"Yes, It Appears The Monoids Have Become Overlords."

"You speak of the distant past. Following the recent revolution we are now the masters."

These two 28mm metal miniatures of some Monoids are manufactured by “Black Tree Design", and can be purchased as Code DW112 Monoid and DW138 Monoid II from the Penzance-based company’s "Doctor Who" miniatures range. Thwarted by the First Doctor "from wiping out the last of humanity with a bomb" secretly planted inside the head of a giant statue, these one-eyed humanoids made their first appearance in Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott’s March 1966 BBC Television story "The Ark".

The aliens from "at least ten million years in the far distant future" were undercoated using two layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Green and drenched in The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The figures were then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Green, before having their distinctive “mop-top” heads painted using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade.

"Black Tree Design" WIPs - The Krotons just need their heads to be shaded and dry-brushed

Finally, the Monoids' large cyclopean eyes were 'picked out' with a couple of dabs of "Vallejo" Dead White at either side of a "Citadel" Abaddon Black pupil. Despite these old sculpts lacking much of the equipment their television counter-parts carried, such as a voice box and heat prod, I'm really rather fond of these miniatures, and am grateful to John Olsen for including them in my latest order as freebies following its significant delay in arriving...

Staying with "Black Tree Design" and early "Doctor Who" I have also dusted down a trio of Krotons from the Second Doctor's era which I purchased way back in April 2018, and are were already partially finished, courtesy of the Ninth Analogue Hobbies Challenge. Unlike the other crystalline aliens I've painted though, these three are armed with the unwieldy canister weapons that the extra-terrestrials used so ineffectively to try and destroy the TARDIS.

"Assault a vampire's lair with Paddy Mayne and the MI-13 Commandos."

In addition to painting I have also been busy re-basing some more of my "Secrets Of The Third Reich" figures by “West Wind Production". Having dug out the ruleset's old "Doomsday" expansion book and perused its numerous missions I'm all set for a Weird War Two 'Unternehmen Seelöwe' campaign using some homemade 'quick-play' rules.

I'm actually planning re-fighting the evacuation of Dunkirk first, so already have enough basic British Commandos carrying Carbine Rifles with which to put up a staunch defence of the French beach. However, for the invasion of Britain, I thought the Allies would want to bring out some of their 'big guns', and resultantly got to work on two armour-suited Tommies; with one carrying a Flamer and the other, a Vickers Machine Gun...

"No Eyes, No Hair, Just Stares."

"Men. Creatures! Made in the factory!"

This 28mm scale metal model is manufactured by “Black Tree Design", and can be purchased as part of the DW1013 - Autons boxed set from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. "Automatons animated by the Nestene Consciousness, this 'race' of life-sized plastic dummies “remnants of the Silurian race” first appeared in Robert Holmes' January 1970 BBC Television story "Spearhead From Space".

The featureless figure was undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue, drenched in "Citadel" Drakehnof Nightshade and subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Blue. The Auton's belt-buckle and hand-gun barrel were then 'picked out' using some "Citadel" Ironbreaker, and its neckerchief with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey. Both of these areas were later shaded using a little "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Terror has many faces in 1949 - some great and some small."

The factory floor dummy's hands and face were treated to a layer or two of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone before being washed with some "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Finally, its fingers, nose, mouth and eye ridges were 'highlighted' with some additional lines of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

With the latest addition to my ever-increasing collection of "Doctor Who" miniatures by "Black Tree Design", I have suddenly found myself spending a considerable amount of my time re-basing a number of old(ish) "West Wind Production" models. These figures belong to the Oldham-based company's "Secrets Of The Third Reich" range, and have suddenly acquired a new lease of life as a result of me suddenly wanting to return to 'Weird War Two' after quite a considerable break.

"MI-13 is the United Kingdom's answer to enemy super science and occult activity."

Indeed, up until very recently, the last time I used some of these models in anger was when I first got hold of the "Konflikt '47" rule-book by "Warlord Games". This time round I'll be returning to an updated version of my homemade rules "M.I.S.S.", but found myself needing to 'upgrade' a fair few of the soldiers from their original 25mm stands to my much preferred 28mm lipped circular bases; a change I started to implement a handful of years ago.

As a result I have found myself scraping away the 'water-logged' sand, grit and flock from the bases of a British Sniper, a few British Paras and Gas-Mask wearing Commandos carrying Bren light machine guns. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I've also taken the opportunity to 'touch-up' a couple of the paint-jobs as well, albeit this was predominantly due to my damaging the figures during 'Operation Relocation'...

"Keep Calm And Carry On."

"By this stage of the war the British army had gained considerable experience of modern warfare..."

