"I Was Working In The Lab, Late One Night..."

"When my eyes beheld an eerie sight. For my monster from his slab, began to rise."

These two 40mm scale resin figures of Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man were sculpted by Nikola Stankovic and 3D printed by "Encounter Terrain". The miniatures are clearly inspired by James Whale's 1931 American horror film "Frankenstein" and George Waggner's 1941 movie "The Wolf Man".

Boris Karloff's silver screen role was primed with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, before having his clothing layered with a combination of "Vallejo" German Grey and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. The suit was then heavily dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" German Grey, whilst the creature's big boots, shirt and hair were tidied up using some additional "Citadel" Abaddon Black.

"And suddenly to my surprise. He did the Mash, he did the Monster Mash."

As I wanted the Monster's skin to appear decidedly dead, I applied a coat of "Citadel" Rakarth Flesh over these areas and shaded them using plenty of Biel-Tan Green. Initially, I wasn't planning on picking out all the creature's staples, but in the end decided to give them a lick of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil along with his neck bolts. These areas were then dirtied up with plenty of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

For Lon Chaney Jr's most famous character I used "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna and "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade for all his fur, then dry-brushed these areas with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna. I applied some "Vallejo" Heavy Brown to the werewolf's torn pants and "Citadel" Sons Of Horus to his shirt so as to better tie the look of Larry Talbot's feral alter-ego into the movie version.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - Four German Panzergrenadiers getting their details 'picked out'

The trousers were given a lick "Agrax Earthshade" before being dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Brown. Whilst the Wolf Man's top was shaded in both "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green and Agrax Earthshade. It was later dry-brushed with (more) "Citadel" Sons of Horus Green. Finally, I splodged some "Vallejo" White across the creature's fangs and dirtied them up with a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Moving on from horror to historical wargaming I have made some additional progress on my 50-point German Beach Defence Company for "Flames Of War". I'm patiently beavering away on the extra plastic 15mm “Battlefront Miniatures” I need to complete a second (maximum-strength) German Panzergrenadier Platoon and hope to soon be working on a 7.5cm Tank-Hunter Platoon...

3D Printing - Day One - The Rook

Two Rooks - 3D Printed to test out my Mars 3 Pro's calibrations

These two 50mm tall Rooks were 3D printed using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer. The STL (Standard Triangle Language) file for the two models actually comes on a USB memory stick which is included with the machine and is used to test out the levelling of the build platform with the 4K LCD screen.

The figures took a little under three hours to print and were then cleaned/hardened in an "Elegoo" Mercury Plus 2.0 Wash and Curing Machine. This was the very first time I had ever done anything like this before, and success was achieved within just four hours of opening the 3D printer's box. The instructions for both devices are excellent, however, I actually closely followed the Elegoo Mars 3 - 4K 3D Printer - Unbox & Setup video on "YouTube" by Just Vlad.

Chitubox Basic Virtual Build Plate - Covered in a combination of 15mm and 28mm miniatures

This thirty-eight-minute tutorial was perfect for helping me assemble my Mars 3 Pro, levelling it and then using the equipment to make my first print. Admittedly, due to the video being a year-old, I did need to refer to the instruction booklets from time-to-time. But this was largely due to my Mercury Plus 2.0 having a dual Washing Mode Curing Box as opposed to being two separate machines. I also repeatedly watched/re-winded the 'seminar' on several occasions during the process - as well as a couple of times before I even bought my 3D printer.

From a lesson/s learnt perspective I am very pleased I went with the water washable resin as it meant I didn't need to worry about isopropyl alcohol getting everywhere and could simply fill my bath with ordinary tap water (plus a little washing up liquid). I did though make the mistake of placing the models in the curing machine before they were totally dry (as being hollow they trapped some of the water), and that resulted in their bases turning a disconcerting white - as opposed to a pleasant light grey.

Chitubox Basic Virtual Build Plate - Covered in a combination of 15mm and 28mm miniatures

With my first ever 3D prints finished (or at least in the Mercury Plus 2.0) I decided to throw caution somewhat to the wind and try my hand at producing my own CTB file using the "professional 3D printing pre-processing software" called "Chitubox" Basic. I really wanted to see what my Mars 3 Pro could do, so simply dropped a free 28mm Hero Monk STL by "Titan Forge Miniatures" into the mix, along with some of the "Doctor Who" STLs I've previously had "Encounter Terrain" print for me - albeit this time I reduced them to just 15mm scale rather than 40mm.

