From TeemuL: AHPC XVI Wrap-up

It took longer than I thought to get this wrap-up post published, but other life has been busy - post poning everything during the Challenge has a price. :) Cleverly I had stored all the painted minis in one spot, so it was easy to gather them all.

I had a high goal, mainly based on the number of AHPC, and when I have usually gathered quite a lot of bonus points, the return of the theme rounds caused a slight drop on my points. But like others have said, the new system is less stressful, although it has fixed dates and the posts are on different blog area. There are pros and cons, I'm happy with either.

Being mostly a painter and not a gamer nowadays helps squirrel hunting and once again I made nice effort on that duel and finished third. To be able to win the squirrel hunt is not really possible, I should be able to paint a lot more to gather enough 25 point squirrels, but it is still fun. Especially, when there are not really any gaming related needs to get specific minis painted. Squirrel hunting and "maps" overlap a little bit, they sometimes work nice together, sometimes not. It might be easier to have just one of them? But like I said, I'm happy with both and even my metal level Resistance entry is just to humour people. :)

In addition of hunting squirrels I hunted quite a lot of skulls, finishing third in that duel, too. I managed to be on first position briefly after painting Nagash and Warmaster Undeads, but in the end I run out of skulls. Or I focused on squirrels. Or just finishing primed minis. Like squirrel hunting, I have participated Skull Duel many times, usually making a good effort, but never really thought to actually win it. If there is Shako Duel next year, I'll participate in that, too, but most likely won't be close to win it.

Next some close ups of the output:

Warhammer 40K with British Napoleonics. It was nice to finish a whole unit of Nappies and start my Eldar force. Old Chaos Dreadnought was nice to paint, too!

Here we have fantasy minis with cowboys, the Slayers were a pleasure to paint and the generic fantasy/history minis are nice addition to my collection.

Creatures from Middle-Earth and Glorantha, I hoped to paint more of LotR, but collecting squirrels was fun, too.

Start of another Delmonteland force for Insurgency Wars and storage pots.

I guess this is the history section, ancients and WW2.

Arabian Nights Dogfights, third one would have meant a squirrel! :)

Here's a bonus photo from Helsinki Design Museum I visited on Tuesday. Some inspiration for all who hand paint the shields, this is from 1800s, probably seremonial.

Thank you Curt and Sarah, all the minions and other participants! It was nice to read your posts and look at your painted minis, thank you for all the comments, I should have commented more, but quite often I browsed your entries on phone and it is just not that easy to write on that thing. See You in December!

From GavinB: Wrapping up the AHPC 16

I can not believe that the challenge is already over. unfortunately I hate that I had lost my painting mojo during these few months, and I really wish I could have painted a LOT more, but I guess life gets in the way sometimes. It was still great to see what everyone else was up too and I really hope I can find my mojo by December, when I'm in high school. So I can sign up for this wonderful challenge again!

The Collection Grows...

Thanks Curt, Sarah and all the minions for putting this event on. Can not wait to see what everyone does next year!

Happy Painting,
Gavin B

The Day the Old Man Music Died - Challenge XVI Wrap-Up from Dallas

So that's another Painting Challenge in the books. You can see the production from me in the photo above. I never get as much done as I want/hope to, but I did meet my (admittedly modest) target.


ALSO - I'm heading to the UK for Salute next month, and want to extend an invitation to other Challenge participants to meet up at (or after) the show on 11 April. If you're interested please send me an email at dgewen (at) hotmail.com. Thanks!

The main project I wanted to start in this Challenge is Little Bighorn. I got 10 Plains warriors (from Foundry) and almost a dozen dismounted US Seventh Cavalry (also mostly from Foundry) painted, but as with all painting plans, I quickly got distracted...

  

...by painting a Chaos Blood Bowl team...

...and more significantly, by starting a Khorne Berzerkers army for 40K! Here are some of the said Berzerkers.

And here are two big hunks of metal - a Chaos Lord on Juggernaut and a Dreadnought. I really enjoyed painting these.

Lastly for the force, I painted five Bloodletters to bring the unit up to Khorne's "magic number," eight.

Here's a downed Imperial pilot and grave marker from the late, lamented chaostemple.cz.

An Imperial Commissar from Victoria Miniatures with a converted Ork Kommando, and a Predator for my Sisters of Battle army.

A couple of rovers for the Lunar game.

A dug-in Panther tank for Bolt Action, from Warlord Games.

