From PaulS: What is that noise? (190 Points)

This week is a slightly more coherent selection of figures, all surrounding the ongoing Bolt Action/ Weird War theme. No deviations into something weird like Victoriana or the wild west this week I'm afraid. Maybe next week...

I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how much has been done for this entry. It just goes to show what happens when you actually put your mind to something!

Lets start with the main bulk of the entry. This week I've mainly been concentrating on fleshing out some missing/semi-complete infantry options, which includes 2 SMG wielding officers, 1 assault rifle officer, 1 LMG/MMG loader and 8 Heer rifles.  On top of that we have 8 German zombies, 1 werewolf and 6 Fallschirmjager.  Unless stated, these are all Warlord models, including the werewolf. There are some squad shots below.

Sadly the zombies and officers didn't come out well in their solo photos, so I need to retake these and update my blog later, but you can open up the group shot and see them in action. The zombies are a combination of Warlord plastics, plus Mantic zombie parts. On the tabletop they look pretty good, but I'm not 100% convinced about the hands and arms. I'm not sure what Mantic feeds their zombies to make them so big, but it looks... wrong up close. This is the minimum squad size for Konflikt, so I'm sure the horde will grow over time.

I recently joined my local gaming group to try and actually learn Bolt Action properly, so I ca actually play with all these painted troops. You may recall that two years ago I painted up a small commando force as a challenge entry. I've decided to flesh this out into a proper Royal Marines Commando force using the list that Warlord posted on their blog. This will let me field a proper commando force, where everyone gains the benefit of the commando rules. Should be pretty nasty *fingers crossed*. As such, I need to flesh out my selection of models a bit, so here is the first batch of additions to the crew. There are 3 rifles, 1 lmg and 2 smgs to bulk out the basic infantry squads. The other nice benefit of the RM Commando list is that the HQ squad can take up to 5 supporting marines, rather than the normal 2. To show who these would be, I picked up one of the US Marine sprues in Warlord's Christmas sale so that these HQ models have rolled up sleeves. It looks tougher, right?

My Commandos are considered to have been behind enemy lines for a few days, so they are looking a bit unshaven at the moment. At some point I may come back and dirty up the uniforms a bit, but for now, they are clean, but not clean shaven!

This should add 36 infantry plus the werewolf to the figure total

ByronM: What a way to end the day (unless there are anymore last minute entries that come in)!  What a collection you have going, amazing looking, not sure where to start with any of this.  The infantry are really well done with strong shading, highlights, and clean brush work.  I love the addition of the stubble on several of them as well. I would have liked to see a closeup of the zombies to see what you did on them in more detail, but oh well.

My favourite of the lot (as I suspect will be for most people here) is the werewolf.  The super strong shadow and highlight really makes him stand out.  Better yet, the tattoo (proving he is but an experiment and tool of the Reich) is a brilliant addition!  190 points are added to your total, and keep them coming!

From Scott M: French Partisans, Germans and Ooze (165 points)

Missed my entry from last week so I'm doing a large one (for me!) this week. First up is 2 sets of French Partisans. First is a set of figures from Warlord Games.

This next set is from Wargames Foundry.

These are probably my favourite of the lot.

This paint challenge has given me the incentive to start my early-war Germans. So first up is a set of command figures from Warlord Games.

The next set of Germans is from Wargames Foundry.

Not sure why I need so many German officers, but I have them now!

And finally there is some ooze. Figure is from Reaper Miniatures. Simple and easy to paint but rather enjoyable. 

Next week should be some more Germans and adventurers.

ByronM: Great entry Scott with tons of little details.  I can't tell much on the first batch as the pictures are kind of far away, but the close ups on some of the Germans are very good, I like the dark shading and strong contrast.  The little extra details like the painted insignia and helmet markings are really nice touches too and add a lot, well done!  The slime is a cool looking model as well, like you said, simple looking model, but shading smoothing over curves to help add curve and depth is not simple, and you make it look really good.   

