“Boy With Spitfire.”

“You can almost hear him crying out, budda-budda-budda as he plays being a Spitfire ace."

This 28mm scale metal commemorative figure of the Battle of Britain was given away as a freebie by the “South London Warlords” at this year’s “Salute”, and was sculpted by Paul Hicks. I’ve seen the miniature beautifully pigmented by the incredibly talented Kevin Dallimore as an actual school boy playing with his toy aeroplane, and whilst I was momentarily tempted to try to replicate such a paint-scheme, I eventually opted for something far more straightforward which would hopefully enable the model to see much more tabletop time as an objective marker.

To begin with though, I felt the ‘statue’ should at least be placed up on a pedestal some kind, and having scoured through my collection of resin pieces, found just such a plinth cast by “Telfer Model Design”. Unfortunately, the block’s top was just too small to ‘house’ the model’s detailed base, so rather than build a wide enough ledge myself I simply resorted to flipping the stand upside down instead and hoping that my subsequent paint-job would fill/cover the quite visible casting bubbles on show.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three Kobolds primed with "Vallejo" Heavy Red

In addition, I had a slight issue with my “Loctite” super-glue whilst placing the figure on its stand, as my previous brand of cyanoacrylate always allowed me a few moments to slide a miniature into position. This new “precision max” variant provided no such leeway, so just as soon as I touched the model down on its column it became stuck fast, and the only thing my frantic tugging and pulling was ever going to achieve was for the sculpt to snap at the ankles – something I quickly decided I didn’t want to risk. As a result, the ‘statue’ is slightly off-centre on its plinth, albeit I think you’d have to look quite closely to spot the mistake.

Luckily, I had no such issues gluing the resin foundation to one of the thin-lipped 40mm plastic circular bases I use for all of my objective markers these days, and once dry set about priming the ensemble with “Citadel” Abaddon Black. The figure was then layered with “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, before being given a coat of Brass and a generous drowning of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three Sorcerous Sentinels primed with "Vallejo" German Grey

Due to wanting this statue to look reasonably well-maintained, I decided against adding any patina or weathering to the figure, and simply highlighted it back up with a dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Brass. Admittedly, this did make the miniature look a little too shiny for my liking, so I dulled it down a bit more with a second application of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. The model’s plinth was pigmented using some “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, which was later shaded in “Citadel” Nuln Oil (as well as the odd drop of Agrax Earthshade), before being dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey.

Alongside this objective marker, I have also been steadily prepping and priming a number of miniatures for the upcoming Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. This includes some more of the “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” Kobolds I purchased at “Warfare” 2021, as well as the three (final) Sorcerous Sentinels I own, which I intend to pigment “Vallejo” White to represent some elite Fortress Guards…

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge” December 2021

"Slayers! To arms!"

This month's effort to diminish my ‘peak of potential’ will be significantly shaped by Curt Campbell’s Twelfth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), or at least the obligatory painting desk clearance push I need to complete prior to the event’s start on December 21st. This means both an end to my own personal weekly painting challenges which have kept me so motivated over the past few months, and a concerted effort to polish off some of the figures still remaining unfinished from them.

Perhaps the biggest of these mini projects, randomly chosen by the turning of a playing card, was the nine 28mm Sorcerous Sentinels by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” I initially elected to pigment last month. Despite being predominantly “Vallejo” German Grey in colour and being split into three digestible-sized batches, these ‘Slayers’ have taken a lot longer to complete than I first thought. But I have now finally got some “Vallejo” Matt Varnish on the last two and flocked the bases.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - Two partially-painted 7.5cm Tank-Hunter teams

However, I am actually far from finished with the Otherworldly watchers as I plan to expand my collection with three more sculpts during the AHPC. This trio though, will be painted using “Vallejo” White so as to better represent a party of Fortress Guards from Peter Yates’ 1983 “science fantasy swashbuckler” film “Krull”.

In addition, I’m planning on making much more progress on a number of partially painted 15mm plastic models taken from on the “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War” by “Battlefront Miniatures”. I have a number of Late War German blisters ready to start prepping for the AHPC, so want to quite quickly progress a number of half-finished bases first. This includes a 7.5cm Tank-Hunter Platoon which has patiently been sat on my hobby table half-done since I originally opened the “ultimate starter set for the Flames of War Series.”

