From StuartL - Ready For Challenge XIII - Challenge XII Wrap Up

Hello all,

So that's the challenge all over and done with then? Right, best get started prepping for the next one. Three months sounds like a long time, but I am always surprised at how quickly the challenge is finished. Similarly, I never think that I have painted as much as I have, but when I put everything onto my table, I am shocked by the sheer number of minis. 

So, how was this year's challenge for me? Well, my initial target was 1500 points, but after milking every point I could from the Challenge Quadrant and then some, (I think I scored about 600+ points from the map) I was able to adjust my target up to 2000 points, which I bypassed by a margin of 10%. When the challenge began, my wife asked me how many models I was going to paint. With my 1500 point target, I guesstimated 300 minis, assuming a 28mm scale infantry figure on average. Since I don't really paint smaller scales very much, this turned out to be quite accurate with my final figure total coming to 298 minis. This wasn't my most productive year, but as my non-challenge painting speed is about 30 figures a month, it was still a phenomenal output. I finished in 5th place overall, but still over 1000 points behind FrederickC in 4th place. I don't know how others break the 3000 point barrier. Even if I had more time available, I don't think I could spend it painting. This year I also served as the Squirrelfinder General, adjudicating the Squirrel side duel after withdrawing my entry to that contest. It was actually a fair amount of work as the variety of posts, schedules and challengers meant that tracking down who had painted what was way more complicated than it at first appeared. In a couple of cases entries had been posted in the wrong order, so people's Squirrel counts appeared to be going down, not up! Even though I didn't enter myself, I did a quick count as I was taking the photos below. I think I managed 15 Squirrels for myself. 

Thank you to everybody who commented on my posts and a huge thank you to all of the challengers for making the challenge what it is. A glorious celebration of our hobby covering everything from the dawn of man to the far future and the most impossibly tiny miniatures to massive mountain fortresses. There is such a huge diversity here that I am always inspired and awed by the output of all the challengers. Special thanks go to our supreme Snowlord, Curt and the Lady Sarah for running this challenge, the Minions for all of their hard work, and PeterD in particular for managing my posts.

So, on to the pictures.

Despite not playing any GW systems, I have a lot of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer 30,000 armies on the go. I actually expected to paint more figures for them than I did, but my attention seemed to have wandered a bit. There are also two Battletech minis included in this shot.

I painted up a large number of dwarves from North Star/Oathmark for this challenge. At the time I said that I had finished all of the models I had, but it turns out that I had missed a few. At some point prior to the challenge I had set 5 minis aside as a potential Squirrel and then forgot to put them back in with the rest of the figures. Also included are a few Malifaux and Post Apocalyptic minis.

Locally there aren't many historical players, but that doesn't stop me from trying. I really enjoy Saga and Bolt Action, so naturally have multiple armies for each system. I also have a large and steadily growing collection of minis for the Anglo-Zulu war. All of these got some reinforcements during this challenge.

If you kept up with my posts, you will probably have seen that I really like the models from the Reaper Bones kickstarters (having backed all 5 so far). I still have 1000s of these to do, but I made a dent in my pile this year, painting some of the larger models in my collection. There is another kickstarter beginning very soon, so no doubt the pile will be increasing again.

Finally we have some Warhammer Fantasy minis. Again, I don't play any GW games, but own far too many figures for them. Say what you will about GW's prices (ludicrous) and rules writing (average at best), but they do make some wonderful figures.

And (nearly) finally, the obligatory picture of everything I accomplished, complete with a mug shot. 

And before I forget. I entered into the Skullz side duel again this year, though I didn't really focus on it all that much. As the winner of the duel, Curt is entitled to use the skull of the previous year's winner as a drinking vessel of some kind. To help give Curt some idea of the volume of my noggin, I have provided measurements below.

See you all in the next challenge!

From JamesM: It's a half-wrap (AHPC 12)

Hi folks,

Another year, another challenge and another chunk of a project for my collection done. It's time to pat myself on the back, clean my brushes and... keep painting half-tracks. 

*sigh*

This challenge, I stuck mainly to my planned 15mm WW2 project, with a slight diversion into some old school Battlefleet Gothic. Next year I may suggest an 'anti-squirrel' duel. 

The winter months saw me completing twenty three vehicles, three guns and 24 infantry figures - all at 15mm scale. Mainly German (which I find far more time consuming to paint), but with a few British HQ and logistics bits thrown in. I've ended the challenge with six more half-tracks and six self-propelled guns to paint, and then I can move onto something else.  

Unfortunately the joys of brand new modern phone cameras designed for distant object zooms and wide angles means my group shot was blurry round the edges. 

