"The Origins Of The Dark Angels Remain Shrouded In Mystery."

"Few Imperial records of the Chapter's beginnings still exist."

This 15mm scale Orange Adder Combat Lifter is sold by “Alternative Armies” and can be purchased as Pack Code IAF036D from the company’s "The Ion Age" range. Supplied as a multi-piece metal and resin vehicle, it carries a Hermit Grenade Launcher, and is approximately 60mm long, 30mm wide and 25mm tall.

The model was super-glued on to a large-sized plastic "Flames Of War" stand by “Battlefront Miniatures”, and was primed in "Vallejo" Dark Green in order to be the start of a new (not) Dark Angels army. "Used for a variety of purposes and in many variants", the automobile was then enthusiastically drowned in “Citadel” Nuln Oil, before receiving a heavy dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Dark Green using a soft-bristled make-up brush.

"Nor are there many mentions of the part it played in the Emperor's Great Crusade."

I next applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the Combat Lifter's flexible skirt, side panel/window, rear vents, front headlamp frames and big gun. Some of these areas were subsequently 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition, I used a dollop of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and a wash of "Vallejo" Pale Grey on the hover-tank's trio of lights, and lastly applied some old(ish) "Games Workshop" Dark Angels decals to mark the vehicle out as belonging to the First Legion.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, I also took this opportunity to simultaneously pigment another Black Adder Combat Lifter too. Available from “Alternative Armies” as Pack Code IAF036C, this hover tank comes "armed with a Fretan Rail Gun in a turret mount", and was painted in exactly the same manner as the other vehicle, predominantly using "Vallejo" Dark Green and "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Forged In Battle" WIPs - The lower hull is slowly being camouflaged

With my latest entries for the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) completed, I have stuck with the theme of 15mm armoured automobiles by pushing on with the fiddly camouflage pattern I have been piloting on my hefty resin Maus by "Forged In Battle". This three-colour 'camo' technique is precisely the same as the one I've always used on my "Flames Of War" D-Day Beach Defence German infantry. However, I've never attempted it on such a large-sized miniature before.

Indeed I specifically purchased this tank from "Westwind Productions" at last year's "Warfare" wargaming show, after a previous attempt to apply camouflage to a plastic Panzer IV went horribly wrong, and resulted in my stripping the model back down to its bare-bones. This time round I'm trying to maintain my 'less is more' approach to Maus - albeit I have gone a little made with the pattern in a couple of places...

This posting and many others can now be viewed on the main "Fantorical" website.

"What Do You Mean Flash Gordon Approaching?"

"Imbecile! The Emperor would shoot you for interrupting his wedding with this news!"

This 28mm metal model of a Ruthless Lieutenant is produced by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" and can be brought as a pack of four figures from their SKU: DEAL 238 Galactic Villains. Clearly inspired by actress Mariangela Melato's portrayal of the ruthless, cold-hearted General Kala in Mike Hodges' 1980 science-fiction movie "Flash Gordon", this model has been sat in my Pile of Potential since I first received her way back in 2020 following the Lincolnshire-based company's successful Pulp Sci-Fi Heroes and Villains Kickstarter.

Described as possessing "a merciless streak matching that of Ming and Klytus", the miniature was undercoated with a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being dry-brushed in “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and shaded with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then carefully 'picked out' all her gold finery with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Gold, "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade, a careful dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Gold, and an incredibly delicate dry-brush of Silver.

"After the fall of Sauron in the War of the Last Alliance their race dwindled swiftly."

In addition to my latest entry into the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, I have completed three more of the 28mm 3D printed Black Númenóreans which I bought from a seller on "eBay" way back in November 2023. Described as a "not official product", these resin miniatures were purchased as infantry proxies for my Barad Dur army until "Games Workshop" once again produce them for their "The Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game".

Despising both "the followers of Elendil and their realm Gondor", the trio were initially undercoated using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being enthusiastically dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and soaked in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then 'picked out' their belts and shield straps with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before applying some "Vallejo" Gunmetal to the warriors' ornate armour and swords.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These two Resistance Fighters are having their details 'picked out'

These metallic areas were later drenched with (more) “Citadel” Nuln Oil and later dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Gunmetal. To dirty the armour down somewhat and create a contrast between it and the Númenóreans' blades, I gave all the plate armour a splash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Lastly, I 'picked out' the models' teeth using a little "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, as well as their chins with a dollop of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

Lastly, I've also managed to make some noticeable progress on the four figures which make up the Resistance Fighters pack sold by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Heavily influenced by Kenneth Johnson's 1983 science-fiction television miniseries "V", both its (not) Ham Tyler and (not) Mike Donovan miniatures have particularly caught my eye - so resultantly seen probably more than their 'fair share' of my brush-tip's time...