November 2021 - No change to my favourite manufacturers

Productivity wise, the past four weeks have been fairly typical for this time of the year overall. I didn’t get anywhere near as much done as I have during the previous years, but I certainly accomplished more than I achieved back in 2018. Most of this success was due to my finishing an impressive nine 28mm figures from “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”, including a couple more Simian Minions for my burgeoning “Planet Of The Apes” project.

I’ve also been busy clearing some more wooden painting sticks prior to the AHPC by finishing three old(ish) 10mm dinosaurs by “Magister Militum”, and persevering with my ongoing “Judge Dredd” project by completing my “Mongoose Publishing” sculpt of Oola Blint. To be honest I think December’s output will prove just as eclectic a mix, as I continue to work my way through a load of somewhat forgotten ventures in an effort to be fully focussed upon the AHPC towards the month’s end…

“Hello, I’m The Angel Of Mercy.”

“I’ve come to give you both a lethal injection.”

This 28mm scale metal miniature of Oola Blint was produced by “Mongoose Publishing” and formed part of my rewards from the company’s 2012 “Judge Dredd Miniatures Game: Block War” Kickstarter. The now long out of production (OOP) figure was sculpted by Gary Morley and later made available by “Warlord Games” as blister Code JD20169.

“A strikingly beautiful woman” who visited “the lonely, the desperate, and the dejected to grant them the sweet release of a dignified death – whether they wanted it or not”, the serial killer was undercoated using two layers of “Abaddon Black”. She was then dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and enthusiastically shaded with “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

"The Dark Ones guard it by night and by day they call out the Slayers."

To be honest, I was actually pretty happy to leave the mass murderer’s attire at that, and simply focus upon her deadly syringe containing the lethal drug zilocaine. However, having seen the ‘official’ paintjob I became more inclined to make Blint’s cuffs and collar stand-out a little bit from her dark dress; albeit not to the point of pigmenting them white, as this seemed to be at odds with the predominantly black clothing she wore within the comic book pages of “2000 A.D.”

As a result, I used a combination of “Vallejo” Dark Grey and “Citadel” Nuln Oil on her cuffs, collar and hat-feathers, before turning to some “Vallejo” Escorpena Green and “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green for Oola’s aforementioned hand-weapon. Lastly, I decided to step somewhat aware from the cold-hearted character’s usual palette by ‘picking out’ her hair with “Vallejo” Steel Grey. This area was subsequently darkened with a double-dose of “Citadel” Nuln Oil, but still turned out somewhat bluer than it appears on the printed page so as to better ‘break up’ the figure’s largely black colour scheme.

"Gasosaurus is a genus of tetanuran theropod that lived... during the middle of the Jurassic Period."

Alongside my latest “Judge Dredd” related miniature, I have managed to finish another three 28mm Sorcerous Sentinels by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. These “otherworldly watchers” can be purchased from the company’s ever-expanding fantasy range as SKU: DEAL 304 and are clearly inspired by the “race of aliens that serve The Beast” in Peter Yates’ 1983 film “Krull”.

In addition, I have successfully re-based an old DIN109 Gasosaurus model I bought and painted from “Magister Militum” approximately a decade ago. The dinosaur was slightly damaged during its transition, but luckily a little “Vallejo” USA Olive Drab and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade seemed to fix the problem without any noticeable difference to the figure’s original paint-job.

“Velociraptors Were Actually Feathered Animals.”

“They grew up to 100 pounds, about the size of a wolf.”

These 10mm scale metal miniatures of three Velociraptors are produced by “Magister Militum” as code DIN43 from their Pre Historic Dinosaurs, Animals & Marine Reptiles range, and come in packs of five models. The late Cretaceous creatures are all “sculpted with feathers” and have been sat languishing upon the ends of some wooden painting sticks in a cup, since I first purchased them a few years ago at the Newbury & Reading Wargames Society’s show “Colours”.

Each animal was initially primed with two coats of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, before being washed in a combination of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. They were then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, and had their feathered necks ‘picked out’ using a combination of Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These Ape Minions have required some gap-filling with Green-stuff

I wasn’t all that happy with this particular colour scheme, despite some time researching all the different palette possibilities Palaeontologists proposed a feathered Velociraptor could be, so tried blending the neck in with the rest of the dinosaur’s body by giving it a light dry-brush of (even more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown. However, this didn’t seem to work either, so in the end I simply settled upon shading these ‘highlights’ with a little additional “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson.

