From LeeH - Tentacled Beasty (12 Points)

I've been looking forward to this years Analogue Challenge all year and no sooner had the echoes of the starting pistol faded away than I was struck down by my second cold in as many weeks. This one has really kicked five bells out of me and I have literally spent the last 48 hours in bed. Not a very auspicious start to my challenge!

My first entry isn't the greatest model I have painted but given the fact that I did most of it while still delirious I guess its not so bad. The model is actually my daughters, she bought it at Salute a couple of years ago and she recently asked me to paint it for her. Unfortunately I can't tell you much about the model other than it is cast in resin, came in three parts and stands about 56 mm tall. I'm not even sure what scale it is supposed to be compatible with.

The resin is quite good, with very few defects or bubbles and the three parts of the model fitted together very nicely.

I gave this model a rather unusual red undercoat and I think it worked well with this colour scheme.  

Ok, that's it, I'm done in. Time for some more medicine and an early night!

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What a wonderful and ghastly beastie! It reminds me of the plant in 'Little Shop of Horrors' who continually pleaded to Rick Moranis, 'Feed me, Seymour!' The purple turned out terrific and the green sets it off very nicely. 

I'm sure your daughter will be delighted with it.

Now, get some rest so you can emerge from the plague-ward, brush in hand, ready to conquer!

From DaveD: Hello Sailor... the last of the Naval Brigade. (120 points)

The brushes are up are and running and nicely warm. Here we have the final installment of the Naval Brigade for the Sudan collection. A further 24 matelots "at the ready" to flesh out the the existing company of 18, plus  various gunners. 

28mm  Perry Miniatures

And here is the full Naval Brigade accumulated over the last few years - various unreliable machine guns, crew and limbers, close-order and skirmish companies.

The latest batch have soft caps, rather than the more interesting sennet hats that some of them have.

When I take the the Sudan game out of the show circuit it is run as a participation game and part of this is providing some head wear for the participants - Pith helmets, fezzes - ok Tarbooshes really. So I recently commissioned a bespoke original pattern straw Sennet (boater type) hat from Philip Wrights, a traditional old milliners in Luton in the UK - the home  of hats. They have recently been making them for the Royal Navy Museum in Portsmouth so that was good enough for me..

Like my hat?

Well now things are motoring I feel the need for a proper point bombe..I shall see you the other side of Xmas and the airbrush...

In the words of "Slade" Merry Christmas Everyone

 

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That is a lovely 'boater' Dave! Though, in that picture, you look like a somewhat crazed Victorian schoolboy who's just eaten his parents. But that just might just be my imagination running wild. :)

Marvelous matelots mate! 

I think that 'at the ready' pose works particularly well in this period. I love that last shot of the entire brigade arrayed for battle.  They look as if they are just about to repel a charge from a keening horde Mahdists. Terrific stuff.

120 well-earned points for Mr. D's roster.

Merry Christmas to you Dave!

From TeemuL: Uruk-Hais with Crossbows (15 points)

Hello everyone!

This is my third challenge and surprisingly I'm painting some LotR figures again. These are metal uruk-hais with crossbows, original GW/Citadel products from the age of the second movie.

I have theme - or at least an idea - for all my paintings this year: Odds and Ends. So practically I'm trying to clean my todo and project lists, painting those random figures I got from somewhere, don't really have use at the moment, but I don't like part with them and on the other hand "finishing" squads/groups/regiments/armies. Yes, nothing is never really finished in the miniature painting world, but let's say finished for now. For example, these uruk-hais with crossbows were the last unpainted uruk-hais with crossbows, so now I have finished them. Until I get more of them, of course. Idea is not to start anything new, just stick with the old things and random figures. So you won't be seeing any Napoleonics from me...

Yes, there are white hands - definitely from Isengard then.

The pictures are very dark, I just finished these (it's past 9pm in Finland and it is dark outside) and wanted to post them as soon as possible and this was the best light I could find. The paint job is quite simple, dark brown for the skin and weapon, lighter brown for the clothing and metal with black ink for the armor. The are not super neat, but good enough for the gaming table in a large group.

Next time more Uruk-Hais with proper light, I hope.

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I gave them a little post-processing bump to help them out, Teemu, They look good and will be a welcome reinforcement to your collection. I like how the armour has been dirtied up and I also like your addition of The Hand of Sauron on their helmets. 

A fitting start to your climb on the roster. Welcome back!

