Critter Control! 'Good Old Boy' Alien Hunters for Majestic 13

    Alien hunting in rural, Southern Ohio with 'Critter Control' -- my team for Majestic 13

A week or so ago, I needed another batch of figures to paint. I was finished with the orcs and goblins of the Bonefish Band for Dragon Rampant, and was still waiting on the Warhost elves to arrive from Badger Games. So, I pulled out my "bonus pack" from the Crucible Crush order I made last year for my 28mm Vietnam miniatures. It is called Children of Hastur #2, and consists of five modern figures armed with various types of guns. Well, it was supposed to be five, but a mistake in packaging gave me two of the same pose and shorted me one of the five varieties. I didn't notice it till I pulled them out to paint. I sent a message to Bob Murch of Pulp Figures, but haven't heard back from him, yet.

    Investigating some suspicious burnt circles of undergrowth are my Children of Hastur figures

The plan is to use these as my "team" of alien hunters for solo/coop games of Majestic 13 from Snarling Badger Studios. Since I was short one, I had to sort through my various unpainted minis to find a replacement for the missing figure. I picked out one that looked like he belonged. In the game, there are 13 different factions working to defend Earth from alien invasion. The one I picked is called the Agricultural League. You know about crop circles and all that? The aliens have apparently been messing with the farmers of the world for decades! My team of five has nicknamed themselves "Critter Control," and hail from southern Ohio (why not?). I like basing my games in my area, if possible.

    Group leader & local farmer Boone MacDonald has gathered a team of alien hunters for Ohio

As I began painting them, I picked out the cleanest cut one as the leader of the group, naming him Boone MacDonald. His family has owned their farm in the Chillicothe, OH, area for generations. He has seen unexplainable lights in the skies above his farm himself, and had to deal with odd, unexplained damage to crops in isolated, roadless areas for decades. He was tempted to blame government agencies testing fancy new aircraft over less populous areas, but the more of his fellow farmers he talked to, the more he began to believe it was something even more sinister. It was Mabel Washington, the quiet, unassuming small farm owner who suggested that he reach out to the Agricultural League. She even gave him a contact name and number. How she had heard about them he has no idea -- the Majestic 13 pride themselves on remaining secret. The contact bore fruit, though, and MacDonald joined them. Later, he volunteered to form an Ohio team for the league. I painted the figure in jeans and decided to try a classic red and black flannel shirt. I did the base coat red brown and then dry brushed it with Howard Hues Middle East Flesh. The black stripes were done with a micron pen. I am pretty happy with how Boone turned out.

    Very cool Crucible Crush figure -- Waylon, in shorts, shirtless, but with a military style backpack

One of Boone's first recruits was Waylon Jenkins, or "Wildman Waylon" as some called him locally. A moonshine distiller, as well as a garden farmer who sells produce at roadside stands, Wildman is known for his very wild stories. His most famous, of course, is being abducted by aliens, which he swears by to this day. Most locals consider him whacked out, his mind too burnt out by consuming his own moonshine. However, Boone thought that if there was a chance some of Waylon's stories were true, his experience might prove invaluable. I love the Wildman miniature -- in shorts and shirtless with an army style backpack. The Children of Hastur figures from Crucible Crush figures are meant for their Weird War Vietnam "Black Sun" rules. If I remember right, in the game they are drugged out cultists worshiping a Cthulhu like alien being. I updated Wildman's backpack to a modern U.S. desert pattern, assuming he served his minimum time in the Army only to separate at the earliest possible moment. Conforming to what people expect of him is not in Wildman's nature!

    Taciturn army vet Buck is not as flamboyant as 'Wildman Waylon', but has "seen things" in his days

Another Army veteran, Buck Smithers, is one of the local area's resident gun enthusiasts. Of course, in rural southern Ohio, there are quite a few of those! Smithers is much more stoic and level headed than Wildman. However, when approached by Boone, who thought Buck's military experience would prove helpful, Smithers quietly stared at Boone for several minutes. Boone held his tongue, and the two taciturn men silently took each other's measure. Finally, Smithers lowered his gaze. "I've seen some shit you can't explain, Boone." He chuckled, looking up and catching the older man's eyes. "There's bad critters out there. I know it -- I've hunted them." He reached across the table where the two were sitting and shook Boone's hand. "I'll help with your critter control..." Of course, that was where Boone got his idea for the team's name. I gave Buck an olive drab, army "PT" t-shirt and jeans. The word "Army" was also written in with micron pen.