This 28mm metal model is from the "West Wind Productions" "Secrets Of The Third Reich" blister B-SOTR05 British Commando Carbines. However, rather than use the miniature for Andy Cooper's "Weird WWII game", this Tommy will actually form part of a minimum strength (Regular) Infantry Section for "Konflikt '47" by "Warlord Games". Indeed, my completion of the rifleman now means I can actually field the simplest of reinforced platoons for Great Britain and the Commonwealth using figures taken from my painted "SotTR" collection.

Unfortunately, painting a model in order to match the colour scheme for a force assembled some years ago has not proved an easy task as I have had to partially step away from many of the now 'out of production' "Games Wokrshop" Foundation paints and washes I originally used for my British Commando Carbines, and instead replace them with alternatives from other manufacturers such as "Vallejo".

The Silence WIPs - As soon as the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge starts these aliens will get some attention

As a result the model was initially primed using "Citadel" Doombull Brown (as opposed to Dark Flesh) and washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade (instead of "Citadel" Devlan Mud). Once dry the rifleman's weapon was painted using "Vallejo" Charred Brown, Iraqi Sand and "Citadel" Ironbreaker, and these areas were then appropriately washed with either more Strong Tone Quickshade or "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

Because I still own a pot of Calthan Brown, I was able to paint the soldier's bullet proof vest with its 'original' colour, and also 'pick out' the infantryman's gas mask filter with a long-forgotten pot of "Citadel" Knarloc Green too. A rummage through my collection of pigments even located an unopened tub of Devlan Mud, making it possible to darken both the Tommy's piece of personal armour and his breathing apparatus with the OOP wash. 

Trinity WIPs - These sculpts of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are fantastically detailed

With the commencement of the Seventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge fast approaching I have additionally been spending a portion of my hobby-time basing and preparing a number of other models. The vast percentage of these figures have unintentionally turned out to be produced by "Warlord Games" and none have proved quite so tantalising to finish before the start of the three-month long competition than the company's latest "Doctor Who" release, The Silence. These "genetically engineered 7 foot tall mouthless creatures" should be reasonably straightforward to complete on account of their predominantly grey/black colour scheme, and somewhat tower over the other figures currently found within the "Into the Time Vortex" range.

Far less simple to paint, or even assemble for that matter, are these three "Knight Models" sculpts from the Batman Verses Superman: Trinity DC Universe Miniature Game Starter Set. These models are certainly taller than your average 'heroic scale' figure, but due to their 'realistic' anatomical proportions they've needed a bit of pinning and realigning in order to come together... 

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Konflikt '47" December 2016

"Secrets Of The Third Reich WIPs - The regular British infantryman is almost finished already

This month's randomly themed attempt to try and reduce my ever-increasing mountain of metal, plastic and resin models has been somewhat surprisingly superseded by an impulse purchase of a rule-book at last month's "Warfare" wargames show in Reading, and a subsequent rummage through a box of partially painted miniatures which has stood unattended for a couple of years. Consequently I intend to try and dedicate myself for the next few weeks to a batch of "Secrets Of The Third Reich" figures by "West Wind Productions" and some 'World War Two' models by "Warlord Games", in order to be able field a couple of 'sizeable' forces suitable for "Konflikt '47".

Indeed, as far as previously painted "West Wind Productions" miniatures are concerned, I already own enough 'Weird War Two' figures to deploy a minimum-sized 199 point German reinforced platoon for the "standalone game inspired by the hugely successful Bolt Action"; one which contains both a Leutnant and his two Wehrmacht Infantry Squads, as well as seven "animated corpses of the Totenkorps...

A basic "Konflikt '47" reinforced German platoon, with accompanying Totenkorps Squad

Disappointingly however, I do not yet currently own quite enough finished "Secrets Of The Third Reich" models to field a similarly-sized British contingent. Although I am only short of a single (regular) Tommy equipped with a carbine rifle, and two red beret-wearing, identically-armed, members of the Airborne Infantry.

As a result of these slightly frustrating omissions I am initially focusing the majority of my attention upon three of "West Wind Productions" characterful Commando sculpts, two of which have had their Gas Mask heads swapped for British Para Heads in Berets with Gas Masks. Eager to play my first game of "Konflikt '47" these figures have already all been based, primed and worked upon, with my 'missing' regular Infantryman already close to completion.

British Matilda Mark I Infantry Tank WIP - The vehicle needs to be based before much more work can be done 

One of the real attractions of Chris Hale's alternative World War rule-set is the fact that players can additionally also utilise any of the ('historically accurate') units found within the "Bolt Action" Army books. This has rather inevitably led to me returning to an 'old' metal and resin "Warlord Games" model of a British Matilda Mark I Infantry Tank I actually started painting for a game of "Savage Worlds" a couple of years ago.

