"In 1799, The 36,000 French Troops In Italy Were In A Desperate State..."

"Supplies of all sorts were inadequate, discipline was breaking down, desertion was increasing..."

This 28mm plastic French Fusilier can be assembled from the numerous components found within the “Victrix Limited” French Napoleonic Infantry 1804 – 1807 boxed set, and will accompany a number of additional fusiliers, grenadiers and voltigeurs which I plan to use for Bob Cordery's "The Portable Wargame". Painted to represent the Infantry of the Line as shown in “Austerlitz – The Empire at its Zenith” by “Histoire & Collections”, the model has only taken a staggering six years to finally complete and is the last of my four weekly submissions for this year’s Mo’Vember Challenge.

The miniature was originally primed with "Citadel" Skull White and had its boots, rifle, pouches, backpack and hat undercoated with Chaos Black. I then began the slow process of 'picking out' all his straps with either "Vallejo" Dead White or Heavy Sienna, and subsequently washing them with either Pale Grey or "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Victrix Limited" Napoleonic French - These two miniatures are approximately half-way finished

The soldier's uniform was painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and an old OOP pot of "Citadel" Asurmen Blue, whilst his cuffs and collar were treated to a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Bloodletter. Finally, the wooden areas of his musket received an application of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and the metal parts some "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil.

Ordinarily, I don't like to post models on this blog which haven't been properly based, but as this figure will ultimately be one of four super-glued upon a 40mm x 40mm square base, I thought I'd make an exception. In addition, it gives me an opportunity to voice how frustrating an experience I found returning to this miniature after so long was, due to "Games Workshop" (yet again) changing their painting range in between times.

Draconian Statue WIPs - The "Frontier In Space" monument has been primed, coated, washed and dry-brushed

Indeed, the Nottingham-based company's decision to step away from their excellent "Citadel" Foundation paints and washes in 2012, was my main motivation for turning to the "Vallejo" Extra Opaque Game range in the first place. Fortunately, I think Heavy Red and Heavy Blue make a fair substitute for the OPP "Citadel" Mechrite Red and Mordian Blue, especially as I understand the colour consistency of the French uniform during the Napoleonic Wars was somewhat intermittent due to weathering and differing dye pigmentation anyway.

Momentarily stepping away from so detailed a painting subject, I was rather pleased to recently receive half a dozen small resin plinths from "Telfer Model Design". These stone bases will hopefully help me turn a few of my 'superfluous' models into scenic statues, and I've wasted no time in taking a spare Draconian from the "Warlord Games" "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" range and pinning it in place.

"Boo Yeah!"

"The Showiest, flashiest and most charismatic dwarf you are ever going to see..."

This 28mm resin miniature of Ronnie Salvage is produced by "TTCombat" as part of their "Rumbleslam" range, and bears a striking resemblance to the late great American wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage. "One of the superstars hailing from Kaiser’s Palace", this "nimble dwarf" brings high stamina and annihilating special attacks to the squared circle, and is the third of my four weekly submissions for this year’s Mo’Vember Challenge.

Composed of some sort of hard plastic-type resin, I actually had a bit of problem with Ronnie when I initially based him and snapped off one set of his trailing arm ribbons. Mortified by my fat fingered fumbling, as well as being all too aware that the flashy wrestler could never appear in public without his tell-tale tassels, I drilled an appropriately sized rectangular-shaped hole into his arm at the spot where the fashion accessory had broken away, and super-glued it back in place.

Converted Judoon WIPs - These two metal mercenaries just need some inks to be applied to them

Once re-assembled, I primed the model with two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre, and started to work my way up the portly figure using a combination of Heavy Red and "Citadel" Crimson Carroburg for Salvage's boots, pants and cowboy hat. The dwarf's skin was created by applying a shade of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade over a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. Ordinarily, I simply leave the "specially formulated" wash to do its job and just highlight areas such as the nose, cheeks, hands and fingers. But on this occasion there was so much flesh on show, especially on the chest and stomach, that I added some additional Heavy Skintone to these areas too.

Finally the 'Atomic Drop' crowd pleaser's "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre leg tassels, hand-wraps and vest were given a wash of (more) "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and Ronnie's pair of flashy shades were 'picked out' using a little Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. For a moment I did consider basing the wrestling superstar differently as to how I ordinarily 'flock' my models, for the sportsman was supposedly going to always be 'fighting' in a ring, and thus having him appear upon a grassy base didn't really make much sense at all. Fortunately though, I then spied that "TTCombat" produces a "Rumbleslam" Grassy Mat and my problem was readily resolved...

