From JonathanO: Steam Knight - Knight's Solar (25 points)

 Another figure from the Empire of the Dead range.  This time it is the Steam Knight.

This comes with separate pieces for arms, claws and chimney.  It is a lovely model and very crisply cast as with all the Westwind miniatures.  I decided to use one of the resin bases instead of the slot base that came with the figure.  

As I mentioned in my last post, I have lots of figures from this range, mostly acquired during the EoTD Requiem Kickstarter.

For points:  5 for the miniature and another 20 for the location bonus.  It all helps!

Cheers,

Jonathan

From JonathanO: Professor Cavor - The Laboratory (25 points)

 The next stop on my rapid journey through Level 3 is the Laboratory.  This figure is from the Empire of The Dead range of Victorian Sci-Fi / Gothic Horror miniatures from Westwind Productions.  

Professor Cavor is trying to raise funds for his Moon expedition and is demonstrating his space suit and equipment.

I own a lot of the miniatures from this range.  If you have any interest in VSF / Gothic Horror, then I highly recommend the Empire of the Dead from Westwind.  

Another 5 points plus 20 for the location = 25 points, please.  

The total is edging towards my target, but there is still some way to go.  Will I make it to the Altar of the Snowlord in time for my final challenge in the Chambers of Challenge XI?

From JohnM - Holmes and Watson and an Imam! (15 Points)

These are the last of figures, I had prepped for last years Challenge. First up we have Holmes and Watson. The Holmes figure is pretty traditional but the Watson figure has a lot of strange equipment. Something to do with the Empire of the Dead ruleset, I presume, as the the figures are from Westwind.

Next up we have an Imam from Gripping Beast, I must of bought this for my SAGA Musselman warband. I like SAGA, but it has been difficult to get off the ground here in Boston. If I remember correctly my friend Nico in Montreal put together a Frankish warband, but we have had little opportunity to get together over the last year.

Well that clears the table for what I have prepared for this year's challenge. This includes some 18mm AB Napoleonics, 20mm Japanese and USMC forces for Chain of Command, a somewhat unusual warband for SAGA (can anyone guess) and maybe some Frostgrave figures (not really sure about the game yet, but I like the figures).

Nice looking 'dregs' John! As you say, Holmes looks great but Watson seems a bit bogged-down with a bewildering assortment of accouterments. I guess being Holmes' 'caddy' comes with the job.

I've always liked the elegant simplicity of that Imam figure and you've done a nice job on him.

These three figures will give you 15 points. Good work, now you can get out of the blocks with your new stuff!

From JohnM - The Inscrutable Tong & Minions (45 Points)

For my first submission to this year's Painting Challenge I decided to go with the leftovers from last year's Challenge. I had 12 figures primed that I never got around to painting. These are the first nine. They are of course from West Wind Productions Empire of the Dead line and are their Chinese Tong boxset with the Inscrutable Tong.

What is somewhat strange to me is that even though I clearly devote a couple of hours a day to wargaming, these are the first 28mm figures I have painted since last year's Challenge! It is amazing to me that my hobby time has so shifted from painting to wargaming and terrain planning. I do like painting but enjoy wargaming much more so it is all good.

 

 

The figures are very nice, but my painting is a little rough but at 12" they look OK. This set joins the Nemesis Criminals and the London Bobbies sets I have already painted from this line. I am not sure if I will ever get to play Empire of The Dead. There are at least a couple of people in my club who seem to regularly play In Her Majesty's Name which is quite similar.

Ah, it's good to have another one of the Challenge's Grognards back in the stirrups - welcome back John and welcome back to painting figures!

These figures have such great character and would be fabulous for many Pulp scenarios and, really, who can resist a character named 'The Inscrutable Tong'? Now you need a Chinese Junk or perhaps a Warlord's armoured train for them to inhabit.

The Inscrutable Tong and his Gang will give John 45 points. Well done!

From ScottB - 28mm Jeeves and Mortimer - Gentlemen with Shotguns - Empire of the Dead (10 Points)

To break up the slog that has been finishing 12 Riders of Rohan (nearly done now), I have been slipping the odd EotD figure into the painting queue... sometimes you just want to paint something different for a mo'...

So I have managed to get another couple of Empire of the Dead Gentlemen to add to my Sons of Empire Faction; the Pall Mall Patrons... I give you, Jeeves and Mortimer... seemed good names for a duo...

Here they are guarding the entrance to the Cemetery, with shotguns loaded..., one double barrel, the other pump action?

Shotguns are useful in the game as they ignore the terrain cover modifiers for shooting... oh, you're hiding behind that hedge? Boom! Ha Ha!

I only have two more Gents to paint up now... both with volleyguns :)

But they may have to wait... I am expecting delivery of another shipment of 54mm Gallipoli figures on Friday, and I have recently been reminded, the deadline for completion is actually the end of March! Eek!!

