"Our Father, Who Art In Heaven..."

"Hallowed be thy name."

This 28mm scale resin model of a Praying Mouse is produced by “Oathsworn Miniatures" and was part of the company's "Burrows & Badgers: Furs & Feathers" Kickstarter way back in July 2017. Known as 'Pious' Tom, the Mouse Monk, the figure was originally given away for free during the crowdfunding campaign to any "Pick'n'Mix" or "All In" backers. However, it has since become available to buy as part of the North East English company's "Burrows & Badgers" range on their website.

Due to the sculpt being knelt in prayer, I recall initially being somewhat tempted to plonk the small rodent onto one of the thin-lipped 40mm plastic circular bases I regularly use for my objective markers. However, in the end I superglued the tiny animal onto a lipped 30mm round base instead, and set about priming them with a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. The monk's robe was then shaded using a far amount of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before being roughly dry-brushed in (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"There's nowhere to run!"

Having studied the mouse's 'official paint-job', I next applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to the critter's hood. This area was later highlighted with a careful dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. The monk's hands, feet and tail were simply layered in "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently treated to some additional lines of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone along its fingers and toes.

For the figure's face, I decided to try something a little different (and definitely much quicker), by simply giving the area a rough dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone over a Heavy Sienna base-coat. The entire head was then shaded with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and lightened with a much softer dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. Finally, the closed eye slits were just darkened with a streak of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, whereas the creature's fingernails and claws were given a lick of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, and darkened down with (even more) "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"The Volgs are coming down everywhere!"

In addition to my impulse paint-job - having only discovered the partially-painted model in a drawer the day before I finished pigmenting it - I have also completed the last two 28mm metal single-cast British NBC soldiers produced by "Athena Miniatures" I bought at "Warfare" 2024. Largely finished using lots of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, the troopers' semi-automatic L98 A2 rifles and lenses were treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

I also splattered their ammunition pouches with some round(ish) dollops of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna, before drenching their equipment bags with a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This basic camouflage pattern - which I've previously used whilst painting my 15mm German Panzergrenadiers for "Flames Of War" - was subsequently highlighted back up with some extra splodges of (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna.

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2020 - An "Undercoat" Personal Choice

It was a pleasure to be asked to choose my Top Ten painted figures of 2020 on this blog and also a bit of challenge after seeing those picked by Roger - who did a great job. These are my picks - a combination of the miniature and how it was painted.

I have had the pleasure of seeing a lot of these models in the flesh, but not all due to the lockdown and for that reason I am not sad that 2020 is in the past. I look forward to seeing the rest of these figures for real as the photographs don’t always do them justice, as they act as both an inspiration for me to paint my own stuff and spur on my own enthusiasm. Keep up the painting, keep inspiring me and others to paint and here’s to a better year ahead. So, without further ado…

No. 10 - Mole In A Hole by "Oathsworn Miniatures" – August 7th

This is a lovely little miniature from a great range of anthropomorphic medieval animals. It is full of character and once again is something slightly different. Just a nice little miniature.

No. 9 - Winston Churchill by "Warlord Games" – January 13th

What a quirky little miniature this is. Winston Churchill with a machine gun! This blog always unearths the quirky and the unusual, and this was one of those. A nice simple paint scheme, well executed on a mini that came out of left field!

No. 8 - Granite by "Kitbash Games" – July 23rd

This is a great little model. A superhero that takes ideas from existing characters but is made all the better by the paint scheme in my opinion. The skin is painted well but the red Soviet outfit just adds to the character, making it different and interesting. I love this and wish the Supers Unlimited success with their product.

No. 7 - Venom by "Atomic Mass Games" – December 5th

Another great superhero/villain/antihero model! This looks great! Simon has a good technique for painting black and that is good for this mini! However, it is the tongue and teeth that make it pop and convey something very disturbing and nasty about this creature. Really good stuff!

No. 6 - Zzzax by "Wizkids" – February 22nd

Another comic book character! I know, but bear with me and just have a look at the photos. I don’t know much about this one but the paint job is why I picked this guy to be honest. The body looks awesome, whether that it is fire, electricity, radiation, all three or something else I don’t know. But it looks great. The face is the stand out for me though, really like this one a lot.

