The Wargaming World of Nozza

Here we go, my first blog of 2021. I'm sure most of you are aware that the UK (along with most of the world) is currently under another COVID-19 lockdown. As a result, gaming has been somewhat limited. What this has meant is that any hobby time has now been spent on painting. After a tidy up, I discovered some American Civil War figures that I had bought from EM4 Miniatures . These figures are plastic (think Airfix figure style plastic) and are very cheap (20 figures for £5!). So over the course of January, I have painted up 40 figures for both sides (80 in total). Also, I bought a command pack of metal figures (2 for each side) to use as Commanders. Both sides were painted with Games Workshop Contrast paints. Additionally, as I'll be using Fistful of Lead Big Battles as my rule set, I bought some movement trays from Warbases to use to determine whether a unit is in either Open or Close Order. Very much a case of going for the look and feel of the ACW, rather than strict hist...

The first figure I finished from the Modiphius Iconic Villains box set was Q. For some unknown reason, I just hadn't taken a picture til now. Q was played by John de Lancie and the character was a pain in the backside for the crews of the Enterprise D, DS9 and Voyager. The figure potrays Q in his judge robes from 'Encounter at Farpoint' and 'All Good Things'. I used a total of three contrast paints and one metallic paint on the figure. Q Close up

Another completed figure from the Iconic Villains set. This time, the unnamed Gorn captain from the episode 'Arena'. Again, painted with Games Workshop Contrast paints. The original costume was more metallic looking and had rough geometric shapes on it. I was going to paint those, but decided the shading provided by the contrast paints looked better. The Gorn Captain

Finally completed General Chang from the Star Trek Iconic Villains box by Modiphius. General Chang was the main protagonist in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Given that General Chang died in that film, his use as a figure is limited. So I've painted him to represent a generic Klingon Flag officer. Painted with Games Workshop Contrast and Metallic Paints. General Chang

With the summer holidays coming to an end, work and work related travel has rapidly increased and my free time has been curtailed. After a week of travelling, I found some time on a Friday evening to do some painting. Having a look through my painting box, I found some Doctor Who figures that I had ordered from Black Tree Design a long time ago. Wanting to paint 8 figures to a reasonable standard in the shortest amount of time led me to using my trusty contrast paints. I googled what the Draconians looked like in their appearances in Doctor Who and found that the uniforms sculpted bore little in common with the TV show, so effectively I could paint them how I saw fit. So here they are, the bases still need finishing. Overhead view Group close up Close up Another close up

Continuing my Contrast efforts, painting up new figures and digging out some old figures languishing in my painting box. First up, some figures from the recent 'Waylaid by Bandits' Kickstarter. Mean Pete, Cruel Gustav & Jimmy the Nailer George the Grind and Bill the Breaker Swift Niklaus and Dancing Tobias Next up some multi part Frostgrave figures. Gone with some brighter colours this time. Frostgrave figures

I'm not sure where I acquired this figure, but I think it's a Dark Elf of some sort from Games Workshop. I used a simple coat of Space Wolves Grey and other Contrast paints for the sash and plume. Took me about 15 minutes to paint. Will be appearing in a frozen city soon!

I tried the Contrast Paints with a resin model. This is model that I picked up off eBay a while ago. Undercoated with Halfords Grey primer and then simply painted with Basilicanum Grey. Looks suitably grimy for whatever army it ends up in.

I really like the new Contrast Paints from Games Workshop and have been trying them on a number of different figures. Here we have some Frostgrave soldiers. 95% of the paint used is Contrast Paints with the remaining 5% being various metallic paints. "Where's the treasure?" The paints jobs may not be perfect, but it allows me to paint figures quickly and not too far off my usual standard.

I've been trying out the new Games Workshop contrast paints on a variety of figures. Here, I've been painting the figures contained within the GF9 board game "Time of the Daleks". These are 90% painted with the contrast paints. The 1st Doctor The 4th Doctor The 9th Doctor The 10th Doctor The 11th Doctor The 12th Doctor A Dalek