Back to Jeeves and Mortimer, and hopefully these two figure may see me reach my 600pt target, earlier than expected, thanks to the bonus points for the Bonus theme rounds... so I suppose I better add to my target... there's still points to come for the Comedic bonus round, and I hope (or need!) to get 20 more 54mm figures done for end of March, so lets bump the target up to 900pts and see if I can get near it!

Fingers crossed!


From Curt:

These are wonderful Scott. The fellow with the kilmarnock hat and matching scarf is quite dashing, but my favourite has to be the bowlered chap with his shotgun up and leaning into the anticipated kick.

Good luck on your next batch of PJ 54mm figures - I look forward to seeing them in the coming weeks!

From ScottB - Empire of the Dead - Gent, with 'Big Gun' (5 Points)

Another 28mm Empire of the Dead figure, from the WestWind Requiem kickstarter again, this time a Gent with "Big Gun"...

I believe this is another of those multiple barrelled VolleyGuns, capable of firing multiple shots at once. You don't want to be anywhere near when this thing goes off!

It could take down multiple wound heroes and monsters in a single blast!

And the models pose and styling is such that he may well still have a knife or light pistol concealed about his person too! Never hurts to be prepared!

He's definitely going to be a Membership part of my Gents faction... and I think I'll call him simply 'Sykes'.

From ScottB - 28mm Empire of the Dead - Nosferatu Faction - Thrall with 'Big Gun' (5 Points)

A recent return to Empire of the Dead gaming, having enjoyed painting up Baskerville earlier, has had me slotting a few extra models in the main painting queue...

One such extra is this Nosferatu Faction Thrall...

I kept the colour palette dark and drab as befits his sinister background.

Thrall with Gatling/Volleygun...

The eyes were a little tricky being right up against his face-concealing scarf/mask.

He is wielding an enormous Steampunk/VSF gun, that looks something like a ManPacked Gatling gun, or may be a Volleygun. Either way it can lay down some serious fire-power to assist and support the close combat orientated Nosferatu faction.

And if the action still gets a little too close to home for him...

... and big sword.

...he has a rather nicely slung sword and scabbard across his back...Drop the big gun, draw the sword, and we're in business!

I've got a similar big gun in the pipeline for my Gents faction, and am busy getting paint here there and everywhere on differing models... I've been dotting about a bit and not actually getting many completed... Must try harder!


From Curt:

That's a very cool figure Scott. I like the muted tones and the detailing on the sword/harness looks ace. 

I always wonder about the ammunition for these multi-barrelled BFGs - I would assume they would go through shells like nobody's business. Hmm, perhaps he forgot the ammo belt back in the coffin next to his eyeliner and foundation makeup? Well, good thing he brought a sword otherwise the boss would have a real fang to pick with him... ;)

I look forward to seeing the Gents faction!

From JohnM - When I Screw Up, I Screw Up (20 Points)

Way back in the first Challenge, I made what Curt called a "Uniform Malfunction". I am sure he will remember that I painted up some French Cuirassiers in green. I was absolutely sure that I was right as I was painting them, but somewhere along the line it was recognized that they had blue uniforms and they had to be repainted.

Well the similar error has just happened. I had been thinking long and hard about what I should submit as my entry price to this year's challenge. I wanted to do something different to show my appreciation to Curt for doing all this work (I also needed forgiveness for still not sending last year's price). I had received a bunch of Empire of the Dead Kickstarter figures from the Netherlands in December and in the collection was a number of figures that represent the Nemesis Criminals (of Sherlock Holmes that is) and one of them was of course "The Woman". I also have never painted a female figure for the challenge and I wanted to submit something for "Sarah's Prize"

A Scandal in Bohemia is of course one of the most famous of the cannon. The story starts with the famous line: To Sherlock Holmes she was always the woman. So who better to submit as my 'Curtgeld' than Irene Adler. Well I was painting the figure today, and I started to note some oddities, why was her hair straight, why were her fingernails so long, why was she holding a gun... It just did not fit, so I started to google and to my horror, I realized that the fellow who sold me the figures must of made some error... It is not Irene Adler, I was painting something called "Jade Dragon".

Well, I dug through the figures and alas no Irene!

So Curt, I present to you in somewhat a diminished fashion "A Woman" but not "The Woman", but still from what I understand a rogue..Jade Dragon.

From Curt:Not diminished at all! In fact with that wonderful back story it makes the figure that much the better.  In fact I think this is indeed Irene Adler, but cleverly disguised as a woman mysteriously called 'The Jade Dragon' in order to foil Holmes' famous abilities of detection (and man, those are some serious fingernails she has...).

Thank you so much John, it is very much appreciated!