From Mike W: 28mm Marian Wars figure, Tau Ge'Vesa [Lady Sarah's Library Cart, Biography] (52 Points)

 Real life has intervened this week, impacting my painting prodction line, resulting in me travelling for three days this week, leaving me with little time to paint and prepare this post.

Hopefully this means a bumper post next week as I get the backlog cleared but as a stop gap gere are a couple of figres that I have painted, photographed and written up for this post.

So first off this week, I submit a new female Tau, Ge'Vesa. She is a scout, armed with a Longshot Pulse Rifle and holding a device to enable her to control Drones on the battlefield. This figure is based upon a Wargames Atlantic 'Eisenkern Stormtroopers', with GW Tau weapons, comms device and arm pad added.

Female Tau Gue'Vesa with Longshot Pulse Rifle and hand held Drone Controller

Painted as per all the others in my rapidly expanding Tau Army.

Another view!

Lady Sarah's Trolley will transport me to the Biography section within the lilbrary and here we find a figure from the Elizabethan age - namely John de Quitfurd & Milntoun, a distant ancester of mine who participated in the Marrian Wars, siding against Mary Queen of Scots.

John de Quitfurd & Milntoun, he died in 1579

The figure shows John standing with his banner, waving his sword in the air to encourage his men! He is wearing plate armour, painted GW leadbelcher with an Army Painter watered down dark wash, the armour is highlighted with a bright silver.

The standard is based upon the Whitefoord coat of arms,
three diagonal black stripes with bushels of wheat on the wider, central stripe

Next week, not ready to be published this week is a return to some 28mm Medjai, last seen by myself in the AHPC XII Challenge - these will go in the DIY section of the library. Additionally there will be some more Tau, 10mm Scots at Flodden and maybe some Lizardmen....

Points

1 x 28mm Scots Noble                       5 Points

2  1 x Tau Figures @ 5 Pts ea      10  5 Points

Lady Sarah's Bonus                            20 Points

Biography Famous Person Bonus     20 Points

TOTAL                                                55  50 Points

Great work, Mike! Your T'au lady looks very impressive, I like the white and orange uniform. And the story about your famous ancestor is great too! A very personal addition to the Biography section (although I would have loved to learn more about him!) and that is fine. Also, your Ge'Vesa grants you a ride an Lady Sarah's cart. However, unless I am very much mistaken, there is only a single T'au figure, so the total comes to 50 very efficient points. I will throw in a couple of points for the nice hand-painted banner though. I am looking forward to the promised points bomb next week, and perhaps you can provide an updated map then as well!

Martijn

From Mike W - 28mm Elizabethan Irish Missile men (45 Points)

You may remember earlier in this challenge that I completed a number of Irish Dark Age / Elizabethan figures in an earlier post this year, with the promise of converting a few remaining figures to be musketeers. Here they are accompanied with a trio of archers.

The group of eight Irish missile men

These figures are all Gripping Beast plastics, the archers from their Dark Age set and the Musketeers from their Irish set.

Three Irish Archers, centre & left have cloaks to add to their Irishness!

With the Archers I added a couple of cloaks to the figures to make them look more Irish, additionally a couple of the heads were substituted

Three Irish Musketeers, figure on right has extensive changes to get him to old a musket!

With the musketeers I 'liberated' suitable arms and weapons from the Warlord Games ECW plastic set and then did some pretty basis conversion work to add these to the Gripping Beast figures. Some cutting away of parts of the Irish figures to receive the Warlord arms was required along with quite some filling on the shoulder joints. The use of cloaks to disguise the worst gaps helped a lot!

Two marching musketeers

All figures were undercoated white and then suitable rustic colours, largely citadel 'Bubonic Brown' were applied to give that typical Irish look, before completing basic colours with flesh, browns, greens, grey and metallics etc. Washes were applied according to base colours to add shading and some highlights were re-applied using base colours.

After a matt varnish, basing was completed in my usual manner with fine sand and electrostatic grass.

Another view of the last two musketeers

POINTS

8 x 28mm Foot Figures = (40 Points)

Lots of good conversions here, Mike, I am loving these 16thC irish (calling them Elizabethan doesn't quite seem right).  The two makes of plastics seem to have worked out nicely, and they certainly have the right look to them.  Have you checked out the Perry Irish from their WoR range?

