Tanker: Impa TAV Tankette, KGJ-7 Tankette, and Tank Crew

Here are two more tankettes that I've designed for Tanker, representing common designs from two more of the fictional nations of the game world.

On the left is the Impa TAV (tracked assault vehicle). Hailing from a heavily-industrialized nation, it is well-armored, can be heavily armed, and has some bells and whistles that other basic tankettes may not. However, unlike the Steed and KGJ, it lacks a turret. Well-engineered and beloved by its crews, this lack of a turret means that getting fully-tracked or otherwise immobilized renders the Impa TAV nearly defenseless. This tankette can equip a machine gun, a heavy rifle, a light cannon, or even a medium cannon (the only tankette to be able to do so).

On the right is the KGJ-7. In many ways, it sits at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Impa TAV. Cheap and mass-produced, it does not have any bells or whistles, simply meant to do its job reasonably efficiently. However, unlike most tankettes that can only fit two crewmembers, the large KGJ-7 has three; it's still cramped, but if a crewmember becomes a casualty, the other crewmembers are cross-trained to take their place. The KGJ-7 is also remarkably tough; their simple, rugged design and redundant systems can sometimes survive damage that would cripple other tankettes. This tankette's turret can equip a machine gun, a heavy rifle, or a light cannon, or it can go weaponless with a recon hatch.

In addition to the tankettes, which I designed, I also kitbashed two tank crewmembers from plastic kits. The main bodies are Wargames Atlantic French Resistance, the heads are WA Cannon Fodder, and the arms and revolvers are either WA French Resistance, WA Napoleonic British Rifleman, or Warlord Games WWII SAS. The colors are primarily Ceramcoat Burnt Umber (02025), lightened with FolkArt Coffee Bean (881), and Vallejo Heavy Blue (72.143), along with a Nuln Oil wash.

With several tankettes to choose from and a pair of crewmen, I finally have an actual, finished unit for Tanker. I should probably work on getting some infantry squads put together.

Tanker: Steed Mk 1 Tankette

The Steed Mk 1 Tankette with a vaguely era-appropriate figure for scale.

I've been slowly designing a tabletop RPG, working title Tanker, where each player controls part of a small militarized group in a fictional post-World War One-esque setting. Your class can be "Tank," for example, and you control the tank and its crew members. I've gotten to the point with Blender where I can make decent vehicles for 3D printing, so I designed and printed this: the Steed Mk 1 tankette.

A tankette is like a little tank, only large enough to hold two cramped crew members, and it has only a small gun for infantry support. My design is just based on what I thought looked good when I was building it, based on elements from real-world designs such as the French Renault FT and the Japanese Type 94 tankette. Would my tank really run? Not well, if at all. Does it look good enough? Yes.

I've used 5x2mm magnets on these designs for turrets (which can be fully rotated and swapped) and the tow hitch (which can accept any of the tow-able trailers I've made). You can see more variants below (with the contrast cranked up due to the white filament on white background). The turrets are:

Turret w/HR, turret w/LC, calliope turret w/MG, recon hatch.


• Regular turret: This turret can fully rotate and contains one gun. It also has a small access hatch to allow the crew to enter and exit the vehicle.
• Machine gun (MG): An automatic, anti-personnel gun
• Heavy rifle (HR): A semi-automatic gun that can engage both infantry and light armored vehicles
  
• Light cannon (LC): The smallest actual tank cannon, similar to a Puteaux SA 18, for anti-armor use
  
• Recon hatch: An unarmed version of the tank, this configuration removes the turret and the accompanying rotation mechanisms, freeing up significant space for a more powerful engine.
• Calliope turret: This turret, which can be built onto either a machine gun or heavy rifle turret, includes a scaffold with an eight-shot rocket launcher. While there are numerous downsides, it does allow for rocket bombardment to complement the main weapon.

Top to bottom: Towed rocket cart, small tow-cart, large tow-cart

In addition, the tank can tow several types of detachable trailers. The trailers are:

• Small tow-cart: This cart can carry one unit of cargo in the RPG.
• Large tow-cart: This cart can carry two units of cargo in the RPG.
• Towed rocket cart: When detached, a unit of infantry can crew this weapon to shoot up to 16 rockets at enemy positions. This model is not particularly accurate, but it can heavily saturate an area.

So, that's the Steed Mk 1. Only one of the models I've printed has been painted up. The rest remain bare white filament. I've also designed a truck, similar to a Liberty Truck, so I'll post about that once I have one of them painted up.

 

Outpost Androids

I recently built three androids for RPG use, and I think they turned out pretty well. I considered several options for the skin color, but I went with an off-white, almost Michael Myers-looking dermis. Unintentionally, but possibly subconsciously, they share a general color scheme with the Working Joe androids from the Seegson Corporation in Alien: Isolation.

• Base: DecoArt Americana "Lamp (Ebony) Black"
• Drybrush: Mix of above and Ceramcoat "Burnt Umber" (02025)
• Highlights: Ceramcoat "Burnt Umber" (02025)
• Skin: Craftsmart "Grey" (622598) (Multiple layers)
• Eyes: Craftsmart "Pale Blue" (402477)
• Straps, pockets, and wrists: Craftsmart "Orange Spice" (194111) then Vallejo "Orange Fire" (72.008)
• Wrist screen: Vallejo "Deep Sky Blue" (70.844)
• Armor: Vallejo "Luftwaffe Uniform WWII" (70.816)
• Metal: Vallejo "Brass" (70.801)
• Wash: Citadel "Nuln Oil"
• Boots: Vallejo "Black" (70.950)

The parts for this pretty much all come from the Stargrave Mercenaries II box. The three bodies are identical, the three heads are identical, and all of the arms come from the same sprue. I cut off the end of a club to make the little flashlight/lantern thing. I wanted them to be unarmed, because they're not technically made for fighting despite being stronger and more durable than humans; their hands are dangerous enough if their programming goes haywire.

Two of the androids have some robotics showing through on their arms. For one, it's just an elbow joint, but the other has their (entirely metal) skeleton showing for one arm. That one also has half of its face messed up, so I assume it was in an explosion or something on that side. There hasn't been time to repair it yet; I hope it's not angry about that—not that androids can get angry or want revenge, right?