As a final touch I attempted to dab a little “Vallejo” White on to the claws and teeth of each miniature, and later splashed them with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. The three figures were subsequently super-glued to a 30mm x 40mm plastic rectangular base, so as to match my preferred basing style for all my other 10mm miniatures.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Five Sorcerous Sentinels are currently on the painting table

I was originally planning only a couple of these Velociraptors as part of one of my self-imposed weekly challenges. Happily however, the following week’s subject matter, randomly chosen by the turning of a playing card, revealed I needed to pigment another single 10mm model, so I quickly made up my mind to simply populate a single stand with a trio of deadly killers in order to kill two birds with one stone.

Rather frustratingly though, I have realised that I only seem to own two more of the figures, so I’ll need to pick up an extra bag or three of the dinosaurs if I want to make any more bases. This is a tad annoying as I was only stood looking at the entire range in the flesh a little over a week ago, when I visited “Magister Militum” whilst attending “Salute” 2021. Although I have dug out a load of previously painted figures from the range that I am currently in the process of re-basing/touching up…

“Beyond Our Time, Beyond Our Universe.”

“There is a planet besieged by alien invaders.”

These four 28mm Sorcerous Sentinels are produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be purchased from the company’s ever-expanding fantasy range as SKU: DEAL 304. “Otherworldly watchers as deadly as they are mysterious”, the figures are clearly inspired by the “race of aliens that serve The Beast” in Peter Yates’ 1983 film “Krull”.

Living “in servitude to a force greater than themselves” the quartet were initially primed using a double-helping of “Vallejo” German Grey and shaded with some “Citadel” Nuln Oil. I then dry-brushed them with (more) “Vallejo” German Grey, before layering their swords with Gunmetal, and ‘picking out’ their heads with Heavy Bluegrey.

Spider-Man and Loki set out to defeat Marvel Battleworlds

Both of these areas were subsequently washed with “Citadel” Nuln Oil. As a final touch, I delicately applied a little “Vallejo” Bluegrey to the miniatures’ eye sockets, and added (more) Gunmetal to the sharp edges of their hand-weapons’ blades.

In addition to finishing four of the nine Sorcerous Sentinels I currently have sat upon my painting table, I have also managed to get in a couple of games of Marvel Battleworld by “Funko Games”. Described as a “cooperative, expandable, collectible adventure game featuring dozens of characters from all over the Marvel Universe”, we only used the contents which came in the Pop! Marvel Battleworld - Mega Pack featuring an exclusive Negative-Zone Spider-Man figure, and were determined to keep playing until we ‘unlocked’ the two heroes quite literally “trapped in Thanostones!”

Spider-Man and Loki successful 'unlock' Iron Man (Infinity) from a Thanostone

Our opening contest saw Spider-Man and Loki team-up against some Frost Giants and a Thanostone (in the Hulkland Jungle) respectively. Spidey’s high speed made it easy for him to defeat “the foremost enemies of the Asgardians”, but Loki was eventually overwhelmed during his travels amongst some carnivorous plants and living vines. Fortunately, the pair finally managed to properly pair up when a second Thanostone presented itself in the Deadlands, and having successfully rescued the Infinity incarnation of Iron Man went on to win the game.

In the next battle, Ant-Ant and Iron Man duked it out across the Battleworld in order to eventually retrieve Spider-Ham from the Thanostone. This was a much easier game than the first due to the Infinity powers Tony Stark’s alter-ego started with, as well as some lucky rolls using Ant-Ant’s Shrink ability – which causes his attack to hit on a 1 rather than miss…

“Shoulda Stayed In Your Graves, Wormfodder!”

“Pick your targets and shoot for their heads!”

This 28mm multi-part walking cadaver is predominantly made up of plastic pieces taken from the "Kings Of War" Undead Zombie Horde sprue by "Mantic Games". However, it has been slightly converted using the head of a metal “Mongoose Publishing” Zombie Judge, so as to better represent the shambling corpse of Judge Miller – who was killed by a ravenously hungry zed whilst defending Mega City One’s Gate One during the Judge Dredd epic storyline “Judgement Day”.

Like all the living dead figures I painted five years ago during Zomtober 2016, the doomed Judge was undercoated using a double layer of “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand and later washed with “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green. I then dry-brushed the living cadaver with (more) “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand, before picking out any exposed internal organs a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson.

"The weapons’ advanced smart lock-targeting system robs its targets of the defensive benefits of cover."