Having dusted off "the first of the infantry tank concepts to see production and combat", I have given the 'slow and under-gunned' motor vehicle a generous double-coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, and started work on both its turret-mounted Vickers heavy machine gun and accompanying commander. Unfortunately, I don't though currently own any more of the "Games Workshop" 120mm x 92mm oval bases I predominantly super-glue such transports upon, so once I've finished painting its underbelly I'll have to wait until my new stands arrive through the post before I can make any more progress on it.

The Mausoleum WIPs - Three long-dead swordsmen in various states of completion

Such a 'healthy' obsession with "Goblin Clockwork Miniatures" brainchild and all of its 'Weird War' shenanigans does not however, mean that I have forgotten my plans to paint ten skeletons with which to re-enact The Mausoleum scenario from the "Frostgrave" rule-book, and I have still been busily putting pigment to plastic on the first three of my Undead warriors by "North Star Military Figures". Indeed, I have even found time to locate a number of old "Games Workshop" Dwarven shield emblems with which to decorate the bony antagonist's rather bare and formerly uninteresting wooden shields.

Lost Patrol Report: British Army Verses Nazi Zombies - "Death In The Jungle"

THE BRITISH ARMY BATTLE NAZI ZOMBIES IN AN EFFORT TO ASSASSINATE ADOLF HITLER

This game was played using the "Lost Patrol” rules by “Games Workshop”. The only alteration to the rules was an agreement that the Nazi Zombies couldn’t infest a tile (as I haven’t finished making six grave markers yet) and that the German Undead didn’t necessarily always drive the British back when they won or tied an assault (as we forgot that particular rule). In addition as I wanted to try out the game in a different “Weird War Two” setting, and have already plenty of painted “West Wind Productions” models ready for the table, we simply swapped the Genestealers and Space Marine Scouts with some British infantry and Nazi Zombies.

“The story so far… Adolf Hitler has escaped the Battle of Berlin and fled to deepest, darkest Argentina. In 1946 the British intelligence Service finally locate the Fuhrer’s secret bunker somewhere deep within the remote Teyu Cuare jungle and dispatch a small unit of soldiers to dispatch the dictator with extreme prejudice. However having established a clear drop zone, the Tommies soon find the lush vegetation to be far more dangerous than first thought, and Hitler would seem to have a contingent of Nazi Zombies protecting him…”

THE TABLETOP - THE TEYU CUARE JUNGLE, ARGENTINA IN 1946

 The game was set up as per the “Lost Patrol: Death In The Jungle” rule pamphlet, with the Clearing tile placed in the centre of the tile and the five British soldiers (A Captain, a Bren-carrying Corporal and three Privates) positioned on top of it. The Jungle tiles were then shuffled and placed into a stack face down. The entranceway to Hitler’s Bunker tile was then placed at the bottom of the stack. Finally all the jungle paths the expeditionary force could see from the Clearing were placed.

Captain Scott looked about him. The vegetation surrounding him was definitely creeping in upon his band of men. To the northwest a pathway seemed to be leading towards some hungry looking plant-life. Whilst to the southwest he saw a far more encouraging trail which seemed to snake away into the distance. To his direct south however there was also a Y-junction which looked rather promising. As a result he decided to split his forces in half…

CAPTAIN SCOTT SPLITS HIS FORCES IN ORDER TO COVER MORE GROUND

Privates Clint and Cooke headed southwest and followed the path as it turned towards the northwest. Behind them they heard their superior officer march Corporal Awdry and Private Pulpcitizen south to the Y-junction. Suddenly the entire company were surrounded with the sound of wheezing groans, and before Private Clint could shout “Watch out Cooke, we’re being attacked by Nazi Zombies!” the German Undead were upon them. A hefty blow from his carbine rifle easily dispatched the cadaver lurching at him. But Private Clint could do nothing but watch open mouthed as a second living corpse shambled out of the bushes behind his companion and sank his decaying teeth enthusiastically into Cooke’s brains… Captain Scott was similarly surprised by the sudden appearance of a mutilated German corpse walking towards him. But soon ordered Private Pulpcitizen to fell the creature with his rifle butt.

