From TeemuL - Orc Arrer (5 Points)

Well, the challenge has almost ended and everybody is painting and posting, so I why wouldn't I join the club?

This is just something I had to try. I happened to get two of these not-so-old-but-probably-not-latest-one-either orc arrerz while buying some old orcs. How does a newer model looks when painted like an old one?

Well, old arrerz had chain or ring mail under their red cloth, but the new have studded leather and metal helmet. So the color choices were not that straight forward, I decided to paint the studded leather red to tie him more with the old fellows, it is little bit darker and shinier than the old cloth. I was trying to achieve a little bit worn leather, I'm not sure how it worked out.

I also run out of good old Goblin Green and the new paint is not as bright as that, may be I need to find new paints or try a second layer or something, but this guy is little bit darker than previous ones. He is little bit bigger, too, may be it explains the color as well?

I was thinking, that he might work as a captain, champion or something like that, but as you see from the last picture, he doesn't rank up nicely. The previous owner had glued him on to the base, not thinking that he needs to rank up nicely with old orcs... His head is touching the bow of the other orc, but otherwise he might find a home in an unit of these?

So one model, 5 points. Still little bit shy of my target...


From Curt:

Very cool Teemu. It's very interesting to see a comparison of the newer Orcs against the Oldhammer plastics. Wow, what a monster! And the brute doesn't even play nice with the other kids - it looks like you may be looking for some more of these so he has a unit of his own. :)

JamieM - 30k Salamander support teams and weapons (61 Points)

Having finally finished the 30 bolt gun wielding salamanders last week I was amazed with how much fun I found the other salamander stuff I decided to do as a reward to myself for finishing them. I decided that all the grunts needed some serious support, so here is the first of said support, a heavy weapons team.

In 30k all of the unit has to have the same weapon, even the sarge. The weapon I've chosen to arm these guys with is the Volkite Culverin. It's a particularly nasty weapon based on plasma technology that burns through its targets and is especially effective against infantry, chucking out 4 shots per weapon each turn. I blackened up the muzzles to represent the damage done by firing it and tried a relatively subtle warming of the coils along the gun using an orange shade.  I chose this weapon for a number of reasons:

1. It isn't available as a weapon in 40k (the tech has been lost) so it was a new thing for me

2. Hot plasma death seems to fit the salamander scheme

3. The gun looks cool with the ammo feed going round the back

4. My mate had ordered some from forgeworld a while ago that he wasn't going to use so I acquired them from him with the minimum of fuss

My only complaint is the pipes (painted in blue on my lads) that connect the gun to the ammo feed. I suspect the pipes are supposed to be individual, but the forgeworld casting has them with thin resin run off connecting them. I tried to cut this off, but the whole thing is so fine that the pipes started snapping. I then had the option of hurling the lot at the wall in poor-casting generated frustration, or deciding that they were cables more like scart leads and just paint them as such. I chose the latter option.... But it was a close run thing.

When I was a lad, I bought the "Epic scale" Space Marine boxed set and the thing I loved most was the way that instead of the single land raider that you would have in 40k, you needed a squadron of 3. Instead of one dreadnaught, you could have 4 or 5 to a squad. And I could afford it too. This was awesome to me. As it turned out, I spent far more time daydreaming about it than playing it, but when we decided to get into 30k, the thing that excited me most was the fact that dreadnaughts came in "talons" of up to three hulls, land raiders and predator tanks were bought in squadrons of up to three, etc. This was how we were going to play 30k, en masse and not worrying about "competitive" choices.

So please find the pictures for my first, hopefully of a few, dreadnaught talon.

Three dreadnaughts, who are essentially battle sarcophagi for near dead heroic marines once they've fallen on the field of battle. Whatever is left of the marine's physical body is kept alive in the dreadnaught and they can stride the battlefield in their new form, dealing death to the enemies of the Emperor and providing words of wisdom to their battle brothers. In the old days, the marines didn't need to be injured and the imperial guard even used dreadnaughts as they were exo-skeletons as opposed to sarcophagi, but I guess that's the difference between rogue trader and newer 40k......

