From TomS: 20mm WW2 Marder [Overdue and returns] (35 points)

Hi

This is my first post ever in the challenge so I thought I would start with something very odd!

This Marder has been sitting on my painting desk for at least 2 years? don't even know where its from or how it got there. But while I have been waiting for basing materials for my normal 28mm and 15mm stuff I decided to paint it at last.

 Now for the elephant in the room, yes it isn't really in proper Eichenlaubmuster etc etc. but I thought I would play with some abstract designs based on a few pieces of art such as those of Piet Mondrian but making sure that the Marder would look perfectly normal if photographed in black and white! 

So without further ado I present a perfectly normal photograph of a Marder crica 1942!

 

So points claimed:

20mm Vehicle - 15pts

Over due section of library - 20pts

Total - 35pts

TeemuL: Welcome to the Challenge Tom! Well, your Marder really is something to start a Challenge. I like your out of the box thinking and extra job to make it look good in black and white. It is gems like these that really make the Challenge worth to follow! I have seen couple of indie rules recently, where this tank would feel like home, but I don't remember the names now... And I just managed to squeeze you in for this week. :)

Fridaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Crew!

G'day All,

Minion Millsy back for week two at the helm!

This week those of us living in "Australia" and across the dutch in New Zealand enjoyed a cracker of a paint and chat session, with I think 8 total participants taking part. What the other 50% of the population down here were doing I don't (and frankly would rather not) know.

The Friday Crew have pulled the stops out once again and at time of going to print we have the following in the offing...

• StuartL shines some flashlights in my eyes and then floats my boat
• AlanD and PaulOG go pollicem pollicem with some Romans
• KentG dabbles in some human sacrifice and cartography
• GeoffreyT crosses blades with the living dead
• KerryT uses just about every colour in his paint box
• StevenS revisits his childhood
• And Barks mixes graphic novels with horror novels and... swamps?

Happy Friday people!

Cheers,
Minion Millsy esq.

First Duels Update this weekend

Ahoy Challengers - please excuse this interruption to your usual Minion schedule for an important Duelling announcement!

I'll be posting the first Duels & Side Challenges update this weekend- so this is a chance for anyone who hasn't completed the duels submission form to do so. From the number of entries thus far, many of you have not I suspect!

The form is accessible on the right hand side of the blog page, above the tallyboard and below the library map. Its pretty self-evident once you get there.

Many thanks!

Duels Wallah

From BruceR: Celtic Elves x4, US track [Fantasy] (65 points)

My next submission has me between the stacks in the Fantasy section. This is where I started a long, long time ago (fantasy). I occasionally flit back and find myself painting fantasy figures without purpose. Last year I found some ancient Alternative Army Celtic Elves I had in the bin of opportunity and painted them for the challenge. I found 4 more (2 taking human heads) I didn't have and of course picked up. These are those new folks. I love the chunky look and big ears. I seem to remember GW having a wardancer with a heart on his butt, so attempted to replicate.

Wee Heart

I started these in my quite, prairie place, and finished upon my return to civilization. 

Throwing in another gratuitous dog (Loki) pick with the frost encountered, while cattle sitting.

The next offering is a Trenchworx stl print. I've not made the plung into 3d printing, but bought the stl and a friend printed for me. These are great and I really love the ability to indicate the transport is loaded with troops. I painted the track this last week, but I couldn't resist and painted the riding troopers prior to the challenge. I went to my new go to (makeup brush) to add the shading. Included the riders to complete the picture. I did learn the fragility of prints when I tried to clean up the .50 cal gunner and the gun snapped and flew into the recesses of the game room, lost forever. My friend will print another and I'll add later.  

Library Fantasy shelves 

Points

4 28mm @5    = 20 pts

28mm vehicle  = 20 pts

Library Fantasy= 20 pts

Total                    60 pts

TeemuL: Those Elves look fantastic, Bruce! Very colourful, but still unified group. The transport means business, too. I like the highlights and wear and tear. It looks excellent. I'll give you 2.5 points for the driver, which is a half mini, and another 2 points for the amount of skin you have painted and the small heart. Definitely a task worth couple of points.

From RayR: Donnybrook - Vienna 1683 - Ottoman Swordsmen (75 points)

At last!

