From JP - It's a Wrap!

From JP                         It's a wrap!

Well folks, I enjoyed participating this year and I look forwards to next year already. Thank you all for looking at my efforts and for your kind and encouraging words. As ever, I hardly know where the time went!

I'm a terrible photographer, but here's a little try at capturing the collection that grew from my brush. 

I wish you all well over the coming months. And many thanks to Curt, Martijn and everyone who made this possible!

From JP: Early Germans - big on Wrath and Violence! Abetted by stout lady hobbits... (100 points)

My Foundry Early Germans continue to fill my thoughts and my painting table and brought out an intensive effort this week. I suspect that by the end of the exercise I will have way more figs than I can use or need...  These are more of the character figures supplemented by war hounds to keep them company. It includes a foray into striped trousers, which I rarely try, but I had better get used to as Gauls will be the next project...

As I am running out of time , I dug into my trunk of unpainted figures and came up with this adventuring party of female hobbits, who should be enough to frighten off any troll... sadly, I can no longer recall the manufacturer. The firm started off in Germany and moved to Montreal. I bought a lovely 100 Years War Hobbit army from them and these were extra figures. They will get me into Violence and Wrath for my Teutonic Thunderers.

So, my tally is :

    6 x Germanic Warriors 25mm        30 points

    4 x War Dogs 25 mm                      10 points    (I have counted each as half a fig)

    4 Adventuring hobbit ladies           20 points

    Violence                                          20 points

    Wrath                                              20 points

    Total:                                             100 points

As ever, thank you for looking!         

  

Another great entry, JP! I absolutely love your meticulous painting and your choice of colours. The Germans are great, the striped trousers are very nicely done indeed and the complete base looks interesting and varied. A great addition to your army. The hobbits are little gems too, they sure are fantastic little models and another fabulous paint job. 100 points it is, then!

Martijn        

From JP: Dead Man's Chest Vignette - Ral Partha Legacy - Greed (55 points)

 Some of you may recall that last year I entered this vignette:

I am back this year with another Ral Partha Legacy vignette sculpted by Tom Meier. I just can't resist these throwbacks to my youth. This one is called Dead Man's Chest and I am using it as my Greed entry courtesy of the Sarah heroine.

For those of you who followed the adventures of Fineous Fingers in the early Dragon issues, this may ring a bell in terms of style and situation!

This was a sizable challenge for me in terms of detail,  choosing colours and patterns to give me what I hope does justice these wonderful figures.

I am claiming the following:

3 x 25mm figures                                                15

4 pillars and each pillar's quarter of the floor     20

Greed                                                                  20
                                                                            55 points

Martin, if you feel my claim for the pillars and their quarter of the base is too much, shave away!

Thanks for looking folks!

Oh yes, I remember last year's vignette very well. And this one is just as spectacular, JP! The vibrant colours really bring this piece to life, and the painting is immaculate as always. I love those pillars with the ranks twisted about them, and the treasure chest, and the floor details...  A great scenic vignette! I'll go along with your calculations, so 55 points it is. 

Martijn

From JP: Rattray's Sikhs and odds and ends (65 points)

These chaps started life as Jacob's Rifles for Maiwand -  that was the plan... But I found I was more interested in the Malakand Field Force and so they eventually morphed into Rattray's Sikhs, a distinguished unit. It just took a little fiddling with the paint job.

Along with them is the soon to be well known reporter fo the Portsmouth Funnel Times, Winston Jeremiah Eccles along with a couple of shifty Pathans (by Foundry)he has hired to keep him out of mischief.

So, a basic claim this week:

13 x 28mm figs =  65 points

They are destined for 'Sword and the Flame' and 'Triumph and Tragedy' games.

As ever, thanks for looking!

Nice work, JP! I had never heard of the  Malakand Field Force, but a quick Internet search brought some light in the darkness. Your models seem to suit these very well, and you have done a fine job with them. Compared to the traditional vibrant red coats, late 19th century troops can be a bit drab, but your painting has brought these to life. I love your War Correspondent! I wonder whether he will make it to Prime Minister some day... Well done, 65 points added!

Martijn

From JP: Border Reivers Continued and a touch of Heresy (80 points)

Happy Friday folks,

Pushing on with my Border Reivers, I present a dozen figures which includes a Sarah to get me to Heresy. My Heresy figure is a dour Preacher who believes in forceful conversion by the sword.

