From DallasE: Yellow Brick Road Trip in Sarah's Limo and a Land Raider! (75 points)

OK, entering the free-fire zone with my second-last post. The push is on, and that means squeezing the bonus locations!

First off I will take a ride in Lady Sarah's Limousine with this "Sister of Battle" from Manufaktura Miniatures. It's a 3D print I've painted as statuary to fit the theme of the old-school all-metal Adepta Sororitas army I'm building for Warhammer 40K.

The Manufaktura figures are superb but it has to be noted, mostly "NSFW"... I've chosen one here that fits my taste but many of their models are... explicit. So be aware of that if you search them on the Web or visit their site. I bought this one from a stockist on eBay so wasn't really aware of the nature of the range before I visited their website... thankfully not on a work computer :-)

The model is really exquisite, well sculpted and great print quality. Painting was a breeze of course, no "grisaille" or "Zorn palette" necessary. The pillar I did before - very flexible as the space on the top fits a standard 25mm round base so I have created statuary to fit many gaming themes.

Next we'll take a spin down the Yellow Brick Road with a "Cinema" model, and what better than a Propagandakompanie Kriegsberichter with his own movie camera and "PK" cufftitle.

This is a metal model from Warlord Games' Bolt Action range and painted up a treat. I painted him as an enlisted man with the early-war lemon yellow waffenfarbe, since according to Angolia and Schlicht's "Uniforms and Traditions of the German Army" the cufftitle (see previous photo) was likely discontinued when the PK-guys got their own grey waffenfarbe colour rather than piggybacking onto the signal-troops' colour. 

Im einsatz, making a TikTok of a passing Pzkpfw. 38(t).

Lastly for this post we have a real blast from the past, an original Land Raider with just a couple of modern updates. I acquired this model in a trade on the weekend, fixed the doors, primed it black and painted it earlier this week.

As we all know, this is the Ur-Land-Raider first produced by Games Workshop back in 1988 and made available for retail purchase in a box of two models, for 12.99GBP no less!! 

But remarkably, although I've been playing 40K myself since 1989 or so, I'd never owned an original Land Raider model, until now! 

As I said, this model came to me in a trade (along with a MK1 Rhino) and needed some work. A previous owner appears to have replaced the sponson lascannons, it had Forgeworld Iron Warriors doors, and a modern exhaust stack and dozer blade has supplanted the originals. Still and all, not bad for a nearly 35-year-old model. 

I started by removing the resin doors and replacing them with standard modern Land Raider doors, cut out a bit to accommodate the big hinge. I also stuck on some very cool Heresy-era eagles from a modern Age of Darkness vehicle sprue.

The 'Raider accompanied by Iron Warriors Siege Tyrant Terminators.

I also put together a new hatch with storm bolter. Fortunately the modern 40K parts fits this old model to a tee.

Alternatively, this 'Raider can be fielded with a pintle-mounted multi-melta. This one is from the Forgeworld pintle-mounted weapons set. Handy.

A bit better view of the door, decals and weathering here.

It was a really straightforward paintjob, although I regret not having any Modelmates/Dirty Down Rust Effect for the eagle. Once I get some more of it I'll tune that up. In any event it's a really cool model and will fit in well with my Iron Warriors 30K force.

Scoring:

28mm Sister of Battle statue    5pts

Lady Sarah's limo bonus         20pts

28mm PK-berichter                    5pts

Yellow Brick Road bonus        20pts

28mm Land Raider                    20pts

Pintle weapon and crewman        5pts

Grand Total:                             75pts

See you soon for one (or maybe two?) more!

JamesM: Moar Battlefleet Gothic! (44 points)

Hi folks,

As I enjoyed painting Battlefleet Gothic ships last week, I decided to keep on with some of the models I had at hand. Nothing to do with a wizened old man from Stoke telling me to keep painting what I'm enjoying... honest. 

Long range scout groups need logistics support to keep operating deep in unexplored space (and scenario games required objectives), so I painted up a couple of GW metal transport vessels along with a resin 'large transport'. I also completed another of my recovered 'Ork' cruisers and some Cobra Destroyers. 

I've stuck to the same paint scheme as the previous models, figuring these transports are Imperial Navy ones. 

The larger (light cruiser) sized vessel came via Ebay from a chap who makes his own kits. This one I went with all cargo modules - I have another in the paint queue that is armed and will be painted as a Rogue Trader. The smaller transports are original GW metal ships.  

Here we have the Imperial Navy 'Scout' Cruiser 'His Vengeance' and Cobra Destroyers from the 'Wrath of Saint Drusus' squadron. 'His Vengeance' is another hull retrieved from Ork hands, with a new resin prow added to the shortened plastic GW cruiser hull. This ship and it's sister ship were so badly damaged that I ended up turning the hull upside down to show the less damaged underside. This involved also turning the weapons batteries around and fitting a new bridge, dorsal weapons and a under prow lance. Stats wise I'd probably just count this as a Dauntless with prow lance weapon. The damage to the thrusters were also covered by extending the hull using a bit from a plastic cruiser bridge. 

