From DaveD - Challenge Wrap-Up - the what I did post .

 Another year , another Challenge laid down. My 15th . Blimey where do those years go eh . 

This has been a decent year of production . I am normally fairly focussed on a winter paint plan - this sort of went out the window. But being a long term painter I know to go with the muse. That muse this year was the creation of my Bolshevik army . I really enjoyed it. I had painted everything in stock by early January and had to tap the supplier for more , then some more , and yet more . 

I did revisit my 15mm cold wars with the finale of my French force . Along with a back to the Sudan for some commission work - the muscle memory of these is still strong.  There  is still yet more to do. The best bit is I will be playing with the new stuff in a large 4 day campaign  with them later in the year. I also managed a couple of Ardennes 44 bits too. Just North of 2000 points worth as well. Time for a bit of storage wars again.

I forgot to set these bits up , so here they are:-

The prepped pile of potential is very healthy and there will be some of this cracked off from next week ., some may even make  an appearance next year . 

 

I have really enjoyed my painting this winter . It’s helped to keep the real world chaos at bay. My painting desks have been cleaned and tidied . Paints have been replaced and the brushes cleaned . I’m ready to go again after this weekend off.

I have also been doing minion duties after a few year off  which has been great too . The  Sunday Crew have been productive and I must thank them for contributing consistently - everyone managed to avoid the cut , and on at least one day they did 3000 points. We have had a good few paint and chats and it’s good to see painting mojo enabled.  Hopefully Miles gets the stats done - always fun to read them  .  

For those of you that have enjoyed the Bolsheviks I can recommend the Beevor Russian Civil war book , and the Anna Reid A Nasty Little War . It’s a period that learning about has been educational . 

I will see you lot next year … the prep is already started 

Huzzah! 

From DaveD - Bolsheviks, Workers, command and guns! (105 pts)

Well I started this years challenge with Bolsheviks, have painted Bolsheviks most weeks , so it seems appropriate to end with Bolsheviks . 

Here we have the glorious workers militia from the Putilov Arsenal . They are mobilised  to protect the revolution - and keep the new tank working ! 

Figures are from Eureka- and very nice they are too - I may need a few more of these boiler-suit clad lads in due course .  

Next is the mounted commander again from Eureka. I must add top marks for their service last week, ordered to delivered in 4 days which has let me turn these around . With the horse being on its rear legs I have added in a thin piano wire support into its abdomen. 

Finally of course the peoples proletariat at the great Putilov Arsenal have been busy producing naval weapons to equip the next generation of Bolshevik craft . The keel has been laid on it and it’s under construction but not launched yet . 

The great Bolshevik vessel the “Kickmartinski”is used to test the new weaponry in all it glory 

So for new weaponry I have  two 6 pounders, two 3 pounders, a single 1 pounder Pom Pom, and two torpedo tubes - these are a mix of 3d prints and some Bob Murch pulp stuff .. These are all fitted with magnets so they can be exchanged on any vessel I have, or even dismounted for shore use .

‘Peace, Land and Bread” comrades ! Not sure there will be much of the first going on , but one can wish eh !

Points 

8 infantry - 40 points 

1 mounted - 10 points  

5 guns - 50 points 

2 torpedo tubes - I suggest 5 points 

Phew - it’s been a good one . I met my usual challenge objectives of posting  before Christmas and then post every week, a few thousand points is a good tally indeed. Thanks to Gregg for the weekly minion  - hopefully he’s seeing Bolos in his sleep .😆. Thanks to The back room minions and our host Curt of course. Time to go and give my brushes some cleaning TLC 

I shall see you in the wrap up . 

From Millsy:

Another wonderful batch of Back of Beyond goodness Dave! I've really enjoyed following both yours and Martin's efforts and I see he gets a mention here as well. Your modular approach to arming the gunboat is really cool and I will have to pinch that idea for a project of my own.

Cracking work mate, both here and right across the whole Challenge. Thanks for sharing you work, it's always great eye candy and has plenty of puns and other goodness packed in.

105 points to close your Challenge out. Nice work.

