"Chap With The Wings There. Five Rounds Rapid."

"What the blazes is that? Some kind of ornament?"

This 28mm model of an Animated Construct was sculpted by the extremely talented Andrew May and can be bought from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" under Code SKU: MINI 291. The 'living gargoyle' is available to villainous casts in the company's "7TV" Second Edition rule-set. But I plan to use mine to represent Bok, the stone servant of Azal from the 1971 BBC television serial "Doctor Who And The Daemons", and have him lead a group of Scary Statues...

Requiring a simple enough paint-job, the hefty miniature actually proved somewhat troublesome to pin together on account of its outstretched arm not fitting terribly well with its join at the creature's shoulder. Indeed, eventually I had to use quite a lengthy pin and some grey-stuff to firmly attach the limb and even then I couldn't achieve the angle illustrated on the "Crooked Dice" website.

"Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink." 

Fortunately once set firm, Bok was relatively straightforward to finish. Having applied a couple of coats of "Citadel" Adeptus Grey to the figure, I was able to apply a wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil over the model and then slowly dry-brush it with more "Citadel" Adeptus Grey. I then simply added some "Vallejo" White to my palette and lightly went over the miniature again in order to catch the gargoyle's raised surfaces with my paintbrush.

As a final touch I thought I'd just add a little demonic colour to my statue by picking out his eyes with "Vallejo" Heavy Red and then treating them to a glaze of "Citadel" Bloodletter.

Arnold Keeler WIPs - The malformed botanist just needs his mutating head to be painted and will be finished

I have also managed to get some more paint on one of the last “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” figures I've yet to complete as part of my Zomtober 2015 project "Doctor Who And The Seeds Of Doom". Painted in order to represent Harrison Chase's hapless botanist Arnold Keeler, I've been persevering with the scientist's white laboratory coat, and having finally managed to highlight it a "Vallejo" Pale Grey wash, have been busy dirtying it up with all manner of green, red and brown inks.

As with all of the Krynoid-infected zombies I've painted for this long-running enterprise, the deformed plant biologist will be used to represent a 'Runner' when I try to replicate the Timelord’s six-parter using an adaptation of the “Zombicide” rule set by “Guillotine Games”.

"Salute 2016" - Loot - Part Three

Group Captain Villain by "Artizan Designs" and painted by Michael Awdry

Ordinarily I don't usually get the opportunity to post other people's painted miniatures. But one of the biggest delights of "Salute 2016" was attending the annual Blogger's Meet-Up and chatting with some of this hobby's more notable luminaries. This year's gathering was especially remarkable however as it meant I could personally collect a prize for winning the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge Pulp Side-Contest from the extremely amiable Michael Awdry (famous for his terrifically compelling site "28mm Victorian Warfare").  

This cracking metal model of Group Captain Villain is made by "Artizan Designs" and can be found singularly as code PLP048 within their "Thrilling Tales" collection. The Terry-Thomas lookalike can also be bought as one of three figures sold as code PLP565 Mercenary Pilots.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Bok, a Police Sergeant and Police Marksman

Sir Awdry was clearly inspired by the wonderful paint-job found on the '28mm high metal figures specialists' website as he has readily reproduced their vibrant colours on his much-appreciated gift. Full details concerning Michael's quality brushwork on this miniature can be found on his blog's "Stop That Pigeon!" posting.

In addition to collecting my prize, another of my pre-orders from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" consisted of several figures originally only available from the manufacturer's "7TV" Second Edition Starter Casts. The Animated Construct is probably something far more akin to what writer Barry Letts had in mind when he created the stone gargoyle Bok for the 1971 television serial "Doctor Who And The Daemons", and will hopefully prove an formidable-looking leader to the six painted Scary Statues I already own.

U.N.I.T. WIPs - Corporal, Dog Handler and Marksman

Followers of the excellent "Vampifan's World Of The Undead" blog will know that Bryan Scott has recently been posting several Policeman as part of his Cops 'n' Robbers project. Inspired by this I thought I'd pick up a Police Sergeant and accompanying Marksman to add to my own collection of the 'Boys in Blue'.

Finally I felt it prudent to stock up on a few new additions to my ever-growing United Nations Intelligence Taskforce by buying an Army Corporal, Army Dog Handler and Army Marksman. These superb sculpts will supplement my growing U.N.I.T. ground forces. At least they will once I eventually get around to actually painting some of them...  