The dead lawman’s visible left knee-cap was treated to a layer of “Vallejo” White followed by a splash of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. In addition, I applied some “Vallejo” Heavy Red and (more) “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade to the Judge’s damaged helmet edging. This made the headwear actually appear a shade darker than the colour I usually use for this part of the Justice Department uniform, but I wanted to illustrate that the griminess of death had already started to take effect. I also used some “Citadel” Abaddon Black for poor Miller’s shredded lower uniform.

Finally, I decided to dirty my zombie up by applying some “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade” sporadically over the model, in order to give the impression of shadows and rotting flesh. As a last touch, I did the same thing with a little “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson, predominantly concentrating on the parts surrounding the walking corpse’s deeper wounds.

Other bloggers taking part in Zomtober 2021 are:

Rantings From Under The Wargames Table

PMPainting

Wargames Terrain Workshop

Dead Lead Project

Colgar6 And The Infinite Legion Of Toy Soldiers

Guru PIGS Blog

Apocalypse: Earth

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These Sorcerous Sentinels just need shading and dry-brushing 

Alongside the last of my entries for this year’s Zomtober, I have finished the second of three 35mm scale metal Paladin Annihilators produced by “Privateer Press” for Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika. The multi-part miniature was painted in precisely the same palette as its recently completed predecessor, and takes me one step closer to being able to field different five units for my Iron Star Alliance army.

In addition, I have almost finished four of nine Sorcerous Sentinels by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” I intend to have tabletop ready over the next few days. The quartet of Slayers have now had all their base layers finished, and just need some washes and dry-brushing before being ready for a coat of varnish and some static grass…

“Armed With Rapid-Fire Harbinger Cannons…”

“…The Paladin Annihilators provide heavy support to Alliance forces on the battlefield.”

This 35mm scale metal Paladin Annihilator is produced by “Privateer Press” and is one of three figures which can be found inside the SKU: 83008 Paladin Annihilators – Iron Star Alliance Squad for Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika. The multi-part figure carries a rapid-fire weapon “that can hit up to three models with every attack”, even those who aren’t “even in their line of sight.”

Having super-glued the futuristic warrior’s weapon arms and Arc receiver in place, the miniature 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 using a large make-up blusher brush.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three Sorcerous Sentinels 

Sticking with the somewhat 'clean' metallic look of the Paladin’s previously painted comrades-in-arms’ mechanically enhanced compound armour, I patiently 'picked out' the Annihilator’s knee-pads, central chest plate, elbow-pads, and the majority of his Harbinger Cannon’s housing in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. In addition, I applied a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna over the soldier’s spats, shoulder-pads, face-plate, and thigh-joints.

These areas were later given a coat of "Vallejo" Brass, a dash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and some delicate dry-brushing with a smidge more "Vallejo" Brass so as to bring back some of their shine after being shaded. I also painted part of each Paladin's Arc receiver with "Vallejo" Brass and washed them with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"Pendraken Miniatures" WIPs - Six based and primed Facehuggers

Finally, as I wanted this heavy support Paladin to stand out from the run-of-the-mill Enforcers, I decided to apply a combination of “Scalecolor” Cobalt Alchemy and “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade to the model’s helmet and shoulder-plates. To be honest, I would have liked to have employed this palette on some additional areas too, but chose to stick to just those pieces of armour which I could easily reach with a brush-tip on all three of the miniatures.

Alongside my first “Privateer Press” figure for over five months, I have been working my way through some of the other Weekly Painting Challenges I’ve set myself over the past month. As a result I have almost finished working on four 28mm Sorcerous Sentinels by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”, and my latest goal, randomly chosen via a deck of playing cards, of ten 10mm Face Huggers by “Pendraken Miniatures”…

“A… A Walking Corpse!”

“How do you stop --”

This 28mm multi-part walking cadaver is predominantly made up of plastic pieces taken from the "Kings Of War" Undead Zombie Horde sprue by "Mantic Games". However, it has been slightly converted using the left gloved hand of a metal “Mongoose Publishing” Zombie Judge, so as to better represent the shambling corpse of Cadet Judge Krowe – who was literally torn wide open by a hungry zed at the beginning of the Judge Dredd epic storyline “Judgement Day”.

