"But This Is A Fine Time To Test..."

 "...My newly acquired weapons."

This 140mm tall Inner Core was created using some "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer and can be downloaded for free as part of the Sturmriese Axis Walker by "Warlord Games". Designed to be just one piece of the colossal-sized "Konlikt '47" death machine, I decided it would instead look rather good as an energy pylon on my "Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game" tabletop.

However, the original 3D print did look a little too bare for my liking so I thought I'd add some textured details to the scenic piece via some of the many decals gifted to me by “N-FX Game Design Studio” several years ago. These 'stickers' were sporadically placed here and there - most notably around the transmission tower's lower base in an effort to show that the invention had been occasionally updated and required plenty of air vents for its internal cooling mechanism.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - A trio of models from inside their Systemic Units set.

The entire ensemble was subsequently undercoated using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue, almost drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal Blue. The pylon's dome was then treated to a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal, shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal. In fact, I actually ended up giving the entire 3D a very light dry-brush of "Vallejo" Gunmetal to help better highlight all its edges and features.

I next settled down to the task of patiently colouring many of its vents and details using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I really didn't need everything to contrast as I'm big believer in scenery predominantly sitting in the background of a game, and resultantly I didn't bother varnishing the 'Inner Core' either - so it would hopefully blend in better with some of the other pre-painted pieces I own.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - This Dark Trooper has been assembled, primed and base-coated

With the first of my entries completed for Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog, I have begun pigmenting some of the figures found in the Systemic Units set by "Beast In The Broch". I'm hoping their predominantly black and silver colour scheme will mean they're pretty straightforward to get tabletop ready, so am currently just focusing on three of alien computer network's humanoid minions first.

In addition, after battling to (plastic) glue together another 40mm scale Phase-III Dark Trooper by "Atomic Mass Games", I'm delightfully in a position where I just need to paint the "Star Wars: Shatterpoint" multi-part droid. My difficulties in assembling these monstrosities is really starting to eat away at my enthusiasm for the models. But in an effort to maintain my interest in George Lucas' galaxy (far, far away), I have now dusted off a few "Star Wars: Legion" miniatures to add to my hobby queue...

"The Albians Have Always Known The Penalty For Insurrection."

"Now they must pay the cost."

This 28mm scale lead free pewter model of FedSec Star Commander (male) is produced by "Beast In The Broch" and can be brought either individually as SKU: FED16 or as part of the five-figure FedSec Command 2 set SKU: PAK08. Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel, I've painted the miniature up to ever so slightly resemble Federation Space Major Provine as played by actor Paul Shelley in the 1979 television episode of "Blake's Seven" entitled "Countdown".

"In charge of the personnel on Albian", the officer was primed using plenty of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and doused in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then picked out his uniform's rank insignia, as well as a few of the items found upon his utility belt and one thigh, using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Diehard Miniatures" WIPs - The Krupps Corp Troopers will be painted up as (not) Norts

Sticking with the 'new' colour scheme I recently employed for my other two FedSec Commander's hand-weapon, I subsequently gave Provine's standard issue carbine a lick of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal and shaded it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. As a final touch I also gave the man's hair a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, washed it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and later dry-brushed it with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

With my FedSec Command 2 set now completed, I have turned my attention to working on a trio of Krupps Corp unit blister models I bought from "Diehard Miniatures" whilst at this year's "Salute". I've been busy looking at various pieces of coloured artwork depicting the Norts from the "Rogue Trooper" comic book series in "2000 A.D." as a palette guide - as that's what I intend to use them as, and decided to go with the somewhat blue-uniformed citizens of the Greater Nordland seen in artist Dave Gibbons' classic "Rogue Trooper: Total War" splash page.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This Sturmriese Axis Walker piece just needs a few washes and dry-brushes

In the long term I'm planning on fielding a ten-man group of (not) Norts for my battles upon Nu-Earth, so will need to pick up a few more copies of Tim Prow's Klutner Krupps Trooper to bulk it out. But for now I'm going to largely focus upon the Vulf Krupps Trooper - as despite not having a black domed helmet, I think the sculpt will make a good proxy for the deadly elite Nort marksman Morgen. This figure will also help me work out which paints I should use for all of the soldiers' notable details such as eye lenses, breathing tubes, oxygen tank and uniform insignia.

Lastly, I've been busy working on the uppermost dome of my first entry into Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog. This enormous 3D printed part from the "Warlord Games" Sturmriese Axis Walker was actually designed to be used with the Nottingham-based manufacturer's "tabletop wargame of heroes, horrors, monsters, and mechs" - "Konlikt '47". But instead I'm aiming on using it as an energy pylon for some games of Matt Forbeck's Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game...