Anyway, I digress. This first chap has a multi melta (great for burning through armour at short range) and a heavy flamer (great for roasting infantry at short range) as that seemed to fit the salamander theme. It's a standard dreadnaught with the front cut off and replaced with a venerable dreadnaught front and spare head from a contemptor class dreadnaught. I added some tusks from another warhammer kit to represent trophies from hunting salamanders on their home planet of Nocturne.

It's the first time I've tried weathering on vehicles having been inspired by some great weathering in your entries to the challenge and whilst I'm generally pleased, I think I went a little over the top! Oh well, it's all a learning experience.

The second chap has the same weapon load out, but is the newer style of dreadnaught front. A large piece of brass etch in the shape of the salamander badge, more trophies and he was away.

The third chap is a longer range support option as he has some twin linked auto cannons and a twin linked missile launcher. He had the same treatment as the first dread, with his front chopped off and converted using a venerable dreadnaught front piece, a jolly impressive trophy from a salamander and another contemptor head.

I think this puts me within fingertip distance of my revised 750 point target and I have another couple of things I'm trying to get completed so I can get there......

From Curt:

I really enjoyed reading this entry Jamie as it's obvious that you've really considered each and every unit and model in this force. The enthusiasm is infectious. I've always loved the the 'fluff' behind the 40K dreadnoughts (as you say they're basically walking sarcophagi) and have been consistently disappointed in how all that rich lore has been let down in the various editions of the rules (I guess I'm too much of a role player). That being said I really like how you've given each of these living machines a distinct character - it's wonderful stuff.

Well done!

From MichaelA - 10 Martian Grunts and Flaming Cows (55 points)

I have been desperate to get these miniatures finished before the end of the challenge and so I’m thrilled to finally present them here for your approval.  Mars Attacks, the miniatures game was to be my first dalliance into the wonderful world of crowd funding and proved to be a rather expensive introduction.  I was swept away with the excitement of it all and before I knew what I had done a large amount of plastic was winging its way towards ‘Awdry Towers’ where it has sat idly – until now!

These then are the Martian grunts that boast a wonderful array of weaponry, perfect for reducing the resistance of the human race to a smouldering pile of ashes.  With regards to the miniatures themselves, they are a good match for most 28mm miniatures and certainly had enough detail to keep my brush interested whilst painting.  What I didn’t enjoy were the mold lines and although I did remove some they proved too numerous to remove altogether.  Of course what they do have, to counter this mild irritation, are their own clear plastic helmets – what an inspired addition!

By way of target practice, I couldn’t resist painting up the flaming cows to accompany them.  Char-grilled steak on the hoof, this is actually a single piece of plastic, but fabulous fun and certainly better than the cardboard template that comes with the original game, now where did I put those big stompy robots?

Ack, Ack, Ack!

From Curt:

Haha, I was just wondering when these would make their appearance and here they are - how very cool, bravo. Even though they may have taken some work to get prepped, you obviously rose to the challenge, Michael, as they look terrific. As you say, the clear helmets are what really clinches these figures. 

Maybe it's my prairie boy upbringing but I somehow find the flaming cows oddly disturbing, but they were in the film so there you have it (and Michael, to your great credit, you've done a great job on them). 

Great work! Now, bring on the stompy robots!

AlanD - Curtgeld (60 Points)

Here's my Curtgeld. What a ride the Painting Challenge has been! I have loved being part of it, and seeing the creativity and imagination of people scattered around the world. Most of all, I have been very grateful for the huge amount of time Curt has put into making the Challenge work. Thanks Curt!

My antihero for Curt is Saladin, seen here in his court interrogating a Frankish prisoner. The seven figures are the Perry set of a Seljuk emir's court, but maybe Saladin's early life in Asia Minor meant that he adopted Seljuk customs. There are no surviving descriptions of Saladin's physical appearance, except the suggestion that he was not a big man, but rather frail with a neat beard. So anything goes, really.

The rug is painted freehand, based loosely on a design I saw in a book. Only Saladin and his 'throne' are actually attached to the base - the other figures have pegs and match up to holes drilled in the base to make it easier to post to Curt.

Hope you like it, Curt!


From Curt:

Oh wow, this is an amazing vignette Alan. Saladin is a fabulous submission, especially in light of your Saracen entries this year, and a brilliant antihero (though, as we know, to many he is a hero of the Crusader era). Your work is just superb, from the overall composition of the the scene to the beautiful hand-painted rug and shields. Just fantastic. Saladin has a space waiting for him in the Curtgeld cabinet, next to the other misunderstood heroes of history. 