"No One Escapes. The Robomen See To That."

"Some people were captured and were turned into Robomen, the slaves of the Daleks."

These four 28mm metal Robomen Guards are manufactured by "Black Tree Design" and can be purchased as Code DW129 Roboman Guard from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. "Humans converted by the Daleks into wholly obedient slaves", these mindless minions first appeared in Terry Nation's November 1964 BBC Television story "The Dalek Invasion of Earth".

The quartet were initially primed using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being heavily dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and soaked in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then worked on their trousers, using a base layer of either "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, Heavy Brown or Sombre Grey. The pants were subsequently shaded using some "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade or Nuln Oil as appropriate, and roughly highlighted using a careful dry-brush of their original base layer colour.

"Westwind Productions" WIPs - This Maus is slowly being prepared for some camouflage markings

Their "large, helmet-like headsets" and firearms were simply 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst their shirts received a lick of White Star by Duncan Rhodes' "Two Thin Coats" and a splodge of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to dirty them up. I also decided to try and break up the monotony of the group by selecting one figure and painting his jacket "Vallejo" Sombre Grey. This coat was later washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo Sombre Grey.

With my latest contribution to the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) completed, including an additional bonus 20-points for tying my entry in with the Challenge Library's Overdue and Returns section, I have finally started working on the 15mm resin Maus by "Forged In Battle" I purchased from "Westwind Productions" at last year's "Warfare" wargaming show. This hefty piece has now been base-layered and had all it's tracks pigmented so as to tie them in with the muddy-looking bases I like to predominantly give my models.

"Hyper Miniatures" WIPs - This Chibi Makoto is slowly being progressed

In addition, I've begun slowly progressing a 3D print of Makoto Nanaya, which I rather embarrassingly actually made using my Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer a good fourteen months ago. Composed of "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin, this Chibi can be found on "Thingiverse" as a free BlazBlue Fan Art STL (Standard Triangle Language) file by "Hyper Miniatures", and is hopefully destined for my "Marvel United" tabletop as a Hero (using the boardgame's Squirrel Girl deck).

To tie the figure in with the quite specific-looking style of stands used by "CoolMiniOrNot" for their official product, I've plonked the "soldier of the World Void Information Control Organization" onto a 30mm 6K Resin Crippled God Foundry base I bought from a seller on "eBay". At the time I thought the cobbled flooring would suit Makota quite well. But having subsequently primed the ensemble for the AHPC, I've discovered that what I thought was rubble, is actually a skull, bone and separate jaw - so have patiently picked these out first before moving onto Nanaya...

This posting and many others can now be viewed on the main "Fantorical" website.

"At The Time Of The First War Of The Ring..."

"...The Black Númenóreans cast their lot in with the Dark Lord of Mordor."

These three 28mm 3D printed Black Númenóreans were bought from a seller on "eBay" as part of two six-figure 'Buy it now' auctions back in November 2023. Described as a "not official product", the resin miniatures were bought as infantry proxies for my Barad Dur army until "Games Workshop" once again produce the "cruel oppressors" for their "The Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game".

Having received the surrogate sculpts though, the models appear to closely resemble those of the now Out Of Production (OOP) line of dark-hearted warriors, and unsurprisingly have now disappeared off of the e-commerce website without any warning whatsoever. I have since attempted to purchase some of the old "Finecast" or metal miniatures produced by "Games Workshop" to compare the pieces. But sadly these are incredibly expensive second-hand, with prices ranging from a still sealed blister containing four figures for £180, down to a single roughly-pigmented model costing £23.70, including postage & packing.

"Some say in exchange for immortality."

"Enamoured of evil knowledge", the trio were initially primed using a mixture of "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black and "Warlord Games" Pitch Black, before being heavily dry-brushed with “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal and soaked in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then 'picked out' their belts and shield straps with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, before applying some "Vallejo" Gunmetal to the warriors' ornate armour and swords.

