From AlanD: Napoleonic Prussians (200 points)

As the finish line approaches, I managed to get some Napoleonic Prussians finished this week. This is basically a box of Perry Prussian line infantry, minus the Jaegers. I've painted them as the Second Battalion of the 1st Silesian Regiment for 1813-15, as well as a separate base of Grenadiers drawn from the same regiment. 

This is only the second unit I've painted for my 'slow grow' Napoleonic project. The first was the 1st Battalian of the 1st Silesian Regiment, made from a box of figures I bought on a lovely afternoon in Madrid almost exactly 2 years ago, in the company of the most excellent Benito. Hopefully this year will see the army continue to grow. 

There are 42 figures here in total, but I had already started two of the grenadiers before the challenge, so I'm not counting those. 40 figures will give me a satisfying 200 points, and if I don't manage to get in another entry this week, I am content.

From Millsy:

Now this was unexpected Alan! Here I was thinking I'd see some more Border Reivers to close out your Challenge and you have pivoted to something entirely different.

Lovely brushwork mate, especially all the straps and equipment which always takes so much effort to get right over and over. These stout lads will do great service I am sure. Vorwarts marsch!

Thanks for sharing your work with us again. I've enjoyed your stuff immensely and have a Scottish itch I will likely end up scratching thanks to you. 200 points to close out your Challenge.

Cheers,

Millsy

From AlanD: The Grahams! (100 points)

The start of this year has been even busier than expected, so it has taken me about 4 weeks to finally get this entry finished. I was starting to think the figures were cursed - every time I sat down to paint something there was some sort of interruption, including a power failure when I was looking forward to two solid hours of painting.

Anyway, here they are at last. I've continued working through my lovely Kickstarter stash of Border Reivers From Flags of War. The mounted figures are the Grahams, off to pillage sheep or burn something. The family vignette is particularly charming, I think, with mum and dad looking a bit Northumbrian Gothic. I particularly love the kids, riding their hobby horses with sticks in their hands and a cooking pot on the head, with not a mobile device or Minecraft game to be seen.

8 mounted and 4 foot should earn me 100 points. Thanks Millsy!

From Millsy:

Alan! I was starting to wonder if you'd fallen off the face of the earth and yet here you are mate.

Great to see another addition to your growing Border Reivers collection. They are such a unique looking bunch with their mix of Spanish style equipment and Scots bonnets. I think you've nailed the grey for the bonnets BTW.

The civilians are a nice touch and in skirmish games where so much of the focus can be on scenarios and interacting with NPCs these really add to the fun. Lovely brushwork too!

100 more points it is!

Cheers,
Millsy

From AlanD: WWII Romanian Cavalry (120 points)

Truly, wargames projects are never finished.

A couple of years ago I 'finished' a large force of WWII Romanians in winter gear. Since then, they have given me great enjoyment in a series of games of Battlegroup, mostly against my friend Marty's Hungarians and Germans.

So, when Great Escape Games added to their already lovely range of Romanians with a couple of packs of cavalry, I obviously needed to add them to my army. These came out just around Christmas, following their summer cavalry packs from a year ago. I have been eagerly awaiting these, and now my force gains a squad of cavalry to add to their recce assets.

As much as I like these figures, it's worth mentioning that they were absolute swine to prepare. I have never encountered mounted figures where the riders were more incompatible with their horses. To get them to actually sit on their mounts, I had to spend an inordinate amount of time carving bits off their greatcoats, saddle blankets and packs, and then using greenstuff to cover the gaps. This is a bit poor, and I think reflects the hasty use of the horses from the summer cavalry packs without taking the care to see how the new riders would sit.

Anyway, I'm pleased with the result, and can now definitively call my Romanians done (!)

12 figures for 120 points please Millsy!

From Millsy:

Never a truer word was spoken than your first point about things being finished. I'm equally guilty as you'll see next week.

Cracking brushwork on these horsey boys mate. The uniforms are both appropriately drab without losing visual interest and the mix of skin tones on the horse flesh really lifts them up a notch or three.

Very nicely staged and photographed too and the mono pic at the end is a great touch.

120 points it is Alan. Can't wait to see what's added to the project next :-P

Cheers,
Millsy

From AlanD: Continuing the Reiver Theme... (60 points)

This week I have been enjoying painting more of the lovely Border Reivers from Flags of War. Thank you to those of you who commented on the colours I used in my first lot last week - I took that as validation to stick with a similar palette. I'm trying to keep a few splashes of the most obvious and more saturated colours for clothing of the heidmen and the richer sorts, toning it down for their poorer followers.

So first up, this is the heidman of the Kerr family and a couple of richer sorts.

These two are also from the Kerr family set, and can't quite afford the same level of nice clothing and armour (or haven't stolen any yet).

Since I was minding my girlfriend's dogs this week, I was inspired to paint up a dog handler (on foot and mounted) with his mastiffs. My girlfriend's mini Schnauzer and Maltese were no help at all with choosing the colours, but did curl up at my feet while I was painting.

And finally, I revisited my Presbyterian youth with this dour man of the cloth, bringing his own version of muscular Christianity to the borders.

So all up, that's seven foot figures, one mounted, and three dogs (I suppose at half points?), for a stellar total of 52.5, thanks Millsy!

From Millsy:

Another lovely addition to your growing collection of Reivers Alan. Like the last batch these are a wonderfully subtle paint job that suits the subject so well. You Presbiterian cleric is a gem, such a dynamic pose and your nailed the highlights on the black.

Just because they have four legs doesn't make a woofer any less of a 28mm mini so that's 60 more points added to your total. Even more please! 