As ever, the figures are the lovely castings from Battle Flags and the angry mule (I am very partial to painting mules for some reason) is an Otherworld Miniatures.

I am therefore requesting:

12 x 28mm  figs   = 60

1 x Heresy            = 20

Total                     = 80

As ever - thanks for having a squiz and any comments/advice are welcome!!

Your border reivers look great, JP! I also like the angry priest, a great figure carrying a compelling argument for his beliefs. The children on their stick horses are quite delightful, as is the peddler with his backpack showing his wares. Another 80 points for you!

Martijn

From JP: Continuing the Early German Horde (110 Points)

 I have had the bug to build Early Germans and Marian Romans for a few years now. Various rule sets beckon (Infamy, Infamy and To The Strongest in particular - a long ways from WRG 2 that I cut my teeth on...). I painted some in last year's contest and again, things slowed, as ever.

Re-visiting my Early Germans, I realised that although I really like the Victrix figures, I miss the Foundry Copplestone Early Germans for their character, carving style and weight. When I was on the Isle of Wight earlier this year I ordered a batch of them from Wargames Foundry and I am trying to paint both brands of figs in parallel.  As I age, I keep going back to older style figures, memories or just becoming an old fart?

As I have a number of units without standards, picking up the Foundry standard bearers pack was logical, and lo and behold, there is a lovely figure appropriate for Dante's Lust in a pagan woody priapic way... 

So, I am offering up 18 figures (well, one is a touch more gruesome) as follows:

17 x Early Germans and a totem    :         85 points

1    x Marian Officer                      :            5 points

1 x Dante Lust                                :         20 points

Total                                                :       110 points

I thought of holding the totem back for Violence,  but hey, it's a ways off!

So, now to pics!

Victrix Figures

Victrix and Foundry 2nd from left - both left figures based as cavalry escorts

Foundry

Foundry standard bearers with some add ons.

The priapic pagan

Thanks for taking a peek !

Some very fine hairy Germans, JP! Yes, Foundry figures remain at the top of their class, don't they? I like how the skin came out,  the rather muted colour palette you used on those that wear clothes, and the effect on the hair. 

I would almost be tempted to say you drive a hard bargain for the Lust bonus, but actually I think the standard is rather suitable. So 110 points added to your tally!

Martijn

 

 

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 :-)

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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 - ACW Naval 1/1200 ships (55 Points)

I'm delighted to be back for my second competition. Thank you Curt for organising this. I am also delighted to learn that Martijn is only 30-45 minutes drive from me here in soggy Belgium! My painting continues to outstrip my actual gaming, though that was not the intent when I set out in the hobby over 50 years ago... on the other hand, I prefer my current paint jobs to what I produced back then...

Apologies for the haste of the entry - the photography is not great. I wanted something in for Christmas and time was running out. 

I call this my Limbo post, if Curt allows it. I have some 120+ ACW naval vessels and some 60 to paint still. Most models occupy a base of 50-75mm in length but the small vessels, which were numerous in the conflict, keep getting pushed to the back of the to do list in favour of the better known beasts. These vessels were often converted tugs or similar with a smoothbore plonked at each end.

And so I present the North Carolina Mosquito fleet of the Confederate States Navy - lovely models producedby Pithead Miniatures. Three of the vessels are 'normal' in size, while eight are on 35mm long bases. Assembly is fiddly at this scale and the bases need work, not to mention the name tags. The main challenge remains, as I posted last year, I think, in bringing them to life with enough detail and weathering to please the eye.

So, there are eleven Pithead 1/600 scale vessels:

3 x normal size      15 points

8 x small size         20 points

Limbo entry           20 points

Sub Total               55 points

Curt - please adjust as you see fit!

A closer up shot.

Thanks for taking a peek and now back to Christmas preparations!

Cheers,

JP

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First welcome back to the Challenge JP!

These are some great looking river craft. I especially like how you've done up the bases and provided the neat labeling - very trim and clean. I can't imagine how terrifying it would have been to be in these relatively light craft and having rifled artillery shooting at me. Yikes! 

55 points for your climb up the points ladder JP. Well done!

- Curt