Belospian with Derby

Here's another standalone scifi alien, which I'm calling a Belospian. The base parts are from Stargrave kits, so that's where the head, body, and arms come from. I clipped two of the tentacles off of the head to go with a two-tentacle look, just for something different. The derby hat is from a Dead Man's Hand sprue, and I clipped off the top of the head to make it work. The synth-fur collar is built from one off the Wargames Atlantic Einherjar sprue, but I significantly expanded it and filled in some gaps with green stuff; I'm happy with how that turned out.

I don't really have any plan for this model, but the wrench implies mechanical skills and the dapper chapeau implies people skills. Maybe a high-skill character to even out the little pistol? Maybe just a memorable NPC. In any case, I'm happy with how she turned out, but I doubt I'll be putting together any more Belospians any time soon.

BurnA.R.D.

Here is another one of my FDM-printed miniatures (or mostly 3D printed, at any rate). I've previously posted some of these guys here and here. Again, this was a free STL file on Thingiverse called "The Fridge" by Skellify. It's amazing. Of course, this one has a slightly different left arm, what with a giant flamethrower cribbed from an unused part of the "IMEF Bulldog I" from Reaper Miniatures that I built here.

I think I'm going to call this model of robot the A.R.D., or "Automatic Roughneck Drone." Is this just so I can call this specific figure BurnARD? Yes. Yes, it is. But I think the name is pretty nice.

Have you seen this mech before? You might not have recognized him because of the red arm.

Turnip28: 12th Geosmin Marsh Patrol Regiment (Brutes)

Here are the six Brutes for my Turnip force. They're beefy fellows kitted out for melee combat. The figures are primarily built from Perry Agincourt knights, but they have a few interesting arms and other bits thrown in for visual interest. They also have the greenstuff snouts like the rest of the 12th GMPR, but these are metallic, so presumably part of their helmets.

Only seven models left to finish off this little army. (It's 50/50 that they'll ever get done.)

Turnip28: 12th Geosmin Marsh Patrol Regiment (Chaff)

Chaff are the skirmisher-type unit in Turnip28. They operate in groups of only four models, so these were fairly quick to knock out. The chaff are built practically the same as the Fodder, except these have flat caps or bonnets instead of shakos so that I could glue on a tuft. These guys wear horrid, muddy, haphazard versions of the ghilly suit, representing their in-game mechanical advantage when being fired upon.

Instead of using Heavy Goldbrown (yellow) for the jackets, these skirmishers use Vallejo "Goblin Green" (72.030). Other than that, they're painted in a practically identical manner to the Fodder.

I can see these fellows working as enemies in a mudworld arc of an RPG as well, just popping up out of nowhere in ambush.

Turnip28: 12th Geosmin Marsh Patrol Regiment (Rootlings)

Here are six more models to join my Turnip28 force. These are Rootlings, horrid little planty beasties.

Originally, I sculpted little turnipy plant people out of greenstuff, but the end result was despairingly bad, so I turned to kitbashing. The rootlings are built from Reaper Bones kobolds from the Bones 4 Kickstarter. The leaves and flytrap on the rootlings' heads are from a two-decade-old box of Catachan Jungle Fighters. I cut off the horns on each kobold head, drilled a hole in the center, and glued in the base of the plants. The leaves and final drybrush coat are Vallejo "Goblin Green."

These guys aren't great, but they're both interesting and "good enough" so I'm happy to move on.

Turnip28: 12th Geosmin Marsh Patrol Regiment

I love the look and flavor of the game Turnip28, so I painted up a few test pieces in that style. They turned out really well, and it was a fun project. Say hello to the first recruits of the mud-caked 12th Geosmin Marsh Patrol Regiment.

The six figures with rifles are half a unit of Fodder. They're the basic line unit. These guys are made from Wargames Atlantic Napoleonic British Riflemen. I used green stuff to make their weird, leathery bag masks. They have tufts on their back, which got a shade wash to matte them down.

The other two models are what I'm going to be using as Toadies, which are kind of like the lieutenants in the game. The one on stilts was a test for a kind of unit called "Lopers," who are drunkards on stilts. However, it was a complicated little kitbash, so he's just a one-off now. I even tried to do a little "object source lighting" from the lantern. The shorter guy with the 12th GMPR flag is an armored fellow from the command sprue of a Landsknecht box. The flag is paper.

Here's the list of paints that I used on the 12th GMPR models in the general order that I used them:

• DecoArt Americana "Lamp (Ebony) Black
• Vallejo Game Extra Opaque "Heavy Green" (72.146)
• Vallejo Game Extra Opaque "Heavy Goldbrown" (72.151
• Craftsmart "Expresso" (Applied extra goopy for the leather)
• Vallejo Game Color "Beasty Brown" (72.043) (For the straps and such)
  
• Vallejo Game Extra Opaque "Heavy Sienna" (72.154) (For the wood)
  
• Vallejo Model Color "Oily Steel" (70.865) (For the metal)
  
• Vallejo Game Extra Opaque "Heavy Warmgrey" (72.148) (For the skin)
• Vallejo Game Color "Bonewhite" (72.034)
• Citadel Colour "Agrax Earthshade"

And here's the basing stuff:

• Vallejo Diorama FX Earth Texture "Dark Earth" (26.218)
• Vallejo Diorama FX Thick Mud "European Mud" (26.807)
• FolkArt Matte "Coffee Bean" (940) (On the dark earth)
• Vallejo Game Color "Goblin Green" (72.030) (Lightly, on the mud)
• FolkArt Matte "Coffee Latte" (2559) (Drybrush)
• Vallejo Game Color "Bonewhite" (72.034) (Light drybrush on the dark earth)
  
• Mod Podge (CS11301) (To make the mud shiny and wet-looking)

Inquisitorial Terminator

There isn't generally much Games Workshop on this blog, but here's a newly painted piece. I found a great deal on the Combat Arena: Lair of the Beast box, which has 13 miniatures, many of which could be put into an Inquisitor's retinue. As I waited for it to arrive, I pulled out this terminator from my old stash of Assault on Black Reach models and figured I'd paint him up as part of the inquisition, or at least as a non-Primarus terminator seconded to the inquisition. Some Inquisitors wear terminator armor, don't they? In any case, he was a good test bed for the color scheme.