"Salute 2016" - Loot - Part Two

Blake's Seven WIPs - Space Commander Travis, Servalan and Kerr Avon

The first of my pre-orders collected at "Salute 2016", these superb likenesses by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" of Brian Croucher, Jacqueline Pearce, Paul Darrow and Michael Keating will make welcome additions to my "Alien Verses Blake's Seven" project, even if I do already own miniatures of Travis, Servalan, Kerr Avon and Vila Restal.

Fortunately all of these new sculpts by Ernst Veingart depict the 'Federated Security Command' personnel and 'Freedom Fighters' in post-Season One attire. Indeed Avon and Vila both appear in their Season Four costumes. Whilst my 'second' Travis now gives me the opportunity to field the Space Commander as either the Terran Officer ordered to destroy Blake (as played by Stephen Greif) or as the disgraced Federation renegade from Season Two... or perhaps even as both?

"Crooked Dice" WIPs - Two differently posed Claws of SHIVA and Vila Restal

Servalan's figure did admittedly cause me to momentarily pause before purchasing her, as despite wearing the costume seen in the second series story "Weapon", it would once again need to be painted white. Obviously I didn't want to own two miniatures of the same character in similar-coloured dresses, so have decided to paint her clothing bright red instead; bearing in mind that was another popular choice during her later televised appearances.

In addition to my science fiction figures, I also picked up a couple of packets containing the company's Claws of SHIVA sculpts. These 'razor sharp fighting clawed' henchmen would arguably make a good proxy for a lightly armed Shredder (of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Hero" fame). But for now the four formidable-looking minions will form part of my increasing legion of unfinished martial-artist miniatures I am currently collecting...

Bull Snapper WIP - This large metal miniature has been super-glued to a 40mm circular base

Undoubtedly a spur of the minute buy, and one of several "Privateer Press" models I ended up coming away from "Salute 2016" with, this impressive Bull Snapper is the first of a small Gatorman warband I hope to put together for the new "Hordes" rule-set when it's released later this year.

I've always liked the idea of gaming with some alligators, though if I'd known how difficult it would be to glue this heavy multi-part metal 28mm scale model together I probably wouldn't have bothered. Indeed, despite my best efforts with grey-stuff, there are still a few flaws to the figure's joins which I am hoping my paint-job will predominantly cover up. 

"Salute 2016" - Loot - Part One

Time Robbers WIPs - Randall, Robin Hood and Wally have all been appropriately undercoated

The first of my impulse purchases at "Salute 2016", these incredibly characterful 28mm white metal "Time Robbers" are made by "Northumbrian Tin Soldier", and proved an irresistible temptation on account of them being based upon the band of dwarves from the 1981 motion picture "Time Bandits".

This "fantastic new range" currently includes all six of the diminutive treasure-hunters, as well as John Cleese's incarnation of Robin Hood from the film, and can either be bought singluarly or in a group (as I did). Somewhat disappointingly though, despite these models' excellent detail I have found them to be somewhat larger than advertised. Indeed, the heroic green-garbed outlaw actually stands a formidable 40mm in height, so unfortunately they won't easily fit with the vast majority of my 28mm-scale collection as hoped...

Time bandits WIPs - Plenty of work left to do these instantly recognisable sculpts

The Time Robbers Set is not however the only range which "Northumbrian Tin Soldier" produce, as Martin Buck has "wonderfully sculpted" a load of similarly-sized goblins, faeries, imps, gnomes and other assorted creatures as part of the company's dark fantasy Nightfolk miniatures catalogue.

As a result I'm hoping to paint up Randall, Figit, Og, Strutter, Wally and Vermin reasonably quickly, and then hopefully begin collecting some of the sword-wielding teddy bears and heavily-armoured big-eared gnomes which the manufacturers currently produce; alongside any new figures for which they cast their Time Robbers range.

Robo Hunter WIPs - Having undercoated and washed Hoagy with Black shade, the robot now needs dry-brushing

Equally as impetuous an acquisition were these two old "2000 A.D." themed models by "Wargames Foundry". Sold by "Warmonger Miniatures" these sculpts of Sam Slade and his idiotic robot assistant Hoagy are somewhat taller than I anticipated, with Robo Hunter standing a disconcertingly 35mm in height. As a result, much like my Time Bandits, I strongly doubt I'll be able to use them alongside many of my other 28mm miniatures.

In an effort to reduce Sam Slade's height, I did actually attempt to remove the (pre-slotta) metal model from his incredibly thick base, and inadvertently ended up costing the "cigar-smoking bounty hunter of robots" his entire left foot; which snapped away at the ankle. Fortunately, having removed the same limb from a "Heroclix" A.I.M. Agent I had going spare, I was able to pin a replacement plastic foot onto my Robo Hunter and then fashion it into a similar shape using some grey-stuff...