I'm happy to announce that we have a spectacular lineup of sponsors
who've generously put forward prizes for the Painting Challenge.
I know I've said this many times before, prizes aren't necessary, but we all have to admit that they
do add a certain sparkle to an occasion.
At the end of the Challenge we will be
holding prize draws for those who've attained specific points thresholds. There
will be six thresholds, starting from 500 points and going up to 2500.
Threshold I = 500 points
Threshold II = 750 points
Threshold III = 1000 points
Threshold IV = 1500 points
Threshold V = 2000 points
Threshold VI = 2500 points
With this system we can provide a bit more fun than simply
giving out prizes to the top-scoring painters, as we recognize that not everyone
has the time, speed or stamina to churn out figures at the pace of those maniacal brush jockeys who seemingly never eat nor sleep.
So, without further ado, in alphabetical order, this year's Challenge sponsors are:
Barrage Miniatures
Barrage Miniatures specializes
in very high quality, exquisitely detailed vehicles, buildings and
warmats. I had the pleasure to visit Alf's workshop in Madrid last year and can attest to his near maniacal attention to detail and
customer service. In addition to his generous prize offerings Alf is
also giving a 10% discount to all Challengers who order from his store
during the event (please contact me to get the discount code). Thank you
very much Alf!
Comic Readers
Comic Readers
Comic Readers is our local game store here in Regina. Dana and Chad are wonderful pair of guys who do a great job supporting the local gaming community.
Deep-Cut Studios
Deep-Cut Studio is
an artisan studio specializing in manufacturing miniature and RPG games
accessories. They mainly focus on miniature games mats for various
wargames. Deep-Cut collaborates with companies looking to outsource
their manufacturing and/or handling the distribution of their products.
They provide a wide array of services: graphic design, drawings,
manufacturing, packaging and shipping the goods to the customer's
doorstep. I have several of their mats and can attest to their quality and excellent customer service.
The stock at Edwin King's wonderful online bookshop Diplomatist Books
is always worth a thoughtful perusal. You'll find titles on
Military & Naval History, Archaeology, Early History
and Exploration. Check out Edwin's Facebook page to keep up with his goings on.
Dragon's Den Games
Just 250km up the road from Regina is Saskatoon's Dragon's Den Games (it seems nuts but this is a relatively short distance in the Canadian prairies). Darren has been a long-time supporter of the Challenge and I'm delighted that he has once again offered to provide some lucky Challenger a gift certificate. Cheers Darren!
Fife & Drum / Minden Miniatures
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Jim Purky's Fife & Drum Miniatures,
whose wonderful 30mm figures focus on the American War of Independence,
was awarded 'Best Historical Miniatures Range of 2011' by the
Miniatures Page. Jim also has the excellent Minden Miniatures range, which focuses on the armies of the Seven Years War. Both ranges are sculpted by the very talented Richard Ansell.
Murawski Miniatures
Murawski Miniatures was
created to fill a niche for Napoleonic figure collectors who wanted a
comprehensive range that depicted troops from the Grand Duchy of Warsaw
as they were dressed and equipped in the 1812-1814 period. The “look” of
the figures is very much that of “in the field” rather than parade
ground (ideal for the Peninsular, 1813 campaigns etc) . Their figures have been designed with Czapska chords, plumes etc.
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A labour of love from fellow Challenger Mark Griffin, Orinoco Miniatures features
a wonderful range of 28mm castings depicting the South American Wars of
Independence (1810-1830) and the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay
(1932-1935).
SG2 Creations
Byron's SG2 Creations is
a Canadian-based studio specializing in MDF terrain, figure storage and
acrylic game markers. He continues to develop ranges
of buildings for 28mm Sci-Fi, 15mm Stalingrad and another in 20mm for
the WWII campaigns in Italy.
Warbases
Warbases
Martin and Diane Murray of 'Warbases' return this year to provide a gift certificate to some lucky individual from their excellent shop.
Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy
Fellow Challenger Guy Bowers, editor of 'Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy', has kindly offered a 1 year subscription as a prize to some lucky winner. Thanks very much Guy, much appreciated!
Kawe's Westfalia Miniatures combines
the talents of Niels Rullkoetter, Paul Hicks, Ebob, Frank Germershaus
and Bill Thornhill to build 28mm miniatures and 1/56 equipment that they
always wanted for their own collections. Their research comes
from Michael Bartling and many others.
Westwind Productions
Westwind Productions
The good folks over at Westwind Productions contacted me about being a prize sponsor after our own Challenger JonathanO gave us a shout-out. Thanks very much to both Westwind and Jonathan!
Again, a HUGE thank you to all our prize sponsors for their very generous support of the Painting Challenge.
Administrative Note: I sent out the Painting Challenge packages to everyone a few days ago, BUT if I inadvertently missed someone in amongst the flap and flurry please drop me a note and I'll get it sorted.
Next up: A short Q&A regarding this year's Painting Challenge.
