This 28mm scale metal model of Blanche Tatum was produced by “Mongoose Publishing” and was one of my rewards from the company’s 2012 Kickstarter for the “Judge Dredd Miniatures Game: Block War”. The figure was later also available from “Warlord Games” as Code JD20168 - The Executioner. Now long out of production (OOP), the model is based upon a former cadet Judge turned vigilante who was created by Alan Grant, John Wagner, and artist Carlos Ezquerra, and made her first appearance in the November 1982 Prog 291 of “2000 A.D.”
Using “her judicial training to… kill those whom she deemed responsible for her husband's death”, Tatum was primed using a double-helping of “Vallejo” German Grey and shaded in “Citadel” Nuln Oil. The deadly ‘mother of two’ was then dry-brushed with (more) “Vallejo” German Grey, before having her .38 bullet carrying gun and belt buckle ‘picked out’ using a combination of Gunmetal and “Citadel” Nuln Oil.
Initially, I was planning to simply paint The Executioner predominantly “Citadel” Abaddon Black and perhaps use a light dry-brush of “Vallejo” German Grey as a highlight. However, I subsequently spotted the light grey ‘official’ colour scheme used by “Warlord Games” in their old advertising. This palette seemed somewhat at odds with my memory of Blanche’s hooded attire; albeit she was in a black & white comic strip. So in the end I settled upon what I thought was a happy medium between the two tones.
In addition, I was actually hoping to build up the number of unnamed punks and low-life criminals for my next game of Judge Dredd, rather than simply have the future lawman face a hodgepodge of his more famous Rogue’s Gallery. As a result, I’ve dug out a few juves and low-level perps to pigment over the coming month to ensure the Justice Department face a nice mix of random encounters in their future exploits on the tough streets of Mega-City One.
With the second of my significant backlog of “Mongoose Publishing” miniatures finished, I’ve also made some early progress on the 12cm Mortar Platoon I want to include as part of my German Beach Defence Grenadier Company for “Flames Of War”. I’ll only be utilising two teams of the gun unit as part of my Panzergrenadier initial 50-point strong force, so hope to have the eight men and two mortars completed within the next couple of weeks.
Originally I had been planning on simply painting up the 15mm models found inside the “Hit The Beach” starter set by “Battlefront Miniatures”. But having now bought and read the company’s excellent “D-Day German Forces In Normandy, 1944” hard-backed book, I’ve set my heart on fielding a ‘proper’ Beach Defence army with accompanying sMG34 Machine-guns, 7.5 Tank-Hunter guns, mortars and Panzer IV tanks…