"You're About To Face Off With The Dark Troopers."

"You had your hands full with one."

This 40mm scale model of a Phase-III Dark Trooper is produced by "Atomic Mass Games", and comes as part of the company's "Star Wars: Shatterpoint You Have Something I Want Squad Pack". Based upon the "elite, experimental third-generation battle droid manufactured by the Imperial Department of Military Research", the infuriatingly overcomplicated sixteen-piece plastic miniature was eventually assembled using the instructions found on the Minnesota-based manufacturer's website, and glued to one of the tabletop game's 40mm circular bases.

To be honest, this figure actually seemed to take longer to (plastic) glue together than it did to paint, and on several occasions was close to being shelved when one of its tiny parts inadvertently slipped from my grasp and ended up temporarily lost on my floor. Just why the sculpt needed to be so 'over-designed' I have no idea. But all my enthusiasm for the remaining three Imperial infantry units found inside the box has been almost irretrievably destroyed.

"Beast In The Broch" WIPs - These two FedSec Commanders are almost finished

"The black and silver-plated droid" was initially primed using "Citadel" Abaddon Black and subsequently base-layered with "Vallejo" Glossy Black. I did momentarily toy with the idea of giving the model a delicate dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal too - in an attempt to highlight the miniature. However, in the end I thought the oils and greases caused by my handling of the Dark Trooper tabletop would, over time, also provide a suitable effect.

To break the overwhelming all-black palette though, I decided to 'pick out' all the figure's elbow, wrist, knee and elbow joints using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, as well as the robot's E-450 "Arc Hammer" heavy blaster rifle. Finally I used a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red, "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and "Vallejo" Dark Vermillion for the deadly droid's eyes and chest computer.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This scenic piece has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Alongside this surprisingly time-consuming project, I have also continued plugging away at the two remaining officers from the FedSec Command 2 set by "Beast In The Broch". As I'm currently in something of a major "Blake's 7" mood I was actually hoping to make a start on the company's Systemic Units set this month too. Yet now I find myself needing to really focus just upon these (not) Federation officers if I'm going to get the trio finished before August is done.

Lastly, I've managed to get some basic layers of paint upon my first entry into Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog. This 3D printed part from the "Warlord Games" Sturmriese Axis Walker was meant to be used for "Konlikt '47". But instead I'm aiming on using it as an energy pylon for some games of Matt Forbeck's Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game...

"Ready Launchers Three And Seventeen."

"Fire."

This 28mm scale lead free pewter model of FedSec Base Commander is manufactured by "Beast In The Broch" and can be brought either individually as SKU: FED18 or as part of the five-figure FedSec Command 2 set SKU: PAK08. Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel, the miniature is clearly inspired by the one-eyed Quute as played by actor Christopher Neame in the 1981 television episode of "Blake's Seven" entitled "Traitor".

"A colonel in the Federation force on Helotrix", the senior officer was primed using a couple of coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then picked out all his uniform's rather lavish rank insignia using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This piece of Sturmriese Axis Walker has had several stickers added to it

Ordinarily I would also use these colours to 'pick out' the Federation's standard issue carbine. However, as I wanted to make a break from all the black and silver already on show, I decided to pigment the hand-weapon using a basecoat of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal and subsequently wash it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This seemed to be a much better match for the on-screen colour scheme too.

With the first of my FedSec Command Team completed, I have once again turned my attention to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog, and started work on a rather large piece of a Sturmriese Axis Walker for "Konlikt '47" I printed using some "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer many moons ago. The "Warlord Games" STL (Standard Triangle Language) is just piece of a rather complicated looking "colossal Rift-tech construct" and frankly put me right off producing any more parts. But I did think it looked rather good as some sort of energy pylon.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - This Dark Trooper has been assembled, primed and base-coated

Indeed, my recent purchase of the "Secret Wars" expansion book for the "Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game" has put me in need of just such an objective/scenic piece, so I thought now was the ideal time to get it painted. However, it did (understandably) look a little bare for my purposes, so I dipped into my slowly-dwindling collection of 3D decals given to me by “N-FX Game Design Studio”, and 'spruced' it up a bit first.