Like all the rest of the living dead I originally painting during Zomtober 2016, the hapless aspiring Judge was undercoated using a double layer of “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand and subsequently washed with “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green. I then dry-brushed the monstrosity with (more) “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand, before picking out his exposed innards with "Vallejo" Heavy Red and Squid Pink. These areas were later splashed with “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson.

"Mantic Games" WIPs - The 'converted' zombie had its flesh shaded with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green

The ghoul’s lower spine, rib-cage and skull were treated to a combination of “Vallejo” White and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. In addition, I applied some “Vallejo” Heavy Green and “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green to the dead cadet’s glove. This is actually a shade darker than the palette I ordinarily use for the Justice Department uniform, but I wanted to show that some of dankness of death had already saturated the piece of clothing. I also used some “Citadel” Abaddon Black for poor Krowe’s tattered trousers.

Finally, I decided to dirty my zombie up by applying some “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade” sporadically over the model, in order to give the impression of shadows and rotting flesh. As a last touch, I did the same thing with a little “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson, predominantly concentrating on the deep wounds already layered with “Vallejo” Heavy Red on its leg, arm and chest, as well as the severed hand the zed was carrying.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Company" WIPs - The Sorcerous Sentinels have been shaded and dry-brushed

I currently have another pair of these converted “Mantic Games” zombies on my painting table, both of which use pieces cut from the same “Moongoose Publishing” Zombie Judge this particular figure was assembled from. I plan to use these to represent Spencer and Miller; two Judges who fell before the zombie horde invading Mega-City One once the metropolis’ great wall was breached and the undead overran the Justice Department’s perimeter.

Other bloggers taking part in Zomtober 2021 are:

Rantings From Under The Wargames Table

PMPainting

Wargames Terrain Workshop

Dead Lead Project

Colgar6 And The Infinite Legion Of Toy Soldiers

Guru PIGS Blog

Apocalypse: Earth

In addition, I have made some more progress on a few of the Sorcerous Sentinels by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” I aim to pigment for this week’s painting challenge. Having previously primed the “race of aliens that serve The Beast in his conquering of planets” in “Vallejo” German Grey, I have managed to give them a seriously shading of “Citadel” Nuln Oil and dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” German Grey…

“The Big Regimental 12cm Mortars…”

“…Fire a heavier bombardment at a longer range than the light 8cm mortars.”

This quartet of plastic 15mm miniatures are sold by “Battlefront Miniatures” and can be found inside the company’s 12cm Mortar Platoon blister for “Flames Of War”. The team consists of a two-piece mortar and four mortar loaders. You actually get four teams in the blister so as to build a full-strength platoon, however I picked these particular figures up off “eBay” as a single sprue.

As with all my other “FoW” German soldiers, the figures were initially super-glued onto wooden strips, before being primed in “Vallejo” German Fieldgrey WWII, 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.

"Privateer Press" WIPs - This Paladin Annihilator has slowly had its detail 'picked out'

The beauty of these little kits is that each large base is almost like a tiny vignette in its own right, so despite the fact that each sprue contains exactly the same collection of sculpts, each team can still be attached to their stand in a myriad of different combinations depending upon where the holes for the soldiers are located. Ensuring that the weapon faced “the short edge”, I therefore repositioned the mortar loaders this time round to predominantly stand/kneel to the left of the formidable firing piece.

Moving on to the most recent of my Weekly Challenges, I have been making some steady progress on the first of three Paladin Annihilators I want to field for "Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika". These metal "Privateer Press" castings are a lot of fun to work on, but having used some previously-painted Paladin Enforcers as a guide, I’ve spotted a couple of common areas between the two different infantry teams which I’ve now decided to pigment “Vallejo” Brass and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, rather than just plain old Abaddon Black.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These three Sorcerous Sentinels have been based and primed

This has invariably meant that I have dug out all my old Iron Star Alliance models and started ‘touching up’ these additional areas on them, as well as working through my trio of Annihilators. I have however, finally settled upon Cobalt Alchemy by “Scalecolor” for the heavy support troopers’ helmets. Combined with a shade of Drakenhof Nightshade, this should help better distinguish the rapid-fire harbinger cannon-carriers from their similar-looking brethren on the tabletop.

Finally, I have started basing and priming nine Sorcerous Sentinels by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” for this week’s monstrous challenge, which as usual was randomly chosen via a deck of playing cards. These “Otherworldly watchers” will be painted up in three batches, and will all follow the ‘official’ colour scheme of the Slayers from Peter Yates’ 1983 science fantasy film “Krull”.