"It Remains Unknown If This Sentient Fungus..."

"...Is a native or mutation triggered by hazardous wasters."

This 28mm scale white metal model of an Ambulatory Fungoid is sold by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought alongside a Horned Urz cub as part of their Alien Pets 2 deal. Sculpted by Andrew May, and originally produced as a freebie to all backers of the company's Colony 87 - The Third Wave - 28mm Sci-Fi Civilians Kickstarter, the creature is designed to be used with the company's other "Colony 87" sci-fi civilian miniatures "for any RPGs and tabletop wargames."

"Growing in the vast labyrinth of tunnels, sewers, Maran-Tchi cysts and chambers below the outpost", the alien was initially undercoated using "Vallejo" Sombre Grey before being shaded in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then painted the walking mushroom's top with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and sporadically spotted its irregular lumps with some White using a piece of torn foam.

"Privateer Press" WIPs - The Paladin Enforcer is slowly having all his detail 'picked out'

This entire area was subsequently shaded with plenty of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and its spots reapplied with more "Vallejo" White over the same bumps as before. This gave the impressive of some dots slowly emerging alongside others which were already fully-visible. As a final step I 'picked out' the Fungoid's numerous eyes with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

With the latest of my "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" alien pets finished I have managed to keep my momentum going with the three Paladin Enforcers I'm currently pigmenting for "Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika". These multi-part metal miniatures by "Privateer Press" were a little fiddly to assemble, but now they've been primed, shaded and dry-brushed I'm hoping to now be on the home straight to getting my Iron Star Alliance Starter Set completed before the end of the month.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Lightning Bug has had all his "Vallejo" Brass shaded and dry-brushed

In addition, I have tried to dedicate some hobby-time to getting my Lightning Bug by "Kitbash Games" ready for the tabletop. The somewhat small resin super-hero was actually released as part of the manufacturer's first "Supers Unlimited" Kickstarter. However I have waited until recently to purchase the fellow after some casting failures saw its sculpt get revised to be both "slightly bulkier and approximately 1 or 2mm taller in relative terms."

As with so many of the figures from this range I have also decided to steer well away from both the 'official' character and colour scheme, so as to use my miniature as part of a Weird War Two campaign I have planned using some homemade rules. To this end, I won't be giving the model a predominantly black costume, but rather a red and brass one in order to better represent the Soviet splendour of the Bolshevik Bug...

"Fearless And Eager To Prove Themselves In Combat."

"The young officers who command the Paladin forces in battle lead from the front."

This 35mm scale metal miniature of a Paladin Commander is produced by “Privateer Press” and can be found inside the Iron Star Alliance Command Group Starter Set for Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika. The three-piece figure comes "armed with a shoulder-mounted, self-targeting pulse cannon and wrist-mounted fusion sword", and "can attack with both its melee and ranged weapons in the same activation."

Having pinned and simultaneously super-glued the solo unit's cannon and shield in place, the entire assembly was primed in "Citadel" Abaddon Black before being treated to a coat or two of "Vallejo" Gunmetal. It was then shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Gunmetal using a large make-up blusher brush.

"Privateer Press" WIPs - The Paladin Enforcer is slowly having all his detail 'picked out'

I had originally intended to make all my Iron Star Alliance miniatures appear somewhat rusty and battered from their "aggressive expansion throughout the galaxy". But in the end decided to predominantly keep the somewhat 'clean' look of their metallic armour, and instead simply 'pick out' some of their more apparent details. As a result I applied "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the Commander's knee-pads, central chest plate, elbow-pads, and repulsor shield. 

In addition, I layered equipment and weaponry such as the model's spats, shoulder-pads, face-plate, pulse-cannon and fusion-sword with "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, and later gave them a 'lick' of Brass followed by a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. These areas were later delicately dry-brushed with a touch more "Vallejo" Brass to try and bring back some of their shine after being shaded.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Doc Cosmos, Alpha Male and Lightning Bug

Lastly, in an effort to somewhat further break-up all the metallic pigments on show, I applied some "Vallejo" Turquoise to my Iron Star Alliance leader's loincloth and washed it with "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade. I also decided to paint the garment's elaborate rear clasp with a combination of "Vallejo" Brass and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to make it look even more ornate.

