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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

https://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com/

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

Cheers Roger.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge" [I/IV] December 2025

Painting output for November 2025

Having had a rather lack-lustre November where I was much more focused upon 3D printing more miniatures than actually getting any paint on them, I thought I had better knuckle down for the following month and begin my annual Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) -  a seventeen week long personal challenge to pigment as much of my unfinished backlog as I can. Last year I only managed to whittle away at half of the models I had planned to pigment - attaining a total of just 246 points using my tried and tested productivity scoring system. So this time round I have a target to beat. 

First in the firing line are a number of 32mm Soviet Cosmonauts (and a couple of NASA Astronauts) by "Black Site Studios" which I produced on my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer for their "Lunar" skirmish game. Rather embarrassingly, all of these figures should have finished by now, so I aim to get the vast majority of them tabletop ready toot sweet. In addition, I aim to play a few games featuring the models in order to test out my homebrew Moonscape rules based upon "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Publishing". This always helps refuel my enthusiasm for a project, so I'm hoping it will help re-energise this one too.

"Artisan Guild" WIPs - These Zeek Scuttlers have all been primed using "Vallejo" Heavy Brown

In addition, I really want to get cracking on a number of Zeek Scuttlers I recently printed to use for "Kings Of War" by "Mantic Games". I'll be adapting this race of insectoid thieves into some crab-like denizens so as to represent the Trident Realm Of Neritica, and am close to completing my predominantly brown-green colour scheme's test piece. A good percentage of my starting force - consisting of a leader with three infantry regiments and a swarm are already based ready for my paint-brush, so with any luck a number of these wonderfully-detailed STL (Standard Triangle Language) files will be fully varnished and flocked before the PPPP concludes.

Sticking with "Mantic Games" and 3D printing, I'm also hoping to knuckle down and get a fair few of the Nottingham-based manufacturer's Epic Warpath miniatures done. Perhaps unsurprisingly given how many of the 10mm models I can squeeze onto my Mars 5's build plate, I already face an almost overwhelming sea of grey resin soldiers, infected monsters and space dwarves. So I really need to get a fair few finished before I'm completely overwhelmed by them.

November 2025 - No change whatsoever with my favourite manufacturers of the year

Lastly, I still own an embarrassing number of unfinished Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry" - many of which I first worked on over a year ago. This particular Black Powder project has fallen way behind schedule, and I now doubt I'll ever catch-up to where I wanted to be with it. However, next year I fully intend to get some cavalry units completed, and maybe the odd cannon crew too - both of which are needed to play Mike Lambo's "Battles of Napoleonic Europe: A Solitaire Wargame" properly.

My fingers are most definitely crossed that all these plans will help bolster my wargaming fruitfulness after the worst November I've experienced since I first began keeping a record of my hobby productivity over a decade ago. Of course, I wouldn't have minded too much if it was due to me being more busy playing than painting. But sadly that simply hasn't been the case...

The Plague Is A Highly Virulent Form Of Alien Bio-Weapon."

"Once the Plague starts to spread on a colony or planet, the only way to stop it is via blockades, Deadzones and planetary isolation."

This pair of 10mm scale Plague Lords are manufactured by "Mantic Games" for their "Epic Warpath" wargame, and were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the figure comes as part of the company's Epic Warpath Plague Army. But I actually picked mine up as a freebie from the Nottingham-based company's current Epic Warpath - The Battle for Phrovox campaign on "My Mini Factory", and simply mirrored the pose so as to create a little variety on the battlefield.

Due to the the massive mutants actually being 25mm in height, the heavily infected duo were super-glued onto a couple of plastic 25mm circular bases, undercoated in "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, drowned in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand. I then carefully applied a delicate dry-brush of "Two Thin Coats" White Star across the topmost ridges each miniature, before 'picking out' parts of their chitinous armour with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue.

"Artisan Guild" WIPs - This Zeek Burrower has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

These plates were later washed with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade and dry-brushed them with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, before I added a smidgeon of "Two Thin Coats" White Star onto the Plague Lords' teeth, layered their tongues with "Vallejo" Heavy Red over its tongue, and finally washed these areas with a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I was momentarily tempted to use some of the 2mm tall Chilli Red flock I currently use for my "Lunar" models to half-heartedly suggest the astronauts are on the planet Mars. But as I had already unconsciously coloured their bases brown, as opposed to the grey palette I use with my Martian landscape, I decided to stick with my usual green grass instead.

