Forgotten Heroes 2026

The World’s first superhero, a Forgotten Heroes 10th Anniversary episode 

"Set free by the Teen Angels from his prehistoric block of glacier ice, comes the world's first superhero, Captain Caveman!  Now the constant companion to the Teen Angels, Brenda, Dee Dee and Taffy in their hilarious, and sometimes scary mystery missions. Get ready for Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels!"

A chance encounter at Salute 53 with Jeremy Winstanley Esq. saw me receive an elegant Forgotten Heroes badge, a ten year anniversary special edition no less, and having accepted such a prestigious gift it seemed beholden unto me to take part in this year’s event. Although not blogging as such at the moment, I miss terribly the interaction with fellow chums and what better way to reconnect with some of them than to take part in an event that champions the camaraderie of a group of like-minded individuals. 

Those regular readers of this most humble of web logs will be familiar with the format for this event, but for any new readers* the idea is that during the month of June, you must create a figure of a character who has been unfairly overlooked by the companies who produce miniatures.  It can be any character at any scale, but the first post should provide an illustration of the character, as a point of reference. 

Those regular readers of this most humble of web logs will be familiar with the format for this event, but for any new readers* the idea is that during the month of June, you must create a figure of a character who has been unfairly overlooked by the companies who produce miniatures.  It can be any character at any scale, but the first post should provide an illustration of the character, as a point of reference. 

*other than the nefarious Russian SpamBots, yes I know you’re lurking out there!

The difficulty with any enterprise such as this is knowing where to start.  As soon as I waved goodbye to Jez, my mind started racing at the thought of possible heroes to rediscover, but it wasn’t until I stumbled across Crooked Dice’s 7TV game ‘The Eighth Wonder’ that a tangible thread of an idea presented itself to me.  I had always had an inkling to do something involving those ‘meddling kids’ and had even bought some miniatures, once upon a while a go, but never really explored it further.  Could there be another way to tap into the nostalgia of young Master Awdry’s childhood?

At the end of what had been a good visit to Salute 53, tied and exhausted and safely aboard the train home to the South Coast, my thoughts returned to the idea of a forgotten hero from my childhood.  Captain Pugwash sailed past briefly as did the idea of Wombles recycled from pieces of leftover sprue.  All had their merit, but not quite hitting the mark, but suddenly out of the dim and distant recess of my memory came a rallying cry, 

Captain CAAAAAAAVE MAAAAAANNNNN!

A firm favourite, Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels, was produced by Hanna-Barbera and originally aired from 1977 to 1980.  If of a group of mystery solving teenagers ably abetted by a monosyllabic hero sounds familiar then you won’t be surprised to read that it was created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears who had found success with a similar format for Scooby Doo.  The similarities to Scooby Doo are very obvious and in fact Cavey, as he is lovingly known to the Teen Angels, would see a number of crossovers with not only Scooby Doo, but the Flintstones as well.**

**Wider reading tells me that the format was routinely redeployed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and included such titles as Josie and the Pussycats and the Funky Phantom, although I can’t claim to have seen these.

Captain Caveman is, by my reckoning a genuine superhero.  He has super-human strength and his club gives him the power of flight, albeit temporarily before it fails him!  This same club acts like a bottomless carry bag containing all manner of equipment needed to help solve any given case and what couldn’t be found in his club was often retrieved from the mass of tangled hair that covered his diminutive body.

Now I am hoping that this is going to be a relatively straightforward win, with regards to creating and modelling our prehistoric protagonist, but if experience has taught me anything it is that best laid plans often go awry.  As I type this, I am already wondering if it will be possible to include the Teen Angels themselves and perhaps their equivalent of the Mystery Machine!  Regardless of outcome, I am looking forward to the challenge and the opportunity to catch up with a good many of you along the way. 

Captain CAAAAAAAVE MAAAAAANNNNN!

Cantina completed

I have finally got around to tinkering with a few photographs of the completed Cantina build.  I populated the space with a mixture of different Star War miniatures including miniatures from Legion, Imperial Assault and even some Dave Stone of ‘Wargames Terrain Workshop’ originals.

The alcove tables are the top of a hose pipe attachment which was then finished with a transparent plastic base and lit from beneath with LEDs

Great to finally share this project with a wider audience and just seeing it is making feel the need to dig out the plans to see how much more I had intended to do.  Sadly this will have to wait for the time being as currently visiting another desert for a completely different project, news of which I hope to bring before too long. 

Cantina build

A long time ago, in what feels like a galaxy far, far away and long before, James and I were building Bavarian Castles, we collaborated on an unlikely project that was to sow the seed for future endeavours.  James was fascinated by my efforts with my toy soldiers and asked if there was anything that I 'needed' that he might try his hand at building.  As you can imagine this could have been a hugely long list, but given that Star Wars: Legion was my then focus, I suggested the Mos Eisley Cantina.  

