"The Eleventh Panzer Division..."

"...Had originally been organized in August 1940, in the then German province of Silesia."

This plastic 15mm Panzerkampfwagen IV is sold by “Battlefront Miniatures” and can be found inside the company’s “Hit The Beach” starter set for “Flames Of War”. The model consists of a medium tank equipped with "Bazooka Skirts", and will form part of a larger Panzer IV Tank Platoon for my German Beach Defence Company.

The armoured vehicle was assembled and glued straight onto a large base before being primed with a double coat of "Vallejo" German Grey. It was then washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" German Grey. Thinking the miniature looked a tad bland and uninteresting, I subsequently gave it a lighter dry-brush of "Vallejo" Sombre Grey to better bring out all the kit's impressive details.

"The division saw action on the Eastern and Western Fronts during the Second World War."

With the basics completed, I decided to 'pick out' the model's spade, stowage, tow-cable and extra piece of tank-track using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil" or "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. In addition I painted the Panzer IV's machine gun and rear-situated muffler with "Vallejo" Gunmetal and shaded these parts in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade respectively.

I also pigmented the tank's tracks with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and daubed them with "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh so as to help blend the muddy caterpillar treads into my basing palette once 'drowned' in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Finally, I applied some decals across the Panzer IV to mark it out as being part of the Eleventh Panzer Division, using the guidance given in the excellent hardback book "Colours Of War" by "Battlefront Miniatures".

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - A Future Killer, Future Saviour and FKMSA Experimental Battle Mech Series 3

To help mark out the vehicle as being the first tank in the first platoon of the first company I also decided to have the Panzer IV's commander be visible. This half-figure was undercoated with two layers of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and had his headset pigmented with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and Gunmetal. These tiny areas were appropriately daubed in "Citadel" Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade.

Alongside my latest submission to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) I have also managed to find some time to print and prime some more science fiction-related figures by "Papsikels Miniatures". All of these figures actually come as 28mm scale STL (Standard Triangle Language) files, so for the Future Saviour and Future Killer I used "Chitubox" Basic to upscale the sculpts by 108.41% so they matched the size of my previously-painted 32mm scale Colonist Marine Cyborg Hero E-900 Exterminator...

"Unauthorized Opening Of Cage Three."

"Unauthorized opening of cages five, seven, eight, ten..."

This trio of 32mm scale Gigerian Royal Brood Warriors are produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and can be downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" subscription service. Based upon a species of H.R.Giger's infamous deadly aliens, the figures were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer.

Due to these sculpts looking somewhat different to the other Xenomorphs I've recently pigmented I decided to go with a different palette than the predominantly brown one I've used in the past. Resultantly, whilst the three Xenomorphs were all still primed in Doom Death Black by "Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats", they were then dry-brushed in Cold Corpse Blue before being drowned in Oblivion Black Wash.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPS - Two Series 5 Sexycops and a FKMSA Failed Experimental Battle Droid Series 1

I next (re)dry-brushed the miniatures with (more) Cold Corpse Blue, before applying a light highlight of Gravestone Blue across all their raised areas. Finally, to help blend all the different blues together, I enthusiastically showered them in Drakenhof Nightshade. This left me just needing to 'pick out' all the aliens' metal teeth with a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, as well as apply a coat of Doom Death Black (and "Citadel" 'Ardcoat across their silky-smooth foreheads.

Alongside my latest submission for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) I have also continued working on some of the figures from "Papsikels Miniatures" latest "Patreon" release entitled "Corpo Cops". Based upon Paul Verhoeven's 1987 science fiction film "Robocop" and its subsequent sequels, I've actually finished 3D printing the entire release now. But have actually begun rescaling a few of the smaller 28mm sculpts so that they better match the 'girth' of the company's larger 32mm scale figures. Furthermore I am hoping this move might help strengthen some of the incredibly fragile-looking limb joints a handful of the models have at the smaller size.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - All the details on these Panzer IVs is slowly being 'picked out'

In addition, I've almost finished the four-vehicle strong 15mm Panzer IV unit I require as an armoured support unit for my 50-point German D-Day Defence Force for "Flames Of War". I'm currently really enjoying working on these marvellous plastic kits by "Battlefront Miniatures" and having picked out such little details as fire-axes, shovels, tow-wires and stowage on three of them I've decided to utilise a fifth tank sprue with a view to expanding the platoon up to maximum strength for some 75-point conflicts.