Alongside this foray into "Mantic Games" own miniatures, I have also been rather busy 3D printing some models with which to play the Nottingham-based company's "Kings Of War". However, rather than use their 'official' range of figures, I thought I'd make use of many of the STLs I own by "Artisan Guild". For openers I'm planning on simply fielding a small force representing the Trident Realm Of Neritica, and felt a few of the crab-like Zeek Scuttler sculpts would be nicely appropriate.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - These French soldiers have had all their metallic areas 'picked out'

For openers I've gone with a trio of Burrowers to represent a (Tidal) Swarm as the models really remind me of the Horseshoe Crab. This project really is in its infancy, yet as usual I've allowed my enthusiasm for it to get the better of me and have already got some Scuttlers (Heavy Infantry), Skirra (Siren Hero) and Scuttler Knights sat waiting for some attention on my hobby table.

Lastly, I am still managing to make some progress on a handful of Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry" I actually started a considerable time ago. All of the identical soldiers come from an old FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing blister I found in my backlog, and I have been doggedly trying to apply my brush-tip to one area on each of them during every hobby session. Currently, I'm working on their muskets - though I have also taken the opportunity to base layer their blankets, and get their gold sabre handles and scabbard tips completed too...

"This Weapon Fires Sticky Goo In A One Inch Wide Line."

"Any units in that line are entangled."

This 32mm Soviet Cosmonaut is sold by "Black Site Studios" for their "Lunar" skirmish game, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set and were actually upscaled by a smidgeon due to the sculpt appearing somewhat less bulky than the cast resin Russian astronauts I already own. 

Furthermore, the original arms holding a shotgun were carefully clipped off at different points in order to allow me to superglue an Adhesive Rifle and empty hand onto the figure. This conversion used a couple of pieces left over from my aforementioned starter box - which I'm always pleased to utilise, and provided me with a bit more variety to my Eastern Bloc force. 

"Mantic Games" WIPs - These Spectra Blademasters have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

The Cosmonaut was placed upon a "Citadel" 30mm circular stand and primed with plenty of "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet. It was then drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet and had its face-plate/firearm layered in "Citadel" Abaddon Black.  The Soviet's helmet visor was also subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Lastly, I gave the Adhesive Rifle a lick of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, before picking out its quilted carry-case in White Star by "Two Thin Coats". This area was later shaded using some heavily-watered down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and hopefully gives the impression that the tool-turned-trap can get incredibly hot whenever its in use - even on the Moon's surface.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - These Frenchmen have been base-coated with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

Moving over to a smaller size of 3D printing, I have begun work on a trio of 10mm scale Spectra Blademasters by "Mantic Games". Having recently fully committed to the Nottingham-based manufacturer's Epic Warpath - The Battle for Phrovox campaign on "My Mini Factory", I'm really keen to use these Asterian mechs as test pieces for the race's colour scheme, as well as trialling an attempted to pigment their force-field shields.

Finally, I'm still quite merrily picking away at four Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry". My plan is to simply finish an area on the quartet each day until they are done, and am currently making progress on their muskets. Taken from blister FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing I may well use this approach for my future Black Powder projects, as this technique isn't too time-consuming, and also doesn't seem to make all the Frenchmen's details quite so intimidating - at least in my mind...

"Hulking Beasts With No Vestige Of Their Humanity Left."

 "These monsters charge from the front, hitting their victims with unstoppable force."

This 10mm scale Plague Lord is produced by "Mantic Games" for their "Epic Warpath" wargame, and was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 5 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file comes as part of the company's Epic Warpath Plague Army. But I actually picked mine up as a freebie from the Nottingham-based company's current Epic Warpath - The Battle for Phrovox campaign on "My Mini Factory".

The malformed monstrosity is surprisingly 25mm tall so was super-glued onto a plastic 25mm circular base, undercoated in "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, drowned in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand. I then carefully applied a delicate dry-brush of "Two Thin Coats" White Star across the topmost ridges of the figure, before 'picking out' some of its chitinous armour with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue.

"Ammo is a precious resource on the Moon."

