"Wood Wards Were Originally Created By Evil Druids..."

"...To sow terror in logging villages that were encroaching on the forest."

This 28mm/32mm scale resin print of a WoodWard was created using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is available as an STL (Standard Triangle Language) file from "Rocket Pig Games" on "MyMiniFactory". This is actually the second "human-shaped amalgam of wood, leather, and forest debris" I've painted, having previously pigmented a 40mm tall pre-printed version sold by “FullyCycled” over on “Etsy”. Indeed, I was so impressed with this particular 'Monster Miniature', that I bought the STL shortly after I got my own 3D printer.

Presumably based upon a Wood Woad, which first appeared in the Monster Manual III for “Dungeons & Dragons” in 2004, the model actually comes with and without a rocky base - so having previously worked on one with a stand, I thought I'd just have this version stood on 'open ground'. Resultantly, the Lawful neutral plant was super-glued to a "Citadel" 50mm circular base, and undercoated using a mixture of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and Surface Primer Leather Brown.

My two WoodWards alongside some of my other "Rocket Pig Games" miniatures

"Immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form, the animated protector was sploshed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before being dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna. It was then lightly touched with a little “Vallejo” Earth all over, and had the visible inner wood on top of its head 'picked out' using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. I also applied both some “Vallejo” Heavy Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green to the sculpt's shoulders and shield, and then tried to blend this 'moss' back in with the rest of the colour scheme via a dry-brush of (even more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Heavy Brown. Lastly, I carefully sketched a couple of lines of "Citadel" Abaddon Black into the bark where the Wood Woad's eyes apparently were, and gave its club a lick of "Citadel" Doombull Brown, as well as a dousing in Agrax Earthshade.

To be honest, working on this particular model was something of a double-edged sword emotion-wise, as I was somewhat shocked once I saw that the figure I had 3D printed was significantly larger than the supposed 32mm scale version I bought way back in March 2021 - and yet I never modified the STL in any way on "Chitubox" Basic. So just why my first WoodWard was shrunk in height from 60mm down to 40mm was rather baffling, unless you take the rather cynical view that it was likely for a purely financial decision in order to save a few pennies on resin..?

"Laugh this off, Twinkletoes!"

The size difference also reminded me of just why I had binned my previous project using "Rocket Pig Games" sculpts in the first place too - as I had been getting increasingly frustrated with the inconsistency of the miniature scales I was receiving via "Etsy". Of course, now I can 3D print my own my enthusiasm for a woodland folk verses mechanical creations project/campaign has been renewed. But I'm still debating on whether to simply restart it from scratch, using the figures at their 'correct' size, or perhaps try to shrink them all down to the height of my previously-painted efforts - I guess time will tell..?

In addition to my WoodWard though, I have also completed a second 28mm metal British NBC trooper by "Athena Miniatures". The miniature was predominantly painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. However, I also tackled the chap's ammunition pouch with some round(ish) splodges of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna so as to create a basic camouflage pattern. This area was later shaded with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before each colour was highlighted back up with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, Luftwaffe Camouflage Green and Heavy Sienna.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge” [II/IV] January 2025

"Having fought their way clear of the Sol System in the aftermath of the Siege of Terra..."

With the opening quarter of my Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) now in the books, I'm hoping to spend this month predominantly tackling many of the 3D printed miniatures I have abandoned in the past, as well as instigating a (probably highly optimistic) 'Two-For-One' purchasing/printing policy for any future figures I want to buy/produce. I'm also currently a little behind schedule in achieving my target goal of getting one hundred previously-pigmented 28mm scale models tabletop ready before the end of March. However, that goal was arguably always a little overly ambitious, and some current projects, such as fielding a post-apocalypse British force and opposing Russian army using "Athena Miniatures" aren't eligible as most are still 'untouched in their wrappings'.

In addition, I really want to finally field a 500-point strong Sons of Horus traitor force so I can play some "Horus Heresy". These plastic space marines by "Games Workshop" have already taken far too long to complete due to the grinding nature of all their "Vallejo" Gold armour, chest-buckles and helmet decorations. So I thought finishing one of the Mk IV wearing Adeptus Astartes from the now OOP (Out Of Production) Betrayal At Calth stand-alone boxed game would make a great start to new year.

"...The Sons of Horus eventually fled to the Eye of Terror and established themselves upon a Daemon World."

The miniature was initially undercoated with "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green, before I used a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold, and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade on its shoulder-pad, as well as anywhere else which I intended to be gold. I then picked out the edges using a smidgeon (more) "Vallejo" Gold, before applying some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the knee-joints, elbow-joints, right shoulder-pad, backpack and Bolter.

