From SanderS: Visiting the Studios part 2 (139 points)

 Hoi,

Let's continue the journey through the amazing halls of the studio today with two more entries of stuff I really love: GI Joe and Star Wars!

 80's Hall!

As we enter the 80's hall I couldn't choose anything else than  GI Joe figures, they echo the 80's like nothing else to me. When reading this you must realise that back in those days trends took way longer to travel from the US to the Netherlands and thus it is that, even though I was born in 1980,  I consider myself a child of the 80's rather then the 90's.

 

While these figures might not be the most recognisable GI Joe figures they are really cool. The two vehicles and troopers in black are part of Destro's Iron Grenadier mercenary corps, who nominally worked for Cobra, but would (during the Cobra civil war) turn on their erstwhile allies. Now I know a lot of you might have no idea what I am going about so there are links to the relevant information pages at 3Djoes.com in the names of the figures.

The big vehicle below (one of the more weird designs) is called the D.E.M.O.N. and I will be honest the only reason it's here, just like the VTOL below, is because it is 3D printable.

 This VTOL is called the A.G.P. Anti Gravity Pod  

 These troopers are the Iron Grenadiers Destro's elite corps:

The troopers in orange and blue camouflage are Cobra Alley Vipers  the urban warfare specialists. These are produced by Footsore Miniatures USA 

All put together these chaps net me a nice amount of points 9 x 5 pts for the footsoldiers, 2 x 20 for the vehicles and 20 for the bonus location is 105 points

Next stop Casting Couch

For the casting couch, I just had to put in Yoda and Ahsoka from the Star Wars saga, most notably the Clone Wars cartoon series. Now I have long been a critic of everything not Original Trilogy, but the relentless badgering of one of my best friends and co-workers led me to finally get Disney+ and watch some of the series for myself. Needless to say I love Mando and The Book of Boba Fett, but most of the cartoons were surprisingly good too, especially the Clone Wars and the Bad Batch. 

 

 

These Star Wars Legion figures of Yoda and Ahsoka were just too good not to paint and I used them mainly as a way to experiment with all kinds of contrast paints and the like. Now I do think I went wrong with Yoda's skin tone but everything else I am pretty happy with.

SW Legion figures apparently go for 7 points each and together with the bonus that's another 34 points making this a grand total of 139 points for this weeks work. 

I will admit that I know nothing about the GI Joe milieu, apart from it's existence. However, you've done a great job painting up those figures and vehicles. Nice work on Yoda and Ahsoka too!

Tamsin

From BrettM: Tardis & Iron Grenadiers (50 points)

Moving along the planets we come to Skaro with an odd machine for a Doctor.

Got this from Reaper I believe several years ago.

Not very good on the trying text on each side but not bad if its a quick glance.

Next up is some Iron Grenadiers from GI Joe

Front view 

Pic of the back of the minis

Close up of them. Went with some grey over the black for highlights. 

Scoring wise not sure what the Tardis should be scored at. I assume 28mm fig. So total of 6 figures for 30 points and for landing on planet Skaro is another 20 points. Total entry 50 points I believe.

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Great work Brett! You can't get much more iconic than a Tardis for landing on Skaro. I also quite like the looks of those GI Joe Iron Grenadiers. I'm not familiar with the setting as it came a little after by time, but these fellas look the business. Sharp brushwork on the striped pauldrons, cuffs and their coal scuttle helmets. 

Well done!

- Curt

From SanderS and ArthurS - Helo to Snowlord's Peak! (120 pts)

Hoi,

"What have I gotten myself into?"I think as I let the Lad drag me up the side of the mountain. Perspiration thick on my brow and breath coming in rasps with each step, "I am getting too old for this nonsense for sure..." When we're halfway up the slope I spy something strange from the corner of my eye: a huge pink shape, topped with a floppy yellow hat and wearing something that for all the world looks like far too small budgiesmugglers, comes stumbling down at a full gallop while mumbling something about "Me playing an actual game? ME a game? PLAYING a game? A GAME?!".

