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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cheers Roger.

N.B. You can visit Roger's excellent wargaming blog and see both his excellent output, as well as my own Top Ten of his 'best in show' here:

"Rantings From Under The Wargames Table"

“Made From Living Stone…”

“…A Stone Golem Is A Tough Opponent For Any Adventurer!”

This 90mm tall “scale model for ages twelve plus” of a Stone Golem is produced by “Zealot Miniatures” and can be bought from their increasingly extensive Fantasy range. Cast in resin, the figure comes in two separate pieces which can easily be permanently attached with a little pinning and super-glue.

The miniature was initially primed with a double helping of "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey, and shaded using plenty of “Citadel” Nuln Oil. I then gave the living statue a thorough dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey so as to help really bring out all the cracking sculpt’s wonderful details, such as the intricate runes on its large battle-hammer and the braids in its long, dwarf-like beard.

A pair of adventurers attempt to tackle a stone golem in the Frozen City

In addition, I thought I’d add some weathering to the Golem’s stony surface by applying a little “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and Biel-Tan Green into many of its deeper crevices and overshadowed areas. These parts were then slowly highlighted back up/blended in with the surrounded stone-work with a particularly patient (second) dry-brush of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey.

With the bulk of the monstrous construct completed, I decided to break-up the somewhat monotone look of the creature by layering its wrist-guards in a combination of “Vallejo” Brass and “Citadel” Nihilakh Oxide. These pieces of armour were then marginally ‘brightened up’ with second dry-brush of (more) “Vallejo” Brass.

"Flames Of War" WIPs - A Panzerfaust, an Officer and an NCO have been base-layered

Lastly, I tackled the notion of giving the Stone Golem some glowing eyes, in order to reinforce its magical-empowerment. I therefore delicately dry-brushed a little “Vallejo” White across the brute’s eyebrows and upper cheeks, before dabbing a dollop onto both of the statue’s actual eyes. I later repeated this exact process using “Vallejo Blue Fluorescent instead.

Alongside finishing the latest addition to my “Frostgrave” tabletop, I have been getting the base layers completed on a number of my 15mm soldiers from the “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War” by “Battlefront Miniatures”. I’m currently using the German Formation Command Panzerfaust SMG Team as a test stand, and hope to get the trio’s washes and highlights all done before moving on to one of the platoon’s unit leader and Panzerschreck anti-tank team bases.

“Wolves Tend To Shy Away From Humans…”

“…But a few will occasionally wander down into the city in search of prey.”

This quartet of 28mm scale metal Wolves are produced by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought as code FGX003 from their “Frostgrave" range. The Nottingham-based manufacturer actually produces five different variants of Canis lupus. But this set only includes a random selection of four of them.

Initially, I had hoped to super-glue the large canines onto 28mm circular lipped bases. However, because the majority of the figures had been sculpted moving on all fours, I ultimately had to settle on them being permanently attached to 40mm lipped stands instead. Once in position, they were all primed with a couple of layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey, before having the tops of their fur sponged in Dark Grey with a torn piece of blister foam.

"Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I'll ever know."

Each wolf was then washed in “Citadel” Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey. Whilst this paint was still wet though, I also dry-brushed each animal from the top down with “Vallejo” Dark Grey, allowing the two colours to meet, mix and taper off once my brush started to approach each beast’s legs and underbelly.

In addition, I ‘picked out’ each wolf’s nose and eyes with a few dabs of “Citadel” Abaddon Black. To be honest I was rather underwhelmed with the sculpting of these miniatures’ faces, as I was fully prepared to apply either some red or white to their tongues and fangs, yet found no such detail being evidently available – even on those whose mouths were wide open as they bayed at the Moon.

"Zealot Miniatures" WIPs - The Stone Golem's bracelets have been base-coated, layered and shaded

Having completed my feral carnivores, I have made some more progress on a Stone Golem I recently purchased from “Zealot Miniatures”. I had originally intended to simply make this two-piece resin enchanted construct all stone, but have since had a change of mind, and subsequently started working on it wearing a pair of ‘magical’ weathered brass bracelets.

For now I’ve simply laid down a base layer of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, over which I’ve applied a coat of Brass and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade. However, this metallic colour is already providing an excellent contrast to the somewhat monotonous grey-look of the impressively-sized statue, and that’s before I’ve added the patina effect to its superbly-detailed wrist jewellery…

"Northern Bears Are Mostly Peaceful Creatures..."

"...But are easily spooked."

This 44mm tall metal model of a Bear rearing to attack is produced by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought as code FGX005 from their “Frostgrave" range. Somewhat reminiscent of the illustration found on page 178 of the skirmish wargame’s Second Edition rulebook, albeit disappointingly without that particular carnivoran mammal’s numerous scars and battered ear, the animal is a potential “unhappy” random encounter for any adventurer who dares enter the wintry ruins of Felstad.

The figure was initially undercoated with two layers of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, before being shaded with a combination of “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. The Bear was then thoroughly dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna. As a final touch I ‘picked out’ the creature’s nose, eyes and claws with a little “Citadel” Abaddon Black, as well as its teeth using some “Vallejo” White and “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade.

