"Ready Launchers Three And Seventeen."

"Fire."

This 28mm scale lead free pewter model of FedSec Base Commander is manufactured by "Beast In The Broch" and can be brought either individually as SKU: FED18 or as part of the five-figure FedSec Command 2 set SKU: PAK08. Digitally sculpted by Carl Stoelzel, the miniature is clearly inspired by the one-eyed Quute as played by actor Christopher Neame in the 1981 television episode of "Blake's Seven" entitled "Traitor".

"A colonel in the Federation force on Helotrix", the senior officer was primed using a couple of coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and shaded using plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then picked out all his uniform's rather lavish rank insignia with using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - This piece of Sturmriese Axis Walker has had several stickers added to it

Ordinarily I would also use these colours to 'pick out' the Federation's standard issue carbine. However, as I wanted to make a break from all the black and silver already on show, I decided to pigment the hand-weapon using a basecoat of "Scale 75" Decayed Metal and subsequently wash it with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This seemed to be a much better match for the on-screen colour scheme too.

With the first of my FedSec Command Team completed, I have once again turned my attention to Dave Stone's Season of Scenery over on his "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog, and started work on a rather large piece of a Sturmriese Axis "alker for "Konlikt '47" I printed using some "Bambu Lab" PLA (Polylactic Acid) on my A1 Mini 3D Printer many moons ago. The "Warlord Games" STL (Standard Triangle Language) is just piece of a rather complicated looking "colossal Rift-tech construct" and frankly put me right off producing any more parts. But I did think it looked rather good as some sort of energy pylon.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - This Dark Trooper has been assembled, primed and base-coated

Indeed, my recent purchase of the "Secret Wars" expansion book for the "Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game" has put me in need of just such an objective/scenic piece, so I thought now was the ideal time to get it painted. However, it did (understandably) look a little bare for my purposes, so I dipped into my slowly-dwindling collection of 3D decals given to me by “N-FX Game Design Studio”, and 'spruced' it up a bit first.

In addition, I've been battling the first of two Dark Troopers I recently bought as part of the You Have Something I Want Squad Pack for "Star Wars: Shatterpoint". This 40mm scale multipart plastic Imperial super-soldier by "Atomic Mass Games" took forever to assemble due to its overcomplicated design and incredibly fiddly small parts - the number of times I had to hunt around the floor on my knees looking for a tiny piece I'd dropped whilst trying to glue it to a similarly-sized part almost fried my poor brain. Luckily though, I have managed to persevere and finally get the first of the box's four figures ready for some paint...

“Salute" Showcase 2026

The doors apparently opened fifteen minutes early - Something I was very grateful for

As I hadn't been able to attend "Europe’s largest wargaming convention" for the past few years, I figured that it was about time to once again travel up to the London ExCel, and once again savour the delights of the South London Warlords' annual show. Indeed, I was so determined to make the event that I actually arrived there with plenty of time to spare (and queue), so spent the first half an hour there rifling through their "legendary and exclusive Goodie Bag" whilst I waited for the venue's doors to open.

Ordinarily, I tackle shows as huge as this one by simply turning right at the door and making my way along the vendors situated up against the building's wall. However, such was the excitement of my travelling companion that I was immediately dragged to the "Archon Studio" stand right near the centre of the hall, and unwittingly exposed to their overwhelming stock of "Starcraft" and "Trench Crusade" miniatures.

Two of the chaps at the "Star Lion Forge" stall

Now having watched numerous "YouTube" videos on both rule systems and their ranges I had a little idea of what to expect whilst perusing the absolutely crammed shelves. Yet I still felt somewhat helplessly compelled to pick up the Polish company's "Starcraft" Two Player Starter Set Founders Edition and take it to the till, even though it was a whopping twenty quid more than I had previously been told it sold for. In fact, perhaps the biggest disappointment of the show was that all of the different boxed sets and expansions for this game that I could see them selling were more than the full-price advertised on their webstore - e.g. I also almost picked up the Protoss Starter Set, which is currently on pre-order for £79 with a Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of £99. At the show "Archon Studio" were charging £100 per box.

The large "Konflikt '47" table at the "Warlord Games" stall

Admittedly, I was ultimately able to walk away from Salute with a big box of miniatures in my hand, as well as not pay international postage and packaging. But frankly this added expense put a bit of a dampener on things for me, and gave me a bit of a mind-funk for the rest of the show - especially as Swedish-based "Free League Publishing" also appeared to be doing a similar sort of thing by disappointingly charging a fiver more for their Alien Role-Playing Game Starter Set than if I ordered it online.