These metallic areas were subsequently drowned with (more) “Citadel” Nuln Oil and later dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Gunmetal. To dirty the armour down somewhat and create a contrast between it and the Númenóreans' blades, I gave all the plate armour a splash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. Lastly, I 'picked out' the models' teeth using a little "Two Thin Coats" White Star and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade, as well as their chins with a dollop of "Vallejo" Heavy Skintone and "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - These four Resistance Fighters are slowly being progressed

With my latest contribution to the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) completed, including an additional bonus 20-points for tying my entry in with the Challenge Library's Fantasy Books section, I have started to make some significant in-roads on the Resistance Fighters four-figure pack sold by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Distinctly inspired by Kenneth Johnson's 1983 science-fiction television miniseries "V", this miniatures are part of another project I hadn't really planned to start until quite some time later this year.

However, as the close relationship between Mike Donovan and Juliet Parrish's characters were one of the franchise's central themes, I thought the Lincolnshire-based company's models would be highly suitable for the AHPC's Library Romance Books bonus section, so broke them out of their plastic bag early. Indeed, I've decided to crack on with both the Ham Tyler and Elias Taylor lookalikes too, so as to be able to field the Earth's partisan leaders (in full) before moving on the the gerbil-eating, lizard-faced extra-terrestrials...

This posting and many others can now be viewed on the main "Fantorical" website.

"War Is Always A Terrible Business."

"But it needn’t be a concerning exercise in cruelty or a brutal, merciless grind."

These two 15mm scale Black Adder Combat Lifters are sold by “Alternative Armies” and can be purchased as Pack Code IAF036C from the company’s "The Ion Age" range. Supplied as a multi-piece metal and resin vehicle, they are "armed with a Fretan Rail Gun in a turret mount", and are approximately 60mm long, 30mm wide and 25mm tall.

Each model was super-glued on to a large-sized plastic "Flames Of War" stand by “Battlefront Miniatures”, and was primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Red in order to be added to my ongoing (not) Blood Angels army. "Used for a variety of purposes and in many variants", the automobiles were then enthusiastically drowned in “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson, before receiving a heavy dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red using a soft-bristled make-up brush.

"The Lord Of The Rings" WIPs - This Black Númenórean just needs his robe finishing

I next applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to the Combat Lifters' flexible skirts, side panels/windows, rear vents, front headlamp frames and giant guns. Some of these areas were subsequently 'picked out' using a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. In addition, I used a dollop of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and a wash of "Vallejo" Pale Grey on each hover-tank's trio of lights, and lastly applied some old(ish) "Games Workshop" Blood Angels decals to mark the vehicles out as belonging to the IX Legion; including a single white Veterans emblem to help distinguish one vehicle from the other.

Having cleared a little space on my hobby desk - albeit I've since discovered a few more 15mm vehicles from "The Ion Age" range lurking in the shadows, I have continued working on the first six Black Númenóreans for "The Lord Of The Rings" I quite recently bought from "eBay". Despite initially planning on batch painting these 3D printed evil warriors I've subsequently split the half-dozen figures into identical pairings, and resultantly managed to whittle them down to my last two miniatures.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Ruthless Lieutenant is almost completed

To slightly mix things up, I've also begun to progress the "Flash Gordon" project I pencilled in for later this year, using numerous models taken from "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Rick Rhodes science-fiction range. First up will be the Lincolnshire-based company's Ruthless Lieutenant, which appears in their Galactic Villains pack, and is evidently inspired by the treacherous General Kala seen in Mike Hodges' classic 1980 movie "Flash Gordon".

Like my Black Númenóreans, the quite diminutive figure is hopefully destined for the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC). But, will also be another experiment into how I can better pigment a truly bright, striking gold using a light dry-brush of "Vallejo" Silver as a second highlight over a wash of "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade and "Vallejo" Gold...

"The Third Eye Glowed A More Brilliant Red For A Few Seconds..."

"...And Doctor Quinn crumpled to the floor."

These four 28mm scale metal models are manufactured by “Black Tree Design", and can be purchased as Code DW308 Silurian from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range. "An intelligent bipedal race of reptilians that ruled Earth before humans", these classic monsters first appeared in Malcolm Hulke's January 1970 BBC Television story "Doctor Who And The Silurians".

The entire quarter were undercoated with "Vallejo" Heavy Brown, thoroughly washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. They were then treated to a few splashes of "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green in and around their heads, necks and hands, before being given a second, significantly lighter dry-brush of (even more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown.