THE BRITISH FORCES ENCOUNTER THE GRISLY GHOULS OF THE GERMAN UNDEAD

Shuddering at the swift loss of his colleague, Private Clint remained frozen to the spot, and watched with horror as the zombie feasting upon Cooke suddenly lurched up and looked at him hungrily. Suddenly a shot rang out from Corporal Awdry’s Bren Gun and the cadaver fell to the ground dead (again). Galvanized back into action Private Clint scanned the trail ahead and with a despairing groan realised it finished in a dead end. So much for Cooke’s sacrifice. Captain Scott and Private Pulpcitizen too discovered that their path also came to a sudden end.

PRIVATE CLINT DISCOVERS HIS COMRADE, COOKE, DIED FOR NOTHING

However before they could explore any further more of the living dead were upon them. Private Clint once again managed to beat his adversary to the floor. Whilst, supported by Corporal Awdry’s formidable Heavy Weapon (+1 covering fire bonus), Captain Scott managed to dispatch one of the two Nazi zombies attacking him from the south.

CAPTAIN SCOTT REALISES HE'S BEEN LEADING HIS MEN DOWN A LITERAL DEAD END.

Regrouping Corporal Awdry rushed back towards his commanding officer’s side and swiftly brought down the remaining ghoul with a hail of bullets. Private Pulpcitizen soon joined them. Whilst to the west Private Clint jogged back towards the initial clearing. Spying his comrades he was about to give them a cheery wave when he saw three German cadavers appear from out of the jungle beside Corporal Awdry and drag the NCO screaming back into the thick vegetation. The savagery of the assault caused Captain Scott to stagger back into the clearing and Private Pulpcitizen head west.

CORPORAL AWDRY BRAVELY FALLS BENEATH THE FANGS OF THE NAZI UNDEAD

 Realising he didn’t want to be separated from his superior officer, Private Pulpcitizen hurried to join Captain Scott back in the clearing, and then nervously watched as the commander moved cautiously north up the Y-Junction and disappeared northeast. Turning he saw Private Clint rush up to him. Checking that their weapons were ready for firing, the two men soldiers were about to set off after Captain Scott when three more zombies appeared and mercilessly devoured Private Pulpcitizen before he utter a cry.

CAPTAIN SCOTT DISCOVERS A PATHWAY TO FREEDOM AS PRIVATE PULPCITIZEN IS EATEN

Reeling from the attack Private Clint quickly retreated to the side of his superior and watched him ineffectively fire into some more zombies which had suddenly lurched onto the pathway up ahead. The bullet sadly had no effect whatsoever, and the two British soldiers suddenly realised that they quickly becoming surrounded by the ravenous walking dead.

PRIVATE CLINT AND CAPTAIN SCOTT FACE INSURMOUNTABLE UNDEAD ODDS

Standing with their backs to one another, the two brave Tommies watched as the numerous Nazi zombies staggered towards them and felt their foes' clawing hands tear at their uniforms. With a cry Private Clint finally found his skills with the butt of his carbine rifle were not enough, and disappeared beneath a swarm of German cadavers.

CAPTAIN SCOTT BRAVELY ACKNOWLEDGES HIS MISSION HAS FAILED... AND GETS EATEN ALIVE

Ashen-faced, and aware that he was actually back in the Clearing where his doomed mission had actually started, Captain Scott checked to ensure his army service revolver was fully-loaded and his uniform straight. He then waited for the imminent arrival of Hitler's grisly bodyguard and for his flesh to feel the painful bite of the living corpses teeth. But he would not die easily and one day the Allies would ensure the Fuhrer would similarly meet a gruesome demise... 

British Commando Carbine - Part One

This 28mm metal model is the first of four similar-looking models from the "West Wind Productions" blister B-SOTR05 British Commando Carbines. It's actually one of eight such miniatures I've currently got sat on my painting table, an entire British Infantry Section, but to be honest, is probably one of the last "Secrets Of The Third Reich" figures I plan to paint for the foreseeable future as I fear I'm rather worn out gaming "Weird War Two" at present.

KrautScientist has just posted a good article on the Dark Future Games website about such painting blocks; albeit he seems to have completely sold his soul to the chaos gods of the "Warhammer 40K" universe as a result. The post can be found here: http://darkfuturegaming.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/cleansing-palate-with-nurgle.html.

In order to try and step away from many of the now 'out of production' "Citadel" Foundation paints I originally used for my British Army colour scheme, I have tried to replace some of the old pots with "Vallejo" alternatives. Essentially though the model was painted using my 'tried and tested' method of "Coat D'Arms" Black undercoat with a combination of "Citadel" Dark Flesh and Devlan Mud wash for the majority of the soldier's uniform. I also still have some Calthan Brown for the bullet proof vest. However for the carbine rifle butt I went with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and then Heavy brown for the weapon's strap. I've also now settled on "Heavy Grey" for the infantryman's gas mask filter. All of these paints are then washed with "Citadel" Devlan Mud.

