"Hulking Warriors Of Nurgle..."

"...the Putrid Blightkings carve their way through the enemy with slime-encrusted axes..."

This 28mm scale Putrid Blightking is one of the five multi-part models which can be assembled from the sprues found within the “Games Workshop” Putrid Blightkings boxed set. Built and painted to represent a simple "favoured mortal servant of Nurgle" I therefore equipped the Rotbringer with a large well-used scimitar, a Nurgle sign-shaped shield and a few tiny tentacles. I already own a finished Blightlord, so need just four more of the bloated infantrymen to field a unit as part of my "Age Of Sigmar" Nurgle Host. 

Having assembled the figure using the 105-piece plastic kit's instruction booklet, the warrior was initially primed “Vallejo” Heavy Khaki and washed with “Citadel” Thrakka Green. The big-bellied brute was then dry-brushed with more “Vallejo” Heavy Khaki and had details such as his face mask, stomach plates and armour base-coated with “Citadel” Abaddon Black. These areas were subsequently painted using "Vallejo" Gunmetal Grey, and washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Because I wanted the battered helmet's grill to especially stand out, I also highlighted it with some Ironbreaker.

"N-FX Game Design Studio" Flip Card Box WIPs - The MDF has been primed black and layered silver 

The lumbering murder's skirt and plume was painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. However the areas were later dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Heavy Red in order to bring a little colour back to them. The rotting fighter's pouch was simply 'picked out' using "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. Whilst the severed head dangling from his stomach was treated to a layer of "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand, a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade and a dry-brush of more "Vallejo Iraqi Sand. 

So as to try and encapsulate the warrior's Virulent Discharge ability, which can cause any non-Nurgle units within 3 inches to suffer D3 mortal wounds on the roll of a 6, I dabbed a combination of “Citadel” Biel-Tan Green, Agrax Earthshade and Carroburg Crimson over the Blightking's decaying flesh. As a last touch all of the figure's numerous zits were ‘pimped out’ with “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre and treated to a coat of “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade.

"Black Tree Design" "Doctor Who" WIPs - A Sontaran, an Axon and a Kroton

As I want all my Putrid Blightkings to really stand out on the battlefield, I used both "Vallejo" Brass and then the "Citadel" Technical paint Nihilakh Oxide on the "blessed" model's "filth-encrusted" hand-weapon, shield and right shoulder-armour. These areas were subsequently dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" Brass to help blend in the patina.

With so much detailed-painting taking up the majority of my hobby-time, I've been working on another, far more straightforward, piece of MDF from "N-FX Game Design Studio". Their "Flip Card Box" is obviously designed to just hold cards off-table, but I thought the shape made for a potential Cyber-vault, so I've added a resin air-lock by "Second City Games" to one of its sides and primed the entire ensemble silver. Hopefully I'll be able to shade and dry-brush it over the next few days, and then get some "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" cards in it...

The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise ready to face Klingons, Romulans, Andorians and a Horta

Finally, I have been having a bit of a major sort through my back-log of partially-painted miniatures, and stumbled upon a load more "Doctor Who" miniatures by "Black Tree Design" which were, rather disconcertingly, probably based and primed over a decade ago. Having dusted a few down, I'm hoping to make some in-roads on these over the next few days, and start clearing my increasingly cluttered painting queue.

"They Are A Roving People..."

"...With their own distinctive ways and their own aims and values..."

These two 28mm metal Boromite models are manufactured by "Warlord Games" and form part of the race's five model strong Gang Fighter boxed set. Armed with mag pistol and reflex armour, the Gang Leader is also carrying a Lectro Lash. Whilst the Ganger is depicted carrying a mag gun along with his reflex armour. These soldiers are part of my slowly progressing Scouting Force for "Beyond The Gates Of Antares" and, 'in-game' have been additionally armed with plasma grenades ("at 2pts per model").

Initially primed with two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, the figures were washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and then had their weaponry 'layered' with some Chaos Black. The brutish-looking extra-terrestrials' armour was slowly painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre, and subsequently shaded with some watered-down "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"...that mark them out from other panhuman morphs."