    Not sure where this fig comes from, but Silas Horton looked like he fit right in with Critter Control

I honestly don't know where the miniature for Silas Horton comes from. It was simply in my unpainted drawer of modern minis, so if anyone knows, please add it in the Comments. However, it seemed his hat and cigarette dangling from his lips made him fit right in. Another of the gun enthusiasts of rural southern Ohio, Silas is the oldest of the crew. Like Waylon, he is known for bending folks' ears with stories of aliens and strange creatures he's encountered while hunting in the woods. He even keeps a collection of skulls of bizarre creatures he claims to have shot while hunting. Some who have examined his collection claim they can tell they are cleverly created fakes. Silas doesn't take offense, though. He knew from the moment he came home one night to find his home broken into and some of his skulls missing, that he was on the right track. When Boone sat him down to pitch Critter Control to him, he just smiled. "Well, I was wondering what took you so long to find me and ask me to join your team,  Boone...!" After finishing their drinks, he took Boone to his skull collection and the pair had a long talk about aliens, hunting tactics, and what they might encounter as one of the Agricultural League's teams in the field. I painted Silas with Carhartt brown pants and an urban camo shirt. I love the cigarette dangling from his lips as he stalks forward!

    Buck may have seen things, but Mabel knows things -- more than a small time farmer should!

One evening, Boone was in his study racking his brain on who he should choose to be his fifth team member. The doorbell rang. He answered to find Mabel Washington on his porch staring at him with a sardonic look. "Y'all going to ask me to join your club, Mr. Boone? Or is that for white folks only...?" Boone gestured to the porch with several rockers and the two sat down. When asked how she first heard about the Agricultural League, the older black woman shook her head. "Now, y'all don't worry about that. My daddy gave us kids more of an education than the inside of any classroom." Boone knew Mabel's father had owned their tiny farm off Rt. 772 for decades -- probably almost as long as his family owned theirs. She promised to fill Boone in on what she knew about "critters" once he officially asked her to join his team. Here, she stopped and chuckled. Boone looked her over. She didn't look like much, physically. If she did farm work, though, she couldn't be too much of a burden. Her knowledge could add a whole new dimension. After all, she was the one who told him about the league in the first place! I painted Mabel in bright colors, probably more typical of what people might consider an "urban" black woman rather than rural one. However, the figure certainly has that look. I love the sunglasses and Afro hair style -- very iconic. However, her story works better with her being from a small family farm, so apparently Mabel just likes to get all gussied up when she goes off the farm! 

    Eye in the sky view of Critter Control investigating in the field...but whose eyes...and how many??

Speaking of miniatures, probably the most difficult thing about running solo games of Majestic 13 for me (or coop with Jenny?), will be figures for the aliens. I have a few alien-looking robot or droid types in my Sci-Fi collection. However, I have a shortage of big ugly alien monsters for Critter Control to fight. Luckily, one of my team's advantages of having a "Remote Intelligence Base" is that they get to roll twice to see what type of alien monster they encounter on missions, and then select which one to fight. So, that will let me skip ones that I have no miniatures for...ha, ha! Anyway, now that Boone has assembled his team, I am looking forward to playing my first game of Majestic 13 soon...! Stay tuned.

What else is on my painting desk? My very first batch of Warhost Elves has its flesh tone on them. Also crowding the desktop are two medieval town buildings that I purchased from Sword & Scabbard Games. I am thinking that I am going to alternate batches of elves with things for other projects rather than barreling through the Warhost figures like I did for the orcs. I'd like to start reducing the "Lead Mountain" in size a bit this year. So, I'm hoping early 2026 will see more variety of miniatures painted than I did last year. Stay tuned and see if I achieve that goal!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 95
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 34

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 17

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 2
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 24 

A Visit to Jim's 'Toy Box' for Gaming

        Ted's Napoleonic game stretched for 12' of table width and was crammed with 28mm miniatures

For the fourth year in a row, some of us from Columbus have driven north to Blissfield, MI, to spend a gaming weekend with Jim W at his "Toy Box." This brick building in the village downtown was once a lawyer's office. In a deal he couldn't pass up, Jim bought it from the retiring family of lawyers and established it as his gaming HQ. He and his gaming group -- Ted, Gene, and Dave -- meet there weekly to game. It is also where he stores his miniatures, figures, and terrain, as well as does his painting and building for hobby projects.

    Jim in the light green enjoys a pre-battle cigar outside his Toy Box in Blissfield, MI, on Saturday

Many of us feel lucky to have a spare room or basement for our gaming pursuits. Jim has a whole building! He shares his good fortune not only with his gaming group, but also with us once a year when he invites us up to enjoy two days of games put on by he and Ted. On the tap for this year were a modern scenario set in Jim's fictional former Soviet Republic of Balczakistan and Ted's big Napoleonic battle. Jim would be using Xenos Rampant! rules, which we were familiar with. Ted would be using Valor & Fortitude, which none of us Columbus folks had played. Sides were divvied up by a cloth bag containing two different colored dice. You reached in, pulled one, and that would determine which side you would be on. Simple, and avoids the "I don't care which side I'm on...what about you?" conversation!

    Jim's "Lawyer's Desk & Chair" where he assembles & paints his miniatures and terrain

Before Friday night's gaming, we met for dinner at an Italian restaurant in Blissfield, with Ted and Jim's spouses joining us. It was good to catch up and hear how everyone was doing. The platefuls of food were plentiful and would make the snacks I'd brought along for everyone all but redundant. However, the cooler full of beer did come in handy, of course! Gene met us at the Toy Box, and we were under way with our first game shortly after 7pm on Friday. 