With the first of my Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika miniatures finished, and work on three Paladin Enforcers well on their way too, I've made a bit more progress on some of my "Supers Unlimited" resin figures. These costumed vigilantes by "Kitbash Games" are in various states on completion, with characters such as Doc Cosmos being 'taken back' to an early stage courtesy of a re-priming, whilst those like Alpha Male are very close to being given a protective coat of "Vallejo" Matt varnish...

"Although Rarely Seen..."

"...At least one colony of white gorilla calls the city home."

This 38mm tall metal models of a White Gorilla is manufactured by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought as code FGV311 from their “Frostgrave" Range. Known to leave their nest deep with the ruins of the Frozen City in order to hunt, these formidably-sized animals "are not above eating human flesh."

The figure was initially primed "Vallejo" White, drenched in Pale Grey and dry-brushed in (more) White. I then set about painting all of the creature's flesh, such as its face, chest, hands and feet in "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone. To be honest I actually struggled with this task as the 'official' paint-job suggested that the brute had a bare knee and patches of skin under its arms.

"The females and young generally stay inside a nest..."

However, I simply couldn't find any of this detail on the actual sculpt itself, so in the end simply settled for my gorilla having a somewhat symmetrical bare chest, In addition, because I wanted the ape to look especially dirty and dishevelled, I decided against giving its flesh a light(ish) colour and instead shaded it using "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

The random encounter's claws were treated to some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and it's dubiously elongated fangs 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" White and a double-helping of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally the beast's tongue was pigmented with "Vallejo" Heavy Red and later darkened down using even more "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

"Halt. This area is under maximum security and totally off limits."

Due to my somewhat intense dislike for the both the figure's bizarre head and pose, it has actually taken more than two years to actually get this "Nfumu Ngui" in a position where it can 'grace' my tabletop. Fortunately though, its completion has tied in quite wonderfully with the “Neglected But Not Forgotten” Painting Challenge over on "Ann's Immaterium" blog, so has duly been submitted as an entry.

With another animal ticked off my "Frostgrave" Bestiary list, I have also finished pigmenting another of my old 28mm FedSec Troopers made by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio”. I got this figure from their now out-of-production Federated Security Starter Set and painted him up so as to be a 'dead-ringer' for a Federation trooper from the BBC science fiction television series “Blake’s Seven”.

'The Curious Karakulak.'

"A non-sentient species of omnivorous and gregarious canids."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Karakulak is sold by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought as part of their Alien Pets deal. The animal is 26mm in length and is designed to be used with the company's other "Colony 87" sci-fi civilian miniatures "for any RPGs and tabletop wargames."

The extra-terrestrial fox was initially undercoated using "Vallejo" White, before being washed in some quite heavily watered-down "Citadel" Druchii Violet and dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" White. I then set about pigmenting the creature's toes and nose with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before finishing it off by dotting its eyes with a combination of "Vallejo" Turquoise and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

"Blue is potentially the second-most intelligent piece of life on this planet and she’s the last of her kind."

In addition to the latest of my "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" alien pets I have also finished working on the third of my 30mm tall plastic Velociraptor figures produced by “Mondo Games”. This Late Cretaceous "dromaeosaurid dinosaur" was seemingly sculpted to depict Blue from the 2015 American film "Jurassic World" and can be found inside the Jurassic Park: Ingen Vs. Raptors board game for "Unmatched".

Having initially chopped the miniature from its 25mm stand with a sharp modelling knife and subsequently glued it upon a 40mm circular base instead, the predator was primed using "Vallejo" Sombre Grey, drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. I then 'picked out' all the Raptor's claws and sharp tiny teeth with "Vallejo" White and later treated them to a wash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade too.

