What I painted in 2026

October felt like a return to form.

I started the month with a mixed batch of an oldhammer ogre (a trooper from the Golfag Regiment of Renown), a necromunda model with a head swap, and a Northstar Steampunk Medic.

Then, as Hallowe’en neared, I flipped to the undead.
Inspired by my old GW Nazgul model, I made a vampire out of a strips of cut up handkerchief super glued onto a wire armature. This was a bit hairy, as the amount glue I was using caused the whole thing to heat up and smoke!

I also painted up a couple of Malifaux zombies that I got from a second hand shop.

And I finished the month by painting a Giant from the Warriors of Athena range that was included in the Northstar bargain box that I bought myself.

Blimey! Tempus fugit.

My painting really slowed down in the summer.

Not because it was too hot to paint where I live as I think we crept over 30C for a couple of days here and there. Although it was warm enough for my wet pallet to develop mould, even with some old copper coins under the sponge.

I think my mojo left me a little and the kids being off from school didn’t help.

Also I decided to tackle the whole Corvus Cabal war band in July. I don’t often go for modern GW models, and these were fiddly to put together and paint. It was also more minis than I’m used to taking on at once.  didn’t get them finished until August.

Anyway : I’m happy with the way they came out.

I also finished the Calabresi unit box with these two lads.

September wasn’t much better.
I’d decided to run my Corvus Cabal as Horned Hunters in Mordheim, although they read as the hero models for me, so I needed some henchmen. Step forward some MESB Hillsmen. I gave some of them Tzeentch helmets, kindly donated by a friend from the wargames club, to fit in with the beaky style.

I also decided to use something more exotic than warhounds and bought a couple of Terror Birds from Fenris Games. Which then prompted the story of this warband: they worship an avain aspect of the horned hunter and when they saw his messenger in the sky, they followed it to it’s landing place.

Yes, I know I’m writing this on the 1st of July, but I managed to get a few more minis painted in June.

Kicking off with the Officer from the Silver Bayonet Calabresi unit, for which I pretty much followed the box art (without the trim on the jacket). I’ve only 2 more figures to paint from that box : hopefully I’ve have them done next month.

I also painted the Simeon Bar Giora miniature from Northwing Miniatures  that I got as part of the welcome pack for the Mordheim all-dayer I attended a couple of months back. A nice mini, and as he’s armed with a sword and dagger he is ideal for Mordheim.

Finally, I painted the Champion and Musician for the Mengil Manhides regiment of renown. I picked these up shortly after last years spring clean challenge when I specifically said I wouldn’t be seeking them out. To be fair to myself, I didn’t go looking for them, but browsing an oldhammer site (The Demon’s Lair) they just jumped out at me. I’m not going to lie, it’s satisfying to have all the figures (although I’d argue not the full regiment, as I’d need 3 times as many troopers thinking about how they were originally sold).

It’s time to change the paper on my wet palette too : I think for the 2nd time this year.

I don’t feel like I’ve done that much this month, the muse has been hard to entice.

I quickly knocked up half a dozen Wargames Atlantic Foot sergeants to have a game of ‘Great Helm’ (the game itself was … refreshing). Coloured primer, metal, flesh, leather, half arsed shield design, wash, done.

I spent more time on another couple of the Calabresi unit : the Lugo Mannaro and the Champion of Faith. 

I kitbashed this chaos spawn for the Mordheim event that I went to last month, but I left it at the club and forgpot about it for a couple of weeks. I should have taken lots of WIP photos, but I was caught up in the moment when making it. 

Finally, thanks to richsh, I had to get an Axel Tickelbrook for the Tiniest Headbone. I unashamedly copied their colour scheme, although I foolishly didn’t paint in sub assemblies. 

A month? Well, I have painted a few miniatures for my spring clean project.

As a palette cleaner I cracked open my Calabresi Unit for Silver Bayonet, picked 3 of them and added a Bad Squiddo mini.

Then I quickly painted these 3 for my first game of 1490 Doom. A confessor from the Sanctifiers kill team, Lyssa Revenya from the Saviours of Cinderfall box, and a Frostgrave cultist.

I wasn’t going for Don King with his possessed copy of the Queensbury rules when I started this Occult Investigator from Crooked Dice, but that’s where I ended up.

1. Gump for Moonstone. I was intimidated by this before I started but it was straightforward once I grasped the nettle.

An unnamed Judge from Citadels 1980s 2000AD range, doing the rounds of the city blocks.

I know judges normally have gloves on, but I just couldn’t see them on this sculpt.

A forgotten Newcastle celebration, that occurs on the 5th Sunday of Lent, remembering when the starving citizens of the under siege city got their hands on a cargo of carlin peas.

Carlin Sunday 2026

Anyway, these minis have nothing to do with that. A couple of were jackals from Northstar’s Silver Bayonet range.

“They’ve all got it in for me”

The watchman from A Meridian miniatures Kickstarter and Pock from the Hexbane Hunters with a head swap.

Four wolves from Northstar. They seem a bit small but maybe I’m conditioned to think that all wolves are dire wolves.

Finally a Mystic from Northstar’s Stargrave range, my first attempt at a ‘synthwave’ painting scheme.

The background is from an old sci-fi coffee table art book that I inherited from my Dad.