From RobP (Codsticker): Preliminary Bombardment

As is the custom this year, I am 'showing off' (for lack of a more appropriate phrase) my work area. Not much to speak of; it is the old front entrance of the house (we don't use it anymore) which I share with the kitty litter box (a pretty good indicator of where my hobby and I stand in the household). Currently sitting on it are some 15mm Sassanid command models which will be based for Field of Glory. On the left is an old dresser which houses hobby supplies: two drawers of paints; 1 of flock, static grass and foam turf; 1 of small terrain odds and sodds (fences, barrels, crates, etc). 

The photo below shows what I have prepared for the Challenge so far.  The RUB currently holds about half of my target this year: some 28mm Dark Ages, 28mm mounted ECW, LoTR Khand, 15mm Sassanid archers. Just behind it is a number of LoTR Khandish items still boxed that I hope to get to during this edition of the AHPC.

I do have most of the unfinished basement all to my self although most of it is taken up with work benches and my hand and power tools. I have about 25% of the space chock-a-block with painted and unpainted minis as well as finished terrain and terrain supplies. The 4' by 4' MDF and 3' by 3' plywood are finished skirmish tables and I have set up a temporary photography area

Yes, most of rough necks on the left are filled with unpainted minis/terrain but a couple do have finished terrain items in them. The half wall at the back of the photo has a mix of painted items as well as untouched games. So... I will have no problem finding something to paint for this challenge.

From KyleC: Hobby Area and some projects

So another year passes and we all meet up here once again.. And like all the regulars I am always in excitement of this time to get some serious hobby time in. Or at least that is the plan.. which has not gone down well over the past few years. Between moving, illness, and work.. things like life keep getting in the way. 

Though this year I do hope it is much different as I have begun to do much more painting in prep for the event, and also aligning my space to flow better for it. 

Behold.. my claustrophobic sized office space that encompasses everything one needs for a work/hobby division. 

Hobby zone and work space combo
No space left unused!

In the past I did have space upstairs that was more dedicated for painting and hobby. However I seemed to rarely use it as work made it nearly impossible to get away from the computer. And with the inclusion of my partners family from Ukraine now residing with us, I spent a bit of this year redesigning my office to hold more items than it probably should be. But it has seen an increase of painting as I tend to not leave the office now, and can paint in-between calls or before/after work without feeling guilty that I am not available for work. 

With my main work computer set up in front of me, and drawers filled with paints, materials, and models.. I have everything within arms reach ( including a drink fridge, and Mince Pies ) to keep me going. 

War of the Roses models. Some finished, many not.
Let's change that!

Plan this year is to get through a few of my armies that I have built over the past years and not got around to painting. More just moving from box or display case as we update or move house. 

Some of the bigger ones would be my War of the Roses army, Roman forces, and Dacians. Those being some of the more pressing ones I wouldn't mind getting completed this year. 

Historical armies. Romans and Dacians.

Couple other ongoing projects would be my Deathguard Horus Heresy forces. Although much is done with it over the summer, I have a lot of support vehicles and units to finish off with it. Including a few more units that are being finished up with printing that should prove to be quite a bit of fun. Quick shot to show where I got up to in August before working on a few other projects. 

Deathguard Horus Heresy Army

Also have the Cursed City boxset to finish that I will be following Marco's youtube tutorials for to get them done quickly ( airbrush and oils to be used heavily there ). The skeles got finishes, as did the heroes, but the rest of the mobs still need doing. So I do look forward to getting them done, and then more games being had with them all on the table. 

Skeletons for Cursed City

Some Orks need doing for a mate of mine that I have set aside for this as they are a bit easier and a good palette cleanser. 

I expect also a lot of random pieces at times. Star War Legions. Adeptus Titanicus. Age of Sigmar. Blood Bowl. Weird War 2 models. And likely whatever gets through the printer or makes me go Ooo that looks interesting. 

One of the biggest things for 2023 for me though is to get in more gaming. I have not had much time with it over the past years due to work and such, but looking to rectify that more this year. So a wide range of models, and armies will help me be ready for whatever game type one might want to play, and have it done in a bit of style. 