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Big Bot has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

As a second to last step I 'dotted' both the Velociraptor's eyes with a spot or two of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre and a dash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. I then finished the predatory dinosaur off by coating its tongue with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Setting aside my finished figures I've also managed to get some basic layering, shading and dry-brushing completed on my resin model of Big Bot by "Kitbash Games". This rather formidably-sized resin sculpt was created as part of the Supers Unlimited Teamstarter 1: Aegis Kickstarter campaign, and whilst its 'official' palette is extremely colourful, I have decided to go with a somewhat rusty metallic scheme which better suits its resemblance to one of my "Mooretoons" cartoon strip characters - Tin Man.

"Department X Only Takes The Best."

"Greyhound Sixteen to Trap One. We've found something."

These three 28mm scale metal miniatures of some X-Commandos are manufactured by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be found within the company’s Heroes and Allies product line as SKU: DEAL 72. The 'blister' actually contains four figures "equipped with body armour, Department X badged berets and either Pistol, MP5 SMGs or SLR/FN Rifles."

Having assembled the soldiers by attaching a mix of male/female heads to their torsos courtesy of a little pinning and super-glue, they were each primed "Citadel" Abaddon Black and enthusiastically dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. I then 'picked out' each troopers' hand-weapon using some "Vallejo" Gunmetal, and their shoulder and beret badges with a couple of dollops of White. Both of these areas were later shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - A Federated Security Mutaint

As I wanted my figures to resemble the U.N.I.T. troopers depicted during the April 2008 Doctor Who television story "The Sontaran Stratagem", I shied away from leaving the Commando's headware all-black and instead pigmented it using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. I also left their aforementioned badges predominantly white, rather than attempt to painstakingly 'sketch in' the red cross upon a blue background which the Department of Extraordinary Affairs uses as their top secret organisation's emblem.

In addition, I changed up the palette on the X-Commandos' uniforms by painting all their hip-holsters and leg straps in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, as opposed to the Heavy Charcoal I had used in the past. This arguably gave each soldier a little more contrast than the all-black 'official' colour scheme used by both "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and their modern-day U.N.I.T. counterparts, even after a "Citadel" Nuln Oil wash. It did mean though that I felt obliged to go back and re-paint the fourth squad member I'd previously pigmented.

"Supers Unlimited" WIPs - N-Rage has been primed, shaded and highlighted with "Vallejo" White

Each miniatures' flesh was treated to my usual standard combination of either a "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone layer splashed with "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade and final highlight on the fingers/cheekbones with (more) "Vallejo Heavy Skintone, or a mixture of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Lastly, I applied a little "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson to both the ladies' lips.

Following the completion of the X-Commandos, I have made some initial progress on one of the company's Federated Security Mutaints in an effort to experiment with the technologically modified minion's pale zombie-like flesh. Plus I've layered, shaded and then 'Zenithal highlighted'  my model of N-Rage by "Kitbash Games" so as to test my recently opened "Vallejo" Fluorescent Orange...

“Mankind Is An Evolutionary Dead-End."

"And my super-plants are the harbinger of the future!”

This 28mm scale resin model of Blackthorn is produced by "Kitbash Games", and was purchased from their highly successful "Supers Unlimited" Miniatures "Kickstarter" in August 2019. "A scientist noted for his radical ideas on human-plant hybridization as the means to cure illness", I actually plan to use the figure as an American super-hero known as Everglades for an upcoming Weird War Two campaign utilising some homemade rules.

Having super-glued Walton Thorn's alter-ego onto a 28mm lipped base, I originally undercoated the sculpt with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown and 'picked out' all of the intricate vines snaking around his body with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black in preparation of pigmenting them in "Vallejo" Heavy Grey. However, I wasn't at all impressed with the result, so swiftly re-primed Blackthorn with a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

"Welcome to a world of supers gaming..."

