From DavidB - Cadian 7th Stormtroopers (100 Points)

I have the plastic beret Storm Troopers and the puffy padded metal model Storm troopers, but these are my favorite ones that Games Workshop ever made. STs are elite tough bully boys, and these sculpts just ooze tough and disciplined.

I just really like the details in them, I can also imagine how hot and heavy all that gear they wear is!

Two complete squads with all the special weapons available.

I did give one my darker complexion and added some tribal paint to him.

Another tribesman! ;)

This sculpt is my favorite, he seems to be about to rush through a doorway. His booger-hook is off the trigger, and his head like his battlebuddies is looking in same direction as his weapon's muzzle. These fellows are professional.

My other favorite part is the straps securing all the armor. I painted a lot of leather that the front view just loses when the recesses are hidden.

A grenade launcher, flamer, plasma gun, and melta gun

each one has it's own specific backpack.

As much as I hate to paint tanks, there is one I do want. It is a baneblade chassis, but has some titan mega bolters and a crew compartment for troop carrying. I'd love to get that for these guys! I may get some Valkirie ships instead though. For now, they will just use a chimera.

I'm still shooting to eclipse my challenge target, but there is a lot to get done and the finish is getting closer. These were started with the tanks but just not able to share in the tank post. Black Platoon may be delayed till after the challenge as may the rest of the Cadians as I really want to finish the challenge with a force that I've been looking to build for a very long time. My kids are also begging me to get more supers and some LotR done too. My Oliphant will be up very soon, but I am searching for a missing support post from the Christmas crash.....it ought to be around the desk someplace! ;)  Plus the Curtgeld and the last bonus round, which I WILL remember to photo and post on time!

20 28mm tough guys!

From Curt:

It's been a stonkingly productive few weeks for you David! These are some of my favourite GW models (Sisters of Battle taking the top honours, but alot of that is pure nostalgia) and you've done a fantastic job on these boyz. I particularly like the Native American officer with his tribal face paint/tattoos.

'Booger-Hook'?! Love it. Must file that one away...

Still shooting to eclipse your points target? Buddy, with today's entries you've soundly blown past it already. Well done David! This entry is an excellent conclusion to a wonderful run up the points ladder.

From IanW - 15mm Roman Cavalry (200 Points)

Been a tough week that left me just not able to paint Wednesday through Thursday but I was able to prep all the figures shown in today's post. So all the painting has been done Friday onwards and yes I have had to have a few long sessions at the paint desk.

In the end I was more than able to make up the lost time and I did the finishing touches to the five units less than an hour before doing the post at 4.30pm UK time. It's been getting a bit of a habit of posting late but next week I hope to get it done Monday latest, honest Curt.

First up is a unit of Alan cavalry, the Dominate army is allowed fourteen bases of light cavalry with bow so quite a number. The Alan can be 4-6 bases so a further two could be added but I have found six bases not as easy to use as 4 and would prefer two units of 4 bases each and pay that bit more.

Very basic paint job as not as patterned as the Saka I have painted previously. I still have a unit of Sagittarii or two to paint up yet as well as the command so am not yet finished with the cavalry.

Equites light cavalry, these are armed with Javelins and Light Spear so can attack light infantry with hope of winning the melee which can really keep your opponents light infantry honest.

I am finding the infantry a bit dull looking apart from the shields so painted these up a little brighter with a deep red colour added to the tunics. Basing remains a little on the dark side with sparse vegetation I am favouring for this army.

Illyricanti are for intense and purpose the same as the unit above but does allow me different figures. It will also help if they are used for a different army that has protected and unprotected ststus with the unit about taking the protected status as they have the helmets.

The shield emblem should have been similar to the ace of spades in design, in the end I had to settle for something more like a diamond, well I keep trying to stretch my freehand, sometimes I have to accept less than I set out for, I can live with that,

Equites heavy cavalry, these are armed as Light spear and Swordsman, not as punchy as lance but can hang around in melee. Again can be six bases strong and would benefit from the extra two bases. I do have a few more of these that were going on the command bases but I may paint them up as reinforcements. 

Another shield that could have come out better as I had to miss out the top two stripes, may revisit them and see if I can improve on the look.

These are really nice and detailed even if some of the detail is tucked away such as the sword. These are my favourite figures from the whole army.