Thanks so much Alan! 

From GregB - 30k Solar Auxilia Velataris Storm Section (50 points)

For the Emperor! Solar Auxilia Velataris Storm Section troops from Forge World

The end of the latest Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge approaches, so I am very pleased to get this project in under the wire - a final batch of Solar Auxilia figures from GW's Horus Heresy story. This is a Solar Auxilia Velataris Storm Section. The figures are 28mm from Forge World. These figures are slightly heavier Solar Auxilia troops, meant to provide some "oomph" to bolster the basic lasrifle troops.

The Storm Section poses for propaganda photos

The Velataris Storm Sections represent a slightly more elite level of Solar Auxilia soldier.  Their armour is a little bulkier, and their weapon selection is a little more bonkers.  This section is equipped with Volkite Chargers, a type of energy weapon that is moderately useful in the game but, more importantly, looks pretty cool. 

Rear photo showing the crazy back packs

In the game you have the option to equip these models with flamethrowers ( all of them - 10 flamethrowers - insane) or heavy "close combat" weapons.  I find the overuse of flame weapons to be an irritating feature of the 30k/40k setting, and I love the look of the Volkite guns so opting for these guys was a no-brainer for me.  The "close combat" versions of these models haven't been released yet but I assume someone at Forge World is working on them right now.

Two Storm Section troopers

I just love these sculpts - amazing work by Forge World

As with the regular Solar Auxilia troops, these sculpts are another figure design home run from Forge World - they look the part of sci-fi heavy infantry without being Space Marines, which is what the Solar Auxilia are supposed to be.  They maintain many of the neat little steam punk-ish/VSF features from the other sculpts, but the armour is a little more involved.  The helmet looks heavier, like a deep-sea welder, and there are larger armour plates on the knees, shins and forearms. 

Storm Section leader; hard to see in this blurry photo, but he is chomping on a cigar; a nice little character feature; if you are going to wander around the battlefields of the 30k setting with your helmet open, you might as well enjoy it

The command figure of this group looks like a bit of a nutter - helmet raised, chewing on a cigar!  He seems to enjoy his job.  When he runs into the Sons of Horus, I expect he will wish he had his helmet sealed, but I do like the look of the figure.

Rear view of the Section leader

There is also a vox-caster figure with this group, and I like the look of him very much - nice animation.  On the one hand it seems silly to have a communications system that would require him to open his helmet (?), but I love the animation, like he is ducking down behind cover to shout something along the lines of "We can't hold much longer..." before a Traitor Legion Marine heavy support squad renders them all to particles.

"Get us some help!!"

Great animation on this figure

These troops also have little lights on the shoulder section of their packs - a nice touch, although I wish they had not sculpted a grate over the bulb, as it would have been fun to add a lens effect there. Oh well - a small quibble.  Overall, I love these figures.

Two more Velatarii

You can see the grenades hanging from their belts - lovely details on this sculpt

With this section finished, my first Solar Auxilia "Tercio" is completed - 50 troops in all, two 20-man lasrifle sections and this 10-man storm section.  I'm feeling very pleased to have this bunch completed - the figures arrived in December 2014 so that is not too bad in terms of turnaround time.

My first Solar Auxilia Tercio - sorry about the crap photo, but that's iPhones for you...

This group of 10 figures should net me 50 points.  Unfortunately I'm still a ways away from my own revised target, much less the crazy leaders of this gang, but hopefully I can get one or two more entries in before this race is over!


From Curt:

Wow, these guys are awesome Greg! As you say, the incremental up-armouring of these models is very well done - they definitely look to be a heavier version of the regular Solar Auxilia yet without going into 'sacred' Space Marine territory. Again, your choice to go with bronze for their plating is excellent as it reinforces the slightly baroque, steam-punky design of their armour.  Lovely stuff.

I definitely want to run with these guys when we get our next 30K game in. Dibs!!

From RayR - Napoleonic Prince Regent's Hussars (48pts)

All work and no play make Ray really pi$$ed off! So this weekend I hit the brush hard, harder than I've done for the whole of the Challenge! Which is why this is only my 3rd entry proper!! I got the little devils painted up for the Rejects Emperor, von Postie himself.