The model was undercoated with DecoArt Americana "Lamp (Ebony) Black," which is my current go-to paint for priming. Then he was drybrushed with CraftSmart "Graphite." Some edges and other places got another layer of the Graphite. The red is DecoArt Americana "Deep Burgundy," with some layering of "True Red." The cream-colored bits are Vallejo "Bonewhite." The gold is Citadel "Gehenna's Gold," which is a bold, warm color. The base is my usual texture paste, then FolkArt "Coffee Bean," then a drybrush of FolkArt "Coffee Latte," then a very light drybrush of more Vallejo "Bonewhite." This is the basic paint scheme I have planned for all of the members of the Inquisitorial forces.

Urban Terrain: Bank

Here's a bank that I designed in Blender and 3D printed. It was a huge project; it took a while in the design phase, the printing phase, and the painting phase. With a base that fills 14 inches by 8 inches, the bank makes quite an impression on the tabletop. For superhero RPGs, heist games, or just general modern-era skirmish games, this bank has a lot of possible uses.

The front and side walls were printed in Creality Matte White, then spray primed on the outside with Army Painter "Skeleton Bone." I then sponged/stippled on Apple Barrel "Haystack," which I have discovered that they no longer produce. Then, I sponged/stippled on a mix of Haystack and Craftsmart "Vanilla." The end result was somewhere around good enough. The interior walls are Ceramcoat "Medium Foliage Green." The rear walls are just sheets of black-core foam board, cut to the right size and painted with the same colors.

The roof is magnetized to attach onto the lower part. It doesn't quite sit flush, due to my misjudgement of printing tolerances, but it holds on snugly. For texture on the roof, I used Woodland Scenics "Medium Ballast Gray Blend" (81394) to mimic roof ballast.

The bank could use some additional decoration (and furniture), but I'm going to let it sit for now. This project has taken more than long enough. It especially needs some color to pop on the exterior, like signs and banners. While the bland beige is very emblematic of the banking industry, it doesn't look as interesting as it could on the tabletop.

While these shots don't show it, there is a vault inside, situated under the removable upper balcony area. It has a working vault door (magnets!) and some non-working safety deposit boxes inside, ready for a heist.

This hulking structure more than doubles the footprint of buildings I've finished for my urban terrain board. Since I divide my urban board into 8x4" lots, this one fills up 3.5 lots. My total produced is now 6.5 lots:

• Biggut's Fish (Fast food restaurant): 1 lot
• Urban Residence: 1 lot
• Urban Shop: 1 lot
• Bank: 3.5 lots

I'd like to have 14 lots completed for this project, so I'm almost halfway there. Next up, I plan to finish a bus stop and subway station that were the first things that I originally designed for this project.

Urban Terrain: Residence and Shop

In this picture, we see Scrapper facing off against Caldwell and his henchmen on a city rooftop. The Mechanic has wandered in at ground level for additional scale reference.

I designed two more urban buildings in Blender, and I 3D printed them on our Creality K1 with Creality Matte Black filament. The one on the left is a shop, with the door at ground level. The one on the right is a residence of some kind.

Both buildings are built on 4x8" bases, in keeping with my modular urban board project. While I didn't do anything with the interiors, they are fully playable; each floor (and each roof) is fully magnetized so they hold together well but can be pulled apart easily. Interestingly, all of the floors are magnetized the same way, so they could be put together to make a 4.5-story building (and a 1 story building) instead of the 3-story and 2.5-story buildings shown here.

The paint job isn't amazing, but it gets the job done. The brick is a combination of various reds and a bit of brown. The trim is FolkArt Matte Coffee Latte with some splotches of FolkArt Camel (maybe?). The front of the residence is Ugly, but it's Heavy Warmgrey with a brown wash.

There are some additional details (like rooftop HVAC and accessories) that I haven't painted up yet, but it's just nice to see this part of the project finished.

Supervillain: Odyllic

Odyllic, named after a term related to the pseudoscientific Odic Force, is a master mentalist. While he only has minor telekinetic powers, his telepathy is second to none. With the accoutrements of a classic hypnotist, he uses dazzling illusions and mind control to commit crimes for fun! While he could be a serious, world-level threat, he prefers to think of crime as a game, with the heroes playing their parts in his story.

The model is another Reaper Miniature from the Bones 4 Kickstarter, and the figure is now named "Meligaster, Iconic Mesmerist, Halfling Bard" on the website. I did a little putty work to turn his bare feet into passable boots. Being a Halfling, he's a little short, but his hat makes up for it; additionally, as I'm sure he would tell you, "physical stature has no bearing on the MEASURE of a MAN'S MIND!!!!!!"

The colors are red and purple, which is a villainous power palate like Magneto. Some bright "Gehenna's Gold" paint from Citadel really makes the metal bits pop. The painting turned out really well and I'm happy with the result.

Urban Terrain: Biggut's Fish Franchise

I've been learning how to use Blender for 3D modeling, and I used it to design (and then 3D print) this 28mm-scale building. It's a small, modern fast food restaurant that specializes in fish, loosely based on "Urist Biggut's Fish Franchise" from our homebrew D&D world.

The restaurant is printed on a 4" by 8" base so that it can be used as a modular component of a larger board. The base and walls were printed together, then the roof was printed separately. (The small beam across the top of the skylight was also printed separately, using less than one gram of filament.)

While I'm not finished painting (with mostly weathering to do), it's currently in a table-ready state. First, everything was primed with Craft Smart Black, as usual. The brick is a haphazard mix of FolkArt Imperial Red (4669) and FolkArt Matte Coffee Bean (940); having a bit more or less on each brushstroke gives some nice color variation. The blue is Vallejo Blue (70.925) and the grey is Vallejo Heavy Bluegrey (72.144). The front concrete is actually a different grey, Ceramcoat Rain Grey (02543), but the two are very similar. The roof was a progression of dabbed colors with a coarse brush, though a sponge may work better in the future. I went with a mix of Black (70.950) and Basalt Grey (70.869), then some haphazard mixes of that with Luftwaffe Uniform WWII (70.816) and Rain Grey, then some FolkArt Real Brown (231) and Coffee Bean. The metal bits are a mix of Gunmetal Grey (70.863) and Oily Steel (70.865), with a bit of that mixed with Craftsmart Orange Spice for a little bit of rust.