To be honest I wasn't exactly sold on this 'official' colour scheme. But having subsequently shaded the plates with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade and dry-brushed them with a bit more "Vallejo" Heavy Blue I thought the contrast looked really good. Lastly, I dabbed a little White Star by "Two Thin Coats" across the Plague Lord's teeth, a lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Red over its tongue, and washed both areas with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Sticking with 3D printing, I've also completed another 32mm Soviet Cosmonaut by "Black Site Studios". The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file is from the company's Two-Player Digital Starter Set and was slightly upscaled by 1% due to the sculpt appearing to be a bit more slender in its proportions than the cast resin Eastern Bloc astronauts I already own.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Three of four Napoleonic Frenchmen currently being worked on

As with all my Russian spacemen, the miniature was primed with plenty of "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet, drenched in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and dry-brushed with (more) "Two Thin Coats" Sanguine Scarlet. The Communist's helmet visor was later treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Whilst his firearm was 'picked out' with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Lastly, I have finally started making some in-roads on four Napoleonic Infantrymen by "Wargames Foundry". I was originally planning on simply bolstering my Austrian contingent this month. But time is already somewhat short, and this quartet taken from the manufacturer's FN054 - Light Infantry Chasseurs Advancing blister were already started just over a year ago - so shouldn't take that long to finish as I dab away at them piece by piece...

"The Heavy Cruiser Is One Of The Few Starfleet Ship Designs..."

"...To have more than two nacelles."

This Terran C-6 Heavy Cruiser was created using some "Bambu Lab" Matt White PLA (Polylactic Acid) on an A1 Mini 3D Printer, and can be purchased as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Fat Dragon Games" as part of the company's "Battlefront Valkyrie" Starter Set. The multi-piece starship has been printed using a 0.2mm nozzle, with a 0.1mm layer height in order to minimise any striation lines on the finished model.

Quite interestingly the vessel also comes with a rig STL, which allows you to produce a docking bay of sorts that helps line up the spacecraft's rearmost engine with the hull. Unfortunately, I ended up originally placing my vessel's third warp nacelle back to front, so had to literally tear it off from its support to place it the right way round. Considering how quickly super-glue sets when using PLA this 'manoeuvre' caused quite a bit of damage to the 3D print, so I ended up attaching the piece in line with its fellow engines (as opposed to being a little behind them) so as to cover up my misdemeanour.

"Mantic Games" WIPs - These Plague Lords are having their blue armour 'picked out'

Happily, I don't think my error is too noticeable, even if you look underneath the spacecraft, and will either represent a prototype/refitted Heavy Cruiser, or perhaps a Federation-class dreadnought in my games. The mistake did though rather drastically dampen my enthusiasm for the range, and coupled with my recent preference for resin 3D printing over PLA, has caused my entire (not) "Star Trek" starship project to come to a rather abrupt halt - at least until now that is.

Like all of my other Terran vessels, the miniature was undercoated using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then patiently dry-brushed it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, before 'picking out' all three of the warp nacelles on its propulsion units with a combination of "Scale 75" White Alchemy and "Citadel" Talassar Blue.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Centurion has been base-layered, shaded and dry-brushed

Alongside my U.S.S. Federation I have continued to dabble with a trio of 10mm scale Plague Lords by "Mantic Games". I'm still currently in two minds as to whether I will support the Nottingham-based manufacturer's "Epic Warpath" Campaign on "My Mini Factory". But these fun little STLs are certainly swaying me, and I hope to also pigment a couple of Enforcer and Asterian test pieces too before I need to come to a decision.

Lastly, I've finally assembled the Centurion in MKII power armour that comes inside the "Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Saturnine" boxed set by "Games Workshop". Frankly, this was an absolute nightmare (not of my making) to assemble, and in the end I had to resort to relocating the model's Servo-skull simply to provide the space marine's back standard with some much-needed stability...

"The British Infantry Was The Only Military Force..."

"...Not to suffer a major reverse at the hands of Napoleonic France."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Napoleonic British Grenadier is sold by “Wargames Foundry", and can be purchased as part of their B041 Late Line Infantry Flank Company Shouldered Arms set. The miniature is one of eight identical soldiers sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry, and due to a combination of its somewhat complicated detail and predominantly white/red colour scheme has actually taken well over a year to finally complete.

The 'Redcoat' was undercoated using plenty of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before having his trousers and any straps pigmented in "Two Thin Coats" White Star. These areas were then shaded using some heavily watered-down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade in an effort to 'weather' all the cloth and leatherwork.

"During the course of the wars against Napoleon, the British armed forces were expanded by subsequent Acts of Parliament."