They are the final unit he needed painting up for his Waterloo English Allies, these are The Prince Regents Hussars. Now trying to find any info about these boys was extreeeemly difficult! But I managed to dig this out... They were raised in Luneburg in 1813 as Estorffs Hussars or the Luneberg Hussars in the rebuilt Hanoverian army. But soon became known as the Prince Regents Hussars. They had several uniform changes, the one depicted is the uniform best guessed to have been worn at the time of Waterloo.

The figures are from Essex Miniature, but I'm not sure which models??

From Curt:

Whoa Ray, this is a bit of a change for you, isn't it? I don't think I recall you ever doing Napoleonics before. Nonetheless, these are really beautifully done. Prince Regent's Hussars? How wonderfully oddball. I really like their red pelisse and the brown busbies just top it off nicely. 

I assume from this that Postie is planning a suitably huge Waterloo game this spring. I'll keep an eye out to see what develops on your blog.

Lovely work Ray!

From Kawe - Camel Cannon! (17 Points)

Not much to say but - poor camel. :--)
These are from the first KS I've ever hosted and the army will be ready very soon.

From Curt - More Pulp Adventurers (20 Points)

I ran a Strange Aeons scenario for some of the Conscript lads last week. I based the game on a seemingly derelict whaling ship. The title of the adventure was: 

'The Mysterious Occurrences & Strange Events on the Whaling Ship Pequodrangle'

The boys really got into the spirit of the game which goes a loooong way in scenarios like this and so we all had a real hoot. 

To make things a bit simpler, and to  get the game off the ground quicker, I decided to make up characters for each of the players beforehand, playing to their personalities, backgrounds and sense of humour. Manus 'Mug' MaEoghan, who I profiled last week, was created for Dallas who I suspected would enjoy 'Mug's' psychic abilities and his quirky IRA background. 

For Greg I decided to give him a manic guns 'n bombs team as I knew he'd appreciate the mayhem they could cause on the table. So without further ado, here is 'Team UK'.

First up is the leader of the team, Major Sir Humphrey Birch aka 'Bark', Scots Guards, DSC and Bar, MC, ret. Sir Humphrey has been seconded to the League of Nations League to represent His Majesties' desire to have the United Kingdom play a leading role in the secret war against the Cthonic threat. 'Bark' has a long history of leading men in combat and is no shrinking violet when it comes to horrific missions. He is armed with his trusty Lewis Gun, 'Der Kaiser', which is always at his side during operations and with which he is very proficient. Figure from Artizan Designs.

Sir Bark's batman is Fagan McBride aka 'McBoom' who is the team's demolitions 'expert'. 'McBoom' lost most of his face in a botched bomb disposal attempt and so often wears a gasmask to hide his visage. We see him here hauling a jury-rigged fuel bomb to help confound the enemy. 'Don't trip McBoom!' Figure from Musketeer (now Footsore Miniatures) Inter-War range.

The third member of Sir Humphrey's team is James 'Jock' Campbell. A past member of the Scots Guards 'Jock' is a large, very dim-witted man (yes, it takes one to know one) but has one redeeming quality: he is quite proficient at using a wide variety of very large weapons, his current favourite being a Boys anti-tank rifle, which, as as a testament to his strength, he can fire from the hip. Indeed, nothing ruins a Mi-Go's day like a wee .55 anti-tank round through the brain-case. Casting from Pulp Figures.

The last figure is actually not from the game but a new addition to the League. This is Christopher 'Crash' Higgins, big game hunter and private detective. Miniature from Pulp Figures. 

 

Here are a few shots of the same scenario I ran previously for the guys at home. Please excuse the crap iPhone photos, but you can get an idea of the wonderful ship mats from Deep Cut Studios. Great stuff. 

The teams come aboard and go into overwatch (denoted by the yellow markers)

A team opens the Captain's cabin door and finds... a Formless Spawn. Note the red 'Oh Sh*t' exclamation mark...

Here you can see two of the decks on the table. There were three in total.

Zombies attempt to overwhelm and feed on one of the the adventurers.

Action in the middle deck. Blood spatters mark where action has occurred. The yellow 'WTF?' question mark denotes a place of mystery.