First Few Posts Of February 2021 Posted On Wix Website

The first few postings of February 2021 are now up on the new Wix website. These include the last of my "Atomic Mass Games" 40mm super-hero models to use for Marvel Crisis Protocol, as well as the start of a painting push to finished a load of partially-painted figures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio".

In addition, I've posted up the first of my completed 15mm ACW plastic infantry strips by "Warlord Games", taken from their upcoming "Epic Battles: American Civil War" game for Black Powder. The models came free on the cover of Issue 393 of "Wargames Illustrated".

Lastly, I've finishing porting across both the January and February 2019 postings from this blog over to the new Wix website. Please click the link below to pay me a visit and see all the changes for yourself.

https://www.fantoricalwargaming.com

"You Stare At Him, And He Just Stares Back."

"That's when the attack comes -- Not from the front, no, from the side, from the other two raptors..."

This 52mm tall plastic figure of a Velociraptor is produced by “Mondo Games” and can be found inside the Jurassic Park: Ingen Vs. Raptors board game for "Unmatched". Sculpted to depict the "genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur that originated from Late Cretaceous Asia" in one of their pulse-pounding pulses from the 1993 American film "Jurassic Park", the model was initially chopped from its 25mm stand with a sharp modelling knife and glued upon a 40mm circular base instead.

"A bipedal, feathered carnivore with a long tail", the predator was primed using "Vallejo" Heavy Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey. I then pigmented all the Raptor's claws and sharp tiny teeth with "Vallejo" White and subsequently treated them all to a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade too.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Kayo the Bouncer is slowly having all her details 'picked out'

As a penultimate step I 'picked out' both the Velociraptor's eyes with "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and a splash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Before finishing the well-detailed dromaeosaurid by coating its tongue with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Following the completion of my third "Unmatched" model by "Mondo Games" I have managed to spend a lot more time focusing upon my entry for Fembruary, and as a result have almost got Kayo the Bouncer table-top ready. I don't actually plan on using the "Kitbash Games" resin miniature for their "Supers Unlimited" rule-set. so have instead painted her to be the Soviet colleague of Stalingrad known as Mother Russia for my own Weird War Two adventures.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Ectoplasmic Entity has been primed, layered and shaded

In addition, I have taken the opportunity of needing to clear some significant space within my "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" backlog prior to their latest successful Kickstarter, Lurkers From The Deep, reaching fruition, to test out my "Vallejo" Fluorescent Green on the company's Ectoplasmic Entity model. I'm not really sure whether this experiment will work, but due to the sculpt's overall smoothness felt that if the worst happened I could always just over-paint or even strip the "Ghostbusters" lookalike.

For now though I've simply been patiently building up the layers of the Model Color acrylic paint over a "Vallejo" White base, and washing "the Ghost of John Belushi" with some "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Once completed the plan is to then lightly dry-brush the entire ensemble with (more) "Vallejo" White to provide a sort of Zenithal highlight, and then glaze over the miniature with (even more) Fluorescent Green; similar as to how I applied "Vallejo" Fluorescent Yellow to my "Heroclix" Zzzax by "Wizkids" last year.

"It Can't Be Long Now."

"I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war..."

These ten 15mm scale plastic Confederate soldiers are manufactured by “Warlord Games” and came free on a sprue accompanying Issue 393 of "Wargames Illustrated" . Soon to be released as part of the Nottingham-based company's "Epic Battles: American Civil War" game for its Black Powder rule-set, the line of infantrymen is one of two needed to form a single base of miniatures, and are based upon the uniforms of an Alabama unit.

The figures were primed using a double-coat of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and then slowly had all their details 'picked out' started from the ground up. Initially, I was awfully tempted simply to stick to basic black for all of their shoes, but then decided to select three models where I'd apply a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to their footwear.

"...But I could not."

I did something similar with the troops' trousers too, as I didn't just want all of them to be marching in the colour pants. As a result I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to eight of the soldiers' trousers, and Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade to the remaining two; making sure not to pick any Johnny Rebs who already had brown shoes.

For the Confederates' jackets I either went with a mixture of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil or "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. This choice of colours might seem a little odd for a Southern unit but the Alabama recruits actually wore "a dark blue frock coat" and "black broad brimmed felt hats at the war's start," So I wanted to capture that uniqueness with my palette choices.

"Mondo Games" WIPs - The two dinosaurs are slowly having their teeth and claws 'picked out'

I later gave all the Kepi hats a dash of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil, their blanket rolls a smidgeon of either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna or White with a wash of "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade, and their belt buckles a touch of "Vallejo" Gold and (more) Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". Finally their hands and faces were layered with "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone, shaded in "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, and lastly highlighted with extra dabs of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone.