With an imminent battle against an invading force of Americans scheduled for later this week, and my sole-remaining Panzer IV currently sat in the grit-box as part of its post-painting process, I'm now focusing much of my attention upon the eight German soldiers I must swiftly pigment as part of two 7.5cm Anti-Tank gun teams. These heavy weapons were temporarily pushed aside to allow me to work on my tanks. But now the Panzerkampfwagens are almost completed, I've shifted my brush-tip back to them...

"Judgment Day Is Inevitable."

"A T-X was sent back through time to eliminate your lieutenants."

These three 32mm scale E-800 Exterminators are produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and were downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" The Exterminator December 2022 subscription service, The miniatures were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and are clearly based upon James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd's science-fiction "Terminator" franchise.

The trio were all primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and treated to both two layers of Sir Coates Silver by "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" and a hearty dousing in Oblivion Black Wash. The "artificially intelligent autonomous war machine[s]" were then carefully dry-brushed with (more) Sir Coates Silver and had their eyes picked out with a spot of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Finally, due to wanting their metallic hand-weapons to somewhat stand out from the rest of the E-800 Exterminators shiny surfaces, I applied a second shade of Oblivion Black Wash over all the firearms.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPS - Two Series 5 Sexycops and a FKMSA Failed Experimental Battle Droid Series 1

In addition to my latest submission for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) I have also slowly started working on some of the figures from "Papsikels Miniatures" latest "Patreon" release entitled "Corpo Cops". These models vary in scale between 28mm and 32mm, and are clearly strongly influenced by Paul Verhoeven's 1987 science fiction film "Robocop", as well as the $53.4 million grossing movie's subsequent sequels.

For now I'm planning on focusing upon both the FKMSA Battle Police Series 5 Sexycops and a series of FKMSA Failed Experimental Battle Droid Series 1 miniatures. I'm actually finding some of these sculpts to be so finely-detailed that they're probably not destined to survive long on a tabletop unaided. So have already added at least one resin boulder (manufactured by "C27 Studio") to a figure to support its meticulously researched but super-delicate limbs.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - This Panzer IV has been stripped clean and reprimed

Lastly, I've made more progress on the Panzer IV unit I intend to field as part of my 50-point German D-Day Defence Force for "Flames Of War". Having put aside my frustration with trying to achieve any sort of camouflage on the "Battlefront Miniatures" tanks, I have decided to instead focus on 'picking out' a number of each armoured vehicle's details. These should prove reasonably straightforward to paint and break-up an otherwise rather monotonous dark grey colour scheme.

Initially, I had intended to build a fourth 15mm Panzerkampfwagen from a spare sprue, as I felt the model upon which I piloted my unsuccessful tan-green-brown pattern upon was far too full of clumpy paint to be saved - especially after I tried layering it with two coats of "Vallejo" German Grey. However, I have since soaked the thing in approximately 120ml of Paint Remover by "Green Stuff World" for a few hours. This solution has almost completely removed any trace of my previous disaster, and resultantly lead to me (re)priming the tank in a combination of "Vallejo" Black Prime and "Citadel" Abaddon Black in an effort to bring it my battlefield after all...

"The Engineers Have A Multitude Of Different Names."

"Deciphered hieroglyphic tablets found in Tanaka 5 referred to them as Ossians."

These three 32mm scale Yurneyan Golem Exofist Mask figures are produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and were downloaded as part of a free set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon”. Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, I had initially planned to 'field' four of the figures. But one of the models' arms failed to print – probably due to my overloading the build plate.

The 55mm tall sculpts are recognisably inspired by Ridley Scott’s 2012 science fiction film “Prometheus” and were predominantly painted using “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats paint” range. They were all primed with a double helping of Gravestone Blue, shaded using Oblivion Black Wash and dry-brushed with (more) Gravestone Blue. This really helped bring out all the partly organic looking details of their survival suits.

"C27 Studio" WIPs - Conroy has been primed and dry-brushed

However, I thought the “Space Jockeys” looked a little bland so decided to pick out their stomachs, fingers and throats using a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash. This somewhat tied into some of the pictures I have seen of the alien’s costumes for the movies, which appear to have a somewhat silvery/fleshy sheen to them. As a final step I applied Ivory Tusk to their heads, washed these areas with watered-down “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson, and dotted their eyes with Doom Death Black.

