From ChristopherS: Confederate Cavalry (60 points)

This will be third submission to the challenge and my second cavalry. I painted a union cavalry and now I'm adding a confederate to keep pace with the union. I really would like to find a way to paint cavalry quicker, but how I prefer my models to look pretty much requires the same method every time. Something about old dogs and tricks comes to mind....

The figures are once again the very lively and characterful Sash and Saber range which are really fun to paint and make you hum a civil war tune as you go through the process.

The paints I used were mostly Foundry as they have been my go to brand for many years plus of course the ever trusty Vallejo line with some Mig pigments for weathering rocks and stuff.

I'm not sure what I'll paint next as I still need more cavalry and dismounted cavalry for ACW, but some of my other collections are really in need of some additions right now.

Thanks for viewing!

That's 6 mounted figures at 28mm for 60pts. 

Well, I'd say it is not really necessary to learn new tricks when you are so very good at the old ones, Christopher! These Confederate horsemen look absolutely stunning. The painting is immaculate, with the meticulous highlighting and shadowing, and the variety in the "uniforms" is really very, very nice. You may be slower than others, but your results are definitely worth the wait. 60 glorious points for you!

Martijn

From ChristopherS: Union Cavalry (60pts.)

 

Adding more ACW to my collection. I'm kind of reluctant to move to other periods at the moment as I really need to add some units to play some scenario's I have in mind. This is the first cavalry unit I've done for this collection as cavalry always lags behind with me.

Almost all my major collections are lacking in cavalry and that's because I really don't like painting horses with all the straps and flesh to cover not to mention the riders typically have more fiddly bits then infantry! However, this year I've decided to try and put my head down and get some finished so I can increase the scenario's to play.

The figures are from Old Glory Sash and Saber line which really pack some character which I tend to lean towards. They are not as big as Perry and certainly not Redoubt, but work great in their own units. The colors used were mostly Foundry paints with some Vallejo here and there.

Next up probably more ACW and cavalry, but I really never know if that will be the case.

Thanks for Viewing!

Miniatures- Sash and Saber

That's 6 28mm cavalry figures at 10pts. each for a total of 60pts.

Christopher

I sympathise with you, Christopher, I'm not too fond of painting horses either. But, I have to say that you did a great job on these! And very nice figures they are too, full of character. Great brushwork, neat painting and effective highlighting. I hope that they may feature in many a scenario. I'm looking forward to seeing more! 60 points it is.

Martijn

From PhilH: Way out west, writing the book on it (80 Points)

Western Studio

With an America-based project anchored in the mid 18th Century, when heading out west to settle and make one's fortune was more like 'west of the Appalachians'. These formidable mountains, stretching from Georgia to modern day Maine were a natural barrier between the British possessions along the coast. French claims to lands west of the Appalachians, and occupation of the 'forks of the Ohio' at Fort Duquesne in 1754 led to the French & Indian war.

Of course frontier lands held many perils to those scratching out a living there. So for the 'Western' studio, we have some poor souls whose living scratched out on the frontier came to a very unfortunate end. 

They are Sash & Saber 'civilian casualties' set. S&S aren’t as finely sculpted as the Brigade FIW range that form most of my collection, but they have a number of useful vignettes like this. 

Books Studio 

Sticking with the FIW project, the British Crown’s colonies need some specialised troops to defend the frontiers and take the fight to the dastardly French. Here is a group trained by the man himself, Robert Roger's infamous Rangers: yep, the man who wrote the book on frontier warfare: the 28 Rules of Ranging.

The rules were the result of Rogers' blend of Native American tactics and his own innovative combat techniques, ideas that were considered revolutionary by military standards of the time. Combined with intensive training and live fire exercises, these rules created a mobile, well trained force that was capable of living off the land around it in order to sustain itself for long periods of time.

These are 28mm Paul Hicks sculpts from Brigade Games range and form one Sharp Practice group and a leader on the larger base. The chap in the smock was painted before the Challenge.

Four prone miniatures on the vignette is 10 plus the Western studio is 30. 

Six Rangers for 30 plus the Books studio makes 50.

Totalling 80 Points and getting my fourth mark from the the blue security zone. And not quite done :-)

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A very sobering, but well-realised vignette, matched with a terrific squad of Rangers (Paul Hicks' stuff is so nice to work with). Wonderful brushwork, Phil. I look forward to your final gambit. :) 

- Curt

 

From PhilH: Clash of Beliefs at The Shrine (30 Points)

Thanks to Sarah's teleport, I can tick off the Shrine, with a couple of odd models for my French-Indian War project. First a Jesuit missionary for my French forces. Jesuits settled in "New France" in the colonies and among the Huron in the 1650s, to convert them to Catholicism. So he's a suitable 'holy man' support choice for Sharp Practice. With no experience in the wilderness of the Americas and only their faith to guide them, Jesuits ventured deep into the wilderness, largely unexplored by other Europeans at the time.