I next treated the model’s breathing tubes and firearm to a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and plonked some "Scalecolor" Speed Metal and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red into the Space Marine's eye slits. Only once all this work was finished did I shade all of the MK IV armour with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brush it with (more) Sons Of Horus Green. Lastly, I attached a couple of the numerous decals found on the "Games Workshop" Sons of Horus Legion transfer sheet onto the traitor tactical marine's shoulder-pad and lower-leg.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - This WoodWard has been primed, base-coloured and shaded

Alongside my latest Sons of Horus recruit, I have been busy resurrecting an old project from 2021, using a number of 3D prints I bought from "FullyCycled". In brief, I envisaged a battle between the forces of nature and 'man-made' clockwork creatures, which could then spill out into other realms (such as death) if the notion proved popular. Unfortunately, despite painting a few of the models I found the bizarre scaling (or rather downsizing) of the sculpts by the “Etsy” store incredibly frustrating, and eventually ended up buying some of the STL (Standard Triangle Language) files directly from the "Rocket Pig Games" studio once I owned an "Elegoo" Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer.

Rather shockingly, I then discovered just how different in height/size the original sculpts were from what "FullyCycled" had been sending me, and resultantly realised I would probably have to completely restart the endeavour if  I was going to use my own self-printed miniatures - plus abandon all the rather expensive 3D prints I had previously bought on "Etsy". Perhaps unsurprisingly, this 'nuked' any interest in the project until just recently, when I stumbled across the WoodWard I produced myself...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Twisted Pinnacle 3D" August 2022

A mixture of sculpts by “Rocket Pig Games” and "Big Mister Tong"

This month's endeavour to condense my ‘plastic preserve of promise’ will largely focus upon several figures I’ve previously had 3D printed by the likes of “FullyCycled” and “Encounter Terrain”. These companies will either simply produce any STL files which you send them, or actually sell resin models under licence from their sculptor on the American e-commerce website “Etsy”. In addition, I also hope to finish painting a few figures produced through the online character design application “Forge World”.

To begin with though, I thought I’d simply complete the remaining 28mm Sentry Robots I recently purchased from “Twisted Pinnacle 3D” and have already finished one. The figure was fashioned by Mike Tongue (a.k.a. Big Mr Tong) and is highly reminiscent of Doctor Reinhardt's security forces aboard the U.S.S. Cygnus in Gary Nelson’s 1979 American science fiction film “The Black Hole”.

"They were captured by the sentry robots and are still on board."

With its ‘head sharing a fair similarity to Darth Vader's helmet’, the model was undercoated with a double-layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, before being shaded in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. It was then fervently dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Red, and had its eyes and blaster pigmented with "Citadel" Abaddon Black." Finally, these areas were ‘picked out’ using a combination of “Vallejo” Gunmetal” and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Alongside my Sentry Robot I have also dusted down a handful of large(ish) models designed by “Rocket Pig Games”, which were ultimately ‘shelved’ last year following my disappointment at the underwhelming size of their 3D prints. Supposedly produced at 54mm scale, the likes of a Terror Tree, Clockwork Mastodon and Clockwork Tyrannosaurus Rex were disappointingly small when compared to some of the 40mm and 32mm figures I already owned from the same range.

July 2022 - Lots of 15mm Retained Knights have helped "Alternative Armies" make my Top Five table

Happily, my output over the past four weeks has been pretty steady and in line with the past few years overall. Much of this productivity has undeniably been due to the half-dozen 15mm Retained Knight sculpts I've completed, along with a handful of other models from The Ion Age by "Alternative Armies". These predominantly single-cast metal miniatures have definitely kept me sane whilst I've been busy 'off-camera' assembling lots of 28mm multi-part plastic Tactical Space Marines from The Horus Heresy boxed set by Games Workshop.

I don't plan on stopping with the smaller scale 'Beakies' for the foreseeable future either, as due to their size and reasonable ease of painting, they make some simple diversions from the 'solid slog' of the Thirty First Millennium. This month should though start seeing the first of my finished Sons Of Horus traitors, which will doubtless help keep my motivation going for what could be a truly massive project...

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2021 - An "Undercoat" Personal Choice

It is with some trepidation that I pen my choice of 2021 top ten miniatures from the Fantorical blog. The excellent top ten already done by Roger had me smiling with the way it was written so the bar has been set very high. This year highlighted to me the incredible variety of miniatures painted and if there is one thing Simon is good at, it is finding the eclectic and quirky stuff out there. One of the reasons I read his blog is to be shown the stuff that doesn’t always hit the mainstream! This was an interesting year for a number of reasons, but in terms of this blog some of the old favourite model ranges were either absent or vastly reduced in numbers and replaced by some very interesting new stuff!

The choice I have made is a personal one and based on a number of factors including, but not exclusive to, the paint job, how cool or quirky the miniature is, and just that wow factor! So without further ado and no more jibber jabber here it is, in reverse order.

No. 10 - Shrieking Wolves by "North Star Military Figures" - April 9th

These minis were metal oriental dog-like creatures from the fantastic Frostgrave game. Firstly, the concept of them intrigued me and the paint scheme just brought them to life. Secondly, the beautiful weathered metal with the superb Verdigris effect deserves a chef’s kiss. I just adore these. Such a great paint job.

No. 9 - The Punisher by "Atomic Mass Games" - January 12th

A character from the Marvel comics brought to life in miniature form for the game Marvel Crisis Protocol. I just like this sculpt. It looks great. However, the paint job really brings him to life. I like the eyes, the stubble on his face and the skull symbol on his top. In a year that saw no hero clix superhero models that I recall, Atomic Mass Games filled that void very nicely.