    Building came with wooden document file drawers which now hold his well-labeled mini collection

Jim introduced the scenario as a Soviet attempt to attempt to seize firmer control of Balczakistan, as the independent-minded Central Asians were attempting to detach themselves from the Soviet orbit. I ended up on the Soviet side, in control of two squads of infantry and one armored infantry vehicle. Mike S had the other two BTRs and one squad, while Dave E took the truck and two squads of Interior Ministry troops. We sent him on a flank march on the right to threaten the bridge, as well as break up any potential defenses along the river line. Mike and Mike would meanwhile hook left, using a couple small stands of trees as cover. We would disgorge our infantry squads and then move the armored vehicles up to support the assault on the buildings the Balczakis would likely be defending.

    Table setup for Jim's modern game -- those are our BTR armored vehicles & Russian infantry

Our opponents had "regular" Balczaki troops as well as irregulars, who'd joined forces in an attempt to fend off our thrust. They needed to deny us possession of the stone bridge in town, which the Soviets would utilize to expand their assault on their rebellious satellite country. As expected, they "Alamo-ed Up" in the stone buildings that had ample windows facing where we we'd be assaulting from. Jenny was given the unenviable task of holding off our thrusts from the building, and put a unit on both the top and bottom floor. She waited till we got within range and then blasted away at Mike S's BTR. Her shots bounced off its armor and caused no damage. Jenny's rolls tended not to be the greatest in this game, which she would make up for in Saturday's game!

    Our first squad of infantry disembark probably a bit too far away, but we were being careful

Our first squad we disembarked was probably too far back, but it hustled forward and took position in the trees to blast away at Jenny's building at long range. The other two squads deployed closer. My HQ squad, with our overall leader, entered a stand of trees close to the building and began pouring in fire on her troops from close range. Her return fire was not inconsiderable, and my HQ squad was soon down to 40%. I had been skeptical when I saw Jim's five-man infantry units. Would they be too fragile for Xenos Rampant's combat system? Much to my surprise, with the cover benefits and a lot of the shooting at long range increasing the armor stat of the units, they were surprisingly durable. It took multiple turns of shooting by several Russian units before we finally ground Jenny's units in the hard cover of the buildings down enough so that their fire was less effective. I already like XR! rules, and this made me appreciate their flexibility even more. 

    Dismounted squad hoofs it towards the village buildings where we were sure the enemy waited

Since there was a turn limit for us to get in possession of the bridge, it soon became obvious to me that if we waited till her units were eliminated, we simply would run out of time. I urged Mike S to push forward and shoot from closer range, while I moved my BTR to loop around the building and be able to target the units in the lane behind the buildings. They scattered quickly into the buildings and alley ways once they saw my and Mike's armored vehicles making the turn. We shot them up a bit, but once they got in the buildings, they actually became more dangerous to us. They were able to go to the second floor and get a "top armor" or outflank us to get side or even rear shots. Jim had modified the rules to decrease the BTRs armor stat when fired at from those directions.

    BTRs begin to hammer away at the 2-story stone building where the Balczakis were firing at us

Soon, both BTRs were damaged, but we had inflicted punishing hits on the Balczakis, too. It came down to the final turn. Mike S was able to move his vehicle over the bridge and suppress the Balczaki command unit next to it. That ended up giving us the victory at the 12th hour, just as time expired in the game. It was a hard-fought, close run win. Everyone seemed to have fun, though, and we were off to a great start in our Toy Box weekend! Thanks, Jim, for running a fun game!! 

    Meanwhile, Dave's Interior Ministry troops volunteered for the flank march towards the bridge

Ted wanted to start Saturday's game at 11am to give him time to set up the hundreds of 28mm Napoleonic troops we'd be playing with. This allowed Mike's son Jason to drive up in time for the game and join us. The scenario had Wellington leading an allied force of English, Portuguese, and Spanish across the Pyrenees Mountains into France. A French force was raised to meet them and our battle would be fought along a 12' wide table representing a mountain pass. True to many mega games, Ted had deployed our troops from one table edge stretching to the other. We would be using Valor & Fortitude rules, which thankfully, were on the simple end of the Napoleonic scale of details.

    Sniping away at Dave's troops were the Balczaki irregular troops, slowly whittling the Russians down

I ended up on the Allied side, commanding the mostly Spanish troops on the left wing. Under these rules, as long as your units (regiments, Ted said) stay within 12" of your division commander, you can move them -- as long as you don't roll a "1" on 1d6! If you want to shoot, you don't even need to do that. So, anyone want to guess how many times over the course of the 10 turns or so I rolled a "1" for the infantry units in my division? You in the back?? Why, yes! Three times -- twice as often as I should! Why we're at it, how about how many times Jenny -- my French opponent across the table -- rolled a "1"? Zilch! None!! What's more, my two cavalry regiments were deployed far away from my commander, so they had to roll for "Messages" to arrive. However, as light horse, we essentially needed anything but a "1," as well. You guessed it -- I rolled 1's at least three times for them, as well. And always at critical moments, it seemed.

