Modern Africans Completed and New Acquisitions

 Time to upload the next bunch from the Painting Challenge here. These are some figures from The Assault Group, from their "Modern Africa" range; a collection of militia with light arms (supported by one guy with an RPG) and some "Wild Geese" style mercenaries with Ak-47s. These join General Mutende's warlord army, visible here.

This bunch, mostly carrying pistols and SMGs, are a militia unit in Wars of Insurgency, relying on bodies more than accurate shooting to accomplish General Mutende's goals. I might go back in and do some freehand on the gray T-shirt the man in the middle is wearing. 

Next up are the mercenaries; I'm seeing these guys as General Mutende's personal bodyguards.

And a shot of General Mutende and a LMG-armed soldier with them:

I'll need to get the table cleared off this weekend so I can do a group shot of the entire force. 30 figures overall. Not too shabby.

I also had a few new goodies come in this week. First up, North Star announced that they likely wouldn't be reprinting their Colonial Africa ruleset "Death in the Dark Continent" when the current stock sells out, and having flashbacks to the FOMO I felt when "Congo" suddenly went out of print, I ordered a copy. Colonials are an area near and dear to my heart though I haven't painted any in a very long time, and I'd like to have a well-regarded ruleset handy if I ever get an opportunity to paint some up again.

And secondly...I'd been on the lookout for a 28mm scale Daimler Ferret Scout Car for a bit to accompany my UN Peacekeepers. I wasn't seeing any STLs that I liked, and Patrick Miniatures' only offered theirs in an already-printed version that shipped from Germany. Empress Miniatures offers one in resin and metal, but I'd be ordering from Australia and wasn't sure I could stomach the cost of shipping and such. I was going back and forth, waffling, checking eBay, checking and rechecking Empress Miniatures' US distributor...and then found out that Sloppy Jalopy (who I believe are now out of business as their website is down) produced a Daimler Ferret Scout Car in 1/56th scale. And Sally 4th in the UK had exactly one in stock!

Naturally, I figured out after I'd received it that with the current currency conversion between Australian dollary-doos and US dollars, even with shipping and tariffs and what not buying the Empress Miniatures' Ferret would have been close to $15 cheaper. Oops. Always do your due diligence! At least now I'm aware if I want to add some of Empress' Jazz Age Imperialism and Russo-Japanese War figures to my Back of Beyond collection. 

So let's update that tracker:

Miniatures Acquired: 48

Miniatures Painted: 60

Terrain Acquired: 0

Terrain Painted: 1

Scatter Acquired: 0

Scatter Painted: 0

UN Peacekeepers

 We're a few short weeks out from the 16th annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge; I haven't taken part in a number of years, but I'll be returning to the Challenge this time around. I've got a plan (more or less) and figures primed and set aside for the Challenge. Which makes it a little challenging for me with my regular Monday painting group until then! I've been casting about and working on things that have been half-done to clear space on the workbench.

Inclement weather and unplowed roads kept me from going out to play Dracula's America today, and I had no other pressing responsibilities on my plate, so I parked my butt at my workbench for a couple hours and finished up some modern British troops (mostly Paras, but some regular infantry as well) from The Assault Group, painted up as UN Peacekeepers for modern conflicts. There should be 12 of them, but somewhere along the line I misplaced the radio operator from the Paras command blister so there's only 11 here.

Looking at my notes, the uniforms are a base of Reaper "Uniform Brown," drybrushed with "Green Ochre" and "Faded Khaki," with camouflage applied with blots of "Leaf Green" and "Blackened Brown." Webbing and pouches are the same "Uniform Brown/Green Ochre/Faded Khaki" while skin tones are Reaper "Tanned Shadow," washed with GW "Reikland Fleshshade" and highlighted with "Tanned Skin." Usually I skip the wash when doing skin tones but I really feel like it added a lot here. I may have to reincorporate it into my usual process. Helmets and Berets are Reaper "Sapphire Blue" highlighted with "True Blue."

While I had the blues out, I finally put a shirt on this zombie apocalypse survivor from Hasslefree Miniatures. I think he's the "starting out" version, less impressively armed, of the figure I've been using as Hank in my recent Majestic 13 games. 

I should go back in and redo the grip on his machete. But, this is another 12 figures done for the year, which I'm well pleased with.