The Cobras are original GW models, which I've ended up with an odd number of somehow. This squadron is named after one mentioned in the Rogue Trader RPG fluff.  

Expect GW to announce a re-release using a new scale some time soon (that's what normally happens to me). 

Points wise:

2 x small cruisers (15mm vehicle equivalent) = 16 points

7 x escorts sized ships (15mm gun equivalent) = 28 points

Total: 44 points

I've been enjoying the resurrected Battlefleet Gothic kit you've been putting together James.   As a surface navy gamer I appreciate that you've taken the time to include the all important transports which add considerably to scenario options.  Again the red/yellow mock rams are fantastic.  Well done.

From JamesM: Battlefleet Gothic (Babylon5) (60 points)

Hi folks,

Getting sucked in to painting for the Quadrant Map, I thought I'd have a bash at some Games Workshop 'Battlefleet Gothic' miniatures that have languished in my possession for around a decade. I'd gotten into this game when it was first released (back in the late 90s), and around 2007 I sold my original collection as I was doing nothing with it. I've then spent years regretting this decision and buying bits back. 

And done nothing with them. Until now!

This small patrol group originates from my interest in the Rogue Trader role playing game produced by Fantasy Flight Games. Within the Warhammer 40k setting for the roleplay game was a Imperial Naval force belonging to Battlefleet Calixis named 'Passage Watch 27-Est'. The standing force patrols the unexplored reaches of the Koronus expanse and guards the narrow safe route back to 'civilised' space. The force also has a secret role in guarding a warp gate to another distant part of the galaxy where an Imperial Crusade is being fought. 

This long standing detachment was often nicknamed 'Battlefleet Koronus', and attracted many of the ships not suited to 'traditional' Battlefleet tactics. I decided to paint up at least some of my imperial ships using the scant information available about this fleets paint scheme, and to add bits and bobs fitting their long range patrol and protection theme. 

This small painted patrol taskforce is led by the Dauntless Light Cruiser 'Aegis':

Painted with the red prow and yellow/gold trim of Battlefleet Calixis. Most of the artwork available seems to show a blueish hull colour, which I duplicated using 'French Mirage Blue'. This vessel is based on one featured within one of the RPG adventure books 'The Frozen Reaches' which sees the players coming to the aid of a forgotten Imperial colony under attack from Orks, supported by a single Imperial Navy ship.  

Serving alongside the Aegis in my small fleet is the 'Retribution' - an uncommon design of Imperial light cruiser. The mangled hull of this ship and several others were recovered from Ork pirates who had been using them for an unknown period of time. After the Orks were defeated, the hulked hulls were retrieved, cleansed and rebuilt in a fashion befitting the Omnissiah.  

The Adeptus Mechanicus rebuilt the four artificially shortened hulls with the 'Retribution' and her sister ship the 'Revenge' re-entering Imperial service after decades of work. The other two vessels were retrofitted differently. 

In true Battlefleet Calixis fashion these vessels were immediately assigned to Passage Watch 27-Est. Mainly due to the very traditionally minded admirals of Battlefleet Calixis having no idea what to do with these unusual ships.

A dedicated light carrier and long range patrol vessel, the Retribution comes equipped with a fighter and bomber wing. It carries extensive stores to allow for long deployments, and following its long service as a pirate vessel has a reputation for being able to sniff out other ships at long ranges and accelerate into action with uncommon zeal. It's wings of strike craft are the bane of many pirate groups, who's raider ships have no easy counter to them. 

Outside of own fluff for this model, this ship came to me as a rather poorly executed Ork terror ship conversion alongside three others. I stripped back the conversion work and equipped the shortened hulls with resin imperial style prows obtained via eBay. Orkish conversion work to the engines was corrected and repaired using cut up Chaos cruiser bridge parts to extend the hull and fill the gap. The result of this repair work is a rather portly looking 'heavy' light cruiser sized vessel - really just a shortened plastic Imperial cruiser. In game terms, I would find a light cruiser with similar stats (possibly launch bays and dorsal lances or weapons batteries) and just use those on the table top. 

The strike craft are actual BFG models, which I was lucky enough to obtain a few years ago. 

Escorting these larger vessels are four Sword class frigates detached from 'Triumph Squadron'. 

These escorts are original metal GW models - one of my favourite ships. I've gone for some blue and white detailing on their lower fin, just to mark out that they are part of the same squadron. 

I will unashamedly admit that these models are painted in a very basic fashion - lets call it retro - in keeping with the paint style at the time of their release. I may do a few more bits to detail up the engines in the future with heat effects, but for now I'm happy with how they look. I took a huge amount of pleasure from painting these, so much so that I have spent this week looking at 3d printed offerings and talking myself out of adding to a large collection I've yet to paint!

These models, being of a 'Space Opera' style with even the smallest ships being kilometers long and having crews in the tens of thousands, are submitted for the Babylon5 planet. 

Points wise, I think the larger vessels are equivalent size wise to a 15mm vehicle, while the frigates are roughly equivalent to a 15mm mounted figure or gun. As such:

2 x 15mm vehicles: 16 points

4 x 15mm artillery piece: 16 points

4 x 15mm infantry figure (for the bomber and fighter bases): 8 points

Total: 40 points, plus bonus 20 points for 60!