    With an 11th hour run on the bridge by our battered BTRs, we secured victory at the last moment

Nevertheless, we did our best to surge forward and make a good attempt at taking possession of the stone bridge -- the only one of the five objectives on my third of the table. We had possession of it about as often as the French, as our regiments fought back and forth over it. However, on the last turn of the game, I sent a fresh regiment in, with supports, against a battered and shaken French unit holding it. We each rolled five dice for combat. Jenny would hit on "5's' on 1d6, while I hit on "3's." Anyone want to guess who won that fight? Let's just say the battle would have been very close if I had won that engagement. As it was, we got our butts handed to us, and we would soon be retreating back through the pass!

    Ted explains things to our French opponents in the Napoleonic game, Jenny, Jim, and Jason S

Still, it was a fun game. Very cinematic -- with hundreds of massed troops being hurled this way and that into combat. It looked like an account of a Napoleonic battle you might read. I wasn't exactly crazy about a few aspects of the rules, but then again, I'm not 100% sure we were doing everything right...ha, ha! Ted insisted that we had the last version of the poorly-worded Quick Reference Sheet. Dave kept saying he didn't think so. Finally, he pulled it up on his phone and showed it to Ted and us. Yep, we were playing with an older version. The main thing I didn't like were the modifiers for melee. According to Ted's interpretation (on the confusing QRS), there was no bonus to charging in attack column, yet there was one to charging in line. I tried to argue that the line bonus probably was intended for when receiving a charge, but Ted and Jim insisted that wasn't the way it was supposed to be. If in line, both the chargers and those receiving the attack got the bonus. 

    My Spanish division marching towards the bridge which was our objective on the left flank

I did like that it played VERY quickly, was not complex, and had a nice way of covering morale failures. Once a unit had taken casualties beyond its Tenacity rating, it had to take a Valor test when it lost a melee or took hits from shooting. If it failed the test, poof! It was gone. No worrying about rallying it later. Simply remove them as combat ineffective for the game. And on any turn you lost a unit due to a failed Valor test, your division had to take a Fortitude test. If you failed, you received a Defeat token. This was essentially a victory point for the opponents. Very simple. If the weird kinks that go against the way Napoleonic warfare actually was fought are corrected, and instead match what the writers of history say, then it will be a great convention set. 

    Mike S's English troops receive Jim's French cavalry charge -- Jim's dice were on fire (as usual!)

NOT that I am going to go and start painting Napoleonic troops! Heavens, no!! Earlier in the weekend, I had asked Ted, who is the most prolific painter of miniatures that I know, what period was his least favorite to paint. He admitted it was Napoleonics. I laughed and reminded him that not only has run giant Napoleonic battles at conventions (and for us), he has also painted and run giant all-cavalry, Napoleonic battles! If the period is enough to give an enthusiast like Ted the stink eye in painting them, who am I to argue? I will leave that period for other gamers to paint up and field forces with. That said, I was glad I got to play in Ted's game. It was fun, and we had a great time laughing and shaking our heads at our luck. For all my below average die rolling, I did have two shining moments of glory. Twice, I rolled Valor tests when I had to roll 4+ on all five dice. I believe that is a 3% or so chance of success, and I did it twice. My dice stunk the rest of the time, but hey! I got to defy odds when it really didn't matter and a beaten unit took one extra unit to rout off-table...ha, ha!

    Spanish troops surge forward and seize the bridge, while more Spaniards guard their flank

All in all, a great weekend of gaming with good friends. I look forward to continuing the tradition next year. Rumor is, we'll add a tour of "Ted's Basement" to the early Friday afternoon festivities. The rumors of vast stockpiles of miniatures need to be confirmed. It should be quite the sight! 

    English center, before it was battered, broken, stomped, and thoroughly crushed by Jim's French

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 161

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 57

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 150

 

    Sadly, the bridge ended up in French hands at the end of the game, cementing our defeat

 

I'm Liking My 28mm Empress Vietnamese Civilians

    A dozen 28mm Empress Miniatures civilians I picked up from Age of Glory at Historicon 2025

I know in my last post, I pronounced myself not so enamored of the 28mm Empress Miniatures LMG-armed miniatures I bought at Historicon. I feel the exact opposite about these three packs of Vietnamese civilians I bought at the same time. First of all, the size difference for a Vietnamese civilian vs. a U.S. soldier should be pretty marked. Every memoir I've read by veterans talks about how both Americans and Vietnamese noticed how much bigger we were than the locals. The other reason is I think they did a wonderful job sculpting personality and better faces onto these figures. The features seem much sharper detailed. The variety of interesting poses makes these an easy buy for someone doing 28mm Vietnam. 

    Youth at left & his older sister in the 'Ao Dai' dress are examples of very simple but effective poses

Many of these are very simple figures and poses, I admit. For example, the walking Vietnamese youth has no equipment to note and is just simply sauntering along. Same with the one that could be his older sister -- the Vietnamese lady in the flowing "ao dai" dress, as they're called. And perhaps their grandmother, the old mamasan squatting in the dirt? Somehow, these simple poses look natural for a villager. Since about half of the figures were relatively equipment-free (we're talking hoes, baskets, and bundles here), I decided to paint all 12 at once. Normally, I would split these into two groups of six. However, I had a feeling they would paint up very quickly, and they did.

