From MartijnN: Anglo-Saxons. Or are they? [New Acquisitions] (62 points)

I have more than enough unpainted figures, vehicles and terrain, not to mention STL's, to last me for the rest of my allotted time even if I live to be 115. However, at the end of the last year Berliner Zinnfiguren in Berlin had a sale (they have a great book selection too, and a great second hand selection, especially if you read German), and offered some Crusader Miniatures at much reduced prices. Now I have several sets of plastic Viking and Anglo-Saxon figures in stock (I'd like to give Saga a try), but I am really not too great a fan of building figures. And these were good old metals. So I obviously had to buy some.

Well, there was the Challenge Library coming to the rescue. They are really quite simple figures, so ideal to paint up for the New Acquisitions section. This must be the fastest I have ever painted figures after acquiring them! So here they are:

Eight spearmen. They are advertised as Viking Thralls, but they can really represent any Late Roman or Dark Age warrior, or even a Medieval one for that matter. They will end up as Anglo-Saxons in my forces, I suspect. They came with separate shields and without spears, I decided to leave some of them without shields for variety, as there are eight figures in the pack but only four separate poses. I was lucky in that I had just ordered some metal spears from CP Models. They are on the thin side compared to the oversized poles usually found on 28mm figures, but I actually think they work quite well.

As I said, it is a simple paint job, mostly using contrast paints and finished with a wash of Agrax Earthshade; I like the gritty look that that gives, even though it darkens them quite a bit. I kept the shield designs fairly simple and generic to preserve the generic, general purpose men-with-pointy-sticks characteristics.

That leaves us with this week's book recommendation: The Anglo-Saxons. The History of the Beginnings of England, by Mark Morris. Also a new acquisition for me:

In fact, it is so new that I have not even finished it entirely, but I have no hesitation in recommending it. Some may be put off by the publisher's blurb  ("The Sunday Times Bestseller". "An absolute masterpiece") defacing the cover, but I find it actually a thoroughly engaging and fascinating read. Obviously aimed at a wider audience, but there are footnotes for those who wish to pursue the matter further, and it is really well written.

Those interested in the period I would also point to David Crowther's Anglo Saxon England podcast, part of his The History of England podcast, for an entertaining and well researched look at the early history of England. It was a redo of the earlier episodes of the latter podcast, so it is no longer ongoing because finished, but still available to listen to. Also much recommended.

Finally, as requested, the map:

I wonder where to wander...

Well, that's it for me this week. Scoring is easy:

- 8x 28mm figures @ 5 = 40

- New Acquisitions section bonus = 20

Total: 60 points

TeemuL: What is more fitting for a Thor's Day than some vikings in disguise, acting as Anglo-Saxons? I try to paint my new acquisitions quite fast so that they don't pile up, but that means that those old minis won't get painted... A problem yet to solve. Anyway, a nice looking bunch and your Agrax Earthshade treatment combined with Contrast paints gives a nice finish on those textured minis. I'll add couple of bonus points for the hand painted shields.