Cheers,
Millsy

From DaveD . Terrain Russian buildings 20pts

 I have been looking at some geography specific terrain items for the Back of Beyond . I have picked up a Russian timber house and barn set 3d printed by Battle Honours3d  

I will create a proper base with fences etc in due course .

They were neatly FDM printed with only minor clean up . I started with a dark grey base and then a lighter overspray of desert yellow . Pretty much everything after that is various stages of heavy or light dry brushing in a fairly fresh timber colour with a light blue/grey for the door and window frames . 

The basecoat complete. 

Points , maybe 20 I think given the time it feels about right . 

Right now, time to finish the Bolos

Well I like these a lot, they look great with your figures marching past too.  I will pre-empt Byron's role and accept the 20 points that you suggest.  I see another post, but I'e had the pleasure of two of your posts today Dave so I'll leave that one for the next minion.

 

PeterD

From DaveD - Sudan , Kordofani and commanders - 400 pts

One of the supposed projects for this challenge was the Sudan Nile tribes for a commission job , these have been a bit of a background project . I have completed the guns for this lot earlier in the challenge . This lot makes up a lot of the command and skirmishers . 

They are based as open loose skirmishers with captured rifles and then as a closer mob style but various size of bases - the bigger the base more men obviously . Plus 3 mounted emirs . 

These are all Perry stuff a mix of plastics and metals , the flags from The Armchair General 

I had wanted to get the other half  done shown below  - but I guess that’s next weeks job ! Bolsheviks kind of got in the way 😁

I’m not finished yet posts on the production line. 

74 foot - 370pts  . 

3 mounted - 30pts . 

Those Dervish hordes look like they mean business Dave, great work here.  The mass of foot is effective, I like the variable base sizes.  I can't get a close look at most, but that command stand is mighty fine indeed.  I'll look forward to Bolshie hordes to follow.  

 

PeterD

From DaveD - Landship Mark V - Bolsheviks (20 points)

Well it wouldn’t be a Thursday without me doing something for my Bolshevik army. So to keep that Thursday tally going here is some armour for my Bolsheviks . In the form of a British Mk V tank . The Brits shipped around 70 as part of their intervention effort to bolster the failing Imperial Russian forces They were used around Archangel and in the Southern front area.  Some were destroyed to stop them falling into enemy hands but some were captured and repurposed. The Brits used them with the Whites in 1919 attacking Tsaritsyn - eg Stalingrad , now Volgograd. Well my Bolos have acquired one.

Some were used in Tallin in 1941 against the Germans and were shipped back to Berlin as prizes, and after 45 ended up back in museums in the Soviet Union.

This is a big old beast. Two guns and four MGs. Very useful. Unrealiable as hell.   Even more so in the back of beyond.

 

This only arrived in the post on Tuesday, so it’s been a quick turn around. 

This is a 3d print piece that had the rails on the top to stick on and that was it . A dark olive green Tamiya  rattle can and green olive paint pen for the paint job , Black grey for the track's , then an oil wash and dry brush of beige brown. I added some tubing to carry a flag that can be removed or swapped out .  I found some large stars in the decals stash and added these then painted the hammer and plough emblem in the middle. 

I will look out for a suitable figure to use as a commander as one stood out of the  hatch waving a flag would look cool. 

What better than to use the imperialist's weapons against them. “Workers of the world unite!”

Points 1x 28mm vehicle - 20 

***

Indeed it doesn't feel like Thursday without one more addition to this fabulous project. The silhouette of these armoured vehicles is notorious, another iconic piece of kit that really "makes" a period and setting jump out on the table. Your description of the work implies that this was something of a rushed job, and perhaps it was by your standards, but it looks terrific. 

Workers of the world unite! You have nothing to lose except everything as the bolshevik filth steal all you have and kill you and everyone you love! Hmm...maybe they had a different slogan for the flags...I definitely need to try this as a project next year!

Another 20 points comrade Dave! Excellent stuff.