With the first of my ten "Epic Battles: American Civil War" infantry lines "successfully completed, I have made a little more progress on the two remaining plastic Raptor models I own for "Unmatched". These "Mondo Games" dinosaurs have now had the majority of their large claws and numerous teeth 'picked out' with "Vallejo" White, and now just need one last 'big push' to be table-top ready...

"Perhaps Mankind’s Closest Relatives In The Animal Kingdom..."

"...These Great Apes are capable of incredible feats of agility and strength."

These two 30mm tall Gorilla models are produced by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought from their Heroes and Allies range as part of a set of three Great Apes. Designed to be used with the manufacturer's "fun, cinematic style skirmish" game 7TV - Second Edition, these huge primates' rules can be found in the 7TV: Pulp expansion Menagerie of Terror.

The figures were originally treated to a double layer of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and thoroughly dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal so as to highlight all of the wonderful fur sculpted onto each model. I then applied some (additional) "Vallejo "Heavy Charcoal to all the Great Apes' chests, hands, faces and feet, before shading these parts with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Mayhem, Alpha Male and Kayo the Bouncer

Finally, I 'picked out' the miniatures' eyes with a couple of dabs of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and applied a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Nuln Oil to their foreheads to indicate that they Western gorillas. Some additional "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna was subsequently dry-brushed over this area to help better blend it in.

With the first couple of "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" figures finished for the month, I have taken the plunge to paint up at least one miniature for the Fembruary event being lead over on the "Leadballoony" blog. This will be my already partially-pigmented Kayo the Bouncer "Supers Unlimited" model by "Kitbash Games"; albeit I fully intend to continue applying a brush-tip to both Alpha Male and Mayhem at the same time just so I can get all three of the super-powered hero/villains completed in reasonably quick time.

"Warlord Games" WIP - The Confederates are slowly getting their final details 'picked out'

I've also been slowly chipping away at the front line of my first 15mm "Epic Battles: American Civil War" infantry unit by "Warlord Games". I was hoping to have finished at least a couple of ten-man strips of Confederate soldiers by now, but the fiddly nature of their diminutive detail means that I'm finding them a bit of a hard project to pick up when I have much more straightforward projects sat in front of me on my painting table.

Happily however, I have managed to dedicate at least one full hobby-session to my Alabama volunteers, and even gone so far as to pick out a few beards, horseshoe rolls and water bottles in "Vallejo" White and Heavy Sienna. The soldiers now just need their rifles finishing, and a little tidying up where I missed the odd spot before they're varnished ready for their second line to be fully-painted and glued into place directly behind them.

"My Name's Crossbones, Darlin'!"

"I can crush your larynx in one second --"

This 40mm scale plastic figure of mercenary Brock Rumlow is produced by “Atomic Mass Games” and can be found inside the Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Box set. Assembled using eleven different pieces, not including his circular stand, the model depicts the Red Skull's leading henchman throwing one of his formidably hard punches.

"Trained by... the combat virtuoso Taskmaster", the thug was initially primed using a coupe of coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and thoroughly dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. I then patiently 'picked out' the bruiser's toe-caps, knee-pads, knuckle-dusters, knife-butt, firearm and assorted belt buckles/studs with "Vallejo" Gunmetal, before shading the entire ensemble in plenty of "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Kayo the Bouncer, Alpha Male and Mayhem

To be honest, I was sorely tempted at this point to leave the majority of the miniature well enough alone, as the official paint-job seemed to indicate that was that. However, having already been disappointed that the sculpt did not contain an opportunity to actually pigment Rumlow's famous 'crossed bones' insignia on his chest, I found myself wanting to add a bit more contrast to all the various straps and pouches dotted across the figure.

As a result I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna to Crossbones' gun holster, the thick leather straps on his shin-guards, his knife's handle, the odd pouch and a pair of rear-facing straps holding his body armour in place. I later shaded these with (more) "Citadel" Nuln Oil so as to dramatically darken them them down, and hopefully make them a little less obvious than if I'd just stuck to my usual application of Agrax Earthshade over them.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The two Great Apes are having their detail 'picked out'

Finally, I applied some "Vallejo" White to Brock's face mask and subsequently gave it a splash of "Citadel" Nuln Oil in order to help me better see all of its subtle details. I then picked out the villain's eye sockets with a dab of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and momentarily debated whether to follow some of the other paint-jobs I've seen where part of Crossbone's skin is seen poking out from beneath his head covering, or simply spot his eyes in with (more) "Vallejo" White as is predominantly depicted in the "Marvel Worldwide" comic books. In the end I went with the latter option, as that is how I always visualise the character in my mind's eye.