James was aware of the cultural phenomena that was Star Wars, but was not a life long fan of the space opera that bewitched young Master Awdry.  That said, he threw himself into the project and after an initial discussion we decided that we were looking to create a modular playing area that whilst drawing on the original plans allowed for some artistic licence to make the build more manageable. With the concept decided upon James set about drawing out the initial floor plan and before you could say twelve parsecs we were underway.  James is a prodigious talent, in that he is able to draw using his software of choice as effortlessly as I can with a pencil.  Not only that, but he seems to be able to solve complex construction problems in his head.  As a result it wasn't long before fully fledged designs had been drawn up and test cutting had begun.

What follows is a roughly chronological order of how the build then progressed.  What I find interesting is the shift from James' meticulous planning and measurements to my rather crude scratch building approach that finds unlikely solutions to build issues that arose along the way.  This first image shows an initial pass at a layout, the squared base was just there to help with geometry, although it did occur to me that to have it etched in this way might be a useful device for gameplay.  

From very early on, James was interested in how the model would be used and, not least, viewed by the players.  I have to confess that I had only really considered it as a fabulous terrain piece and so was only interested in line of sight, which as we can see from below was deliberately restricted by doorways.  Also visible in this early version are sliding doors at the back of the bar that didn't make it into the final model.  

The image below shows the level of thought James gave to the aesthetic of the piece.  These vaulted ceilings could be lifted out to allow access to the various bar areas.  Similarly the modular construction meant that each area could be broken down further for photography or even role playing adventures as the need arose. 

A shot of the component parts assembled and ready for the next stage of the project.  You can see the recess at the top of the walls that has been designed to allow the roof to sit flush on top.  Also visible are the curved walls of the entrance that employ a different cutting technique that allows you to bend and flex the MDF.

With the build effectively complete, it was time for me to take the reigns.  As I mentioned earlier, this was a more instinctive approach than James' measured planning, but I knew that I wanted to achieve some form of stone texture, heavily weathered by the wind and sun.  I had various texture pastes that were pressed into service for the exteriors and a simple sprinkling of sand onto a layer of PVA glue was used on the interior wall sections.   

Whilst James had been cutting, I had been on the hunt through the 'bits box' for anything that might prove useful to add some character to the walls, along with a couple of purchases specifically for the build.  These included bits of old foam, plastic rod and a child's drinking straw set.  'TTCombat' had some very nice generators and fans hidden amongst their MDF ranges with the coiled wire and bulkhead lights coming from 'Zinge Industries'  and finally the A/C Greebles from ‘Combatzone Scenery’.

With everything affixed and dried the whole piece was then given a diluted PVA glue protective coat, before being primed using the airbrush and a suitable sand like colour.  Layers were built up with various washes of colour, but this was deliberately kept simple.  A few flourishes, like the Imperial recruitment posters helped to add a little character to the piece. 

Sharp eyed followers will have spotted that very little has been mentioned about the roof, a feature that initially proved to be the one stumbling block to our build.  James had envisaged creating this using vaulting techniques, but for whatever reason this got held up, probably a set of reports needed writing or some such trifle, but whatever the reason I needed to come up with a solution.  The flat roof section had already been cut and fitted perfectly, but it needed its characteristic dome.  This was achieved in the end with a large polystyrene ball that I simple cut it half and glued to the surface.  I layered some hessian material on these sections before covering with the same texture pastes used earlier.  This gave the illusion of reinforced elements of the construction and when washed with ink suggested that the whole thing was quietly rotting away.  More bits and pieces that I had left over completed the look and with that the build was complete!   

I was, of course, thrilled with the outcome and couldn't thank James enough for his outstanding craftsmanship, but in his usual modest way he was already considering 'mistakes' that he felt he had made and thinking of a new project to get his teeth into.  Just as an aside, I tried to do a little bit of digital drawing to create the droid detector that is seen when our heroes first enter the cantina.  This should have been a relatively straightforward design, but it took me several attempts as shown below, a testament indeed to just how easy James makes the whole process look.

Although James and I no longer work at the same school, we still keep in touch and I delighted to report that his modelling skills are still being gainfully employed and can be enjoyed at his fabulous youtube channel, Bexhill West.  Whilst I am not a model aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, I do enjoy a good track layout, and equally I find myself mesmerized at how James continues to make all elements of his project still look so easy.

If you have the time then do pay him a visit.  Included amongst the videos are a series of 'How To' films that introduce CAD for the beginner.  Next stop... 

Bexhill West



 

The Doctor will see you now

A very quick post today, just to show off another completed miniature for my Start Wars: Legion collection.  The 21-B Medical Droid is a useful support for any Rebel Team as it can remove wounds from injured troops.  

In an attempt to make a metallic colour I tried to mix silver with the base colour and certainly got close to what I was aiming for.  Not sure I nailed the translucent middle section though?  I seem to remember that the action figure that I had as a small boy looked great, but just wouldn't stand up very well due to there not being any feet, as such.  Not a problem here as I have stuck him firmly to a MDF base! 

Wamp!

 I have mentioned before how The Empire Strikes Back had me transfixed from its opening scene as the adventures from a galaxy far, far away unfolded for a second instalment.  We had had to wait three years for the second film and were eager to drink in all the details and atmosphere of this beloved franchise.  