"The Lord Of The Rings" WIPs - This Black Númenórean just needs his cloak finishing

The Silurians’ claws, which proved somewhat difficult to 'pick out' at times due to some occasional miscasting in these areas, were given a coat of "Two Thin Coats" White Star and subsequently dirtied up with a generous splosh of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. Lastly, their 'third eye' was spotted with "Vallejo" Heavy Red and later shaded using a dollop of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

Having completed my latest contribution to the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC), and collected an additional bonus 20-points for tying my entry in with the Challenge Library's Children's Books section [as per the broadcast adventure's novelisation "Doctor Who And The Cave Monsters"], I have started to make some significant in-roads on the dozen Black Númenóreans I quite recently bought from "eBay". Due to my dislike of 'batch painting' I have unsurprisingly split the "fearsome" figures into two smaller-sized units, and now they've been primed, base-coated, shaded and dry-brushed, narrowed them down into identical pairs.

"The Lord Of The Rings" WIPs - This Black Númenórean just needs his cloak finishing

These supposed 3D printed proxies are bound to cause a little controversy as having scrutinized the sculpts closer, the manufacturer has quite possibly just somehow scanned the old "Games Workshop" miniatures and then digitally tidied-them up - as some details, such as the models' sinister teeth aren't present on my versions, despite being clearly visible on the now out of production (OOP) official models. However, as I don't have any of the metal or "Finecast" originals, nor am willing to pay a whopping fifty quid to own one second-hand, I can't say for certainty.

This ethical conundrum has definitely curtailed my enthusiasm for the project though, as I absolutely don't agree with the re-casting of other manufacturer's figures. I suppose some might say that as the Black Númenóreans are no longer available to buy, and the products are clearly advertised as being "not [an] official product", then there's an element of acceptability in this instance..? But, I for one, see this as being part of a bigger problem where so many unlicensed or rather 'fan-art' 3D prints are flooding the hobby, and some sellers may well be sailing far closer to the wind than others...

This posting and many others can now be viewed on the main "Fantorical" website.

(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Black Tree Design” January 2024

"You are one of the most evil and corrupt beings our Time Lord race has ever produced."

This month's themed attempt to diminish my sizeable stash of metal, plastic and resin miniatures will focus upon my resurrection of an old "Doctor Who" aliens/monsters galactic conquest campaign I started way back in 2019, using many a model by "Black Tree Design". To be honest, having both dug out the homemade ruleset and dusted down the figures which featured in it, I plan to reboot the Cybermen's conquest of the Milky Way from scratch, beginning with just the original six playable factions: Cybermen, Voord, Sutekh, Great Intelligence, Nimon, and Silurians.

However, other competing civilisations/entities can be introduced into the melee as time goes by, as happened before with Sharaz Jek and his android army. Resultantly, I have dug out a whole horde of the Penzance-based company's extra-terrestrials from my backlog, many of which are either still in there little plastic bag or simply unprimed/undercoated upon a plastic circular base - meaning once painted they'll also be eligible for entry in to the Fourteenth Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC).

"Black Tree Design" WIPs - Some Robomen slowly being shaded and having their details 'picked out'

Whilst I must confess to owning a few of these slightly cartoony-looking sculpts since "Harlequin Miniatures" originally released their "Doctor Who: Invasion Earth" game in 1996. The vast majority were actually purchased between 2015-2020 as a result of John Olsen repeatedly putting on a series of sales across the range. One of my aims is therefore to try and tackle some of the oldest models first, starting with a mixture of seven Robomen and Robomen Guards.

I've actually been pigmenting these somewhat chunky minions of the Daleks for a few days now, and recently started work on their hands/heads. Ordinarily, I don't usually pigment a figure's flesh until towards the end of the paint-job, as I'm prone to start with the feet and progressively muddle my way up. However, I was quite recently advised by two of "Warlord Games" professional painters to get these areas done first as a 'well-done' face can apparently maintain a hobbyist's motivation to complete the miniature - especially when ploughing through a production line of similarly posed subjects.

"Black Tree Design" Repaint - DW422 - Harry Sullivan

In addition, I've actually found a little time to touch-up the Harry Sullivan figure by "Black Tree Design" that I finished well over four years ago. I don't plan to revisit any other previously-painted models. But have always been disappointed with how the large rectangular eyes of the Fourth Doctor's companion turned out, and the time-travelling medical officer's incredibly dark clothing - courtesy of some splodgy "Citadel" Nuln Oil washes.

I therefore went 'back in' to correct the fellow's eyes and tidy up the surrounding cheeks, as well as take out my "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and Heavy Bluegrey, and extremely carefully dry-brush his jacket and trousers. This extra work certainly seems to have amended some of the issues I was having with poor Harry's overall look, and may well now encourage me to set about penning some rules for a certain Time Lord and their TARDIS crew to make a randomly-generated appearance (or two) in the aforementioned campaign...