Alongside my twelfth "Marvel Crisis Protocol" model I have been steadily progressing three resin super-heroes/villains cast by "Kitbash Games" from their excellent "Supers Unlimited" range. In addition, I've also been making some inroads on a trio of "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Great Apes. I had actually hoped to have had the giant monkeys finished by now, but unfortunately I've discovered some quite noticeable chipping on their furry hides from their time jostling against one another in storage, and needed to re-prime them in places as a result.

"My Sensors Are Locked On Target!"

"My Encephalo-Beam is set to kill!"

This 40mm scale plastic figure of the synthezoid Ultron is made by “Atomic Mass Games” and can be found inside the Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Box set. Assembled using twenty-one separate pieces, not including its circular stand, the model depicts the Hank Pym's homicidal creation standing atop a pile of molten slag.

Originally built "to be a force for good", the rogue robot was originally primed with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and treated to a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Silver. The super-villain was then shaded using some "Citadel" Nuln Oil before being heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Silver.

Marvel Crisis Protocol Roster - Eleven assorted heroes and villains

I also applied a thinned down wash of "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade over the model so as to make the computer A.I.'s almost indestructible adamantium body appear to have a slightly blue hue to it. Finally, I set about 'picking out' all the deadly automaton's armour vents with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson" in an effort to suggest the unbridled power of Ultron's internal nuclear reactor.

Initially, I had momentarily contemplated following the "Atomic Mass Games" official paint-job for all these numerous filters. But frankly I have never been a fan of the metallic fiend's torso and limbs being completely criss-crossed with orangey red like writer Roy Thomas' co-creation was suffering from some bizarre case of varicose veins. So in the end I settled for simply 'picking out' the synthezoid's eyes, maw, chest, thighs and calves.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Kayo the Bouncer, Alpha Male and Mayhem

Disappointingly, the finished figure's paint-job did subsequently seem to have a detrimental reaction to being sealed with "Coat d'arms" Gloss Varnish, as the so-called protective film stripped the entire robot of its subtle "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade shading, as well as part of the Nuln Oil shade applied to the miniature's sculpted base prior to it being dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey.

Having been somewhat put off from painting any more of the Marvel Crisis Protocol figures as a result of this mishap, I have momentarily taken the time to make some slight progress on a handful of assorted, super-powered resin costumed vigilantes produced by "Kitbash Games" as part of their Supers Unlimited range.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" February 2021

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Three Great Apes

This month's attempt to reduce my considerable mountain of metal, plastic and resin models has been somewhat motivated by my interest in the latest Kickstarter by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Focusing upon "Lurkers From The Deep - 28mm Cthulhu miniatures & terrain" my pledge is presently 'reeling in' thirteen new miniatures already, so in line with my New Year's resolution to paint two models for every one freshly bought, I'm presently looking at needing to finish at least twenty-six figures before fulfilment.

Fortunately, I have quite a few of the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer's miniatures already partially-painted, including a trio 0f their splendidly large Great Apes. These quite large metal models are already primed, shaded and dry-brushed, so following a little 'minor' repair work following their lengthy stay in storage, should soon be ready for final detail work before being table-top ready.

"Marvel Crisis Protocol" WIPs - Crossbones and She-Hulk

In addition this month also sees the continuation of Dave Stone's "Paint What You Got Challenge" over on his excellent "Wargames Terrain Workshop" blog. I've been using this event to complete the ten-figure strong roster I need in order to play "Marvel Crisis Protocol" by "Atomic Mass Games", and whilst I've almost completed this goal, I still have a few more of the super-hero skirmish game's models to clear from my painting area.

Foremost of this minor backlog is my Crossbones figure, whose dark palette is slowly being given some colour by some sporadic applications of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Gunmetal. I've also finished all the metal work on She-Hulk's large circular base, and started tidying up the Avenger's predominantly white footwear in preparation of 'picking out' all its purple straps.

January 2021 - "Atomic Mass Games" dominates my hobby-time so far this year

Progress wise, the past four weeks certainly saw me attain a bitterly disappointing level of productivity when compared to the same period over the previous six years. However, as opposed to simply painting everything and anything that I could which was reasonably straightforward to pigment for the annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, I've instead stuck to focusing upon miniatures which should actually see some table-top action in the future.

I also haven't found myself purposely purchasing non-essential models simply so I can quickly get them finished and submitted for the event; something which has lead me down some particularly costly paths in bygone days. Instead I have slowly but surely managed to 'tick off' my checklist several of the larger scale "Marvel Crisis Protocol" models by "Atomic Mass Games", and even start working on a small-time project focusing upon the "Unmatched" miniatures made by the little known "Mondo Games".