Cheers,
Millsy

From AlanD: Border Reivers from Flags of War (40 points)

Happy New Year everyone!

After finishing my big Palmyran army, I need a nice, achievable little project to get stuck into. The perfect solution is to paint up my Border Reivers from Flags of War.

When Ian from Flags of War ran his Kickstarter over a year ago, I couldn't resist backing it to the hilt. This group is a foot reiver family from the starter set (although I now realise I was sent two of these accidentally instead of their mounted versions). They are lovely figures - slightly smaller and more realistically proportioned than other ranges of reivers, and with loads of character and animation. 

Eight Reivers on foot should score me 40 points thanks Millsy! (And thank you for Minioning Magnificently again this year.)

From Millsy:

These are absolutely gorgeous Alan. The title alone had me interested, it's a period I've long been interested in and the FOW minis are amazing. You're doing nothing whatsoever to help my resistance!

There's so much to like about these but I think the thing that stands out for me is the palette. Just the right mix on interest and muted tones to really make them feel like they belong on the borders. I hope you have more planned mate!

40 points added to your total.

Cheers.
Millsy

From AlanD - Queen Zenobia and a Project Finished (80 points)

Hello everyone - it is great to be back in the Challenge this year! 

My first entry for the year is Queen Zenobia and some Palmyran light infantry, all from A&A Miniatures. Last year, I was fortunate enough to receive the Challengers' Choice for some of the early figures for my Palmyran army, and these are now the last. 2024 was not a massively productive hobby year for me, but whenever I had a chance I chipped away at the Palmyrans (so many archers...argh!), and I'm chuffed to finish the year with the army done, hopefully to see battle in a game of To the Strongest! soon. 

Here are Zenobia and friends, for 80 points.

...and here's the whole army complete. 

I'm not sure what to paint next...

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Welcome back Dux! It's wonderful to see you return with your storied Palmyran project from last year's Challenge. Zenobia and her standard bearer look suitably magnificent mounted on their camels. Also, your last unit of archers are terrific as well, especially that chap in the blue jerkin with the white embroidery. Lovely stuff.

You can bask in the sense of completion while you ponder on your next project. I look forward to it.

- Curt

From AlanD - Final Shots for AHPC XIV (40 Points)

My final entry for this year is another unit for my growing Palmyran army for To the Strongest! 8 figures for 40 points gets me over the line for 1000 points, and I'm happy with that. 

Thanks to everyone for another wonderful year of focused hobby madness, and particularly to Curt for the vision and continuing enthusiasm for making all this possible. Many thanks also to the minions, and particularly to 'our' antipodean minion Millsy for all his hard work and good humour. A highlight this year has been the Tuesday night paint chats, which I have thoroughly enjoyed whenever I've been able to get along to them. Best wishes to you all, and may your brushes stay pointy.

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Wow, beautiful brushwork once again Alan. I'm in awe of your patience in doing all the detailed work on the textiles - gorgeous. I've very much enjoyed watching your Palmyran project unfold. It's going to be a very impressive force when it's all completed. 

I'm delighted that you had a good Challenge and hope to see you with us when the call goes out late November.

 

- Curt

From AlanD - Palmyran Hump Day (20 points)

 I have never painted a camel before this week. They were quite fun, and easier than horses, I think.

These two join my Palmyran army, acting as scouts.They look pretty Romanised, but I guess that wouldn't have been too unusual in third-century Palmyra. 

Apologies for the quality of the photos! And good luck to everyone as we enter the last few days of the challenge. I'm hoping to beat 1000 points, but it is going to be tight.

From Millsy: I'm sure your camels have made DaveD's say just that little bit brighter Alan. I know from experience he gets the hump when nobody paints camels. You've nailed the coat colours and done some lovely work on the basing too mate. Nice work!

From AlanD - Palmyran Infantry (105 points)

Production in the Paining Challenge has slowed a bit recently as the term gets busier. However, this week I manged to get a couple of bases of Palmyran infantry finished for my To The Strongest! army. 

The figures are from A&A, and at the risk of repeating what I say in every post: I really love painting them! The hand painted banner depicts Baalshamin, one of the main gods of Palmyra. 20 figures in total, so 100 points please Millsy!

From Millsy: Every unit you add to this army is a treat to see Alan. There's so much to like about these from the basing, to the palette, to the hand painted shields and banner once again. I'm really keen to see a photo of the force at the end of the Challenge so we can see it in all it's glory. Cracking work!

From AlanD - Roman Allies for Palmyra (125 points)

This week I have finished the Romans who will form a tough little allied contingent in my Palmyran army for To the Strongest! These are called auxiliaries in the TTS army list, although by the mid-3rd century AD it is fairly unclear what distinguished legionary from auxiliary units. I've painted these up as unarmoured infantry, to contrast them with the armoured legionaries from my last entry.

I've also painted a little command group for the Roman allies, hand painting Sol Invictus on the general's shield and Victoria on the vexillum. This design is based on the only known surviving Roman vexillum, discovered in Egypt and now in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. It amuses me that I seem to have painted her to resemble Princess Leia.

As with all this army, the figures are from A&A Miniatures, a range that is firmly within my top three figure ranges of all time. 23 of them this week, so adding 115 points to my total. Thanks Millsy!

From Millsy: Another wonderful set of Romans to add to your collection mate! Every unit seems to be showcasing more detailed hand painting which I cannot help but be impressed by, so much so I'm awarding more bonus points. One thing I am curious about is some of the auxiliaries seem to be looking backwards whilst about to throw their javelins. Is that sneaky Roman look away tactics in operation?