Alongside my latest submission to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, I have been working on a Kevin Conroy tribute sculpt by "C27 Studio". The company ordinarily create 40mm scaled miniatures which are similar in size to those found in the "Marvel Crisis Protocol" super-hero game by "Atomic Mass Games". But this particular figure of the Dark Knight from "Batman: The Animated Television Series", has been crafted at the somewhat smaller scale of 35mm - hence it's been placed on a "Citadel" 40mm circular base.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - A Panzer IV now sporting a "Vallejo" German Grey colour scheme

In addition, I have been plugging away at the remaining models by "Battlefront Miniatures" which I need so as to complete my initial 50-point strong German D-Day Defence Force for "Flames Of War". Things had been going reasonably well, with my 7.5cm Anti-Tank guns even receiving some odd spots of camouflage over their "Vallejo" Dark Yellow undercoat/wash/dry-brush as a precursor for doing something similar to a quartet of similarly-primed Panzer IV tanks.

Unfortunately for some bizarre reason though, I inexplicably decided to veer away from doing small, self-isolated batches of coloration, and instead chose to use some "Vallejo" Luftwaffe Camo Green as a guide by snaking the odd line over the first of my armoured vehicles. Before I knew it this haphazard spider's web had got completely out of hand, and my attempt to rein it all in with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown just looked like messy splodges. As a result, and in view of having my first game pencilled in for late next week, I have subsequently decided to keep this particular tank formation nice and straightforward, by sticking with "Vallejo" German Grey and some trusty "Citadel" Nuln Oil shade...

"Where Is John Connor?"

"Get out."

This 32mm scale Colonist Marine Cyborg Hero E-900 Exterminator is produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and was sent to me as a free STL (Standard Triangle Language) file as part of their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon". The miniature was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is clearly inspired by the “less-advanced, reprogrammed Terminator” played by Arnold Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 science-fiction film “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.

Pigmented using “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” paint range, the cyborg assassin was undercoated in Doom Death Black, dry-brushed using “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal”, had his T-shirt ‘picked out’ in Cold Corpse Blue and drenched in Oblivion Black Wash. I next applied a little Sir Coates Silver and splash of (more) Oblivion Black Wash to his belt buckle, pistol and large automatic weapon, before using a combination of Glistening Gold and Battle Mud Wash on the killing machine’s cartridge belt.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - Three Gigerian Royal Brood Warriors on "Citadel" 50mm Round Bases

The Terminator’s hair and boots were treated to some Cuirass Leather and (more) Battle Mud Wash, and his remaining skin picked out with a little Elven Flesh and watered-down “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade. His exposed exo-skeleton was given a layer of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, before I dotted his robotic eye with a drop of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Lastly, to try and break up the all-black colour scheme, I gave his jacket a light dry-brush of more Cuirass Leather and blended this in with some additional Oblivion Black Wash.

Having completed my latest submission to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), and sticking with "Papsikels Miniatures", I've found the time to almost finish five of the company's 32mm Gigerian Royal Brood Warriors. These sculpts actually gave me quite a headache to base on account of their sweeping tails making their 'footprint' much more circular than the Cheetah-based variants I've previously housed upon "Citadel" 60mm oval bases.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - These 7.5cm Anti-Tank guns have been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

In the end I opted to super-glue each Xenomorph on a 50mm round stand. But even at this size their tails slope over the edge for a significant distance - and doubtless will end up getting broken at some point in the future whilst wargaming. Furthermore, the move has completed exhausted my supply of that particular base just when "Games Workshop" have frustratingly announced that they ("temporarily") have no more in stock online and I have other miniatures waiting to be painted which require that size.

Finally, I've managed to make some more in-roads on the two bases of World War Two 7.5cm Anti-Tank guns I need for my German D-Day Defence force. These 15mm plastic "Flames Of War" figures by "Battlefront Miniatures" have now had their Panzerabwehrkanone 40 defence cannons primed, shaded and dry-brushed, so simply need a little tidying up before I can get to work on their crews. In addition, I might do a bit of camo on them, despite having seen plenty of images of them without any...

"Like Father, Like Daughter."

"Justine Hammer inherited her father's ruthless criminal leanings."

This 28mm scale pre-painted plastic model of the Crimson Cowl was produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 091 from their old Marvel “Heroclix” Ultimates range. “The mysterious boss of the Masters of Evil” Justine Hammer’s alter-ego was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley for the April 1997 issue of "Thunderbolts" by "Marvel Comics".

