Graven Images - Cliffhanger - WIP - Part One

I’ve recently bought a handful of these ‘hefty’ 40mm models to use for some pulp fiction “7TV” action set in the Forties. Sculpted by the late great Jim Bowen, these “Graven Images” models are from the “Cliffhanger” range and extremely nice casts. To begin with I’m going to start with one of my favourite crime fighting vigilantes, The Shadow and arguably “Universal Studios” most recognizable undead creature Frankenstein’s Monster.

 

I must confess to being somewhat apprehensive about painting The Shadow as he wears a particularly fine flowing cape which includes one of my most dreaded subjects to paint… a red lining. However I have a rather nice 28mm model of Jon Pertwee as “Doctor Who” by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” which wears a similar cloak and thus is generating an identical painter’s block for me. So as this “Graven Images” model is significantly larger, I thought it’d make an excellent test piece upon which I can practice my red lining technique.

 

Until very recently I hadn’t realised that other wargaming bloggers were participating in Zomtober; a bit of fun to encourage many painters to slap a coat or two upon their undead miniatures. Having been ignorant of this acrylic gore-fest I’ve already missed the weekend deadline for the first posting but plan to use ‘Frankie’ as the subject for one of my two Zomtober posts this week.

Please follow this link to read up on what Zomtober is all about: http://brummieswargamingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/zomtober-2014.html

 

There’s actually quite a few colour schemes out there for Boris Karloff’s film version of the monster, ranging from green outer clothing and brown shirt, to perhaps the more common-placed black shirt and trousers with grey shirt. In the end I decided I didn’t want to paint two miniatures predominantly black at the same time, especially as I planned for them to be the main antagonists for my first few games of “7TV”. As a result I’m going to go with a brown suit, washed with black ink, and a dark grey shirt with black boots. Obviously the undead creature’s skin has to be Karloff green.

The subject of my second Zomtober submission will be this old “Wizkids” model of Solomon Grundy, a zombie supervillain from the “DC Comics Universe”. It is not one of the best sculpted plastic figures from the “Heroclix” range, but should prove relatively straightforward to paint in a short amount of time. To keep him company, I’m going to also try and progress a couple of other pre-painted supervillains, the Rhino and the Abomination.

Blake's Seven - "The Way Back" - WIP - Part Four

Over the past few days I've concentrated on just the one Freedom Fighter miniature by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and managed to get most of his clothing finished as a result. The belt and pouch were quite a simple affair using some brown and a wash, and I've managed to pick out the buckle with some silver.

I've gone for a yellow look to the rebel's shirt, but I think the brown wash has come out a little gloopier and darker than I hoped; especially on the right sleeve. With hindsight it may have been better to have treated the areas to some Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter" instead of the "Citadel" Shade. But usually once I've put a coat of Gloss Varnish over a model the washes tend to 'brighten up' a bit. 

28mm Battle Report: Batman And Howard The Duck Verses 'Eavies

I’ve been a huge fan of the “7TV” rule set by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” since it the core rulebook was first released in 2011. Indeed my article “The Misadventures of Gnatman and Dobbin: Zombies Not Included…” in Issue 67 of the “Wargames Soldiers and Strategy” by “Karwansaray Publishers” is based upon the game. But having not played for a while, I thought a series of simple scenarios would help ease me back into the mechanics and let me post some battle reports at the same time.

 

This first game will use just a Heroic Star and Co-Star against a number of Villainous Extras. In addition I’ve selected a few Gadget cards for the heroes, but didn’t use any Event cards as I wanted to get used to the ‘bread and butter’ mechanics of the Action:Engine system without having too much interrupt the flow. Indeed the game was predominantly a slugfest so I could reacquaint myself with basic Melee attacks, Charging and ‘All or Nothing’ Attacks. Although once the Dark Knight entered the fray there were Bat-a-rangs whizzing all over the place.

 

The adventure takes place upon a 2x2 board, with some collections of rocks and a couple of small toxic pools scattered about. The objective is for Howard the Duck to survive ten rounds, whilst being attacked by an increasing number of ‘Eavies who plan on having roast fowl for supper. Batman is desperately racing to the duck’s rescue but it’s unclear just when he’ll arrive, and every turn until the last, another extra will arrive upon the table at a random edge. Howard therefore must fend off the hired muscle until the Dark Knight arrives and rescues him.

 

“The story so far… Batman has intercepted an alarm from S.T.A.R. Labs, which has detected a shift in “the Cosmic Axis” that has opened a portal from another world in the vicinity of Gotham Harbour. As the Caped Crusader makes his way towards the eastern end of the Sprang River, he receives a feed from one of the docks’ closed circuit television cameras showing a strange fading illumination on a small island which sits within the river. The picture quality is poor as the optical instrument is at its maximum range, but the Dark knight can just make out from the grainy footage what looks like a large duck being chased by the island’s inhabitants. Clearly the local tramps and drunks are planning on making a meal of the feathered fowl… but the bird appears to be dressed in a shirt and tie, and smoking a cigar.!?!”