Accompanying him at the Shrine is a representatitve of traditional tribal beliefs and 'holy man' for my Iroquois, in this case a member of the enigmatic the False Face Society. These members of a medicinal society of the Iroquois wore carved and painted wooden masks and carried turtleshell rattles, used in healing rituals. A member chose the wood and carved the mask themselves, representing the power of Hadúi (literally: 'our grandfather, he who drives it away', reference to the legendary founder of the society).

Both are from Sash and Saber. Together, they depict two (of many) contrasting traditions of faith in the Americas during the early European colonisation.

Two 28mm models and the Chamber for 30 Points, and one last post from me to come!

From ScottM: A Balloon Ride to O'Grady's Gulch (64 Points)

A somewhat eclectic post this time. First off the last of my ladies will be chartering a balloon ride to O'Grady's Gulch.

This is from Sash & Saber's French & Indian Ward Female Civilians pack. 

Next up is a pack of Rebel Fleet Troopers. These are from Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars Legion.

I really like the Legion figs, they're nice evocative sculpts and are fun to paint. Now if only they'd do Imperial Navy Troopers and Mud Troopers...

And finally is this rocket bike from Bombshell Miniatures. This is a Barracuda rocket bike from the Lancer's faction for their Counterblast game.

So that should be:

Rebel troopers & Lady = 8 x 28mm foot figs = 40 points

Rocketbike = 1 x 28mm vehicle & rider = 25 points

For a total of 65 points

By Paul: Some great stuff here Scott - love the Rocketbike in particular. What a sweet ride!
I feel compelled to score it as cavalry vice a vehicle though, for a total of 50 points


Edited by TamsinP:
Star Wars Legion figures have been consistently scored as 40mm, so I've updated the spreadsheet and points in post title.

From ScottM: Flight to Awdry's Atoll (5 Points)

Having completed my last stop on the Path of the New Shiny, I'll be charting a ride on Sarah's Balloon to Awdry's Atoll. And here is my toll:

This 28mm fig comes from the same set of female civilians that I've used on my other balloon trips. This figure is from Sash & Saber's French & Indian War range.

So that should be: 1 x 28mm foot fig = 5 points

She is a great figure and you've done a fine job on her

From ScottM: Civilians at Rousell's Sandhill (50 points)

Having finished my journey to the Snow Lord's Peak, our heroes decide to wander down the Path of the New Shiny. Our first stop is at Rousell's Sandhill. Two of the figures in the set below are wearing floppy hats. I went with King William's War, the North American theater of the Nine Year's War. Conflict in this theater had France and England squaring off against each other. During this conflict, there were numerous raids against various settlements. One of those raids involved this group of figures.

In early 1690 a force of French and their Native American allies attacked the village of Schenectady in the New York colony. As the community was undefended, the civilians had to fend for themselves.

This group of figures (from left to right), John Godfrey, Williams Ballard, Robert Beaumont and Henry Peck were some of the village's defenders.

All but John Godfrey fell defending their homes and families from the rampaging French and Natives. Godfrey escaped the carnage and was able to reach the safety of the fort at Albany.

These figs are from Sash and Saber and are actually from their French and Indian War line.

So that should be: 4 28mm foot figs = 20 +30 (location bonus) = 50 points.

And our journey continues!

From DaveD - aah , more floppy hatted goodness - 50 points it is!

From ScottM: Flight to Snow Lord's Peak (5 Points)

Now that I've completed five spots on the island, we find our heroine boarding Sarah's Balloon for a ride to the Snow Lord's Peak and the ascent to it's frosty summit.

Not the best attire for exploring a snow covered mountain, but you might as well look at least classy. This figure is from Sash & Saber's French and Indian War line. Now what does the Snow Lord have in store?

So that should be: 1 x 28mm foot fig = a simple 5 points.

***
I really like all of the non-combatant type figures that everyone has been painting up this challenge, it is not something I have ever done a lot of and I might just have to remedy that soon.

While I agree that this may not be mountain attire, you have certainly done well with here. I really like the contrast of the deep red and the white apron(?), it makes for a great looking figure.

Great work on your second balloon trip Scott.

- ByronM

From ScotM: Sarah's Balloon trip to Fran's Fjord (35 Points)

Our heroine having outfoxed some terrifying ants has hired out Sarah's Balloon for a trip to Fran's Fjord. Here she is as she's about to board the balloon.

This fig is a female civilian from Sash & Saber's French and Indian War line. And that will complete the Sarah's Balloon location.

So that should be 1 x 28mm foot figure = 5 + 30 (for the location) = 35 points

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That's a very nice figure, Scott. I like her white apron and bonnet cover against the warm ochre tones of her dress. I really like Sash and Saber's Napoleonic range, but I wasn't aware that they offered civilians as well (information filed away for future use). 

Great work, Scott. Enjoy your flight to Fran's Fjord!

-Curt 

From GregB: 28mm Austrian Napoleonic Infantry - IR 38 (200 points)

The troops of Austrian Regiment IR 38 practice drill on the marchfeld in my kitchen...figures are 28mm.