Some of the "Dropzone" franchise goodies on show by "TTCombat"

Happily, despite this quibble there was plenty to see and enjoy at Salute 53, with a number of new manufacturers (at least to me) cropping up all over the place. Furthermore, when I could make my way through the sometimes almost suffocating crowd and physically step up to the front of a stall it was clear just how excited many of these small businesses were to actually be at the event - such as "Star Lion Forge" who enthusiastically showed me all their miniatures for "Aether Punk 28" and "Hypespace".

A few of the goodies on display by "Mammoth Factory" and "Anvil Industry"

Of course, the show's stalwarts were also out in force, with "Warlord Games" showing off some of their fantastic models for "Konflikt '47". Their display table featuring all manner of mechs and zombies was a real treat for the eyes, and certainly seemed to be generating quite a buzz. Likewise, "TTCombat" brought back a lot of memories of when "Dropzone Commander" was first launched at the London ExCel several years ago. This game's universe appears to have been greatly expanded, and I was particularly intrigued by a 28mm incarnation of it sitting upon a tiny tabletop.

Just some of the models on sale by "Tabletop 3D Printing Services"

Similarly as tempting were the number of companies I ordinarily associate with producing STL (Standard Triangle Language) files on "My Mini Factory" actually selling physical products. I own a fair few figures sculpted by both "Mammoth Factory" and "Anvil Industry" (or rather "Anvil Digital Forge"), so was rather surprised to see both manufacturers present with lots to models boxed up ready for customers to just pick up and walk away with.

Some of the figures on show by "Warp Miniatures" and "Crow Industries"

Ultimately though, I simply didn't spend as much as I was anticipating (and had saved up for). Yes, I did succumb to "Archon Studio" and their rather hefty "StarCraft: Two Player Starter Set Founders Edition". But such a large (and frankly heavy) purchase right at the very start of the show meant I had little cash for much else, and so nibbled away at stalls such as "Diehard Miniatures" and "Sarissa Precision" until I decided in the early afternoon that enough was enough...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge” [II/IV] January 2026

Last month's output ranged from spacecraft to spacemen, and even a small bit of terrain

Having already completed a quarter of my latest Partially-Painted/Printed Pledge (PPPP) I thought I'd spend the next four or so weeks focusing upon a number of 28mm plastic soldiers produced by "Warlord Games" - which frankly have been gathering dust on my shelves for far too many months. The majority of these figures will be World War Two Italians, as having bought the Nottingham-based company's "Bolt Action" Third Edition rulebook, as well downloaded their Italy Army List [dated September 2024], I thought I might finally finish a force of Benito Mussolini's fascists I've previously assembled, based and undercoated.

In addition, I couldn't resist recently picking up a copy of Issue 454 of "Wargames Illustrated" as it had a sprue of US Firefly Jump Infantry 'cello-taped' to its front cover. In the past I've experimented with "Konflikt '47" using my quite considerably-sized collection of "Secrets Third Reich" miniatures by "West Wind Productions". But never got on with that range's Jet Soldiers - finding the sculpts significantly smaller than the rest of my models. So thought I might try the 'official' figures for a change, and maybe even pick up half-a-dozen Axis Stahltruppen Heavy Infantry as opposition if the mood takes me.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Three of the six US Firefly Jump Infantry I've assembled for "Konflikt '47"

I'm also eager to continue working on the brood of Zeek Scuttlers by "Artisan Guild" I have produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on my Mars 5 3D Printer. With my unit of Burrowers now finished and ready to represent a Tidal Swarm for the Trident Realm Of Neritica in "Kings Of War", I plan to get both my army's leader and a couple of basic infantry units completed 'toot sweet.'

Lastly, I haven't forgotten how badly my Napoleonic project has started floundering in recent times. I was fully expecting to have doubled the number of French skirmishers and Russian militia I could field over the past few weeks. However, disappointingly I haven't finished a single one, and now enter a year in which I had planned to solely focus upon cavalry units rather than (more) infantry. As a result I hope to get the eight outstanding soldiers finished as soon as I can, and then potentially look at only doing a handful of horsemen before plunging back to more muskets and bayonets.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - This Napoleonic French skirmisher is now close to competition

There can be little doubt that my productivity over the past few months has been somewhat low when compared to my output of previous years. To be fair a lot of this has been down to the sheer variety of miniatures currently available to me - something which has caused me to leap from one manufacturer to another with little rhyme or reason. The number of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files I now own in embarrassingly high and means I now spend a lot of my hobby time tinkering with my 3D printers rather than actually putting a brush-tip on a model.