"Zealot Miniatures" WIPs - This Stone Golem has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Sticking with Joseph A. McCullough’s fantasy wargame in the Frozen City, I have managed to assemble and start working on a Stone Golem by “Zealot Miniatures”. This two-piece resin magical construct “stands 65mm to the top of its head”, and has taken a little while to put together on account of my waiting upon a circular 60mm lipped base to arrive from a disappointingly slow eBay seller.

Originally, I was going to simply paint the living monolith in just my usual “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey and “Citadel” Nuln Oil recipe. But having now successfully applied this palette to the figure, I plan to add some additional weathering to the stony sentinel’s surface, and ‘pick out’ its bracelets in either “Vallejo” Bronze or Brass so as to suggest these adornments are what imbue the statue with its unnatural life.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - These four Uruk-hai Bezerkers have been primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Red

Lastly, I am continuing to progress the additional “Games Workshop” metal miniatures I need to field a 500-point Isengard Force for the Nottingham-based manufacturer’s Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game. One of this army’s components I’m especially keen to expand upon are some extra Uruk-hai Bezerkers, who are accompanied with a number of formidable Special Rules in the “Armies Of The Lord Of The Rings” rule-book.

As a result I have been busy rummaging through my backlog of old models and managed to unearth four more of the barbarous orcs to help swell the ranks of my previously-painted three-figure strong unit. Just like my basic Uruk-hai Warriors however, I am going to have to turn to my modern-day collection of “Scale 75” range of "Metal N' Alchemy" water-based acrylics in order to replicate the now well OOP “Citadel” colours I used over a decade ago…

"Do You Now Believe We Mutoids Are Vampires?"

"My function will be impaired if I don't get further serum soon."

This 28mm Federated Security Mutaint was previously manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and comes from their out-of-production Federated Security Starter Set. However, these days both the miniature and several other 'dead-ringers' from the BBC science fiction television series “Blake’s Seven”, are available from "Beast In The Broch".

After pinning the "technologically modified" human's separate head to her torso, the figure was primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black and enthusiastically dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal. I then picked out the female trooper's gauntlets and chest covering using pure "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, before the entire model was treated to a splash or two of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Saurman's defection to the service of the Dark Lord left him with one monstrous obsession."

This was somewhat of a step away from the 'official' Mutoid costume broadcast on the small screen. But I felt the all-black palette used by Space Commander Travis' Command Crew was a little too bland even for my liking, and that the subtle difference in colour between the "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal made her slightly more interesting to the casual eye, without veering away too much from the soldier's original concept.

I also tried to make the Federated Security Mutaint a little more sinisterly pale-looking by using "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey for her face's flesh, and shading this with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. As a final touch, the trooper's firearm was 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The weapon was later dry-brushed with a little more "Vallejo" Gunmetal.

"Zealot Miniatures" WIPs - This Frost Horror has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

With my Mutaint test-piece finished, I have also managed to complete a plastic Uruk-hai Warrior by "Games Workshop" for my 500-point Isengard force. This age-old sculpt came inside "The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers" boxed set, and has been pigmented along very similar lines to those used for my previously-painted "Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game" figures.

In addition, I've made some in-roads on an approximately 60mm tall Frost Horror by "Zealot Miniatures". This multi-part resin miniature, sculpted by Boris Woloszyn, will be used as either a Frost Giant or perhaps a Snow Troll in my games of "Frostgrave". But will first need to be varnished in "Vallejo" Matt acrylic resin so as to seal in its "Vallejo" White and Pale Grey paint-job, before it can be further progressed - owing to this colour combination usually transferring to other areas of a model whenever it is varnished.

"The Yeti Has Become An Icon Of Cryptozoology."

"Supposed evidence of the Yeti's existence include anecdotal visual sightings, video recordings, photographs..."

This 40mm tall "collector's miniature" of a Yeti is produced by “Zealot Miniatures” and can be bought from their Litchmyre Dungeon Collection range. Cast in "quality PU Resin" and sculpted by Boris Woloszyn, the figure comes in three separate pieces which can easily be super-glued into place without the need for pinning.

The Meh-Teh was initially undercoated with two layers of "Vallejo" White, and then somewhat drowned in Pale Grey. The "large, bipedal ape-like creature" was then thoroughly dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" White, before having both its teeth and claws pigmented in "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"Privateer Press" WIPs - These three Paladin Annihilators have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

I was actually tempted to leave the Abominable Snowman alone at this stage, but in the end thought that its teeth should probably be ivory(ish) in colour. As a result I picked all its sharp fangs out with "Vallejo" White and subsequently washed them using a little "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. I did also contemplate doing something with the monster's sunken eyes. But decided not to do anything special in these areas in order to draw the on-looker's attention straight to the Yeti's formidably-sized mouth.