I have a set of the GB plastics on order so would be curious to hear your opinion of them.  I've thrown in a few points for the scratch building on this post.

From Mike W - 28mm Irish Foot (Dark Age through Elizabethan) (120 Points, Squirrel, Caprica)

These figures are from the new Gripping Beast Dark Age plastic boxed set, that I acquired over the Xmas Holiday as a present. The aim is to paint these up to join my existing Irish collection, that I use for both Dark Ages / Medieval Saga type games and also allow these to be used in Elizabethan period games as well.

All 20 of the Irish Warriors

The Gripping Beast figures come 5 to a frame, with a selection of heads, weapons and shields.

Those in the know will spot that I have only built 20 of the 25 figures in the boxed set, there are two reasons for this...

The first five Irish Warriors, I've gone with the smaller shield option as this allows
me to use them in later periods, and I have stuck to a muted colour scheme. The guy with the raised axe is the only one I have equipped with a large shield.

First I only started on Monday with a frame of these as a tester, whilst in between other figures that I have on the workbench but I enjoyed making up these figures and painting them so much that on Tuesday I made-up and painted another five.

Wednesday evening  upped the ante and made 10 more figures before painting these and completing their washes and varnishing on Thursday. Almost a definition of a true squirrel project.

Cloaks are optional on figures, there are three per frame supplied with the set

Oh and for the second reason - I held back five figures as I want to model these with muskets and or cross-bows to give them a more specific Elizabethan usage.

The figures are virtually flash free and to add variety I used some other Gripping Beast heads and arms from the spares box.

I swapped around heads from the spares box, there is a Victrix Anglo-Dane head and a Gripping Beast Dark Ages Warrior head here. I also gave the guy wit the raised sword an arm from the Conquest Games Norman set - to give a better quality Sword for him to be waving around

All figures were undercoated white, I used a predominantly yellow ochre type colour scheme for these men - to fit in with others in my collection but added more colours in their additional layers of clothing and cloaks. 

All got a watered down black ink wash and a varnish before being based.

The last set of five figures in this batch.

A Squirrel Point is claimed for Irishness of the group in Dark Ages / Elizabethan times

I'll also claim a Bonus for visiting Caprica, the Irish were doomed as a fighting force against the overwhelming power of the invading Normans and English throughout this period.

POINTS

20 x 28mm Foot Figures = 100 Points

Caprica Bonus                 = 20 Points

TOTAL                             = 120 POINTS

I think we have now run out of Mike posts...and it's good to end on an up note.  I was curious about these plastic Irish and now I think I'll have to get a box or three.  They have come up nicely indeed.  For the Elizabethan era ones, I suggest adding arms from the Perry European Mercenaries or Light Cavalry from their WotR ranges.  

From MIke W - 22 x 28mm Elizabethan Irish Kerns (110 Points)

In today's post, I am 'show & telling', I am posting about a batch of Wargames Atlantic, plastic 28mm Irish Kerns. The set is marketed as Dark Ages / Medieval period figures but these generic fighting times remained largely unchanged in Ireland for centuries - thus I am calling them out as Elizabethans.

The completed batch

These figures are simple to build, coming as a frames of six figures which typically ae full torsos plus an arm. Thus when building these you just need to add a weapon arm, a head and a shield.

Another view

And another...

There are many other detailed parts to opt (or not) to apply to the figures, including cloaks, knives, swords etc. Once built I glued them to 20mm round bases and undercoated in white.

A close up of five of the little guys.

Overall a quick way to bulk out any Irish Army at a reasonable cost.

Five more

I used an old pot of Citadel Bubonic Brown for the distinctive ochre coloured dress that these guys wore and then added a random number of coloured jackets. Flash was then added and then spear-staff and Shields were coloured in.

Five more, the guy in the red jacket would likely be a higher status individual

When painting completed and mistakes rectified, I gave the skin areas a watered down Army Painter Flesh wash and then the rest of the figure a watered down Strong Tone wash.

Final close-up batch, seven figures with the leader in a cloak out front.

Figures were completed with a Matt varnish and the bases were covered with fine sand and electro-static grass.