As each miniature's waist girdle is simply packed full of detail and equipment, I decided to 'pick out' the mining aliens' pouches with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and shaded their "Citadel" Ironbreaker mag weapons with Nuln Oil. Finally, I applied "Vallejo" Heavy Khaki and later "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green to the Gang Leader's Lectro Lash, and his armour's wiring with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

In addition to these two figures, I have also painted a Boromite Spotter Drone to compliment my 500-point strong force's Overseer Squad. The Tactical Infantry Command Unit's blister actually comes with one of the buddy drones in it, but unfortunately for some reason mine contained one belonging to the Algoryn by mistake. Rather generously however, "Warlord Games" have since sent me a three-model metal sprue as a replacement.

Boromite Overseer Squad

Unsurprisingly, I used exactly the same palette on my Spotter Drone as I have used for my soldiers. Costing just 10 points, the device "can relay information from their sensors directly into their unit's combat shard" and "share information with other spotter drones". On the battlefield this means one of its primary uses will be to allow me to "re-roll one miss each time" a unit shoots "so long as at least one spotter drone has line of sight to the target."

By way of a distraction from all the Boromites' intricate detail, I have managed to spend some hobby-time assembling one of the two airlocks uncovered by an earthquake in the "Dungeons & Dragons" module "Expedition To Barrier Peaks". In essence I have drilled away a portion of an old resin rock formation by either “Terrain Warehouse UK” or “Total System Scenic”, and fitted to it one of my recently acquired airlocks sold by "Second City Games".

"Expedition To Barrier Peaks" WIPs - The uncovered air lock has been primed, layered and washed

Admittedly, on its own the scenic piece looks as if the entranceway probably leads no-where. But once painted and on an appropriately decorated tabletop, it should hopefully appear to lead to a service lift which will then convey its occupants down to the submerged spaceship's officials, officers and technicians quarters...

"No Two Snowflakes Are Exactly Alike."

"Frozen to her core, fragile Crystal became frigid Killer Frost, an ice maiden..."

This 28mm coloured plastic “Wizkids” model of Killer Frost can be bought as miniature number 47 from the DC Comics “Heroclix” Unleashed range. "Formerly... an adversary of the superhero Firestorm", Doctor Crystal Frost's alter-ego was created by Gerry Conway and artist Al Milgrom, and made her first comic book appearance in the June 1978 issue of "Firestorm".

Able "to absorb heat from external sources and transmute it into waves of cold", the miniature was undercoated with “Vallejo” White, washed with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade, and subsequently dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" White. I then carefully 'picked out' some of the details of her face, hands and legs with some watered-down "Citadel" Asurmen Blue.

"We broke one of our spears ...trying to make the thing hiss and let us in the cave."

As well as finishing my affiliate of the Secret Society of Super Villains, I have also completed an anachronistic objective marker/piece of scenery for my “Metamorphosis Alpha" project. This resin (spacecraft) deck hatch can be bought from E-bay Store "Second City Games" and comes as part of their impressive Sci-Fi Scenery Airlocks, Cargo Bay Door, Hatchway auction.

Super-glued upon a thin 40mm circular base, the access door was initially primed with "Citadel "Abaddon Black, layered with two coats of "Vallejo" Gunmetal Grey and washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. It was then dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Gunmetal Grey before being treated to a hearty application of "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash.

Dalek WIPs - The Two Imperial Guards and damaged Dalek just need some washes to be applied

In order to help blend this modeller's product in with the rest of the scenic piece, the hatchway was once again dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Gunmetal Grey and then had some of its brighter surfaces toned down with more Extreme Rust Wash; albeit this time the foul-smelling "Mig Productions" solution was applied from a very-well shaken bottle in order to 'water-down' the rust particles on the brush. As a final touch the model's base was flocked using "Citadel" snow, so it would better fit in with the cold wasteland my "Metamorphosis Alpha" campaign will start in.