In addition, I've been battling the first of two Dark Troopers I recently bought as part of the You Have Something I Want Squad Pack for "Star Wars: Shatterpoint". This 40mm scale multipart plastic Imperial super-soldier by "Atomic Mass Games" took forever to assemble due to its overcomplicated design and incredibly fiddly small parts - the number of times I had to hunt around the floor on my knees looking for a tiny piece I'd dropped whilst trying to glue it to a similarly-sized part almost fried my poor brain. Luckily though, I have managed to persevere and finally get the first of the box's four figures ready for some paint...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge” [II/IV] January 2026

Last month's output ranged from spacecraft to spacemen, and even a small bit of terrain

Having already completed a quarter of my latest Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) I thought I'd spend the next four or so weeks focusing upon a number of 28mm plastic soldiers produced by "Warlord Games" - which frankly have been gathering dust on my shelves for far too many months. The majority of these figures will be World War Two Italians, as having bought the Nottingham-based company's "Bolt Action" Third Edition rulebook, as well downloaded their Italy Army List [dated September 2024], I thought I might finally finish a force of Benito Mussolini's fascists I've previously assembled, based and undercoated.

In addition, I couldn't resist recently picking up a copy of Issue 454 of "Wargames Illustrated" as it had a sprue of US Firefly Jump Infantry 'cello-taped' to its front cover. In the past I've experimented with "Konflikt '47" using my quite considerably-sized collection of "Secrets Third Reich" miniatures by "West Wind Productions". But never got on with that range's Jet Soldiers - finding the sculpts significantly smaller than the rest of my models. So thought I might try the 'official' figures for a change, and maybe even pick up half-a-dozen Axis Stahltruppen Heavy Infantry as opposition if the mood takes me.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Three of the six US Firefly Jump Infantry I've assembled for "Konflikt '47"

I'm also eager to continue working on the brood of Zeek Scuttlers by "Artisan Guild" I have produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer. With my unit of Burrowers now finished and ready to represent a Tidal Swarm for the Trident Realm Of Neritica in "Kings Of War", I plan to get both my army's leader and a couple of basic infantry units completed 'toot sweet.'

Lastly, I haven't forgotten how badly my Napoleonic project has started floundering in recent times. I was fully expecting to have doubled the number of French skirmishers and Russian militia I could field over the past few weeks. However, disappointingly I haven't finished a single one, and now enter a year in which I had planned to solely focus upon cavalry units rather than (more) infantry. As a result I hope to get the eight outstanding soldiers finished as soon as I can, and then potentially look at only doing a handful of horsemen before plunging back to more muskets and bayonets.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - This Napoleonic French skirmisher is now close to competition

There can be little doubt that my productivity over the past few months has been somewhat low when compared to my output of previous years. To be fair a lot of this has been down to the sheer variety of miniatures currently available to me - something which has caused me to leap from one manufacturer to another with little rhyme or reason. The number of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files I now own in embarrassingly high and means I now spend a lot of my hobby time tinkering with my 3D printers rather than actually putting a brush-tip on a model.

Somewhat disconcertingly I don't see that changing any time soon either, as I have now started printing and painting scenery too - something I've always tried to avoid in the past. Of particular note has to be the numerous pieces of scenery I just acquired from "Saucermen Studios" via their "Beyond The Trenches Of Despair" Kickstarter. Whether it be ruined walls, trench systems, bunkers, towers or concrete barricades, I am currently slowly producing as much of this stuff as my "Bambu Lab" A1 Mini can cope with - and then I'll be moving onto another terrain project concerning various sewers, dungeons and pyramids following the success of "Death x Tiles: The Lost Temple" campaign by "Cast N Play"...

“Warlord Games" Showcase 2025

"Our HQ deep in the heart of wargaming’s spiritual home, Nottingham."

Having missed the last couple of Open Days at "Warlord Games" Headquarters in Nottingham, I thought a basic trip up to the manufacturer's store in Finch Close, Lenton was probably a bit overdue - especially as they've recently released their (new) Konflikt '47 Starter Set and I was curious to see what this latest edition contained. Happily, there was plenty of miniatures, as well as a fantastic tabletop featuring "the tabletop wargame of heroes, horrors, monsters, and mechs" on display in the shop, so I soon busied myself looking at all the different sculpts and factions.

Some of the models on display by Paul Sawyer and Craig Butler

The first thing to catch my eye though was the late great Paul Sawyer's British Airborne force. This purely historical army for "Bolt Action" was incredibly well painted, and packed full of some great looking characters - most notably a flamethrower who was clearly not taking any prisoners whatsoever. In addition, I was rather taken with the way Paul's prone soldiers appeared, as rather than just lying flat upon their stomachs, these guys still maintained the illusion of motion by wriggling about with their heads (and in some cases hands) up.

