I’ve been looking to up my collection of plastic sci-fi miniatures for games of Star Squabble. As much as plastic isn’t my favourite medium for miniatures, I certainly feel a lot more relaxed when playing with them. Paint on plastic is virtually unchippable.
My first purchase was a squad of classic Space Rangers, sold by eM4 Miniatures for the incredible price of £4.99.
My pal had a few of these when we were younger, and I remember they integrated into our games of Space Hulk and 2nd ed 40k seamlessly. They’re a little soft on details compared to what’s out there nowadays, but for less than a fiver, who’s going to complain?
As I said, I’m not usually a big fan of plastics, and clipping sprues isn’t an aspect of the hobby that ranks high on my list, but this was a great kit to work with. There was just enough variety without it becoming fiddly and annoying.
At £22, these models aren’t too far off a pound a piece either – you can build 20 of them with the contents of the box.
So these guys, combined with my Aliens xenomorphs, give me lots of options for fully plastic games, and my precious metal guys can watch on from the safety of the display cabinet.
By the way, if you’d like to try the aforementioned Star Squabble, I’ve made a fledgling rules sheet available. I appreciate all and any feedback on your playing experience, as well as any tips and suggestions for streamlining and improving the game!
We bought a Frameo digital photo frame recently for family photo purposes, and it’s doing a grand job on that front. However, I couldn’t help but think how something like this could become a nice hobby showcase – maybe even an alternative to a display cabinet if space is at a premium.
This model costs about £50/$70 at the time of writing. It has 32GB memory, which means, depending on the resolution and compression of your images, you can store between 5000 and 30,000 photos.
It has a pixel resolution of 1280 x 800 and a screen size of 8.5″ x 5.5″. You can customise the length of time each photo displays and the order they appear (newest vs shuffle). It plays video, too, for what it’s worth.
Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there as an option. As for mine, I doubt I’ll get away with photos of goblins and plaguebearers popping up amongst baby and holiday snaps, but maybe I’ll pick up a dedicated hobby version in the future…
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A mighty warband has assembled to celebrate a centenary of Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast episodes.
Unfortunately, this warband is not tournament-legal because it’s exclusively made up of heroes.
Those heroes are Jervis Johnson, Andy Chambers, Trish Carden, Gav Thorpe, Joe McCullough, Tuomas Pirinen, Mike Hutchinson, Alessio Cavatore, and Rick Priestley.
Can you think of a better way to spend the next 30 minutes than listening to these folks? No, me either.
The clips from Andy Chambers, Gav Thorpe, Tuomas Pirinen, and Alessio Cavatore were taken from episodes they appeared on in 2023, whilst the clips from Jervis, Trish, Joe, Mike, and Rick are brand new material. These tackle the subject of our September question of the month: Which person (dead or alive) would you love to play a miniatures game with, and why? Also, what game would you play?
A massive thank you to this group of brilliant people for giving up their time to get involved in this humble podcast. To the best of my knowledge, here’s where you can check out what they’ve been making, recently:
I’ve been building and painting this undead sci-fi warband on and off for the past three years. It was initially intended for Stargrave, but it’ll fit in well with any other ruleset, too, from Planet 28 to my very own Star Squabble.
I liked the idea of a “crew” that didn’t need to be kept safe, fed, watered, and essentially transported around the galaxy. The leadership would simply arrive at the location of their next objective and re-animate the corpses of whatever last happened to die there.
These little undead aliens by CP Models can be used under the ‘Guard Dog’ category.
Midlam‘s great Crow Shaman miniature will make an ideal “medic” for the crew. Not a medic in the conventional sense perhaps, just someone with a bit of necromantic magic know-how who can patch up skeletons when they get blasted to bits.
The Captain and Vice-Captain of the crew are Chaos Villain Skully and Kane the Tech Mancer, both courtesy of Diehard.
An ex-Blood Angel, perhaps? He can be deployed in Stargrave in the ‘Armoured Trooper’ category.
I played a couple of games in August, playtesting a skirmish rule system I’ve been tweaking, adapting, and embellishing. There are two variations of it, The Mace of Spades being the fantasy version, and Star Squabble the sci-fi variation.
For the Star Squabble testing, I threw almost all of the terrain I owned onto the tabletop to really fill it up and limit line of sight (there are no range limits in the game). This meant mixing castles and cottages with futuristic sci-fi elements, and I really liked the contrast. See the full photo album over on Flickr.
Some “Scerrain” (scenario-based terrain) – a portal in the middle of the table. The player rolls a D6 upon entering it. 2-5 sees them respawn on a table corner; rolling a six lets them respawn anywhere they like – but a roll of one hands that privilege to their opponent!
Players can also attempt to take control of this machine gun turret high above the battlefield. You can do a bit of damage with that!
In other news, I finished painting a few miniatures, including this fantastic troll from Foundry, a Pict who’s feeling the heat (also from Foundry), and Jeff, the Wandering Wizard.
On top of that, a big unit of goblin spearmen is (finally!) finished. Find out more in my 15mm armies post.
This post was initially published in August 2023. At that point, every single miniature was in its shiny metal form. Now that a decent amount of them have been painted, I thought it was time for an update.