No. 5 - Dalek by "Warlord Games" – January 22nd

It is no secret that this blog has a lot of Doctor Who miniatures and there have been plenty of Daleks in the past. So why is this particular model in the top ten? Well 2020 hasn’t seen as many Doctor Who minis as in the past and I really like the way Simon paints his Daleks. So this one is included for a great paint job, nostalgia and because Daleks are so cool!!

No. 4 - Simian Minion by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" – August 26th

Another quirky little miniature that is painted very nicely. Taking its inspiration from the classic Planet of the Apes film this miniature and paint job captures the spirit of what was at the time astounding make up and a great character. One of many Simians painted this year this one gets picked because I think the mini is the best of the bunch to be honest. Again, nice to see something unusual and a bit different.

No. 3 - Iron Golem by "Wizkids" – January 8th

2020 has been a bit of a Dungeons and Dragons revelation on this blog. Some interesting dungeon beasties have been painted up, some weird, some unusual but this is my pick. Simon is great at painting metal, in particular the slightly rusted, dirty iron that is on this beast and boy does it show. I adore this model, it looks great. Really good painting that raises this model into the top three.

No. 2 - Abominable Snowman by "Wizkids" – March 20th

I just think this paint scheme is superb. The fur has been done very well and looks awesome, and the darker contrasting skin really makes the face pop, draws you to it as a focal point and adds so much character. Perhaps not my favourite mini, or certainly the most dynamic, but wow this paint job just elevates it to the top, well almost…

No. 1 - The Walking Statue of Waterdeep: The Honorable Knight by "Wizkids" – March 23rd

This is the perfect example of the pictures not capturing the full majesty and scale of the thing. It isn’t a miniature, it is a bigature!! The photographs show parts of it because it's simply too large to get a proper full shot of it. This statue is huge. It will dominate any tabletop it is on, and cause people to stop and look for sure. This came as a pre-painted model too, so why on earth would anybody disassemble it, repaint it and then put it back together again? No idea, but I am glad it was as it looks great! The statue has been loving weathered and all the little details like a birds nest and the moss/lichen have been picked out! Simply awesome stuff. Whether this is the ultimate monster encounter for some adventurers or just scenery in a game like "Frostgrave", this model will make you stop and look and admire it for what it is. A work of art.

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2020 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

As we draw to the close of what can only be described as a rather unusual year, at least some things are still familiar - the weather is awful, I’ve eaten too much and Simon and myself are back (after a year away) to writing our annual “What I think you painted best this year” posts. Oh, and no doubt as usual we’ll disagree with what we each picked! We both had gaps in the year where our output dropped quite a bit - well in my case I didn’t even start till March - but luckily for me Simon has completed more than enough figures to fill out this post. In fact whittling it down to just ten has been more of an issue for me!

No. 10 - Zygons by "Black Tree Design" – October 3rd

I’m a big “Classic” Doctor Who fan so I was delighted when these wonderfully pigmented Zygon’s appeared on Simon's blog. Though they have been resurrected into the new series a couple of times, these “Black Tree Design” figures are firmly based upon their original appearance in 1975, alongside the Loch Ness Monster. As always, Simon has lovingly recreated the colour scheme of the shape-changing aliens to perfection. A great little trip down memory lane for us “true Who” fans.

No. 9 - Ballmonster by "Precinct Omega" – March 10th

Though a relatively simple sculpt, and I don’t doubt Simon would say also a reasonably simple paintjob too, this “gas filled” antidote to fantasy sports games, was a real surprise when he first appeared. So much so that I immediately had to go to the company web-site and find out more. Luckily, as I was just venturing back into the hobby after a break away, I was able to restrain myself from parting with some hard earned cash right there and then, However Simon’s wonderful work on this and the other later featured “Bad balls” has tested my resolve on more than one occasion throughout this year.

No. 8 - Mole In A Hole by "Oathsworn Miniatures" – August 7th

I love it when Simon’s posts include one of his lovingly painted “Burrows and Badgers” figures, as they are all wonderful sculpts that show off the attention to detail and character that is evident in everything Simon paints. Indeed, I actually picked one as my number one figure from Simon’s painted fig’s the other year! I think this mole is a perfect example of this, and maybe I’m just a big softy at heart but I just find him so dammed cute! And it’s perhaps a good thing that he is apparently no longer available to buy!