No. 8 - Human Lineman by "Games Workshop" - May 15th

This old school Blood Bowl player was a blast from the past and proved to be a lovely reminder of the history behind this Games Workshop game. The current range of Blood Bowl teams are some of my favourite minis out there for their character and humour so this chap brought a smile to my face. Proving once again that he is a master of painting metallic, I love the simple colour scheme of this player and really want to see this expanded into a full team in 2022 to go along with the fabulously named Rusty Buckets dwarf team!

No. 7 - Twig Fiend by "Rocket Pig Games" - May 31st

This miniature just came out of left field for me. A quirky sculpt that was 3D printed and just oozed charm and character. Something different that highlighted the variety of miniatures out there if you just dig below the surface. A lovely paint job that I don’t think the main pictures do full justice to. Just revisit the posting and look at the other pictures where the woody menace is fighting the Tin Man to get a fuller picture of what this looks like. A quirky mini brought to life with a great paint job, what more can I say!

No. 6 -  Paladin Annihilator by “Privateer Press” - December 8th

Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika is a relatively new range of miniatures from an established company that is moving their IP away from a fantasy steampunk setting to a very high tech sci-fi universe with some nice sculpts, The Iron Star Alliance faction has been painted up throughout last year but these later additions were tweaked with some blue metallic spot colours that just make them stand out from what went before. I really like these a lot. High tech knights in the far future sound just awesome to me!

No. 5 - MG34 And K98 Rifle Team by "Battlefront Miniatures" - September 4th

Now we enter the historical sphere of wargaming with some 15mm World War 2 German soldiers. A different scale to what I have picked previously but this unit of soldiers looks like a mini diorama as the 4 men move across the battlefield on their base. To be honest it is difficult to pick one entry from the Flames of War postings, so this pick should really encompass the whole year’s work. It is the care that has gone into these that amazes me. Black lining them, camouflage on certain helmets etc. I bet these look stunning set up as a whole force. A great addition to the year’s output.

No. 4 - Tin Construct by "Rocket Pig Games" - May 7th

Another quirky miniature. A mechanical man that has clearly taken inspiration from one of the trio travelling the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy. Firstly, what a great sculpt! So full of character and with so many uses in fantasy games like Frostgrave or home brew rules that frequently get used in battle reports on this blog! Secondly, what great metallics. The rusted and weathered nature of this model is captured wonderfully with this paint scheme. Another one of those that really stuck in my memory.

No. 3 - Bruce Lee by "Mondo Games" - January 19th

Another set of miniatures I had never heard of that sounds bonkers, yet fun where you can match a famous martial artist off against dinosaurs! This is another one of those where the whole package of sculpt, paint scheme and the quirky nature of the game made me remember this one straight away. Great skin tones, well painted eyes (don’t you just hate having to do them!) and an overall paint scheme that just tells you who this is without reading the blog. I just couldn’t leave this one out of the top three.

No. 2 - Yeti by "Zealot Miniatures" - April 16th

Well, I’ve never seen a yeti that looks like this! (I know they probably aren’t real but I meant in film, miniatures etc! It would be awesome if they are real though!) I don’t think I’ve imagined a yeti ever looking like this – all mouth and white fur. What an incredible design. I think this model is amazing. Once again it comes to life because of the way the fur is painted. Two things I think Simon excels at: painting metals and painting fur. A simple paint scheme that is executed so well. Just superb.

No. 1 - American Civil War Infantry by "Warlord Games" - December 21st

These miniatures caused something of a stir when they hit the public in late 2020, early 2021. Designed for the Black Powder game in a new epic scale to really convey the massed battle nature that rule set was created to play. Different scale (15mm), different design (a strip of ten men all joined together) and a lot of talking points for the wargaming community which I won’t go into. Now, why did these diminutive Johnny Rebs take the top spot? Partly because I think the miniatures and the concept of how they portray a massed unit of infantry are brilliant. However, the main reason is the detail and care that has gone into them. Once again black lining between the different areas on such a small scale set of minis is madness but looks great; but it is the way the slightly rag tag nature of the Confederate forces has been captured by different coloured uniform elements that blows my mind! The soldiers have different coloured jackets, different coloured trousers, different coloured boots and different coloured hats! On a 15mm strip of soldiers!?! Boom! Mind blown again. Simon himself admits a bit of a dislike for these and to be honest I don’t think you can keep this standard of diversity up for a whole army in this scale as it would probably drive you a bit potty! I think these are incredible and a worthy winner of my top ten.

So that wraps up my top ten picks for 2021. Plenty of cool miniatures were left out but there was a lot to choose from! I hope these provide a small amount of inspiration for anybody reading to pick up a paint brush and do some painting.

Top Ten Miniatures Of 2021 - A "Rantings From Under The Wargames Table" Viewpoint

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”, or so the song says, however regular readers of Simon’s illustrious blog may feel differently, as it is in fact the time of the year where that idiot from another blog is let loose to bring you his personal (and sometimes controversial) opinions as to what were the ten best miniatures featured here at “Fantorical”. This year really does seem to have flown by, so it’s nice to make a cup of tea, sit back and spend a few hours in the company of one of my favourite blogs, perusing the plethora of perfectly painted figures and quickly running out of superlatives with which to describe them. So here in reverse order is my “Top Ten” (feel free to have Alan “”Fluff” Freeman’s voice in your head as you read them).