My clog snatches a loose boulder and it's all I can do in catching Arthur's arm to prevent me getting an impromptu paragliding lesson without the most essential equipment. What folly is this of the Lad? Climbing this hellish Peak for treasure? Huh, he'll be in for it when we get home for sure.

At the top of the Peak, the Lad breaks loose from my grip and saunters up to a large blue monstrosity... The beast scares the becheesus out of me, but of course Arthur walks up to it undaunted and starts babbling at it as if he's feeding the ducks at the park. "You don't look thát mean. Why are you blue? Where's the treasure? Come on fess up Cookie-monster!"

Before the Lad can say some even dumber things I walk up and try to quieten things down. What happens next passes like if in a dream (well a nightmare tell the truth) but I end up walking back down the mountain in a daze with the dim notion of doing something GI Joe related in order to get at the good stuff. Almost at the foot of the slope the large pink man in floppy hat is squatting on some sort of sandbag in the shade of a large boulder stroking, I kid you not, a large badger! Arthur is all plans and rattling about doing some more cars and really getting on my nerves. They are frayed enough as it is.

<FLASH>

Somewhere in downtown Springfield the WHOP-WHOP-WHOP of a heavy chopper can be heard. The wind created by its blades blows newspapers down along as it sets down, the pilot gets out and walks up the road.

The chopper is clearly the Tomahawk, the GI Joe workhorse heavy lifter. Its pilot appears to be "Lift Ticket" in his recognisable red and green flightsuit. 

But appearances can deceive! It's not Lift Ticket! It's Zartan, the master of disguise! 

 Zartan is quickly followed by two of his Dreadnok companions Buzzer and Torch.

 

Torch

Buzzer

"Oi you lot, you can come out as well!" Zartan yells.

Out of the Chopper come two more Cobra specialists. The first, carrying a large red banner featuring the arms of Destro, is an Iron Grenadier officer. He's closely followed by a female officer of the Crimson Guard, Cobra commander's elite bodyguards.

 The Dreadnoks disappear only to re-emerge with a hot set of wheels, a true Roadster Battlecar in traditional Dreadnok colours of blue and burgundy as well as...

..their own trusty hogs.

Amidst a huge amount of thrown up dust and roaring of engines, pushed to the limits, they set off to do Cobra Commander's hideous work!

Well that was fun! Thanks Curt, I had some nice 80's Pulp stuff lying around needing an excuse to get painted. Specially the Tomahawk, who's a 3D print and has been on the workbench for nigh on 2 years now. The car is a toy car I let Arthur pimp up with some left over 40k parts. I bought him quite a lot of different coloured paints, but he keeps sticking to his trusted blue/ purple and red. The figures are a mixed lot. The foot figures of Zartan, Buzzer and Torch are resin figures done as part of a private initiative, I bought two sets since I knew I wanted to paint a bike-mounted version as well. The bikers are the Crooked Dice bikers with torso's from a second Dreadnok Set as well as Warlord Games Zombie game arms. The Iron Grenadier is from the stash of GI Joe specific figures I obtained long ago and the Crimson Guardswoman is really another Crooked Dice figure (Famke Janssen/ 007 anyone?) with an appropriate headswap.

If I did my maths correct that should amount to 40 pts for the 2 vehicles, 20 for the 2 mounted figures, 30 for the 6 foot figures and another 30 for Snowlords Peak.

Well dear Snowlord, does this qualify for passage over the Peak?  P.S. in a homage to the Great Blue one:

Sincere Regards Arthur and his way too Old Dad.

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Sander and Arthur, this is just fabulous and exactly the thing we all wanted to see for your Peak challenge. I really enjoyed reading your descriptions of the various models and appreciate all the effort you went through to recreate these characters and vehicles from Cobra. The chopper is an impressive piece of kit, and Arthur, that modified Roadster Battlecar is the absolute bomb, well done both of you!

As to your reward I think it would be churlish to award you only one prize, especially as this was a family team effort. So I'm delighted to give you Iannick's wonderful 'Halfling Mage Apprentice' AND Rob's charmingly whimsical 'Leprechaun'. 

Bravo to you both and many thanks for showing us all this wonderful GI Joe goodness (or badness as the case may be).

-Curt