GregB

From DaveD - Guns for the Khalifa (113 points)

Here we have an artillery park for the Khalifa . This is part of an ongoing commission for Sudan figures - I may have painted a few in my time 😆. These will be used in an upcoming Kreigspielers campaign this summer and it’s made up of collection of random old guns and the Perry captured Egyptian gunners . 

4 emirs 

Two casualty figure bases with two figures on , and a “marksman” for the prone ones 

There is an enormous bombard which is 3d printed. I have made a pile off ammunition for it using 10mm ball bearings . The others are older muzzle loaders from the Pendraken 28mm ranges . 

There are also some single command figures and some markers 

Points 

12 full figures - 60 pts 

5 prone 12.5 

4 guns = 40 points 

***

Have you painted any figures for the Sudan previously? I just can't recall...

Lovely stuff Dave - I particularly enjoy the bombard. It looks suitably impressive, loud and unsafe for its crew. 

Points wise, I have a slight adjustment, as the spreadsheet tells me this Khalifa Kannonade should work out to 113 points. And I lose all of the arguments with the spreadsheet. So that's 113 points for you!

GregB

Sunday crew checking in

 It’s time to display the continued hard work from the Sunday crew .

I am up early this morning waiting on  the strains of “Grandad! Grandad ! “ as we have my best bud over for the weekend . So it’s a gentle early coffee while I process this weeks entries, before I am hit with the whirlwind . 

 

Yesterday my bud and I went to the ruins of the 900 year old Augustine Priory near us looking for and talking about history.  The remains  of the east window are still impressive nearly 500 years after Henry VIII and his  dissolution.

 Gisborough Priory from 1119 . It became  one of the richest monastic foundations in England. It had grants from the crown and bequests from the de Brus of Scotland - yes those Bruce’s . 

 The remains of the East window stands high over the town and can be seen from all around it . It’s rumoured the “Black Monk” can be seen crossing the site at certain times of the year , though that may be when alcohol has been taken .

Stone from the ruins lies all around - we had some in the garden 30 years ago.

We then got to revel in France having its derrière handed to it by Scotland in the 6 nations rugby . My voice may be a bit hoarse this morning after a 50-40 point game 😆

Scotland 50 , France 40 😎

 

Anyway that’s enough of my rambling - well apart from I have more Bolsheviks up my sleeves with luck this week .

To entertain you this weekend we have :- 

Matt has Wolves from Space

Mike has a bag of mixes

Adam is Horsey

Paul has something not brown , but grey 

Lee has his winter finished 

Ray had come over all Donnybrook - 

Phil has Paras 

And I am sure there will be more along in due course ! 

From DaveD - 1 Tachanka, 2 Tachanka (100 points)

This week sees some more mobile firepower in the form of Tachankas . On the WW1 eastern front , RCW and in the Back of Beyond the roads are often poor quality or virtually non existent. Likewise internal combustion vehicles are likely to have poor maintenance a lack of spares or just fuel . Just the thing to get around these issues of course is a horse drawn carriage - and let’s stick a Maxim on it . High speed manoeuvrability and Dakka Dakka . What’s not to like.

3 would of course be a better number , but 2 will do for now! 

28mm options seem fairly limited or overly expensive. Warbases have filled a nice little niche , offering the Tachanka as an MDF kit for £5  , then crew and horse as seperate items . I am not of fan of the Warbases horses so I have used Pendraken 28mm draft horses , which are nicely proportioned and have correct horse furniture . (link -draught-horses-red-h02) The warbases crew figures are little stumpy , but they work well enough on the carriages.

The MDF kit for the  carriage is neatly designed and goes together well enough in a short time . For the crew I had to take a file and knife to them to scrape off the shoulder boards as my Bolos don’t have those . 

These should provide my cavalry force with some decent firepower 

A bit of extra work was done to make some reins from garden twisty wire about 300mm folded in half this is fed  through a hole drilled  through the drivers hand and then the loose end attached with solder to the bridle at each side the the middle horse .The traces from the horse to the carriage are made from thin black card . I had an interesting delve into how the horse furniture and attachment were generally done , and most seemed to have leather rather than rope or chain that I could see so the black card looks to have done a decent job replicating it . 