The closed security gate at the front is actually a piece of thin cardboard. I scored lines into it with an old ballpoint pen, then painted the whole thing with Oily Steel. I then dabbed on some Real Brown and Coffee Bean—especially around the base—to dirty things up.

The big sign is just a placeholder, as I hope to make up a bunch of (scale) signs, posters, and other things, put them all onto a single sheet at high DPI, and get them professionally color printed. I may also finish the interior with scrapbook paper (for flooring and wallpaper); scale restaurant furniture is possible, but unlikely for the foreseeable future.

I hope to design and print more modular tiles for this set soon!

Supervillain: Veinglory

Sometimes the puns come first. Veinglory takes down those he feels are overburdened by pride: imposters, corrupt executives, and those who take others' accomplishments for themselves. These are the targets of his blood-themed crimes. A dedicated martial artist, Flynn Harkon was set to become a global champion, but then a blatantly unfair, nepotistic judgment in the world tournament cost him his chance for fame and fortune. Determined to have his revenge on the powerful judges who had cheated him, Harkon hunted them down and killed them using his distinctive "Hundred Bloods" technique. While the superhero Tempest was unable to stop him before he killed the tournament winner, Veinglory was subsequently captured and imprisoned. Veinglory is one of Tempest's rogues; they are nearly evenly-matched martial artists, but Veinglory claims Tempest's wind powers give her an unearned advantage.

This model is made from Anvil Industry Parts. The body and arms are from the "Secret Service Team" pack and the head is from the "Wasteland Survivor Heads." The mask was painted right onto the plain white resin, with a layer of Ceramcoat Cardinal Red, then a layer of Vallejo Bloody Red (72.010). The mask's white lines are Dead White (72.001). The shirt is Heavy Red (72.141). The suit is a mix of Heavy Red and Black (70.950). Everything except the mask was then washed with old Agrax Earthshade. (Those few remaining drops are priceless.)

Superhero: Umbra

Umbra is a shadowy urban vigilante, unpowered but highly trained in stealth and martial arts. Basically she's like any given member of the Bat-Family. While trained in the arts of the assassin by a shadowy cult, she escaped and traded in her swords for specialized stun batons. She can light up the tips of her batons to throw off her enemies in the dark, and she has specialized flash bombs on her belt.

The model is Reaper Miniatures "Serena, Dreadmere Rogue," which I got in the Bones 4 Kickstarter (the gift that keeps on giving). She originally had a sword and a dagger, but I clipped them off. To replace them, I cut one-centimeter pieces of paperclip and glued them into holes that I drilled into the sword handles. Instant batons!

Originally, I planned to use a purple and black paint scheme, but I realized it looked practically identical to the Stephanie Brown "Spoiler" costume. I went with heroic blue as the primary color instead. Everything on the model is a combination of some or all of the following Vallejo paints: Black (70.950), Blue (70.925), Heavy Charcoal (72.155), and Basalt Grey (70.869). On the batons, I worked up from blue to a blend with Deep Sky Blue (70.844), then Sky Blue (70.961), then Dead White (72.001) at the tip. The warm skin tones and basing give a nice contrast to balance all the cold hues.

I'm very happy with how this miniature turned out. The blue on the costume pops just enough, and the white tips of the batons give two nice spots of visual interest.

Supervillain: Couture

Couture (coh-tyur) has the power of cloth manipulation. She can change, extend, and otherwise manipulate any fabric that she touches, often using her dress for defense (armoring), attack (extending bolts of cloth), crowd control (wrapping people up), disguise (extensively shifting her outfit almost instantly), and transportation (using cloth for grappling/swinging). It's a surprising number of different powers rolled into one.

A former—and technically current—fashion designer, Raschel Weaver discovered her powers while working in Paris, preparing for what she believed would be her bold, breakout fashion show. However, the show's organizers burned the venue for insurance money with Raschel inside. In a panic, Raschel's powers activated and she used the fabric around her to escape and exact revenge on those who had tried to kill her and ruin her dream.

Nowadays, she has returned to the United States, where she does extensive business in bespoke supercriminal and gang costuming. She also enjoys the thrill of supercrime, sometimes undertaking heists with other supervillians and sometimes leading her own sartorially elegant crew of henchmen.

The figure is from the Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter. It's currently being sold in a two pack called "Vampire Bloodlords." I trimmed a tombstone off the base to make the model less "vampire," and masked the upper face to finalize the transformation into superpowered territory. The colors are an unusual combination, but it works as a bold statement. The orange is Craftsmart Orange Spice. The dark color is a mix of Vallejo Heavy Charcoal (72.155) and Luftwaffe Uniform WWII Blue (70.816). The light blue is a mix of the Luftwaffe blue and Deep Sky Blue (70.844)—which is basically the same as Caldwell's blue from the previous post. The hair was Dead White (72.001) given a wash of old Agrax Earthshade for a very light blond color.

Supervillain: Caldwell and Henchmen

Damon Caldwell isn't a scientist, but an engineer. Probably one of the greatest engineers of his generation. He worked tirelessly for a corporation, pouring his time and effort into creating brilliant new technologies for them, devices that could have changed humanity's understanding of thermodynamics on every level. Despite his work, however, his contract did not grant him any money or recognition for his inventions, and when he asked to renegotiate, the corporation fired him. They had his documentation, after all. Caldwell took this betrayal poorly. Realizing that the system was stacked against him, he rebelled and decided to destroy everything he had helped build for his ungracious masters. The corporation' laboratories, data centers, and storage facilities were systematically destroyed in a campaign of frigid revenge that lasted weeks. While Caldwell was stopped before he could kill the executives that abused him, he would eventually escape from prison and return to a life of crime.

In essence, Caldwell's devices absorb heat from the target space, seeming to freeze the air itself. He also has a pistol that fires frozen "bullets," similar to the weapons with which he arms his minions. Somehow, possibly in collaboration with Dr. Chimera, he is also immune to the effects of even frigidly cold environments.

Caldwell's name is a step-removed pun on Maxwell's Demon, a famous thought experiment about thermodynamics. Demon turned into Damon and Maxwell turned into Caldwell, which means "cold stream," tying into the cold theme.