    Rural Vietnamese villagers in their traditional black costume with 'Non La' palm & bamboo hat

I reverted back to my normal method of painting for these civilians. I primed them with Liquitex white Gesso, then did their skin first, followed by clothes and equipment (if any). Since most of my Vietnam games will take place in the countryside, not in Saigon or another bigger city, I wanted a more rural look. So, after painting their flesh, I got out my black paint the next day and added black to most of the figures, reflecting traditional dress in the countryside of Vietnam. About a quarter were done in all black. The rest might receive a black shirt, but then a different color of trousers, or vice versa. Some got no black at all, such as the one that appeared to be an ethnic Hmong, with her much more elaborate traditional costume. 

    The middle pose resembled Hmong tribal costume so I painted the woman up like that - a bit fancier!

Since these are 28mm figs, though, most would receive a dry brush highlight on their clothing and whatever they were holding or carrying. This meant painting the base color one morning during my usual AM paint session, and then letting it dry overnight. The next morning, I would dry brush a highlight color, and then do the base color for either another article of clothing or their basket or whatever. This meant it took about 4-5 days to get all 12 completely done. 

    A few stoic looking 'mamasans' hardened by an agricultural life in Vietnam's climate & conditions

I am very happy with how these country folk turned out. The poses are very natural and believable, and they look like they belong out in the "boonies," as U.S. troops would call it. Many wear the traditional Non La conical hat made of palm leaves and bamboo. It is the iconic look for Vietnam, and rather than do them in a variety of colors, I made them look relatively identical. I'm sure newer ones would be brighter and older ones a little darker, but I honestly didn't bother with that. I painted them a base coat of Iron Wind Metals "Dun Yellow," and dry brushed them a very light tan craft paint called "Wild Rice." Finally, i did a dark brown wash over them with my Vallejo vehicle wash.

    Another look at the group of villagers from above, alongside two of my scratch-built jungle huts

I went for a simpler flocking system for these, too -- at least compared to the troops. I am assuming that these civilians will be hanging around villages, not out in the jungle.  As with the Empress LMG-armed figures, I based them on the raised plastic bases that came which my Crucible Crush Black Sun American and VC troops. Since I substituted the soldiers onto flat bases, I hoped this little bit of extra height would make them look more natural next to the U.S. or Vietnamese troops on the tabletop. I flocked the lip of the base, too, so that it wasn't obvious they were on a different shaped base. Hopefully, they'll look great next to my Crucible Crush figures on the tabletop.

    Tight shot showing the range of poses in just three of a dozen packs Empress Miniatures makes

What else is on my painting desk, at the moment? Well, since the weather in Congo-lumbus, OH, finally broke and it is much cooler and less humid, I was finally able to spray paint yesterday! So, I have the Miniature Building Authority bunkers and sniper positions black primed. One step ahead are the Canyon Rocks and Stacks I bought from Diabolical Terrain -- they have their tan base coat on, and await only a dry brush and brown wash. For miniatures, I have a group of six Sci-Fi civilians that I assembled from my various Stargrave boxes. I need them for my next Star Wars scenario using Space Weirdos rules. Oh, and I did finish off another batch of those movement markers that I featured in the last post. I didn't bother photographing them since they are identical to the first ones. So, stay tuned for more soon...! 

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 288
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 161

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 36
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 50

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 115
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 150

Two More Batches of 28mm Viet Cong

    My latest batch of 28mm Viet Cong from Black Sun investigate a U.S. chopper they've downed

By the time the humidity here in Ohio was low enough to spray coat my third batch of Viet Cong figures, I was almost done with the fourth group. I decided to wait and take pictures of the two batches together rather than do separate posts for each. As I type this, the final three packs of 28mm Black Sun miniatures from the Crucible Crush line that I purchased for this project are in motion. Barring any kind of disaster, I should definitely have everything painted up soon. The rules are pretty far along, too, so you can look forward to play testing reports at least by July, I imagine!

    A V.C. RPG gunner and his assistant carrying reloads in a wicker basket -- very nice touch!

I am continuing to enjoy painting these miniatures. This project has reinforced for me why I prefer to paint metal miniatures over plastic or 3-D printed ones. I feel the detail is carved (or raised?) more on metal figures, and I feel they accept washes and dry brushing better. Or at least, they do for my inexpert level of painting! I have seen some master painters take what I consider muddy detail on a figure and make it into a beautifully blended work of art! So, maybe I mean metal figures are more "journeyman friendly," if that makes sense? 