Next up was a truly terrifying collection of Axis men and monstrosities by Craig Butler. Admittedly, I first thought these gas-mask wearing soldiers and werewolves were Soviets due to the bright red palette colour choice used on their lapels, gloves and stockings. But it quickly became clear that they were all under the thrall of the mysterious Green Vault. I've previously pigmented a pack of "West Wind Productions" Secrets Of The Reich Jager Werewolves, so was incredibly taken with the sheer bulky size of three Schreckwulfen which were surrounding Sturmbannfuhrer Grauler.

"Konflikt '47 is the tabletop wargame of heroes, horrors, monsters, and mechs, putting you in command of the nightmarish struggle for supremacy."

My attention was also drawn to how well the new sculpts for Konflikt '47 tied in with the range's older units. I'm pretty sure I own an assortment of unpainted Schwertruppen troopers and Nachtjager myself, so was delighted to see "Warlord Games" showcasing such units too. Furthermore, a trio of Spinne Light Panzermechs reminded me that my 'pile of potential' probably housed a few more old vehicle kits than I cared to recollect - which should almost certainly be either opened or dusted down before I embark on any new purchases.

Some of the Winter Campaign American Forces on show at "Warlord Games" HQ

The last couple of collections to inspire me were a pair of winter U.S. armies. Snow-covered armour and support vehicles hold a strange place in my hobby-heart, as I really enjoy seeing the stark contrast between the bright white snow and the much more drab, darker colours of the soldiers' uniforms etc. Alongside Connor Hind's historical force, was a much more bloody affair featuring some US Firefly Jump Infantry, and a truly gore-splattered Kodiak Close Assault Walker.

"Warlord Games" Konflikt '47 display table

Finally, I had a good mooch at the store's aforementioned awesome Konflikt '47 display table. I was particularly keen to examine the Firefly Airborne Infantry on show as I have recently managed to pick up a copy of "Wargames Illustrated" #454, and it came with a sprue of the fast-flying Yanks. The layout really captured my imagination, and significantly fuelled my enthusiasm for the alternative universe World War Two game. Indeed, I hope to dig out a fair few of my older models from the loft to paint with my Americans once I have assembled them from the 28mm plastic sprue...

"Water Elementals Are Elemental Creatures..."

"...Made of water and various other liquids."

These six 15mm scale metal miniatures of some Lesser Water Elementals are produced by “Alternative Armies” and can be bought either separately as blister HOT88 Lesser Elementals or as part of the company's pre-made twenty-four point strong HOTT1017 Elemental Army pack. The diminutive sculpts count as a Warband for "Hordes Of The Things", with three figures sitting quite tightly upon a 40mm x 20mm base.

Initially, each model was super-glued upon a wooden baton to help my brush-tip better reach all their details, and were primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Blue. The Water Elementals were then drenched in "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue. 

"Its torso trails off into a vestigial whirlpool."

Next I took an old brush and lightly highlighted all the creatures' waves with some "Vallejo" White, making sure to apply the paint far heavier towards the crest of the waves. As a final touch, I went back to each figure's eyes and mouth, and applied some additional "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade to these areas.

All of the miniatures were then 'snapped' off of their sticks, and super-glued onto some pre-cut plastic bases I bought off "eBay" many many moons ago. To their credit, "Alternative Armies" do supply the necessary bases for the figures as part of their HOTT Army packs. However, the resin stands are a bit chunky, and I was keen to maintain the aesthetic established by my previously painted "De Bellis Antiquitatis" forces.

"The area around the aiming point is plastered with heavy shells."

Having finished the first of my entries for my HOTT'ember Challenge with Roger "Dick Garrison" of "Rantings From Under The Wargaming Table" fame, I have also completed painting one of the resin craters sold by "Warlord Games" to use as an Artillery Barrage marker for "Konflikt '47". The kit actually comes with a number of "craters of different shapes and sizes depicting pits in the ground where a bomb, shell, or a military mine has exploded", but even its smallest offering was somewhat larger than I would have liked.

I had hoped to contain my marker to a 25mm circular base. However, in the end I had to use a "Citadel" 50mm base instead. The crater itself is excellent though, and was painted using my 'tried and tested' basing palette of "Citadel" Doombull Brown, Rakarth Flesh highlights and Agrax Earthshade wash...

"Taylor! Don't Treat Him That Way!"

"It's humiliating!"