No. 7 - The Squirrel Man Of Sevastopol  by "Hero Forge Custom Miniatures" – October 25th

Well now what does it say about you, when you want to create a figure of yourself? Well in my case it would mean I didn’t have sense enough not to horrify other people. But in Simon’s case it means you want to know if you could survive a Zombie apocalypse with a squirrel on your hand - I still don’t get the squirrel? Built upon a website, 3D printed and sent to his door, this rather “macho” version of our “blogging” hero has been very nicely painted with his usual attention to black - I’m starting to think Simon is a bit of a closet goth! Albeit a squirrel loving one. The bushy beard is a good likeness too apparently.

No. 6 - FedSec Heavy Trooper  by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" – December 14th

Simon has been churning out these FedSec troopers for so long now that I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t! All of them are great examples of his wonderful brushwork and any of them could make this list, But what sets this chap apart from the rest for me is his weapon, I don’t know if this ever appeared in the “Blakes 7” television series, but if it didn’t it should have. As always Simon's treatment of predominantly black clothing is perfection and puts my daubed efforts to shame. Then add to this the “spot-on” colour of his helmet's banding - Heck! It even looks translucent, and you can see why he is here amongst such vaulted company.

No. 5 - Simian Minion by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" – August 26th

Simon has painted quite a few characters from the original “Planet of the Apes” movies this year, and though I knew I wanted to include at least one of them in my list it was a real struggle to pick the one I thought was the best. But after very careful deliberation and a lot of back and forth, I finally decided that his painting of “Kira” - the female chimpanzee, who appeared in a couple of the films, had a slightly lighter touch to her features, and I felt the colour of her costume was a touch closer to the original than some of the others. This is though just personal choice, and the margins between this and his other “Simians” is very small.

No. 4 - Black Widow Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.  by "Atomic Mass Games" – December 7th

I’ve already mentioned Simon is the master of “black”, and this wonderfully dynamic rendition of Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of “Natasha Romanoff” is just yet another example of his skill with realistically “noir” clothing. Also worth a mention is the skill and patience needed to assemble the sixteen pieces this figure consisted of! In fact he’s such a fan of Marvel Comics' Russian “Femme Fatale”, that he now owns three versions from this range alone (not to mention his Wizkids ones!). They say practice makes perfect, so perhaps it’s no wonder he did such a good job here.

No. 3 - Sterling The Wandering Knight by "Lucid Eye Publications" – January 20th

We go all the way back to the start of the year for my number three choice. This lovely little (and he is fairly little) figure by "Lucid Eye Publications". As I mentioned before with “Mister Mole” and the “Ballmonsters”, things have a knack of appearing on Simon’s blog that you have never heard of before and yet instantly want! I have been back to Lucid Eye’s website on numerous occasions since they first started “popping up” here. Though of all the figures from said company none impressed me more than Sterling here. At first glance he looks pretty simply painted - Black, and a dry-brush of silver. But there is so much more going on here, and when you really look you can pick out all the detail that really brings this little hero to life! No wonder Simon is using him as a stand in for “Boromir” in his “Lord of the Rings” games. The temptation is still strong!

No. 2 - Zzax by "Wizkids" – February 22nd

It wouldn’t be a “Top ten” of Simon’s output without at least one of his excellent “Heroclix” repaints, and this one is a “doosey!”. The stunning layered effect has been built up from heavy ochre through Carroburg Crimson up to final high lights of white (with many combinations of these and other colours in-between!), Even a professional “make up brush” was used in the production of this top notch paint effect. To my eye this is one of the very best re-paints I’ve seen either here or anywhere on the net.

No. 1 - The Blue Scarab by "Kitbash Games" – July 24th

Well, after a long and difficult bout of deliberation with myself - who am I kidding, I knew this lovely lady in blue was going to be my number one from the moment I set eyes upon her back in July. “No goon with a handgun”, was going to beat her and it seems neither was anyone else in my top ten! I could go through all the great details in her costume, and the excellent way Simon has picked them out, but quite frankly it would be a lot easier to point out what I don’t like about her, frankly nothing. A truly awesome piece of work and one that in my humble opinion is the pinnacle of Simon’s continuous top notch painting efforts for “twenty, twenty”.