The end of the current edition of the Painting Challenge is drawing near - fortunately my points target is in sight too! For this week, I figured I would march straight across the goal line in style, with a big unit of 28mm Austrian Napoleonic infantry. These figures are all from Sash & Saber, with the exception of the mounted officer, which is a Wargames Foundry casting.  The flags are from "Flag Dude".

A view down the line...

The Napoleonic setting is a gaming era which has not seen any attention from my paint brushes for a number of years now.  I last painted a few individually-based 28mm Austrian infantry officers for an incredible game of "Sharpe Practice" hosted by Curt back in 2016.  I can't remember the last time I added an actual unit to my Austrian forces. But when I found those SYW Grenzers that I had painted a couple weeks ago, I also spotted these fellows sitting in my unpainted-pile-of-shame.  They were all racked up, just waiting for a base coat before I got going on them...they have been sitting in that state since around 2012, I think.

All foot castings are from Sash & Saber, while the mounted officer is from Wargames Foundry.

A variety of different things motivated me to dig these guys out and get them painted.  Pardon the blather...but...you know...

The theme of this edition of the Painting Challenge, "Fellowship" had me reflecting on friendships and connections I have made over years. In fact, my Austrian Napoleonic collection is closely tied my friendship with Curt - when we first met (about 20 years ago) I was curious about Napoleonics, and he encouraged me to paint Austrians in the first place. I have fallen in love with gaming Austrians ever since.  My collection started out in 15mm back in 1999. Since then I have painted some in 6mm, and some more in 3mm. Of course I ultimately tipped into 28mm. Nine years ago, Curt inspired me to do up these 28mm units in a sort of "Grand Manner" style, and I started painting them in the summer of 2010 - the same summer I got married! In fact, Curt's wedding gift was magnificent command base featuring Archduke Charles himself :)

Love the different NCOs you get with Sash & Saber.

So my Napoleonic Austrians are a cool and fun part of my wargaming collection. But they are much more than that. While of course they are inanimate objects of plastic and metal, covered in paint, they are also alive in a way, at least to me - a real representation of my great friendship with Curt and Sarah and the many wonderful friendships and connections I have enjoyed through this hobby.  

Plus I suspect they practice drill when I'm not home...but anyway...

While it has been many years since Curt moved from Winnipeg, anytime I walk past my figure collection, I always see the 28mm Austrians, and I always think of Curt and Sarah, and wonder how they are doing.  And while of course anyone who has even casually followed either of our painting tracks will see that Curt and I wander all over the bloody place in terms of scales, periods, settings and projects, there is always something extra fun for us a Napoleonics game is taking place...and there have been a number of magnificent games over the years, too many to recount here.

These sculpts have great character - and good variations to break up the marching poses.

Anyway, when I spotted the Austrian figures in the pile, and I knew that Curt was coming to visit too - I thought it was all a sign from the hobby gods.  There was no way I could let an edition of the Painting Challenge based on "Fellowship" pass by an not add another unit to my 28mm Austrian collection, particularly one which had been waiting years for attention.  I knew it would never be ready for the actual theme submission, but just getting it done would be fine for me.  So here is IR 39 Herzog Ferdinand von Wuttermberg.

Another shot of the command figures...you can also spot the sapper, marching along with his comrades.

Of course, the Austrian units have to be larger, because they had bigger battalions, right? Hence the 40-figure size for the main Austrian battalions, to take on the 32-figure units in Curt's French collection (and Byron's, as he has started adding a unit here and there for the French as well). The models have 15mm of frontage, and so are packed in quite close.  The bases are 50mm deep, to allow for a little extra protection, and some depth for mounted officers to mix in with the foot-sloggers.

One more group photo...

I painted IR 38 for two reasons - first of all, they have pink facings, which is neat. There are few units in the horse & musket era which had pink facings, and I had always wanted to paint one up.  Second, the soldiers of this unit were raised from Wallonia, which is in modern-day Belgium (I think).  Back in the early 19th century this region was still a Hapsburg dominion, and so provided soldiers to the Holy Roman Emperor.  I believe the Austrians lost this territory following their defeat in 1809...but it is still a kind of interesting acknowledgement of the great diversity of soldiers that made up the Austrian army in the era.

My Austrian brigades wait for a call to action to resit the Corsican upstart...

In terms of points, this submission contains 38 infantry and a single mounted model, all in 28mm, which should get me 200 points, and a decisive stomp across my points target for this edition of the Challenge! It was great to paint some Napoleonics again.  In particular, it was fun to paint quite a few of these fellows while Curt was visiting! Staying up until all hours painting and chatting was great fun. 

I look forward to seeing them in action on the table some day soon - hopefully in another great Napoleonic game with Curt.  Cheers! 

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Ahh, the Kaiserlicks. The Napoleonic Wars were not quite Austria's last hurrah, but close. And there is something about the Austrian helmet that just works. Sash and Saber are very nice sculpts too.

Your darker colored unbleached wool and the clear white for the leatherwork is very nice.

200 points of pink incoming.