I also wanted to have the model represent a British unit which had red facings in order to help keep my palette simple, so using my limited research chose to make the Grenadier a member of the 33rd "Wellington's Own" Regiment of Foot. This allowed me to paint the entirety of the model's jacket in "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and then wash his coat with (more) heavily-watered down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Furthermore I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade to the miniature's water bottle, and a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the soldier's bag. Lastly, I used a little "Vallejo" Neutral Grey on the miniature's blanket, and later darkened it down with a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Mantic Games" WIPs - A trio of Plague Lords at various stages of completion

With my tiny unit of British Grenadiers now completed for "Black Powder", I have temporarily moved on to a subject/genre hopefully far less time-consuming in the shape of three 10mm scale Plague Lords by "Mantic Games". The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the model was sent to me for free by the Nottingham-based manufacturer as part of their "Epic Warpath" Pre Campaign Bonus on "My Mini Factory", and may well form the start of a Plague army should I succumb to temptation and purchase "The Battle for Phrovox" All In Pledge.

For now though I simply want to see how the creature paints up, so have actually produced a trio of the sculpt in "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin using my Mars 5 3D Printer - including one which is a mirror image of the original pose. I must confess to being extremely impressed with how well the miniatures look, and hope to get both them, as well as some other test figures for the Enforcers and Asterians, before the "Epic Warpath" Campaign concludes in a couple of weeks time...

"The Destroyer Is Forged From An Unknown And Enchanted Metal."

"The armour was stored away in the Temple of Darkness, but it was found by Loki."

This 40mm scale miniature of Lazer Face was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "C27 Studio". The approximately 70mm tall sculpt is clearly inspired by Stan Lee's comic book co-creation - The Destroyer, and designed to be used as an 'alternative' figure for the Marvel Crisis Protocol rule-set.

Along with a 75mm scale version, the model also comes with its own 50mm circular base. However, as I struggle to print anything of that size flat, I decided to simply print out the rubble upon which the "enchanted suit of armor" stands and then superglue it upon an 'official' spare plastic stand by "Atomic Mass Games". I then used some green-stuff to blend the join in, and primed the entire ensemble with "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

Abe Sapien and Hellboy encounter a Sinister Bird, a Frog Swarm and Supernatural Fires

"Forged by the King of the Norse gods, Odin", I decided to use the miniature as an opportunity to test out some of "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" I've recently been sent by "Trans Atlantis Games" to trial. Resultantly, I applied a single layer of Sir Coates Silver over Lazer Face, shaded it with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed it with (more) Sir Coates Silver. I later used a similar process for the rubble, swapping out "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats" colour for "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and adding some splodges of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the mix to dirty the broken ground up a bit more.

With hindsight I should have taken some additional time checking and trimming away a series of 'pimples' left over from the miniature's supports before I started painting the miniature. However, I didn't properly spot them running down the back of the sculpt's legs until later on, by which time I was almost finished and didn't want to have to re-prime. layer, wash, and dry-brush the re-cleaned area - as that always seems to stand out, in my eyes at least, no matter how careful I try to be to blend the repair work in with the original pigmentation.

A Giant Boss Frog Monster tears the B.P.R.D. field agents apart

In addition to completing the first of my figures by "C27 Studio", I have also managed to play some more "Hellboy: The Board Game" by "Mantic Games", unsuccessfully pitting Anung un Rama and Abe Sapien up against a supposedly mild infestation of Frog Monsters. This adventure really didn't go very well at all, with the Deck of Doom placing the two B.P.R.D. Field Agents onto their back feet almost straight from the start.

Alongside the usual hazards of Frog Swarms and "Supernatural Fires", we experienced a Sinister Bird, "A Heavy Moon" (which stunned the duo completely out of the blue", ,"Ambush" and even a super-powered Frog Monster who was invisible to the naked eye. To make matters worse, the monstrous Boss Frog Creature then descended upon us whilst we lay unconscious in a confined space, quickly splattering Abe's brains all over a wall and sending Hellboy flying into an even smaller adjacent room where he was pummelled to death. Next time we'll be sending in a full-team of four operatives...

"An Eyeless Eidolon Awakened By Thieves."

"A few glorifying statues of the duke with faint remnants of power existed deep in ancient dungeons."

This 28mm scale plastic model of an Eidolon Possessed Sacred Statue is produced by "Wizkids" and can be found as Code RPG-WZK90167 from their Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures range. The 70mm tall figure is clearly based upon the statue of Moloch which appears on the cover for the "Dungeons & Dragons" (First Edition) Player's Handbook, and even depicts the iconic monster missing one of his jewelled eyes. 

Having based the animated guardian onto a "Games Workshop" 50mm circular stand, the entire figure was treated to a double-helping of "Vallejo" Earth, followed by a positive drenching in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. It was then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Earth and given a lighter dusting of Heavy Sienna to help bring out the sculpt's excellent details.