This 28mm scale white metal model of a Simian is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either separately or as part of their Simian Minions II four-figure collection. However, I was Lucky enough to purchase mine through the company's successful 7TV:Apocalypse "Kickstarter" as I thought the sculpt would make an excellent proxy for Doctor Kira from Franklin J. Schaffner's 1968 science fiction film "Planet Of The Apes".

A "chimpanzee psychologist and veterinarian", the miniature was undercoated with a double-layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, washed with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green and subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo Heavy Green. Her skirt and sleeves were then painted in "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab, shaded using some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter", and carefully dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" USA Olive Drab.

"Up And At 'Em."

I applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to the tiny amount of fur peeking out from Kira's sleeves, and used the exact same mixture for her leather chest covering too. Finally I 'picked out' her flesh using a little "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and later gave these areas a splash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

Alongside finishing the latest addition to my "Planet Of The Apes" project, I have also completed one of the soldiers found inside the "Secrets Of The Third Reich" blister B-SOTR05 British Commando Carbines by "West Wind Productions". This figure will prove a welcome addition to one of my British Army's two (Regular) Infantry Squads for "Konflikt '47" by "Warlord Games" and help me take a step closer to achieving my current goal of being able to field a 500 point Great Britain and the Commonweath force.

"West Wind Productions" WIPs - Two British Commandos and an American Second Lieutenant

Unfortunately, I did have one slight problem pigmenting the carbine-carrying Tommy, and that was matching up his old "Games Workshop" colour scheme using their Out Of Production (OOP) Foundation Range with the "Citadel" Base paints available today. Luckily, I still have a few spare pots of Calthan Brown and Knarloc Green lurking about, and whilst I couldn't source any Dark Flesh I soon found its modern-day alternative, Doombull Brown, to be a pretty precise alternative.

I've also dug deep into my collection of unpainted "West Wind Productions" miniatures and assembled one of the four models found inside blister US-SOTR03 US Armoured Infantry Squad Command to use as an officer for an American reinforced platoon. I already have ten US troopers painted up from my "Secrets Of The Third Reich" days, as well as a couple of battlesuits, so hope to just paint up a handful more figures in the near future in order to own a 500 points force representing the United States too.   

"Yich! What Strange Creatures!!!"

"All the ballmonsters love the microballs." 

These five 28mm scale resin models of some Microballs are produced by "Precinct Omega", and can be bought as Code BM052 from their Ballmonsters! range. Designed to be used for a "mad-cap gaming experience that mixes board-game, wargame and bar billiards for an experience unlike anything you've ever played before", the blister contains Scar, Nosey, Flathead, Toothless and Pointy.

"They probably couldn't eat more than three at once, though."

The pack also came with some clear plastic flying stands. However, as I wanted my "giant, carnivorous, helium-filled, bad-tempered beachballs" to bounce across the ground rather than simply fly through the air, I super-glued each 'head' onto a 25mm circular base instead. All of the miniatures were then primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, before being drowned in Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter" and dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

With the basics now finished, I slowly worked my way through all the Ballmonsters' teeth using "Vallejo" White, and their numerous spikes with a little Iraqi Sand. All of these areas were later washed using "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I spotted the various eyes with either a splodge or two of "Vallejo" White or Heavy Red, and suitably shaded them with a dash of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"West Wind Productions" WIPs - Three Commandos, two carrying Carbines and an NCO with a SMG

Having completed the last of the "Precinct Omega" miniatures I purchased at "Beachhead" 2020, I have managed to find a little hobby time to progress the three British Commandos by "West Wind Productions" I need to make battle-ready so as to play some 500-point games of "Konflikt '47" by "Warlord Games". Luckily one of the carbine-carrying soldiers was already partially-painted, so most of my attention has been focused upon the other two necessary figures; especially the NCO armed with an SMG who had to first be assembled from straight out of the box.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Two Apes armed with baton and an ARC Astronaut

In addition, I have concluded the sixth of my twelve dedicated painting sessions for my twenty-four hour 'Paint An Entire Project" Challenge using "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" models. I'm nowhere near where I had hoped to be at the halfway stage. But am confident that the second of my Albion Rocket Corporation Astronauts should soon be completed, as well as the first of my many planned Apes armed with baton.

Indeed, I've already started on a second Simian Minion in the hope of quickly devising a knack/system with which to pigment the eight-gorilla strong party. The soldiers' predominantly black leather uniform is certainly helping matters, and I've even gone so far as to utilise a Leader Simian head for one of the figures so as to mark him out as a sergeant or officer...

"Brown Mould Grows In Damp Subterranean Areas..."