"Victrix" French WIPs - The plastic soldiers have a phenomenal amount of detail to 'pick out' 

Having attended "Warfare" in Reading this weekend, and now bought the last of the figures I plan to purchase for the foreseeable future (or at least that's the plan), I have started trying to properly clear up some space on my painting table by finishing the odd project or twelve. Needless to say, what with "Warlord Games" offering a fiendish 'three for two' deal on their "Doctor Who" range at the Rivermead Leisure Complex-based show, I am now rather inundated with "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" models, so plan to polish off a handful more Judoon figures over the next few days for starters...

Similarly, I have quite the gathering of plastic Napoleonic French by "Victrix Limited" stationed within my line-of-sight. These wonderfully moustached unflinching Frenchmen will be getting a lot of attention as a result, and despite all their straps, pouches, bags and cuffs, should still be finished in time to meet my Mo'Vember Challenge deadline at the end of the month.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Napoleonics" Mo'Vember 2017

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

This month's themed attempt to try and reduce my ever-increasing horde of metal, plastic and resin models has been directly influenced by my desire to dedicate part of my hobby time towards miniatures of a 'beardy' nature (in celebration of Mo'Vember), as well as my recent acquisition of Bob Cordery's "The Portable Wargame" and sudden desire to play some Napoleonics. Indeed, my yearning to fill a tabletop with some splendidly coloured 28mm forces from 1803-1815 has led to my purchasing an old hardback copy of "Grand Battery" by Jonathan Sutherland & Diane Canwell and "Song Of Drum And Shakos" by "Gamesha Games".

Fortunately, I am not about to embark upon such a time-consuming adventure completely from scratch, having actually tried to paint some "Victrix" French six years ago for a 'Battle of Marengo' project. That naive undertaking was perhaps always destined to fail, but it did cause me to purchase a considerable number of plastic Napoleonic infantry and cavalry, as well as actually paint sixteen Frenchmen up; albeit I don't seem to have applied any flags to their command stand... 

"Victrix" Napoleonic French WIPs - All of the soldiers' trousers have been painted

As I plan on getting to grips with the rule-set's basics by simply deploying just eight musket-armed infantry units (8 @ 4 SP each = 32 SP; Rated Average), and a Commander (1 @ 6 SP each = 6 SP), this means I already own almost half of the foot-soldiers needed for my first foray into "The Portable Wargame". Of course though, that still means I need to paint another twenty of Napoleon's finest, 'picking out' all their straps, cuffs, water bottles and stowage... and I haven't even mentioned their similarly sized Austrian opposition yet.

Realistically therefore, considering all the other painting projects and models I want to pigment over the next few months, I've decided to set a relatively low-bar of completing just four figures per month, and hope that before my enthusiasm for the project wanes too much I manage to finish enough soldiers off to at least start a few straightforward skirmishes; something which as a rule ordinarily helps reinvigorate my mojo. In addition, once I've completed these initial four Frenchmen I plan to start work on a few of their "oldest and, next to the English, the most persistent" of their "foemen", the white-coated Austrians.

Ronnie Salvage WIPs - The dwarf has had his boots and leg tassels 'picked out'

Sticking with 'beardy' miniatures for Mo'Vember, I have also been slapping a lick of paint onto one of my favourite miniatures from "Rumbleslam" by "TTCombat". Arguably, "the showiest, flashiest and most charismatic dwarf you are ever going to see! Ronnie Salvage is one of the superstars" of the Cornwall-based company's fantasy wrestling rule-set and has clearly been inspired by the late Macho Man Randy Savage.

As a huge fan of the old "World Wrestling Federation", and Randy Mario Poffo in particular, I have been picking up a number of this "fast paced high action" tabletop game's plastic figures since I first bought the "Rumbleslam" Starter Box towards the start of the year; the majority of which have clearly been modelled upon old-time professional wrestlers. So don't be at all surprised to see a few crop up over the next few weeks as I look to (re)assemble The Mega-Powers, The Bushwhackers and Legion Of Doom... 

"It's The Aliens Again, I'll Bet My Pension."

"What do you want this time, you green swine?"

This 28mm scale "pewter" model of the "Donna Noble's grandfather", Wilfred Mott, is produced by “Warlord Games” and forms part of the five-miniature strong "Tenth Doctor And Companions" boxed set. "Unusually open-minded about the extraterrestrial", the "strongly patriotic former soldier" was first seen in the 2007 BBC television story "Voyage Of The Damned" and is the fourth (and final) of my weekly submissions for this year’s Mo’Vember Challenge with Dick Garrison (of “Rantings Under The Wargames Table” fame).

