"The Bizarre Insect-Eating Vermilepus."

"He's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land..."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Vermilepus is sold by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought as part of their Alien Pets deal. The animal is only 18mm tall and is designed to be used with the company's other "Colony 87" sci-fi civilian miniatures "for any RPGs and tabletop wargames."

The miniature was initially undercoated using "Vallejo" Heavy Violet, before being soaked in "Citadel" Druchii Violet and dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Violet. I then set about pigmenting its feathery throat and chest with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, but this proved surprisingly difficult and time-consuming as I couldn't quite make out where the plumes actually started just beneath it's head.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - The Black Widow and Venom

As a final touch I decided to 'spot' the long-eared extra-terrestrial's eyes with a dab of "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre, and shade them using a little "Citadel" Reikland Fleshshade. All in all, I found the Vermilepus a really frustrating model to pigment, and actually went through other two colour schemes before settling upon this predominantly dark one. In addition, I quickly realised that my basing had completely covered over the overly-long claws of the alien, adding an extra layer of frustration to what should have been a straightforward paint-job. 

Speaking of perplexing projects, I have persevered with the white spider markings on my Venom by "Atomic Mass Games" for a couple more hours, trying to follow the emblem's super-soft detail with my brush-tip. Luckily, the idea to wash the motif's thin wavy lines with some "Citadel" Nuln Oil has really helped me follow the sculpt's edges enormously, but I'm still not particularly happy with the wobbliness of the final result.

"Diehard Miniatures" WIP - The Bounty Hunter has been assembled, pinned and primed

Fortunately, I'm finding the Black Widow figure from the "Marvel Crisis Protocol" Core Set much more fun to work on, even though I'm attempting to paint Natasha Romanova in her alternative all-white costume. Indeed, I've already completed the miniature's detailed base and started slowly 'picking out' all the super-spy's various straps with "Citadel" Abaddon Black...

Lastly, I was rather pleased to receive a small consignment of models from "Diehard Miniatures" following their recent Black Friday Bounty Hunters webstore offer, Of particular interest was their excellent multi-part metal sculpt of a Brando-Elite fugitive recovery agent, who, having been assembled, pinned and primed, has gone straight onto my painting table for some tender loving care.

"Somehow, Over The Centuries..."

"...At least one strain evolved to produce rats the size of cats."

These (additional) three 28mm scale metal models of some Giant Rats are produced by “North Star Military Figures” and can be purchased as code FGV309 - Boar & Giant Rats from their “Frostgrave" Range. According to Joseph A. McCullough's lore for Felstad, these large rodents "scavenged what food they could" in the frozen city, "including potions and other magic items."

The trio were originally undercoated "Citadel" Abaddon Black, mercilessly dry-brushed "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal, and drowned in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Their limbs, tails, ears and noses were then painted using a mixture of "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - The Vermilepus has gone through three different paint schemes

I subsequently spent a little time 'feathering' the join between the Giant Rats' furry hides and limbs with some additional "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and 'picked out' their sharp front teeth using a combination of "Vallejo" White and Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". Finally I dotted the vermins' evil eyes with a spot of "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

Having completed the last of my Giant Rats for "Frostgrave", I have partly turned my attention back to the remaining miniatures I haven't yet finished from the Alien Pets blister by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". Unfortunately, the Vermilepus has proved particularly frustrating due to my dislike for the colour schemes I have chosen.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - The Black Widow's base has been finished

Initially I had intended to pigment the "bizarre insect-eating" extra-terrestrial in the light green palette used by the 'official' paint-job, but I wasn't at all happy with how this appeared 'in the flesh'. As a result, thinking the little critter looked a lot like a little elephant, I thought I'd give it light grey skin instead. However, following some dry-brushing, this too didn't turn out quite as well as I thought...  

Alongside this 'dithering' though, I have managed to complete the base-work on the two different sculpts of the Black Widow I currently own for "Marvel Crisis Protocol" by "Atomic Mass Games". These were a lot of fun, with the more MCU-based incarnation of Natasha Romanova giving me an opportunity to once again dabble with the "Citadel" Technical Paint Nihilakh Oxide.

"Anyone Can Win A Fight When The Odds Are Easy!"

"It's when the going's tough -- When there seems to be no chance -- That's when it counts!"

This 40mm scale plastic figure of Spider-Man is produced by “Atomic Mass Games” and can be found inside the company's Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Box. Assembled using ten separate pieces, not including its stand, the model depicts Peter Parker's alter-ego standing atop a piece of exposed steel girder.

The miniature was initially primed using two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Red, shaded using "Citadel" Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Red. I then 'picked out' the Web-slinger's legs and torso with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Blue and "Citadel" Drakenhof Nightshade.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Venom and two Black Widows

In order to tackle Spider-Man's pre-modelled circular stand, the street pavement was primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, layered with "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey and washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil. It was subsequently dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Bluegrey using a make-up brush, and additionally 'dirtied up' around the debris with some splashes of Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter".