Figures Acquired in 2025: 246

Figures Painted in 2025: 187

African Warlord Army

 I've finished the 12 African Militia figures I'd started at the beginning of the week, bringing me up to a total of 17 finished figures for this project. These figures, from The Assault Group, were an absolute delight to paint - nice chunky sculpts, detailed without being bogged down in it, they paint up quick and look good without putting an exhausting amount of work into them. 

Group shot of all 17.

General Mutende oversees his troops.

First Squad

Second Squad

Character figures

Naturally, as soon as I took these pictures, I realized I'd missed a detail - three of them have two magazines taped together affixed to their guns, and I'd forgotten to paint the tape. This has been corrected. 

These figures give me about half of an army for Wars of Insurgency; I placed an order with Badger Games here in the USA for a few more packs of TAG Africans to round things out. I also ordered a few packs of TAG modern British, who will be painted as UN Peacekeepers; not a full force, but the beginnings of one, and as much as my hobby budget would allow for this paycheck. 

Also on my workbench currently...

I've begun work on a set of jungle pieces that I've been accumulating stuff for; irregular MDF terrain bases from Things From The Basement, cheap plastic palm trees and smaller plants off Amazon, etc. Looking at these, I probably should have ordered more palm trees. 

Next step for these is going to be painting and flocking the ground, and once that's done and sealed, I can start hot-gluing smaller plants into place. And in the background, you can see one of the more whimsical pieces of scatter terrain in my collection. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Inflatable Discount Monkey:

In the '80s and '90s, it was fairly common, at least in the US, to see giant inflatable gorillas used in advertising - especially on top of car dealerships, for some reason. In the 2000s, they were slowly replaced by the Wacky Waving Arm Inflatable Tube Men:

These over-cheerful schmucks.

I found an STL for an inflatable gorilla holding an "All Stock Must Go!" sale sign on MyMiniFactory, bought it, and brought it to my 3D printing guy, since it was very in keeping with the economically depressed "Rust Belt" environment that's inspired my modern urban tables. He's going to be an eye-catching addition to my tables, and served to use some of the neon red spray paint I accidentally bought thinking I was getting fire engine red. I'm just waiting for a dry day to prime his base (a 4" MDF disc) and he'll be ready to go. I feel like I should count him towards my figure count for the year, but how should I count him? As one figure? Counts as multiple?

Time to update the tracker:

Figures Acquired in 2025: 199

Figures Painted in 2025: 162

WIP: African Rebel Army

I needed something that was already primed and ready to go earlier this week to take to Monday night's paint and chat, and casting about I found the rest of the Modern African Militia from The Assault Group - I'd painted the first five a few weeks ago, and had another 12 primed and waiting their turn. In two hours' time on Monday, I finished all of their clothing and had painted the metal of their guns. Another two hours today and I got skin, hair, leather, wood and belt buckles finished as well. I also repainted the stocks on the first five's guns to be less yellow-looking. 

I'd bet that by the time I go to bed on Saturday I'll have these 12 finished, including flocked bases. 

What then? 

I admit I don't have much of a plan in mind. There'd been some thought when I purchased them as using them as local insurgents supported by Cobra in my GI Joe games, but not much beyond that. These have been a relaxing joy to paint and the Assault Group figures are very affordable; it's sorely tempting to get more and make a bigger project out of this. 

To that end, I bought a copy of Wars of Insurgency, written by Mike over at Lead Legionaries. It looks like a solid ruleset from a first read-through, and I think it should prove inspiring. Of course, I'll need one or two more forces...oh no...

Figures Acquired in 2025: 167

Figures Painted in 2025: 150

Getting Out of the Funk

 Two weeks without a post - I think that's the longest I've gone all year! Truth be told, I hit a bad slump in the aftermath of Wargames Among the Warplanes and I just had so much trouble even just sitting down at my hobby bench. Or I'd get there, get set up, and realize I'd been staring blankly at my miniatures for 15 minutes while paint dried on my palette. I'm not 100% sure what caused it, but I just didn't get the buoyed enjoyment/urge to hobby after this WATW that I'm used to having after a convention or show. 

I've spent a lot of that time thinking about what I'm missing, what might be bringing me down, and trying to figure out a way forward without going "Why sure, I'll buy a big bunch of miniatures for another new time period - that's sure to inspire me!"

Ultimately I had to remind myself that I'm painting for *me* - not for attention on social media, not for the purpose of putting on games for others (which has been a bit of a crapshoot this year, to be honest), but for my relaxation and peace of mind first and foremost. 

