought together with a somewhat smaller Imp Demon as code FGV302 from their “Frostgrave” range. Rather embarrassingly I actually received this figure as part of a Secret Santa gift way back in December 2015, and had initially planned to paint him as part of that year’s Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

Described as being “pretty unhappy about being pulled away from their own existence”, the devil was primed with “Vallejo” Heavy Red and washed in “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson. I then ‘picked out’ its hooves, horns and teeth with a combination of “Vallejo” White and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade”, before applying “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna to all the monster’s fur.

"Goatskins full of blood poured upon Bezerkers before battle instil their bloodlust."

These areas were later drenched in (more) “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. I did originally just leave the Minor Demon’s tongue black, as per the creature’s ‘official’ paint-job. But I simply didn’t like the way it looked somewhat unfinished, so eventually went back with a little “Vallejo” Heavy Violet and “Citadel” Druchi Violet.

Alongside my latest “Frostgrave” figure I have finished the fourth (and final) 28mm Uruk-hai Bezerker by "Games Workshop" which I needed for my 500-point "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" Isengard force. Like so many of my metal “The Lord Of The Rings” miniatures, this old model was bought at a wargaming show over a decade ago , and was painted along the exact same lines to those used for my previously-painted "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" super-strong Orcs.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - This Grave Gnasher has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Sticking with Fantasy, albeit an entirely different world to that of Joseph A. McCullough or J.R.R. Tolkein, I have made some in-roads on another of my “Rocket Pig Games” sculpts which “FullyCycled” have printed for me in resin. I must admit that this 32mm miniature of a Grave Gnasher has turned out to be a bit softer in detail than I was anticipating, but having looked much closer at the 3D rendering the monster is clearly meant to be a bit ‘blobby’.

Its pre-printed base has also turned out a bit larger than I anticipated, so instead of placing him upon a normal 28mm circular base I have had to use a 40mm instead. This additional size also made me consider placing one or two thematic grave markers around the fiend so as to tie-in to it being an Undead creature of some kind. However, I ultimately felt this might make the entire ensemble a little too busy-looking, or at least, much more difficult to paint.

“Treants Are A Peaceful Race Usually Found Roaming Ancient Forests.”

"They spend their time guarding and preserving their woodlands,"

This 72mm tall resin model of a Treant is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be purchased from the Lincolnshire-based company’s Fantasy range. Described as being “fond of other peaceful beings”, the multi-part figure was assembled using a combination of metal pins, green-stuff and super-glue before being attached to a “Citadel” circular 50mm base.

Able to “unleash thunderous destruction on anyone threatening their lands”, I initially primed the miniature with “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna. I then sporadically ‘blotched’ the “nomadic tree shepherd” with some “Vallejo” Earth and shaded the entire ensemble with a mixture of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These three Mutaints just need shading

In order to really bring out all the sculpt’s wonderful wooden details I next took a soft face make-up blusher brush dipped in “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and patiently drew it across all of the raised surfaces on the Treant. This was followed up by an even lighter dry-brush of “Vallejo” Earth.

With the basics now finished, I set about ‘picking out’ all the marvellous mushrooms and slightly intimidating leaves etched upon the “almost Troll-like” creature’s bark. I used “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson for the tops of the toadstools, and “Vallejo” White with a smidgeon of Pale Grey for the fungi’s underbellies. Lastly, I applied a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Green and “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green to the model’s somewhat abundant foliage.

"Berserkers were tough Orcs bred in Isengard."

Sticking with “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” figures, I have made some more progress on three of the last five OOP Federated Security Mutaints I own. Admittedly, these minions of Space Commander Travis haven’t taken too long to base layer, but they still need their eyes ‘dotting’ and washes to be applied before being finished.

In addition, I am pleased to report that yet another 28mm Uruk-hai Bezerker by "Games Workshop" has been completed for my 500-point "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" Isengard force. This particular metal sculpt is identical to one I already recently pigmented, so I decided to make him appear slightly different by leaving his helmet just plain metal, rather than giving it the emblem of the White Wizard, Saruman.