So there you go - another year over and another fine body of work displayed on one of my favourite blogs. There have of course been several “just missed out” figures that made the short list but failed to make my final cut, and I have to give an honourable mention to all the various stomach turning, pudding’s, jellies and oozes that appeared with startling regularity in Simon’s posts during the year. But rather than list some of my other favourites here, my advice would be to make yourself a cup of tea and look back through the “Finished Figures” category under the header above and revel in some of the magnificent figures on show - from Rats to Robots, Prime Minister’s to Alien Pets, or even Tommie’s to Tomb Guardians, Simon has tackled everything with his usual enthusiasm and aplomb, if you are short of inspiration for 2021, you’ll find plenty there.

I’ll finish as usual, by thanking Simon for allowing me to run roughshod across his excellent blog, as well as taking on the arduous task of finding ten decent figures over on my own humble blog. Roll on 2021, I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.

Cheers Roger.

N.B. You can visit Roger's excellent wargaming blog and see both his excellent output, as well as my own Top Ten of his 'best in show' here: "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table".

"I Am A Mole..."

"...And I live in a hole."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Mole-in-a-Hole is produced by “Oathsworn Miniatures" and was part of the company's "Burrows & Badgers: Great & Small" Kickstarter. Unfortunately, I do not believe the figure is currently available to buy on their website, but I was lucky enough to be sent one for free as part of my 'All-In' pledge.

The tiny fellow was initially undercoated with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before having his fur painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Dark Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then 'picked out' all of the small mammal's long fingernails with a little "Vallejo" White, and washed them with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - George Taylor, General Ursus and Cornelius

For the mole's clothing I wanted to use something quite bright, so decided to apply "Vallejo" Heavy Blue on to its long-sleeved shirt and Heavy Red over its scarf. Both of these areas were subsequently dirtied up using a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. However, I did later go back to the animal's top and lightly dry-brushed the sleeves with a little (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue in order to bring out a bit more of the sculpt's detail.

The cute creature's mining hat was simply given a layer of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and plenty of Nuln Oil. Whilst his strap was carefully traced with a thin line of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. Lastly, I used a smidgen of "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade to try and emulate the melting wax of the mole's candle, and gave the flame a quick(ish) lick of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre, Heavy Orange and Heavy Red.

Simian Minions WIPS - Zira, Ape armed with man-catcher, and Ape armed with baton

Alongside my impulse paint-job I have also managed to complete the second of twelve dedicated painting sessions for my twenty-four hour 'Paint An Entire Project" Challenge using "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" models. This time round I thought I'd focus on getting one of my Albion Rocket Corporation (ARC) astronauts nearly completed, as well as make some more progress on a packet Simian Minions.

I estimated that it would probably take me anywhere up to four sessions to get my "Planet Of The Apes" proxies for Taylor, Landon and Dodge finished, and I don't think I'm too far behind that schedule with the first of my cosmonauts close to completion. In addition, I've managed to make some fair in-roads into my project's other main characters, particularly General Ursus - whose stud-covered costume now simply needs a dark wash and tidy...

“The Life-size Recumbent Effigy Was First Found In The Tombs Of Royalty…”

"...And then spread to the nobility."

This 34mm long resin model of a Mouse-oleum – The Tomb Of The Mouse Lord is produced by “Oathsworn Miniatures” and can be purchased as part of their “Burrows & Badgers” range. The small(ish) scenic piece was part of a handful of miniatures I picked up from the company’s stall whilst at “Salute” 2019, and has been super-glued onto one of the 50mm circular bases I predominantly use for my objectives markers.

The effigy was initially undercoated using two coats of the old “Citadel” Layer paint Charadon Granite and subsequently heavily washed with Nuln Oil. It was then simply dry-brushed using more Charadon Granite. As a final touch I later mixed some “Vallejo” White in with the “Citadel” Charadon Granite and very lightly dry-brushed this combination over the entire model so to help highlight its excellent detail. 

My Daemonic host prepares to advance supposedly safe in the knowledge that the Nurglings will protect them

Sticking with science fiction-based wargaming, I have also managed to play my first 'proper' game of "Warhammer 40K" by "Games Workshop", fielding a 736-point strong Khorne/Nurgle Chaos force against a similarly costed unit of Ultramarines, who were additionally aided by a pair of formidably tough robotic combat walkers. The ensuing battle for an ancient relic upon a planet increasingly lost to the plague-ridden sores of the Plague God and bleeding iconography of the Blood God was understandably bloody, but despite being unable to finish the game to its conclusion due to time constraints, it reaffirmed in my mind just how very much I am currently enjoying this "newest edition of everybody's favourite wargame" as the fight is never seemingly over whilst playing it until the 'fat lady sings'.