The army can have two of these units and if I was keeping it I would certainly buy a second unit (or use other cataphracts I have in one of my other armies.

Unlike most Roman armies this one can have a lot of cavalry and lots of bow, not sure if I will get any games with it before I sell it though. Originally I was going to use it for spending money when we go on holiday later in the year. Hopefully that will remain it's use as I can't think of anything better than having the money for treats that did not have to be saved from other areas.

Points wise three units of eight figures and two of twelve adds up to forty eight so that's one hundred and ninety two points, no bomb but it gets me within reach of my revised target and will be moving back to 6mm for next week's submission but away from Ancients unless I really get a move on.


From Curt:

Holy cow! You have been a busy lad Ian, well done! Your foray into Romans this year has gone from strength to strength. All of these cavalry are terrific but I must say I particularly like the Equites with their red combed helmets, blue cloaks and excellent hand-painted shield designs (to which I'm giving you a bit of a top-up in points). Very sharp work Mr. Willey.

From DavidB - It's all because of Ian and Clint! (6 Points)

So, here is one of my LotR minis from my mountain of neglect. There are others and four kinda complete armies, but Mr Frodo got bumped because of Clint and Ian. Clint first joked about it, then Ian did the really wonderful base. I knew what I wanted to do for the Comedy round and it was perfect for the running gag and abundance of LotR minis in this year's contest!

And here is the back of Frodo

And now, he is "gone"! ;)

I got this from a Gamesday many years ago. I believe it was the freebie with ticket mini.

The Frodo model that I painted was from a boxed set that I never purchased, he was given to my middle daughter who used the Moria goblins to utterly destroy a dwarven force at the same Gamesday. She was six and it was her first game. She now gets them both. She is also reminding me to get going with the Gil Galad elven force too! ;)

From Curt:

Ah, I see you've used transparent paint for one of those Frodos - very trick stuff, that. Highly toxic and the absolute devil to clean up as you can't see where you've dripped... :)

An lovely set of figures David and I love the provenance behind them. Your daughter must have been pretty chuffed when she both beat her opponents AND received the box set this miniature is from. I'm sure she'll appreciate you having painted him up in such fine style.

Well done!

From GregB - Another 40k/30k Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section (100 Points)

Solar Auxilia from Forge World

Well it has been slower going these past couple of weeks, but I haven't stopped painting yet, still aiming for my 1500 point target.  To help me along, here is another 20-man Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section, 28mm resin figures from Forge World.  These figures are part of GW's "Horus Heresy" setting, often referred to as "30k".

Command group - officer a back left, comms fellow kneeling in front, vexilla on the right

Another view of the command group

This unit is practically identical to the first unit I painted for the Challenge, part of a budding force of Loyalist troops who will make a stand at some point against Horus and his pretenders. The Solar Auxilia are deployed in platoons called "tercios" in the game (I think a "tercio" was a type of unit used by Spain back in their Imperial heyday?).  Each "tercio" has three sections of troops - either these regular troopers or some veterans.

A selection of individual troopers

Rear view of the same three fellows

 With the exception of the officer, all of these fellows are armed with lovely baroque-looking lasrifles.  The Forge World game writers went through a lot of trouble to give an appearance in the rules that these lasrifles might amount to something in the game itself (you can augment them with a "collimator" - sounds more like a medical procedure, but I digress).  But don't fool yourself - these guys will die by the bucket-load, particularly going up against Legion Space Marines.

Officer on the right, with comms guy assisting in direction of the section

Another view of the firing line

 But they look great! And when you ditch the 7th edition rules and play Rogue Trader instead, they are a lot of fun on the table top too.

Love those wonky back packs, with the pulley/bellows thing (respirator is my guess, but who knows or cares?)

I like the little "canteen" (at least I think it is a canteen) hanging on the hips of many of the Solar Auxilia

Is he changing the "collimator" perhaps?

Many lovely poses in the package

As before, I am totally smitten with these figures.  The sculpting is tremendous (even if the casting quality, as usual with Forge World, can be a bit uneven).  The mix of themes influencing the sculpting is fun and pulled off perfectly.  Even better, these figures are refreshingly free of the stupid skulls and other childishly gloomy iconography which have come to plague nearly all of GW's figure design over the years.