“Why, It's A Man! A Man Made Out Of Tin!”

“Where do you want to be oiled first?”

This 40mm scale resin print of a Tin Construct is produced by "Rocket Pig Games", but actually 3D printed by “FullyCycled” over on “Etsy”. The model is one of several test prints I recently bought in order to see just how well such figures can currently be manufactured, and for a homemade project pitting the forces of a Clockwork Mage against those of the Natural World.

The figure comes on a pre-printed base, which is arguably the only place where the tell-tale striation signs of a 3D print were visible. This part also wasn’t terrible flat, so I had the option of either removing the mechanical man from its some large boulder-covered stand, or super-gluing it onto a 50mm circular base by “Games Workshop”.

"Before they are unleashed, their helmets are filled with blood..."

Considering just how brittle I found the miniature to be when I inadvertently snipped off the handle to its head, having mistaken it for a support strut, I quickly decided to simply attach it to the base and apply a coat of “Vallejo” Gloss Black over the entire model. I then treated the figure to a layer of “Scale 75” Decayed Metal, a hearty dry-brush of “Scale 75” Thrash Metal, and a wash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

I next dabbed the Tin Construct’s various joints, its boiler and its damaged axe-head with some "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash, and applied a second dry-brush of “Scale 75” Thrash Metal over the entire ensemble to help blend it all in. As a final touch on the metallic work, I also added some “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade sporadically over the model in an effort to weather it some more, and where appropriate, gave some of these areas an additional dry-brush of “Scale 75” Thrash Metal.

"...And then thrust roughly onto their head."

Lastly, I treated the lumbering construct’s axe-shaft to a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, and his eyes to a dab of “Vallejo” Dark Vermillion. Ordinarily, I’d usually leave the figure alone at this point to be varnished and flocked. But as the miniature has some splendidly sculpted stones on its base, I decided to ‘embellish’ them a little using some “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and a dash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

With my first ever 3D printed miniature completed, I have also managed to fully pigment another 28mm Uruk-hai Bezerker by "Games Workshop" for my 500-point Isengard force. As memory serves this old metal sculpt was bought at a wargaming show over a decade ago , and was painted along the exact same lines to those used for my previously-painted "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" super-strong Orcs.

“The Most Barbarous And Brutal Of The Uruk-hai Are The Bezerkers.”

"Frenzied killers who are hurled into battle to break through enemy lines."

This 28mm scale metal Uruk-hai Berzerker is produced by "Games Workshop", and these days can be bought as one of four different resin cast sculpts from the Nottingham-based company’s "The Lord Of The Rings" range. Both “Oblivious To Pain” and “Impervious To Bow Fire” in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game, this is one of seven such double-handed sword-wielding maniacs I intend to field as part of my 500-point Isengard force.

The figure was initially primed in two coats of “Vallejo” Heavy Red, before having his leather sandals, loincloth and hand-guards ‘picked out’ with some slightly watered-down Heavy Sienna. The entire model was then shaded in “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, and had its chainmail pigmented using a combination of “Scale 75” Thrash Metal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - The Tin Construct is currently being weathered

Next I tackled the issue of trying to replicate the decades-old metallic paint-job some of my previously-finished Orcs had with modern-day colours. This resulted in me applying some “Citadel” Abaddon Black to their great hand-weapons and helmets as a base coat, and subsequently giving them a lick of “Scale 75” Decayed Metal.

The sword and head-gear were later dry-brushed with “Scale 75” Thrash Metal, shaded with “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and finally dry-brushed with (more) “Scale 75” Thrash Metal. As a last step I applied a hand pattern over the brute’s face with some “Vallejo” White” so as to mark the Bezerker out as being favoured by the treacherous White Wizard himself.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - The Twig Fiend has been shaded and dry-brushed

In addition to my latest Uruk-hai, I have also been working on the first couple of 3D Printed models I bought from “FullyCycled”. Both of these figures are actually produced by “Rocket Pig Games” and printed in resin. However, as part of my experiment into this new aspect of the wargaming world, I did acquire a 40mm print of the Tin Construct and just a 32mm the Twig Fiend; albeit on the tabletop the wooden monstrosity would appear to be of a comparable size.

