[Thursday] From BenitoM: I'm Back! One more entry before bowing out 45 points

After a full one-month hiatus out of the Challenge due to a combination of work load and different family obligations, I finally made an extra effort last weekend to get at least one more entry in the competition before the 21^st March deadline.

Not a great output in quantity but I hope you’ll appreciate the love I put in painting these two contributions. First some additional Austrian Napoleonic grenadiers which together with those presented last month represent 2/3 of the unit.

The models are a mix of 28mm Victrix and Perry, both bodies and heads. 

And this is a view of how the unit is progressing with the command stands painted before.

The second model is another support option for my main project this year, the British Airborne platoon for Chain of Command: a Sherman Firefly, another very popular and fine product of British ingenuity and a fierce opponent to the usual array of German kittens that many players display on a gaming table.

The model is a beautiful Rubicon plastic kit, not too difficult neither to assemble (although note that the same box offers up to five tank variants, so you should take some care of the pieces you use … and glue!) nor to paint.

I’m quite happy with the amount of stowage used (not too much, not too few) as well as the work made with the airbrush and the weathering pigments. The model belongs to the 11^th Armoured Division and display the markings of the A squadron (red triangle) in the Senior tank regiment (number 51 in red square).

This model is also my second entry for the What A Tanker competition, together with the Cromwell shown in January. 

I think this entry is worth 42 points: 20 points for the Grenadiers, 20 for the tank and 2 for the commander model. Honestly, I see unlikely that I’ll reach my objective (750 points) for this year but I have scored much better than in any previous edition of the Challenge… and above all I had a hell of a good time painting and enjoying the rest of the participants masterworks.   

Looking forward to next week, I´d like to focus my attention and painting effort on the Curtgeld, for which I had an idea that hopefully should be able to unveil in a week from now.

Gorgeous Grenadiers! Lovely work on your white clad Austrians(one of the highlights of the last challenge for me) The Firefly is terrifically finished, your WW2 project has been consistantly superb. 20 points for the Grenadiers,20 for the tank and 5 points for commander and all the excellent stowage!

All the best Iain