The Wargaming World of Nozza

Finally got around to building and painting my Mil Mi-45K from Dust Tactics ! This beast has been sitting untouched since I grabbed it at Salute back in 2019.  The Mil Mi-45K is a fictional helicopter created for the alternate-history universe of Dust Tactics and Dust Warfare , which are miniatures-based tabletop wargames set in a World War II-inspired setting with dieselpunk and sci-fi elements. Here’s what’s notable about it: Faction & Theme : It belongs to the SSU (Sino-Soviet Union) faction in the Dust universe, which combines Soviet and Chinese forces. The design reflects a mix of Soviet helicopter aesthetics with exaggerated dieselpunk features.   Design Characteristics : It’s modeled as a heavy-lift helicopter with a rugged, utilitarian look. Typically depicted with large rotors, armored fuselage, and weapon hardpoints for machine guns or rockets. The “K” variant often suggests a specialized role - usually transport or heavy support. Gameplay Role :...

The Stargrave universe continues to be a rich source of inspiration for hobbyists, and the Last Prospector scenario book is no exception. Its themes of frontier survival, salvage missions, and desperate exploration have sparked another addition to my growing lineup of custom miniatures - this time, a gritty crew of sci-fi miners and workers. This latest kitbash combines parts from three distinct miniature ranges to create a group of characters that feel tough, tired, and probably overworked: Bodies: Kromlech Desert Dwellers – These provide a rugged, utilitarian base, perfect for characters who’ve spent years in harsh environments. Arms & Heads: Fireforge Northmen Folk Rabble – Their expressive, weathered features and simple clothing add a grounded, civilian feel. Headgear: Dust 47 PLA Hats – These distinctive hats give the figures a unique silhouette and a sense of cultural depth, while reinforcing their role as labourers under the sun (or twin suns). The result? A crew who loo...

It started with the Stargrave: Death Vector pre-order, which included a sprue of Stargrave Scavengers II , allowing me to build 5 figures. While I love the versatility of these sprues, they always leave behind a lot of unused parts, so I try to minimize plastic waste. To make use of the leftover pieces, I searched for compatible bodies and found someone selling Wargames Atlantic Cannon Fodder body sprues. A quick calculation led me to order two sprues, which let me create 10 more figures using the remaining Stargrave parts. Then came an unexpected complication - the seller had accidentally included the Cannon Fodder arms and equipment sprues under the receipt! Now I had even more parts to work with. 🙄 To use them up, I turned to Anvil Industry and ordered a pack of 10 Stormtrooper Bodies . Combining them with the Cannon Fodder sprues, I built another 10 figures. And just like that, 5 figures became 25!

Over the last couple of years, we've seen an explosion in multi-part figure kits from a variety of manufacturers. This has been great for creating custom figures. However, it does leave a lot wasted plastic parts. Fortunately, companies (like Anvil Industries) now produce bodies/torsos/legs that allow a gamer to use those spare parts. The two pictures below show 8 Anvil Industries bodies that have parts from a variety of manufacturers added to them. At a glance I can spot Frostgrave, Stargrave, Fireforge, Games Workshop and Great Escape Games parts being used.

Picked up a Blotz Survey Shuttle at the Tonbridge Wargames Show. Made from MDF, a very nice kit to work on as it was very easy to construct. To top it off, the roof comes off to provide access to the interior. I painted it up with a Federation/Starfleet inspired colour scheme. To finish it off I added a RavenX crew figure as a pilot. Just need to add some lettering transfers and I'll call this finished.

A real mixture of hobby activity this month. First up, a painted MDF kit from Warcradle. This is their newly released 'Augusta - Factory' kit and as the pictures show, you get a factory building, some railroad tracks and some railroad wagons. Next up, some miniatures from The Wargames Emporium. These are miniatures from their 'Pineapple Tribe' range. The Shaman Blowpipe Warriors Spearmen Here we have a Games Workshop Skaven 'Screaming Bell' dating from the 1990s (I believe). I bought this kit off eBay, many, many years ago. It wasn't until I started putting it together that I realized that I was missing two wheels. Still, I do not think it looks too bad! Here it is supporting my Skaven/Ratmen war band for Dragon Rampant. Printed off a flag for my Dwarf Standard Bearer. Only taken 30 years to add one!