"...And it grows by absorbing heat."

This 28mm scale pewter model of a Brown Mould was produced by "Otherworld Miniatures" as part of their DM7b Slimes, Oozes and Jellies II collection. Hand-sculpted by Paul Muller, I actually purchased this model many years ago and had previously painted it a garishly bright orange before storing it away in a plastic container for safekeeping.

Having 'relocated' the "dungeon hazard" onto a much more suitable "Citadel" 50mm circular base and (re)primed the monster with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, I enthusiastically shaded it with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. I then patiently dry-brushed the fungus with some (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

The vast majority of the Wehrmacht are wiped out by a massive British artillery bombardment

In addition to polishing off the last of my Dungeon Clean-Up Crew by "Otherworld Miniatures", I've also managed to get in a couple more games of "Konflikt '47" by "Warlord Games". Admittedly, the forces concerned only comprised of 200 points each, but they at least provided me with an opportunity to reacquaint myself with the rule-set and once again get to grips with gaming mechanics such as pinning, rallying and animated corpses...

The opening game certainly did not go as planned for the Wehrmacht and their experimental Totenkorps Squad. At one point it did look like the zombies were finally going to literally get their teeth stuck into some Tommy flesh, but the small seven-cadaver sized unit was simply too small to withstand the withering fire assailing their undead flesh from the Commonwealth Lines.

The British infantry hunker down as a German zombie horde fast approaches

In addition, some top work by the British Artillery Forward Observer, who incredibly comes as a free unit courtesy of Great Britain's "Artillery Support" Army Special Rule, rained merry hell down upon the rest of the German soldiers. Indeed, having only just recovered from a massive bombardment which badly pinned the majority of the Wehrmacht infantry down, almost the entire German force was then wiped off the battlefield with a ferociously precise follow-up barrage.

Fortunately, the next conflict was a much more even battle, with both sides walking away with a hard-fought draw. This time round though the Totenkorps at least managed to engage their enemy in close combat. However, the British Second Lieutenant soon put the last of the unholy squad back beneath the ground with a desperately brave shot of his pistol. In addition, the British Artillery was far less effective, even badly pinning a few of the Commonwealth's own infantry towards the end of the conflict...

"What Is The Doctor's Message?"

"Seal levels twelve, thirteen and fourteen. Prepare to engage."

This 40mm tall "exquisitely sculpted pewter" Cyberman figure is produced by “Warlord Games” and can be found within the company's excellent "Nightmares In Silver" Cybermen Collector's Set 1966-2013. Sculpted to replicate the fictional race of cyborgs as they appeared in Steven Moffat's 2011 television story "A Good Man Goes To War", these particular artificially modified Mondasians formed part of  the Twelfth Cyber Legion; a "Cyberman fleet that monitored their local galactic quadrant and was positioned twenty thousand light years away from Demon's Run."

The model was first undercoated with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before being given a double layer of Ironbreaker and a liberal wash of Nuln Oil. The figure's eyes and mouth slit were then darkened with a small dab of Abaddon Black and the entire model subsequently dry-brushed with more Ironbreaker. As a final touch both its formidably-large cyber-gun, waist, neck, inner thighs and elbows were treated to a coat of Abaddon Black, and dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal so as to bring out the sculpts' detail in those areas.

Vashta Nerada WIPs - The figures have been primed, washed and dry-brushed

Alongside this latest addition to my completed "Nightmares In Silver" collection, I have plonked six Vashta Nerada miniatures from "Warlord Games" "Doctor Who" range into my painting queue as I'm hoping they'll be relatively straightforward paint-jobs. I've actually previously converted four Advancing ARC Astronauts by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" into versions of the "swarming, carnivorous beings" by removing all of their astronaut heads, and swapping them with some plastic skulls taken from the old 'out of production' "Games Workshop" PBS5 Skeleton Army Boxed Set.

Vashta Nerada - Converted in April 2011 from "Crooked Dice" and "Games Workshop" pieces 

Sadly, this particular project was soon side-lined when I encountered problems replacing some of the astronauts’ hands and limbs with skeletal variants. Ultimately, I did manage to ‘securely’ super-glue one plastic skeletal fist in place, but the arm's subsequent re-positioning left the model in a rather uninspiring pose, and shortly afterwards "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" released their own metal 'sold on a sprue' version of the "microscopic beings" Astronaut Heads...