From MilesR: French FT-17 (15 Points)

 The Foreign Legion will get some very limited armor support in the form of a aging FT-17 tank. I'm not sure any really served in North Africa and the Levant but in my universe they did.

 The model is in 28mm scale and from Trenchworx.  This is my second FT-17 from them and the model is simply superb.  The model comes with an optional 37mm gun and both are magnetized to allow for easier changing - really very clever work from the Trenchworx team.

 It's little more than a very slow moving machine gun nest, but hey somethings is better than nothing!.

The tank should net me an additional 15 points.  It's also part of a side duel: 28mm vehicles (SD-16)

Here's a shot of the whole force.  I suspect you'll see some WWII Italians sometime over the next month or so to complete my WWII collection.

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Lovely work Miles, you've been very busy. I've always liked the look of the FT-17. With it's fully exposed tracks, rounded turret cupola and whacky trench 'tail' it has a very distinctive silhouette. When it was first released in 1917 it was state of the art, and the fact that it was still in service as late as the late 1940's speaks to its robust design (and yes, they did see service in Morocco and Tunisia, so you can sleep soundly in the knowledge that you're building a historically correct force for your 'DAK & Dragons' game...). AND they even saw service rusting away during the First Indochina War (which is why I have one of these little beasties to build as well).

<archival dork mode/off>

From JuanM. First entry: Science Fiction (10 Points)

Hello.

Here is my first entry for the 7th Challenge. I have enjoyed a pair of days off-duty so I have had enough time to paint them. As usual, they are 28mm and for one of my favorite themes: Science Fiction.

First one, a Doranian ex-Police, a Mark Copplestone´s figure for "Rogue Stars":

The model is very good, clean, with the perfect level of detail and I have ready his profile for the ruleset as an ex-Police...lion (49 XP). He is going to be the first member of an Inquisitorial retinue (Curt, my first figure for our Side Duel if I can use non-GW models (I have a box full of GW models, so no problem with that)).

The second one is a Vandirian Assasin, also a Copplestone figure for "Rogue Stars":

Another very fine model and more "agile" than the first assasin for this range of figures. She is going to be the cover actions agent of the Inquisitorial Retinue (second model for the count, Curt, if you agree...). With a cost of 59 XP, she is not cheap but I think she can be very useful.

And this is all for now. These figures have been very easy to paint, as is usual with Copplestone´s.

Cheers!!!

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Oooh, what lovely painted figures, Juan!  I really like the fur on the Doranian, and you've done a terrific job on the black armour of the Vandirian. That purple knife is ace as well. You've really brought them to life with your brushwork.

Mark Copplestone is a terrific sculptor - a painter's sculptor. He always manages to provide just enough detail for interest, without over-complicating things for the brush. I'm really happy they brought him on to provide the figures for the 'Rogue Stars' range. 

You've stolen a march on me with our Inquisitor/Rogue Stars duel, Juan. I'll have to get moving so I can start to catch up (I think I signed up for too many duels...).

From MilesR: WWII French Foreign Legion in 28mm (140 points)

It's been awhile since I've painted figures so I'm getting warmed up with some mid-sized groups.  My second submission for AHPC VII is a group of 30 WW2 French Foreign Legion from the North Africa Campaign.

These are metal castings from the Perry WW2 line and, as usual, are very good but required a bit of effort on the clean up side.

I'm pretty sure I got the uniforms right as I used the Artizans painting guide site - I find that very handy for WWII figures.  These figures are needed for my upcoming game a Historicon next year "DAK and Dragons" which will pit WWII North African forces in a type of Dungeon Crawl and hopes to answer that age old question "Could a Panzer III take on a Dragon?"  I'm sure we've all pondered with that deep intellectual challenge from time to time.  I'm planning to run some different version of the game with the titles "Muskets and Magic" and "SOCOM and Sorcery".  I know it's all very silly but I need a break from putting on big battle games

WWII figures are really easy to paint and I really recommend the Perry line - I just wish they expand the plastics beyond the 8th Army and DAK box sets.

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Thus the machine lurches forward, building up speed... 

Terrific work Miles! It's not every day you see kepis with WWII figures. l think it's great seeing these oft overlooked forces getting center stage. I look forward to seeing the upcoming SOE Dragon...  

Okay, 140 points for you Mr. Miles. (The prone figures get half, rounded up, in case your wondering).