Initially undercoated with a double helping of "Vallejo" Charred Brown, the elderly stargazer's shoes were picked out with a combination of Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, whilst his trousers were painted with German Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In order to give the tenth Doctor's final companion a splash of colour, and in order to stick with Mott's colour guide as per the "Into The Time Vortex" website, his jumper was treated to a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, his shirt collar Iraqi Sand and his hat Heavy Red. These areas were then washed with "Citadel" Asurmen Blue and Carroburg Crimson respectively.

The Mausoleum WIPs - Three long-dead swordsmen in different states of completion

Somewhat frustratingly, considering that the figure is based upon the likeness of actor Bernard Cribbins, Wilfred's model comes clean shaven, and as a result I had to try and build-up the illusion of whiskers on Gramps' face using paint. In the end I had to settle for a base-coat of "Vallejo" White, with a wash of Pale Grey, and then finally some more White. But overall I was very unimpressed that such an instantly recognisable characteristic of the Tenth Doctor's final companion wasn't included as part of the sculpt...

Moving away from "Warlord Games" "officially approved by the BBC" wargame, and turning instead to this month's "Frostgrave" theme, I have finally started to make some progress on the first of ten plastic "North Star Military Figures" skeletons I want to finish so as to be able to re-enact The Mausoleum scenario from the skirmish game's rule-book. Initially I was planning on painting the Undead warriors as colourfully as their live counterparts but have subsequently changed my mind and instead used a far more sombre, decaying palette of browns and greens.

James Kirk WIP - The Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise has simply been primed for now

Announced back in July 2016 by "Modiphius Entertainment", as part of the development of "Star Trek Adventures", this 32mm soft resin miniature of Captain Kirk had successfully eluded my attempts to acquire it until the recent "Warfare" show in Reading, when I was finally able to sign-up for the playtest of "the first new official Star Trek role-playing game to be produced in more than a decade" and collect one for free. Eventually the model will apparently become available in "collector's blisters as well as crew packs giving you whole away teams or bridge crews from different eras". But for now I simply wanted to get hold of one just so I could see how well the range will paint up.

"Blos So Folt Do No Cro Blo Cos So Ro."

"Language assimilated. Designation Earth English. You will be catalogued."

These three "finely-sculpted" somewhat over-sized 28mm scale "pewter" models of the "mercenary intergalactic police force" known as the Judoon are produced by “Warlord Games” and were some of the first miniatures made available as part of the Nottingham-based company's "officially approved" "Doctor Who: Into The Time Vortex" range. Slightly two-dimensional in their poses, the figures are based upon the "black armoured Rhinoceroid bipeds" first seen in the 2007 BBC television story "Smith And Jones" and as a result will help represent the Shadow Proclamation on my "Doctor Who" tabletop.

Initially primed with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, the "logical but stupid" mercenaries were subsequently dry-brushed with "Vallejo" German Grey and heavily washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Their collars and toecaps were then 'picked out' using a combination of Ironbreaker and more Nuln Oil, whilst their equipment (energy-weapons, scanners and translator devices) were painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Troop five, floor one. Troop six, floor two. Identify humans and find the transgressor. Find it."

Lastly, the Judoon commander had his bare head coated with "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand and washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The "single-minded" extra-terrestrial's teeth were then highlighted with "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. 

Having taken the step to start collecting this somewhat oddly-scaled range of "Doctor Who" miniatures, and use them to play some games of "7TV" by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", it seemed obvious to me that I was inevitably going to need to purchase at least one of "Warlord Games" Doctor and Companions boxed sets. As a result I picked up the models of the Tenth Doctor, Martha Jones, Rose Tyler, Wilfred Mott and Donna Noble from "Caliver Books" at "Warfare".

"Doctor Who" WIPs - The Tenth Doctor, Wilfred Mott and Martha Jones

Despite being somewhat static in their poses, these figures really do capture the likenesses of their television counterparts rather well, with Sylvia Noble's father, as portrayed by Bernard Cribbins, proving an especially endearing sculpt. Indeed, I have been so taken with the elderly National serviceman that I've already started painting him up as my fourth and final Mo'Vember 2016 submission.

"Apprentices Offer A Huge Degree Of Tactical Flexibility..."

"...Players who no longer have apprentices on the table may not activate any figures in this phase."