Looking through all the other setups, and hobby plans, this years is looking to be a right blast overall. Should be fun, and looking forward to it! 

From TamsinP: The Senior Flight Attendant's Office

 

Good evening Ladies, Gentlemen...and Ray! My name is Tamsin and (according to a tradition I self-established a few Challenges ago) I will be your Senior Flight Attendant for this year's exploration of, oh, what's that? It's a Studio Tour this year? No flights? Well, I never! Hmmm, quick rethink needed...

Good evening Ladies, Gentlemen...and Ray! My name is Tamsin and  I will be your Senior Studio Tour Guide for this year's Challenge. For those who don't know me, here's a brief bio.

In my early teens I discovered wargaming by chance. I was browsing history books in the town library when I came across a book which had been misplaced on the shelves - it was by Donald Featherstone and I decided to add it to my small pile of books to check out. I had seen painted figures before in David Chandler's "The Art of Warfare on Land" (I believe they were from Peter Gilder's collection), but hadn't been aware of wargaming. For a few years I played wargames using Feathertone rules and Airfix figures with a few boys from school, mostly WW2 and ACW. I also played RPGs and it was mostly those figures I painted using enamels and cheap, crappy brushes. However, as I got older other things (exams - bah!, other activities, etc) began to take priority and I pretty much forgot all about it.

Then I got struck down by a chronic illness in 2010 and was off work for several months. Around May 2011 I saw or read something sci-fi related and decided to check some facts on the internet. On one of the pages I looked at the chap had various pages listed in the sidebar and one was "wargaming". I decided to take a look and saw spaceship models and 25mm sci-fi figures. I vaguely recognised some of the ships - they were the ones in an advert I'd seen in an RPG magazine in the late 80s. I followed the link to Ground Zero Games, discovered the Full Thrust rules, eyed up the spaceships and realised that the bug had bitten me once again.

Reader, I bought some...

...and made my first foray of about 25 years into painting. Now, back when I was a teenager acrylics were new and weren't particularly good but I'd read that they were now the way to go. My first attempts weren't awful, but I really wanted to improve. That was when I discovered blogs and various websites explaining how to paint well. Then YouTube, but there weren't many channels doing painting tutorials back then; now there seem to be hundreds of them.

But it wasn't just the sci-fi gaming bug that bit. I remembered those lovely figures from that book and how as a teenager I'd wanted to have my own armies for ancients, medievals, English Civil War and the like and began looking at what was out there. I also wanted to find people to game with. Checking the interweb, I found a club (Central London Wargames Club) that met after work in a pub (bonus points!) that would be easy enough to get to from work - by that time I had recovered enough to return to work part-time - or from home. I went along one evening, introduced myself and watched a game to find out what the main figure scale and rules were. I bought the rules and a couple of army list books and looked through to decide which army I'd like to begin my journey with. As I'd always loved horses, I decided to go with a cavalry army - the Sarmatians. I initially ordered what turned out to be the last stock from Strategia e Tactica - the figures were nice, but tiny and the metal was a bit flimsy. So I ordered everything I needed from Donnington.

And so it began...

On 01 January 2012 I decided to record my wargaming and painting adventures in a blog of my own. I haven't looked back since. I started following other blogs, they started following me and so it went on and I'm still here at the end of 2022.

I discovered this wonderful event during its second running and decided I wanted to take part the following year. AHPC III saw my entry into these hallowed halls and I have become something of a fixture; even in the couple of years when I wasn't a participant I was still a minion.

But that's enough about me, what about my workspace?

The workbench

I'm in the fortunate position of being a single person living in a two bedroom flat, which means that I have been able to convert my spare bedroom into my hobby space. It's large enough for my painting desk, materials and some storage but the last has inevitably spilled over into my own bedroom and the lounge (which now also houses my 3D printer set-up).

Most of my paints

How the workbench would be set up for painting

I don't actually have anything being painted right now; the two glass jars are for my "dirty" and "clean" rinse water.  Switching between brush painting and airbrushing is quick and easy - move a couple of things out of the way, pull the spray booth forward and open it up, plug it in and away I go! For photography it just takes a few minutes to clear things away and get out my camera set-up.