Finally, I have succumbed to the allure of "Warlord Games" one hundred and twenty-four page ‘What If?’ "Bolt Action" Campaign book "Operation Sea Lion"; which not only brings the Second World War to the shores of England and The Home Guard, but also contains the disconcertingly unpatriotic opportunity to field a Fifth Column Reinforced Platoon under the Anglo-Irish aristocrat Sir Oswald Mosely. 

Operation Sea Lion WIPs - These "Warlord Games" sculpts have simply been primed and dry-brushed

Quite delightfully, the publication also includes a free casting of "the most stalwart of British Prime Ministers" Sir Winston Churchill. Armed with "the .45 calibre Thompson Sub Machine Gun" its abundantly clear that the British statesman "isn't going down without a fight" and thus seems entirely appropriate to lead my British "Konflikt '47" force in some super-soldier conflicts inspired by the "Avatar Press" comic book series "Uber".

"Got A Feelin' You ain't Seen Nothin' Yet."

"Speaking of which, when can I get a replacement body? I can't stand this old heap of junk."

This 28mm pre-painted plastic model of Robotman is by “Wizkids” and can be bought as number 009 from their “Heroclix” DC Origin range. Created by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, Clifford Steele’s brain was placed inside a metal construct after a race car accident destroyed his physical body and is one of the founding members of the Doom Patrol. “Initially dubbed Automaton”, Cliff made his first appearance in the June 1963 issue of "DC Comics" "My Greatest Adventure”.

Originally primed with “Vallejo” Copper so as to totally eliminate the miniature’s factory pre-paint, the figure was washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and then dry-brushed with more “Vallejo” Copper.  Afterwards, I picked out the super-strong hero’s chest control unit using a combination of “Heavy Blue” and “Citadel” Asurmen Blue, and the device’s wiring with “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson.

"Heroclix WIPs" - These heavily armoured figures have simply been washed and dry-brushed

With the Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge having (finally) started, and with an eye somewhat fixed upon the ‘Armour’ themed Bonus Round, I am already working on three more rather robotic “Heroclix” miniatures; all of which are heavily armoured. Foremost of these is a 90mm tall model of T.E.S.S.-One (Total Elimination of Super Soldiers), Pat Dugan’s powered armour suit S.T.R.I.P.E. (Special Tactics Robotic Integrated Power Enhancer), and an impressively organic-looking incarnation of Superman’s nemesis, Metallo. 

I’m planning on getting a considerable number of “Wizkids” figures finished over the next three months, and these reasonably straightforward ‘prime, wash and dry-brush’ models should help get the enthusiasm for my long-running “Cosmic Cube Wars” project back on track; especially if I can build up a sizeable force of minions, ninjas, servo-robots, aliens and vampires…

"Secrets Of The Third Reich" WIPs - These British Commandos with carbines still need a lot of painting

That doesn’t mean however, that this month’s drive to paint up some additional units for “Konflikt ‘47” has ground to a halt. Having recently finished enough “West Wind Productions” Commandos with carbines with which to field a minimalist British force for the “Warlord Games” rule-set, I have dusted off a further six “Secrets Of The Third Reich” Tommies, and started busily adding some pigment to their rifles and body armour.

These additional soldiers should help me greatly bolster my reinforced platoon, and, points-wise, provide me with ample opportunity to either increase the number of zombies my obligatory German opposition can use, or encourage me to paint up/re-base another Third Reich ‘Weird War’ unit entirely.

"The Sixth Airborne Division Led The Way..."

"...By securing vital positions on the first day of the invasion."

These two 28mm metal models are from the "West Wind Productions" "Secrets Of The Third Reich" blister B-SOTR05 British Commando Carbines, but have had their Gas Mask Heads replaced with some taken from the manufacturer’s excellent ‘Separate Head System’ ‘blister’ SHS-SOTR09 “British Para Heads In Berets With Gas Masks” so as to better represent an Airborne Infantry section on my “Konflikt ‘47” battleground. Equipped with rifles and able to act as "Tank Hunters (if grenades taken)" this squad currently only comprises of four veteran soldiers and an NCO. However, once they’ve engaged the enemy a few times I hope to significantly expand the company with SMGs, an LMG and even a man carrying rifle grenades. 