This 28mm model of an Enchanter’s Apprentice is manufactured by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought together with his wizard as code FGV103 from their “Frostgrave" Range.  Able to activate “up to three soldiers within 3 inches of the apprentice”, the novice spellcaster is the third of my four weekly submissions for this year’s Mo’Vember Challenge with Dick Garrison (of “Rantings Under The Wargames Table” fame).

Initially I had planned for this formidable-looking figure to be similar in appearance and colour to the miniature photographed within the “Frostgrave” rulebook published by “Osprey Games”. But as I also wanted his clothing to be similar to that of his ‘master’ I eventually decided to go with the same combination of greys I had used on the Enchanter, and therefore used both "Citadel" Adeptus Battlegrey and “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey on his leggings and great coat. These areas were then washed with “Citadel” Nuln Oil, before I ‘picked out’ the great hammer wielder’s red trim with Vallejo” Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

Bloodletter WIPs - These Khorne Daemons now need to have their Hellblades painted "Vallejo" Gold

As the ‘wannabe’ wizard was absolutely festooned with an assortment of chisels, pouches, pliers, blankets and metalwork, I decided to ‘tap into’ a selection of my paints, utilising “Vallejo” Heavy Blue, Heavy Brown and Heavy Green, as well as "Citadel" Ironbreaker. All of these items were then washed with either "The Army painter" Strong Tone Quickshade or "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

With the recent completion of my “Games Workshop” produced Bloodletter Champion, I am finally making some significant inroads with the rest of the plastic Khorne daemons I want to use for “Age Of Sigmar”. These multi-part “Slaughter-kin” will initially be allied to my Host of Nurgle, and as such I need to be able to field a minimum unit of ten figures; ideally including a (gold-horned) musician and standard-bearer.

Temple Dog Statue WIPs - These resin models now just need their stone plinths and bases finishing

To be honest I had hoped that their predominantly red and black colour scheme would make such a painting target perfectly feasible within the space of a month. But the inclusion of a large golden sword, as well as the ‘gentle’ blending of their hands, horns and hooves with the rest of the “Chosen of Khorne”, has significantly increased the time it takes to finish just a single Bloodletter.

Alongside my miniatures I am also making some good headway on the two Temple Dog Statues I recently bought from "Wargames Terrain Workshop" for some oriental-flavoured games of "7TV" by "Crooked Dice game Design". Having successfully applied some of the "Citadel" technical paint Nihilakh Oxide to the fair-sized pieces of scenery, I now just need to finish off weathering their stone plinths before I can finish off their 50mm circular bases and flock them with some tufts of grass.

"...Enchanters Are Often The Least 'Wizardly' Looking Of All Wizards..."

"Enchanters are hands-on wizards who work their magic by investing it in objects or people."

This 28mm pewter model of an Enchanter is made by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought together with an appropriately attired apprentice as code FGV103 from their “Frostgrave” range. A "hands on" Magic User who works his magic "by investing it in objects or people", this Transmuter will provide my warband with an alternative leader to my Witch, and is the second of my four weekly submissions for this year’s Mo’Vember Challenge with Dick Garrison (of “Rantings Under The Wargames Table” fame).

As I wanted this miniature to be similar in appearance and colour to that illustrated within the “Frostgrave” rulebook published by “Osprey Games” I initially primed him with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and then began working my way up his numerous layers of clothing using "Citadel" Adeptus Battlegrey and “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey. These areas were then washed with “Citadel” Nuln Oil. In addition I painted the craftsman's red trim with a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

Mausoleum WIPs - The resin building has been primed, washed and dry-brushed

As the wizard was fantastically adorned with an array of tools, pouches, blankets and furs I found myself quickly utilising most of the paints I currently own, from "Vallejo" Gold, Heavy Brown, Charred Brown and Verdigris, through to "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Doombull Brown. All of these items were then heavily washed with either "The Army painter" Strong Tone Quickshade or "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Alongside my Enchanter I have also been working on the centre-piece for the opening "Frostgrave" Scenario "The Mausoleum", and as a result have managed to undercoat, wash and dry-brush this awesome resin free-standing crypt by "Wargames Terrain Workshop". Cast in a single piece with a "hollowed out core", I have yet to apply a final light(er) grey highlight to the building's crumbling stone. But once this has been done, and the tomb's door painted brown, then the monument should soon be generating plenty of skeletons on the tabletop "at the end of every turn"...

Judoon WIPs - The mercenary intergalactic policemen require their scanners to be picked out

Lastly, I have finally succumbed to temptation and purchased a box of three Judoon by "Warlord Games". These "high quality pewter castings, officially approved by the BBC" are very well cast indeed and certainly capture the Rhinoceroid bipeds' single-minded pursuit of the law; even if the sculpts are a little two-dimensional from certain angles.