Some close ups:

I finished the challenge with the six remaining half-tracks in a state of partial completion, and as usual a paint shelf full of stuff I didn't even get round to painting. German camo and foliage on vehicles really ate into my time each week. 

The British HQ base and the BFG ships were only considered after the challenge had finished, and I was really pleased with how both turned out. The BFG ships in particular were a pleasure to paint. I'm looking forward to painting more of these in the future as a diversion from my WW2 plans.  

As I didn't get a picture of me with the models (the camera on the phone isn't THAT wide lensed), I will stick with my new tradition (established last year) of me and one of my other top creations - my son. 

Thanks everyone for the company, especially those who joined the Paint and Chat's to say hello. Thanks to the minions and Curt+Sarah for running and organising again. By my count, this was my sixth challenge - and long may it continue. 

In total this year I completed 382 points against my target of 250, finishing way down the table in 64th place. 

Thanks all,

JamesM

From GeofreyT: Challenge Wrap.

Hello Fellow Challengers,

This was my first challenge and my first attempt at blogging in any form.   I quite enjoyed the challenge and found it a positive experience, and the feedback provided was encouraging.

Here I am in front of a cupboard full of miniatures. 

This is the pile I finished for the challenge.  It was bigger than I expected by a fair margin.  I knew I liked painting miniatures, but wasn't sure how much I'd like blogging about it, so was fairly cautious in my initial estimate I pledged.   I found the blogging an interesting challenge in itself, trying to find a way to communicate about what I had done that was different than the previous time I wrote about it and to try and keep it interesting.

The planet themed based challenges was a good thought exercise, and helped me finish many odds and ends from my strategic reserve of unpainted miniatures.  

Having gamed and collected miniatures for over 40 years, I don't have a lot of need for new stuff, as I have pretty much what I want anyway, so I tend to gravitate towards interesting oddities.  This planet theme was a good outlet for this bent.

Hope to see you all next year.

Kind Regards

Geoff.

From ChrisW AHPC 12 Wrap up post

 😶

So, I can hardly believe that it is over. The three months of the challenge seemed to pass in a blink of an eye but then again so did winter! It was the best winter I have ever had. I understand it was cold outside, and that it snowed, barely noticed I was just too focused on the challenge, which was a great thing. 

Now, however, I find myself adrift, rudderless casting about for something to fill the hours. At first I suffered through what can only be described as withdrawal symptoms. For the first few nights after the end of the challenge I would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic convinced that I had stuff to work on, that I was falling behind on my projects, that I needed to paint something, anything. Morning would arrive and I would wake up with the same thoughts and rather than slowly returning to consciousness, I would instead spring forth from my bed, dress and be part way out of the bedroom before I realized that I was off the clock.

A similar thing happened to me when I (got) retired. I guess to some extent I finally found a 'new job', the challenge became my job, and on a good note as the saying goes, choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. I certainly never 'worked' all winter, but I did feel pressure (self imposed & good), and I did have deadlines, and for the first time I really enjoyed having deadlines and targets. I have only ever been productive when given a set timeline and goal. Two years without gaming resulted in no drive, no reason to get projects done. Now I was able to treat every Tuesday as a target date carved in stone, any other view would have seen me put off projects to next week or the week after.

I also want to say that the inclusion of planetary challenges was brilliant and much appreciated. It encouraged me to pull out miniatures that I had almost forgotten that I had. I would never have thought to paint up my Eldar titans if not for the need for some 'old robots'. I certainly had no plans to use them in a game, but now that they are painted maybe it is time for a game of Space Marines and/or Adeptus Titanicus. These mini challenges, including the alphabet and squirrel challenges really kept my mental hamster wheel spinning thinking of stuff to paint to meet these challenges.

So it is over and I can relax again. I now move onto the next phase, the post challenge clean up. Throughout the last three months I felt I just did not have time to waste to maintain a clean work area. I also ran into the problem of not having cleared enough space for finished projects, well its time to pay the bill.

Not a good idea to store painted figures this way !

Abandoned challenge projects

For the past few days I have been slowly picking at this mess gradually taking down the pile and creating a clear area once again. So now the main gaming table has been recovered from the above mess to...

The wrap up pictures!

Not certain what I add to this picture...

VSF, AQMF, BoB, Dystopian Wars, Pulp

Gypsies, Martians, Apes, VSF & Ice Warriors

A note on my point total, it was totally unexpected and certainly nothing in my life would have suggested that I could have had this success. I really do not stick to any project, the fact that I produced as much as I did and that I kept producing right to the end is very atypical for me. Already I feel myself slipping back into my old habits from before the challenge.