One of the first learning curves I’ve experienced is being super-careful when removing any support struts still attached to the models, and double-checking to ensure what I’m clipping off isn’t actually meant to be part of the sculpt itself. Unfortunately, I mistook the Tin Construct’s head-handle as being ‘flash’ and whilst tidying up one of the tendrils on the back of my Twig Fiend snapped the surprisingly brittle piece off…

“The Paladin Weaver Can Channel Destructive Fury Cyphers.”

"Accompanying the Alliance’s forces on the battlefield..."

This 35mm scale metal miniature of a Paladin Weaver is produced by “Privateer Press” and can be found inside the Iron Star Alliance Command Group Starter Set for Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika. Able to “unleash all manner of psychokinetic ruin upon those who would face the Paladins in battle”, the three-piece figure also comes armed with a “null hammer, a battle staff capable of knocking Arc off any opponent it strikes.”

Having pinned the solo right arm and backpack in place, the entire assembly was primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black before being treated to a double-helping of "Vallejo" Gunmetal. It was then shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal, courtesy of a large make-up blusher brush.

"...The Paladin Weaver acts as a living focus for the Warcaster’s offensive arcane might."

Initially, I had planned to turn my Iron Star Alliance miniatures into a somewhat rusty and battered formation, arguably more in keeping with their supposed "aggressive expansion throughout the galaxy". But in the end, I actually chose to predominantly keep to the somewhat 'clean' look of their metallic compound armour, and instead just 'pick out' various areas of interest on each figure.

For the Weaver this meant applying some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the Paladin's skirt, neck plate, elbow-pads, and the shaft of his null hammer. In addition, I layered the model's spats, shoulder-pads, face-plate, hand-weapon and central chest-plate with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and later gave them a 'lick' of Brass followed by a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. These areas were later delicately dry-brushed with a touch more "Vallejo" Brass to try and bring back some of their shine after being shaded.

"The Lord Of The Rings" WIPs - These three Uruk-hai Bezerkers are at various stages

Lastly, in an effort to somewhat further break-up all the metallics on show, I applied some "Vallejo" Turquoise to the central front and rear portions of his loincloth and washed them with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. I also decided to paint the miniature’s cyclopean ‘eye’ with a combination of “Vallejo” White and Fluorescent Blue so as to make it ‘pop’ that bit more from the rest of the figure.

With the latest of my Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika miniatures finished, I’ve managed to make some further progress on the remaining metal Uruk-hai Bezerkers I want to field for my 500 point Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game Isengard army. The plan is to have seven on these old “Games Workshop” sculpts following one of my Captains, alongside a contingent of already-painted Uruk-hai Scout bowmen, and then move on to pigmenting a quartet of crossbowman to follow another evil Hero of Fortitude…

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "The Lord Of The Rings" May 2021

"Isengard is a mighty fortress sited to guard the Gap of Rohan."

This month's effort to chisel away at my rather large backlog of metal, plastic and resin models will primarily focus upon the completion of a 500 point Isengard army for the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game by “Games Workshop”. Fortunately as project’s go, this particular one shouldn’t prove too difficult as I already own a sizeable amount of painted Uruk-hai from the Nottingham-based manufacturer’s old "The Lord Of The Rings" range, and have spent a fair portion of the past four weeks ‘picking away’ at some of Saruman’s sword-wielding super-strong orcs.

In addition, as I want my force to be lead by the treacherous White Wizard himself, then I actually only now need to paint up a figure of the Head of the White Council to be done. However, my ultimate plan is to be in a position where, should I wish to replace magic with sheer weight of unnatural numbers, I can swap Saruman out with a hefty horde of extra Bezerkers and crossbow-carrying Uruk-hai.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - Tin Construct, Dwarven War Construct, and Twig Fiend

Alongside this cunning plan, I also thought it was about time I started dabbling in the increasingly impressive wargaming world of 3D printed miniatures. I have been contemplating buying my own additive manufacturing machine for a while, but thought as a first step I would simply purchase a few models from different sellers on Etsy, and explore the quality which the different materials used to create the figures employ.