Snatched from the top of the figure's flying 'clicky' base and super-glued upon a plastic 25mm circular base, the super-villain was treated to a double-coat of “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” Sanguine Scarlet and shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. She was then heavily dry-brushed with (more) Sanguine Scarlet, before having her eye slits spotted with a smidgeon of Skulker Yellow and “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - These three Gigerian Royal Brood Warriors have simply been dry-brushed

With so simple a submission to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) completed, I've had the time to progress five Gigerian Royal Brood Warriors I was freely sent as STL (Standard Triangle Language) files by "Papsikels Miniatures" as part of their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon". These 32mm xenomorphs are somewhat different looking to the other aliens I've pigmented from the company's range, so I wanted to go with a different palette than the predominantly brown one I've used in the past.

To be honest, I've always found these iconic Internecivus raptus somewhat daunting to paint as they're so darkly coloured that I've always felt a simple highlight over a black prime (and perhaps a wash) does little justice to their fascinatingly detailed biomechanical appearance. As a result, I thought it would be worth taking the time to slowly build-up this variant's muted blue via three increasingly light dry-brushes of different blue-greys and a couple of shades too - all from "Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats" range.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - A pair of German 7.5cm Anti-Tank guns

In addition, and making a rather agreeable change in both scale and genre, I have been tinkering away at the two bases of World War Two 7.5cm Anti-Tank guns I need for my German D-Day Defence force. These 15mm plastic "Flames Of War" figures by "Battlefront Miniatures" have been patiently gathering dust since I first started working on them at some point last year, so the first thing I've needed to do was brush them down.

I also appear to have lost one of the crew's officers or look-outs, so I've been scratching around my various piles of shame looking for a replacement. Luckily, I have found a pair of German large gun teams still on their sprue, courtesy of some reinforcements I purchased at "Salute" in October 2021, and these do seemingly consist of a spare figure. However, quite bizarrely these slightly resin(ish) models are slightly larger than their counterparts in hard plastic. So I'm a little perplexed as to whether the 'new' gunner will annoyingly stand out from his brethren...

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Papsikels Miniatures” March 2023

"The enemy of my enemy... is my friend."

Due to the past four week’s encouraging effort to diminish the embarrassingly high summit of my hobby hill by focusing upon a number of 32mm science fiction figures produced by “Papsikels Miniatures”, I thought I’d do exactly the same again for another month. Or at least, target some of company’s smaller 28mm scale Cyberpunk characters which I’ve recently gained access to via their other “Patreon” subscription service.

Of course, I still aim to pigment a number of their larger brethren for my upcoming "Aliens verses Predator verses Terminator" games, as that particular project is far from complete and unsurprisingly always being added to. But I’d also like to get started on their Papsikels City range which comprises of an “alternate future in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist” – albeit I’ll be predominantly sticking to their human denizens first, before I start 3D printing various Elves, Orcs, Goblins and other part-cyborg creatures.

"Papsikels Miniatures" WIPs - A PCPD Blade Walker, Cyborg Ender Type 5432 0 and Miggy Kimosabe

In addition, I’ve set myself a bit of a significant challenge to actually have a game of both “Flames of War” by “Battlefront Miniatures” and “Horus Heresy” by “Games Workshop” before the end of the month, so I can dive head-first into another project concerning the “Warlord Games” Epic Battles models range – their upcoming Thirty Years War. Such a goal means I need to complete quite a few figures from the two aforementioned game systems first and foremost, so I’m hoping to get some 15mm German Panzer IV Tanks completed, along with some accompanying Tank Hunter Gun Teams, within the next couple of weeks.

Then I’ll turn my attention on finishing off the remaining Mark VI Space Marines I require for my Sons Of Horus force’s second Tactical Infantry Unit, before polishing off a third ten-man squad using a mish-mash of “Games Workshop” plastic and “Forge World” resin pieces I’ve accumulated over the past decade or so. Only once these two long overdue projects are done and dusted (at least until I start working on some expansions) will I then dip my toe into the 15mm Pike & Shotte period by pre-ordering the Nottingham-based manufacturer’s Push of Pike Starter Set.

February 2023 - Papsikels Miniatures" is quickly closing the gap with "Big Mr Tong"

Once again the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) has caused me to have a highly productive past month, with almost all of my subjects being 3D printed on my "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro. I have however, also managed to reacquaint myself with my backlog of "Heroclix" plastic figures by "Wizkids", and actually hope to continue this 'reintroduction' into the coming weeks.

Furthermore, my love of "Papsikels Miniatures" has far from diminished, so I'm hoping to continue churning out a string of their E-800 Exterminators, Xenomorphs and instantly recognisable sci-fi characters from the Silver Screen. I may even be tempted to resize some of their smaller scale Cyberpunk sculpts via "Chitubox" Basic so that they can stand eye-to-eye to their larger 32mm comrades-in-resin...