Somewhat disconcertingly I don't see that changing any time soon either, as I have now started printing and painting scenery too - something I've always tried to avoid in the past. Of particular note has to be the numerous pieces of scenery I just acquired from "Saucermen Studios" via their "Beyond The Trenches Of Despair" Kickstarter. Whether it be ruined walls, trench systems, bunkers, towers or concrete barricades, I am currently slowly producing as much of this stuff as my "Bambu Lab" A1 Mini can cope with - and then I'll be moving onto another terrain project concerning various sewers, dungeons and pyramids following the success of "Death x Tiles: The Lost Temple" campaign by "Cast N Play"...

"Tribal Nations Warbands Will Centre Around A Core Of Mohawk And Seneca Infantry...

"...Backed by packs of wild beasts acting as fast strike forces."

This pair of 28mm metal miniatures were produced by "Warlord Games" as part of their Mythic Americas range, and could be found inside the Nottingham-based company's five-figure Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set. The animals actually came with circular MDF bases. However, as with the rest of my models for this wargame, I soon super-glued them upon plastic 32mm round bases instead.

The two canines were both primed using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then gave all the legs, bellies, throats and maws a few heavy brushstrokes of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, shaded these areas with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently dry-brushed them with (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats".

"Trench Stench" WIPs - Three Dirt Knights at various stages of completion

So brusque a technique obviously created a strong contrast between the animals' upper and lower bodies, so I carefully dry-brushed the regions where the two colours clashed with some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. I also went back afterwards with some "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and touched up these parts to hopefully blend all the differently hued fur together even more.

As a final step I dotted the two Wolves' eyes and noses with some pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and traced out their forward-facing fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This actually made the pair look a bit toothless to me. So I quickly went back with my brush-tip and ensured that each miniature was sporting a few more teeth than appeared to have been sculpted on them.

"Black Site Studios" WIPs - A NASA Astronaut and two (more) Soviet Cosmonauts

In addition to the last of my Tribal Nations Wolves I have started working on earnest on five Dirt Knights by "Trench Stench" I recently produced on my "Elegoo" Mars 5 3D printer. For once I'm actually hoping that a factory line approach will actually pay some dividends for me, so I'm hoping to get all of the 'Crusader Knights' finished in good time before I start pigmenting the Trench Crusader unit's leader - a rather impressive Mechanised Gunslinger Lieutenant.

Furthermore, I simply can't seem to stop building more astronauts by "Black Site Studios". Despite now arguably owning more than enough Soviets and NASA spacemen than I need, I've picked up a few more 3D prints I found in my 'pile of potential' and converted them using some more of the leftover bitz I own from the American company's 2021 "Lunar" Core Boxed Set...

“Warlord Games" Showcase 2025

"Our HQ deep in the heart of wargaming’s spiritual home, Nottingham."

Having missed the last couple of Open Days at "Warlord Games" Headquarters in Nottingham, I thought a basic trip up to the manufacturer's store in Finch Close, Lenton was probably a bit overdue - especially as they've recently released their (new) Konflikt '47 Starter Set and I was curious to see what this latest edition contained. Happily, there was plenty of miniatures, as well as a fantastic tabletop featuring "the tabletop wargame of heroes, horrors, monsters, and mechs" on display in the shop, so I soon busied myself looking at all the different sculpts and factions.

Some of the models on display by Paul Sawyer and Craig Butler

The first thing to catch my eye though was the late great Paul Sawyer's British Airborne force. This purely historical army for "Bolt Action" was incredibly well painted, and packed full of some great looking characters - most notably a flamethrower who was clearly not taking any prisoners whatsoever. In addition, I was rather taken with the way Paul's prone soldiers appeared, as rather than just lying flat upon their stomachs, these guys still maintained the illusion of motion by wriggling about with their heads (and in some cases hands) up.

Next up was a truly terrifying collection of Axis men and monstrosities by Craig Butler. Admittedly, I first thought these gas-mask wearing soldiers and werewolves were Soviets due to the bright red palette colour choice used on their lapels, gloves and stockings. But it quickly became clear that they were all under the thrall of the mysterious Green Vault. I've previously pigmented a pack of "West Wind Productions" Secrets Of The Reich Jager Werewolves, so was incredibly taken with the sheer bulky size of three Schreckwulfen which were surrounding Sturmbannfuhrer Grauler.

"Konflikt '47 is the tabletop wargame of heroes, horrors, monsters, and mechs, putting you in command of the nightmarish struggle for supremacy."

My attention was also drawn to how well the new sculpts for Konflikt '47 tied in with the range's older units. I'm pretty sure I own an assortment of unpainted Schwertruppen troopers and Nachtjager myself, so was delighted to see "Warlord Games" showcasing such units too. Furthermore, a trio of Spinne Light Panzermechs reminded me that my 'pile of potential' probably housed a few more old vehicle kits than I cared to recollect - which should almost certainly be either opened or dusted down before I embark on any new purchases.

