"Displacer Beasts Used Their Innate Magic To Bend Light..."

"...Making them appear to be between one foot to three feet from their actual positions."

This 28mm scale PVC plastic (polyvinyl chloride) Displacer Beast is produced by "Wizkids" as part of their "Dungeons & Dragons" Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures range, and can be purchased unpainted as SKU: WZK72576. Based upon the large cat-like creature found inside the very first edition of the Monster Manual, I believe I bought this model on a whim having seen (and rather enjoyed) Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley's 2023 fantasy film "Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves".

Occasionally described as a panther with six legs and a pair of tentacles sprouting from its shoulders, the miniature was super-glued onto a 50mm circular base and primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The entire carnivorous creature was then repeatedly dry-brushed (and later simply brushed in some areas) with "Vallejo" Imperial Blue, before being soaked in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"There is no beating these troops, in spite of their generals."

I next 'picked out' the Displacer Beast's fangs with some dabs of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently followed this up by applying a little "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey to the inside of the big cat's ears, as well as some "Skulker Yellow" by "Two Thin Coats" onto his pupils. These areas were later shaded using "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and Reikland Fleshshade as appropriate.

Finally, I gave the monster's sharp, thorny pads a lick of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and darkened the tiny spikes down with some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, as I wanted to show off the tentacle barbs - which are apparently deadly "enough to punch through pure steel armour, I gave them a rough dry-brush of (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats" to help highlight their piercing points.

"Impossible n'est pas français"

Alongside my latest addition to my "Dungeons & Dragons" menagerie I have (finally) completed the two 28mm scale metal models manufactured by “Wargames Foundry" that I needed to field a tiny unit of Napoleonic skirmishers for my games of "Black Powder". The pair can be purchased as part of their FN103 - Grenadiers Or Voltigeurs In Greatcoat Marching set and having been undercoated "Citadel" Abaddon Black, were largely pigmented using "Two Thin Coats" White Star, some heavily-watered down "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, plenty of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and a load of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Created in 1804 by Emperor Napoleon", the soldiers' water bottles and straps were picked out in "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, whilst the Frenchmen's epaulettes, lower plumes and sword ribbons were dabbed with a little Ethereal Green by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Lastly, I gave the duo's topmost pom-poms some "Two Thin Coats" Skulker Yellow and shaded them with a dash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"Nine He Gave To Mortal Men..."

"...Proud and great, and so ensnared them."

These four 28mm scale "white metal figures" of Lord Rascal's Ghostly Wraiths are produced by “Lucid Eye Publications” and can be bought from the company's "Toon Realms" range. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, I have painted them to represent the "dreaded ring-servants of the Dark Lord Sauron in Middle-earth" so as to field them as a 'Lord Of The Toons' Bellicose Foot unit (Reduced Model Unit) for “Dragon Rampant” by "Osprey Games".

Originally I had planned to simply paint these figures in exactly the same way as I've pigmented all my ghosts, using a white undercoat with plenty of green shading and simple white dry-brush. But having seen the 'official' paint-job on the now OOP Twilight Ringwraiths manufactured by "Games Workshop", I thought I'd try a distinctly bluer palette, so therefore primed the quartet with two layers of "Vallejo" Steel Grey.

'Lord of the Toons' - Faramir and Boromir face four of the Nazgul

The Fallen Kings were then 'muddied down' with a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Steel Grey, and an even lighter touch of Heavy Bluegrey. With the bulk of the spectres finished, I subsequently 'picked out' their grotty gloves with a combination of "Vallejo" White and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and their eyes with a dab of  "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

I also layered their teeth with a dash of "Vallejo" White, and decided to imply a haunting look in their somewhat softly-detailed faces by adding a splash of "Citadel" Druchii Violet just beneath their eyes. This colour sort of replicated the facial make-up I spotted the actors wearing when they appeared in Peter Jackson's 2001 epic fantasy adventure film "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring".

"Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures" WIPs - The Bone Golem has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Despite still having another four of Lord Rascal's Ghostly Wraiths left to finish, I've momentarily turned my attention towards a considerably larger-sized figure from “Wizkids” impressive Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures range. This Bone Golem is absolutely packed with detail with all its skulls, ribs, leg bones and grisly cartilage, but should look pretty impressive on the tabletop once I've found the time to pigment all its fleshy areas.

In addition, this latest "Dungeons & Dragons" model has encouraged me to dust down the five adventurers I planed to use for an "Expedition To The Barrier Peaks" campaign a few years ago. Consisting of such notable treasure-seekers as a Gnome Infiltrator (with repeating crossbow), a Half-Elf Sorcerer, and a Lizardman Warrior, these 'Out Of Production' miniatures were all made by "Wizards Of The Coast", and predominantly came from the company's discontinued "Chainmail" range...

“Earth Elementals Speak Terran But Rarely Choose To Do So.”

"Though an earth elemental moves slowly, it is a relentless opponent."