I actually have little interest in the company's "Doctor Who Into The Time Vortex" rule-set, as I plan to use the miniatures for "7TV" by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". However, the game's website ["Into the Time Vortex"] is already proving to be both a useful place to visit for its painting guides and an enticing advertisement to purchase more miniatures from the figure range "based on the BBC's enormously popular TV series".

"In Some Mythologies, The Grim Reaper Causes The Victim's Death By Coming To Collect Him."

"People in some stories try to hold on to life by avoiding Death's visit."

This terrifyingly chilling 28mm scale resin statue of the Grim Reaper is made by "Wargames Terrain Workshop" and can be purchased from their Graveyard Scenery range. The model is an impressive 98mm tall and has been based on one of the thin-lipped 40mm circular bases I use as stands for my scenery/objective markers.

The figure was initially undercoated with an old pot of "Citadel" Adeptus Battlegrey and washed with Nuln Oil. It was then dry-brushed with more Adeptus Battlegrey and given a final highlight of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. With the actual stone statue finished I painted the Grim Reaper's famous great scythe with a combination of "Vallejo" Brass and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The over-sized farming tool was then dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Brass before its blade was partially washed with "Citadel" Nihilakh Oxide. These areas were subsequently, once again, dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Brass.

Apprentice WIPs - The amateur Wizard is slowly being painted from his grey leggings upwards

Despite my Mo'Vember challenge only really having just started I am already making some good progress on the third of my four submissions; a “Frostgrave” Apprentice (Enchanter) by “North Star Military Figures”. Slightly less-detailed than his wizardly master, this understudy's sculpt still packs plenty of craftsman's tools around his waist with which to test the impatient painter.

Fortunately, as with the Transmuter's model, I have decided to simply ‘pick out’ each of the amateur Imbuer's items one at a time as I work my way up the miniature. In addition I have decided to veer somewhat away from the Apprentice's colour scheme as illustrated within the "Frostgrave" rule-book, and replace his light brown garb with light grey so as to better mimic the clothing of his mentor.

Criminal Element WIPs - These clown-masked goons have simply been based and primed

Finally I have given in to temptation and purchased a handful of the new Criminal Element models from "Spectre Miniatures" "comprehensive range of extremely accurate modern 28mm miniatures and vehicles." These clown-faced heavily-armed thugs immediately struck me as being highly reminiscent of the not so jolly bank robbers depicted at the start of the 2008 super-hero movie "The Dark Knight", with the sculpt for Criminal Element Commando - Bravo making a suitable proxy for a 'realistic' Clown Prince of Crime.

As a result I plan to paint up a few of the rubber-headed goons, along with some appropriate 'Gotham-like' law enforcement specialists, and start using my "Battle Systems" Urban Apocalypse Terrain for some shoot-out shenanigans; potentially using either the recently updated "Kill Team" rules by "Games Workshop" or "7TV"... 

"Nothing Is Permanent In This Wicked World - Not Even Our Troubles."

"Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot."

This 28mm metal model of Zombie Charlie is one of many figures made by “Studio Miniatures” that I received as part of my “Z-CLIPZ” pledge during the company’s “Hollywood Havoc” Kickstarter, and is the first of my four weekly submissions for this year’s Mo’Vember Challenge with Dick Garrison (of “Rantings Under The Wargames Table” fame). Based upon the Undead version of an unlucky member of staff who happened to be devoured during the zombie apocalypse whilst working at a theme park, the brain-eating cadaver is dressed as the instantly recognisable Charlie Chaplin character, "The Tramp"; including his famous bowler hat and moustache.

Primed with a double-coat of “Citadel” Abaddon Black, the dead “Hollywoodland” employee was dry-brushed with “Vallejo” German Grey and then washed with “Citadel” Nuln Oil. I then picked out all the corpse’s ‘bangs and bumps’ with either a combination of “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand and “Citadel” Thrakka Green, or "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

Enchanter WIPs - The Wizard is slowly being 'dressed' from his padded footwear upwards

 Having finished such a straightforward paint-job I am currently making some good progress on my next Mo’Vember model; a “Frostgrave” Enchanter by “North Star Military Figures”. This particular “hands-on” wizard is absolutely packed full of intricate details, not least of which is his red-trimmed bearskin fur overcoat and the numerous tools dotted around his belt.