This ability to suffer serious set-backs yet still entertain the hope of ultimate victory proved itself time and again during this game, especially in its early stages when I unwisely utilised my Nurglings' "Mischief Makers" ability to place them just 9" away from my enemy's deployment zone. Seemingly shielding a rock-solid core of twenty Bloodletters and twenty Plaguebearers behind their tiny chittering bodies, I felt confident the "Gleeful Castoffs" would keep my opponent busy up for a couple of turns at least and give my larger daemons ample time to advance within reach of their foes.

The Armiger Helverin and Knight Errant start firing upon the Bloodletters and Plaguebearers

Enter an Armiger Helverin, supposedly the "lightest class of Imperial Knight combat walker", and its raking firepower, and my 'delaying tactic' was spread like so much mulch all over the ground with the roll of a fistful of dice. Such a disheartening loss at the very start of the fight left my entire centre wide open to the guns of a towering Knight Errant and my initially terrifying Bloodletter formation began to slowly get whittled away before my very eyes.

Fortunately, despite my opening set-back I was still able to push my main units up the table towards Khorne's Bleeding Icon (which was being used merely as an immobile terrain feature), whilst a pair of Beasts of Nurgle bounded along my left flank to take control of a small stargate which had been identified as the battlefield's one and only valuable relic. However, ominously spread out in front of my warhost ready for the second turn's Shooting phase, was an incredible amount of the Emperor's firepower, including a Primaris Lieutenant who almost glued himself alongside the reassuringly solid form of his force's smaller "fast-moving weapons platform, as well as the rest of the Ultramarines, which assembled before my Beasts of Nurgle.

The Bloodletters, Beasts of Nurgle and Plaguebearers fail their charges 

I can only give thanks to the Dice Gods that my Chaos daemons weren't completely eradicated in the subsequent hail of bullets that followed, especially after both my Bloodletters and Plaguebearers failed their charges. My Plaguesword-carrying warriors at least had their "Disgustingly Resilient" ability to help them soak up all the wounds which were riddling their ranks, but my liver-coloured "Slaughter-Kin" were increasingly finding their 5+ Invulnerability Save for being "Daemonic" wasn't enough protection when caught out in the open before the tender mercies of an Imperial Knight's weaponry.

Eight of the Bloodletters fell before the combined firepower of the Intercessor's Lieutenant and the "Questor Imperialis in High Gothic", utterly breaking the backbone of my once mighty close quarter combatants, and making it clear that the Blood God had probably been less than impressed with their decision to charge the solitary Ultramarine Officer stood atop a pile of ruins, rather than the nearby 'ancient battlesuit'. Certainly I wasn't looking forward to an impossible Morale phase as it even the bravest of Khorne's foot soldiers would surely flee from such a beating..?

Bloodletters swarm the Lieutenant, whilst the Beasts of Nurgle get stomped upon by the Imperial Knight

A single roll of the dice later and 'reality had blinked'. Not only had my Bloodletter's "Daemonic Icon" ensured that "no models flee", but it had bolstered my horde with five freshly-resurrected "Slaughter-Kin". Suddenly, the Lieutenant's position looked far less survivable, whilst my Plaguebearers and Beasts of Nurgle both finally made it into contact with their respective foes. Sadly, time was against us to finish the conflict, so the game's final act was to see the hulking Imperial Knight, quite possibly incensed by suffering a wound courtesy of "Smite", squashing one of my 'enthusiastic monsters who love to play' with its feet...

Top Ten Manufacturers Of 2018 - A "Fantorical" Viewpoint

Having previously posted about my favourite miniature manufacturers of 2017, I thought a look at the companies I favoured during the following year would perhaps be of interest to those who enjoy such comparisons. For my own part, as a hobbyist who desperately fails not to flutter between too many genres, the past twelve months have genuinely provided a fair few surprises as to what I seemingly like to paint, with my previous adherence to 28mm scale figures noticeably giving way to a glut of 15mm models towards the end of the period in question. In addition, my plans to progress a sizeable contingent of both Napoleonic and “Dungeons & Dragons” figures were quickly shelved as an absolute avalanche of models all themed around my favourite BBC science fiction television programme dominated many of my postings…