This 67mm tall model of an Earth Elemental is produced by “Wizkids” and can be bought from their Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures range. Able to “travel though solid ground or stone as easily as humans walk on the earth’s surface” the summoned creature made its first appearance in the original 1974 “Dungeons & Dragons” boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and “can come in almost any shape, size, and composition imaginable.”

Unable to swim, the monster was first primed using a double-layer of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and somewhat submerged in “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade. The figure was then enthusiastically dry-brushed in (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, before receiving a significantly lighter ‘dusting’ with a make-up brush containing a little Heavy Brown.

Alien warriors tear down the mighty Godzilla, whilst some Alien Stalkers fast approach Mister Fantastic

The Elemental’s formidable maw was darkened using a combination of “Citadel” Abaddon Black and Nuln Oil, and subsequently shaded with (more) Strong Tone Quickshade by “The Army Painter”. Finally, I ‘picked out’ the model’s eyes with a couple of dabs of “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre and shaded them with a spot of “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade…

I have also paid another visit to the LVL Up Gaming Store in Bournemouth so as to play-test the revised statistics for H.R. Giger's Aliens for my homemade rule-set "M.I.S.S." On this occasion I brought along one of my 3 x 3 foot "Deep Cut Studio" mats for us to battle over, and absolutely covered the Space Hulk with as much pre-painted terrain by “Tablescape” as we could muster.

Groot attempts to hold off an Alien attack on one flank, whilst Ben Grimm decides its Clobberin' Time

Facing eight lethal Xenomorph warriors, including their leader Grid, as well as a unit of Alien Stalkers and Alien Infants, my opponent went for an odd mix of super-heroes with which to fend them off; including such notable "Marvel Worldwide" characters as The Thing and Mister Fantastic, alongside the fearsome Godzilla and smart-mouthed Rocket Raccoon. The game ended being rather long, and reasonably bloody, with the 'King Of The Monsters' somewhat surprisingly being overrun rather quickly on one of the heroes' flanks.

Fortunately, the likes of Man-Thing and Vampire-By-Night managed to steady the ship, whilst The Thing and Groot kept the other flank somewhat more secure. The fight was finally won by Reed Richard's 'Fantastic Ten' by only a handful of Victory Points, with the 'Man Of The Match' award going to Rocket Raccoon, after the gun-toting animal solidly held the centre throughout from atop a pile of wooden crates. 

"Theoretically, The Corpse Of Any Living Creature Can Be Turned Into A Zombie."

"But, for whatever reason, most necromancers find humanoid subjects to be far easier to reanimate."

This 63mm tall metal model of a Zombie Snow Troll is manufactured by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought as code FGV316 from their “Frostgrave" Range. According to Joseph A. McCullough's lore for the Frozen City these undead monsters are “a popular choice for a death mage looking to add a little strength to his forces”, and whilst zombie trolls are “not quite as tough as their living counterparts”, they “are still creatures to be feared.”

Although I’m a big fan of Mark Copplestone’s official paint scheme for the miniature, I actually thought the palette chosen was a little too dark-skinned for my taste, so I primed my model “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey in the hope of becoming reacquainted with my preferred zombie colour scheme from six years ago.  The living corpse was then drenched in “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green and dry-brushed using some (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey.

"Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures" WIPs - The Earth Elemental has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

I also decided that I wanted the troll's shaggy fur to be brown, so applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to the large clump of hair partially covering its back. For the rotting behemoth's visible intestines, I first applied a layer of "Vallejo" Squid Pink and then washed its guts with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Some of this Shade spilt onto the monster's rancid flesh, so I used a piece of sponge to dapple the area around the gash in the creature's side with even more Carroburg Crimson.

This technique seemed to work well to suggest the skin was mottled and bruised, so I extended my sponge-work across the figure where appropriate. I then tackled the beast's huge partially-exposed skull by layering it with "Vallejo" White, shading it using some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter", and finally dry-brushing it with (more) "Vallejo" White. Once dry, I similarly treated parts of the bone to some "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Toon Realms" WIPs - Lord Rascal's Ghostly Wraiths are ready for a series of lighter dry-brushes

Finally, I 'picked out' the troll's eye socket with a dollop of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and then sponged on plenty of "Citadel" Bloodletter across areas of its decomposing body, head and matted fur. With the gore finished, I glued a double helping of "Citadel" Snow around the plastic 40mm circular base in order for the hulking zombie to fit in alongside the rest of my "Frostgrave" collection.

Working on such a considerably-sized figure has momentarily given me a real taste for pigmenting large models, so with some gusto I have also been working on a plastic Earth Elemental from “Wizkids” increasingly impressive Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures range. In addition, I have taken receipt of eight Lord Rascal's Ghostly Wraiths by "Lucid Eye Publications", and immediately primed, washed and dry-brushed the "Toon Realms" ghosts...

“Iron Golems Were Constructs Made Entirely Out Of Iron.”

"These iron behemoths were very powerful, thanks to their magic immunity, [and] poisonous breath attack..."