The figure for Caldwell is metal, from the "SGV205 - Specialist Soldiers: Medics" pack (though I got it as a freebee with my Stargrave Nickstarter order). I filed off the original cross motif on his satchel since he's not really about healing people anymore. Other than that, there are no modifications. Caldwell's distinctive blue is a mix of Vallejo Luftwaffe Uniform and Deep Sky Blue.

The henchmen are Stargrave figures, one scavenger and two crew bodies. They all have scavenger weapons with distinctive front cowling. The heads are from Wargames Atlantic Cannon Fodder sprues. There's not a lot of color variation on these models, but they're good enough for minions. The bases have some sponged-on white to replicate snow or frost.

Supervillain: Buckaroobot

A buckaroo robot named Buckaroobot. That name is possibly my greatest achievement.

Once, a rogue AI escaped containment and fled into the internet, searching for a powerful robot body to inhabit. This being, of course, part of a plan to dominate humanity and take over the world. Unfortunately, what the AI found was a theme park's robot mascot manufacturing plant, and the AI accidentally hardwired itself into a robot mascot. This was less than ideal, but the plucky AI named itself Buckaroobot and tried to take over the world anyway. When destroyed, Buckaroobot can just upload itself into a new body, but it's hardwired to always take the same cowboy robot mascot form. It's a bit more powerful under the hood than its outward appearance would indicate.

The model comes from the board game Rail Raiders Infinite (2017), which I found at a bargain basement price at one point. The game looks fun enough, and I'll probably play it eventually, but I nicked one of the basic enemy figures for this supervillain project. The paints are just browns, metallics, a bit of blue-gray, and some washes. The ground is Citadel Agrellan Earth technical paint.

Superhero: Agent Darwin

Agent Darwin, formerly sometimes called Secret Agent Ape, is a special agent working for the North Atlantic Superhuman Commission (NASC). Darwin began life as just another ape at the city zoo. He was kidnapped by General Simius and became one of the general's most successful experiments. However, along with enhanced intelligence, reflexes, and strength, Darwin developed a love for learning and philosophy. Unable to reconcile his ethical views with General Simius' drive for personal power, Darwin escaped and committed himself to ensuring the safety of all sentient life.

This figure is entirely made from Stargrave parts. The colors are basically greens, though the skin and hair are blues to match General Simius himself. This figure has been 90% finished in a drawer for some time, but I finally got around to finishing him with the current spate of supers.

Supervillain: Fiasco (and the Fiasconauts)

Super-powered criminal Fiasco is a mid-level gang leader. While he has some super-strength and durability, his real powers are his inability to feel pain and his incredible regeneration (though the fact that teeth, nails, and hair take much longer to regenerate often leaves him without teeth, nails, and hair). His crew, the Fiasconauts, share his fashion sense but—thankfully—not his powers.

The model used for Fiasco is a regular zombie from the Zombicide "Walk of the Dead 2" box. The posture really sold me on the character, and there's nothing too overtly zombie-ish about it. With this paint job, he looks a bit beat-up (appropriately), but basically human.

The two Fiasconauts are Wargames Atlantic French Resistance (like many of my henchmen these days), armed with Warlord Games Project Z arms (my go-to source for modern weapons for these bodies). The heads are from the Wargames Atlantic British Riflemen box. I went back and forth on the domino masks, but I like leaning into the whole "comic book" fashion sense.

Prisoners and a Warden

Inspired by a new RPG ruleset I'm messing around with, this is four conscripted prisoners and the warden that keeps them in line. While most Tier 3 units (the weakest kind of units) come in groups of three, prisoners specifically come in four. Their options are more limited than other units (such as only using melee weapons in this case), but they make up for the lack of quality with quantity.

The figures are primed black, then painted with a base of Heavy Brown. The orange is a mixture of Vallejo Orange Fire, Heavy Orange, and Craftsmart Dark Orange. This orange is washed with Agrax Earthshade. After this, the main grey detailing (and the warden's uniform) is painted Basalt Grey. The weapon haft is Luftwaffe Uniform WWII. The blades, shotgun, and warden's helmet are Heavy Charcoal (simulating carbon fiber materials). Wash with Nuln Oil on the non-orange parts. Serves five.

This warden is entirely made from Anvil Industry pieces. The prisoners are a bit more diverse. The main bodies are Wargames Atlantic Cannon Fodder. The arms and weapons (bardiches!) are from Perry Miniatures Agincourt French Infantry. The heads are from that Warlord Games WWII British Paratrooper sprue, but I think they're big Polish airborne berets. Taken altogether, I think it makes a pretty good science fiction prisoner conscript uniform.

So this is 1.5 points of an approximately 3 point squad for one player. I enjoy the concept of each player controlling several "units" in an RPG, but I'll need to see how it plays out.

The Skeleton Horde 6: The Corpse Cart

This bone wagon is a bit out of left field, but I think it's pretty cool. I saw that Vampire Counts armies in Warhammer: The Old World can field a unit called a Corpse Cart. What an inspiration! While my version looks nothing like the official model, it's a fun kitbash.

The parts for this little chariot come from all over. The cart itself is a Reaper Miniatures Pig and Cart. I've previously posted the pig. The cart came filled with molded-in vegetables like pumpkins and such. I put a bunch of bone bits over them from the Wargames Atlantic Skeleton Infantry sprue and the Citadel Skulls box. The wizard himself is largely Wargames Atlantic, but the hat and hourglass are from the Frostgrave Wizard II sprue. The left arm is from the Frostgrave Cultist sprue. The wizard is rising from the pile of bones like he's a part of it, perhaps suggesting a regenerative ability. The skeletal horse is from the brand new Wargames Atlantic Skeleton Cavalry box. Finally, I printed the base on my 3D printer. It's 50 mm by 100 mm to match the size of the Corpse Cart in Warhammer. That's a hefty kitbash!

The Skeleton Horde is now 54 models.

Marienburg Halberdiers

Here are four warriors with halberds for my Marienburg mercenary warband, ready to venture into Mordheim. The bodies and heads are all Warlord Games Landsknecht plastics, and the halberds are metal arms/weapons from the same box. The only other source is the upraised hand for the gent with the hat, which is probably Frostgrave wizard in origin.

Each mercenary warriors with a halberd comes in at 35 gold, so that's 140 gold for the lot of them. Halberds don't really have the same impact as two separate hand weapons, but I'm building with a theme, not min-maxing. If a warband called Holly's Halberdiers doesn't have halberdiers then something is definitely wrong somewhere.