 I've now completely turned to the latest "Savage Worlds" setting, the "Science Fiction Companion" and as a result super-glued and based a handful more models from the "Judge Dredd" miniature range by "Mongoose Publishing". I've actually gone with some of the newer models from their Kickstarter as they look far more 'painter-friendly' than the older figures I've recently painted. 

British Soldier With Piat - Part One

This is one of four models which can be found within the "Secrets Of The Third Reich" blister B-SOTR08 Piat D's. To be honest I'm not sure I'll actually paint any more of the models from the "West Wind Productions" pack for the foreseeable future as I only plan to field one such British Anti-Tank Team for my games of "Weird War Two".

In keeping with my British Army paint scheme I used "Citadel" Doombull Brown for the soldier's uniform and helmet, and Calthan Brown for their bullet-proof vest. I then washed all of these areas with Agrax Earthshade.

Originally I simply painted the Projector Infantry Anti-Tank weapon Boltgun Metal and applied a Nuln Oil wash to it. But from the tabletop this made the tank killer appear little different to the rest of the gunner's section. So I later applied a coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Green and wash of "Citadel" Thrakka Green" all over the weapon, leaving only the spigot bomb itself a dull metallic silver.

In the meantime I've wilted once again and started to paint another of my old "Mongoose Publishing" Street Judges as a little distraction from the sea of British brown and German grey miniatures I currently have parading upon my painting table.

British Soldier With Sten - Part One

I've finished the first of four models from the "Secrets Of The Third Reich" blister B-SOTR04 Sten-B. I actually plan to use these 28mm metal miniatures from "West Wind Productions" as part of my Mid/Late War infantry sections when playing "Savage Worlds" "Weird War Two".

Unfortunately all the other soldiers I've previously completed for my British Army were painted predominantly using either the former "Citadel" Foundation paint range or even older colours. As a result, and in order to try and best match the soldier's uniform to my old paint scheme, I've had to turn to some new "Citadel" and "Vallejo" alternatives.

The model's uniform and tin helmet were therefore painted with "Citadel" Doombull Brown and washed with Agrax Earthshade in order to provide a close approximation to the old Dark Flesh and Devlan Mud combination I once used. Luckily I also found an old usable pot of Calthan Brown, so was able to paint the soldier's bullet-proof vest with exactly the same colour I used for the rest of his section a couple of years ago. Slightly disappointingly though I was unable to find an ideal match for the trooper's green gas mask filter so went with a mix of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey" and "Agrax Earthshade".

Having momentarily set aside the rest of the models I need to paint for a second British Early War infantry section, I'm putting the finishing touches on a German flammenwerfer and finally starting the initial layers on a Panzerabwehrbuchse.

Mustard Gas Breath Zombies - Part Two

I've finished working on another two "West Wind Productions" models from the blister SOV-SOTR18 Soviet Zombie Horde, and as a result finished painting all the 28mm Undead walking corpses I currently plan for my "Savage Worlds" "Weird War Two" setting. I still have a number of other "Secrets Of The Third Reich" models yet to paint before I move onto a new project during March but these soldiers who die from inhaling mustard gas end a six-week run of painting a number of rotting corpses.

 As with their predecessors I replaced the models' Russian zombie heads with those from SHS-SOTR08 Soviet Gas Mask Heads In Helmets and then undercoated them "Coat D'Arms" Black. I painted the majority of their uniforms with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and then washed them with the "Citadel" Shade Agrax Earthshade. However because the figures appeared to resemble Russian officers or rather Commissars, I painted their trousers with "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and followed this up with a wash of "Citadel" Asurmen Blue. The model wearing a Russian greatcoat had his overcoat painted with an old pot of "Citadel" Dark Flesh and Agrax Earthshade.

I painted both of the soldiers' gas mask hosing with "Citadel" Adeptus Battlegrey and Nuln Oil, whilst I applied "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and a combination of "Citadel" Thrakka Green and Agrax Earthshade over their filter boxes. The Soviet helmets were painted with "Vallejo" Heavy Green and washed with "Citadel" Thrakka Green.

As I really like the detail and options of the Infantry squads and teams found within the "Bolt Action" Army books, I'm going to try and move away from some of the section listings found within the "Weird War Two" setting book for my next game and try and replicate some of the British and German lists that "Warlord Games" suggest in their rule book. As a result I need to quickly paint up a British NCO equipped with a (Sten) submachine gun and a Heer Veteran Infantry Squad NCO similarly equipped. In addition I would like the chance of the British fielding a Piat launcher as either an attachment to the main Infantry section or as a possible distraction/encounter during the game.