This 54mm tall model of an Iron Golem is produced by “Wizkids” and can be bought from their Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures range. “Highly detailed… primed and ready to paint out of the box”, the artificially constructed creature made its first appearance in the original 1975 "Greyhawk" supplement written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz, and “could take a hero’s head off with a swipe of their arm.”

Amongst the strongest types of Golem, the figure was originally treated to a couple of coats of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and subsequently dry-brushed quite heavily with “Citadel” Ironbreaker. I then drenched the entire animated object with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade. This helped blend the brown and metallic paints together so as to create a rusty, time-worn look to the large creature.

"Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures" WIPs - The Iron Golem was primed, dry-brushed and washed

“Three times as strong as a Flesh Golem”, the model was dry-brushed with (more) “Citadel” Ironbreaker and dabbed with “Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash. This product produces a nice rusty orange stain, so specifically targeted the miniature’s joints and gaps between its armour plating. The entire ensemble was then light dry-brushed with (even more) “Citadel” Ironbreaker in order to help blend the Rust Wash in with the metallic areas.

Where I was unhappy with the stain’s final result, I went back in with some “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and then simply (re)dry-brushed these tidied-up areas with “Citadel” Ironbreaker. I also had the chance to try out my new Psycho brush by “The Army Painter”, courtesy of applying an incredibly thin line of “Vallejo” Dark Vermillion into the Iron Golem’s two very narrow eye slits. Finally, because I wanted to try and draw attention to this area, I then applied a line of “Citadel” Ironbreaker to the construct’s eyebrows…

"In times of war, the mages will raise the husks and remains of the creatures that inhabited the dunes..."

In addition to my latest “Dungeons & Dragons” figure, I’ve managed to finish off a significantly smaller model in the guise of a 28mm scale skeleton for my Empire of Dust “Kings of War” army. However, rather than exclusively populate my Spearman unit with well-armed bleach-boned cadavers, I’ve started the ten-figure regiment off with the deceased animal corpse that can be found on the “Mantic Games” plastic Undead Skeleton Troop frame.

Primed with a double coat of “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand, the two-piece creature was shaded with The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade and dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand. I then gave the critter a much lighter dry-brush of White, before picking out its collar with a combination of Gold and Strong Tone Quickshade. According to an old "Mantic Games" 2009 news post entitled "Pet Wars!", the skeleton is meant to be a dog, but as my Undead force will have a distinctly Egyptian feel, I figured it could be a cat…

"A Clay Golem Cannot Speak Or Make Any Vocal Noise."

"It walks and moves with a slow, clumsy gait."

This 31mm tall model of a Clay Golem is produced by “Reaper Miniatures” and can be bought as Code 77170 from their “Bones” range. Sculpted by Ben Siens, the large construct made its first appearance in the November 1975 edition of the wargaming magazine "The Strategic Review", courtesy of an article entitled "Creature Features - Presenting New Dungeons & Dragons Monsters For Your Enjoyment."

Fashioned by "lawful clerics of the fifteenth level or above", the "humanoid" was undercoated using two layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and dry-brushed using some (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. Initially I had planned to subsequently 'pick out' the Clay Golem's loincloth in a bright colour such as red or even a bright(ish) white, but then read that the monster actually wore "no clothing except for a metal or stiff leather garment around its hips."

"Reaper Miniatures" Chronoscope WIPs - Sherlock Holmes and a Deep Sea Diver

As I didn't want to use another brown on the heavily-muscled brute I resultantly just applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the creature's scanty raiment and left it at that. Finally I decided to spot its eyes with a drop of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and the "Citadel" Glaze Bloodletter, as well as 'highlight' its somewhat crooked teeth using a combination of "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Remaining with "Reaper Miniatures", albeit this time focusing upon a pair of metal miniatures from their "Chronoscope" line,  I have dug out a Deep Sea Diver figure and Sherlock Holmes to help 'expand' my current party of wanderers for "Gamma World". Based upon "the new Gammaverse", where the Hadron Collider has "caused [such] a horrific smashing together of dimensions" that the game allows "for over-the-top combinations of weird things - from dinosaurs to aliens", I thought a group of adventurers made up of heavy-weight boxer, George Foreman, undersea explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes and robotic landlady Missus Hudson would be rather appropriate...

Mind Flayers WIPs - The two Illithids have been undercoated and dry-brushed

I've also started pigmenting a couple of Mind Flayers I stumbled upon whilst perusing the stacked shelves of the LVL Up Gaming Store in Bournemouth. This pair of “Illithids” are actually the first models from “Wizkids” unpainted range of “Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures” I’ve ever bought, and originally seemed to be the perfect choice with which to accompany my trio of Mind-Eaters by “Reaper Miniatures”.

However, despite being advertised as “high-definition” I’m not currently all that impressed with either the quality of each figures’ detail or the ‘uber-bendy’ plastic from which they’re made. To matters worse, their white undercoat has meant I’ve had to apply two layers of “Citadel” Abaddon Black over their flowing gowns so as to get a consistent covering over their clothing, and this has undoubtedly lead to the frustrating loss of even more detail.