How they started, I nearly forgot to take a photo -
so here undercoated and a couple with initial paint applied

POINTS 

22 x 28mm Foot Figures @ 5 Pts ea.  = 110 Points

-----

They look like handy fellows in a scrap! I like your choice of colourstoo

Cap'n W

From Mike W - 28mm Gallowglas Warriors (50 points)

As had hoped, I have now been able to complete a historical group of figures, although there are plenty of Fantasy figures still in the pipeline and about to be finished!

A bag of Gallowglas found hiding at the bottom of a drawer

I have returned with a small group of 10 x 28mm Irish Gallowglas miniatures, I missed these a couple of weeks back when I did a similar batch - the downside of having a metal pile kept in a drawer - you never find everything all at once...

I believe that these figures are from Reiver Miniatures and there are three poses, two in chain mail shirts and one in a padded coat.

The completed group of figures

I was going to do some head swaps to add a little variety, but I forgot and undercoated them before I remembered what I had planned, instead I moved one two handed swords from an archer figure and added  to one of the figures running with a lochinbar axe..

So as usual I undercoated these figures in white before using a generic 'Linen' colour to block in all the padded shirts - and under shirts for those in mail. 'Oily Steel' was used for the chainmail, helmets and sword blades before applying flesh colour to hands and legs and faces.

Three archers, I swapped out the big double handed sword on the middle figure

Various shades of hair were added and then leather straps, scabbards and quivers before going round all over again to correct any smudges and 'over painting'.

... and added it to the back of one of the charging figures, for dramatic effect!.

Again I used coloured inks from Army Painter to add definition - flesh tone on skin, Strong Tone on all other areas apart form the metal work, which had Dark Tone applied. All washes were watered done by about 50% to avoid staining the underlying paint.

Possibly my favourite pose of the three, a mailed warrior
with a double handed sword, ready to strike.

Matt varnish was applied when the inks were dry and then basing was done using fine sand and electrostatic grass.

POINTS

10 x 28mm Foot Figures @ 5 Pts ea.= 50 Points

"The merciless Macdonwald - 
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villainies of nature
Do swarm upon him - from the western Isles
Of kerns and galloglasses is supplied,
And fortune on his damned quarrel smiling
Showed like a rebel's whore."
(from Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth)

Great figures Mike and 50 points onto your tally.

Tamsin

From Mike W - 28mm Elizabethan Irish Kerns and Gallowglas (85 Points)

Today's post sees me flitting back to my Wargames Club's current project - Border Ruffians & Elizabethan Wars in Ireland to paint 15 x 28mm foot figures. I'm so shallow that any reason to change my focus from one project to another will likely distract me!

The Lot as it arrived from eBay

Seven of these little guys represent Gallowglas warriors whist another four represent Kern skirmishers and a final four represent a group of musketeers.

The finished figures

The figures were sourced from an eBay lot that I acquired over the summer but did not have time to paint at the time, three of the Gallowglas figures came without heads so I sent away for some resin Elizabethan heads and added these heads to these figures.

Four of the Gallowglas, all in mail shirts and wielding large axes

Interestingly, I did not realise that at this time the Gallowglas were typically Scots mercenaries that were used to stiffen the forces of the various Irish warlords. In fact in Irish Gaelic, 'Gallowglas' means Foreign Warrior! It was only that I picked up and flicked through a book on the subject that I found out and that was enough to divert me to do these little guys...

Rear view of three of the Gallowglas that have
additional two handed swords to play with...

The three Gallowglas figures who had head transplants!

The four kerns have a variety of weapons, typically javelins, although a couple have swords. The guy the red tunic would be of higher status.

The four Kerns armed with Javelins, Shields and Swords

Finally I have done four guys with muskets, these guys would have been better paid than regular Kerns and they would have spent their money on better clothes - as per the guy in the red cloak and breaches, or protective helmets etc.

The four musket armed figures with sexy hats, pants and cloak!

Most of these figures arrived undercoated black, I added my own white undercoat and then painted on the generic light brown / ochre coloured cloth. Oily Steel was applied for helmets and chainmail before flesh colour was added for bare skin areas.

Other detail was added as needed before applying coloured washes from Army Painted to add shading. This is a different approach to how I have painted other figures in the collection, where I used a simple Dark Tone wash or Dip to add the shading, I like the results - a brighter, seemingly cleaner resulting figure.