Undercoated using "Citadel" Doombull Brown and washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, both models were initially painted in a manner identical to that applied to my recently completed regular British Infantrymen. As a result their rifles were painted using "Vallejo" Charred Brown and "Citadel" Ironbreaker, before being washed appropriately with more Strong Tone Quickshade and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Balewind Vortex WIPs - The "Age Of Sigmar" scenic pieces just need to be dry-brushed

In order to make the Airborne comatants stand out from the standard soldier however, I used an old OOP pot of “Citadel” Knarlock Green for their body armour, as opposed to my force’s ‘usual’ Calthan Brown. These areas were subsequently treated first to a wash of Thrakka Green, and then Devlan Mud. The  veterans' gas mask filters were painted using a combination of Knarloc Green and Devlan Mud, whilst the eye filters were simply ‘picked out’ with Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

Because I wanted to make all my models’ famous berets especially red, their headwear was first painted with Mechrite Red, before receiving a couple of generous coats of Bloodletter. This glazing technique was applied as an alternative to my former concoction of Blood Red and Baal Red as, disappointingly, both paint/wash have long since been withdrawn by “Games Workshop”.

"Bolt Action" WIPs - These three British Expeditionary Force models have simply been undercoated

Having now completed enough "Secrets Of The Third Reich" figures for a “Konflikt ‘47” Great British and Commonwealth reinforced platoon, as well as an accompanying Airborne contingent, I have been able to give my “Age Of Sigmar” Balewind Vortex a lot more attention. This formidably tall “multi-part plastic kit” is arguably now two-thirds complete, due to my washing/dry-brushing the scenery piece’s actual vortex, and I am now persevering with the eerie blue paint scheme for the wizard’s heavily-carved stone platform. 

Finally, and with an eye on the Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, I have started assembling and priming some of the models found with the British Expeditionary Force boxed set by “Warlord Games”. An impulse buy at this year’s Colours wargaming show in Newbury, these metal miniatures will provide me with a fully-staffed officer, a 10-man section (including NCO) and some heavy-weapon options, such as a Boyes Anti-tank rifle team, Vickers medium machine gun team, and 2″ light mortar team, for both a “Konflikt ‘47” force, as well as one for “Bolt Action”. For starters though I will simply be focusing upon my Second Lieutenant “and two attendant riflemen.”

"Keep Calm And Carry On."

"By this stage of the war the British army had gained considerable experience of modern warfare..."

This 28mm metal model is from the "West Wind Productions" "Secrets Of The Third Reich" blister B-SOTR05 British Commando Carbines. However, rather than use the miniature for Andy Cooper's "Weird WWII game", this Tommy will actually form part of a minimum strength (Regular) Infantry Section for "Konflikt '47" by "Warlord Games". Indeed, my completion of the rifleman now means I can actually field the simplest of reinforced platoons for Great Britain and the Commonwealth using figures taken from my painted "SotTR" collection.

Unfortunately, painting a model in order to match the colour scheme for a force assembled some years ago has not proved an easy task as I have had to partially step away from many of the now 'out of production' "Games Wokrshop" Foundation paints and washes I originally used for my British Commando Carbines, and instead replace them with alternatives from other manufacturers such as "Vallejo".

The Silence WIPs - As soon as the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge starts these aliens will get some attention

As a result the model was initially primed using "Citadel" Doombull Brown (as opposed to Dark Flesh) and washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade (instead of "Citadel" Devlan Mud). Once dry the rifleman's weapon was painted using "Vallejo" Charred Brown, Iraqi Sand and "Citadel" Ironbreaker, and these areas were then appropriately washed with either more Strong Tone Quickshade or "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Because I still own a pot of Calthan Brown, I was able to paint the soldier's bullet proof vest with its 'original' colour, and also 'pick out' the infantryman's gas mask filter with a long-forgotten pot of "Citadel" Knarloc Green too. A rummage through my collection of pigments even located an unopened tub of Devlan Mud, making it possible to darken both the Tommy's piece of personal armour and his breathing apparatus with the OOP wash. 

Trinity WIPs - These sculpts of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are fantastically detailed

With the commencement of the Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge fast approaching I have additionally been spending a portion of my hobby-time basing and preparing a number of other models. The vast percentage of these figures have unintentionally turned out to be produced by "Warlord Games" and none have proved quite so tantalising to finish before the start of the three-month long competition than the company's latest "Doctor Who" release, The Silence. These "genetically engineered 7 foot tall mouthless creatures" should be reasonably straightforward to complete on account of their predominantly grey/black colour scheme, and somewhat tower over the other figures currently found within the "Into the Time Vortex" range.

Far less simple to paint, or even assemble for that matter, are these three "Knight Models" sculpts from the Batman Verses Superman: Trinity DC Universe Miniature Game Starter Set. These models are certainly taller than your average 'heroic scale' figure, but due to their 'realistic' anatomical proportions they've needed a bit of pinning and realigning in order to come together...