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: 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 JP: Border Reiver Family 28mm (75 points)

Some of you may recall that last season I painted up a Bastle House for Elizabethan era Border Reivers. Well, I didn't get a lot further during the year as I was distracted by other projects and a lengthy spate of ill health (the joys of ageing). But I remain keen on the project and each figure has become a labour of love. 

Flags of War puts superb detail on its castings. The fact that they are meant to be used individually also drives me to getting a--l retentive about detail (not a word from you Frederick C about that being my normal modus operandi!).

The key family characters are provided in mounted and foot format. As such, I am offering the following:

5 x Mounted = 50 points

5 x Foot        = 25 points

Total             = 75 points

Getting the lance and the crossbow to stay in place on the mounted figure was a real challenge and now I have to hope they won't pop off too often - it was too small to pin!

I am really chuffed with these chaps and more will follow!

Thanks for taking a gander :-)

_____________________________________________

Lovely work on these Reivers JP. As you say these castings from Flags of War are a real treat and you've done them justice here with your clean brushwork and excellent basing. I look forward to seeing more of this project from you in the future.

- Curt

From JP - From Highland to Lowland (75 Points)

So, I finished the last 6 Gordons for the Northwest Frontier, they were a bit easier as I focused on the feel rather than detail for the tartans. Thank you all for the advice, mucho appreciated.

If you're wondering why I painted 11 Gordons, it's because the piper will be purloined to accompany the army CinC.

As I sat there getting ready to paint Pathans next, my sights fell on a wooden box holding STL resin figures, a gift from my son-in-law at Christmas for my Border Reiver project. They are  by Flags of War and though I prefer metals, the temptation to assemble some of these was stronger than my willpower could resist... so many options to create with these fellows!

So... from Pathans to Borderers... hmmm

Points - trying to get this one right...

10 x 28mm figures    50 points

New Acquisitions      20 points

Total                          70 points

So, that's about it for now!

 

***

More NWF goodness, wearing kilts, no less! Excellent brushwork here once more JP. Reading your submission, I am certain many Challengers will a) appreciate the brushwork on those fantastic highlanders, and b) sympathize with your stated preference for metal figures, even as the 3D printed options continue to improve by leaps and bounds and c) recognize that "squirrel" feeling of suddenly hopping to another project!


You absolutely nailed the scoring, but I will arbitrarily add five bonus points because I love highlanders, and you should have some extra pay-off after the Tartan Torture getting that lot finished.

GregB

From PaulSS - 4th North Carolina Infantry Regiment (92 points)

Following on from last weeks Confederate firing line, another unit is ready to trade volleys with the blue bellies. This time it's the 4th North Carolina Infantry Regiment again using figures from the Crusader Miniatures range.

 

The standards are from Flags of War and represent the battle honours from 1862, many more battle honours were added before the surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865.

I've added a lot more butternut to this unit than my earlier units in this years challenge. I thought I needed a break from the greys, so we are about half and half with browns and greys in this unit.

I'm currently on vacation in Cornwall with Victoria so the usual photographic backdrop and lighting is back home, I don't seem to take good photos improvising with a chopping board on the coffee table in the old barn we rented. 

Eighteen 28mm figures and a pair of standards is 92 more points on the board.

American Civil War Duel Totalizer: 136 foot, 2 mounted, 4 horses (825pts)

Napoleonic Duel Totalizer: 8 foot, 2 mounted (100pts)

 

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Another week, another wonderful ACW unit from Paul SS. Great brushwork - even without your usual backdrop, the smooth colours we all associate with your brush skills are evident. I'm certainly impressed with these Crusader figures - do you rate them better than Perry stuff, or just different?

 

Well done - hope you enjoy vacation!

 

GregB

From PaulSS - 25th Virginia Infantry Regiment (92 points)

Todays' challenge entry is a firing line of Crusader Miniatures representing the 25th Virginia Infantry Regiment that saw service from 1861 to 1865.

The figures were picked up from North Star, while the standards are from Flags of War. Given the battle honours depicted on the battle flag I suspect that it represents the unit in 1864.

As all my Confederate infantry so far is from the Perry plastics it's pretty much entirely in the advancing or right shoulder shift poses, so a firing line adds some variety to the collection.

These really are lovely figures and I've already started another unit of them that I hope to be able to post next week.

I took a few pictures of the whole unit deployed in line, but for whatever reason they came out a bit blurry.

Eighteen 28mm figures and a pair of standards is 92 more points on the board and should see me passing my 1000 point target with just under a month to go.

American Civil War Duel Totalizer: 118 foot, 2 mounted, 4 horses (733pts)

Napoleonic Duel Totalizer: 8 foot, 2 mounted (100pts)

 

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Fantastic work as ever Paul. I just love firing line poses for units in the "black powder" era - I know marching figures are very common (maybe easier to base) and look great, but there is something excellent about the ranks of little figures looking they are ready to unleash a volley at their enemies on the table. 

 

Your brush work continues to be top-shelf - and in particular, with a Confederate unit, I am impressed with how you vary the uniforms of the individual soldiers, while still keeping an overall unified look for the soldiers. Great stuff. 

 

GregB