No. 10 - Bruce Lee by "Mondo Games" - January 19th

Now who doesn’t love “Enter the Dragon”, I know I do so I was more than a little pleased to see this excellent rendition of the master of “Jeet Kune Do”. The figure is a cracker posed as he is in the classic movie pose, and Simon’s usual high standard of painting and shading has brought out all the details on his musculature and trousers stupendously well. I have a friend who is both a gamer and Bruce Lee fanatic, so a link into this page emailed to him resulted in a sale for Mondo Games, perhaps Simon should be on commission!

No. 9 - Abraham Lincoln by "CoolMiniOrNot" - May 24th

To say that we jump from one genre to another here is a bit of an understatement! Very like “Forest Gump’s” infamous “Box of Chocolates” you really do never know what you’re gonna’ get. It did however still surprise me when “Honest Abe” first appeared, especially as he was armed with an axe and sawn-off shotgun, but I guess if you’re fighting “Zombies”… I suppose I should mention that this figure is for the very cool game “Zombicide”, and that should explain everything, as you’ve come to expect the colours and shading is spot on here, but I think it’s the brooding and slightly crazed look in his eye’s that elevated this chaps painting in my opinion and secured his place here amongst this vaulted company!

No. 8 - Yeti by "Zealot Miniatures" - April 16th

It’s like no Yeti I’ve ever seen, but that doesn’t distract from just how excellent this miniature is! The simplicity of the sculpt just makes the great work Simon has done on the contrasts with the fur and the gaping black maw stand out all the more. This is in fact the second Yeti painted this year (well technically the other one was his also brilliant, White Gorilla, but between Simon and his followers we decided it was better suited as a Yeti anyway!!). Looking like it just walked off of the set of “Scooby Doo” had it not been for the professed £10.00 price tag I would have been ordering one of these 40mm tall beasties for myself.

No. 7 - K98 Rifle Team by "Battlefront Miniature" - September 25th

Simon has painted lots of lovely 15mm WWII Germans this year (If lovely is a word you can use to describe Nazi’s!). Anyway, all of the diminutive plastic chaps have been extremely well pigmented and each group applied to a nicely textured base to boot. A real trip down memory lane for me as one of the first “theatres” I dabbled in was WWII, albeit in 20mm, and using the old “Rapid Fire” rules as opposed to the “Flames of War” battles these chaps will be fighting with. So why this group over any other others? Well it was a hard decision but I just liked the camouflaged helmet cover on the chap in the front row if I’m honest.  

No. 6 - Immolator by "Kitbash Games" - June 12th

It wouldn’t be a roundup of Simon’s output for the year without at least one “Super Hero” and he’s knocked out another “doozy” here with his take on a Kitbash figure, that in what seemed to be a bit of a trend this year he re-named as “Mistress Mississippi” so as to include her in some “Weird War II” gaming. However, whatever name you choose I loved the vaporous emissions around her hands and feet, that so nearly covered her whole body till it was decided (wisely in my humble opinion) to paint her in the glorious green and dark flesh colours you see above, and to top her off a smashing pair of inhuman green eyes, a great alternative interpretation of a smashing figure.  

No. 5 - Fungal Giant by "Rocket Pig Games" - July 28th

So we come to the first of two “Giants” in my list this year, I have to say I was immediately struck with this wonderful miniature, upon reading the text I was surprised to discover that it was in fact originally sold as an STL file that Simon then had printed out via “Etsy”, as I usually don’t have any great love for CGI figures. Though small for a “giant” at only 37mm tall (Still a fair size for a mushroom in 28mm scale!), I think it is Simon miraculous painting that has really brought this figure to life, the colours though muted are perfect and the slight “pop” of colour on the “actual” fungus growing from his torso, works so well! He looks a proper treat, and I’m sure he’s a “fun guy” to game with (sorry, but I had too!).

No. 4 - The Enemy Commander by "Tangent Miniatures" - September 10th

Simon as I’m sure regular readers will atone is a bit of a fan of the silver screen, be it large or small, characters from programs and films of our youth (well mine anyway) often make guest appearances on the pages of this inimitable blog, so I guess it was inevitable that if someone produced figures representing characters from the eighties sci/fi classic “The Last Starfighter” they would end up on here at some point. Once again Simon has taken what would have been a simple red one piece costume, and elevated it brilliantly with shading and dry-brushing, then picked out his details superbly well, so that what we ended up with was a version of “Lord Kril” that could have just walked out of the set, of the movie, from the moment I saw this I thought “That’s going to be in the “Top Ten” this year”.   