Here are all of the Solar Auxilia painted so far - 40 troops

This represents 2/3 of a "tercio" for the Solar Auxilia

Each Solar Auxilia "tercio" has three units, and the third one is up in the painting queue.  However, a sudden painting diversion has appeared as I attempt a "crash" project for a completely different period, game style and scale...stay tuned for more on that (and lets hope I can get it done in time...)  In the interim, these 20 fellows should give me a 100 points, and get me past the 1000 point barrier.

From Curt:

I love these figures Greg and your paintjobs elevate them even more - absolutely terrific stuff.  I really like the blue and grey of their fabrics set against the brass and steel of their armour and equipment.  The 'rebreather hoses' from their helmets also give them that quasi- steampunk look about them - very cool. (And the officer with his helmet visor up is brilliant as well.)

So, in the suggested Forgeworld fluff/rules, what makes these fellows different from the later period Imperial Guard? I know that sometimes the tech is actually better with the 30K subjects due to humanity's loss of technological memory and the stagnancy of innovation experienced following the Heresy. Do these follow along in that same theme?

I love that they use the term 'tercio'. I wonder if they use (or will use) 'battalia', 'caracoles' and 'bandes'?

Great work Greg!

From DavidB - Terra Force 15mm SciFi (158 Points)

My opus for the week! I know there are three posts, again! But there is a very good reason...

I have been doing military and civilian overtime and last week I was really happy to venture out into the woods knowing I had a post AND submitted for the Comedic round. What is that you say, I didn't have an entry?!I missed another bonus round!? Well as my mind wandered in a 500m movement between points in land nav, I realized that I didn't post and didn't remember to take the time to even photo my work from last week!  Ooops!

I've been mentally kicking myself since. I did get two whole days off so I stopped kicking myself long enough to actually finish my very first 15mm force. (the Sci-Fi cops don't count as I will need more CoBs for my 15mm games) Terra Force is completed. More Terra Force may follow in the form of heavy infantry, but I already have malleable plans for a high-tech, neo-Sov, mid-tech, and a "swarm" army for opponents to my favored force.

Terra Force is a light infantry, fast response, recon unit. I am intending to use 5150 Star Army for rules, but a regular opponent is also going 15mm with Gruntz. He is basing his stuff by units, so I may need to make movement trays as my preferred basing is for skirmish and I haven't read Gruntz.

 

Above are my 8 man Ranger Team from Khurasan's SEAL team set. They are armed with assault rifles and have a sniper and SAW gunner. I really like these sculpts. Lots of movement and the detail is extremely good. I was almost tempted to get more for modern conflicts, but I like Sci-Fi because it is not what I actively do and is as far away from my duties to keep me comfortable. Still, they can be stand ins for any spec-op troops a modern gamer could want them for.

The blue bases denote these are my NCOs. from left to right we have Rebel Minis Star Army, and Critical Mass Games Arc Fleet Recon, on the right are Rebel Minis militia in boonies and respirators. All three lines work very well together, Khurasan are chunky but great detail, Critical Mass are tall and leggy with crisp detail, and Rebel Minis are a bit softer and shorter than the other two. I do like the mixture in the troop mass though!

Terra force has it's CO from Critical Mass (he is front rank left) the other four officers are from the Star Army Rebel Minis command set. The flanking officers in the back row are my PLs...cuz they have maps in their hands. That makes them very dangerous. The troopers will pat them down later and make sure they do not also have a compass!

Terra force has two rocket launchers, two plasma/flamer gunners, and four Critical Mass troopers with really big guns that I'm going to refer to as SAW type weapon.

Besides the Ranger's sniper, I have 4 Critical Mass snipers and two Rebel Minis sniper teams.

And the bulk of Terra Force's manpower, 50 rank and file troopers

Terra Force is complete!

13 man teams

The Old Man with the HQ section

Nova! don't even think about it!

I'm going to have to find a better way to store/transport them now!

50 troopers

8 sergeants

8 SSW troopers

4 sniper/marksmen

2 sniper teams

and a 8 man Ranger Team

From Curt:

I'll state right now that my favourite pic of the lot is the one with Nova peering over the table. What an absolute sweetheart!

This is a fantastic opening volley for this week David! I really like the cohesive look of the entire force, from the walkers, vehicles right through to the snipers - wonderful stuff.  I also admire your use of colours on the base rims to denote the various squads/functions. 

Well done!

PS: And yes, you definitely need a better storgage solution for these brave fellow.