No.10 – “Newark Model Soldier Company” – “Partisan” Show Free Figures

This rather bizarre little collection of four miniatures, was finally completed as part of a slightly larger mini-project which had rather embarrassingly been gathering dust on my painting table for eight years. Sadly, despite finishing these relatively straightforward, ghost-like freebies with the intention of using them as apparitional antagonists, as well as already owning a fully-pigmented squad of Ghost Rangers, I’ve yet to actually field them on my tabletop. My recent acquisition of the Spirits of Manhattan “W.O.I.N.” RPG companion book by “EN Publishing” might now lead to the ghoulish figures seeing some dice-rolling action, but for now they’re safely stored in tissue paper, snugly shelved within a plastic container…

No.9 – Private Commission – “Cybermen”

These incredibly character sculpts were a rather unexpected, but very much appreciated gift by a long-time follower of my blog, and are sadly unavailable to purchase having come from their own private collection. Evidently based upon Cybus Industries’ Cybermen from “Doctor Who” this multi-piece metal quartet were perhaps unsurprisingly very quickly assembled/painted given my love of this particular genre, and may well feature in a future game of “Metamorphosis Alpha” as some sort of giant-sized robot guardians.

No.8 – “Y.F.T. Design” – “Scarlet Midget Cosplay Starship Crew”

Whilst this quite considerably-sized range of miniatures weren’t part of any actual “Kickstarter”, they were pre-ordered a considerable time before they eventually arrived, and resultantly, much of the enthusiasm I had for the project had somewhat evaporated when I finally started painting them. Now sadly, out of production as a result of some understandable intellectual property/copyright issues concerning the long-running science fiction sitcom “Red Dwarf”, I actually struggled ‘picking out’ the eyes on the majority of these figures, and subsequently couldn’t find the motivation needed to pigment beyond the four leading cast members.

No.7 – “Mantic Games” – “Dungeon Saga”

Despite managing to finish five of this “classic” dungeon crawler’s pre-assembled miniatures during the “Saga’Tember” challenge, my total fell drastically short of those attained by my fellow competitors, and ultimately has to be viewed as one of my biggest disappointments of the year. Admittedly, I did find the plastic “Mantic Games” miniatures a little too wobbly for my liking, and ended up re-basing them so as to better fit with their manufacturer’s larger-scale combat rule-set “Kings Of War”. But even so, I had hoped to at least complete enough of the characterful sculpts to play the game's opening adventure "Journey From The West".

No.6 – “Oathsworn Miniatures” – “Burrows & Badgers”

I must confess to having had absolutely no intention of painting anthropomorphic animals until I attended “Salute” 2018. However, having been bitten by the bug, I ended up working on some of the most incredibly characterful and colourful models I’ve seen in ages, with perhaps the range’s Shrew Warrior proving a particular favourite figure of mine. Disappointingly, I have yet to actually play a game using “Oathsworn Miniatures” rule-set, but have subsequently both purchased a few more models from the range, as well as a handful of specially-sculpted scenic pieces too.

No.5 – “The Ion Age” – “Prydian Army”

Undoubtedly my biggest surprise genre of 2018 was becoming (once again) immersed in the 15mm world of “The Ion Age”. Very much motivated by a desire to field a formidably-sized “Warhammer 40K” Imperial Force using some home-made rules, I found myself quite quickly progressing through eleven soldiers, nine extra-terrestrial foes, and three vehicles. Somewhat demoralizingly though I did find my inability to replicate the same light grey colour scheme on a pair of Adder Combat Cars off-putting enough to ultimately derail my aspiration to significantly flesh out my forces, and resultantly a number of partially-painted miniatures from this project still sit, gathering dust, upon my painting table to this day…

No.4 – “Games Workshop” – “Age Of Sigmar”

A stalwart contributor to my annual output, my desire to finally finish off both my unit of Putrid Blightkings for “Age Of Sigmar”, as well as Garrek Gorebeard’s remaining Reavers for “Warhammer Underworlds: Shadespire” helped me slowly plod my way through a myriad of the most detailed miniatures produced by “Games Workshop” I have yet encountered. Coupled with a sadly all-too brief dip into “Bloodbowl” and diabolical dabble with the eye-straining figures of “Epic”, I found myself repeatedly returning to the Nottingham-based manufacturer’s wares for a good two-thirds of the year.