For now I’m sticking with some of the simply marvellous sculpts produced by “Rocket Pig Games”, and had the company “FullyCycled” print these out for me in different scales and materials. The results have certainly been somewhat mixed, but I’m still hopeful to have enough playable pieces fully-pigmented by the end of this experiment with which to game the eternal struggle for domination between an all-conquering Clockwork Mage and the Forces of Nature…

April 2021 - "North Star Military Figures" dominated the month thanks to its range of Frostgrave models

Painting wise, the past four weeks have resulted in the biggest turn-out I’ve ever experienced during the month of April, thanks largely to my ability to work through a number of animals and monsters for the second edition of Frostgrave. This ever-increasing bestiary has seen “North Star Military Figures” suddenly become my second favourite manufacturer of the year so far, and with even more of their Frozen City-based fauna currently sat upon my painting table I’ve little doubt they’ll continue to make an impressive showing in the months to come too. 

I’ve also managed to make some healthy progress with my Iron Star Alliance force for Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika. I’ve never actually finished a model by “Privateer Press” until I started getting the army’s various paladins tabletop ready, but am now reasonably close to getting all the figures in their Command Group Starter Set completed, as well as some additional reinforcements in the shape of three Annihilators.

"Northern Bears Are Mostly Peaceful Creatures..."

"...But are easily spooked."

This 44mm tall metal model of a Bear rearing to attack is produced by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought as code FGX005 from their “Frostgrave" range. Somewhat reminiscent of the illustration found on page 178 of the skirmish wargame’s Second Edition rulebook, albeit disappointingly without that particular carnivoran mammal’s numerous scars and battered ear, the animal is a potential “unhappy” random encounter for any adventurer who dares enter the wintry ruins of Felstad.

The figure was initially undercoated with two layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, before being shaded with a combination of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The Bear was then thoroughly dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna. As a final touch I ‘picked out’ the creature’s nose, eyes and claws with a little “Citadel” Abaddon Black, as well as its teeth using some “Vallejo” White and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

"Zealot Miniatures" WIPs - This Stone Golem has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Sticking with Joseph A. McCullough’s fantasy wargame in the Frozen City, I have managed to assemble and start working on a Stone Golem by “Zealot Miniatures”. This two-piece resin magical construct “stands 65mm to the top of its head”, and has taken a little while to put together on account of my waiting upon a circular 60mm lipped base to arrive from a disappointingly slow eBay seller.

Originally, I was going to simply paint the living monolith in just my usual “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and “Citadel” Nuln Oil recipe. But having now successfully applied this palette to the figure, I plan to add some additional weathering to the stony sentinel’s surface, and ‘pick out’ its bracelets in either “Vallejo” Bronze or Brass so as to suggest these adornments are what imbue the statue with its unnatural life.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - These four Uruk-hai Bezerkers have been primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Red

Lastly, I am continuing to progress the additional “Games Workshop” metal miniatures I need to field a 500-point Isengard Force for the Nottingham-based manufacturer’s Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. One of this army’s components I’m especially keen to expand upon are some extra Uruk-hai Bezerkers, who are accompanied with a number of formidable Special Rules in the “Armies Of The Lord Of The Rings” rule-book.

As a result I have been busy rummaging through my backlog of old models and managed to unearth four more of the barbarous orcs to help swell the ranks of my previously-painted three-figure strong unit. Just like my basic Uruk-hai Warriors however, I am going to have to turn to my modern-day collection of “Scale 75” range of "Metal N' Alchemy" water-based acrylics in order to replicate the now well OOP “Citadel” colours I used over a decade ago…

"Do You Now Believe We Mutoids Are Vampires?"

"My function will be impaired if I don't get further serum soon."