After that it was putting my butt on the stool and saying, "I'm going to sit and paint. Even if I only do one thing, that's something I wouldn't have gotten done otherwise. I'm just going to paint the hair on my Dracula's America figures and see how I feel once I've done that."

And I've got some stuff done.

First up, a group of five "African Militia" from The Assault Group - I had painted these in the immediate aftermath of Wargames Among the Warplanes, with a vague idea towards playing some Zona Alfa with the setting shifted from Eastern Europe to Central Africa. I don't remember exactly why I bought like five packs of TAG Modern Africa figures earlier this year, but I've got 'em and these were a fast, easy paint up - basically one session of painting plus a night to flock the bases.

Secondly, I finished* my initial six figures for Dracula's America - the beginnings of a campaign posse! 

OK, so not finished-finished, I need to do another coat of brown on the rim of the bases and flock them, but the painting figures part is finished! Most of these are from Northstar's official Dracula's America line, but I did include a Crow Warrior Woman from Clearco Miniatures, complete with elk-tooth dress, to mix things up a little. I'm really pleased with how they've turned out. 

What else, what else...

A buddy of mine loaned me a stack of rulebook from Rattrap Productions, covering their ".45 Adventures" pulp crimefighting skirmish and some of its supplements and spin-offs. The rulebooks are a little rough and could use another editorial pass or two (and this is apparently the first edition, not the current version) but I'm interested in giving them a try. 

The downside is they're making me go, "Oh, I should buy some 1920s Gangsters and rewatch 'The Untouchables!'"

I'll be doing a solo playtest this week, and on Saturday I have another friend coming into town to give it a go - he'll be playing the Green Hornet and Kato, I'll be some modern-ish gangsters using the figures I painted earlier this year for Fistful of Lead. 

So that's everything going on here. Time to update the tracker... Oh hey! I'm at 150 figures painted this year! Cool! 

Figures Acquired in 2025: 167

Figures Painted in 2025: 150

More Buildings Finished (Plus New Acquisitions)

 I've finished the last two buildings that my friend Dave printed for me - "PayMore Shoes" and "TeeVee Shak," being nods to the brands "Payless Shoes" and "Radio Shack," respectively. These are pretty simple paint jobs done almost entirely with spray paint and cheap craft store acrylics, and I'm not going to do detailed interiors for them at all. They're good table fillers though! 

Secondly, I got some goodies in the mail today from Badger Games - I'd ordered some more of The Assault Group's Modern Africa figures to round out my collection with another character and some militia with heavy weapons. I also got a pack of "Diplomats/Politicians" to use as objectives in games, and a pair of Crocodiles from Wargames Foundry - one of which will go in the swimming pool Gina got me, and the other will be based up and included in my Cobra forces to go with the character "Croc Master."

Which means it's time to update the tracker:

Figures Purchased in 2025: 77

Figures Painted in 2025: 85

GI Joe: Mission of Mercy

 I got the table cleared off today and set off for another solo game of Fistful of Lead; my first solo game since January, actually - and my first since we'd adopted Poppy, a young, energetic and curious cat. How was this going to go? 

I decided to get my GI Joes out for a game, and pulled together a scenario that would let me use some of the generic military terrain that my friend Dave gifted me. 

***

A French colony prior to WWII, Kalingaland was wracked by civil war between Soviet-backed rebels and the US-backed federal government until the fall of the USSR. Since then, the anti-democratic Kalinga Rouge rebels have received funding and armaments from the international terrorist organization known as COBRA. The garrison at a remote National Army base has been struck by a virulent new strain of sleeping sickness; the special missions force code-named GI Joe has been dispatched to deliver a cure. 

With the future of Kalingaland hanging in the balance, Cobra plots to prevent GI Joe from delivering the vital medication. Can they make it through Cobra's ambush in time?

***

The GI Joe team has to cross the table diagonally to reach the Kalingaland base. The character Lifeline is carrying the medications in his case; if he is put Out of Action before reaching the base, the game immediately ends in failure for the GI Joes. At each barracks (the quonset-style huts), Lifeline can attempt a 5+ Task roll to deliver the medication; success results in a Grunt Group of Kalingaland soldiers being deployed and an activation card for them added to the Joes' hand. 

GI Joe Team:

• Stalker (Leader; Ranger, Impervious, Camouflage) armed with a submachine gun
• Beachhead (Specialist; Indomitable, Infiltrator) armed with a submachine gun
• Lady Jaye (Regular; Dodge) armed with a pistol and explosive javelins
• Lifeline (Regular; Medic) armed with a pistol
• Airborne (Regular; Nerves of Steel) armed with an automatic rifle.