No. 3 - Stone Golem by "Zealot Miniatures" - July 12th

Last year I got moaned at by Simon for not including his “Walking Statue of Waterdeep“ in my top ten, well though not one to be swayed by popular opinion I have included this granite gargantuan this year. Though called a “Golem” I would venture that this second entry onto my list by Zealot Miniatures at 90mm tall is more of a giant myself. This is a corking resin sculpt replete as it is with its Dwarf like appearance, But I have to say that it’s the truly wonderful painting that is the biggest draw for me, Simon has shown on numerous occasions that he’s a master of convincing stonework, and this is a perfect example of his craft, but when you add in the sublime work on the oxidized brass of his bracelets, and the wonderful “glowing” eyes (something I’ve always shied away from myself), not to mention the snowy base work, this is a really great miniature. 

 No. 2 - Adder by "Catalyst Game Labs" - July 5th

I have long had a soft spot for Battletech, as it was a game we ran as a campaign back in my games club days, So I was thrilled when Simon started showing some of the new 1/285th scale models on his blog, and also intrigued to read that he planned to use them is another of his “Weird War Two” settings (honestly he seems to have so many different ones of these, I can’t keep up with them all!). Each miniature has been a joy to behold, and the way he has blended the marking from actual WW2 vehicles and units around the vastly different shapes of the “giant robots” has been ingenious to say the least. Of the ones he’s painted up so far I think my favorite has to be the “Adder” pictured above, all the various colours just work so well in the locations he’s applied them, I love this and it nearly topped the tree, but just missed out to my final choice (however if he’d finished the “Marauder” he is currently working on it might have been a different story!!).   

No. 1 - Benny the Bat by "Mongoose Publishing" - October 6th

And so we come to the end of my list, and the top banana this year came in the month the rest of us were busy painting the undead, Simon however (even though he was running Zom’tober this year) was instead putting out truly wonderful miniatures like this (and some Zombies). Benny the Bat is a lesser known character from the Judge Dredd comic strips, and I have to say wasn’t one I was familiar with, but that didn’t stop me from being mightily impressed with the final result of some tip top brushwork, as usual the shading is sublime, the colours perfect, the moustache bushy, and the subject matter typically Simon! One of the great things about visiting here is finding stuff you never knew you wanted, and even though it often appears to be “Out of Production”, you still find yourself looking for it across the net. This chap is a perfect example of this, so rolling all these factors together makes “Benny” my number one choice for 2021.

So that’s it another year over and another collection of top quality painting and interesting miniatures all arrayed on one of my favorite blogs. As usual there were many “nearly” figures that didn’t quite make the cut, but did make my “not so” short list, so I have a few honourable mentions before I go - “The Twig Fiend”, Oola Blint, The Slayers, Grave Gnasher, Paladins (I can see I’m going to get it, for not including these!), Apes, Blood Bowl, Red Skull, Mother Russia, Slimer and so many more…..

You know what don’t just take my word for it, make yourself a cup of tea sit back and work your way back through the “Finished Figures” category under the header above and see what I get all excited about. It is always a good read. Plus you’ll learn stuff you didn’t know and see some wonderful figures you probably never knew existed (I know, I have used wonderful a lot in this post, but it is the “Most wonderful time of the year”, as I said at the start!).

As usual I’ll finish, by thanking Simon for allowing the lunatic’s to take over his asylum for this brief time, as well as taking time to raise the writing standards over on my own humble blog, along with you lot for taking the time to read this (bearing in mind that you got this far of course!), I can’t wait to see what he comes up with in 2022!

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"

“Fungal Giants Are Not Actually Made Of Fungus.”

“The fungal growth over their bodies is another organism living in symbiosis with the giant.”

This 40mm scale resin print of a Fungal Giant is produced by "Rocket Pig Games", but actually 3D printed by “FullyCycled” over on “Etsy”. The miniature’s design is potentially influenced by the Myconids or Fungus Folk, which first appeared in the Fifth Edition of “Dungeons & Dragons”, and is one of many test prints I have bought over the past few months in order to see just how well such figures can currently be manufactured.

Disappointingly the figure is actually only 37mm tall, and comes on a pre-printed stand. The “intelligent pacifistic fungi creature” is encircled by a handful of pebbles and clearly has its stubby-fingered hands reach all the way down to its base so as to help support the sculpt. I therefore decided against removing the model from its surroundings and simply super-glued it to a 40mm circular base by “Games Workshop”.

"Battletech" WIPs - The Viper is slowly having its details 'picked out'

Physically “limited to clasping their hands and pummelling their opponents into submission”, the model was primed using a couple of layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown, before being shaded with a mixture of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. It was then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, and then later, ‘highlighted’ using a delicate application of Earth.

The Fungal Giant’s fungus was ‘picked out’ using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre and “Citadel” Agrax Eartshade, and later dry-brushed (where possible) with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre. Finally, the creature’s dome-shaped cap was treated to a couple of layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, a serious splash of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, and a dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna.

"The Ion Age " WIPs - The three Retained Knights are having their details 'picked out'

With the latest of my 3D prints completed I have turned my attention to my ongoing Weird War Two project by partially-progressing a Viper mech by “Catalyst Games Labs”. This 6mm scale (1:285) plastic figure from the company’s “Battletech” range will be used as a German Messerschmitt-Class medium walker for my Axis forces, and as a result will be painted up to replicate one of the aircraft manufacturing corporation’s famous colour schemes.

