From PeterB - Oldhammer Skeleton Warriors (130 points)

I missed my posting deadline again last week, so this week I've been able to submit 26 'Oldhammer' skeleton warriors.

I plan to have two units armed with hand weapons and shields, the second should be completed next week as I managed to paint 12 of them with this weeks batch.

I went with red and bronze shields as these colours seem to complement the bone colours I've used on the skeletons.

I need to try and get some consistency with the wash colour as it currently veers between black and dark brown.  Mixing the figures within the unit gets around this a little, but, it would be good to get the consistency right.

I've parked the 6mm Russian Cossacks this week and next as I'm painting up my first and only entry for the theme rounds.  These are a couple of rogues from the Victorian period who were made almost loveable by a recent film.  They will also be my Curtgeld for this year so I'm taking my time and doing the best paint job I can.

Normal 6mm service will be resumed shortly along with more 'Oldhammer' goodness.


From Curt:

Wonderful! I love seeing your OldHammer Skellies Peter. You know you're a figure dork when you get tearfully nostalgic in seeing old Citadel shield designs. These Harryhausen holdovers are great and I'll say it again that the dry, arid groundwork really works wonders for the overall 'look'. 

Great work!

From MichaelA - “There was me, that is Alex" (20 points)

You wait for an age for a post from Mr. Awdry and then two come along at once!  It seemed only fitting to me that one of the first miniatures painted for the Challenge should be my entry fee to that splendid chap, Curtis Campbell Esq. To that end much thought was given as to a suitably roguish anti hero and as luck would have it I rediscovered this rather charming miniature amidst the masses of forgotten lead.  A Bill Thornhill sculpt for Crooked Dice, this is one of four 'Eavies available from their web store and a passable likeness for Malcolm McDowell’s character, Alex DeLarge, in Kubrick’s adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ novel, 'A Clockwork Orange'. A charismatic, sociopathic delinquent, there is no question that Alex is a person of dubious character but undeniable charisma and so seemed a reasonable choice for my entry fee.  

A lovely miniature to work on, I was a little concerned with painting the white and in the end went for a variety of shades with definite tints to help distinguish the different fabrics.   So this is for you Curt, with a huge thank you from me for your Herculean efforts in making this year's Challenge such a wonderful success - Bravo Sir.

“It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.” 

― Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

From Curt:

Ahh, what a wonderful figure for the Challenge theme AND one of my favourite films. Bravo Mr. Awdry! 

I really like your choice of painting his shirt in trousers in one tone while his suspenders and codpiece are contrasting colours, drawing your eye to them. An excellent approach to this figure. Thanks so much Michael, he'll be a worthy addition to the rogues' gallery amassing in my display cabinet.

'We were all feeling a bit shagged and fagged and fashed, it being a night of no small expenditure.'

From PaulS - 28mm WWII Russian Reinforcements (73 Points)

Last year I managed to get some of my Russian forces painted up for Bolt Action. This year, I finally managed to finish off the remains of that box set. The troops that I finished last year were all very clean and fresh looking, with all of the uniforms being... uniform. This year they have been at war for quite some time and are starting to run out of resources, so the clothing is a mixture of browns, and Russian uniform green to add a bit of wear and tear to the existing units. I may go back and tweak some of last years at some point. Anyway... we have two LMGs to add some much needed firepower to the infantry squads

8 SMGs. Not sure if these will be a dedicated SMG squad, or if they will add lots of extra shots to standard squads... either way, lots of shots. The guy in the cloth hat instead of the helmet is an officer of some kind.

3 riflemen to add to the others form last year. I suspect I'll need a lot more of these guys in the future...

 1 sniper. His spotter can be played by any of the riflemen, probably rifleman number 1 above.

And 1 misc molotov wielding lunatic without another weapon. I suspect he will end up as part of an unarmed, tank hunting militia squad eventually. The rest probably need to be a bit more scruffy though as he's looking a bit too neat and tidy.

So in total, that is 15 more figures, one of whom is laying down (the lazy swine!). This little lot, plus the zombies from the other update, should tip me over the 1000 point mark, which means I need yet another new goal and (I think) doubles last year's total... though I'm not 100% sure on that second one. With a couple more weeks left and one more challenge to go, I think we'll go for another 500 points even though at this point in time that is seriously unlikely.


From Curt:

An interesting change of pace for you Paul. These Soviets look great. I particularly like the flame effect you did on the fellows with the Molotov cocktails. 

Congratulations on hitting your second target! Last year you hit 1009 points so you're on a roll for this Challenge. I'll mark you down for 1500 for your next target. Good luck!

From MarkO - 28mm Leichte Kavallerie (480 points)

Well there is only one piece suitable for this post (jump to 2:15 for the well known bit!)

Though my partner also liked this more modern version...

Three regiments of Napoleonic Austrian Hussars.  Proving I've completely lost my mind in selecting units to paint for a painting challenge. They have infuriating lace EVERYWHERE! :) Very slow going but finally done.