Within minutes we were transported to the frozen planet of Hoth, a stark contrast to the twin suns of Tatooine, but nonetheless are intrepid hero, Luke Skywalker was been attacked and knocked cold from his Tauntaun!  Of course blink and you miss it, the roaring maw, a clawed arm swiping across the screen, the action unfolded so quickly, I remember being terrified and bemused in equal measure.  What was that?   Without the power of the infoweb at our disposal it took a while to learn of the Wampa, a native species to the frozen wastelands, even longer to hear of the deleted scenes that coloured its legend.  That aside the creature had become a firm favourite and so I am delighted to finally have a miniature version for my Star Wars: Legion collection. 

My Wampa was a gift in the form of 3D print from my good friend the 'Dark Templar'.  This is something that I am keen to try for myself, but so far have only managed to amass lots of files rather than the actual equipment required to magically turn them into physical items.  It would appear that I can horde just about anything!  

Ultimately this was a quick win from the painting point of view.  Essentially it was primed in grey then some initial coats of white built up before picking out the final details with a brush.  The basing followed the same colour scheme as my 'Rebel Veterans' to help tie everything together.  

Once completed, I used my now 'go to' technique for snow which is the AK Terrains Snow Acrylic lightly dusted with the AK Snow Microballoons.  The final flourish was some gore to represent his last meal. 

The Village

Just the briefest of posts to showcase the rest of the buildings that were done in readiness for our western adventure using the Shoot N' Skedaddle rules.  All are from 'Sarissa Precision', but not all from the most obvious areas of their collection.  True, the small Adobe houses and the Cantina were certainly from the 'South of the Border' range and very nice they were too.  Quick and easy to put together and painted to match the church.  As with all MDF builds the overly straight edges and joints sometimes spoil the look, but some cheap wood filler worked really well at concealing these whilst also added a pleasing level of texture.

I discovered the destroyed single storey souk building in the North Africa/Colonial section, but just felt that the arches were remisnetct of the architecture form the village that starred in the Magnificent Seven.  By the time it was painted using a similar colour palette to the rest of the buildings it certainly seemed to fit with them.

A chance discovery in the Mediterranean section unearthed this small house.  I simple disposed of the pitched roof, added lashings of wood glue and used reeds instead of vines to create an animal shelter for the villagers.  Whereas the rickety fencing was from the Japan section and catalogued as 'Mountain Village low farm fence'.  They fitted in with the worn down look I was hoping to achieve and seen here in the last picture protecting my 'Warbases' hay stacks.

Looking at back at these photographs, I can see lots of areas that could have been enhanced even further with a bit more time, but with these pieces done, the village was good to go.  As with all my projects what followed can only be described as mission creep and as soon as the photographs are thinned down, I shall share with you where my wild machinations led me next.

Villagers

Having assembled my protagonists for the planned game of Shoot N' Skedaddle, I couldn’t help but feel that they were very much akin to the gang of marauding Banditos from the celluloid gem that is 'The Magnificent Seven'.  

This connection was to open of a rabbit hole of pure boyhood joy and self expression as I set out to recreate the ill fated village for the table top.  Whilst I waited for a sizable order of MDF from the ever reliable ‘Sarissa Precision’, I toyed with the idea of having some non combatants to add a touch of local colour to the setting.  

I had an idea that they could amble around and generally get in the way of what was going to be a three way gun battle.  As luck would have it, 'Wargames Foundry' do a couple of rather nice packs of Mexican Villagers and Peons.  A bit like the 'Artizan Designs' Banditos these are just great fun to paint.  Even after all this time there is very little flash and the detailing is not over complicated.  Having opted for a very straightforward palette they were based in grey primer and then I just made a couple of passes with the airbrush lightening the tone each time.  With the skin colour added and few details and they were done! 

As you will see in the close up shots, I managed to overdo the varnish again, but it isn’t too noticeable at arm’s length.  All that I needed to do now was build their village!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

I have been doing some tidying up on my ailing laptop as it has developed a rather worrying chesty wheeze and I concerned that I may need to upgrade.  That being the case, I felt it prudent to 'back up' the files and what not including a vast amount of photographs of toy soldiers in various states of readiness.  Some of the images that I came across were as a result of a wonderful little distraction back in the summer of 2021 and so I thought I would take the opportunity to share them here.

I try to catch up with a couple of blogging chums every year and at this particular visit it was suggested that we try something a bit different in the shape of a Cowboy skirmish game called Shoot N' Skedaddle from Turnstyle Games.  This is a 'rules lite' game that sees the combatants field a posse or gang of Cowboys from either Lawmen or Outlaw factions with Neutrals being available to either side.  

Having decided that I was going to field a gang of Mexican bandits the wonderful 'Artizan Designs' came to my rescue with their characterful Banditos, but with them came Ill Buono, Ill Brutto and Ill Cattivo.  Simply a joy to paint all was going well until the varnishing stage, where a distinct lack of attention on my behalf saw me overdo the matt spray and left some rather nasty pooling.  Although disappointing, it wasn't terminal and actually at arm's length barely noticeable.  To round out the gang, I re-based a With the a couple of miniatures that I already had kicking around and so phase one was complete!