In addition, I’ve also applied some more paint on three 15mm Retained Knights by “Alternative Armies” I’m hoping to use as a unit of (not) Blood Angels Devastator Space Marines. The characterful chaps have all had the majority of their famous red armour layered, shaded and dry-brushed, and now I’m in the process of picking out their heavy weapons and blue-coloured helmets…

"Wood Woads Were Powerful Humanoid-Shaped Guardian Plants.”

"Each wood woad contained the soul of a creature."

This 32mm scale resin print of a WoodWard is produced by "Rocket Pig Games", but actually 3D printed by “FullyCycled” over on “Etsy”. The sculpt is clearly based upon a Wood Woad, which first appeared in the Monster Manual III for “Dungeons & Dragons” in 2004, and is one of many test prints I have bought over the past few months in order to see just how well such figures can currently be manufactured.

The figure is actually 40mm tall, and comes on a pre-printed stand. The Lawful neutral plant is encircled by a handful of pebbles and a pair of large(ish) rock formations which was clearly designed to help support both its shield-hand and club. I therefore decided against removing the model from its surroundings and simply super-glued it to a 40mm circular base by “Games Workshop”.

A Grave Gnasher, Twig Fiend and WoodWard

Created through the gruesome ritual of “removing the heart of a living person, planting a seed into it and placing it inside a cavity in a tree”, the miniature was primed using a couple of layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna. I then shaded it with a mixture of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, before dry-brushing the entire model with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna.

In order to lighten up the creature’s well-sculpted bark, I also applied a dry-brush of “Vallejo” Earth across the entire 3D print, and made sure to make this particularly heavy around the forest-based warrior’s shield. In addition, I took the opportunity to ‘pick out’ the WoodWard’s actual head, which was slightly visible when viewed down the top of its trunk, with a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Brown and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

"Battletech" WIPs - This Ice Ferret has been primed, washed and dry-brushed

Considering that the walking plant’s hand-weapon was simply pigmented with “Citadel” Doombull Brown and The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, I was a little desperate to add another colour to the creature’s palette so as to break it up a little. I had considered trying to paint its shoulders red to suggest that they were actually toadstools of some kind, but ultimately I went with a super-subtle dry-brush of “Vallejo” Heavy Green over these areas instead.

Alongside my latest 3D printed monster I’ve managed to make some progress one of two Iron Ferret “Battletech” models I aim to paint up as a French Levasseur-class medium War Walker. This solid-looking 6mm scale (1:285) mech by “Catalyst Games Labs” will accompany the British forces in their bid to rescue Poland from the Axis clutches during the early days of Weird War Two…

“The Valkyrie Was Originally Planned For Use By The Star League Defence Force.”

“But production of the BattleMech did not begin until 2787, after the fall of the Star League."

This 1:285 scale plastic model of a Valkyrie is made by “Catalyst Game Labs” and can be bought together with a Marauder, Archer, and Stinger in the company’s “Battletech: Inner Sphere Command Lance” boxed set. All the pre-assembled miniatures also come with an assortment of MechWarrior pilot and Alpha Strike cards depicting various colour schemes. But as I plan to use this particular sculpt as a Focke-Wulf class German War Walker for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules, I decided to go with a predominantly blue-grey palette.

Resultantly, the 33mm tall figure was initially primed using two layers of “Vallejo” Luftwaffe Uniform WWII and shaded in “Citadel” Nuln Oil. It was then dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Luftwaffe Uniform WWII with a softly-bristled make-up blusher brush, and had its tiny windows ‘picked out’ with a dab of “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

"Battletech" WIPs - A Shadow Cat and Adder Prime are being painted as British War Walkers

In order to add a bit of interest to “the standard light Mech of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns” I decided to apply a coat of “Vallejo” Gunmetal to its right gun-arm, chest-housed missile system, arm joints, rear rocker launcher and calf-mounted dual jets and later treat these areas to a wash of “Citadel” Nuln Oil. I also pulled out a German cross and some numerals from my collection of “Decal Details” and managed to squeeze them onto two flat pieces of armour plating on the sculpt's legs.

I did consider whether to add a swastika transfer to the model too, but ultimately decided against this as I intend to make the origins of my Third Reich war walkers’ manufacturing quite distinctive from one another for my games. In my Weird War Two campaign this particular Mech has been designed, developed, built and is being used by the German Air Force, whereas some of the other machines will belong to either the Wehrmacht or Waffen-SS, and it’ll be the latter military branch’s ‘Bots who’ll be adorned with the controversial emblem.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - This Fungal Giant is slowly having its fungi picked out

In addition to my Axis forces, I have made some more progress on the Shadow Cat “Battletech” model I aim to paint up as a British Hawker-class War Walker. My intention is to get both this medium-sized mech and a similarly-sized French-flavoured one finished, and throw them into a battle against three smaller Axis machines to test out my homebrew rule-set. I have though, added a recently purchased Adder Prime model to my painting queue, in the hopes of providing the British with an additional attacking option during the early days of my Weird War Two campaign.