It has been a while since I've seen anything for Battlefleet Gothic (normally that's a cue for GW to rerelease it in a new edition and completely different scale isn't it).   Really like the colours that you gone with on these spaceships, the ram like prows in red piped in yellow are particularly nice.

From Barks: Lady adventuresses (20 points)

For my second trip in Sarah's Balloon, I've got some tautological lady adventuresses.

First I have two characters from Mansions of Madness. Ursula Downs is an explorer, and Daniela Reyes is a mechanic. I thought her chequered shirt came out OK.

Ursula Downs

Daniela Reyes

I also painted Leo Anderson. I gave him some grey around the temples.

Leo Anderson

Here they are with fellow investigator Norman Withers, painted earlier this Challenge.

On the Path of the Serpent

Second, I have Rogue Trader Neyam Shai Murad. This is a gorgeous plastic figure and was fun to paint. I particularly like the servo-skull reloading her six-shooter.

Rogue Trader Neyam Shai Murad

4x 28mm: 20 points

Sarah's Balloon: second trip

Skull-o-meter™: 2

Cumulative Skullz: 20


Wonderful stuff Barks.  Your MoM stuff is great and you are capturing these characters very nicely.  Also glad to see the Skullometer getting some use on the final figure.  But my go man you've several ballon rides worth of ladies here, why not pace yourself, spread them out thinner and get some better ballon mileage?
PeterD

From Barks: Trooper Chow, Imperial Army Burch's Bluffs (35 points)

Trooper Chow hears the news that the Emperor has slain Horus!*

"What a relief! An end to this period of dark grimness!"

I found this chap second-hand at CanCon last month. He is Trooper Chow from the original 1987 Imperial Army. It is fascinating to see how many design elements of '40K look' were locked in over thirty years ago- and also to see how quickly the standards of sculpting rose. The 'X' is, of course, for Challenge X.

Via Stuff of Legends

1x 28mm 5
Burch's Bluffs 30

Skull-o-meter™: 0... ++does not compute++

*Sorry, spoiler

Nice work on this chap, he looks ready for something, not sure of anything that happens after 1945

Martin

From IannickM : A Liche and a Curtgeld (30pts)

One last post, at the last minute as is my tradition! 

First off we have Nathum Crane, a Liche and the general of my Oldhammer undead army. I've always been a fan of Liches as ultimate evil vilain, ever since my early days of D&D (I lost a wizard to one of them bastard in 1992). The immortal undead wizard, rotting in the depth of his dungeon, just speaks to me! They are now my go to guy when I *really* want to scare the living shit of my RPG players, and it works everytime! Plus there's no emo or sentimental vibe going on here, just pure malicious evil, which is not something than be said about his his famous undead sibling, the Vampire!

The figure I used is once again an old figure from the late 80s, this time from Marauder Miniatures. It's a classic really and I'm sure most of the challenge's old timers recognize it. I went with a deep red to tie him with the rest of the army, adding details in a classic "poison green". He's going to look good commanding my hordes of bones! I also have a duel with Robert for the "sexiest undead painting in the challenge" or something like that, and I believe he will be my chosen hunk! I mean look at him, he's sexy AF!

And to finish my challenge in style I submit my Curtgeld. I really didn't know what to paint this year, until I read Curt's February post about his current Dark Heresy campaign. When I read about the debauched aristocrat I knew I had the perfect figure!

Look at this guy?! Doesn't he
scream debauched aristocrat?

The figure is from a small Kickstarter started by a fellow Oldhammerer. The goal of the KS was to create civilians for Rogue Trader skirmish games, which is a definite blind spot in GW's 40K offerings. The figures are lovely and have a definite Dune vibe, as well as Rogue Trader. There's also a debauched Lady to go along with him, which I will include unpainted in the package (Curt you are going to love her, trust me).

I painted him in the livery of yellow and red, as described by Curt. I figure the aristocrat would have a golden yellow coat rather than mustard, you know being the 1% sort! Apologies Curt, I just couldn't bring myself to chase his coat in white! I didn't do the base so that you may match the style with the rest of his troops.

Hopefully the aristocrat is not yet dead in your campaign, Curt, and will return later on in the campaign, so that you may use the figure! 

So...Curtgeld still worth 50pts? If so, then that's a 60pts to close my challenge. 

Once again, thanks for hosting this event! I didn't reach my objective but I had a lot of fun as usual. My other challenge keeps me busy, but I think I managed much better than last year to balance my time between two challenges. Cheers, and congrats to all the challengers!

________________________________

Oooh, what a brilliant brace of figures Iannick. That Liche truly is as sexy AF! (You know, I think it's the creepy staff. It's very slimming.) I LOVE the debauched atristo (and I NEED that link to this Kickstarter). Thanks so much! The fellow I wrote about has been duly ventilated BUT there are his family that the players have to contend with so this fellow will have a honoured place in the unfolding adventure. Thanks again Iannick.

As to points, I'm afraid Curtgeld is 20 bonus points, plus figure, so this entry will still log you in for tidy 30 points. 

- Curt