Prior to the start of the challenge I looked back over what I had painted during the same time period last year, that result was somewhere around 500 points, so it seemed right to set my target at twice that amount. Boy was I off! To put my success in better context, in all of 2021 I panted the equivalent of 2000 points, for 2020 it was 1300 points. well I almost doubled those two years, combined, in just 3 months, I am shocked!

How could I ever imagine that this challenge would produce such results! The thing is, of course, the points do not matter beyond a way to track progress, what is great is to have so much stuff finally painted! The sad truth though is despite how much got done, it is still just a small amount compared to the great unpainted pile. I also fear that come next December some of the projects that I had wanted to tackle this challenge will still be waiting for me for challenge 13.

Primed, some base coated, too many not painted

Challenge 12 results (as best as I could figure out)

• [515] 28mm infantry (including 109 female figures)
  
• [58] 28mm mounted
• [19] 28mm vehicles
• [01] 28mm Artillery
• [08] Larger 28mm monsters/robots
• [10] Tripods
• [46] Scenery items
  
• [23] Dystopian wars
• [08] Eldar titans
• [09] 28mm Cows
• [03] Big scenery items (about 831 points worth or 41.5 cubes)
  

This was my first challenge, hopefully not my last. I really enjoyed the challenge, it was well run and everyone was so very encouraging. I like the fact that it was not a competition, it was a gathering of like minded individuals that had a goal to paint some miniatures. 

However I was disappointed by one thing, me. I got too caught up on producing, not enough time looking around. I really should have stopped to smell the paint once in a while. So I submit to one and all a list of things I would (will) do differently:

• Comment more on others work. (There were just so many great posts) 
  
• Relax a bit, I don't have to paint everything
• Better, wordier posts (be more like Tamsin)
  
• Be even more squirrely (Live up to my sobriquet of an unfocused gamer)
  
• Maybe finish a few more projects that I had actually planned to do
• Get my posts ready sooner
  
• Select more realistic weekly and challenge targets that better reflect what I can get done  
• Less terrain building (that mountain took a lot out of me)
  

Again I thank everyone who participated in this challenge, and to those who organized and watched over us. I am so happy to have found this, it has been great!!!

P.S. Feel free to drop by and visit me at my blog

 Rants & Ramblings of an Unfocused Gamer

From Kerry T - My first ever challenge- a Wrap up

 Morning, afternoon & evening all

I figure using that greeting means that I'll get the time right in most places across the world as people come from such varied places and time zones.

I just want to reiterate my thanks to you all, particularly to Curt and the Minions and to those of you who were so encouraging in your comments. I don't think I've ever looked forward to painting so much and been so productive. I had a great time

This was my first challenge and I felt the need to catch up perhaps and try and get 12 units done as this was the 12th Challenge. I knew I would need to vary the units being painted to keep my interest going rather than try and knock off a big chunk of one period as I quickly get bored painting the same things. With my "oh look shiny" gene fault I had lots of things to chose from and really had no idea what I was going to paint from week to week. The P is for P....theme allowed me lots of latitude or options that I could chose on the fly as the whim took me. For example P is for Pointy sticks gave me several units and periods that would fit. It allowed me the ill disciplined and wandering brush that keeps me productive and allowed me to take part in the Squirrel side challenge though I still hadn't quite grasped the rules right until the very end!

So here we go

I'm not sure that showing you my ugly mug is such a good idea but at least I've managed to hide my fat gut behind the table

Never mind the 12 Ps, look at the mess in the background- I was going to play a GdeA Peninsular wargame until you lot kidnapped me and made me take part in the challenge

Pis for Peasants, Pious & Pointy Sticks

P is for Pike & Shot, Prancing & Parliament

P is for Polished, Perry Miniatures & Personality - some AB figures sneaked in here as well

P is for Plastic, Pagan & Posh - the Plastic allowed me to drop a squirrel bomb

P is for Pestilence

This was an extra post allowed by a few days off work with a cough but I tried to keep to my P theme with P is for Pandours, Prussian & Palestine in this second squirrel bomb.

I did count them all up but I've since forgotten the total and there's no way I'm taking my shoes and socks of again and restarting the count.

I've not been idle since the challenge finished, I've managed to convert 2 of the Squirrels into full units - The Russian Napoleonic unit is now 32 figures strong and the Prussian Grenadiers are now 24 in total and awaiting basing. Next week I hope to finish of the few remaining WW1 British and Arabs that without the challenge would never has happened.

Next year I hope to be back and next time will get off my backside and have more of a wander, I spent the whole 3 months in Sarah's yacht, sitting at the bar eating your share of the peanuts and drinking the beer rather than exploring the planets. That's my only regret I think

Best wishes and thanks to you all and I hope to see more of you all on the net and here again next year. I hope to get to the UK next year for Partizan. I'm now off to play that Peninsular game