Lastly, I am desperately trying not to get overwhelmed with too many new projects, and persevere with a number of “Rocket Pig Games” resin figures 3D printed by "FullyCycled". This Fungal Giant should have been a fairly straightforward subject, but my enthusiasm for it was somewhat wilted upon its arrival when I saw that the 40mm scale model was disappointingly only 38mm in height…

“...Resembling Humanoid, Leafless Shrubs, Complete With Limbs And A Head.”

“They could root themselves in soil, becoming indistinguishable from regular, dead shrubs.”

This 32mm scale resin print of a Twig Fiend is produced by "Rocket Pig Games", but actually 3D printed by “FullyCycled” over on “Etsy”. The model is one of several test prints I recently bought in order to see just how well such figures can currently be manufactured, and as part of an ever-growing homemade project pitting the forces of a Clockwork Mage against those of the Natural World.

The figure comes on an incredibly large pre-printed stand which contains a serious smattering of smooth rocks, and is the only place where the tell-tale striation signs of a 3D print are visible. Luckily, despite its width, the stand laid reasonably flat, so I was able to ‘squeeze’ the wood-based creature on a “Citadel” 60mm circular base.

A Grave Gnasher summons a Twig Fiend to battle a rampaging Tin Construct.

Unfortunately, I did have one mishap with the miniature whilst I was cleaning off some support struts from it. The monster’s resin is surprisingly brittle, so as I was desperately trying to smooth down one of its head-tendrils with my modelling knife, the entire tentacle-like branch snapped off and flew across my hobby room.

Despite some desperate searching I was unable to locate the missing piece, so was forced to think somewhat creatively as craft a replacement part. My ability with Green-Stuff is not great, so I started searching around my bitz looking for a suitably curly tentacle or some such. Happily, what I did spy was one of the resin staff ends belonging to a Mindflayer, which whilst not quite as curly as I’d hoped, did provide me with enough bend to somewhat fit in with the rest of the Twig Fiend’s tendrils.

Once this piece had been whittled down at one end in order to fit inside a small hole I drilled into the brute’s back, it was super-glued in place. I then gave the entire figure a double coat of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, and shaded it with a mixture of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Immolator is slowly having all of her detail 'picked out'

The creature’s bark was later dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and some “Earth”. I ‘picked out’ the monster’s tendrils with “Vallejo” Heavy Green and “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green, before giving them a soft dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Green. I did consider dotting the Twig Fiend’s eyes with a fluorescent green. But ultimately liked the look of the dark, deeply recessed sockets.

Having completed another of my “Rocket Pig Games” 3D printed models, I have been busy pigmenting my resin figure of Immolator by “Kitbash Games”. This character is actually a yellow-coloured alien villainess in the “Supers Unlimited” pantheon. However, I wanted to use her as an American heroine for my Weird War Two games, so have greatly diverted from the model’s ‘official’ palette.

“His Chest Cavity Is Stuffed With Various Corpses…”

“…That slowly fall from his exposed rib cage as he moves.”

This 32mm scale resin print of a Grave Gnasher is produced by "Rocket Pig Games", but actually 3D printed by “FullyCycled” over on “Etsy”. The model is one of several test prints I recently bought in order to see just how well such figures can currently be manufactured, and for a homemade project pitting the forces of a Clockwork Mage against those of the Natural World.

The figure comes on a pre-printed stand which contains a handful of smooth rocks, and is the only place where the tell-tale striation signs of a 3D print are visible. Unfortunately, this part of the model was also disappointing as it was neither flat, nor thin enough to allow me to safely reduce its thickness without considerable fear of irreversibly damaging its rather brittle material.

"Battletech" WIPs - A (Luftwaffe) Valkyrie, a (Soviet) Wasp and a (Wehrmacht) Mist Lynx Prime

As a result I ended up attaching the Undead ghoul onto a “Citadel” 40mm circular base simply so I had some space with which to use a little green-stuff to build a slope around its steep edge, and then mask the two elements together with a layer grit and ultimately grass flock. The figure itself was primed using a couple of coats of “Vallejo” Earth and washed with “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

I then applied a dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Earth over the creature with a soft make-up brush. Ordinarily, this technique has served me well as a super-quick way of providing a model with some basic highlights. However, for the Grave Gnasher, the sculpt was understandably smooth in many places so as to project the earth-based composition of its physical form.

After a little thought, I therefore decided to spread essentially a glaze of heavily watered-down “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna over much of the miniature, coupled with some sporadic applications of both “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green and Agrax Earthshade. This gave the monster a suitably mud-like palette, albeit I did give its gaping belly-maw a couple of coats of “Citadel” Nuln Oil in order to better darken its grisly interior workings.

"Battletech" WIPs - This (American) Stinger has been primed, washed and dry-brushed

I treated the creature’s ghastly stomach teeth and spinal cord with a combination of “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, before adding a little “Vallejo” White to its fearsome fangs at their very tips. Finally, I went with a coat of “Vallejo” Gunmetal for its wrist bracelets and hammerhead and shaded these areas with a splash of trusty “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

Alongside my Grave Gnasher I have also managed to get a little bit more work done on the first of four plastic “Battletech” robots I recently received by “Catalyst Games Labs”. These pre-built 6mm scale (1:285) models are going to be repurposed as Weird War Two mechs and have now all been re-based, primed and shaded using various “Vallejo” and “Citadel” paints and washes…

“The Komodo Dragon Is The Largest Living Lizard Species.”