Here I am!

And lastly, it wouldn't be a Challenge post from me without some old man music...

Pukka Orchestra - Listen to the Radio

Lately I've been listening to a lot of Canadian New Wave from the 1980s and this is one of the best. The song was written by Tom Robinson and Peter Gabriel and recorded by Robinson... but I think this Pukka Orchestra version from 1984 is superior. The band was formed in Toronto in 1979, and the name came from founding member Tony Duggan-Smith's "extremely English" grandfather who had been the harbourmaster of Calcutta... when Tony told him he was playing music for a living, he was told "that's all very nice Tony, but don't bother with any mediocre bands, get yourself into a pukka orchestra." The band performed regularly in Toronto's Queen West club scene, released a couple albums, and won a CASBY award for "most promising group." Unfortunately they had some significant setbacks in the late '80s when their label (Solid Gold) went bankrupt and vocalist/guitarist Graeme Williamson fell ill in Scotland and had to have a kidney transplant! But this song is a great piece of music from the New Wave of the '80s.

So thanks to my Monday crew, the other Minions, and of course Mr Curt and Lady Sarah for all their work in the Challenge... see you at the afterparty!

Dallas

From StuartL - Challenge XVI Wrap Up

Hi all,

    Well, that is another challenge over and done with, and for once, I took it easy on myself. I finished in 24th place overall, came second in the Squirrel hunt and fourth in the Skull duel. 

    From the outset of the challenge, I knew that this year would be a quiet year for me. I set a modest goal of 1000 points and beat it by a small margin. I could probably have done more, but recent events in my life have shown me that I need to manage my stress levels, and spending every hour at my painting desk frantically highlighting skulls isn't the best way to do that. I do find painting relaxing, but there is a limit to how much enjoyment I get from it. I think I did well this year in finding the fun in getting stuff done, without burning myself out. In previous years, I have avoided my hobby room for weeks after the challenge finished, but this year, I have been painting (slowly) in the days since we passed the finish line.

    In terms of my output, I was happy with what I got done. I made progress on a bunch of projects and even started off a couple of new ones. I was able to enter something in all three of the bonus rounds, and gave a good accounting of myself in the duels I entered.

    Looking back over the challenge, I was a little disappointed at first that we didn't have the maps and bonuses from previous years, but I realise that not having them made it easier for me to relax and to enjoy the painting process a lot more. I certainly wouldn't mind if they made a comeback in the future, but I found the system easier to manage this year.

    A big thank you to Curt for organising this event, to Millsy for his minioning of my posts, and to everyone who commented on my entries. Thank you. You are what makes the AHPC such a joy every year. 

    So, that is it from me, I am already looking forwards to AHPC 17. See you all then!

From BartekR: A short wrap up for a short season

Greeting (again) from Kyiv - a city glad to have gotten out of winter. 

So, challenge 16, and my fourth: two miniatures painted and barely one-tenth of my target hit, but its not all bad. So, borrowing from Signore Leone, a quick 'the Good, the Bad and the Ugly' wrap-up (albeit out of title order). 

The Bad: Well, not really bad just a bit short of target...see note on two posts and only 1/10th of the point target hit! :-) I should know by now that going in with a loose sketch of a plan and being completely sidetracked is also a bit of a me thing.

They're not lonely, just unique: Challenge 16 in a nutshell

The Ugly: February and March fell into painting hiatus as "other issues" took precedence (I didn't look at the posts through most of that time so am going to play catchup over the next few weeks). 

I did have a final spurt but missed the 21 March deadline , which is probably my greatest disappointment (managed to finish them over this last weekend). Okay - its an indulgence sneaking in new minis post deadline...in my defence its not for the points and breaks up the text.

They're figures from the 3rd edition of the boardgame Haunting of the House on the Hill, including a IT 2 movie-themed expansion, the draw being Pennywise (in creepy clown and a WTF creepier clown spider form). Like any sane person, I do not like creepy clowns but fun to do. 

The Good: Getting painting done while in Kyiv has been interesting - including finding the local miniatures shops (a lot of Games Workshop on the shelves). Between the local shops and mailing stuff in, I have managed to bug a pile of shame distinct from the one I have in Australia (okay, maybe that deserves filing under "ugly" but does give me another outlet for the rest of my time here). 

