(Lead) Mountain Musings - "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio” February 2023

"In Greek mythology, the Titans were the pre-Olympian gods."

With the Fourteenth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge (AHPC) now in full swing, I thought I'd spend this month working my way through a number of science-fiction related figures by "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio". The vast majority of these miniatures have quite depressingly simply been sat gathering dust since I received them from some of the company's successful Kickstarter campaigns over the past few years, so it's probably high time I got cracking on with some of Emperor Ming's merciless minions, and a few hamster-munching extra-terrestrial visitors.

To get things moving straight away, I have completed work on a fifth of the Lincolnshire-based company's 28mm scale resin Titans. This particular pose can be bought as SKU: MINI 94 Titan A (Reaching) from their Villains and Monsters range, and despite the multi-piece kit containing two separate arms, I ultimately decided to equip the mechanical monstrosity carrying a Hammer and Shield taken from the company's metal Titan Weapon Arms (SKU: DEAL 85) instead.

"They were overthrown as part of the Greek succession myth."

This 'conversion' required a surprising amount of drilling and filing so as to ensure a strong bond between the quite heavy hand-weapons and the figure's much lighter torso, as well as plenty of copper wire, green-stuff, and super-glue. But once assembled, the 53mm tall figure was quickly primed in "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna, layered with Bronze, enthusiastically drenched in “Citadel” Agrax Earthshade, and dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” Bronze.

To help tie the miniature into the "living giant bronze statue" look I've used for Doctor Ulysses Argo’s other hefty robots, I then applied various amounts of “Citadel” Nihilakh Oxide in between the model's numerous joints and ridges. These areas were later roughly blended back in with the rest of the Titan using a (third) dry-brush of “Vallejo” Bronze. At this stage, I did momentarily contemplate 'picking out' the robot gladiator's hammer-head and parmula in "Vallejo" Gunmetal. However, I liked the notion of the enormous effigy appearing to be a metal sculpture which had magically come to life.

January 2024 - "Black Tree Design" has taken a strong lead following my rekindled interest in "Doctor Who"

Despite the past month only being the sixth best January I've had pigmenting miniatures since I started keeping a record way back in 2014, I'm actually rather pleased with the sheer number of "Black Tree Design" 28mm metal figures I managed to get 'tabletop ready'. In particular, I now have quite a sizeable group of Robomen to accompany an old Slyther monster I finished almost five years ago, as well as some classic Silurian reinforcements (including a large Myrka) for my ever-growing Homo reptilia force.

Furthermore, I don't see this enthusiasm dying down any time soon, as I've currently got ten Sea Devils (in various poses/costumes) on the go, along with another Myrka and some of the Doctor's time-travelling companions. These somewhat old 'chunky' models will actually be completed as a priority over several of the "Crooked Dice Game Design Studio" figures I have planned, so could well cause me to dust down even more monsters from my considerable backlog in the near future...