Some of the Winter Campaign American Forces on show at "Warlord Games" HQ

The last couple of collections to inspire me were a pair of winter U.S. armies. Snow-covered armour and support vehicles hold a strange place in my hobby-heart, as I really enjoy seeing the stark contrast between the bright white snow and the much more drab, darker colours of the soldiers' uniforms etc. Alongside Connor Hind's historical force, was a much more bloody affair featuring some US Firefly Jump Infantry, and a truly gore-splattered Kodiak Close Assault Walker.

"Warlord Games" Konflikt '47 display table

Finally, I had a good mooch at the store's aforementioned awesome Konflikt '47 display table. I was particularly keen to examine the Firefly Airborne Infantry on show as I have recently managed to pick up a copy of "Wargames Illustrated" #454, and it came with a sprue of the fast-flying Yanks. The layout really captured my imagination, and significantly fuelled my enthusiasm for the alternative universe World War Two game. Indeed, I hope to dig out a fair few of my older models from the loft to paint with my Americans once I have assembled them from the 28mm plastic sprue...

"Wolves Hold Significant Cultural And Spiritual Importance..."

"...In many Native American tribes."

This 28mm metal model used to be sold by "Warlord Games" as part of their Mythic Americas range, and could be found inside the Nottingham-based company's five-figure Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set. However, as I plan to use the miniature to represent a Dark Wolf in "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", I decided to go with a predominantly black palette, as opposed to the much lighter one found on the sculpt's 'official' packaging.

The animal was primed using "Citadel" Abaddon Black, vigorously dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then gave its legs, belly, throat and maw a few solid brushstrokes of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, shaded these areas with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and subsequently dry-brushed them with (more) "Vallejo"  Heavy Sienna.

Repainted Tribal Nations Wolves with a much lighter blue-grey coat of fur

Bitterly disappointed with the outcome, I next decided to blend the two contrasting areas with a lot more dry-brushing using both "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and Heavy Sienna, and focused on significantly reducing the amount of brown which was on show. Frustratingly, this didn't really improve the 'look' of the model either - largely due to the miniature's disconcertingly soft details, so in the end I also gave the wolf a serious sploshing of (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

To be honest by this point I had frankly lost the will to live with the miniature. However, a stellar suggestion by Ray Rousell of "Don't Throw A One" fame, gave me the idea to try a couple of alternative colours as a highlight, and see whether I could 'catch' what scant fur ridges were sculpted onto the beast. Resultantly, I initially applied some "Two Thin Coats" Cold Corpse Blue across the animal's back, upper legs and tail, and then later 'caught' these areas with a few brisk strokes of "Vallejo" Neutral Gray.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - An Austrian Infantryman, Grenadier and Office

This process definitely gave the wolf some of the depth I had been grasping for, so having scooped up the two (not) Dark Wolves I previously pigmented last week, I also gave them exactly the same treatment too. Lastly, I patiently 'picked out' the model's fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and simply dotted its nose and eyes with a smidgeon of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

Despite my irritations with the now OOP (Out Of Production) "Warlord Games" miniature, I have managed to make a little more progress on the three 28mm metal Napoleonic soldiers by "Wargames Foundry" I want to add to my Austrian warband for "The Silver Bayonet". It really is still early days on the trio. However, having been inspired by the figures, I've actually based and started undercoating the rest of the contents from blisters AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching, and AN002 German Infantry Marching too...

"Dark Wolves Are Often Found Running With Werewolves..."

"...Or in service to other evil powers such as vampires."

This pair of 28mm metal specimens of Canis lupus were sold by "Warlord Games" as part of their Mythic Americas range, and could be found inside the Nottingham-based company's five-figure Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set. However, as I wanted to use these particular models to represent Dark Wolves (or at least Grey Wolves) in "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", I decided to go with a predominantly black palette, as opposed to the much lighter one found on their 'official' packaging.

The two canines were all undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, enthusiastically dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then gave each of the animals' legs, belly, throat and maw a few solid brushstrokes of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, shaded these areas with plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and subsequently dry-brushed them with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - A Napoleonic Austrian Grenadier, Officer and Infantryman

Somewhat disappointingly, this technique didn't quite work out as I had hoped - largely due to the sculpts being disconcertingly soft in detail, especially the fur. Resultantly, I thought my beasts looked more like Alsatian dogs or Doberman than ferocious wolves, so decided to blend the two contrasting areas with more dry-brushes of "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and Heavy Sienna - as well as use this opportunity to greatly reduce the amount of brown colour on show.