Fortunately my technique of simply slowly ‘picking out’ out each item one at a time as I move up the model is keeping both my paint-brush steady and my sanity intact. Albeit I ultimately decided to paint the mage’s leg bindings and leather straps black in order to reduce the overall amount of brown I was applying to the figure, and because some of the details appeared incredibly fine and fiddly…

Herald Of Nurgle WIPs - The Nurgle Hero's severed head, Nurgling and brass bells have all been finished

All this brown and grey would ordinarily have proven somewhat dispiriting, but fortunately I have continued to paint my Herald of Nurgle for “Age Of Sigmar”, and as a result been able to add plenty of colour to my palette in the shape of red and green washes. This multi-part plastic miniature is now practically finished, having had its rotting corpse-like bloated body shaded and highlighted.

In addition I have completed the numerous brass bells which adorn its stag-like antlers, as well as the cheeky-faced Nurgling that is clearly enjoying its ride into battle atop the Plaguebearer Hero’s shoulder. The daemon just needs his Balesword to be dry-brushed and his numerous zits washed before he’ll be ready to accompany my Host of Nurgle on the tabletop.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Frostgrave" Mo'Vember 2016

"Frostgrave" WIPs - These adventurers have so far just been based and primed

This month's themed attempt to try and reduce my ever-increasing horde of metal, plastic and resin models has been severely influenced by both Dick Garrison's suggestion that we once again dedicate part of our hobby time towards miniatures of a 'beardy' nature (in celebration of Mo'Vember), and some recent games of the skirmishing phenomenon known as "Frostgrave" by "Osprey Games".

I actually tried to dedicate myself to painting up a host of adventurers “battling through a ruined frozen city in search of magical artefacts” last year, but got so distracted with the game’s fantastically colourful Bestiary that it inevitably took me several months before I finally finished assembling my Witch’s warband. This time I aim to be far more disciplined and spend the next few weeks simply focusing upon just a handful of the fur-faced miniatures I received as part of the rule-set’s first ‘Nickstarter’.

The Mausoleum WIPs - A long-dead axe-man, spearman and swordsman

To begin with I plan to provide my travelling party with a pair of substitute wizards. My Witch has proved extremely valuable so far during my initial forays into the City of Felstad on account of his ability to successfully summon a Snow Leopard (and his Apprentice’s to conjure an Ice Toad) as an animal companion before any conflicts have even started. But I can’t always rely on such accommodating dice rolls and therefore thought a far more “hands-on” wizard might provide an invaluable alternative. 

As a result I’ve decided to paint up a long white-bearded Enchanter, complete with an assortment of craftsman’s tools, and his bulkier, bristle-faced protégé. Both of these 28mm sized pewter miniatures are produced by “North Star Military Figures” and disconcertingly come absolutely crammed full of detail. However once on the tabletop they should allow me to enchant the armour, weapons and strength of my warband, as well as potentially animate constructs before a blow has even fallen in anger...

The Mausoleum WIPS - A long dead cultist, great swordsman and armoured axe-man 

In addition to my magic-users I also thought I might try and bolster my treasure-hunting party's options by including some more missile-based troops. I already employ two crossbowman and have found their +2 Damage Modifier extremely useful when it comes to wearing down the opposition. For the cost of a single Templar (100 gold pieces) another duo of such hired soldiers would also prove doubly useful by providing me with an extra pair of hands with which to snatch any loot from under the very nose of my wretched opponent.

Sticking with “Frostgrave”, I am also hoping this month to paint enough skeletons to re-enact The Mausoleum scenario from the tabletop game's rule-book. This particular "unique and interesting" encounter depicts rival groups stumbling across "a small square or rectangular building" which is described as "overflowing with both gold and the undead..."

Zombie Charlie WIPs - The hapless comedian has been dry-brushed and had his undead flesh picked out

As the setting's Special Rules state that "at the every turn (right after the creature phase) another skeleton moves onto the board through one of the doors in the central building", in addition to the two models which start the battle alongside the Necromancer's resting place, I'm planning on getting at least ten of the long-dead creatures finished. This total should provide enough opposition for at least eight or so turns, and allow me to use some of the cracking undead heads and limbs found within the "Frostgrave" Cultists multi-part hard plastic boxed set.

Finally, as something of a 'baton passing' project from Zomtober to Mo'Vember I have started work on the first of my zombies by "Studio Miniatures". This particular figure arrived as part of my pledge for the "Hollywood Havoc" Kickstarter and depicts an unlucky Theme Park staff member dressed as one of "Hollywood's greatest stars", Charlie Chaplin.