Having finished the third of my models taken from the "Zealot Miniatures" catalogue, I have also managed to make some progress on the first three of six Paladin Annihilators which I own. These two-piece "Privateer Press" castings for "Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika" were actually reasonably simple to assemble, and didn't require any extra pinning. Indeed, at least one arm-peg fitted into its hollowed shoulder so tightly it arguably didn't even require super-gluing.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Treant is slowly have all its mushrooms and leaves 'picked out'

Although these welcome reinforcements for my Iron Star Alliance will predominantly follow the "Vallejo" Gunmetal and Brass palette of my other Paladins, I've yet to decide whether the three-soldier unit's heavy support status should be marked out in some way other than them just carrying their rapid-fire harbinger cannons. I've recently acquired a few more metallic paints from the "Metal N' Alchemy" paint range by "Scale 75", so may well decide to 'pick out' either their helmets or a shoulder-pad in a noticeable blue or red.

Lastly, I've almost completed working on a Treant "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" recently released as part of their ever-increasing Fantasy range. Having patiently dry-brushed my way around the 72mm tall miniatures with different shades of Brown, I have now almost finished painstakingly pigmenting the peaceful creature's eyes, mushrooms and numerous leaves...

"Brain Moles Hunger For Psionic Energy."

'They will attack victims by psionically burrowing into their brains.'

These three 15mm long pewter models of some Brain Moles are produced by "Otherworld Miniatures", and can be bought from their Dungeon Monsters range under Code DM30. Sculpted by Paul Muller, the single-piece castings depict the burrowing animals watching for the approach of their psionic prey.

"Small, furry, and nearly blind", the tiny creatures were attached to 25mm plastic slotta-bases and primed with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. Their furry hide was then dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal before being shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Brain moles eat small insects when they can't get psionic energy."

I picked out out their tiny webbed feet, tails and star-shaped noses with a little "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey, and later washed these areas with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. As a final touch I dotted their diminutive eyes with a dab of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and (more) "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

"Zealot Miniatures" WIPs - This Yeti has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

Having finished this trio of power leeching dungeon denizens, I have turned my attention to another of my alternative sculpts for "Frostgrave" by "Zealot Miniatures". This Dorset-based manufacturer has really fired my imagination with its incredible range of snow-based monsters, and this particular 40mm Yeti was the first of Boris Woloszyn's figures to catch my eye.

I've only currently purchased a few resin models from the Litchmyre Dungeon Collection, as I wanted to see just how well the company's "quality PU Resin" worked as a modelling medium. But having now assembled and pigmented a couple of figures, my long term-plan is to acquire a fair few more of their wandering monsters, as well as enough heroes with which to form an adventuring warband.

"Privateer Press" WIPs - This Wayfarer is slowly having all of his detail picked out

Fortunately, despite this distraction, I have still found the time to make some healthy progress on the Iron Star Alliance Paladin Weaver I plan to field for my games of Warcaster: Neo-Machinika. This "solo" unit by "Privateer Press" is absolutely covered in intricate detail, but should soon be finished now all its brass-coloured areas have been base-coated with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"Well, That's No Ordinary Rabbit!"

"Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it?"

These two 30mm scale "high quality resin" Dungeon Bunnies are hand cast by “Zealot Miniatures” and can be bought from their Twisting Catacombs range. Sculpted by Eddie Fisher, both the Tame and Vicious sculpts are "suitable for most popular dungeon RPG Games", and stand 7mm and 14mm tall respectively.

The Tame rabbit was primed using a double-helping of "Vallejo" White, before being shaded in Pale Grey. The diminutive animal was then initially dry-brushed with some (more) "Vallejo" White. But I found the miniature to be so tiny that this technique simply didn't work, so in the end I just built up some highlights on the creature's tail, legs, paws, mouth and floppy ears with a size 000 "Windsor & Newton" Series 233 University brush.

"That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on!"

I dabbed a little "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey on the bunny's tiny nose and later washed it with some watered-down "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. In a break from my usual methodology of separating colours with a thin line of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, I subsequently applied some additional Carroburg Crimson directly to the insides of the rabbit's ears to give them a distinctly pinkish tinge.

"What's he do, nibble your bum?"

As I initially plan to use both Dungeon Bunnies as Imps for "Frostgrave" by "Osprey Games", I decided to pigment the Vicious incarnation with "Vallejo" Heavy Red, shade it with pure "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, and dry-brush it with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. I then applied some "Vallejo" White to the animal's sharp teeth, and a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Violet and "Citadel" Druchii Violet to its tongue.

Originally, I was planning on settling upon the demonic rabbit having plain "Vallejo" White eyes just like its cute-looking counterpart. However, I suddenly thought that they'd look even more Hellish if I actually used this colour as a simple base layer for some "Vallejo" Green Fluorescent. Finally, the fiend's nose was finished with a little dab of "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"North Star Military Figures" WIPs - This Wolf has been primed, layered and washed

Sticking with "Frostgrave" I have also started progressing four Wolves by "North Star Military Figures" and hope to use them as test subjects for some experimental sponge-work. To be honest I am not all that enamoured with the actual sculpting on these 28mm sized metal figures though, as they look a little too fox-like in their faces for my liking...