My choice of regiments was decided by the complex formula that I wanted regiments with blue hats, red hats and green hats.

Regiment 4: Hessen-Homburg (blue hats). Everyone paints Hessen-Homburg, but there is a good reason for that - they have one of the most awesomely colourful uniforms ever! Parrot green dolman and pelisse, poppy red trousers, and blue shako. 

Regiment 5: Baron Ott (red hats). Probably my favourites, which of course means they will lose every combat at the critical moment. Dark green dolman and pelisse, crimson trousers, bright red shako.

Regiment 7: Liechtenstein (green hats). Eye catching light blue uniforms with grass green shako so everyone knows to look at the best regiment.

And lastly some more artillery. Austrian Position Guns. Two twelve pounders, and two howitzers. Perry don't make 12 pounders (yet) so I used Front Rank ones. Also the two well fed Captains directing the howitzers are Front Rank, as I needed an extra couple of crew and didn't want to buy an entire extra pack from Perry.

A grand total of 480 points if my addled brain can still add correctly...




From Curt:

Oooh, all this Austrian Napoleonic goodness all tidily wrapped up into a massive points 'Daisy-Cutter'. Wonderful!

The artillery is very grand, but the hussars, like the divas they are, completely steal the show.  The French hussar regiments often get the press but in reality the Austrians and Russians had them beat hands down in the my-pants-are-tighter-than-your-pants fashion-wars. These are all brilliant but my favourites have to the Liechtenstein Hussars with their green shakos and wonderfully bright blue pelisse and dolmans. 

In addition this entry has Mark blowing past his 2500 point target and is now closing in on Dave. It looks like it will be a great race to the finish!

A marvelous entry Mark, thanks for sharing.

From PeterB - Empress Miniatures Moderns (50 Points)

Hello All. It has been a fair while since my last entry as the return to work after Christmas saw a whole-scale change/re-structuring get underway at work, and thus all hopes of keeping up with the Challenge had to be abandoned. This last week though I have managed to get some painting done - a squad of  Empress Miniatures Modern US Infantry and 2 Humvees, also from Empress Minis.

Previously I had painted some of these figures in the older 3-colour desert BDU with Woodland pattern bodyarmour, but didn't have the patience this time around, so instead have gone with a 'representative' (i.e. quick) effort at UCP. This much reviled pattern is now being replaced by a Multicam variant similar to what British troops are wearing now (having already been abandoned by US troops in Afghanistan since about 2009/10, after concerns about its efficacy had surfaced among troops and politicians). So these figures will feature in Skirmish Sangin or Force on Force games set in 2004-2009, as well as the eagerly awaited Chain of Command adaptation for modern COIN ops, Fighting Season.

Fire Team Alpha plus Squad Leader

Fire Team Bravo

I have another squad of these, plus a Platoon HQ element, a couple of MG teams and a sniper team on the go; some might even get finished for today!

From Curt:

Excellent work Peter! I really like these castings from Empress and you've done a very nice job on them. I was unaware that this earlier US camo pattern had caused such a fracas both with the troops and politicians - very interesting. I like that you've included the oddly coloured buff boots that seem like such a signature piece of kit from this period.

Where are the Humvees you mentioned?

I'm not huge into modern gaming but I still sucumbed to a few castings from this range, just because they look so good. With Too Fat Lardies coming out with a modern version of Chain of Command maybe I'll get some much-needed impetus to get them done.

Good job!

From MilesR - 28mm WWII Fallschirmjager & Misc Vehicles (160 Points)

 Yet more WW2 stuff - some 28mm scale German Fallschirmjager, 2 Bren Carriers and a M8 Scott assault gun.  I'm really plowing through my lead pile as all these miniature have been primed an awaiting painting for a very long time - the Fallshirmjager have been primed for over four years!

 First up are 18 Fallschirmjager infantry painted in Mediterranean jump suits.  As indicated above, I've had these figures for years and have forgotten who the manufacturer is.  The figures are very nice and were a lot of fun to paint.

 This is the first time I've done a camo style uniform (sad isn't it?).  I've always been nervous about painting camo uniforms for some reason but actually found it fun!  This painting pales in comparison to most of the other Challenge participants but I;m happy with the outcome.

 Next up are a pair of Bren Carries from Blitzkrieg models.  These were fun to do and I opted to do one for the desert and one for the pacific.  I'll leave it to the reader to figure out which is which.

 The Bren carries with the pintle mounted Bren gun is kitted out as a recon version.  The other one is just a generic transport.

 Lastly, the final vehicle is a M8-Scott from Warlord Games.  I actually assembled and primed this baby for last year's Challenge but never got around to painting her up.  It's a simple little vehicle and is a nice addition to a Bolt Action Army.

I'm trying a different form of mud that has more texture added to it.  I like how it's come out and will adjust my mud formula going forward.