I’m never going to own a 6’4 table. But I still look at those old Warhammer Fantasy Battles pictures in White Dwarf and want to recreate the experience in my own way. 6mm is unarguably a brilliant way to fight out massive battles, but when I learned more about 15mm last year, it felt just right. Not too big, not too small, just right.
To be clear, I’m not abandoning 28mm. It’ll always be the main scale for me. But doing mass battles at that scale is unrealistic for me. I just don’t have the space, or, the budget.
I did have some hobby money available after selling a few 28mm regiments I knew I’d never use. So I re-invested it in two full 15mm armies, which I was able to assemble for around £120 in total.
One is an Orc & Goblin horde (with some Chaos Warrior allies), whilst the other is an Empire/human force. I put them together from three different companies, Ral Partha, Alternative Armies, and Pendraken.
I recently bought a box of Alien Warriors from the official Aliens game. I thought 12 miniatures for £20 was a great price, and I’d been in the market for something like this for a while.
I’m looking to create a DIY version of Space Hulk. I also wanted additional options for my Titan scenarios, particularly non-ranged creatures that can be used as NPC swarms in solo and co-op games.
The miniatures were difficult to build. I’m not used to multi-part plastic and naively clipped them all from their sprues before realising that some parts had very specific companion pieces. Nevertheless, I got some help and managed to eventually get them all put together.
Four of the miniatures had their class inscribed on their bases. Because I’m not using them for their intended rules system, I covered these up with some plastic putty and painted them green. The effect is a sort of xenomorphic acid.
I gave them a zenithal undercoat then covered them with the Terradon Turquoise Citadel contrast paint. I then dry-brushed them with Bleached Bone, and with Tentacle Pink on their heads and faces. Finally, I coated them with Vallejo Gloss Varnish to give them a slimy, wet, shiny effect.
I’m really chuffed with how they turned out, especially given how easy they were to paint (though, as I say, they were also a nightmare to build!).
I’m looking forward to handing them their debut in a playtest of the narrative Titan-based scenario I’m working on. I’ll also be looking to pack them into the cramped tunnels of a derelict spaceship for a bit of Space Hulk-style action soon, too.
Want to walk around town sporting an obscure 90s tabletop miniature hobby reference that no one will ever understand? Then you need some Goblin Green Bases-themed merch.
On there, you’ll find t-shirts, hoodies, caps, mugs, stickers, magnets and more. In the infinitely rare chance you bump into someone as stuck in the past as you are, it’ll probably be the finest moment you’ve had this side of the millennium.
Goblin Green bases were a hallmark of Games Workshop miniatures, particularly in the early to mid-90s. This distinct basing style involved painting the bases of miniatures with a bright, saturated green colour known as Goblin Green. The technique was popularized through Games Workshop’s own painting team, known as ‘Eavy Metal, and was prominently featured in White Dwarf magazine, their flagship publication. Here’s a deeper look into the significance and appeal of Goblin Green bases:
Historical Context and Technique
Standardization: In the early 90s, the hobby of miniature painting was still developing standardized techniques and styles. Goblin Green bases provided a uniform look that helped tie together various armies and models in photos and in play.
Materials and Methods: Typically, the base was first painted with Goblin Green paint. To add texture, a mix of PVA glue and sand was often applied before painting. This created a simple but effective grass-like appearance.
Photographic Consistency: For White Dwarf magazine, consistency in miniature presentation was crucial. Goblin Green bases ensured that regardless of the model or its primary colour scheme, the bases would create a cohesive visual theme across various articles and battle reports.
Appeal and Aesthetic
Vivid and Bold: The 90s were characterized by bright, bold, and saturated colours in many aspects of culture, from fashion to graphic design. Goblin Green bases matched this trend, making the miniatures visually striking and easily noticeable.
Contrast and Highlight: The bright green bases provided a stark contrast to the often dark and gritty miniatures of the Warhammer universes. This contrast helped the models stand out, making their intricate details more noticeable.
Nostalgia and Community Identity: Many hobbyists who grew up with White Dwarf magazine and early Warhammer models have a deep nostalgia for the Goblin Green base. It became a symbol of the early days of the hobby, creating a sense of community identity among long-time fans.
Complementary Colors: During the 90s, Warhammer models were often painted in saturated, high-contrast colours. The bright greens, reds, blues, and yellows of the miniatures were complemented by the equally vibrant Goblin Green bases. This created a cohesive and appealing aesthetic that resonated well with the visual tastes of the time.
Evolution and Legacy
As the hobby evolved, so did basing techniques. The introduction of more sophisticated basing materials and techniques, such as resin bases, tufts, and advanced texturing methods, gradually led to a decline in the use of Goblin Green. Modern miniatures often feature more realistic and varied basing styles, reflecting diverse environments and adding to the overall narrative of the models.
However, Goblin Green bases still hold a place of fondness for many veteran hobbyists. Some continue to use the style for its nostalgic value, while others incorporate elements of it into more modern basing techniques as a nod to the past. The bright green base remains an iconic and instantly recognizable part of Warhammer’s rich history, symbolizing a formative era in miniature painting and gaming.