*But* the real achievement this time around was introducing someone completely new into the hobby by virtue of the fact I was doing the Challenge and they caught the slipstream. Getting someone started on their hobby journey (from their first space marine) has been extremely satisfying - and to see them find their own niche (historical scale model figures). I'm taking that as a win from AHPC 16!

Again, really looking forward to retrospectively browsing what everyone painted, and hope to see you all for the 17th edition for which I should be back in Oz for (with the expanded pile of shame!:-)

Stay safe and well all, till next time!   

From KristoferD: Mission Accomplished

Well that was an eventful three months to say the least. Thank you for this amazing experience, Curt and Sanders in particular, but also all the rest of you who have contributed in some way or form.

As we were getting close to the end of February I was very confindent in meeting my target and then as usual, life happened. Workload, a 1:1 painting project in one of the childrens' rooms and other topics conspired to keep me away from the brushes. Such plans I had for Cossacks and terrain, but it had to go in favour of finishing the Swedes for the Krakow tournament. Despite having started in December I was still doing bases last Thursday night before getting on the plane in the morning. I had intended to make a final post, since I managed to finish a few more pieces to a reasonable standard (some bases still need dandelions), but then I realized that I hadn't planned how to pack everything and that stole away the last moments of time I had before leaving. In the end everything worked out very well, and I could simply put the miniatures back in the original packaging. Excellent work there Wargamer Poland!

The tournament was an absolute blast! And I say this despite the fact that I finished third to last. I was placed just over two players who lost all their games since I at least managed one draw. I have much to learn, but I will point out that I took out a unit of Winged Hussars by charging them in the flank in one game, so at least there is that. You have to take the small victories when you get them. My opponent advised me that it would have been better to withdraw a unit later in the game to preserve it, and then added: "But you're [clearly] a cossack." I will bear that as a badge of honour coming from a Pole.

The game has a very vibrant scene in Poland, and everybody I talked to was extremely friendly and welcoming. The terrain was amazing and the support from sponsors and the community is mindblowing. Everybody in attendance got a fan list for Polish volunteers with historical background and rules. It looks like it plays great. I had more luck than in my games in the raffle at end of it and won unit of Musketeers. If you ever have the chance to go to Poland and play By Fire and Sword, take it! 10 out of 10 kopis.

One of the friends I travelled with has family in the area so we spent a lazy Monday strolling around Krakow and getting showed the sites including Wavel Castle with a beautiful collection of weapons and armour from the appropriate period. A perfect ending to a perfect trip. Sadly most of my pictures are zoomed in on details for later reference or contain people whose consent I don't have to post online, but here is at least a picture of the city gate in Krakow. I hope I made sure the driver is not identifiable by blacking out them and the plates.

So, onto achievements. Below you'll find a group picture of my official tally. It might be slightly of the mark, but I'm still very happy with the achievement, safe in the knowledge that it still worked out to go to Poland. It's been a wild ride to partake in the challenge and try to have something to show every week until I got derailed, but the end result is definitely worth it.

I also realize that I forgot to mention my charity contribution. I have made monthly contributions to Oxfam to help them with their work to fight world hunger. With that being said I think we have covered it all and I will leave you with a picture of my semi-completed stuff and a solemn promise that they'll have flowers added so they're finished imminently. There's a unit of Swedish National cavalry, a unit of National infantry with a regimental gun, and a new command stand featuring field marshal Douglas, a Scotsman in Swedish service. I hope to be back for more in the future. Until next time, thanks for reading.

From MartijnN: Sweet Sixteen Wrap-up

I had a plan for this Challenge. Now, I am fairly harmless when I have a plan, for it usually does not survive first contact with the enemy, if that long. It was no different this year. I have been struggling to get up to speed, and that I eventually did hit my target surprised me as much as anyone. What is more, I have reached it without many bonus points at all, for although I enjoyed other participants' entries, I only took part in one bonus round and that was more or less by accident. In previous years, I collected a fair number of bonus points, and must confess that I have missed the thrill of running around different locations trying to come up with something that, maybe, fitted the theme. That said, I fully comprehend the work and thought going into thinking up and preparing such a work, most of which would obviously come down on Curt. As a result, however, my painting has been singularly focused, for me anyway, and that is reflected in that I did not collect more than four squirrels this year! 

I also painted exclusively 28mm stuff this year, which is rather surprising. I have always been more of a smaller scale guy, and if anyone had told me a few years ago that I would be painting only 28mm figures during the Challenge, and many WWII ones at that, I probably would have laughed incredulously.