    I continue to be very happy with the character and details of these miniatures from Crucible Crush

These two batches included the RPGs and Support Team pack. It includes two figures holding or firing a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) and one carrying reloads in a wicker basket (not OHSA approved, I imagine!). One of the others is holding a light machine gun (LMG), which I noticed when finishing this batch that is the only Viet Cong LMG in the entire line of miniatures. This is probably an omission that I'll have to fix with figures from another line, unfortunately. Most games are going to call for a higher percentage of LMGs than the current 1:25 ratio I will have for my opposition forces. Maybe I missed one of the other figures carrying something that could be used as an LMG? Feel free to check out the photos of Black Sun's four packs of VC here.

    I began mixing things up for the V.C., as far as uniforms go, with these two batches of figures

As you can see, I finally started adding some variety to the way I painted up my V.C. Not all are in the traditional "black pajamas." I really like how doing a shirt or pair of pants in another color livens things up and makes a group look more interesting. Crucible Crush themselves painted the figures in a mix of colors for their website photos -- not all in black. So, I think my artistic license here is justified. The final batch of V.C. which is on my tabletop will have variety, too.

    The lone LMG armed figure for the V.C. in the Black Sun range sporting his black pajamas

As I begin to work on my rules -- which my readers will likely remember will be an adaption of Ganesha Games' Sellswords & Spellslingers -- I think I may have underestimated how many V.C. that I need for my games. So, I am beginning to resign myself to purchasing more miniatures at Historicon this July. I need to take a look at which manufacturers or companies will be there that carry this period. I have to remember to bring along a mini with me so that I can compare sizes. As we know, not all figures from different 28mm manufacturers match! My friend Jim W has painted up figs from a number of different makers of Vietnam minis, so I will likely lean on his advice, as I did with this purchase.

    This shirtless RPG gunner was an interesting bit of variety, as was the squad leader with pistol

Since I am nearing the end of the painting portion of this project, it means I'll likely begin to mix in some more terrain for it, too. I purchased some Vietnam buildings from Miniature Building Authority at Buckeye Game Fest, and am looking forward to getting them on the table. They're a mix of 3-D printed and resin, so I think they will paint up quickly, as well. I'm also going to do some slightly larger jungle scatter pieces, too. I picked up the wooden disks to use as bases from the craft store the other day, so those will be coming soon, as well.

    Two V.C. check out the burning U.S. chopper that crashed into the jungle

Besides the last three packs of Black Sun Vietnam figures, what else is on my painting desk? I did finally finish the six pieces of Sci-Fi scatter that have been on my desk for three weeks or more. Now, I'm waiting again on the humidity to subside to clear coat to them! I have a handful of 3-D printed dumpsters for the flea market that are just about completed. I put together another MDF ruined building, also to sell. I have a plastic and styrofoam bridge waiting to prime, along with some Buddha statues on plinths, and more than a dozen plaster oil barrels. Those are all intended for the flea market at Historicon, too. My progress (when not impeded by humidity) continues to be going well, so I am satisfied with how retirement agrees with my hobby output!

    A final look at the 10 V.C. that I recently painted up

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 145
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 117 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 39

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 93
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 72

Vietnam 'Personalities' Pack from the 28mm Back Sun Line

    The 'Personalities' pack of U.S. troops in Vietnam from Crucible Crush's Black Sun range

Hollywood movies about Vietnam seem to have larger than life personalities in them. From Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now to Sgt. Elias in Platoon (the nice sergeant), memorable characters are the "go to" for movies about this conflict. Even bit characters seem to have an outsized presence on the screen, such as R. Lee Ermey's drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket. So, it is no surprise that Crucible Crush's 28mm Vietnam line has U.S. Army's Personalities #1. That said, I'd be happy if they added more characters and released a pack #2!

    One of my favorites from the pack, a bald, cigar-chomping soldier inspired by Col. Kurtz possibly?

I had to double-check with my friends on the Lead Adventure Forum to clarify exactly who these personalities were, though. I had some guesses, but wasn't 100% sure. I didn't want to mislead people and claim one figure represented someone when it was actually another character! Either way, this pack was a blast to paint. Each figure wears its own unique uniform (or lack of), and all five have their own look. I bought only one of these packs in my initial order because the figures are so unique. A duplicate on the tabletop would stick out like a sore thumb.

    I love this M-60 gunner pose - it has so much character with the sunglasses and shirtless uniform

I used essentially the same methods to paint these that I used for the other batches of U.S. infantry. If you haven't read the previous posts, check out this one for a detailed description of the process. That "process" is buzzing along, too. I have only three unopened packs of figures sitting on my desk now from the ones I bought from Crucible Crush. As usual, I have two other batches in progress right now, both Viet Cong. It looks like I will definitely make my goal of having all the Black Sun figures done by Historicon in July. With that in mind, I have also begun to mix in more other stuff besides Vietnam figures. Once I get those other three packs of miniatures going, I will probably begin working on the Vietnam buildings that I bought from Miniature Building Authority at Buckeye Game Fest last month.