With the easing of Covid-19 lockdown in England, this afforded the opportunity to visit my parents and enjoy a much delayed Christmas. The result being, that I managed to pick up this laser cut MDF Castle kit. Also, what was nice, was that my dad had taken the time to add some scenic papers to the walls and steps, so that it is ready to use straight away. Given the number of pieces, it can be set-up in a variety of different ways. Great for a medieval or fantasy village, town or fort.

The end is in sight for the England Lockdown. Despite being busy with work, I have managed to get some painting done this month. An eclectic mix of figures painted, with 47 figures in total comprising the following -  24 Post Apocalypse Survivors 11 Zombies 7 Giant Slugs 2 Pulp figures 1 Alien 1 Statue 1 Delivery Van More importantly, that's all my outstanding zombies now painted. Only taken 3 COVID-19 lockdowns to achieve it!

Well, that's another month in lockdown completed. Here's my painting for February. Not as many figures as January, but as you can see, a few vehicles painted this time. 42 items in total, including the following - 8 Various Wizards and Druids 6 Congo Mercenaries 6 Mars Attacks! Figures 5 Space Crew figures 3 Skaven 3 Goblin Spider Riders 3 Futuristic Vehicles 2 The Walking Dead characters 2 Cyberpunk figures

Well that's January over and done with. Given the current lockdown situation, there's no chance of face to face gaming, so any hobby time has been spent on painting. Here's all the miniatures & scenery I managed to get painted, varnished and flocked in January. 134 items in total, including the following - 84 ACW figures, 12 Fantasy figures, 6 Ninja, 5 Robot Legion, 4 Ratmen, 4 Nullmen, 4 WW2 Soviet Tank Crew & 3 Mon Calamari.

Time to go back to the Final Frontier. First up from the Modiphius Iconic Villains box set is Gul Dukat. Now he's supposed to be holding Ben Sisko's baseball, but I felt that limited his use, so I've painted it up as a Cardassian communicator. Gul Dukat You wait 30+ years for Star Trek figures and now we have two manufacturers producing them. This time it's Wizkids adding Next Generation figures to their range. I've managed to get the Fast Forces pack. Riker and Worf This is the Riker and Worf figures staright out of the packet. For some reason, Riker has the first season 'Dustbuster' phaser and Worf has the usual phaser seen in the other seasons of the Next Generation. A quick tidy of the paint job, a dip, some varnishing and rebasing has led to this. Riker and Worf

Here we are on New Year’s Day and I thought I'd write down some thoughts that I have had over the festive holiday period. Looking back at my gaming in 2018 and in true corporate style, determining what worked and what didn't work! So, in no particular order. What worked? The Blog - I finally got fed up with using Web.coms as a website and blog provider. Their appalling customer service and terrible UI finally persuaded me to look elsewhere. Fortunately, Blogger was a readily available alternative. The only downside is all the material I had on my old blog is pretty much consigned to history. Still, I've tried to migrate as much as I can to this blog, although some of the old stuff is gone. Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago - The first half of the year was pretty much dominated by playing this variation of Frostgrave. I don't know why, but this game really captured the imagination of my gaming group. So much so, that we completed 9/10 scenarios and one of...

I have been experimenting with using glitter to provide some texture and sparkle to some of my miniatures. First up some wizards for Frostgrave from Hasslefree and Northstar. Here I have used blue glitter to portray ice on the characters dress. Let it go! Any similarity with fictitious Disney characters was purely coincidental! Secondly, I have used different colours of glitter to simulate the blades of my heroic characters fighting in a galaxy, far, far away! I quite like the effect, as you get the shimmer and sparkle from a lightsaber blade. Use the Force!     Lastly, I have used red glitter for these Inquisitor type figures. Trying to get an effect similar to Dryden Vos (from the Solo movie) where he wielded a nasty looking energy blade. Kill them all!