“Adult Komodo Dragons eat smaller members of their own species and sometimes even other adults.”

This 28mm scale metal model of a Large Lizard is made by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought together with a significantly smaller Snapping Turtle as code FGA402 from their “Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago” range. The miniature was purchased as part of the company’s highly successful Nickstarter in October 2017, but has since sat somewhat unloved in one of my drawers on account of how disappointed I was in the sculpt’s actual size.

Despite only being 12mm in height, the figure had to be super-glued on to a plastic 50mm circular base in order to accommodate its long tail. The lizard was then primed with “Vallejo” Heavy Grey, sporadically shaded in “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and Biel-Tan Green, and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Grey. Finally, I picked out the creature’s eyes with two simple spots of “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

"Battletech" WIPs - A Mist Lynx Prime, a Wasp and a Valkyrie

Thanks to my monitor lizard being completed so quickly, I have found some time to re-base and prime some of my recently-arrived “Battletech” robots by “Catalyst Games Labs”. I actually pre-ordered these plastic 6mm scale (1:285) models way back in November 2020 from “Zatu Games” with the hope of assembling a few Weird War Two mechs for some homemade rules, so I have quickly chopped the four smallest off of their hexagonal stands and attached them to “Citadel” 40mm round bases instead.

Doubtless such a move is utter heresy to those gamers who enjoy FASA Corporation’s military science fiction franchise. However, I’m not planning on ever playing the actual game, even though I do believe I own the BattleTech Beginner Box, and simply wanted some reasonably cheap pre-built battle-suits to paint up in the various colour schemes of the Axis and Allies forces.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - This Clockwork Owlbeast has been layered, shaded and dry-brushed

To begin with I’m going to just focus on a Wasp, Mist Lynx Prime, Stinger and Valkyrie, dividing the quartet up into a Russian, American and (two) German battlemechs. All of these models will have pretty plain palettes to be honest, as I want to get them ready for the tabletop (and perhaps some super-tiny decals) as quickly as possible, before moving on to some of the range’s middle-sized miniatures.

Lastly, I am continuing to make steady progress on a number of my “Rocket Pig Games” resin figures 3D printed by "FullyCycled". As usual I have initially tried to pigment a handful of sculpts taken from the range simultaneously and then found myself predominantly focusing upon the needs of just one lone, single figure – in this case the meticulously detailed Clockwork Owlbeast.

“Four Score And Seven Years Ago, Our Fathers Brought Forth Upon This Continent...”

“...A new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

This 28mm scale plastic figure of President 16 is sold by "CoolMiniOrNot", and is one of six miniatures found inside their Presidential Box Survivor Pack for “Zombicide – Second Edition”. The sculpt has clearly been inspired by Abraham Lincoln, most notably Timur Bekmambetov’s fictional incarnation seen in the 2012 horror film “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, and can be used either as a survivor in the collaborative adventure board game, or actually replace the President in the Washington Z.C. campaign expansion.

The model was first cut from its pre-moulded stand and attached to a 28mm circular base. It was then primed using a couple of coats of “Vallejo” Gloss Black, dry-brushed with Heavy Charcoal so as to quickly bring out all of its wonderful detail, and shaded in “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - A nearly finished WoodWard and freshly started Clockwork Owlbeast

I next applied two layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey to the President’s somewhat tattered trousers, and gave them a splash or two of “Citadel” Nuln Oil. These pants were then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey before I applied a combination of Heavy Sienna and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade to the former lawyer’s belt, axe-handle and shotgun butt.

The politician’s belt buckle was ‘picked out’ using some “Vallejo” Gold and a smidgeon of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, whilst his bayonet, axe-head and shotgun were treated to a mixture of “Vallejo” Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil. Finally Lincoln’s shirt was given a coat of “Vallejo” White and Pale Grey, and his beard was layered with “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and (even more) “Citadel” Nuln Oil.

"Rocket Pig Games" WIPs - A Rawhorn and Dwarven War Construct

Originally I was planning on leaving Abraham at that, as due to the somewhat realistic proportions of the sculpt I wasn’t going to paint in the figure’s eyes as I ordinarily do for a 28mm scale miniatures. However, the “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade over “Vallejo” Heavy Skintone simply didn’t do it for me, so I eventually returned to the President and ‘spotted’ them with a dab of “Vallejo” White and “Citadel” Abaddon Black.

Alongside my first foray into pigmenting a “Zombicide” plastic figure, I have also been patiently working my way through some more of my resin miniatures designed by “Rocket Pig Games” and 3D printed by "FullyCycled". I’ve almost now finished my WoodWard, and so have turned my attention towards a rather impressively-sized Dwarven War Construct. In addition I've based and primed a splendidly-detailed Clockwork Owlbeast and truly massive Rawhorn.