AHPC 16: NASA Crew for LUNAR

After literally years of obsessing about this project in multiple scale, Black Site Studios release of plastic Astronauts and Cosmonauts had me scrambling for my credit card (visits to the Smithsonian Air & Space museum and the NASA Marshall rocket centre this year also helped!).  This year's painting challenge prompted me to finally get them onto the painting bench

Here are my first five NASA crew, mostly with a range of improvised and much deadlier (but temperamental in lunar conditions) equipment, battling with their Soviet counterparts!

AI background generated on ChatGPT

These boys with the "Right Stuff" are ready to defend their Apollo site and scientific equipments in the face of Communist aggression!

These are 32mm plastic figures by Black Site Studio, which I reviewed late last year:  

https://tasmancave.blogspot.com/2025/12/review-lunar-astronauts.html

I've broadly painted them as NASA Model A7L space suits (used for Apollo 11-14) and the decals add great splashes of colour. Decals by District Miniatures, including the original NASA "meatball" logo: 

https://districtminiatures.com/collections/black-site-studios-lunar-32mm

The original NASA "meatball' logo, designed in 1959

Comrade Cosmonauts of Roscosmos coming next!

"Moon Marines" artwork by Fána Smetana
Source: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/BXXxB9⁩

Submitted to AHPC16 "Toy Story" bonus round here:

https://analogue-hobbies-theme-rounds.blogspot.com/2026/02/toy-story-from-paul-og-astronauts-and.html

Dystopian Wars: Russian Fleet Reinforcements

A small Cruiser Squadron to reinforce my growing Russian Dystopian Wars fleet. After a couple of weeks away from the Hobby bench (for the best of reasons!) its was nice to get these finished to meet this week's deadline.

Disclaimer: I have used AI to generate a more contextural background.
The models themselves are unchanged and are my own work.

Like the rest of my fleet these are an Ebay rescue, and as a bonus they came with nicely magnetised turrets. I've painted them up in more grungy wartime colours to contrast with the rest of my Fleet. I used historical paint schemes again, this time from the Russo-Japanese war. I think of these ships as offensive night patrollers - going out to screen the main force against marauding torpedo boats

This looks good

But this looks better!

Submitted to AHPC 16 here:

https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/01/from-paul-og-russian-cruiser.html

Black Templar Crusade Ancient

Joining my Black Templar army and toting a war banner of the Black Templars is this Crusading Ancient. He inspires his brethren to fight for their Emperor and shows the way, smiting foes with his super hot blade of smiting! 

Ineptus the Vexillifer!

A new model released last year specifically for my army, so of course I had to get one (what a sucker!). He was fun to do, though I did suffer a bout of 'analysis paralysis' on shield - with more than one chat with Reilly needed to get to there in the end!

Kept to the 4 colour "Zorn palette" to match the erst of my army

I also enjoyed hand writing all the prayer/inscriptions on both sides of the banner for extra 'drip'. I snuck a couple of decals in there to keep it interesting

Submitted to the "Empire" Bonus Round of AHPC 16 here:

https://analogue-hobbies-theme-rounds.blogspot.com/2026/01/empire-from-paulog-crusading-ancient-57.html

A little bit of OSL goes a long was and was fun to do!

The sum of my Black Templars modelling for the last 6 months now looks thus:

2 Crusading Squads, an Execrator, a Crusade Ancient and an Apothecary!

More Templars to join them!

Dystopian Wars: Russian Coalition Fleet

Happy New Year everyone! Starting my 2026 Hobby in the best way - newly painted models!

Comrade James and I have been planning a Dystopian Wars renaissance and while the new rules by War Cradle Studios are much improved, I much prefer the older Spartan games era ships in their highly detailed resin. These are quite bit smaller in scale to the newer plastic ones and don't mix well so I'm staying with resin, though they are getting harder to find.

Yes the background is AI generated but how cool is it!

A few years ago I bought a painted Prussian Fleet at CANCON Bring & Buy, and James has a few others of his own, namely Brittanic, Covenant of Antarctica and American. New chum David also has some VERY NICE Brittanic plus Italian States fleets too! Surely this would be enough?

So with this post I start another fleet: Russians! Obvious really....

These are an ebay rescue - a modest fleet for a small battle, and I'm naturally planning expansions. All painted in colours of the (real world) Russian Imperial Navy Pacific Fleet of the pre-dreadnought period.

Moskva Class Dreadnought looks like a floating citadel more than a ship! This is large enough to fit in the Admiral's voluminous drink cabinet and dining set.

Borodino class Battleship -the manufacturer proudly states that "this industrial nightmare will forever haunt the ambitions of anyone who dares cross the path of the Russian Coalition". 

3 Suvorov Cruisers - "the harsh, unbending anvil against which foes are crushed" - characteristically subtle

9 Novgorod frigates "operate in a radically different fashion to the majority of frigates around the world, boasting a curious circular hull that affords it unmatched manoeuvrability." These guys provide AA and close range support for the bigger ships.

Submitted to AHPC16 here:

https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2025/12/from-paul-og-dystopian-wars-russian.html

Painting Notes

Undercoated in White, and washed in thinned Nuln oil (GW)

Contrast for the decks and then planks re painted with Zandri dust (GW)

Hulls worked back to the Celestra White (GW) using a makeup sponge. 

Funnel stacks are Averland Sunset washed in Reikland Fleshshade (both GW)