This 28mm Federated Security Mutaint was previously manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and comes from their out-of-production Federated Security Starter Set. However, these days both the miniature and several other 'dead-ringers' from the BBC science fiction television series “Blake’s Seven”, are available from "Beast In The Broch".

After pinning the "technologically modified" human's separate head to her torso, the figure was primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black and enthusiastically dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal. I then picked out the female trooper's gauntlets and chest covering using pure "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, before the entire model was treated to a splash or two of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Saurman's defection to the service of the Dark Lord left him with one monstrous obsession."

This was somewhat of a step away from the 'official' Mutoid costume broadcast on the small screen. But I felt the all-black palette used by Space Commander Travis' Command Crew was a little too bland even for my liking, and that the subtle difference in colour between the "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal made her slightly more interesting to the casual eye, without veering away too much from the soldier's original concept.

I also tried to make the Federated Security Mutaint a little more sinisterly pale-looking by using "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey for her face's flesh, and shading this with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. As a final touch, the trooper's firearm was 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The weapon was later dry-brushed with a little more "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"Zealot Miniatures" WIPs - This Frost Horror has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

With my Mutaint test-piece finished, I have also managed to complete a plastic Uruk-hai Warrior by "Games Workshop" for my 500-point Isengard force. This age-old sculpt came inside "The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" boxed set, and has been pigmented along very similar lines to those used for my previously-painted "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" figures.

In addition, I've made some in-roads on an approximately 60mm tall Frost Horror by "Zealot Miniatures". This multi-part resin miniature, sculpted by Boris Woloszyn, will be used as either a Frost Giant or perhaps a Snow Troll in my games of "Frostgrave". But will first need to be varnished in "Vallejo" Matt acrylic resin so as to seal in its "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey paint-job, before it can be further progressed - owing to this colour combination usually transferring to other areas of a model whenever it is varnished.

"So Much Death."

"What can men do against such reckless hate?"

This pair of 28mm scale metal Uruk-hai were manufactured by "Games Workshop", and could be bought as part of their Uruk-hai Command and Uruk-hai Warriors randomly populated blisters respectively. Disappointingly, neither figure now appears to be available as part of the Nottingham-based company's current "The Lord Of The Rings" range for the Forces of Isengard, and were actually purchased in various states of disrepair second-hand at a gaming show or two many moons ago.

In order to eradicate its previous partial paint-job the Uruk-hai Captain was first treated to a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before being given a coat of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal. This "Metal N' Alchemy" water-based acrylic was then dry-brushed with "Scale 75" Thrash Metal, shaded with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and given a second, much lighter dry-brush of (more) "Scale 75" Thrash Metal.

"The Uruk-hai are too many."

Having reasonably replicated the old OOP "Citadel" Tin Bitz colour scheme I used on my decade-old, modestly-sized Forces of Isengard army I attempted something similar with the brutal warrior's flesh by applying a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to his arms, legs, and chin. I also 'picked' out the soldier's loincloth, hair and gloves with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and (more) "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

The Uruk-hai Warrior was painted in a very similar way, albeit I had apparently already painted the Isengarder's armour, sword and shield ten years ago. However, as this particular minion of Saruman was actually going to be a Uruk-hai Scout Captain in my army for the "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game", I free-handed a rough replica of the White Wizard's emblem upon his shield in "Vallejo" White, and then weathered it with a quick dry-brush of "Scale 75" Thrash Metal.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Treant is ready for detailing

In addition, it appears that I probably bought this model without its metal tab, and had resultantly propped the figure up on its circular base using the odd piece of plastic sprue and some metal shavings. I therefore pigmented these parts to resemble stone, courtesy of a "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey undercoat, a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and a careful dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey.

Sticking with J.R.R. Tolkein's Middle Earth, but moving across to "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", I have also found the time to do some groundwork on their recently-released Treant miniature. This multi-part resin kin has been assembled, pinned, primed, shaded and repeatedly dry-brushed in preparation for the 72mm tall model's leafy detail to all be 'picked out'...

This posting and many others can now be viewed on the main "Fantorical" website.