My first entry into this years Challenge!!!!

And I'm revisiting an old gem, my Donnybrook (surprise surprise) Vienna 1683 project..

The last time I posted any of these figures was in 2022, so it was good to finally get these figures painted.

They've been undercoated and in the paint queue for a long time.

The figures are from Essex Miniatures and were bought from fellow blogger Dave Crook, he was selling a massive collection of unpainted figures owned by a friend Eric, who sadly passed.

I can't find the figures on Essex' site, so I guess they may be a discontinued pose???

I wanted some poorer armed troops, most of the previous Ottomans I painted had muskets, so 

I bought a selection of swords and shields from Magister Militum and glued them all in place, I guessing again but I think these were probably spear armed skirmish type troops when originally made? But no more!

I included 3 character figures, a Dark Age looking Commander, a standard bearer and a musician, although looking at him more closely, he could be an ACW Zouave?

Onto the points

15 x  25mm figures @ 5 points = 75 points.

TeemuL: Welcome back to the Challenge, Ray! A nice collection of minis, that I can actually see - compared to last year's tinymen. They will be a nice addition to your existing force, a good close combat unit. I like the Christmasy(?) hats. :)

From JamesM: Necromunda Beastmen and Robodogs (37 points)

Hello again folks,

My first post of this challenge - thought I should get my finger out and get something painted before I get kicked out!

The first models completed for 2024 for me have been a couple of extras for my Beastman Necromunda gang (painted last challenge). This gang has played a few games and had some good wins, and is expanding - we're playing a 'perpetual' campaign and this gang has actually ascended to the next 'tier', restricting it's competition against newer gangs. I use the rules for Goliaths, effectively making this a chaos tainted Goliath gang.  

With such success and expansion, I needed a couple more gangers and a proxy figure for a 'Stimmer' champion. 

In true form for 'every model is a Necromunda model' the Stimmer proxy is actually some sort of Age of Sigmar model which I picked up as a freebie. Horns, etc, were added as were twin axes, in an effort to make it fit in with my other beastmen. It's a bit skinny compared to my other leader and champion models, but will do for now. 

The other two models are GW beastmen plastics with a couple of Necromunda Goliath arms and other weapons added. Holstered stub pistols came courtesy of MartinC's spare enforcer bits. 

Two other models given quick paint jobs are these random robodog things I was given years ago. Plastic kits which I think were a giveaway on a Wargames Illustrated front cover. I'll no doubt find some use for these in my games. 

Points wise, the two smaller beastmen figures I have counted as 28mm (10 points), the larger champion as a 40mm (7 points) and the two robodogs as 28mm crew served weapons (given their size, so 20pts). For a total of 37 points.

TeemuL: Welcome back to the Challenge, James! Beastmen and robodogs, one might wonder if they are in some bizarre way related to each other... Well, may be not related, but some kind of hybrids anyway. The robodogs look surprisingly good considering your limited palette, no doubt they will haunt in the dark corners of your Necromunda terrain ready to tear apart the opposing gang. The beastmen look like they can handle any situation, too. And I like their skin colour!

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.

Thor's Day Running on Four Cylinders

It is not that cold anymore here in Finland, actually just below 0C and it was above for two days. But it is getting colder again. Luckily we Finns are quite familiar with coldness, we know what we are doing. Just like the Formula 1 ace Kimi Räikkönen during his long and eventful career. Kimi had a nickname Iceman.

:iceman:

ICEMAN

The feeling of ”Leave me alone. I know what I’m doing.”

This typically Finnish attitude was made famous by the Iceman himself, Formula 1 driver Kimi Räikkönen. We feel he quite nicely sums it all up.

----- End of Finn talking about Finland -----

I believe Kimi had more than four cylinders on his race cars, but while I'm writing this, there are four ready posts for this Thor's Day. More will come, I'm sure, but how many?

• Martijn has some new Anglo Saxons or are they just vikings in disguise?
• James starts his Challenge with some beastmen and robodogs, sounds savage
• Ray joins us as well with some Donnybrook, but no floppy hats
• Bruce then shows us some naked skin in his fantasy library..

P.S. I didn't bbq last week...