I've got a bunch of business travel this week so there will not be any other submissions from me this week and likely the next one.

Thanks for reading


From Curt:

A wonderful exhibition of your work Miles.
Congratulations on your first camo uniform (how you've managed to avoid painting any until now is beyond me)! I've always liked the fallschirmjagers' mediterranean jump uniform and you've done a great job on them. I have to admit my eye was immediately drawn to the M8 as it's such a interesting looking vehicle. It reminds me that I need to pick one up for my French Indochina project as it saw service there as well.

Great job!

From MichaelA - Burnaby & Friends (30 points)

Finally an entry from me in the Challenge proper!  For someone who rarely plays a game, I seem to be amassing a decent collection of skirmish rules and so when Warlord Games released 'Blood On The Nile', a Sudan Black Powder supplement, I just had to have a copy. To sweeten the pill somewhat this splendid edition came with a rather wonderful free miniature representing that quintessential Victorian hero, Frederick Gustavus Burnaby.  

Having painted the man himself it seemed only right and proper to give him something to scare with that shotgun of his and so five Perry Miniatures plastic Mahdists were hurriedly assembled and painted.  Not quite in the same league as that painting machine David Docherty Esq. but an entry I’m pleased to see finally posted.

From Curt:

While it's always a treat to see your work in the Theme Rounds Michael, I must say it's wonderful to have you mixing it up with us on the main page. Welcome to the madness!

Burnaby and his rather tentative pals look terrific. For 'hurried' jobs the Mahdists are superb.  Burnaby himself looks suitably tall (I've read that he was 6' 4") and ferocious with his bushy moustache and double-barreled shotgun.  Too bad the daft bugger succumbed to the conceit of sportsmanship and left it in his tent at Abu Klea (that is his shotgun, not his moustache...).

Wonderful stuff Michael!

From PaulS - Last of the Season 2 Zombies (152 Points)

Last weekend a few of us decided to have a little painting weekend to cheer along some friends with their slow painting progress. It was a fun day and a good experiment in speed painting. I wanted to see how many of the outstanding zombies I could work through that I didn't finish during last year's Challenge.

In addition to this we also have one of the worst Zombicide figure sets I've had the mis-pleasure of painting. Every now and then they release a Games Night kit that features a new Survivor/Zombivor set that parodies someone famous. The second kit features someone who is definitely not Austin Powers. No. Absolutely not.

The proportions are all off, he's much much taller than every other character and the detail on the face looks like it is melting. Still, at least the suit is nicely painted! This was originally supposed to be a Christmas present for one of my friends, but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it in time, so he got the Prisoner set instead. He certainly won out there ;)

In the end I managed to finish all 29 figures, plus a statue for the gaming board I want to try and build this year. It is up to Curt if there are points for the statue as he *is* technically terrain. He's not based as he will end up as one of a few statues that can be used on top of a wide plinth

If anyone knows where I can get any 28mm pigeons, I'd love to add some to the statue!


From Curt:

Ah, it's nice to see more of these greyscale zombies of yours Paul - they look wonderful. 

I quite like the slim profile and blue suit of that survivor - he looks to be quite the hipster, though he seems too tall to remind me of Austin Powers. Black horn-rimmed glasses and one of his hands holding a takeaway latte would be perfect for him. 

Finally, I really like the verdigris effect on the equestrian statue (and the pigeon guano is a great touch as well). 

That was a good weekend of painting!

From JeremyM - 28mm Ghosts, Spetcters and other Nasties (35 Points)

Hi everyone!

Here are some ghosts, specters, or just general undead I painted this week likely for use in Strange Aeons. All were from Reaper Bones, and like my submission for the hot theme most were transparent plastic. I'm not terribly happy with how the yellow ones turned out but don't really want to strip them. 

The skeletons rising though I'm really happy with. I decided to make more of a little diorama by adding some plastic Wargames Factory skeleton bits to also look like they were rising out of the ground and starting to come after some poor investigator or 'Threshold Agent'. 

Again I'm not totally convinced the trouble of trying to keep the transparent effect is worth it, but it may warrant some more experimentation. 


From Curt:

I know you're not wild about some of these Jeremy, but I like all of them. Like you, my favourite is the same as yours: that last grouping, with the skeletons and spirits rising from the ground. That's a brilliant effect you've achieved. Well done!

From StefanoS - 28mm WWII British 8th Army Infantry (65 Points)

This will probably be my last entry to the annual challenge :

13 Perry beautiful plastic 28mm 8th Army.

Wife happy after San Valentine's dinner 😃

I spread through my club mate the virus of the Challenge.. so hopefully more Italians will join next year.

Cheers from Italy!

Stefano


From Curt:

Excellent stuff Stefano! I like the bleached out tones you've used for these figures - it really conveys the idea of them campaigning in the desert. Well done!

Thanks for joining us again this year Stefano, it was great having you along.