Cobra Team:

• Major Bludd (Leader; Deadeye, 9 Lives Tactician) armed with a pistol
• Storm Shadow (Specialist; Swordsman, Street Fighter) armed with a katana
• Copperhead (Regular; Brawler) armed with a submachine gun and a knife
• Cobra Officer (Regular; Slippery) armed with a pistol
• Cobra Troopers (Grunt Group; Tough as Nails) armed with automatic rifles

Using his "Infiltrator" trait, Beachhead took point, sticking close to a clump of trees and observing Cobra as the Troopers fanned out ahead of the named characters. Airborne moved up along the western river, sticking to the clusters of dense jungle, and took a quick shot at the Cobra Officer, startling him.

Beachhead got the Cobra Troopers in his sights and squeezed the trigger on his submachine gun, intending to catch them all in a hail of burst-fire. Except...click! Rolling a 1, he went Out of Ammo without effect. As the rest of the Joe team moved forward, Lady Jaye hurled an explosive javelin at the clustered Cobra troopers, putting one Out of Action and sending the rest scattering for cover. 

Meanwhile, Major Bludd swept forward, shooting Beachhead even as he was clearing the jammed mechanism. Beachhead went down with a Wound. Shrugging off his Shock token, the Cobra Officer charged Lifeline, intent on stopping him from delivering the medicine. 

"You can't stop me!" Lifeline yelled, aikido-flipping the Cobra Officer into the jungle mud and sending him Out of Action! 

Bypassing the wounded Beachhead, Storm Shadow charged Lady Jaye, putting a Wound on her and sending her to the ground. Airborne opened up with burst fire on Copperhead and a pair of Cobra Troopers, only managing to startle Copperhead; Cobra's Florida Man responded by moving up into range and shooting Airborne in the belly, putting him Out of Action. 

Lifeline made it past the fence into the army base, pursued by a pair of Cobra Troopers who opened fire on him; he took a Shock token but managed to dart into the first barracks. Stalker fired on the Troopers, sending them diving for cover, before getting attacked by Storm Shadow.

Unfortunately, that first round of fighting didn't go the way Storm Shadow expected - Stalker won the combat, dealing a Shock token to the ninja. Meanwhile, Beachhead managed to stand up, just in time for Major Bludd to charge him through the woods. Even injured, the Joe was more than a match for Cobra, knocking the Australian mercenary Out of Action! (I had forgotten about Major Bludd's "9 Lives" trait, which would have made a big difference here by converting this Out of Action result into a simple Wound.)

Lady Jaye struggled to her feet and hurled a javelin at Copperhead and some nearby Troopers, only managing to distribute some Shock tokens. Lifeline managed to wake up the first Grunt Group of Kalingaland soldiers, while Storm Shadow managed to get up and Wound Stalker. 

Beachhead used burst fire to try and take out Copperhead and one of the remaining Cobra troopers, only succeeding on eliminating the Trooper; Copperhead responded by charging and putting Beachhead Out of Action.

Switching to her pistol, Lady Jaye tried shooting Storm Shadow but rolled a 1, going Out of Ammo. Despite being Wounded, Stalker got back up and Wounded the Cobra ninja. Copperhead shot Lady Jaye in the back, putting her Out of Action, while Storm Shadow used a Ninja technique to feign death (he rolled a "1" on his Wound Recovery roll, going Out of Action).

With the first group of Kalingaland soldiers on their feet and fanning out of the camp, and Lifeline administering medication to the next group, Copperhead and the remaining Cobra trooper decided it was time to withdraw from the battlefield. Until next time...COBRAAAAA!

That was a really good game. I got some figures I hadn't played with before on the table (Stalker, Airborne, Copperhead, the Kalingaland soldiers) and it was a nice first outing for the terrain Dave had gifted me. Plus it was a nice refresher on Fistful of Lead before I go into Wargames Among the Warplanes in two weeks; I haven't had the free time to schedule a game with anyone lately, so I'll probably try to keep the table clear and set up again next week with some of the figures I'm using for that. 

And Poppy behaved himself and didn't insert himself into the middle of things, batting figures and terrain around! He jumped up on the table once, went "Nope, don't like this" and jumped right back down. 

Figures Purchased in 2025: 66

Figures Painted in 2025: 85