From StuartL - Estonian Legion - History & Sarah's Library Cart - 161 Points

Hello all,

One of the fun things about the challenge is that is encourages you to learn more about the subjects you are painting, and to actively go out and find new things. As my case in point for today, I have ended up researching an area of WW2 that I previously didn't know much about. 

In August 1942, the Wehrmacht created the Estonian Legion, a combat support formation of the Waffen-SS. It was originally formed of volunteers, and later augmented with some 700 men from the police forces. During this period, it was an active participant in many of the Nazi regimes crimes against humanity, particularly in the occupied areas of Belarus and Poland. 

    

As the military situation worsened in the East in 1943, the Germans began to conscript Estonian men into the legion and its numbers swelled up to about 6000. The Legion was moved away from police duties and started to see combat against Soviet forces. As things got even worse, the Germans organized a second round of drafts in '44. This time, the Prime Minister of Estonia, Juri Uluots endorsed the conscription. Seeing the possibility of a German defeat in the near future, Uluots thought that it would be a good idea to get as many guns into the hands of Estonian patriots as possible to help secure their independence once the Nazis were beaten. As a result 38,000 Estonians signed up. 

These minis are all from Warlord Games' old range of metal Waffen-SS figures. The detail on some of them isn't as crisp as it could be, but they're not too bad. The separate heads allow for some different poses and customization.

I bought a bunch of these figures years ago when Bolt Action first came out and still have a load more in my to-do pile. They are equipped with all sorts of gear, from SMG's to Assault Rifles to Panzerfausts. 

In total there are 21 models, but two of them are lying prone, so will only score 2.5 points each.

   

The late war German supply chain was a mess, so I have painted these guys up in a variety of camo patterns. Plane Tree, Oak Leaf and Pea Dot are the names of the patterns I was using. Some of the minis have a mix of patterns on them, which made the process way longer than it could have been. Still, they give a good impression of an army logistics department that is getting by by the skin of its teeth.

So, with the history section finished it is time to move on to Overdue and Returns. Sadly, these models are still Overdue and won't be putting in an appearance until 2024 I think. Still, I can hop onto Sarah's Library Cart and get over to the correct section. 

As is standard, I have a female mini to pay for the trip, a Minotauress, (Minotaurina? Lady Minotaur?). As I was already painting up one model, I grabbed a couple of companion figures for her from my collection and here we have the results. 

As with nearly all of my fantasy submissions, these are Reaper Bones minis. The two male Minotaurs are the older type with softer details, whereas the Minotauress in the centre is the newer type and is a lot higher quality. These models will find a home in the skirmish game I am working on.

The models were all started from a brown undercoat, with the various colours selectively brushed over the top followed by a sepia wash. A final highlight of the skin and cloth finished them off pretty quickly.

The models look quite slender, but they are actually quite large, as you can see from this comparison with the rather scared looking SS Grenadier.

So, the scores should be:

21x 28mm minis (2 prone) = 100 points

3x 40mm minis = 21 points

History Section = 20 points

Sarah's Library Cart = 20 points

TOTAL = 161 Points

For my duels:

Skulls +0 = 32 Skulls

Legions +100 = 140 Points

__________________________

Great work on these Estonians, Stuart. They provide an interesting, albeit grim, slice of their national history and an creative take on the 'legion' challenge. I like how you deftly created the mottled sense of their uniforms and kit that would be apparent during the unravelling, late-war period. The Minotaurs are very impressive and I like that Reaper provided a female version as well - not something you often see! Well done!

- Curt

From Paul O'G: A Snarl of Minotaurs (110 points)

I've been working on this entry since Christmas but its been slow going. In fact, its taken me a few years to collect these 12 old metal GW Minotaurs and its great to get this elite unit of Monstrous Infantry completed.

This massed metal Monster unit has quite some heft!

This phalanx of 12 Minotaurs is a brute shock unit - just the thing for my Beastman Army! Led by Taurox the Brass Bull, it includes a Doombull, a Bloodkine Champion, a Banner Bearer and 8 Minotaur warriors. In Warhammer terms thats around 1250 points - almost a whole army it itself. Wonderfully indulgent - cant wait to try it out on the table.

I submitted Taurox previously this challenge, so thats 11 big bad monsters at 10 points apiece for a total of 110.  That takes me across my challenge target for this season!

Is snarl the correct term for a group of minotaurs? A bellow, maybe? Regardless, these fantastic beasties look, ermm, fantastic...and beastly.

110 points added to your tally.

Tamsin

From Paul O'G: Taurox the Brass Bull (10 points)

One of my AHPC XI goals is to add Minotaurs to my Beastman army, starting with this character. His backstory is that he has some behavioural issues which incline him to the "spill blood and harvest skulls" end of the naughty spectrum.  As a result he has been blessed by Chaos with a brass hide to protect him while he indulges in said behaviour.*  He also goes by the nom de guerres of Slaughterhorn and Bloodbeast, which is probably why he doesn't get invited to many parties.

There is no official fig for this character so I used an old school metal GW Minotaur which I think is rather cool and is a whopping 60mm tall (not including his raised axe).  I worked the brass up through 3 different layers and washes, and then detailed his equipment to break it up, deliberately avoiding contrasts other than red - which I used in a few spots to bring it all together. Pretty happy with how it all came together in the end.

While he waits for some buddies to join him, I'll claim 10 points for my tally. He sports 2 skullz, and as I also think he is rather terrifying so I shall also claim him for the Pit of the Pendulum!

* If you want the long version of his backstory you can find it here:

https://warhammerfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Taurox

From ScottM: World War II Germans and Monsters (65 points)

My contribution this week is a collection of World War II early-war Germans and some monsters for Frostgrave. First up is a pair of MG34 light machinegun teams (4 figures). These metal figures are from Black Tree Design.

Next up is a pair of plastic Sd.Kfz 251/1 Hanomags from Warlord Games. These are nice, simple models.

And finally are the monsters. I'll end up using these for Frostgrave. All three figures are metal and are from Reaper Miniatures. From left to right: an Undead Troll, Cretus the Minotaur and a Giant Scarab Beetle.

So that should be 4 - 28mm infantry = 20 pts., 2 28mm vehicles = 30 pts. and 3 28mm monsters = 15 pts. For a grand total of 65 pts.

From Ray

Excellent brushwork Scott. That's quite a mix of figures too. Love the early war Germans, the Sd.Kfz 251's look pretty cool as well. The Monsters all look like they're gonna cause a bit of trouble, especially the beetle thingy!!! Top brushwork Sir!!!

As you worked out its 65 points!!!!