In the end I also gave the entire ensemble a generous wash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil in a last, desperate effort to darken down my paints, and carefully 'picked out' their fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I considered whether to dot their eyes with an unholy red - specifically marking them out as Dark Wolves, or stick to them being pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black - as I have done with the other Tribal Nations Wolves I've previously painted.

"Wargames Foundry" WIPs - Three Napoleonic British Riflemen

As I was somewhat doubtful I'd ever pick up (or debatably find) another box of these now OOP (Out Of Production) miniatures, and actually now may well purchase some of the 'proper' Dark Wolves produced by "North Star Military Figures" in the future, I decided to leave them as they were - and thus let me use them as 'natural' Grey Wolves should I ever be inclined to work on a Mythic Americas project.

With my "Silver Bayonet" itch still not really scratched, I have also spent some hobby time basing and priming a number of 28mm metal Napoleonic figures by "Wargames Foundry". This month I would really like to pigment enough of the range's Austrian models to field a force of (historically-themed) monster hunters, so I have purposely plucked out miniatures from AN007 Hungarian Infantry Command, AN026 German Grenadiers 1805-15 Marching, and AN002 German Infantry Marching to help with that aim. Furthermore, I couldn't resist seeing if I can perhaps 'bulk up' my four-figure British Riflemen unit by adding some more 'recruits' from blister B080 British Riflemen...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Wargames Foundry" August 2025

"The Austrian army was one of the largest and best-trained."

Despite enjoying a solid nine or so weeks working my way through my current obsession with super-heroes, I believe I had best spend the next month (once again) focusing upon my startlingly large collection of unpainted 28mm metal Napoleonic figures by "Wargames Foundry" instead. I did have some considerably high hopes for this particular project at the start of the year - with my main goal being to have enough miniatures tabletop ready for a small, modest game of "Black Powder". But sadly this target has largely fallen by the roadside as my hobby interests have subsequently journeyed in a completely different, non-historical direction.

Currently however, I am also playing a fair bit of "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games", and having fielded a Russian force a fair few times recently, I thought I might attempt to play as the Austrians for a change. This means I need to pigment a number of (standard) infantrymen and an officer (or two) to join my already finished trio of Jaegers - so should resultantly present a fairly achievable target for the coming period.

 "Wolves can manoeuvre through large areas of the battlefield."

Sticking with Joseph A. McCullough's "skirmish wargame of gothic horror" I have also completed a fifth model from the Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set by "Warlord Games" - which I use as Dark Wolves. This 28mm metal example of Canis lupus was primed in "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then gave the animal's legs, belly, throat and maw a few licks of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, before shading these areas with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and highlighting them back up with (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats".

To complete the look of the wolf's fur, I later dry-brushed a fairly rough line of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey along the middle of the figure, and (hopefully) blended the colour in with some additional touch-ups of (even more) "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. In addition, I dotted the animal's eyes and nose with some pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and traced out its fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

July 2025 - Both "CoolMiniOrNot" and "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" prove popular

With one of the most productive months of the year behind me, I'm pretty confident that the next few weeks will see a similarly successful time - especially as I have little intention of setting aside the numerous 40mm sculpts by "CoolMiniOrNot" and "Big Head Chibis" I intend to use for the Marvel Multiverse Role-playing Game (MMRPG) I'm still progressing. This "fun, engaging dive into the world of Marvel Comics" has really helped reinvigorate my enthusiasm for the hobby, and should hopefully cause me to get a few more comic book characters finished in good time.

Furthermore, I've got a few miniatures for games such as "The Horus Heresy" by "Games Workshop", "Pillage" by "Victrix Limited" and "Battlefront Valkyrie" by "Fat Dragon Games" to work on - as well as a load of scenery to boot. So it's not as if I don't have an entirely different genre, if not scale, to move across to if I suddenly find my current interests waning after a few weeks...

"One Of The Crow King’s Favoured Constructs..."

"...These sinister skeletal giants appear to be nothing more than a swirling black cloth, topped with a horse's skull."

This 28mm scale white metal model is produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought as MINI 431 Mast Beast A from the company's Folk Horror range. Sculpted by Steve Saleh, and clearly giving off a vibe from Terry Gilliam's 1981 British adventure film "Time Bandits", the miniature was originally going to be one of my entries into Angry Piper's "Monster May(hem)" monthly challenge over on the "Dead Dick's Tavern and Temporary Lodging" blog. But as that particular event concluded several weeks ago, I've simply finished painting him up to use as a ghost for "The Silver Bayonet" by "Osprey Games".