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2015 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

2015 has been a good year for me. I started some new projects, made some new friends, and got to see some wonderfully painted figures showcased on Simon’s excellent blog. Now to top it all off, we have agreed to continue the trend we began last year with my writing the year's final post on “Fantorical” and listing my top ten favourite figures 'Blaxkleric' has painted in the last twelve months. Whilst he does the same over at my own blog.

Not as easy a task as you might first imagine, for as I delve deep into the past twelve month's posts looking at some of the smashing figures I vividly remember for inclusion, there are also numerous little gems that “pop out” at me that I’d clearly forgotten. So the first job was to pick out figures for the short list (sadly this wasn’t actually that short!), and then work my way through this in order to select the final ten. Fortunately I take December off from painting so I have had a little “down time” in which to apply my considered opinion over this.

As Simon is now fully immersed in the “Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge”; a marathon of frenzied figure painting that I would not dare go near with a barge pole (or a really big brush!) due to my somewhat relaxed (see slow) attitude to painting miniatures, I would like to start by apologising to Simon for momentarily distracting him from his painting duties for a while, and wish him and anyone else who takes up this event's call the best of luck.

Anyway enough rambling on I’m here to do a job so I’d best be getting on with it. Therefore in reverse order here is my top ten of Simon’s year…

No. 10 - Gutsoup Golem by "Wizards of the Coast" - October 27^th

"You mean you have a homicidal maniac on the loose?"

One of the highlights of this year was taking part in “Zomtober” where you had to paint up at least one Zombie per week for the month. “Simple” you might say, well yes, but Simon of course had to put his own spin on this too. So rather than your normal run of the mill “Zom’s” we were given “Krynoids” from the Tom Baker Doctor Who story “The Seeds of Death”. Now there aren't any official figures for these so to add a little variation into the mix Simon pulled figures from a variety of different sources, including these plastic pre-painted figures from the "Wizards of the Coast" customizable miniatures game "Dreamblade" (on the recommendation of fellow blogger Jez). Originally painted a bloody pink colour, another of Simon's now legendary re-paints ensued leaving us with this rather splendid monstrosity, and a perfect match to the source material.

No. 9 - Moon Knight by "Wizkids" - August 1^st

"I died before. It was boring, so I stood up."

 The first of Simons excellent "Heroclix" re-paints in this Top Ten (but by no means the last), is a character I rather like, though I haven’t read many issue of his adventures myself. However this figure of Marc Spector’s alter ego has made the top ten because of the way the white of his costume has been depicted. One of the things Simon seems to excel at is taking a really simple paint-job and giving it a subtlety that belays its monotone appearance. At first glance this figure is nearly all white but it’s when you look closer you can see the delicate shading around the muscles and ripples in his cloak. Like music or a painted background in a movie, easy to miss but very difficult to get right.

No. 8 - Jenna Stannis by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - January 2nd

"It's enough to fry your eyeballs."

Last year when I did my list of Simon's top ten of 2014, his rendition of “Roj Blake” from the seventies BBC sci/fi series “Blakes Seven” came in at number three on my list. But as I stated at the time, if Jenna had been finished it might have been a different story. Well two days into the new year she was and Simon did not disappoint on the painting either. A great level of detail has been added to this figure, especially around the collar and belt equipment, and another cracking face full of charm and character. I know a lot of effort has gone into getting the colours just right to match the source material and that level of attention to detail really shines through. Her lower position just goes to show how good the rest of the figures in this year’s chart are. However I did notice that there are still a few miniatures from this project not yet painted... More fodder for next year’s list perhaps?

No. 7 – Ben Grimm by "Wizkids" - April 13^th

 "First guy to ask me ta make a speech gets a fat lip."

Well he had to be in my top ten really didn’t he? Simon is well aware what a fan I am of the orange-hued powerhouse better known as The thing. Though when I first saw this figure pop up on his blog, I have to say that I was less than impressed with the sculpting and pose of this version. However, as the work-in-progress postings went by, the figure grew on me mainly due Simon's excellent brushwork. I am particularly impressed with the way he picked out the orange flesh that is visible under his hat and on his hand. Whilst tonal quality of his overcoat and hat give a quintessential 'Film Noir' quality to the overall piece.
     

No. 6 – Adolf Hitler by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - November 20^th

"The victor will never be asked if he told the truth."

Last year Simon posted “Jesus Of Nazareth” as one of his entries into our “face-fuzzed” themed Mo'vember challenge and completely stole the show. This year he followed Jesus up with probably the second most famous character in the world adorned with facial hair, Adolf Hitler (and it’s not often Jesus and Hitler appear in the same sentence!). Yet another smashing figure I’d never seen before, the paint work is quite superb with the shading and colour choices absolutely spot on. A great little face full of character and the tiny swastika decal applied to his armband all adds up to a belting little figure.
  