I really found "Chitubox" incredibly intuitive when it came to positioning my miniatures across the virtual build plate, scaling the digital sculpts down, and even placing supports for all my figures to better ensure a successful print. Indeed, the programme comes with an auto-support function which took care of the bulk of the work. The only problem I did encounter was when I tried to save the file to the USB stick, as it was repeatedly ignored by the Mars 3 Pro - until I spotted I had to tell the programme which printer I was using so it could better calibrate the slices and incorporate the relevant exposure settings into the saved CTB file. Once this was done, the printer immediately recognised the file and it was simply a matter of pressing print on the display...

"Mark VI Power Armour Is Very Much The Origin Of The Space Marine Aesthetic."

"Those hobbyists with exceptionally long memories will remember the RTB01 kit."

This 28mm plastic miniature of a Space Marine Sergeant is by "Games Workshop" and comes from the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy – Age of Darkness boxed set by "Games Workshop". The multi-part figure has been assembled wearing MK VI armour and had a resin Sons of Horus "Forge World" shoulder-pad super-glued onto him so as to specifically mark him out as belonging to the Traitor Legion.

The figure was initially primed with "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green, before being heavily washed with Nuln Oil, and dry-brushed with (more) Sons Of Horus Green. I also applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to his shoulder-pads, grenade, Bolt Pistol, backpack, Plasma Pistol, helmet, Power Fist and some parts of his "iconic armour".

"Games Workshop" WIPs - Three more MK VI Tactical Space Marines

The model's power tubes, firearm, and Power Fist fingers were later treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. I then gave the Sergeant's shoulder-pads a single coat of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, before applying some "Vallejo" Gold and a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade to them. These areas were later highlighted with some additional touches of "Vallejo" Gold along the edges, iconography and rivets.

As a final touch I applied some "Scalecolor" Speed Metal to the composite ceramite cooling coils of the Space Marine's plasma pistol and eye lenses. These parts were subsequently given a lick of "Citadel" Contrast colour Talassar Blue and Flesh Tearers Red respectively. I also applied one of the many decals found on the "Games Workshop" Sons of Horus Legion transfer sheet onto the Power Fist.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - This Giant Robot is slowly being weathered

Alongside my Sergeant I have spent some additional time working on three more Tactical Space Marines wearing MK VI armour. This trio are now ready to have all their metallic colours base-coated and shaded during my next dedicated Horus Heresy hobby session, so should be finished within the next week or so. Encouragingly, the remaining six former Luna Wolves for this particular infantry unit aren't that much further behind either, which could well give me a little spare time to start assembling my XVIth Space Marine Legion's Blackshield contingent.

Lastly, I have uncovered a slightly old Giant Robot by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" which I clearly assembled a while ago. Having recently pigmented a load of the manufacturer's Killbots (and the first of five SpyBots) in the palette of a Post-Apocalyptic American military force, I thought applying a similar rusty green colour scheme to a much larger subject would be fun - as well as add some extra 'beef' to the automaton army overall...

"An Eyeless Eidolon Awakened By Thieves."

"A few glorifying statues of the duke with faint remnants of power existed deep in ancient dungeons."

This 28mm scale plastic model of an Eidolon Possessed Sacred Statue is produced by "Wizkids" and can be found as Code RPG-WZK90167 from their Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures range. The 70mm tall figure is clearly based upon the statue of Moloch which appears on the cover for the "Dungeons & Dragons" (First Edition) Player's Handbook, and even depicts the iconic monster missing one of his jewelled eyes. 

Having based the animated guardian onto a "Games Workshop" 50mm circular stand, the entire figure was treated to a double-helping of "Vallejo" Earth, followed by a positive drenching in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade. It was then dry-brushed with (more) "Vallejo" Earth and given a lighter dusting of Heavy Sienna to help bring out the sculpt's excellent details.

"Encounter Terrain" WIPs - Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman and the Seventh Doctor

I did consider applying some red to the effigy as seen in the June 1978 illustration. But as this colour was caused by a close by fire (which sadly wasn't part of this plastic piece), I decided against such a palette. Instead, I simply used a combination of "Scalecolor" Speed Metal and "Citadel" Contrast colour Flesh Tearers Red for the statue's sole remaining eye.

With my latest Gary Gygax inspired acquisition finished, I have spent some more time progressing a trio of 40mm resin sculpts by Nikola Stankovic I had 3D printed by "Encounter Terrain". The two horror film-based figures are being painted for this month's Zomtober Challenge, whilst I'm planning on using the Seventh Doctor's miniature as a Captain for the "Space Station Zero" rules by "Snarling Badger Studios".