My storage trays box for these is now completely full . So I guess that’s it for now . I do have a larger boat to complete , but not sure that will be this side of challenge end 

My Bolos army has 3 large battles coming up in our ongoing campaign, so wish em luck.

Points 

2 x 28 vehicles = 40

6 x 28mm crew = 30

6 x 28mm horses =30 

2 guns = 20 

***

More tremendous hobby engineering here Dave, and the subject is one of those bits of kit that are icnonic for a given period. You see these, and you immediately think "Russian Civil War". Well done. Also a nice touch that you touch the time to remove the shoulder boards from the crews, as of course those symbols of Imperialist oppression are just a no-go in the fight for the brave new future. 

I am sure they will look amazing in your approach game - but the only fate I will ever wish on Bolsheviks is to be mowed down in droves :)

A slight adjustment to the points calculation, as the guns and vehicles are together on this complicated little assemblage, but you still end up with a tidy 100 points - and a fitting cap to this incredible project!

GregB 

Sunday crew checking in

Here we go again , I am well on the mend following my bout of lurgy last week  . I have a fresh ground coffee in hand while I work my way through the Sunday crews endeavours , over 3000 points worth to entertain you .

 

Paul’s Production line is still producing 

Ray has taken wing and wants a second bite 

Tim’s Saxons are late 

Adam is building a Balkan park 

Darrell has his archers 

Graham and Ian have points bombes 

Lee abandons things 

Tim gets his teasers on

And more besides .

On a plus  I have finished my posting for this week and am cracking in with some extra stuff today .

We are well into the home straight for the challenge as we cross into March , so keep those brushes twirling people . 

Have a good one you lot .

From DaveD - Bolshevik Cavalry , Maxims and Infantry (135 points)

This week's offering is yet more addition to my growing Bolshevik army. Anyone would think this was supposed to be this years project - but it wasn’t. But hey ho. It’s got them done. Most of these only needed basing this week, good job as I have been floored with the lurgy over the weekend and early part of the week.

First up 6 lancers . I made the lances from a suitable gauge piano wire cut to length and the point created with a carborundum disc attached to the mini drill . These have had a little solder work done to make sure they are attached properly in hand - no superglue failures here , in some cases it is also tacked to the stirrup .Lancers without a means for them to keep hold of the the thing grinds my gears , so I have created the strap around the lance and then around the arm using some garden twisty wire strpped of its plastic covering. This wire is flexible and strong for its thickness, its  also nice and cheap.

And now with the rest of my 1st Cavalry Army 

I feel I want to double this at some point , but not for now.

I had previously made up a single tail pennant to add to some of the lances . So I thought a horseshoe with the number inside would do nicely. 

 

I have also designed a full standard for them 

 

Again these are Copplestone Castings 

Next up is a Maxim gun for the sailors .

Some thin brass rod snipped into small pieces and added  as spent cases 

Finally a last unit of infantry in the classic budenovka hat . 

So with the sailors it gives me 6 infantry units, 3 MGs, 18 cav, 2 field guns with transport and command, commisars etc . I have some slightly out of period other vehicles, which will do service for now until I replace with something more in line with the period in due course.

It’s also proving difficult to get them all in shot now 

Points - all 28mm

6 x Cav = 60

Infantry x 13 = 65

1 gun = 10

Total 135 

Just my newly arrived Tachankas to sort . 

***

More commie bolsheviks! It's like rats...there is never just a one or two...I expect nearly every Challenger will relate to your sentiments about how these figures were not intended to be a main effort for this edition of the Challenge, but it just sort of worked out that way. Those often end up being the best projects! I have certainly loved watching it come together, and the crammed-in group shots at the end just underline what a triumph it is. 

Some fantastic work on the lances and small conversions. I would never go near soldering gear myself (for reasons of public safety) but I totally relate to having that maddening feeling of a missing little bit for the kit - in this case, the rest for the lances. It's the little things in this little hobby of ours, right?

Well done Dave!

GregB