Pulp SciFi figures

Like many of my generation I grew up watching Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (RIP Gil Gerard) which led me to love pulpy / retro SciFi. So, inspired by my games with Rich last year, I treated myself to some of Hydra Miniatures' fabulous "Retro Raygun" 32mm Pulp SF range in their annual Black Friday sale. Thus, I am pleased to introduce a new cast of characters:

The Astro-Angels

The Angels are a compact but highly capable Galacteer squad deployed for boarding actions, sabotage missions, and planetary patrol operations. Their barracks is also the source of the Angel Martini; a cocktail with a reputation across Starbase Epsilon-4 for its remarkable strength and suspiciously high fuel-cell compatibility.

Team Leader: Sergeant Stacy – Tactical leader. Cool-headed and decisive, Stacy keeps the team focused when missions go sideways, which they frequently do. 

Team Members:

• Polly Plasma – Assault trooper with nerves of steel. Known to walk straight into alien nests with only a smile and a plasma rifle.

• Trixie Tachyon – Scout and reconnaissance expert. Fast, agile, and always the first through the hatch during boarding actions.

• Vera Vega – Veteran blaster specialist and the squad’s steadiest shot in close combat.

• Cassie Comet - Practical joker and a crack shot with a Rocketship Burst Laser.

• Molly “Deadeye” Dawn – When missions require heavier firepower, Molly's signature atomic grenade launcher gleefully turns entrenched enemy positions into expanding clouds of ionized debris.

  

Technical Specialist:

• Daisy “Dynamo” – Engineer and mechanic of the Angel's rocketship Calypso. Daisy keeps the patrol ship flying long past the limits recommended by Galacteer maintenance protocols. When accompanying the team in the field, she provides technical support, demolitions expertise, and a fathomless capacity of dry wit.

  

Captain Roxanne Rayburn - Callsign: “Starfire”

As one of the Galacteer’s most capable field leaders, Starfire commands the Astro-Angels. She is renowned amongst patrol crews as calm under pressure, lethal in combat, and impossibly photogenic in danger zones. A combination that has made her a favourite subject of Galacteer newsreels and recruitment posters across the frontier worlds.

And what team doesn't need a few Red Shirts to come along as a support act? Starfire and the girls often work with Rex “Skylark” Rourke, Ace pilot, and his plasma-cannon toting buddy Bruno “Bulkhead” Kessler.

Together they keep the Galaxy safe from savage aliens, barbaric Space Pirates and the merciless Robots Legion!

Miniatures by Hydra Miniatures and based old school with sand (that I collected from Waikiki Beach!). I tried some new colours and techniques (like lipstick!) that were challenging. 

This was my final submission to AHPC16, posted here:

https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/03/from-paul-og-galactic-gals-70-points.html

which brings this challenge season to a close - thanks once again to Curt and the amazing Minion team who bring all of the goodness together!

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Painting Notes

Pixie Pink Warpaints Fanatic AP

Sly Blue Vallejo Model Color 70961

Corvus Black GW

Moot Green GW

Flash Gitz Yellow GW

Dead white Vallejo Game Color 72001

Apothecary White contrast

Basing

Raw sand and PVA

DARK SAND Model Color 70.847

Sepia Shade Game Wash 73.200

Drybrush again with dark sand

Pick out rocks with Vallejo Game Color Bonewhite 72.034

AHPC 16: Cosmonaut crew for LUNAR

I recently posted my first 5 man NASA Crew for LUNAR, so today its time for the People's heroes from the CCCP!

Again these are 32mm models by Black Site Studios - the 2025 plastic releases not the resin/stl versions. Decals by District Miniatures.