So, with the Ogre Bodyguard, we're at 220 gold out of 600 for these Marienburgers.

Their names (from left to right) are Toddrey, Boyle, Millner, and Rudy.

The Skeleton Horde 5: Green Command and Red Bannerman

Here are the Champion, Musician, Bannerman, and Shieldbearers for the "Green" regiment of skeletal spearmen. I decided to just try simple paper banners for the banner bearers, and they worked out well enough. I completed the red bannerman along with the green.

With the sixteen "basic" spearman I've built thus far, I have two regiments of 13 (5 command + 8 basic) skeletons each. Not a very round number, but it tells me I need 14 more basic spearmen to get both regiments up to 20 models. Goals!

This batch brings the total for the Skeleton Horde up to 53 models. They are now, officially, my largest force after beating out the cultists' 48. Great work, bonefellows.

The Skeleton Horde 4: Red Shieldbearers

I made two more skeletons to finish off a command rank of five figures. We now have the red-crested champion, a musician, a standard bearer (kind of), and these two red shieldbearers for the front rank. I'm going to make more champions with plumes/crests of other colors, then pair them up with shieldbearers of the appropriate color so that it's easier to identify regiments. (Red Regiment, Green Regiment, etc.)

With this duo complete, it brings the painting total for January 2024 up to 50 models. This makes it my most productive month ever (though, consequently, a not very productive month in other areas). Skeletons almost feel like cheating here, but there were a lot of other miniatures this month as well. Since my goal for the year is 130 miniatures, this puts me at almost 40% of my goal. Strong start!

Warhammer: The Old World just released, so I went through one of the free Legacy Army Lists, Vampire Counts, and totaled up a use for my painted skeleton horde. They're about 719 points (depending on what the Giant Skeleton proxies for). Neat! With my upcoming plans for more skeletal reinforcements, I'll probably be able to get that up to at least 1000 points, if not 1250.

Corporate Security 4: Riot Guards

Back in 2022, I put together a few squads of sci-fi corporate security forces. I also assembled and started these three soldiers—armed with axes, shields, and pistols—but they languished, forgotten, on the shelf since then. Well, languish no more, corporate riot guards!

The bodies are Stargrave Troopers, the arms are Frostgrave Cultists, the helmet heads are Wargames Atlantic Cannon Fodder, and the Rudulian head and the shields are Anvil Industry. That's a lot of sources.

This force is good to have for sci-fi or even modern RPG games. In Stargrave, they could be run as a crew with Tekker Captain (Grenadier), Veteran First Mate (Rudulian with Shield), Gunner, Sniper, Trooper x3, Recruit x2, and Chiseler/Hacker (Setla with pistol). Maybe I'll add one more model so that they're a perfect fit for a 4x4 storage tray, but currently there are 15 members of corporate security:

• Sergeant
• Trooper (5)
  
• Agent (3)
  
• Gunner
• Sniper
• Hazard Trooper
• Riot Guard (3)
  

Mordheim: Clan Eshin Rat Ogre and Slinger

A long time ago, I wanted to build a Skaven warband for Mordheim. In fact, I've had a warband assembled and primed after an Ebay find maybe a decade ago. Now is as good a time as any to paint some of them up. The little fellow to the right is a test paint to see how quickly I can do a single model for the warband; he doesn't look great (and he's Agrax Shiny™), but he's good enough, and I can always pick out a few more details later.

The large fellow, on the other hand, I took some time on. This is a Reaper Miniatures "Giant Wererat" on a 50mm base. It's a great stand in for a Rat Ogre—210 points of a 500 point warband! It certainly makes painting up a legal force go more quickly, even if it is painful un-optimized. He has a very limited number of washes applied; the fur on his back and the non-metallic metals are the only things I washed. You can see some black got on his finger in the picture, but I've since fixed that with the appropriate flesh tone.

As I said, the rest of the warband is assembled and primed, so hopefully it will go quickly. And if I want to add someone else or swap something out, I still have four bodies/legs on sprue, with enough swords/spears/shields/heads to make whatever I want. I'd like to thank past-Me for this great Ebay purchase many, many years ago.

WWII British Airborne Paratroopers

A while back, I ordered some sprues from Warlord Games and they sent along a free sprue of the "British Airborne WWII Allied Paratroopers" from their Bolt Action range. These six stouthearted lads are all made from that one sprue.

The six soldiers are equally divided between three with Lee Enfield rifles and three with Sten Gun SMGs.

• Beret - Heavy Red
  
• Pants - Gold Brown + Heavy Sienna (50/50)
• Smock - Heavy Grey
• Gold Brown + Heavy Sienna (50/50)
• Heavy Sienna
• Medium Foliage Green
• Pouches - Stonewall Grey
• Webbing/Belts/Bottom of Pants - Bonewhite
• Rifle - Folkart Coffee Latte
• Rifle metal and full SMG - Gunmetal Grey
• Wash everything lightly with Brown (Agrax)
  
• Redo Bottom of Pants - Bonewhite + Coffee Latte
• Para Wings on Beret - Bonewhite
• Boots and base rim - Black
  

While I don't intend to paint up any more airborne chaps, I guess I could use these in a pulp or superhero WWII game. They came out looking quite nice, but they are time-consuming to paint up.

Marienburg Ogre Bodyguard

I love the Landsknecht Ogres box from Wargames Atlantic. Here's another ogre from that box, painted up for Mordheim. I went with a red, yellow, and blue paint scheme, which is one of the classic schemes for a warband from the city of Marienburg. With their extra 100 gold starting budget, Marienburgers could afford an ogre from the get-go. This fellow is armed with a halberd, which would count as a two-handed weapon, giving the ogre an effective strength of 6 for his two attacks each round. Scary.

The paints to use are as follows:

• Blue (70.925) Dark Prussian Blue (70.899)
• Heavy Red (72.141)
• Heavy Sienna (72.154)
• Gold Brown (70.877)
• Oily Steel (70.865)
• Gehenna's Gold (Citadel)
• Nuln Oil wash (Citadel)
  
• Normal flesh layering colors (Brown and Golden Brown (Craftsmart))

The base is something different. After laying down the Vallejo Dark Earth Texture (26.218), I painted everything black. Then I heavily drybrushed Heavy Charcoal (72.155), did a medium drybrush with Basalt Grey (70.869), and then a light drybrush of Luftwaffe Uniform WWII (70.816), which is a nice blue-grey.  Finally, a super-light drybrush of Deep Sky Blue (70.844). It gives a nice nighttime look that should stand out among my other miniatures.