No. 5 - Federated Security by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - January 7^th

"Unit Three move in."

I have a dark secret I am afraid. Black is one of my problem colours. I always have trouble painting it convincingly and so have great admiration for anyone who can get the shading and tone of such “noir nightmares” right. Annoyingly, Simon is very good at this as these predominately black-costumed chaps demonstrate perfectly. You can see it’s a fellow wearing a complete black leather suit without it having great splashes of grey all over it. The shading is subtle and realistic, and even the gloss finish (which Simon knows I’m not a fan of myself) works beautifully to his advantage with this figure. Added to this the green band around his helmet is also a work of genius, as it too looks exactly like what it’s supposed to be, “a band of clear green plastic!”. A simple figure yes, but I know I could not do it this sort of justice.
  

No. 4 - Chemo by "Wizkids" - March 22^nd

"The explosion of the entity known as Chemo will have a lasting impact in Bludhaven for years to come."

Another figure where Simon's gloss finish really works well is this seventy millimetre tall version of “Chemo” from the "DC Comics" universe. The simplicity of the model belays the effort and thought that has gone into its painting and you can see what he is supposed to be... a swirling ball of toxic waste. The perfect dotted eyes in sinister red complete the sense of menace the figure pervades nicely too and makes this paint-job a vast improvement over the original.

No. 3 - Doctor Who: The Movie Doctor by "Black Tree Design" - November 15^th

"You are privileged, young man, to be the first visitor to our time and space machine."

Another figure I never knew existed here at number three. Peter Cushing is one of my all-time favorite actors and his portrayal of the “good doctor” is often over looked. Simon's colour choices here are once again spot on and by not muting down the brightness of the paint work too much, along with his use of black lining around the different colour areas, he has managed to embody the whole ambience of the Sixties movie doctor to perfection.

No. 2 - Frostgrave Witch by "North Star Military Figures" - December 25^th

"Contrary to popular belief, most Witches are not ugly old women..."

A late entry at number two in this year’s chart is this glorious Witch from the official line of miniatures for the game that everyone seems to be talking about. One of the highlights of this year for me has been the camaraderie I’ve shared with Simon and Jez (Carrion Crow’sBuffet) and our "Frostgrave" Mo’vember was a hoot from start to finish; even if some of us got further through our warbands than others (Simon). However this chap was well worth the wait. The paintwork is simply stunning and in my humble opinion even better and more subtle than the rulebook original! And as that one was painted by the legendary Kevin Dallimore you can see that this is praise indeed.

No. 1 - Sarah Jane Smith by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - November 17^th

"You must complete your mission for the Time Lords!"

And so we come to my number one. This will probably come as no surprise to Simon as I have been positively gushing over this little lady from the first moment I saw her on his blog. As a long-time fan of classic “Doctor Who”, especially Tom Baker's era, the divine Miss Smith is firmly entrenched in my heart and this lovely figure is as perfect a rendition of “SJS” as one could wish for. Then we come to Simon’s excellent brushwork and he has certainly done her credit in this department too. His choice of colours is predictably perfect, as is the shading. But what really stands out for me is her face. It is so easy to end up making female figures look like a “chap in a wig”, but not here, she is genuinely pretty! This is a definite must purchase for me and as my hard earned cash drops into the coffers of "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" they will have Simon to thank. The only slight problem I have is will I have the nerve to paint it after seeing this one as I know I’ll be disappointed in mine!

So that’s it, my top ten of the output from the talented brush of Blaxkleric. As I said at the start of this post it was not easy picking just ten figures for this list and honourable mentions have to go to the Cyberking, Queen Victoria, Dr Abner Perry, Starbuck, Black Mist… and the list goes on. There really aren’t any losers on “Fantorical” and there isn’t a figure on display that I wouldn’t have been proud to have painted myself. Simon is a very talented chap and a really nice guy to boot.

Another of this year’s highlights was meeting him face to face at “Salute”. Something I hope we can repeat in the not too distant future as it's your turn to buy the tea if I recall correctly!. 

That just leaves me to say many, many thanks to Simon for letting me loose on his excellent blog for the day, and thank you for reading my nonsense. Normal service will soon be restored I assure you...

If you wish to read what Simon picked as his “top ten” from my years efforts (If he could find ten decent ones that is!), then please follow the link below….

https://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com

I’ll finish by wishing you all a very good New Year and may your paint pots never dry up.

Cheers Roger.