"Encounter Terrain" WIPs - Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman and the Seventh Doctor

I did consider applying some red to the effigy as seen in the June 1978 illustration. But as this colour was caused by a close by fire (which sadly wasn't part of this plastic piece), I decided against such a palette. Instead, I simply used a combination of "Scalecolor" Speed Metal and "Citadel" Contrast colour Flesh Tearers Red for the statue's sole remaining eye.

With my latest Gary Gygax inspired acquisition finished, I have spent some more time progressing a trio of 40mm resin sculpts by Nikola Stankovic I had 3D printed by "Encounter Terrain". The two horror film-based figures are being painted for this month's Zomtober Challenge, whilst I'm planning on using the Seventh Doctor's miniature as a Captain for the "Space Station Zero" rules by "Snarling Badger Studios".

Abe Sapien is unable to save Hellboy from a fiery fate, and is soon overwhelmed by Frog Minions himself

Rather embarrassingly, I have also finally managed to play some "Hellboy: The Board Game" by "Mantic Games" after the Kickstarter exclusive edition has sat untouched on one of my shelves for three and a half years. I had actually hoped to enjoy more of the "fully cooperative experience for one to four players", but ending up spending a good hour or so beforehand looking for some non-existent cardboard Investigation (Clue) Tokens - which were apparently replaced with plastic 3D models for my box during the fund-raising campaign. Doh!

Sadly, the opening scenario proved equally as unsuccessful despite Hellboy and Abe Sapien initially starting out well enough, courtesy of Anung Un Rama's formidably-sized pistol and his companion's deadly harpoon. However, we only managed to move into a single room before a sudden firestorm, followed by a Frog Monster ambush knocked both of our B.P.R.D. Field Agents unconscious. The rule-book suggests that this might not be the end of the game, and perhaps simply initiates the Boss fight much earlier than we'd have liked. But as it wasn't clear if this was the case or not, we called it quits there...

“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…

“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 Viper Is A Fast, Highly-Manoeuvrable Medium OmniMech…”

“…Originally designed by Clan Fire Mandrill on Shadow.”

This 1:285 scale plastic model of a Viper is made by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be bought together with the Gargoyle, Hellbringer, Mad Dog, and Ice Ferret in the company’s “Battletech: Clan Heavy Striker Star” boxed set. All the pre-assembled miniatures in this “supplement to the BattleTech: A Game of Armoured Combat box” come with an assortment of Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. However, as I plan to employ this particular sculpt as a Messerschmitt class German War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign using some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly dark grey palette.

“Fast and well-armoured”, the 36mm tall figure was originally primed using two layers of “Vallejo” German Grey, shaded in “Citadel” Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” German Grey with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush. I then ‘picked out’ the machine’s feet using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and “Citadel” Nuln Oil. These areas were later dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy bluegrey.

LVL Up WIPs - This Demon Hunter has been assembled using parts taken from two of their blind bitz pots

I also tried to provide the Viper with the Messerschmitt fighter plane’s famous yellow nose by painting the front of its highly prominent cockpit with “Vallejo” Sun Yellow and subsequently shading it with “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade. Finally, the miniature’s joints, exhaust vents, ER Medium Lasers and SRM-6 launcher were treated to some “Vallejo” Gunmetal and a splash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Having finished the latest addition to my 6mm Axis Weird War Two force, I have spent a little time kit-bashing together the first figure in a new project based upon some small bitz boxes sold blind by the LVL Up Gaming Store in Bournemouth. Predominantly made from parts randomly taken from second-hand “Games Workshop” kits, at least as far as I can make out anyway, the small pots contain a mass of arms, weapons, various pouches and the odd leg to add some additional variety to whichever army you’re building.

"The Ion Age" WIPs - These two Retained Knights are being painted as Blood Angel Devastator Space Marines

However, my eldest and I decided to simply purchase a pair of pots each, and use their contents to construct two-to-three ‘character’ models as futuristic demon hunters. The first of my trio is based upon a previously-painted orange Space Marine Sergeant torso, with a load of extra paraphernalia, including what I believe to be the head of a Screamer of Tzeentch.

As I wanted to show that these warriors were slowing being mutated by their persistent close contact with their demonic foes, I also gave him the left arm of a “Mantic Games” Salamander and placed the aforementioned Sky-Shark’s bonce onto his back – to suggest the severed noggin has now been press-ganged into aiding its slayer with whispered advice and directions. Perhaps my favourite conversion though is the mercenary’s right shoulder-pad, which was cut to size from an incomplete Imperial Guard mortar.

"The Squirrel Man Of Sevastopol..."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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