I painted the steel beam Web-head's feet are clinging to by giving it a coat of "Citadel" Ironbreaker, shading the girder with Nuln Oil and later Reikland Fleshshade, before carefully dry-brushing the lump of metal with (more) Ironbreaker. As a final touch I applied some dabs of "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash into some of the nooks and crannies.

"Tangent Miniatures" WIPs - Ford and Fiesta Focus, Artemis McGown, and Austin Allergro

With Spider-Man finished, I have spent some time undercoating the "Marvel Worldwide" tabletop game's two different sculpts of the Black Widow, and made a little more headway on the somewhat complicated white web markings criss-crossing around Venom's muscular chest. I'll be pigmenting the two different incarnations of Natasha Romanova in decidedly different palettes, with the intention of potentially pairing the two up against one another in a narrative campaign; something easily done as the current Black Widow in the comic books is a clone of the dead original Russian spy.

Lastly, I have based and primed some more of the Cosmic Travellers by "Tangent Miniatures". These figures are clearly inspired by the 1981 BBC television adaptation of Douglas Adams's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", but for my own sanity's sake I intend to have them all wearing some rather plain looking attire rather than all the tweed, stripes and checker-patterns colourfully-captured on the costumes seen on the small screen...

"Giant Rats Are Usually Encountered In Small Packs..."

"...Which have been known to overwhelm weak or wounded adventurers."

These three 28mm scale metal models of some Giant Rats are manufactured by “North Star Military Figures” and can be bought as code FGV309 - Boar & Giant Rats from their “Frostgrave" Range. According to Joseph A. McCullough's lore for the Frozen City these "rats were one of the few species that did manage to survive the freezing of the city" by "hiding in some part of the ancient sewer system."

The trio were initially primed "Citadel" Abaddon Black, heavily dry-brushed "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal so as to bring out their furry detail, and drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then painted all of their limbs, tails, ears and noses with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, before delicately dry-brushed all the deadly rodents' fleshy parts using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey.

"North Star Military Figures" WIPs - The Giant Rats have been primed and dry-brushed

With the bulk of the cat-sized beasts completed, I spent a little time 'feathering' the join between their dark hides and their limbs with some additional "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and 'picked out' their sharp front teeth using a mixture of "Vallejo" White and Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". As a last touch I spotted the Giant Rats' tiny malevolent eyes with a dab of "Vallejo" Heavy Red.

Despite having completed this particular packet of scavengers for wintry Felstad, I still don't actually have enough miniatures to populate my tabletop should I roll especially poorly on the Random Encounter Table for "Frostgrave", for the fanged critters can appear as a horde of four 'Pack Hunters' if the dice gods prove particularly uncharitable. As a result I have started work on another trio of the foul fiends...

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Spider-Man has been base-layered and shaded

To ensure I don't spend the entirety of my precious hobby time pigmenting Giant Rats, I have however, also made some significant progress on the Spider-Man figure found inside the Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Set by "Atomic Mass Games". Having previously painted a "Heroclix" model of the web-slinger, I've stuck to my trusted recipe of using "Vallejo" Heavy Red and a wash of "Citadel" Abaddon Black to do most of the hard work on the crime-fighter's webbed costume.

The "Atomic Mass Games" miniature is though somewhat greater in size than the "Wizkids" sculpt, so I plan to subsequently lighten the red up with a careful dry-brush or two. In addition, I am currently assembling the super-hero skirmish game's two hard plastic models of the Black Widow, with the intention of doing one in Natasha Romanova's white uniform.

"Many Believe This Nickname Comes From Their Distinctive Headgear..."

"...When in fact it derives from jibes by the Colonial Police."

This 28mm scale metal model of a 'Shellhead' is sold by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either individually or as part of their Security Troopers four-figure deal. Dedicated to protecting "our law-abiding citizens... within the spaceport’s zenfield" the figure is designed to be used with the company's other "Colony 87" sci-fi civilian miniatures "for any RPGs and tabletop wargames."

The kneeling guard was originally undercoated using two coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and enthusiastically dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. His only visible metal knee-pad, digital information pad, and canister lid were then 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Gunmetal, before all of these parts were drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"North Star Military Figures" WIPs - These three Giant Rats now need to be 'tidied up'

The trooper's face plate and side-arm were initially treated to a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and, along with his mask's breathing holes, given a coat of Brass. Due to wanting this particular model to slightly stand out from the rest of the squad, I additionally 'picked out' his pistol's holster and leg straps with some "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna.

All of these areas were later shaded using a combination of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter". As a final touch I delicately dry-brushed the model's pitted face-plate with several sweeps of "Vallejo" Brass, simply to catch the raised detail of the helmet's pitted mesh.

