I've been a fan of 2000 AD and Judge Dredd in particular since I was a young child, and as an adult I've followed the Mongoose Judge Dredd Miniatures Game. Mongoose has a large range of metal models, representing a huge variety of the characters from 2000 AD (with the release of the Rogue Trooper miniatures, going beyond just Dredd!). I was lucky enough to receive the Justice Department boxed set for Christmas, and this week I grabbed some hours to paint up some of the set...
I started with the Cadet Judges. These are really nice and characterful figures!
As you can see (and I'll do a comparison picture once I have a few more Judges painted up), the Cadets are more diminutive in size than the average street judge. In Judge Dredd lore, these would probably be teenagers; the Judges have a lengthy induction process, but these juves are obviously old enough to carry a gun and be out on the streets.
Although I'm a supporter of Mongoose, it has to be said that their Dredd models are a bit "hit and miss". Some are quite crudely sculpted, although they certainly have their charm. However, the more recent miniatures are far more finely sculpted - and the Cadets definitely fall into this category. They have nice surface detail and I found them to be a pleasure to paint.
The second Cadet is a female. She carries the standard Lawgiver and again is nicely scaled and proportioned.
I went with the same colour scheme as my existing Judges, save that on these models I tried something new with the green boots and gloves. On my older figures, I noticed that the green did not really "pop" enough. So this time, I went with something a bit brighter to up the contrast. I subsequently compromised on a different green, but I think that it suits these models just fine.
The white helmets were done with GW's excellent Ceramite White. This is smooth but has good pigment; a couple of coats over a mid-grey base, and the helmets were done.
For 2000 AD miniatures, I'm next going to finish painting up a pair of Riot Judges. These, as we shall see, are nice but absolute giants alongside the Cadets...