I don't have room in my set-up for a computer or TV, but I do have space for a radio/CD player if I want music to paint to. As it can accept USB drives, I could listen to podcasts as well if I thought about it.

What will I be painting this year? I have one big project and a few smaller, related projects all from the 3D printing I've been doing over the past few months. There may be some non-related stuff as well.

My one big project? Well, it's a single 28mm vehicle. 

"A single 28mm vehicle is her big project? You've got to be kidding!"

No, not kidding at all. Let me explain. Whilst it may be a single 28mm vehicle, it is a rather large one - about 26" long, 17" wide and 9" tall, weighing in at about 2.5kg. And there's a normal-sized 28mm vehicle to go in it.

Fully playable (if somewhat cramped) interior

Some of you may recognise it as the 100 Ton Type S Scout Courier from the Traveller RPG. I missed the original crowdfunding campaign for it a couple of years ago, mostly because I didn't have a 3D printer at the time. Late last year the same company had a Kickstarter campaign for 1:270 and "tactical" scale versions of Traveller ships. I decided to back that campaign (despite the lack of a 3D printer) and went for the pledge level that included the 28mm ships (they'd also done the Type J Seeker variant and someone had done the 30 Ton Gig). 

Their Kickstarter campaign for the 200 Ton Type A Free Trader ship has just ended, but it is (for a little while longer) open for late pledges on My Mini Factory. I've backed that campaign as well but won't be printing the ship until next year.

"You mentioned 1:270 scale Traveller ships..."

I did indeed, and I have printed them. They may appear if I make good progress on the Type S.

Well, that's all from me folks.

Toodle-pip!

From Paul and Reilly: Showdown at the OG Corral

As ever, the onrush of the Christmas season is proceeded by the exhilarating bow-wave of another AHPC! Our Dad and Lad challenge continues this year for my 9th season and Reilly's 4th.

Preparations are in full swing at the OG Man Cave, but focused on construct and undercoat vice clean and tidy. Since Ms Man Cave moved out of the nest last year, we have requisitioned converted her old bedroom into our hobby lair which allows to paint and chat together (when I am in the country at anyway). Organisation is more a state of mind anyway, but we do shuffle things around randomly to reduce the risk of spontaneous combustion and drive eachother mad. And after having to keep things rather ship shape at work, a bit of creative chaos is welcome :-)

Our ferocious war puppies Odin (left) and Loki (right) will keep us company throughout

We are currently engaged in energised discussion regarding our AHPC Project list.  The somewhat dynamic to-do list currently includes is a pair of new Dungeon Bowl teams, some Horus Heresy figures, new units for my Wars of the Roses army, Necromunda goodies, and the curiously addictive madness that is Turnip28...

Having initially mocked me without mercy, Alan has now also succumbed to the root and proceeded down the Turnip path - so T28 challenge of sludgy misery will be a bit of fun!

As ever, its great to be back and I'm looking forward to the fun, inspiration and banter :-)

Challenge 13 Intro from Kerry T (Valleyboy)

 Morning, afternoon & evening all

This will be my second challenge, I must say taking part in my first challenge last year was I think the highlight of my wargaming year and I am so pleased to be a participant again this year.

I'm a proud Welshman (currently the butt of many rugby jokes) who moved to NZ in 1999, transporting what was probably then close to 7,000 15 mm Napoleonics I think at the same time. It goes without saying that 15mm Napoleonics are my first love and the collection has grown since then. There was a time when I would hide them all away as I was reticent to share with friends the secret of my nerdy hobby. I've come a long way in recent years though and am more open with friends an colleagues and am surprised how well my hobby habit has been received.

Last week we hosted the work Christmas party at our house. No hiding this time though, the games room was open to all and one of the spot prizes was given to  the staff member who closest in guessing  the number of figures on the table! 