I then applied plenty of Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter" over the model, before dry-brushing him with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. This gave me a nice dark(ish) brown basis which would let me avoid needing to painstakingly highlight every single snaking branch, and additionally help me create the murky swamp-coloured palette I was hoping to achieve.

However, I did still want to 'highlight' all the figure's details in some way, so gave the miniature both a light dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey and a sporadic wash of "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. Lastly, I treated Blackthorn's hair to a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green and Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". This area was then delicately dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green and I spotted the mad scientist's eyes with a couple of dabs of Heavy Ochre.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Four FedSec Troopers

In addition to completing another of my "Kitbash Games" models, I have pinned, assembled, based, primed and dry-brushed the last of my FedSec Troopers by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Despite currently playing quite a bit of "Blake's Seven" using some homemade rules, I wasn't actually planning on painting any more of the Federation's black-clad enforcers.

But the discovery of some more separate balaclava heads (this time without bushy moustaches) and a long out-of-production pot of "Citadel" Thrakka Green has changed my mind. To be honest I wasn't at all impressed with the (new) "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green helmet bands on my most recently painted goons, so am somewhat hoping that the aging wash can replicate the (old) effect and actually motivate me to re-paint the helmets on the figures I finished at the end of last year...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Supers Unlimited" March 2021

"Kitbash Games" WIPs - Magma, Lightning Bug and N-Rage

This month's effort to whittle away at my mountain of metal, plastic and resin models will primarily focus upon a selection of figures by "Kitbash Games". Apparently "bound together by their connections to mysterious Star Stones", I've bought a good half-dozen more of the resin figures from the company's recently successful Supers Unlimited Teamstarter 1: Aegis Kickstarter campaign, and whilst I don't plan on using them for either "Pulp City" or the "Super Mission Force" gaming system, I do hope to get them on my Weird War Two tabletop soon.

I have also been rather busy basing and priming all the other miniatures I own from the "Supers Unlimited" range, including the formidably-sized Magman and N-Rage, who will be 'repurposed' as the fiery Axis super-villain Vesuvio and the equally powerful atomic-charged Nuklearmann respectively. I'm particularly looking forward to applying my brush-tip upon Magman, as I have never tackled a lava-based model before, so have watched a fair few painting tutorials on "YouTube" in order to work out a reasonably straightforward technique.

"Privateer Press" WIPs - The Paladin Commander is slowly having all his detail 'picked out'

In addition this month will see me settling down to finish off the six 35mm scale models which can be found inside the Iron Star Alliance Command Group Starter Set for "Warcaster: Neo-Mechanika". These multi-part metal castings by "Privateer Press" caused me quite a headache when I initially assembled them back in December 2020, especially the heavily-pinned Firebrand Warjack, and as a result I found my enthusiasm for the project was badly dented. 

Fortunately, the promise of some pre-ordered reinforcements potentially arriving in the near future has galvanised me into some semblance of action, so I have started 'blocking off' elements of the Paladin shock troopers in "Citadel" Abaddon Black to either use as a basis for some additional layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Brass, or to simply leave as is. I'm certainly not planning on going for the bright yellow palette depicted on the box's artwork, but probably more of a blue and bronze colour scheme which is a bit Ancient Egyptian in nature...

February 2021 - Models from a variety of manufacturers have been successfully painted

Productivity wise, the past four weeks saw a noticeable improvement on my output, which whilst still disappointingly low compared to previous years, was nonetheless more than twice the progress made last month. This tally was particularly pleasing as it both ensured I finally had enough "Atomic Mass Games" models to field a full ten-figure roster for Marvel Crisis Protocol, and saw me slowly whittle away at my overly large collection of miniatures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". 

Furthermore, I'm pretty much on an even keel when it comes to my New Year's resolution of painting two models for every new one I buy. My recent purchase from "Kitbash Games" has admittedly brought me to the very edge of that annual aspiration. But for now I'm still just ahead of the game, even though the latest successful "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Kickstarter, Lurkers From The Deep, should see me receive an assortment of sixteen government agents and law enforcement officers in May 2021.