The model was perhaps unsurprisingly primed using a couple of layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before being heavily dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. It was then drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and had it's sickle 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I also gave the blade a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to weather it a bit, and later treated the agricultural tool's edges to a delicate dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Two of six Tribal Nations Wolves currently being worked on

With the basics completed I next applied some "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand to the monster's skull and skeletal arm, shaded them with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently used a little (more) "Vallejo" Iraqi Sand as a highlight. However, this didn't make the bones stand out as well as I wanted, so I dabbed a little White Star by "Two Thin Coats" onto my brush-tip, and very patiently drew it across the parts to hopefully create something of a bleached effect.

Having completed the first of two Mast Beasts I currently have in my painting queue, I've found the time to get some of the basic colour work done on six 28mm metal Tribal Nations Wolves by "Warlord Games". As I've already previously pigmented four of these animals for my "Silver Bayonet" scenarios, I'm pretty happy I know what I need to do to get them finished, so intend to plough straight through these 'random encounters' over the next few hobby sessions.

"Station Forge" WIPs - These three GrimGuard Divers have been primed with "Vallejo" German Grey

In addition though, I have also managed to produce, base and prime five GrimGuard Divers by "Station Forge". I actually own an embarrassingly large amount of this manufacturer's STL (Standard Triangle Language) files as I've been busy supporting two of their Patreon memberships for quite some time. As a result I thought it was high time to power up my Mars 5 3D printer, swamp its tank with plenty of Elegoo" Water Washable Resin and create a basic squad of scuba-soldiers.

Due to the sculpts being somewhat influenced by the Death Korps of Krieg Imperial Guard which features in "Warhammer 40k" by "Games Workshop", I actually plan on giving the figures a somewhat similar paint-scheme. However, as this particular unit of GrimGuard is clearly outfitted to fight underwater, I thought they'd all be predominantly wearing an off-black diving suit - possibly with the odd brass mask and some orange flippers..?

"These Lightning-Fast Wolf Packs..."

 "...Fight with a singular unity that can bring a foe many times their size..."

These four 28mm metal specimens of Canis lupus were produced by "Warlord Games" as part of their Mythic Americas range, and could be found inside the Nottingham-based company's five-figure Tribal Nations Wolves boxed set. The miniatures actually came with circular MDF bases. However, I soon super-glued them upon plastic 32mm round bases instead.

The quartet of canines were all primed using a couple of licks of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then gave each beast's legs, belly, throat and maw a few heavy brushstrokes of "Two Thin Coats" White Star, shaded these areas with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, and subsequently dry-brushed them with (more) White Star by "Two Thin Coats".

"...Making them formidable allies."

This approach obviously created a strong contrast between the animals' upper and lower bodies, so I carefully dry-brushed the regions where the two colours clashed with some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. I also went back afterwards with some "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, and touched up these parts to hopefully blend all the differently hued fur together even more.

As a final step I dotted each Wolves eyes and noses with some pure "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and traced out their fangs with a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. This actually made all the pack look a bit toothless to me. So I quickly went back with my brush-tip and ensured each miniature was sporting a few more teeth than appeared to have been sculpted on them.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Two Mast Beasts

To be honest, I wasn't particularly enthused to pigment these models - and I have six more to do yet before I've completed the two boxes I bought during a sale in November 2023. Admittedly they're not made of Warlord Resin - which I really dislike. But I did think the sculpting on them, especially around the faces, was a little too soft for my liking. In addition, my mojo for any sort of Mythic Americas project was badly dented by the manufacturer's recent announcement that they've dropped the range - albeit these figures are destined for my "Silver Bayonet" tabletop first and foremost.

In addition to my Wolves, I have also managed to make some progress on a pair of Mast Beasts by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Like so many metal miniatures I seem to be painting these days, I plan to use this pair as 'random encounters' for any of my "Silver Bayonet" monster hunters unlucky enough to encounter a ghost or two. I actually hope to squeeze a fair few sculpts from Karl Perrotton's Folk Horror range into my painting queue over the next few months, as I greatly expand my gothic horror bestiary...

Top Ten Manufacturers Of 2024 - A "Fantorical" Viewpoint

It's strange how some unpleasantness experienced at the start of a year can have such a long-lasting impact upon a wargamer's enthusiasm for the hobby. However, having decided to leave the Fourteenth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) early, and resultantly found myself facing a table full of miniatures I'd been busily prepping/progressing for the event, that's precisely the predicament I faced in the first week of February 2024. Admittedly, I did persevere with my collection of primed figures by "Black Tree Design" and "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" until I had gotten a large number of them tabletop ready. But after a couple of months I found my mojo to be completely spent, and disappointingly didn't really pick up my paint-brush with any great gusto until the Autumn - due to suddenly being once again bitten by the Napoleonic Era bug.