I used these models as an experiment to try out a bottle of "Citadel" Technical I bought from a local Hobby Store yesterday. I was hoping for great things from my pot of Imperial Primer, having found my "Coat D'Arms Black" always required two coats to properly undercoat a model. Unfortunately I was bitterly disappointed with the watery result, and no matter how much I stirred the Technical paint, I ended up returning to my final pot of "Coat D'Arms" Black and giving the models a lavish coat of that before I was satisfied.

Mustard Gas Breath Zombies - Part One

I've finished working on the first two of four models from the "West Wind Productions" blister SOV-SOTR18 Soviet Zombie Horde, which I plan to use in the "Savage Worlds" "Weird War Two" setting as Mustard Gas Breath Zombies. Although these figures are Undead Russian soldiers they'll still be fielded as an element of the Axis Horror Force I'm collecting; their back story being that they're captured defenders of Mother Russia whom the Germans have experimented upon and gassed.

Having first replaced the (under-sized) Russian zombie heads which come in the blister with those from SHS-SOTR08 Soviet Gas Mask Heads in Helmets, these "Secrets Of The Third Reich" 28mm metal miniatures were undercoated with my usual Coat D'Arms Black. I then painted the majority of their uniforms with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown before washing them with the "Citadel" Shade Agrax Earthshade. The ribbed hosing for their gas masks was painted using either "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey or "Citadel" Adeptus Battlegrey, depending upon whichever colour was closer to hand at the time, for. These areas were later washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The models' filter boxes were painted using "Vallejo" Heavy Grey with a double wash of "Citadel" Thrakka Green and Agrax Earthshade. Finally the Soviet helmets were painted with "Vallejo" Heavy Green and washed with more "Citadel" Thrakka Green.

I'm already quite well progressed on the other two Mustard Gas Breath Zombies, as well as close to completing a certain blue-skinned Genetic Infantryman from Nu Earth by "Mongoose Games".

German Zombie Horde In Helmets - Part Four

With a sense of some relief I've finished the final two German Undead models I plan to paint during my current obsession with the "Savage Worlds" "Weird War Two" setting. Like all the other models I've painted for my latest Third Reich Undead horde these 28mm metal miniatures are from "West Wind Productions" pack G-SOTR10 - German Zombie Horde In Helmets.

However I do still have enough enthusiasm left regarding the Walking Undead, to paint five models from the blister SOV-SOTR18 Soviet Zombie Horde. Utilising some heads from SHS-SOTR08 Soviet Gas Mask Heads In Helmets I'll be 'fielding' these figures as Axis Mustard Gas Breath Zombies.

In addition, purely as a simple distraction, I've finally started to paint one of the many models to have come from the "Judge Dredd" kickstarter by "Mongoose Publishing", as well as the first of a small batch of 15mm Xenomorphs by "Ground Zero Games".

I'm also trying to finish the lovely Flying Standard 10' "Tilly" Truck, complete with a splendid-looking British Army driver, which recently arrived from "Warlord Games".

Break Out From Belgium

Set somewhere on the French-Belgian border in May 1940, and using the "Savage Worlds" "Weird War Two" rules, our latest battle had a section of British Expeditionary Force Infantry, lead by a Sergeant and Sniper (as Wildcards) encircled by the Wehrmacht and desperate to push west towards the temporary safety of coastal France and the main Allied lines. To represent this situation we actually used the Break Out Mission (for "Flames Of War") that was recently published in the January 2014 issue of "Wargames Illustrated" and simply adapted some of its distances etc to better fit in with "Savage Worlds" and our 3' x 3' table. As a result the British forces would face a German Infantry Squad ahead of them, knowing that from somewhere behind them a horde of German zombies was rapidly approaching.

We set up in the deployment zones as stipulated within the magazine's article, and as both forces were in prepared positions we decided that our units could start the battle Prone if wanted; affording many a model with a -2 penalty (to be hit) as they counted in medium cover. With no sign of the shambling Undead, the British took partial cover within a two-storey house over looking part of the German trenches, and started riddling the earthworks with their Bren Gun. When it came time for the Germans to return fire, we agreed that the double-window (from which the British machine gunner had been firing from) would count as heavy cover, providing a -4 penalty upon the hapless Wehrmacht. 7.92mm bullets pinged around the window with one amazingly killing a British soldier stood beside the Bren Gun.

Elsewhere, the other party of British troops found their Sniper 's trademark weapon, a De Lisle Carbine, wasn't as reliable as thought and actually faulty. This meant the private risked the rifle jamming if he fired, so instead he hurled a No.23 MII grenade at the oncoming Wehrmacht soldiers, trusting to a strong arm (and a Joker). The grenade was right on target and none of the German's were agile enough to throw themselves out of harms way.