So:

- I painted my first 28mm WW2 figures;

- I painted my first 28mm vehicles;

- I painted my first Silver Bayonet figures;

- I painted my first 28mm Ancients mass battle game units ever;

- I painted my first 28mm mass battle Napoleonics since the 1990s;

- and I did not paint any fantasy or smaller scale figures at all for the first time.

Which has left me with a fully functional French WWII force and a complete unit for The Silver Bayonet, both of which have seen the tabletop already, as well as a solid base to work from for both Hail Caesar and Black Powder (or any other set). I am very happy with that!

Siena and Lucca, the main cause of my distraction. They are not always as quiet as this!

As always, many thanks to Curt and Sarah for hosting the Challenge, and to all the long-suffering Minions, especially my own Minion Sander. Once again you made it a great experience!

I was not as much in on the Challenge as I would have liked or am used to, so I really commented only on a very few posts, sorry. I may be backtracking to see what I have missed, though what I did see was absolutely wonderful once again. I will do better next time! Many thanks for those that commented so kindly on my own submissions, it was and is much appreciated.

See you all in December!

Martijn

Squirrel Duel - The Foregone Conclusion

Greetings fellow Squirrel finding fanatics,

    First of all, my apologies for not getting an update out in early March. Work was busy, life was hectic and putting one of these posts together takes a couple of hours and way more effort than people probably realize. 

    Anyway, I have gone through everything including the theme round entries and put together the final tally of Squirrel Points. Before we go on to the scores, a few quick notes. If you have more points than you expected, it was because I counted some entries that you overlooked. If you have less points than you expected, it is because your claims didn't meet the 25 points minimum to claim a Squirrel Point.

    Let's have a quick look at some of this month's entries, shall we?

A Roman gang by BrianC

Rashaar by CurtC

Some Austrians by KillianF

An undead catapult by TeemuL

Some Saxons by TimP

    This year's Squirrel Duel saw a huge range of minis in terms of periods, scales and genres. I would like to thank everyone who took part, and I would especially like to thank those of you who kept a list of your Squirrel Points in you challenge entries, it made my life a lot easier. In the duel information post I predicted that half of the entries wouldn't include the Squirrel label, and while it was less than half, it was still a fair number. I was pretty lenient and went through every challengers posts one by one, though I probably should have been a lot stricter.

    So, on to this year's winner. In the last Squirrel update, I asked if anyone could catch ChrisW.

...And the answer was.....

A resounding NO!

    ChrisW is this year's winner, with a splendid 36 Squirrel Points, Congratulations to KerryT and TeemuL for coming in joint 3rd place. Well done to all our Squirrel Side Duel challengers. You have proved once again that there is always space for another side project or extra set of minis somewhere in our collections.

    So, that is it for Challenge 16's Squirrel Duel. I hope to see you all again in Challenge 17.

    -The Squirrelfinder General

From RichardM - Wrap up for AHPC XVI - 6mm Peninsular Napoleonics

Well here they all are on display.

Before I get to the photos I would like to echo all of the recognition that has been paid to Curt for the continued offering of such a wonderful opportunity to display and celebrate our hobby.  Huge thanks also to all of the minions but for me particularly to Millsy and to Dave who covered for him on one posting period.  Also a nod to the wonderful group who meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a chat and paint - it adds massively to my enjoyment and output.

Now to the colour and stats.  Firstly a few 'grand' shots (which means you can see nothing closely).

Neatly packed in their boxes - don't look like much do they?

Bit more impressive :)

Over the course of the challenge I have painted the following units - these amount to 2951 infantry figures and 578 mounted figures.

And some closer shots of the various contingents.  Firstly the Portuguese with the Cacadores in front of the Line infantry and cavalry behind.

Then the Spanish Infantry (Guards in front) followed by their cavalry and the British Cavalry at the rear.

And lastly the varied colours of the Confederation of the Rhine units with the French Cavalry at the rear.

I loved Paul's idea of a video so have given it a go and think it gets closer to many of the units and the colour of the Confederation.

This has been my third challenge - although the first was many years ago and I didn't make much of an impact.  I've really enjoyed myself and have a real sense of achievement at getting these units painted - some of which have been in a box for close to 20 years.  I still have a lot of 6mm Napoleonics to paint and refurbish - but this has greatly motivated me to keep going.

I've also put a reminder in my calendar for late November to make sure I do not miss the chance to sign up for the next installment.

Thanks everyone!