    It's been awhile since I watched 'Platoon,' but I think this figure is inspired by one of the sergeants

Right now, I'm reading a novel set in the Vietnam war called Matterhorn. It is by Karl Marlantes and is really well done. It was written by a Bronze Star decorated marine who served in Vietnam, so I am trusting it is a fairly accurate portrayal of the experience of U.S. soldiers serving there. I know true historians would not necessarily use novels as a source, but I think wargamers can be a little more lenient on what they use as research for their scenarios or rules. First-person experiences of someone who witnessed the event are always a valuable source of information. It is only the second novel of the more than half dozen books I've been reading to prep for my games. Since I am writing my own rules (or at least attempting to), I want it to recreate the squad level experience of soldiers in Vietnam.

    I think this figure was meant to represent Charlie Sheen's character in the Vietnam movie 'Platoon'

I'm really happy with how this project is coming along, so far. That includes this batch of miniatures, which is definitely one of my favorites. It is hard to pick out a favorite from this batch as they all look so cool to me! The black M-60 machine gunner is definitely one of the ones I like the most, as is the bald headed one holding his helmet in his hand and chomping a cigar. I haven't started naming the individual poses, yet, but I will be tempted to name him "Jim" after one of my gaming friends, who is also a fellow Army veteran and cigar smoker. Or -- since I will probably go by nicknames or last names -- perhaps his last name will be "James"?

    I like how this pose looks completely different than the others, in t-shirt and floppy bush hat

So, who is who, of these personalities? There are only two that I felt I was pretty sure about, assuming they DO represent characters from Hollywood movies. The bald guy with the cigar is (my guess) Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now. The headband and towel wearing soldier that I painted with the blond hair is Charlie Sheen's character in Platoon. I am thinking that maybe the character with what appears to be an AK-47 and pointing is Staff Sgt. Barnes from Platoon, as well. Equally, it could be his rival, Willem Dafoe's character, Sgt. Elias. Otherwise, I would love to hear from my blog readers on who you think each personality was sculpted to resemble (without infringing on copyright, of course!).

    A look from above at the five figures from Black Sun's 'U.S. Army Personalities #1'

What else is on my desk at the moment? A lot! It is getting pretty cramped! The next batch of Vietnam figures in the pipeline is nearing completion. It is a batch of Viet Cong, as is the next batch in line, which has only just received a base coat. Coming along very nicely, though, is a group of a dozen 3-D printed miniatures from JS Wargamer Printing. They are Alien Grays, which I bought at some point last year when I was putting in an order with him. They were definitely an impulse purchase, as they are completely different in feel from the Sci-Fi miniatures I have been painting up. I am thinking I will sell them once they're done. Origins Game Fair is running a consignment store this year, and they charge only $1 per entry and the consignment fee itself is only 10%. I can easily build that into my asking price. If they don't sell there, I will take them to the Historicon flea market.

    The overgrown temples in the background are more of my scratch-built ones from my Pulp games

I have also assembled two 4 Ground Stalingrad ruined buildings. They can be used for World War II, of course, but also as any generic ruins, for post-apocalyptic or modern. Plus, there is a whole line of various other terrain or buildings ready to be painted up for my flea market booth. The more I have to sell, the more of my expenses (and dealer room purchases) they will cover! So, hopefully, I'll be cranking stuff out at a steady rate for at least the next couple months. We shall see, though...!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 145
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 95 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 21
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 32

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 93
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 72

More U.S. Soldier in Vietnam & Some Misc. Scatter

    A fire team of soldiers of 'The Big Red One' take a breather next to an abandoned Buddhist stupa

With this batch completed, I'm up to 20 U.S. soldiers finished. I'm having fun painting these guys. Each figure in each pack of five is different. Plus, there are enough packs in the Black Sun range that I have minimal duplication. These five soldiers are the same as one of the previous batches, so I decided to mix up their skin colors a bit. The soldiers I painted as white are now black or Hispanic, and vice versa. The Crucible Crush sculpts are detailed enough you can see that some poses are meant to be a particular ethnicity. However, I figure that on the tabletop, players will see the pose first, then skin color. So, I doubt someone will be picking up a miniature in my games and saying, "Heyyy...!"

    This is my 4th batch of U.S. infantry from the "Black Sun" range - I love the poses & details!

Anyway, no point in going over how I painted these guys. I've done that in the first post and previous one sharing my U.S. soldiers.  Once again, these are painted for the First Infantry Division, aka "The Big Red One." I'm reading a publication by The Nafziger Collection right now to give me ideas for scenarios for my games. I plan to base as many of them as possible off of actual engagements by this unit's soldiers. There will be some others, of course, that I took inspiration from the actions of other units, but if possible, I'd love to reproduce the unit's tour through Vietnam in my games. I think that would be neat.

    Details like the pack of cigarettes in the helmet band & my added tattoos help bring them to life

I'm also reading Mark Bowden's Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam. Bowden is an amazing storyteller and puts you right in the head of the people who lived through History.  Perhaps you've read his Black Hawk Down novel that the Hollywood movie was made from? Anyway, it is a thrilling account of the intense urban warfare that took place in Vietnam's second largest city during the Tet Offensive. I'm about halfway through it and have a hard time putting it down when it is time to go to bed at night!