I really enjoyed painting these models, all of which are subtly different, using the following paints:

• White undercoat
• Heavy drybrush Corax White
• Thinned light brown GW contrast paint
• Wraithbone drybrush
• Orange trim - Macharius Solar Orange
• Visors - Hoplite gold speed paint (Army Painter) with Reikland flesh wash

Image from 'For All Mankind'

Moon Basing- AK Lunar Desert basing material

• Drybrushes:
• medium sea grey (Vallejo Model Color 70.870),
• Astonomican Grey, 
• Corax White

Comrade Vasily redefines the "Tactical Rock", 

as well as the iconic phrase "We will Bury you!"

These suits depict the original Soviet suit, the Kretchet-94 designed to support the N1-L3 program including EVA activities up to 4 hrs in duration. It was the world's first semi-rigid space suit which included an aluminium alloy torso for micro-meteor protection, so in many ways it had advantages over NASA's A7L suit worn by APOLL 11-14 crews.

After the 1971 Soyuz-11 disaster, in which 3 cosomonauts died during a depressurisation emergency, it was superseded by the Sokol-KV2 design, which clearly took lessons from NASA.

Great 'pic' of a Soviet LK lander on the moon (from the movie Apollo 18)

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

and they got voted in at a wonderful second place!

https://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-votes-are-in-for-toy-story.html

Review: LUNAR Astronauts

I pre-ordered this from Black Site Studios earlier this year. Its their first foray into plastic for their game LUNAR, with the previous models all being resin. I've been saving these for AHPC and as I'm now prepping them, I thought a review might be useful.

The box comes with two identical sprues. Each sprue has an Astronaut half and a Cosmonaut half (which keeps it clear whose bits are whose) and each with 5 models. So all up the box makes 10 Soviet and 10 American moon walkers in 32mm scale. 

Each model is comprised of a waist&legs bit, a torso with PLSS (personal life support system backpack) cast as a single piece for cosmonauts and separately for astronauts, a helmet or exposed head (makes for a quick game I guess!) and then a series of arms.

Sprue detail - Cosmonauts on the left side, NAAS on the right (BSS picture)

Arms are generally a pick what you like affair, but some are matched (eg labelled 11A and 11B) where they are naturally paired for two handed weapons. Shoulder attachment points are flush so its easy to attach a 3d printed alternative if desired. There are different equipment options for each side but notably weapons are in short supply so don't expect to build them all as rifle toting assault troops with just this box. 

Note that I haven't assembled any models yet, so can't comment on how well they all fit together or if Green stuff is needed for residual gap filling. 

GW style bases are included but I'm considering using clear, transparent bases to blend in better with the lunar (or Martian!) play mat. Also, no decals which is a missed opportunity. But overall a nice boxed set and the plastic will be easier to work with if I want to do conversions.

Thinking I’ll make up one full sprue for now (5 per side) and keep the other intact for when I understand what other weapon combos I might want for our games.

Here are some models that Blogger Mike has posted at his blog - I like the gritty effects he has achieved including gold plated helmet faceshields. You can find his blog and his LUNAR paint recipes here: 

https://medium.com/@wargamermike/lunar-black-site-studios-58c03c92a1de

Mike's great NASA Moon Walkers

This boxed set is available from Black Site Studios here:

https://blacksitestudio.com/products/lunar-multipart-plastic-astronauts

EDIT: BSS have been out of stock of decals for a long time. I've now found an alternative source here:

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

Warbots ahoy!

A year or two back, the Lad and I did some playtesting for Hydra Miniatures's War Rocket game and had a real blast doing so.

Well this week I got a belated thank-you package from Hydra with a copy of the rulebook (with both our names in it) and a bunch of very cool Robot Legion figures from their "Retro Raygun" series which we have been eyeing off for awhile.

The generous guys sent us pretty much one of each, including Queen Mechanica, two Warbots and two Centurians in different poses, and a Robot Legionnaire Command Unit.

Many thanks indeed for the Awesome goodies guys!  Scaled for 32mm they are a bit larger even than 'heroic 28' figures, but as robots who really cares?

No doubt these will find their way into the service of a suitably Mad Scientist (in the pay of Cultists of course) soon...Bwahahahaha!

http://www.hydraminiatures.com/