Despite both sides exchanging fire and slowly whittling one another down, the situation steadily worsened for the British as the Allied Force first found themselves Lost and disorientated on the battlefield (pushing the game forward a Turn after some failed Navigation rolls), and then under threat from an Air Attack as a German fighter swooped across the table. Having decided everyone outside was going to dive for cover (thus negating the pilot from making an attack) all the British lifted their heads up from the mud to see the Undead finally emerge to their rear from out of a nearby forest. The BEF's only saving grace being that the undergrowth beneath the Zombies counted as difficult ground, so would halve their movement until they left the cover of the trees.

 

A final turn of the British hurling grenades and firing for all their worth left the Wehrmacht lines practically deserted, but none of the King's men were close enough to the Axis side of the table to escape to safety, and the (greatly reduced) German forces were declared the winner. If only the British hadn't got Lost mid-way through the game...

We haven't decided whether to replay this mission for our next game or not, but would certainly like to have some additional forces (and Wild Cards) present during the fight. As a result one of the models I'm busily painting up is my "Bolt Action" Dingo Armoured Scout Car by "Warlord Games". This should give the Allies some much needed speed, so even if their forces do get Lost again, they'll have the opportunity to race to safety. 

German Packed Light Machine Gun Crew

I've managed to finish painting the two models which make-up the "West Wind Productions" blister pack G-SOTR33 - German Packed LMG. I had to use some more of my old pots from my (quickly drying-out) collection of "Citadel Foundation" and "Citadel Washes" in order for the figures' colour scheme to match those of my previously painted "Secrets Of The Third Reich" German Mech Grenadiers. As a result each model's uniform was painted using a combination of Adeptus Battlegrey and Badab Black and their body armour using Calthan Brown and Devlan Mud. In order to try and replicate the old 'out of production' "Citadel" combination of Tallarn Flesh undercoat with an Elf Flesh highlight for their hands' skin, an undercoat of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone was applied before being heavily washed with an old pot of Ogryn Flesh. The fingers were then highlighted with more Heavy Skintone before a second wash of Ogryn Flesh was applied. In addition instead of using the bionic-eyed futuristic head which came in the blister, I fitted the Light machinegun carrying model with another of the standard heads from the pack SHS-SOTR01 German Gas Mask Heads.

 

I have also painted the GWHER 45 Auto Rifle carrier from a second G-SOTR33 blister in order to be able to 'field' a full eleven man pre-1943 Wehrmacht Infantry squad; complete with MG34 carrier, for "Savage Worlds" "Weird War Two". In previous games I've had to use models carrying assault rifles and submachine guns as stand-ins. Now these figures can actually represent the firearms they carry and can be deployed as potential 'straggling' German reserves, such as Fallschirmjager armed with StG44's, who emerge upon the tabletop as a complication/distraction.

In addition I've just one more Mech Grenadier model with a Field Cap and Visor head to replace with a Stahlhelm. However I'm going to leave that particular 'operation' until after the weekend's planned 'big game' and concentrate on painting more German Zombies with Helmets.

Weird War Two - Grenades & Zombie Reserves

One of my New Year Resolutions was to actually play more games, as opposed to paint simply half a dozen models for numerous rule systems and then pack them away in a box never to see the light of day again. As a result I've managed to get in a series of simple "Savage Worlds" games over the past few days, using the "Weird War Two" setting where we've tried to get used to some of the more basic rule mechanics and tested which home rules we like to complement them.

These short scenarios have basically consisted of two British Army Wild Cards (Sergeant and Sniper) alongside an Infantry section, attempting to eliminate either a horror squad of zombies or a pre-1943 Wehrmacht German infantry squad.

Such skirmishes have certainly shown that there needs to be a lot more thought put into the placement of terrain with these rules than simply sticking a load of trenches and barbed wire randomly on the table; albeit the grenade throwing exploits between the two closest opposing earthworks has proved one of the highlights of the gaming sessions.

Grenades in "Weird War Two" certainly seem a little too powerful for my money with a medium range of 10 inches, 3d6 damage and medium burst template. Indeed this has lead to everyone's immediate reaction once an enemy approaches close enough for a volley of No. 23 Mark II grenades to be hurled, and then a similar number of Stielhandgranates to be thrown in response by the survivors. No-one shoots or moves (unless diving for cover) but just stand there exchanging grenades like monkeys pitching bananas at one another.