 

The game started with the (first) ‘Eavy winning the Initiative and running (double move) straight towards the feathered fowl. Deciding to run for cover behind a cluster of rocks on the small island’s westernmost corner Howard also did a double waddle. With no sign of Batman arriving, a (second) ‘Eavy appeared in the island’s south-eastern corner and ran forwards to join up with his colleague. In the meantime Howard backed away even further to ensure a rocky outcrop was between him and his foes.

WITH HIS LAST CIGAR IN HAND, HOWARD THE DUCK PUTS UP A 'DOWNY DEFENCE'.

With the Caped Crusader still elsewhere, swinging from Gotham rooftop to rooftop, a (third) ‘Eavy arrived in the south-east corner of the island. Sensing he would be easily swamped by the hired muscle if he remained in hiding, Howard decided to put his best webbed foot forward and trust in the teachings of the school of Master C’haaj. The duck double-moved towards the (first) ‘Eavy and utilising his Heroic Surge to initiate a second activation, flicked his trusty stogie towards the man. It flew towards its target as if it was a Rocket Cigarette and was inadvertently swallowed by the hired muscle; putting him out of action for the rest of the game with a touch of heart burn. Howard then charged into the (second) ‘Eavy and demonstrating just why he was also known as Shang Op – Master of Quak Fu, he stunned the man. The surviving (third) ‘Eavy attempted to charge into the duck himself but despite having ‘A Good Offence’ rolled low. Still there was no sign of Batman. But a (fourth) ‘Eavy arrived from the north, doubling the fowl’s attackers. Howard went in for ‘All or nothing’ on the (third) ‘Eavy and brought the hired muscle crashing to the ground, before he hid behind the island’s central rocky outcrop.

"SHANG-OP", WHICH MEANS RISING AND ADVANCING OF A DUCK, IS THE MASTER OF QUAK FU

With the (third) ‘Eavy staggering to his feet and a (fifth) ‘Eavy appearing from the south, Howard the Duck leapt out at his opponents and floored the (third) hired muscle a second time. Snatching a handy crowbar from a nearby pile of debris the (fifth) ‘Eavy saw a chance to wallop the duck from behind but didn’t account for Howard’s Dodge ability. Suddenly a shadow briefly fell over the island, there was the sound of something flying swiftly through the air, and the (second) ‘Eavy, who had just reawakened, was more permanently out for the count thanks to two bat-a-rangs. The Dark Knight had arrived. Using an ‘Adrenalin Boost’ to obtain a third action for the turn, Batman charged into the (fifth) ‘Eavy currently assaulting Howard, and producing a bat-blade incapacitated the hired muscle for the rest of the fight. But a (sixth) ‘Eavy was already rushing down from the north.

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD OR THE BAT AND THE BIRD

As a (seventh) ‘Eavy appeared, Batman began hurling Bat-a-rangs but all missed despite him using his ‘Luck’. As a result the (sixth) ‘Eavy rushed past the Caped Crusader and charged into Howard, but the duck’s ‘Dodge’ ability continued to keep his feathers safe. An (eighth) ‘Eavy now arrived, and Batman and the Duck Wonder were in danger of being encircled. Batman’s bat-a-rangs rang true this round and down went the (fourth) ‘Eavy. An ‘All or Nothing’ feathered fist from Howard felled the (sixth) ‘Eavy, and the bat and bird went back-to-back to fend off their enemies.

FIGHTING INJUSTICE IN GOTHAM CITY: BATMAN AND HOWARD THE DUCK

In the south-east corner of the island, a final (ninth) ‘Eavy emerged and started running towards what he hoped was an easy supper. But Batman now saw a chance to get the duck to safety and together they rushed north towards the (eighth) ‘Eavy. The hired muscle was all that stood between the Dark Knight and freedom, so he eventually fell under a flurry of bat-a-rangs. Hearing the fast approaching footsteps of their pursuers behind them the Caped Crusader scooped up Howard in one arm, and with the other fired off a bat-cable into the nearest dock building and together they leapt into the air and away…

Modern Middle Eastern Alliance Fedayeen - Part Two

These four bases of 6mm "GHQ" miniatures form part of a larger Fedayeen Squad I've been painting as a Frontline Asset for my Middle Eastern Alliance (MEA) army. Originally the force consisted of a unit leader, accompanied by five stands of soldiers armed with assault rifles. These additional stands give the squad some much needed specialist weapon support in the form of two SVU sniper rifle stands and two AT-13 Sexhorn-2 anti-tank missile system stands.