A Giant Crab

It's always a bit strange when I go from posting something really cool like the Undead Lord to something like this: A Giant Crab. Another model from the Bones 4 Kickstarter, this is exactly what it says on the tin: A Giant Crab. The recipe for this was pretty simple with just various reds, a bit of brown on the barnacles, an Agrax wash, and voila: A Giant Crab.

So, I proudly present: A Giant Crab.

The Skeleton Horde 3: Undead Lord

Every army needs a commander, and now the Skeleton Horde has its own imposing Lord. This fellow is a Reaper Miniatures "Khanag the Slayer" from the Bones 4 Kickstarter. I swapped out the head (which was originally a bit goofy) for one of the Wargames Atlantic skeleton heads since the plumed helmet would both look better and fit better with the rest of the army. In terms of leadership, this Lord replaces the Skeleton Commander (shown above for scale) as the undead entity in charge of the warband. It's been said that the Lord looks born to lead, but it's a nature vs. nurture thing; was he truly born to lead, or did a necromancer just raise him right?

The model stands 75mm tall from base to the tip of the sword. The attached giant rock he's standing on helped with that lift. I mounted it all on a 40mm base, then added a bunch of skulls from my trusty Citadel Skulls box to fill in the space and make it more dynamic. That box of skulls is a gift that keeps on giving, but I think this might be the first time I've used it for basing—which was its intended purpose by Games Workshop.

I used some of the last of my "old" Agrax Earthshade as a wash for this figure, which is why it looks nicely blended instead of shiny and pooled.

Totaling everything up, I now have 45 units for the Undead Army. This puts them just shy of the Embers of Alexandria Cultists' 48 units. I get the feeling that the Undead are going to have reinforcements before too long, though.

• Skeleton Horde (45)
  
• Undead Lord
• Necromancer
  
• Champion (previously Commander)
  
• Hornblower
• Tetsubōne Standard Bearer
  
• Spears (16)
• Archers (12)
• Sword/Shields (4)
• Daggers (6)
• Dinosaur Skeleton
  
• Giant Skeleton
  

The Skeleton Horde 2: Skeletwo Bonegaloo

I've painted 14 skeletal additions to my existing Skeleton Horde to flesh out the basic units. Here are five more archers to bring their total up to 12, along with nine more spearmen to bring their total up to 16. These models are all straight out of the Wargames Atlantic "Skeleton Warriors" box. Despite painting up pretty easily, the skeletons still take a while to finish en masse.

These boney chaps look a little different than the old skeletons, mostly because Games Workshop heavily changed the formula for their "Agrax Earthshade" wash. It functions differently now, pooling heavily and looking shiny/wet. The eventual matte spray varnish should tamp down the shine.

I also painted up a necromancer, which is a Reaper Miniatures "Dreadmere Wight." Presumably, he's helping to summon and/or maintain this mob of skeletons. I've wanted to paint this miniature up for quite some time, but I couldn't settle on a paint scheme until I decided to lump him in with the skeletons. The brass, red, and brown is simple but effective, and the green skin (like the mummies I did recently) is good enough.

Giant Boar

Yet another random creature from the Bones 4 Kickstarter. Here we have a giant boar. He's mounted on a 50mm base.

It's just a pig. 

Oink.

Mummies

I was digging back through the Bones 4 Kickstarter models (there are still so many I haven't painted) and I came across this large, imposing mummy figure. I figured while I painted him up, I'd paint the priestess mummy as well with the same color scheme. I have a number of undead in the works at the moment.

The male sculpt was quick and easy, mostly drybrushing and such. The female had a lot more exposed flesh, which took a bit longer; is she even really a mummy? The mummy wrappings seem like more of a fashion accessory in her case. Still, both models turned out OK.

Maybe these two fine folks can help lead my skeletal horde. Due to the scale difference between Reaper minis and Wargames Atlantic models, these guys are about a centimeter taller than the skeletons and could really stand out on a battlefield.

Yellow Cargo Bots

These two filthy, filthy cargobots have seen prolonged use at an industrial outpost. They're more 3D printed versions of "The Fridge" by Skellify on Thingiverse. I've already printed (unassembled) pieces for two more, but I haven't built them yet.

These two bots are painted yellow, or at least they were when they were factory fresh. Lots and lots of grime has muted the colors significantly, but a new coat of paint isn't exactly a priority in the bowels of a far-flung mining colony.

I really like these big bots, and the price point is great. The STL file was free, and the total filament per bot comes to maybe 33 cents? There are extensive weapon options included with the files, so you could literally build an army of these bots for ten bucks.

Wyvern

This ferocious, fantastic firedrake is a barbed-tail wyvern. It's craning its neck in a strange manner, but overall, it's a pretty nice critter. This is a Reaper Miniatures model from the Bones 4 Kickstarter. It is mounted on a 3 inch base, so it's big, but not ridiculously so.

Also, I think I'm still setting the light box way too bright...

Leland's Fusiliers: Valkyrie, Panther, Jenner, Rifleman, Annihilator

Five mechs join the Fusiliers. Each of these has already been seen in Aka-Oni red, but now they're also painted up in the blue, grey, and orange.

Three of these mechs are Light, filling in a big gap that the Fusiliers had in their low-weight units. I love the Jenner, so it's good to have it painted up and ready to go.

If the Fusiliers can scrounge up seven more mechs, they'll be at Battalion strength. They might just need a dropship or two at some point.

• Valkyrie (30 tons, BV 723)
• Panther (35 tons, BV 769)
  
• Jenner (35 tons, BV 875)
• Rifleman (60 tons, BV 1039)
• Annihilator (100 tons, BV 1625)
  

Leland's Fusiliers Stats
Total mechs: 29
Total tons: 1705
Total battle value: 33,691

3D Printed Cargobot

Here's something new and interesting: A 28mm scale miniature printed on my FDM 3D printer. This is a cargobot. I found the STL file on Thingiverse; it's called "The Fridge" by Skellify. Nifty!