To offset this we've employed a couple of home rules, most notably any soldier caught in the blast of a medium (or further) thrown grenade has the opportunity to throw themselves out of the way (i.e. Agility test). This has lead to situations more realistic/satisfying where the occupants of a trench will be displaced out into the open by a grenade's explosion (if they're lucky) and then potentially gunned down by the attacking force (particularly if there's a British Bren Gun carrier about). The other home rule is the grenade explodes whilst in the soldier's hand if they roll a Critical failure (i.e. Both the Wild Card's Throwing die and Wild Die come up as a 1). Originally we played where 'snake eyes' simply meant the grenade was a dud, but having 'upped' the ante somewhat we've found we now think twice before hurling a pineapple, and there's a real sense of anticipation around the table when someone does.

 

In our final game we employed the reserves rule found within the "Flames of War" rulebook by "Battlefront Miniatures" to create a sense of impending dread and urgency upon the British side. Essentially at the start of each round we rolled to see whether a terrifyingly full squad of eleven German zombies (including one rigged to explode with dynamite) would appear from the woodland behind the British emplacement. This was an excellent way of trying to force the attackers to press forwards rather than simply sit tight within their trenches. As planned, once the Undead did stumble their way onto the battlefield on Turn Three they caused some serious disruption to the discipline of the British soldiers as a result of the Fear tests they generated.

German Zombie Horde In Helmets - Part Two

These two miniatures are the next pair of models I've completed from the "West Wind Productions" blister G-SOTR10 - German Zombie Horde In Helmets. They were both painted in much the same way as the previous models from the pack with the exception of the one-armed officer zombie's uniform, which was painted with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey before being washed with "Citadel" Badab Black.

Unfortunately I've had to put my plans to paint a quartet of models from the SOV-SOTR18 Soviet Zombie Horde blister on hold after I started gluing the miniatures' separate heads on to their bodies and found them to be significantly smaller in size than the other Undead model heads found within the "Secrets Of The Third Reich" range. As a result I've ordered both a blister of SHS-SOTR06 Zombie Heads and SHS-SOTR08 Soviet Gas Mask Heads In Helmets in the hope that these heads are of a good size. Indeed the Soviet gas masks look especially useful for the Mustard Gas Breath Zombies.

As part of this latest order from their website I've also purchased SHS-SOTR14 German Weapons Upgrade Pack and several blisters of G-SOTR04 Big Thug. With these I hope to create some Brutes, apparently one of the most common Nazi Horror minions encountered during "Weird War Two".

 

Whilst undercoating the two models from G-SOTR33 German Packed LMG, I've taken the opportunity to remove the Field Cap with Visor head off of several previously painted Mech Grenadiers, and replace them with heads from SHS-SOTR01 German Gas Mask Heads. I've never been impressed with the look of the visors, as they always seemed too futuristic for my liking, and much prefer the look of the Stahlhelm.

German Zombie Horde In Helmets - Part One

These models are the first two figures I've completed from the "West Wind Productions" blister pack G-SOTR10 - German Zombie Horde In Helmets. These 28mm metal miniatures are from Andy Cooper's "Secrets Of The Third Reich" range and were frankly painted using a bizarre mixture of manufacturers' paints, both young and old. For starters I'm currently giving all of my models a simple undercoat of Black by "Coat D'Arms". I bought a few pots of this paint last year after I found the then new Abaddon Black from "Games Workshop" to be too watery for my tastes; and certainly not a patch on the old Chaos Black.

Any areas of uniform were painted either with my trusty Adeptus Battlegrey or (the greenish) Heavy Grey by "Vallejo". These parts were then given a "Citadel" wash of Badab Black or "Thrakka Green" respectively.

I've settled on undercoating all my zombies' flesh with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey as I like the effect a wash of "Thrakka Green" has over this colour. I'm also going to stick with picking out open wounds and bullet holes using an old pot of "Citadel" Red Gore I've found, and then heavily washing the areas with Ogryn Flesh and Baal Red. I've even bought and tried out a pot of the "Citadel Shade" Carroburg Crimson but to be honest found it to be even weaker in colour than my 'drying up' Baal Red.

As always I plan to paint most of their helmets with an Adeptus Battlegrey and Badab Black combination. Although in order to represent a zombie from the Afrika Korps I have used the "Citadel Foundation" Tausept Ochre with a generous wash of Devlan Mud.

I tend to only paint one or two models simultaneously, so whilst waiting for a coat of paint or heavy wash to dry, I like to prepare and base other models for future projects. Indeed, sometimes as a diversion I'll even slap on a few coats of paint - especially if the models are simple and will be quick to finish. As a result I'm currently also pottering away on these plastic 28mm Heroclix models; notably DC Comics' Brain and Marvel's Howard The Duck.