Okay folks we have something rather special for our final post today. Evan and Grant are nephews of a very good friend of mine out on the Left Coast. Evan is 12 and Grant is 17. Both of them have been great supporters of my blog over the past few years (thanks guys!) and so I thought I'd broaden our horizons and invite them to participate in this year's Challenge. While I understand that they've tried a few figures in the past, this is their first full project submission. As you can imagine I'm pretty excited to be able to introduce these two young men to both our hobby and to you, our merry group of paint jockeys. So, please give a warm welcome to Evan and Grant. Take it away boys...
Hey everybody,
A while ago, a couple of friends and I started to mess around with games like Bolt Action and Firefight: Normandy, and we determined that we wanted to create units that were unique to our playing styles and interests. While they chose the massive manpower of the Red Army and the heavy armour of the Panzergrenadiers as their key units, I decided that a small professional group of soldiers from the British Commonwealth would be best suited to my play style. So, I settled on the elite soldiers of the Canadian Airborne.
The First Canadian Parachute Battalion became a part of the British Sixth Airborne for the duration of the Second World War. They fought throughout the Western European theatre in battles for Normandy, The Ardennes, Belgium and The Rhine. They shared many similarities with their British counterparts, as far as equipment and colour palate goes. Things like the Lee-Enfield, and Vickers machine guns as well as the red berets of the Airborne were shared between the British and Canadian Battalions.
So here are the first twenty of the Canadian Airborne for our initial submission!
The Vickers HMG behind a mound.
The Lieutenant ordering the charge.
The Sten gunners.
The Officers and Riflemen.
Cheers!
Grant and Evan
From Curt:
Fantastic work guys! Considering that these are amongst your first painted miniatures I'm incredibly impressed (I can tell you my first efforts were a bit of an embarrassment). I like that you've kept their berets a touch more maroon than pure red (a common slip) and you've a great handle on their Denison camouflage smocks, which can be quite tricky to pull off.
If you're interested, and haven't seen it already, I highly recommend the docu-drama 'Storming Juno' which has a section dedicated to the 1st Canadian Paras at D-Day. It's quite well done and a wonderful testimony to the men who served that day.
Finally, with your grandfather being a proud officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force I'm sure he'd be delighted to see you submitting these men representing his home country.
Well done boys!
Definitely better work than most of the stuff you see on game store tables.
ReplyDeleteAlso better than the everything most of us Grognards were doing, before the internet made everyone step up their game.
I'd be proud to push those Canadians around the table.
Thanks! I really enjoyed working with them, and I look forward to them finding victory in conflict!
DeleteVery nice work, guys! Waaaay better than my first efforts!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was a real challenge getting started, but after a while we really got into it!
DeleteThat's a truly wonderful first effort. I can't even begin to describe how much better that is than my first forays into painting. The fact it is both well painted AND researched is even better. Cracking stuff lads, I look forward to seeing more!
ReplyDeleteThank You! Researching and painting these guys was a lot of fun for us, There will be more on the way soon!
DeleteSuperb entry excellent painting by two very talented modelers
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed!
Thanks! We have really enjoyed everything about painting and being part of the challenge for a first run of it!
DeleteWelcome aboard! I have to agree with Curt, those are brilliant for your first go. You have a gift. I look forward to seeing the next batch.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It was a lot of fun to work on, and we are excited to be part of the challenge this year!
DeleteCool entry and well painted. Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, we shall certainly try to do many more soon!
Delete"Storming Juno" is an excellent film! I picked it up from the library after reading a recommendation Curt put up on the site a while ago. Also "The Necessary War" is an excellent book on the Canadian war effort that I would highly recommend. Thank you Curt for inviting my brother and I to join the challenge, and Thank you everyone for welcoming us so warmly! It is an honour to be part of it all!
ReplyDeleteWelcome and well done to both of you, Really neatly painted figure - and you've got the maroon of the Airborne Troops spot on. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeletePip pip
Welcome to the madhouse boys :)
ReplyDeleteCracking work, especially considering your age and that you are new to painting figures. Those are so much better than my efforts back when I was a teenager :)
Well done lads, a fine unit to complete your first foray into painting madness. Well done.. Let's see some more.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the madness. Nurse Campbell will issue you medications shortly.
ReplyDeleteI looked at these and though "Yeah not bad" read all the other comments. Then It dawned on me these were first time efforts so went back and checked.
Then had to have a sit down.
I have got to tell you I know some wargamers with 30+ years of painting figures who are not even half as good.
If these are your first I STRONGLY think with a bit more practice you will be winning competitions.
"Nurse Campbell will issue you medications"
DeleteThat's not fair - he withholds ours! ;)
To be fair, dealing with all of us collectively he probably needs them all for himself.
DeleteYeah were is my medication!
DeleteLicking Titanium White counters the meds! Just watch out for the orderlies! ;)
DeleteThere speaks a man with some experience I think...
DeleteGreat stuff, I can only echo that your first efforts put mine to shame.
ReplyDeleteHope to see lots more of your work in this and future challenges
Ian
Very well done, chaps!
ReplyDeleteThis first submission is a realy good start. Probably much better than my first attempts about 20 years ago. Carry on !
Cheers
Stefan
An excellent first effort for the challenge. Really you can take pride in your painting (never disparage your early work as you progress I hear many do that, just take pride in your progress). I love seeing young people take an interest in their history, Canada has a proud military history that many are only dimly aware of if the know it at all.
ReplyDeleteCurt thanks for the movie tip I have shared it with my Sister in Law who's father was one of those who landed on Juno.
Very cool, well done!
ReplyDeleteThat's some excellent painting you guys display here! When I think about my first forays into the world of miniatures and paints... well it's probably better that they got lost somewhere along the road.
ReplyDeleteVery nice painting work!
ReplyDeleteWow fantastic looking figures! Amazing if that's you're first crack at it.
ReplyDeleteThese are quite excellent and even more impressive for your first miniatures. You've really nailed the look of these hardened men, excellent colour choices. And your groundwork is great too - really tough to pull off without some practice.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the challenge - looking forward to seeing your next offering!
Very, very nice, not even counting that you're brand new to it. Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDelete