From MilesR: USS Nashville, Land Ironclad (130 points)

 First, let me wish everyone a very Happy New Year!  My next submission is the mighty Nashville, US Land Ironclad #107 - the Defender of Memphis and scourge of the Martian Invaders.  The Land Ironclad is the apex predator of the human arsenal in "All Quiet on the Martian Front" and it's a massive beast.  The 18mm scale model boasts both size (it's 13 inches long and 11 high) and mass (it weighs over 5 pounds) and was a joy to build, paint and detail.  The model itself consists of resin and metal parts.  The metal parts include gun barrels, decking, rails/stairs, mast and machine guns - all the rest is resin.

 A close up of the conning tower shows that the Nashville has claimed two of the dreaded tripods as kills.  I'm sure there are also a fair number of the red menaces who were maimed from her  mighty guns.

 An "action shot" showing the scout car just after deployment.  I added the scout car and scratch built the scaffolding on a bit of a lark.  Since the Land Ironclad reminds me of a battleship, I thought it should have some form of integral recon.  One of the fun things about sci-fi / alternative history modeling is you can customize with out worrying about rivet counters pointing out your flaws (which my modeling creates many of).

 A picture of the starboard side of the beast.

 Another shot down her starboard line.  The mud on the tracks is Liquitex modeling paste colored with a few drops of vallejo brown and khaki.  Since this vehicle is operating in the Tennessee Valley, I researched soil composition and coloring to ensure the mud was realistic.  Yup that's it - the coloring is the result of scientifical-like research and wasn't really due to the fact that  the brown and khaki bottles were on the workbench when I got of the Liquitex and I just mixed 'em up.

You can trust me on that one....

 A close up of the conning tower - the semaphore flags on the port guy wire (the closest set) are sending a very specific message in via WWI US Navy semaphore code.  Since the game is set in an alternative 1910, I thought WWI would be close enough.  The US flag is also period correct (46 stars).

What's the message - like Raphie, lets all get out our Little Orphan Annie decoder rings and work out the code.  OK everyone ready?  Lets start from top to bottom  "A - H - P - C - V."... Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge V!  Well, at least it wasn't a crummy commercial like "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine".

The messaging on the right guy has the rank of the commander (Fleet Admirable) and some maneuver messaging - essentially "return to port"

 Just how big is this bad boy?  My battered hobby mat is 12 inches wide.  The 28mm Tiger tank submitted for the Mounts and Riders fortnight challenge is also included for a scale reference.

 A close up of the scaffolding and name plate for the Nashville.  The armored car also comes from the All Quiet on the Martian Front line but it's a British one - I'm taking some liberties with the rules and assuming the US crew "liberated" and armored car from their British allies.   In the game, the British have sent an Expeditionary force to aid the US during the second Martian invasion.  The British forces are a bit are more advanced from a technology viewpoint as they've had the ability to study the Martian machines left over from the failed first invasion (the one depicted in the HG Wells book).

 The command crew on the deck.

 Sentries posted to ensure security.  I gave the non-officers blue colored helmets to make them stand out a bit.  I'll also be adding some naval troops in a later submission and want to make sure they stood out from the regulars when on the table.

 Next up a few shots of how the scaffolding for the scout car crane was built.  It's just a few pieces of styrene assembled into a truss structure.

Another shot of the cranes.  After building I did notice the plastic was a bit "bendy" with the weight of the armored car so I added a few more supports.  The crane and AC platform took about 60 minutes from concept to completion and I like how it came out.  Styrene is very easy to work with and is something every modeler should have a supply of near their workspace.  One of the harder things for me was tying the cotton thread for the cables from the cranes to the platform and getting them "even-enough".

Well, there you have it - LI 107, the "Nashville" submitted for your approval.

As for points, that's the province of the Lord High Commissioner himself.  As a mere mortal, I can not hope to grasp the inner workings of his mind and am shackled to only trust absolutely that his contemplations are both fair and just.

I can, however, provide some humble guidance:

Figures 9 x 18mm figures (8 full and 2 half figures)
Vehicles 2: 1 x 18mm Armored Car, 1 x big ass metal/resin Land Ironclad, lots of tiny flags.

Final tally - 'tis up to the will of Curt

From Curt: 

Whoa... That thing is freakin' huge, bro. Wow, just wow...  

Can I have it? :) 

Seriously, this is an amazing bit of kit Miles. You've not only done an absolute stonking job on getting it assembled but also pimping it out with some of your own wonderful modifications (the semaphore flags are a stroke of sycophantic brilliance). A real tour de force. I assume that in the game, points-wise, if you plopped this on the table the Martian player would be allowed to bring in something equivalent to a Victorian Death Star Walker thingy? Zoiks. 

Points? Hmm, good question. Well, by the sheer scale of it I think this behemoth is the equivalent of five 28mm vehicles. Then there are the mods, the armoured car and the figures... So lets say 130 points. That may seem like a lot (it is) but then I just went through the pictures again and I feel fine about it. 

Great work Miles.