To make matters worse though, the host of my wargaming website "Wix.com", suddenly decided to dramatically increase their costs and focus on income generation for store-owners, rather than people like myself who simply wanted to run a website. This caused me to immediately cancel my subscription to their service, and spend many a painful week manually bringing all my hobby posts/pictures back across to "Blogger.com". Resultantly, my overall productivity was frustratingly down on previous years, whilst my determination to finish many of the models originally destined for submission into the AHPC greatly hindered my focus upon new projects. Luckily, I eventually shook off this 'funk', and despite my previous love of 3D printing seldom surfacing due to FEP/suction issues, I did fall 'head over heels' for many a 28mm metal miniature instead...

No. 10 - "Warlord Games" - "Bolt Action"

It would certainly be fair to say that compared to past periods, I somewhat fell 'out of love' with this Nottingham-based manufacturer during this year. I didn't attend their Open Day, nor did I buy into any of their new Epic range releases either. Indeed, the company only appears because at the very end of 2024 they released the Third Edition of "Bolt Action", and subsequently caused me to start assembling/painting a 28mm Italian army using their excellent plastic infantry sprues.

No. 10 - "Athena Miniatures" - "Apocalypse Survivors"

One of the best things about physically visiting wargaming shows is suddenly spotting a line of models I have never even heard of, and just such a thing happened at the recent "Warfare" with this firm. Initially, I was actually drawn to their Franco-Prussian War figures. But then spotted the various British squaddies and Russian invaders which made up their post-apocalyptic United Kingdom, and walked away from their stall with several plastic bags of goodies.

No. 8 - "Alternative Armies" - "The Ion Age"

Definitely a product of the AHPC and victim of its fallout, I set aside a handful of this company's long abandoned 15mm vehicles to pigment for the event. Disappointingly though, once completed, I never had the motivation to progress any more of the wonderful miniatures I own from the range - so the finished hover tanks and armoured cars were simply safely placed inside some plastic containers where they disconcertingly dwell to this day.

No. 8 - "Fenris6661982" - "The Lord Of The Rings"

Doubtless this is a rather controversial "eBay" seller due to their Black Numenoreans resin figures seemingly being closely based upon the original (OOP) sculpts once sold by "Games Workshop" for the "Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game". However, at the time of purchase they were one of several stores advertising various 3D prints of J.R.R. Tolkien's "cruel oppressors" on the e-commerce marketplace, and it wasn't until I finally found a pair of my old official metal miniatures that their true 'exactness' became abundantly clear.

No. 7 - "Lost Heresy Miniatures" - "Vulgorn Guards"

One of the few 3D Printing Patreon/Tribes to actually cause me to power on my "Elegoo" Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, Bill Thornhill's nod to "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" actually caused me no end of issues - largely thanks to my resin tank's FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) being too loose to produce successful prints. However, once I did have my hands of some useable 'not-Vogons' I soon got them tabletop ready, and built up a sizeable seven-figure squad.

No. 6 - "Black Site Studios" - "Lunar"

Arguably viewed at one point as my 'break-out' manufacturer of the year, I was deeply smitten by this American company's resin-cast astronauts, Soviet cosmonauts and sugary-sweet space pet. In fact, I even went as far as to order a 6'x4' Asteroid gaming mat from "Deep-Cut Studio" upon which to play out some large-scale moon-based battles. However, the high expense of buying/shipping their various mining factions, rovers and additional spacemen from across the Pond proved all too much; especially when I discovered items I had ordered direct from "Black Site Studios" weren't even in stock (despite their webstore saying otherwise), and they knew they'd be at least a two month delay to have them made but didn't feel obligated to tell me that.

No. 5 - "Games Workshop" - "The Horus Heresy"

Despite a little dabble with some long OOP (Out Of Production) metal models from their "The Lord Of The Rings" range, the vast majority of my focus for 2024 as far as this Nottingham-based manufacturer was concerned, was on their 28mm hard plastic MK IV armoured Space Marines. Disappointingly, I never managed to finish my third ten-man unit of Sons of Horus due to the monotony of pigmenting their 'blue-green' "high grade composite ceramite plating" and "Vallejo" Gold trim. But I did get tantalisingly close, and definitely should have 'ensured' that I am able to eventually field a 500-point traitor army for "The Horus Heresy" in the forthcoming year.