I have a box full of these Irish to do but they would be ineligible for the challenge as many are already pre painted - my task (one day) is to take them off their group bases, repaint to integrate with my existing collection and then put on to single bases.

One day...

POINTS

17 x 28mm Foot Figures @5 Pts Each = 75 Points

From Mike W [Hall or Traps] Irish Scallywags leading the good Father astray! 35 Points

This is my third Challenge (excluding the interim Lockdown Challenge last summer) and it feels good to be back! I hope everyone has stayed (and will stay) well and thanks again Curt for organising this diversion from the real world...

My topic for today and the initial one for this challenge, is a small vignette depicting two Irish Kerns leading a travelling priest astray, this is for the first chamber of the Challenge XI Dungeon - The Hall of Traps . The Priest is a Gripping Beast plastic monk from their Anglo-Danish set, whilst the Kerns are both form the Wargame Atlantic plastic 28mm set.

You'll likely see many more figures form these sets in coming posts during this challenge as I build upon my Anglo-Danish forces for my Hastings 1066 project and the ongoing Elizabethan Wars project we have going at my local Wargames Club.

So the premise of the vignette is that we have one kern directing the travelling priest off the well worn road to a position where the two scallywags will rob the priest of his golden cross and other religious artefacts.

L to R: Wargames Atlantic Irish Kerns, 1st is pointing the way.
2nd is encouraging the priest with a spear. Gripping Beast Priest

The priest is in a brown habit, with little of worth about him except his crucifix and holy staff, the kerns are in traditional 'ochre' type coloured garb.

Spear Armed Kern, before washes applied

As usual I have undercoated all figures in white then painted on (in this case) quite a lot f flesh and then their clothes before  detailing weapons, shields and belts etc.

Priest, pre-washes

All finished off with various coloured washes - which I'm currently experimenting with, and then varnished with a matt finish.

The other Scallywag - pre washes

So I used Flesh wash on all skin areas, cut 50/50 with water to tone down the pigment. On the priest's robe I used uncut brown wash, to help give the cloth a richer, darker feel and I used a brown wash cut 1/2 with water on the Kern's cloths to give a light brown shade. After washing the figures I applied a little base colour as highlights.

Final Vignette: Priest being diverted off the main track

Final Vignette: From another angle

Final Vignette: Priest has his 'bling' on view, encouraging the Scallywags!

Final Vignette: Priest trying to ignore the Kerns

Final Vignette: A Kern with spears behind you is never good....

Points:

3 x 28mm Figures @ 5 Points Each   = 15 Points

Hall of Traps Bonus                            = 20 Points

TOTAL 35 Points

From MikeW: Elizabethan Foot (60 Points)

Well, with the world going mad over the last few days its been hard to find time to do as much painting as I'd have liked. Work and the real world has intervened!

Elizabethan Firing Line

Needless to say I have eventually managed to get the next batch of these Elizabethans completed in the nick of time, 6 x Musketeers who can form a firing line and a command pack of 6 figures, that make up two command groups of officer, standard bearer and drummer.

Command Figures #1

First off are the Command figures, each set has been done with a flag that will be able be changed according to scenarios, so the flag actually slides off the pole and can be replaced by another as needed.

Command Figures #2

I envisage using these little guys in a Border Skirmish game, so they will eventually be given an English and a Scots flag each but I have not got to do these yet. The command figures are somewhat short on detail that you'd usually expect form a Foundry or Casting Room miniature, but they do paint up well.

Detail on three Musketeers

The firing line was fun to paint, all in different outfits but tied together with leather jacks, these are my favourite set to date.

More Musketeers

Not sure if I'll get time to do any more figures this Challenge, so I'll sign-off this post by saying thanks to everyone, especially Curt & the minions - enjoyed it hugely once again!


________________________________________________

Wonderful work on these Elizabethan foote, Mike. A great bunch for a 'Pikemen's Lament' scenario. As you say, the firelock poses, with their whacky swinefeathers, are excellent. I've not thought to take a look at the stuff from Casting Room, but it looks that they may have some figures that could work for my Malta project. Thanks for the inspiration!

If this is the last post from you this year then thank you for making Challenge X a success, Mike. I hope to see you out for our next edition.

-Curt