 

All four bases utilise models taken from the "Micro Armour" stock codes TW1 Mujahadin Individual Infantrymen and TW2 Mujahadin Individual Heavy Weapons. The models were initially undercoated with "Vallejo" White, washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with more "Vallejo" White in order to bring out their detail. I then 'picked out' the soldier's footwear, weapons, hands and faces with "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The areas of skin were painted using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Ogryn Flesh wash. Many of the models were additionally adorned with one or two ammunition belts, which I painted using a second hand pot of "Vallejo" Brass followed by a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

In addition I’ve finally knuckled down and started to progress painting of my 15mm “The Ion Age” miniature collection. This particular lead/resin mountain has swelled quite considerably in recent months due to the company releasing a plethora of excellent looking vehicles and terrain pieces, as well as numerous new infantry models – all of which come at a fantastic discount if pre-ordered. As a result I’ve managed to finish painting this Retained Knight Anvil 888 launcher team and should soon have them based up ready for the battlefield.

"Raccoon? What's a Raccoon?"

This 28mm “Heroclix” model of Rocket Raccoon took far longer than I anticipated to paint, predominantly because of the figure’s diminutive size and some quite thick pre-painting. In addition it took quite a bit of research on the internet in order to find a colour scheme for the Guardian’s face and whiskers which I thought would actually work on the tiny miniature.

 

Taken from the Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Starter Set by “Wizkids” I painted Rocket’s spacesuit “Citadel” Calthan Brown and then treated it to a wash of Devlan Mud. The sculpting on the back of the model was sharp enough to pick out some of the leather strappings with an old pot of the Foundation colour Tausept Ochre. This too was then washed with Devlan Mud. The large laser rifle was simply undercoated Abaddon Black before it was painted with Boltgun Metal. This weapon was then treated to a Badab Black wash. Finally all the Raccoon’s fur was painted with “Vallejo” Heavy Bluegrey before also receiving a fairly liberal dousing with “Citadel” Badab Black.

I have five of these Thug models from the Marvel Infinity Challenge set to paint as part of one of my final Painting Challenges, and I’m slowly ploughing through them so I have some unarmed ‘Eavies for the “7TV” rule set by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. Disturbingly I’ve actually painted this figure having followed the colour scheme from an earlier posting in February 2014; when I painted an identical model. However the grey shirt of my current miniature has come out significantly lighter than its predecessor…

Blake's Seven - "The Way Back" - WIP - Part Three

One of the painting techniques I use for all my miniatures, even 6mm, is ‘black lining’ or simply ‘boxing off’ the different colours on a figure with a thin(ish) black line. This is obviously quickly and easily done when the models are originally undercoated black but as I hadn’t done that with these Freedom Fighters by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” I’ve spent a fair few minutes separating the figures’ clothing, hands, weapons, belts and heads. As you can see this can be a really rough process as I’ll use an areas main paint colour to sidle up to the black later on.

I’ve since been working on the trousers of the models, and gone with a green-grey with black wash for ‘Blake’, a red wash for ‘Jenna’ and a brown wash over dark brown trousers for ‘Vila’. I’ve also painted the silver boot straps for ‘Blake’, treating them to a wash of Black shade as well and started painting his dark green jumper.

"Meow."

I’ve actually had this 28mm plastic “Heroclix” model of Catwoman on one of my shelves, undercoated black and ready for painting for at least a couple of years. A somewhat baffling situation as model number 37 from the DC Hypertime set wasn’t terribly difficult to paint, as you can probably imagine.

Having given the “Wizkids” figure a thin coat of “Citadel” Abaddon Black, simply to freshen up its look, I picked out the burglar’s famous whip with an old pot of Dark Flesh and then washed it with Agrax Earthshade. I then took some Boltgun Metal and picked out Selina Kyle’s eye-goggles, belt buckle and cat-suit zipper. All these areas were then treated to a layer of the shade Nuln Oil.

I did then consider picking out the lenses on Catwoman’s goggles in either red or yellow, as I’ve seen both colours applied, having had a quick look at how other people have painted the model on the internet. But as this is already a pre-paint I didn’t fancy my chances of being delicate enough with a brush tip to do the model justice. I figured I’d simply have a few attempts, fail miserably, and then go back over the areas with even more Boltgun Metal and simply ruin the entire look of the “Wizkids” model. Best to cut my losses, shelve my ‘Eavy Metal Syndrome’ and base the model. Besides, from four foot away the paintjob looks perfectly acceptable.

Sticking with the simple black, silver and flesh painting combination I’ve got some base layers on my masked bandit figure from “Boot Hill Miniatures”. Obviously the painting is a little rough at present, and needs to be cleaned up, but it lets me see where I’m going with the model; albeit I’m convinced the eye slits will be filled back in with black before the day is done as they look tricky…

I've been rather inspired to do a bit of Wild West by some of the superb sculpting and conversion work which can be found on the "Rantings from under the Wargames Table" blog. The first posting of the three parts can be found here:
http://rantingsfromunderthewargamestable.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/28mm-sci-fi-wild-west-or-the-good-the-bad-and-greenstuff-week-1/