No. 4 - "CoolMiniOrNot" - "Zombicide" & "Marvel United"

I owe quite a considerable bit of gratitude to this Singapore-headquartered company, as the mid-year arrival of their Monty Python's Flying Circus expansion for "Zombicide" finally pulled me from my hobby slump. In addition, I fell back in love with their excellent "Marvel United" boardgame, and began painting a number of its super-heroes/villains for a series of Battle Reports. Sadly, all of this enthusiasm was then completely quashed into the ground by the atrocious management of their Marvel United: Multiverse Kickstarter - which saw my missing pledge abandoned in a factory in China...

No. 3 - "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" - "7TV"

Buoyed by my love of Eighties' science fiction franchises such as "Flash Gordon" and the two-part television miniseries "V", Karl Perrotton's "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" was undeniably one of my main 'go-to' miniature makers of the year. Admittedly, I had actually planned to pigment far more of their Rick Rhodes Luna City range during the AHPC than I eventually did. But this misfortune didn't prevent me from pottering on with plenty of Simian Minions and Strawbears once my hobby mojo eventually returned later in the year.

No. 2 - "Wargames Foundry" - "Napoleonic Range"

Easily my most time-consuming project for 2024, and my proudest, the sheer amount of highly-detailed Perry Brother sculpts I tackled with my brush-tip throughout these twelve months was quite astounding. Indeed, I managed to complete a fair few eight-figure units of Russian, Prussian and French infantrymen during this time, as well as a trio of rather formidably-sized Great Big Bellicose Bears. Admittedly, much of this success was undoubtedly due to playing several games of "The Silver Bayonet" ruleset by "Osprey Games", and using these figures for that. But I also achieved my goal of having enough units for two sides to play a simplified version of "Black Powder" by "Warlord Games" too.

No. 1 - "Black Tree Design" - "Doctor Who"

By far the biggest shock of the year, was just how many of these three decades old sculpts I completed, and then did absolutely nothing with. Furthermore, apart from a smattering of Sea Devils during the Summer, all of these miniatures were surprisingly made tabletop ready by the end of April. Much of this productivity was due to their inclusion in my plans for the AHPC, and subsequent successful attempt to attain my target tally despite departing the event early. However, a desire to resurrect an old interstellar war campaign playing some old homemade rules never materialised, and so all of these models were disconcertingly just packed away in a plastic container or three.

"The Weapon Is Ours..."

"...And safe because it guards itself."

This 28mm scale metal Supreme Commander was bought from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" way back at "Salute" 2016. But is now available as SKU: FED01 from "Beast In The Broch". Sculpted by Ernst Veingart, the miniature is clearly inspired by actress Jacqueline Pearce's unforgettable portrayal of Servalan during the BBC science fiction television series “Blake’s Seven” - even going so far as to wear the character's costume from the 1979 episode "Weapon".

Having already painted a figure of the "principal villain" before wearing an all-white dress, I was somewhat loathe to do so again. So instead decided to opt for a "Vallejo" Heavy Red undercoat, before sploshing her with plenty of "Citadel" Carroburg. The "powerful figure in the Terran Federation" was then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red, and had her skin 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"Black Tree Design" WIPs - This Gell Guard has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

I also applied a little "Vallejo" Gunmetal" over a "Citadel" Abaddon Black layer on to the Supreme Commander's carbine pistol, as well as her elaborate neck collar. This part of the costume actually consisted of thin wire. However, as with the cloth's gossamer waist and sleeves, I thought a much more solid colour would suffice for my sanity's sake. The metallic areas were later shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Finally I tackled the miniature's face, and decided to go with some "Vallejo" Heavy Blue eye make-up and Heavy Red lipstick. Unfortunately, the raised detail on one side of the sculpt's head wasn't quite as pronounced as I would've liked, so ultimately I ended up painting in Servalan's instantly recognisable close-cropped haircut, as opposed to being able to simply allow my brush-tip to follow any contours on the figure.

"Warlord Games" WIPs - Three Italian Infantrymen have been assembled and undercoated

Sticking with metal miniatures I've owned for a few years, I have dug out five Gell Guards by "Black Tree Design" which I had initially planned to pigment during last year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC). These "Doctor Who" monster from the anti-matter universe were bought way back in September 2020, and have rather embarrassingly been suffering at the bottom of my grit-tin for the past thirteen or so months. Resultantly, I figured it was high time I slapped some colours on them and tried to hint at the 'bubble-wrap' costumes which they wore during the televised story "The Three Doctors".

Furthermore, I simply couldn't resist assembling some more 28mm plastic World War Two Italians using some of the Italian Army & Blackshirts sprues "Warlord Games" have kindly been sending me, along with my recent orders. For now, I've simply settled upon a basic five-figure squad. But hope to expand upon this meagre "Bolt Action" force throughout the year whenever the opportunity arises...