No.3 – “Black Tree Design” – “Doctor Who”

Not only did my devotion to classic “Doctor Who” lead me to pigment over twenty models produced by “Black Tree Design”, but it also enabled me to finally ‘put to bed’ a number of miniatures which have long laboured within my collection half-finished. In particular I was very pleased to at last complete a posse of Patrick Troughton “The Invasion” Cybermen which I had previously attempted to paint at least a couple of times in the past. In addition I also developed an enjoyably straightforward recipe with which to apply to the various Sontaran sculpts that I owned.

No.2 – “Wizkids” – “Heroclix”

It’s hard to imagine my hobby output not including a healthy dose of re-painted “Heroclix” figures, and my determination to provide my Mister Freeze with a ‘converted’ gang of bobble-hat wearing goons, as well as frosty ice zombies, for the annual “Forgotten Heroes” challenge certainly helped me ‘power’ my way through a rather alarmingly large “Wizkids” ‘clicky-based’ mountain. Perhaps my greatest motivator of the year however, was completing a large enough Dire Wraith force with which to trouble my Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D., including the formidably tall Hybrid.

No.1 – “Warlord Games” – “Doctor Who”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, my craving to expand upon my Dalek faction with both more brass-coloured drones and Ogron mercenaries was always going to help maintain my prolonged love affair with the figures flowing out of the “Warlord Games” “Doctor Who: Exterminate!” range. Admittedly, I was also able to finally finish the four Boromites needed to complete my Scouting Force for “Beyond The Gates Of Antares”, and potter with Johnny Alpha’s hated foes the Stix Brothers in “Strontium Dog”. But every other week I seemed to find myself ‘picking away’ at either another incarnation of the Master, a Draconian or a Sontaran.

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2018 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

Well the year is nearly at an end and so it’s that time again, when both Simon and myself hand over the reins of our respective blogs to each other. This means that I get at least one piece of quality writing (actually it’s two this year) on my blog, and Simon gets to moan at me for picking the wrong figures from his prestigious output for the year. However to quote Eric Morecombe - “I’m picking all the right figures, but not necessarily in the right order!”. Anyway this is always a joy to do, even if Simon has it much easier than me as he doesn’t have anywhere near as many posts to sort through over on my blog!

Right, well, before I get into the list, I’ll just clarify a few of the ground rules, figures are only eligible for the list if they were completed in 2018, no “works in progress” allowed, and vehicles or pieces of scenery can also count for list entries, So now that’s sorted on with the Top Ten itself…

No. 10 - Demon Bunny by "Wizkids – July 13th

One of the great things about Simon’s blog is that you really don’t know what you are going to get, and this amazing find from the “Wizkids” “HorrorClix” figure range is a great example of that. Re-painted to represent the “Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog” of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” fame, this wonderfully horrific looking “lupus” was as wonderful as it was terrifying!

No. 9 - Darkmantle by "Wizkids" - February 16th

Another “Wizids” figure at number nine, this time from their “Dungeons and Dragons miniatures game”. This wonderfully weird creature was given a remarkably simple paint-job by Simon, yet that doesn’t detract from the gruesomely great result. It instantly reminded me of “The Mire Beast” from the classic “Doctor Who” Dalek story “The Chase”, and became one of those “I’ll get one of those myself one day figures”. Sadly however, that day has not yet arrived, but if anyone has one going spare?

No. 8 - Arnulf by "Games Workshop" - May 18th

Though I make it no secret that I am neither a "Games Workshop" fanboy, nor someone who will be dipping their toe into the expensive “Age of Sigmar” pool, I have to admit that they do produce some truly awesome miniatures now and again. Arnulf and the rest of the miniatures Simon painted up from “Garrek’s Reavers” were all pretty awe inspiring, and would make a great band of Barbarians for pretty much any game, especially as a fantastic bunch of "Frostgrave" mercenaries. Ultimately though I chose Arnulf as my favourite as the painting of his flesh is just so right, along with his well suited metallic coloured weapons and helmet. A cracking figure!

No. 7 - Orange Adder Combat Lifter by "The Ion Age" - October 12th

All the 15mm “Ion Age” figures and vehicles Simon has produced over the last year are worthy of inclusion here so it was after much “to’ing & fro’ing” that I finally decided upon this particular model. I think what swung it for me in the end was the wonderful “Crimson Fists” Space Marine chapter inspired colour scheme. Painted to the usual high standard this is going to look mighty impressive on the battlefield.