"North Star Military Figures" WIPs - These two Tribal Archers have been assembled and primed

With all four members of my Security Troopers unit for Dave Stone's latest (Unity) Community Challenge now completed, I have been able to spend some extra time pigmenting the first three of six Giant Rats by "North Star Military Figures" for "Frostgrave" Second Edition. All of these rodents' "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey flesh has now been shaded and dry-brushed, so the trio of the black-furred pests simply need their fur 'touching up' before being essentially finished.

I have also assembled, based and primed the first two new members for my Witches warband using parts taken from the excellent "Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago" hard plastic Tribals boxed set. These two archers cost 75 gold coins each, and come armed with a bow, quiver, dagger and light armour (wooden tribal mask). They're obviously going to be a bit cold wandering the streets of Felstad with so much exposed flesh, so I like to think their magician concocted an invigorating potion of warmth or some such before they agreed to accompany him on the mission...

"Millions Flocked To The Colony."

"The rich and the powerful, the ambitious and the desperate."

These two 28mm scale metal models of a pair of Security Troopers are sold by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either individually or as part of the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer's Security Troopers four-figure deal. Dedicated to protecting "our law-abiding citizens... within the spaceport’s zenfield" these 'Shellheads' are designed to be used with the company's other "Colony 87" sci-fi civilian miniatures "for any RPGs and tabletop wargames."

Both guards were originally undercoated using two coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and thoroughly dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. Their metal knee-pads and automatic weapons were then 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Gunmetal, before all of these areas were drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Spider-Man's base has now been finished

Each trooper's face plate was treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Dark Green and "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green, whilst their side-arms and breathing valves were given a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. The pistols and mask apparatus were subsequently pigmented using a little "Vallejo" Brass and shaded with Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter".

With my Security Troopers unit for Dave Stone's latest (Unity) Community Challenge three-quarters finished, I have continued to work on the Spider-Man figure found inside the Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Set by "Atomic Mass Games". The hard plastic model's base has taken a little longer than I anticipated as my plan for it to contain a simple-looking steel girder didn't look quite right, until after I decided to dirty it up and apply some additional weathering effects upon it.

"North Star Military Figures" WIPs - These three Giant Rats have had their flesh areas base-coated

Lastly, I've managed to make some small progress on three Giant Rats by "North Star Military Figures" for "Frostgrave" Second Edition. I've yet to shade the rodents' "Vallejo" Heavy Warmgrey limbs, ears and noses with some "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson, but have been somewhat inspired to get these finished having found a further trio of the black-furred pests in my embarrassingly large backlog of metal miniatures.

I also want to get these animals fully-painted so I can settle down to concentrate on the eight plastic dark-skinned natives I have now successfully assembled from the "Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago" plastic Tribals boxed set. These multi-part feathered warriors will completely the soldiers I finished for my initial Witch's warband, and hopefully let me search Felstad for its exotic treasures with a more thematic force...

"Colony 87 Had Grown In Power Over The Decades."

"It was now the most important centre for trade, industry, science and arts in the sector."

This 28mm scale metal model of a Security Trooper is sold by “Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” and can be bought either individually or as part of their Security Troopers four-figure deal. Dedicated to protecting "our law-abiding citizens... within the spaceport’s zenfield" the "shellhead" is designed to be used with the company's other "Colony 87" sci-fi civilian miniatures "for any RPGs and tabletop wargames."

The guard was originally undercoated using two coats of "Citadel" Abaddon Black, and thoroughly dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal. His metal knee-pads and automatic weapon were then 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Gunmetal, before all of these areas were drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"Atomic Mass Games" WIPs - Spider-Man is slowly having his elaborate base painted

The trooper's face plate and side-arm were initially treated to a layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and subsequently, along with his mask's breathing holes, given a coat of Brass. I later shaded these areas with a splash of Strong Tone Quickshade by "The Army Painter", and carefully dry-brushed the model's face-plate with a couple of brushstrokes of "Vallejo" Brass.

Having finished the first of my miniatures for Dave Stone's latest (Unity) Community Challenge, I've also found some hobby time to make a little progress on the Spider-Man figure found inside the Marvel Crisis Protocol Core Set by "Atomic Mass Games". The super-hero's rather cluttered base is now mostly finished, so I should soon be able to start working on Peter Parker's actual alter-ego...

"North Star Military Figures" WIPs - These three rats have had their bases dry-brushed and shaded

Finally, with the arrival of my "Frostgrave" Second Edition, I have been rummaging around my unpainted collection of official sculpts by "North Star Military Figures", whilst waiting for the plastic glue on my latest additions to my Witch's warband to dry. I actually plan on assembling my new recruits from the "Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago" plastic Tribals boxed set, but such an undertaking will require a little patience as I carefully put together my hardy warriors for the tabletop.

As a result I thought I'd get myself in the mood by pigmenting a trio of giants rats from the rule-set's original release. These three rodents have been sat loitering upon my painting table for a good few years, so hopefully they'll be finished in good time. ready to confront any hapless treasure seeker foolish enough to believe they can walk the streets of wintry Felstad unmolested...