In reality there is no doubt I'm a painter as opposed to wargamer, historian or collector. Thankfully I'm generally quite productive as I probably only watch about 3 hrs of TV per week spending my evenings  painting whilst listening to wargames podcasts in the evening after work

I'm a lucky man and now as I approach retirement have the luxury of a wargames room with a purpose built table. Most of my gaming these days is solo and though in the past 2 years I have taken an interest in skirmish games I am a BIG GAME enthusiast at heart and love nothing more than leaving a game up and playing it out over weeks. Some of this can be seen on my blog https://valleyboyinnz.wordpress.com/

I've been fortunate in the past to take part in several big games and was one of the original participants at Ayton (frequently written about by Henry Hyde) many years ago. I've been fortunate to take part in large multiplayer refights of Waterloo, Borodino & Leipzig organised here in NZ by fellow gamers - details on the blog.

The forces of Silverfernia capture some much needed supplies at Ayton in 2011

Borodino 2020, my Polish are in the foreground

At the moment I'm trying to finish off some AB French Cuirassiers in 15mm and having moved now mainly to painting 28mm figures forgot what a challenge it was but I think I might try and get some Young Guard painted up once the challenge gets going.

I have a short attention span when it comes to painting and like to flit from one period to another to keep myself productive. This coupled with my "oh look shiny"affliction means that I have a wide collection of unpainted figures. In fact somebody once described my hobby as being "all over the place", which I took as a compliment rather than the criticism intended!

Last year my entries were themed around P for project but this year I'm going to let myself loose with no boundaries and rummage around in the cupboard below.

I'm still waiting on some shield transfers to arrive and will still need to prep some Perry Miniatures coming for Christmas and some Oathmark Orcs. Thankfully I think I am well enough stocked in tufts and bases

My painting focus has always been on painting large numbers of figures I suppose and my subject matter in the coming challenge will likely involve  Napoleonics and Samurai in 15mm, while in 28 I hope to churn out some Dwarves, Orcs, Normans, Saxons, ECW and VBCW and maybe even some terrain. My main aim and hope I suppose is to try and make a big dent in my slow burn Italian wars project by finishing some Italians, Swiss, a few Landsknecht, Gendarmes, stradiots and finally Spanish. Hence my suggestion of a "My codpiece is bigger than yours" challenge. I also hope to drop a few Squirrel bombs again this year

The painting desk and reference library!

So I've myself a decent challenge  and in order to do this will need to find ways of overcoming my work commitments, ignore the rapidly growing grass and other needs in the garden and try and stay off the golf course 

Even on the golf course there'll be a reminder that I really should be painting!

Thank you all for your encouragement last year, it was such a positive influence, I cannot emphasise its effect enough. I'm looking forward to enjoying your company again for the next few months and being enthused by what you will showcase again. Best wishes

From MilesR: Challenge XIII Prep

 Frantic preparations are underway here at the Ubergeek Lair - well maybe not frantic but hurried.  First off is a clean up of my painting desk:

My collection of various paints is starting to surround the workspace - hopefully I don't get completely enveloped!

About 25 feet away from my painting desk is my "terrain workshop" were I do the bulk of the messy terrain work as the floor isn't finished.  It's still a mess with remnants of long forgotten projects littered about:

All of the required supplies have been ordered and mostly received - Mr Litko should be very happy me!

I am thinking about trying the new Vallejo version of contrasty - speedier paints but am not sure when they will be available here in the colonies.

As for projects this year - they are somewhat varied.   The will be a large 3mm ww2 project to play out the Peleliu Campaign at a company level complete with a full topographical map of the Island which will be featured in a future LWTV episode.

Following on Last year's dalliance with 10mm fantasy you'll be subjected to legions of poorly painted 10mm Dwarves and various opponents.  I'll likely also flesh out my 10mm Byzantines and maybe even some 15mm WW2 stuff.  I doubt there will be any 28mm this year but who knows when the skirmish fairy will strike and I'll succumb to year another tactical gaming craze.

People seem to be putting pictures of themselves in the photos.  Out of abundance of caution I shall refrain.  I will, however, provide a picture of Gus, my hobby partner.  To be honest, Gus isn't all that helpful with figure painting but he's aces with terrain.

Gus, "The Wonder Dog".  

Hey Vallejo - you may want to hire him as a "spokes-canine". Just saying.

Gus reacting with sheer excitement at the prospect of going down into the basement for a hobby session....