   Hispanic (or my attempt at that skintone) trooper stalks through the jungle keeping an eye out for VC

I have also been working more on the rules that I will use for my games. I will definitely be making modifications to the core Sellswords & Spellslingers system. For example, I am thinking each figure will be permitted to roll for two actions per turn instead of three. I will also have a separate system for the player's movements before contact, too. I don't want to worry about soldiers in line having to leapfrog a buddy ahead of him because that one failed its actions. Once the shooting begins, though, it will be more chaotic and some players may freeze while others do their duty more efficiently.

    From the streets to the jungle of Vietnam -- an African-American trooper sweats it out in the bush

You may have noticed that I am showing each trooper individually in my photos with this post, instead of in pairs. I really liked the single photo from the Viet Cong batch, so decided to keep that up. With only five figures per group, it is not like it makes the posts that much longer, right? Plus, I like seeing both the front and back of the miniatures. There are all kinds of subtle details on these excellently-cast miniatures, and this format does a better way of showing that off.

    With 25 Vietnam figures done, I estimate that I am just under halfway through the project

Also included in this post are some scatter pieces that I finished up more than a week ago. I kept waiting to get a few more things done so that I could do a more substantial post. However, once I began working on pieces of jungle scatter for Vietnam, it meant the other scatter was sidelined for the moment. Two of the pieces are 3-D ones from A Critical Hit that I actually purchased last year, at Cincycon 2024. It is pretty crazy to have something that takes only a handful of minutes to spruce up for the tabletop to sit unused in your closet for more than a year. Both of these fit into that category. The other is a toy semi-tractor trailer I picked up from Menards.

    This towering scaffolding metal construct is actually 2 pieces 3-D printed from A Critical Hit

This giant, Sci-Fi scaffolding thingie is actually two pieces that I bought from A Critical Hit. The more I looked at them, the more they looked like they should be stacked on top of each other. They even had little pegs on top (?), although there was no corresponding hole on the bottoms. That was solved easily with a pin vice and some superglue to attach the two structures together. Once I looked at the piece even more closely, I noticed all the bolt and hexagonal nut heads along the structure. I decided to paint those Iron Wind Metals Steel. I also did two black vehicle washes on it to give it more definition in the recessed areas and a dirtier look than the bright bronze color it was printed in. I like the way it looks, though I'm still really not sure what it is supposed to be...!

    This 3-D printed iron brazier with flame needed just a black wash and the flames painted to be done

Another Critical Hit piece that had sat in my unpainted terrain/scatter closet for a year was this iron brazier with flames. Like most critical hit pieces, it was printed in a silver for the brazier and a deep red for the flames. I decided to do a black vehicle wash on the brazier to give it more definition and darken it a bit more. While I was at it, I pulled out the flame piece and painted it, as well. Even though my red, orange, and yellow may not be expertly done, I think it will stick out more on the tabletop than the deep red. You can still see that red in the open flame shaped spaces near the bottom of the brazier. Of course, this little thing may not see the tabletop that often because I have all my Bad Goblin Games LED flame scatter! As nice as this looks, they look better...

Menards toy semi-tractor trailer made of plastic and 'dirtied up' with rust coloring and black washes

I have been looking for a semi-tractor trailer in die cast for awhile, now, but had been unsuccessful. However, one day while in Menards, I found a bunch of toy trucks for only $4.99. One of them was a tractor-trailer, so I snapped it up. It is plastic rather than die cast, and a step down in quality from most die cast vehicles you see in various stores. However, beggars can't be choosers, so I bought it and also a dump truck.

    Did I put too much black wash on the tractor trailer? Perhaps - it certainly looks dirty & abandoned!

One thing I am still not confident or sure how to do is weather and "dirty up" the many die cast vehicles I have bought over the years. I have about a dozen sitting in my terrain/scatter closet waiting for me to figure out a way to do it. When I purchased the Menards trucks, I wanted to get it ready for the tabletop as soon as possible. I think that -- if nothing else -- it would look good sitting in a trailer part or post-apocalyptic cityscape. My first idea is to simply do a black wash on their exterior. However, the truck would likely need more than that. The chrome is simply to bright and toy-like. So, I painted the chrome pieces with Iron Wind Metals Steel. Some parts even required a second coat. 

    One of my post-apocalyptic survivors checks out the area before investigating the tractor trailer

I did have to put glue underneath onto to the wheels rods to keep them from moving. I should probably have done a gray dry brush on the rubber wheels. And maybe some more dark wash into the wheel wells and hubs. Honestly, this was my first real weathering attempt and I wasn't sure what was "too much" and what was just right. I still have the dump truck to do, so maybe I'll do better on it! So, what else is on my painting desk? Two batches of Viet Cong and one of U.S. infantry, of course. And for scatter, I have 12 circular wooden disks that I flocked and am putting various plastic plants on for jungle scatter. The plants are glued down, but I probably want to dull them up a bit to take off that plastic sheen. Of course, forecast says rain here for the next three days in the monsoon season of Columbus, Ohio! We'll see when I get chance to spray them with a matte clear coat...!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Miniatures acquired in 2025: 143
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 85 

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 19
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 23

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2025

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 54
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 60