Finally, I've made some good 'in-roads' on two more plastic Daleks by "Warlord Games", as well as my destroyed Dalek objective marker. Having already painted up six of the extra-terrestrial mutants' "ultimate" Time War casings, I thought I'd try a slightly different colour scheme instead, so I'm painting my latest additions as Imperial Guards.

"He's Not Your Typical Werewolf."

"A werewolf? How effective is that? Full Moon's what, twice a month?"

This 28mm scale plastic model of the “Marvel Worldwide” character Warwolf was kit-bashed together using the top half of a "Mage Knight" Feral Werewolf, a "Games Workshop" powerfist and the legs of a "Heroclix" S.H.I.E.L.D. Trooper. The conversion piece initially looked rather top-heavy, so after pinning the lycanthrope’s torso to his legs, I used some grey-stuff to make the waist fill out a little more smoothly. In addition, I 'bulked up' the area by cutting off the figure's original waist pouch and replaced it with a number of larger bags and grenades, courtesy of a "Warhammer 40K" Cadian Trooper sprue.

I actually began building this ‘Forgotten Hero’ for last year’s challenge, as I wanted to ‘convert’ a number of "Wizkids" figures into some of the lesser known members of the "Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D."; a sadly short-lived comic book series which depicted the escapades of a top secret division of operatives who "defend the world against super human threats too dangerous for normal men." Created by Richard Buckler in 2005, Martin Reyna is the leader of Area Thirteen's S.T.A.K.E. team, and received the codename Warwolf due to the Gene Package embedded on his right mechanical arm which can be used to transform him into a werewolf.

Deck Hatch WIPs - This doorway will eventually lead to the 300 year-old starship Warden

The miniature was initially primed “Vallejo” White, with its furry torso and head receiving a coat of Heavy Sienna. I then began tidying up and highlighting all the figure’s pouches, as well as his boots and belt with Pale Grey. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent’s distinctive blue uniform was painted using a combination of Heavy Blue and “Citadel” Drakenhof Nightshade (with some Asurmen Blue too).

I tackled Reyna’s fur by washing it with “The Army Painter” Heavy Strong Tone Quickshade and dry-brushing it with more “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna. Ordinarily, I’m perfectly satisfied with this finish, but on this occasion thought a light highlight of Heavy Brown over the werewolf’s head and claws would help bring out the figure’s finer detail in these areas.

Killer Frost WIPs - A nice straightforward case of white undercoat, blue wash and white dry-brush

Disconcertingly, I then faced a similar dilemma with Warwolf’s jagged teeth and mouth. The anti-hero’s open jaws are full of teeth, tongue and slobbering lips, as well as a roof which has lots of delicate tissue ridges sculpted upon it. However, I felt that if I painted the inside of the palate red, then that would clash with Martin’s lolling tongue and simply make the entire snout look far too busy. As a result I simply ‘brushed’ all the fangs with “Vallejo” White and a dab of “The Army Painter” Heavy Strong Tone Quickshade, whilst ‘picking out’ his tongue with “Vallejo” Heavy Red and “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson.

With this week’s submission to “Forgotten Heroes” completed I have managed to spend a little time working on a simple objective marker I plan to use for my opening game of James M. Ward’s “Metamorphosis Alpha”. This rusty resin (spacecraft) deck hatch is by “Second City Games”, and once finished will be flocked with snow ready for my unsuspecting winter-clothed "Dungeons And Dragons" party to negotiate and unlock…

The Zygons attempt to stop the Daleks from activating a stellar converter and destroying the Earth

Finally, as something of a straightforward distraction, I have primed, washed and dry-brushed a rather simplistic-looking sculpt of the "DC Comics" super-villain, Killer Frost. Destined to be given a snow-flocked base, this pre-coloured plastic "Wizkids" miniature of Doctor Crystal Frost will ultimately be used as the perfect "foil for Firestorm", once I've actually gotten round to painting up a "Heroclix" miniature of the Nuclear Man himself.