No. 6 - The Master by "Warlord Games" - July 25th

I have said it before, Simon excels at painting black! He’s also pretty good at painting “Doctor Who” characters too. So this 32mm version of Roger Delgado’s version of the classic villain was always going to be in the running for this years “Top Ten”. As always the colour match is absolutely spot on with even the grey at the actor’s temples exemplary, and the painting itself seamlessly accurate. Painting black is hard (well it is for me anyway), but Simon makes it look easy, and that’s the real skill.

No. 5 - Hybrid by "Wizkids" - January 30th

Simon’s almost encyclopedic knowledge of super-heroes and super-villains stands him in good stead on many occasions, allowing him to pick up and enhance many an obscure character from “comic book history”. “Jimmy Marks” meant nothing to me until he appeared on "Fantorical" as Hybrid, but fortunately Simon accompanied the excellent paintwork he’d applied to the figure with a great little bit of background too. These little insights are always a pleasure to read and go to prove that he really knows his stuff. What struck me most though was what a great job he’d done on the figure!

No. 4 - Astronaut Action Man by "Ground Zero Games" – December 17th

15mm figures is something I have stayed right away from this year, whilst Simon on the other hand has produced some beautiful “little fellows” with the wonderful “Ion Age” figures very nearly making it onto this list themselves. It was however when he started showcasing these stunning Astronaut figures as part of his “Race to the Moon” Action Man project that he really outdid himself, with some top notch painting on both the figures and vehicles. I even warmed to his idea of basing them on “green flocked” bases once I’d seen them.

No. 3 - Mei-Lin Mayfair by "Statuesque Miniatures" - August 31st

Okay, so I’ve established that Simon can do black, but he is equally at home with white! This gorgeous figure by "Statuesque Miniatures" has been given this treatment to perfection. He intends to use her as a stand in for Major Mira Killian from “Ghost in the Shell” and should look mighty impressive on the table, especially surrounded by the rest of his “Killer Fembots”. Many of Simon's miniatures are deceptively monochrome, but this is not to say that the paintwork is basic or simple, layer after layer is built up producing a well-rounded finish, it’s just like good movie music, when it works you don’t realise it’s there!

No. 2 - Mandrels by "Black Tree Design" December 28th

Simon has painted a lot of "Doctor Who" miniatures this year (and I do mean a lot!), taking figures from both “Black Tree Design” and “Warlord Games” ranges. To be honest, the 32mm offerings from “Warlord Games” are the better representations, but I do have a soft spot for the 28mm figures “Black Tree” produce. As a result I was having a tough time deciding between “Kettlewells Robot” or one of the excellent “Sontarans” to add to this list when just before the deadline up popped these marvellous alien beasties from one of the all-time great stories “The Nightmare of Eden”. The colours are, as always, perfectly true to the originals, the details are spot-on, and the shading is absolutely first rate. Some of the best figures Simon has produced in my opinion.

No. 1 - Garrp Croaak by "Oathsworn Miniatures" - June 18th

So I hear you ask if they were so good, what has made it to the top of Simon's painting tree this year? Well the funny thing is each time I have done one of these “Top Ten’s” I wrangle and debate about what is going to be in it and what position they will take. Yet every year I know what will be number one as soon as I begin looking back through Simon's posts (if not sooner). This year was no different as the second I saw this 'so ugly he’s cute' little toad mage I knew he would top this year’s pile. In fact all of the figures Simon has painted from this range could have been in this list but I’ve tried to limit myself. The painting and colours are subtle and perfect, and his trademark gloss finish works so well with this chap, I could go on and wax lyrical regarding the subtle shading on his throat and the perfect colour used on his “bone staff”, but the truth is I just love everything about him. Just a truly great miniature, and that’s why he’s number one in my book.

So that’s it for another year, the votes are in (well mine are anyway and they are the only ones that count!). You may not agree with all (or any) of my choices but these are my personal favourites. Obviously, you will have your own (they are wrong, but what can you do!). As always I’ll finish by saying a huge thank you to Simon for letting me play “fast and loose” with his baby, and I will now give control back into the hands it is safest with. Here’s to another great year's painting and modelling on the pages of “Fantorical” in 2019.

A very happy New Year to you all, Cheers Roger.

And don't forget to check out Blax The Kleric's Top Ten of 2018 over on "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table"