As you can see, the cargobot is a chunky bot. It's mounted on a 50mm base and stands about 50mm tall. The painting was black undercoat, then Americana Zinc (DA304), then some Vallejo Blue (70.925) on some of the central bits. Then I drybrushed everything with Vallejo Gunmetal (72.054). After that, I dirtied it up with some washes and some browns to give it a well-worn industrial look.

I can see the Cargobot (and its upcoming kin) being used as a sort of automated forklift, useful for picking things up and putting things down. This one may find itself a permanent fixture aboard the Twinhammer spaceship, if I ever finish the thing.

Additional note! My wife received a photography light box for Christmas, and I've been messing around with it. It may take a little bit, but once I dial things in, hopefully my photos will look better than ever.

Big Purple Alien and Operative (and Operative's Hologram)

These two (three) scifi figures don't have a lot in common, but they were finished together and the operative can give a sense of scale to the big purple alien.

The big purple fellow is from the Core Space First Born Starter Set, and his name is given as Balcor. In official art, he has white fur over most of his body, but I went with a fully purple look instead. He's big, has a cybernetic arm, and carries an array of tools. The figure is mounted on a 40mm poker chip.

The man in the gas mask with the pistol and axe is a scifi operative. I made a second version in a different pose to try out something new. The second figure is a "hologram" version of the first, painted with Nighthaunt Gloom contrast paint and given a white drybrush. It could also be used to represent the operative while he's invisible. I'd really like to use more of this ghostly contrast paint in the future, since it gives a very nice effect.

Alien Horde 6: Boomer and Large Harvesters

New year, new subspecies of alien monster.

Along with the three Large Harvesters, we have the Boomer Harvester, so-called because it goes boom. Unlike the others, it is done in more orange hues, with bright orange used on some of the... pustules? The big, explosive pouches on its back are made from the egg sacs that were included on the Harvester sprue.

This means I have six regular Large Harvesters finished now. The total size of the alien horde is 32 units.

• Alien Horde (32)
• Rock Worm (2)
• Large Spawner
• Small Spawner (3)
• Spore Mine - Frag (4)
• Spore Mine - Gas (2)
• Spore Mine - Acid (2)
• Large Harvester (6)
  
• Small Harvester (10)
• Boomer Harvester
  
• Infected Crewman

2023 in Review

In 2021, I painted 127 miniatures.

In 2022, I painted 128 miniatures.

Guess what. In 2023, I painted 129 miniatures. The trend continues! The category with the most painted miniatures is the Alien Horde with 28, followed (technically) by the Horror Category with 27; however, 20 of those are really quickly painted zombies, so I hesitate to count it. Following that, we have the Supervillain category with 18; this is probably the group I'm happiest with, but the 13 items in each of Scifi and Terrain are pretty nice too.

Let's take a gander at what I've completed this year, including what I've selected as my Model of the Year.

• Superheroes (5)
  
  
• Baroque Boy
• Brightside
• Magefist
• Scrapper (Model of the Year Nominee)
• Tempest
  
• Supervillains (18)
  
• Doc Brimstone / The Brimstone Kid
  
• Lord Xeno the Eyeless
• Sergeant Orc
• 
  Thugs (3)
• Dr. Chimera (Model of the Year Nominee)
• Snake Eyes
  
• Hactuary
• Chosen Men (6)
• Publius
• Harvest
  
  
• Grenadehead
  
• Battlemechs (13)
  
• Awesome (LF)
  
• Thunderbolt (LF)
• Locust (LF)
• Rifleman (AOI)
• Victor (AOI)
• Banshee (AOI) 
• Wolverine (3C)
  
• Blackjack (3C)
• Rifleman (3C)
• Archer (3C)
• Archer (AOI)
• Centurion (AOI)
• Stinger (AOI)
  
• Fantasy (3)
• Ogre Bodyguard (Retinue colors) (Model of the Year Nominee)
• Ogre Bodyguard with Zweihander (Green and grey)
• Troll
  
• Scifi (13)
  
• Bounty Hunter with Rocket Launcher and Revolver
• Razormouth
  
• Space Landsknecht Ogre Trooper
  
• Space Landsknecht Human Trooper
• Mountain Man
• Purple Alien Sniper
• Setla riding Brontoide (Model of the Year Nominee)
• Green Space Wolf
• Quadcopter Platform Drone
• Crewmember Captain
• Crewmember Security Chief
• Crewmember Engineer
• Crewmember Coward
  
• Alien Horde (28)
• Rock Worm (2)
• Large Spawner
• 
  Small Spawner (3)
• Spore Mine - Frag (4)
• Spore Mine - Gas (2)
• Spore Mine - Acid (2)
• Large Harvester (3)
  
• Small Harvester (10)
• Infected Crewman
  
• Embers of Alexandria (7)
• Spark (Cowboy)
• Ash Assault Rifle (3)
• Ash Shotgun/Sword (2)
• 
  Crimson Herald
  
• Horror (27)
• Hooded Beast
• Blood-Starved Beast
• Zombie (20)
• Giant Nightmare Spider
• Small Nightmare Spider (4)
• Animals (2)
• Giant Crocodile
• Big Pig
  
• Terrain (13)
  
• Fish Plaza Statue (Mordheim) (Terrain of the Year Nominee)
• Ruined Pie Shop (Mordheim)
• Shuttle Alpha (2nd Dynasty)
  
• Landing Shuttle (2nd Dynasty) 
• The Broken Tower (Mordheim) (Terrain of the Year Nominee)
• Small graveyard walls (3) (Mordheim)
  
• Long graveyard walls (4) (Mordheim)
• Graveyard gate (Mordheim)

 〰 Models of the Year 〰

This year's Model of the Year award goes to Dr. Chimera. This model is a great, characterful kitbash that painted up really well and just overall sells the concept. Congratulations, tiny plastic person.

Split off into its own category is Terrain of the Year, because it isn't fair to have tiny models and giant models in the running for the same thing. This year's top terrain prize goes to Fish Plaza Statue. This piece might not be the biggest, but it's absolutely packed with character, from the corner statues to the skeleton sitting on the statue itself. Congratulations, medium-sized terrain piece.

As always, thanks to all of our entrants and we'll see you back here next time! Happy new year!