Abe Sapien is unable to save Hellboy from a fiery fate, and is soon overwhelmed by Frog Minions himself

Rather embarrassingly, I have also finally managed to play some "Hellboy: The Board Game" by "Mantic Games" after the Kickstarter exclusive edition has sat untouched on one of my shelves for three and a half years. I had actually hoped to enjoy more of the "fully cooperative experience for one to four players", but ending up spending a good hour or so beforehand looking for some non-existent cardboard Investigation (Clue) Tokens - which were apparently replaced with plastic 3D models for my box during the fund-raising campaign. Doh!

Sadly, the opening scenario proved equally as unsuccessful despite Hellboy and Abe Sapien initially starting out well enough, courtesy of Anung Un Rama's formidably-sized pistol and his companion's deadly harpoon. However, we only managed to move into a single room before a sudden firestorm, followed by a Frog Monster ambush knocked both of our B.P.R.D. Field Agents unconscious. The rule-book suggests that this might not be the end of the game, and perhaps simply initiates the Boss fight much earlier than we'd have liked. But as it wasn't clear if this was the case or not, we called it quits there...

"Or You May Have Use For A SpyBot."

"A nosy drone great for spying on your enemies."

This 28mm scale metal SpyBot is manufactured by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio", and can be bought individually as SKU: MINI 649, or as part of the four-figure deal - DEAL 193. Clearly influenced by the Sentinels repeatedly encountered throughout the Wachowskis "Matrix" film franchise, these 'killing machines' were added to the company's Post Apocalyptic range a short time after their successful 7TV: Apocalypse boxed set campaign on Kickstarter.

However, as I wanted the single-cast model to be fielded alongside my previously-pigmented Killbots, it was primed with a double layer of "Vallejo" Heavy Grey before being shaded in "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green. I then applied a dry-brush of "Vallejo" Gunmetal to the entire miniature, making sure to especially 'hit' the edges of its torso/head and snake-like, so as to suggest some significant weathering had taken place on those areas.

"Encounter Terrain" WIPs - Frankenstein's Monster, Jason Voorhees and the Wolfman

Originally, I had intended to paint the SpyBot's tentacles in a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. But this palette badly clashed with the green in my mind, so after a moment's pause I decided to simply apply my 'Killbot' colour scheme to the entire automaton. I also continued to 'distress' the figure by drenching it in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and sporadically dabbed the miniature in "Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash.

Once applied, it was clear that I had really made quite a mess of the model, so I attempted to blend everything together with a dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Grey. This was somewhat delicately done as I wanted to ensure that some of the previously-used "Vallejo" Gunmetal still shone through so as to the pair a slight metallic sheen. Finally, all the robot's multiple eyes were spotted with a little "Scalecolor" Speed Metal, and then dabbed with a smidgeon of the "Citadel" Contrast colour Flesh Tearers Red.

"Games Workshop" WIPs - This Sergeant is having all his numerous details 'picked out'

With my test SpyBot done, I have spent some time progressing three of 40mm resin sculpts by Nikola Stankovic I had 3D printed by "Encounter Terrain" for this month's Zomtober Challenge. The horror flick figures are all actually quite close to completion, following some copious drownings in "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and some patient dry-brushing. As a result I hope to get them all finished soon enough, and may well use them to test out the "Space Station Zero" rules by "Snarling Badger Studios" as a pirate crew.

Finally, I am applying my brush-tip to the a 28mm MK VI Sons of Horus Space Marine Sergeant I built using plastic pieces taken from the "Horus Heresy: Age Of Darkness" starter set by "Games Workshop", This model will be the 'leader' of my second unit of traitor tactical marines, and as such is a bit more flashier-looking than the usual rank and file - largely due to his "Forge World" shoulder-pad and Praetor head-swap...

"The Humble Vexilla Displays The Heraldry Of A Particular Squad..."

"...Proclaiming not only its designation in the Legion but also its proud legacy in the annals of the Great Crusade."

This 28mm plastic Space Marine is produced by "Games Workshop" and comes from the now OOP (Out Of Production) Burning Of Prospero boxed game. The multi-part figure has been assembled wearing MK III armour and is carrying a Legion Vexilla (Legion Standard) which will allow its unit to add +1 "to the Wounds score used to determine if they win a Combat in the Assault Phase."

Due to the miniature forming part of my first Sons of Horus Tactical Squad for the Horus Heresy, it was undercoated with "Citadel" Sons Of Horus Green, before being heavily washed with Nuln Oil and dry-brushed with (more) Sons Of Horus Green. I then applied some "Citadel" Abaddon Black to his shoulder-pads, as well parts of his backpack and Bolter.

"Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" WIPs - Four more Slicks from their Corporate Wars range

The model's power tubes and firearm were subsequently treated to a combination of "Vallejo" Gunmetal and "Citadel" Nuln Oil. Whilst I 'picked out' all the ridges on his shoulder-pads, helmet brow and Legion Vexilla with a little "Vallejo" Gold. These areas were later given a splash of "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade and highlighted with some additional touches of "Vallejo" Gold on the sharpest edges and rivets.

As a final touch I applied some "Scalecolor" Speed Metal to the Space Marine's eye slits, and then a single layer of the "Citadel" Contrast colour Flesh Tearers Red. I also fixed a couple of the many decals found on the "Games Workshop" Sons of Horus Legion transfer sheet onto his right shoulder-pad and on the central emblem of his standard.

"Wizkids" WIPs - This Eidolon Possessed Sacred Statue has been primed, shaded and dry-brushed

In addition to finishing the last of my currently planned MK III armoured Sons of Horus traitors, I have started working on another four of the Corporate Wars Slicks I received from the most recent "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" Kickstarter. These bald-headed hitmen will be painted up in the same colour scheme as the trio I've previously painted. However, as I couldn't resist taking advantage of the Lincolnshire-based manufacturer's decision to put the figures up for general sale individually on their webstore, I have now ordered another three miniatures to help 'fill out' their criminal crew to an even ten members - and might have done something similar with the other gangs too.

Lastly, a recent trip to "A Fistful Of Dice" saw me get super-excited about "Dungeons & Dragons" as the large store had fiendishly dedicated an entire wall to all the different models, scenic pieces and gaming accessories a Dungeon Master could ever wish for. As a result I now plan to reacquaint myself with the Fifth Edition rule-set and walked away with an awesome plastic miniature of an Eidolon Possessed Sacred Statue by "Wizkids" to keep my enthusiasm for the project going...

"I Shall Take The Patrol And Destroy Them."

"Halt! Halt, or you will be destroyed."

These four 40mm resin Cybermen were sculpted by Nikola Stankovic and 3D printed by "Encounter Terrain". The miniatures are apparently based upon Eric Saward's incarnation of the Mondasians as depicted in his March 1982 "Doctor Who" story "Earthshock", and even carries the correct Cyber weapon.

The models were all originally primed with a combination of "Citadel" Abaddon Black and "Vallejo" Surface Primer Black. They were then treated to a couple of coats of "Vallejo" Gunmetal. before being heavily drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil. To finish the figures off, I applied a combination of "Scalecolor" Speed Metal and "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red to the power cylinder of each Cyberman's hand-weapon.

"Battlefront Miniatures" WIPs - Three German Riflemen having their details 'picked out'

Moving on from science fiction to historical wargaming I am hoping to play some more "Flames Of War" next month using my 50-point German Beach Defence Company. As a result I have been beavering away on the additional plastic 15mm “Battlefront Miniatures” I need to field a second (maximum-strength) German Panzergrenadier Platoon, with the aspiration that I'll soon move on to a Panzer IV Tank Platoon and accompanying 7.5cm Tank-Hunter Platoon.

"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places."

In addition, I was fortunate enough this past weekend to attend a session of Eldritch Horror by "Fantasy Flight Games" at the Nuneaton Games Club. This was a terrific six-hour tussle by eight noble investigators against the Great Old One Cthulhu, which definitely had its twists and turns for my own character, the elderly Parapsychologist - Agatha Crane. To be honest, I wasn't initially all that impressed with Wilbur's headstrong wife and her disconcertingly low strength to begin with.

However, the character's ability to pass Clue Encounters quickly elevated her to becoming a crucial part of humanity's collaboration to defeat the cosmic entity threatening all Mankind. Indeed, Agatha became an instant success when she surprisingly retrieved the much-needed Sword of Y'ha-Talla from Tokyo during the game's opening turn - the only weapon capable of hurting the truly terrifying Queen of the Deep Ones, who was already threatening to annihilate our band of worthy heroes in the name of Cthulhu.

"For them are the catacombs of Ptolemais, and the carven mausolea of the nightmare countries."

Sadly, Agatha eventually succumbed to hypothermia during the coming of another Ice Age, and was replaced late in the game by the ex-convict Skids" O'Toole. This 'heavy hitter' certainly looked formidable enough as he came armed with a hand-axe, but the bank robber lost his weapon almost straight away and went completely barking mad once Cthulhu successfully physically manifested himself on the planet...