From IannickM : Epic Wednesday (22 Points)

Yes, another entry (second week in a row with two entry, I'm on fire people!), and we keep it small this week albeit a very different and nastier type of small. Yes, more Emperor's Children for my Epic Horus Heresy project. I've been painting these in between Halflings and Napoleonics. One of the things I enjoy about painting Epic is that it's a nice change of pace; sometimes I'm just really tired of working on 28mm figures and I just switch in the middle of a session to painting little tanks and it gives me renewed energy and motivation.

Also, I figured good ol' Greg is probably tired of my painting fantasy figures and would be happy to know I haven't forgotten our little 30K duel. In all fairness, I don't think I can catch up to him by working only on my Epic project, but dang it I shall do my best!

So this week we have three support detachment sporting the Purple & Gold of your favourite Legions of depraved (but happy) sociopaths. 

First up, a detachment of 4 Predators. These are the Annihilator variants, equipped with turret-mounted Twin-linked "Stormbringer" Lascannons as opposed to the basic turret-mounted Autocannon on the Predator Destructor. I always had a soft spot for the Predators' look, as I find it looks good without being over the top.

Up next, we move one size up to a quatuor of Sicaran Battle Tanks, one of the most advanced armoured vehicles used by the Space Marine Legions during the Horus Heresy. These powerful vehicles were exclusive to the armouries of the Legiones Astartes and were just in the process of being introduced as a standard vehicle of the Legions when the Horus Heresy broke out. This allowed the Warmaster Horus to ensure that many examples of the new tank found their way only into the armouries of the "traitor" Legions that would side with him before the outbreak of his rebellion against the Emperor. Yes, Horus is the kind of leader you can count on!

Not very point effective for the duel though, as they are rather big for a measly 2 pts! But that drawback is more than offset by their badassery and their awesome look!  These guys are big and mean, and style wise fit perfectly with my philosophically agressive Emperor's Children.

And last for this week is a Legion Outrider Squad. I needed more speed for my Legion, and these guys look the part. These mechanized Space Marine reconnaissance squads are mounted on all-terrain Assault Bikes and are responsible for performing scouting missions and conducting guerrilla attacks behind enemy lines.  I quite like the models, although in hindsight I'm wondering if I should've put two bikes per bases. Of course, that would've required twice as many bikes and twice the cost! Anyways, the detachment still looks good to me, even if pictures are a bit hard to get right because they are so very small!

And a family picture, just to give some perspective on the size of each models.

Next up for this project; more infantry for my Emperor's Children, another Super Heavy Tank and then time permits I might just start the work on the loyalist side, the Ultramarines. Although I might get to face Blood Angels first, as I may have corrupted another Analogue Challenger to join in the Heresy! My mentor Greg will be proud...

So that's 8 tanks (16 pts) and 6 bikers (6 points) for 22 more points.

ByronM: Very nice entry Iannick, I really love all this 30k badassery in Epic scale.  I am with you on the sicarans, they are one of the best looking and playing tank in 30k or 40k.  They are low, long, sleek, and aggressive looking, amazing tank.  Better your your purple paint job shows them of very nicely, especially with the accent colours.  

You're correct, overall not very many points in the challenge, but they are very nice looking points, so it is well worth it!  Keep it coming!  

From JohnM: FIW Canoes (30 Points)

Two submissions, 2 weeks in a row! I have gone into 8 Kickstarters in the last 3 years and these figures are the latest acquisitions. I would not usually paint pieces that are not going to used in games, but I think some of the FIW rules we use do allow for canoes, so I said why not.

These are from AW Miniatures, and they delivered right as promised. I put in a pledge for set of European Missionaries that I thought would be useful. As part of the pledge I also received both a Ranger and Indian canoe set, as well as a British cannon and crew and some Grenadiers.

The figures are quite big and a side by side with my other FIW figures from Conquest Miniatures makes the Grenadiers and Cannon Crew unusable for me, but for these canoe teams it does not really matter. Oddly the Missionaries that I made the pledge for are compatible with the Conquest Miniatures. I am not sure why you would sell two quite incompatible 28 mm ranges from the same catalogue.

I do note that Warlord Games, who sell the Conquest Miniature line, have canoeists in their catalogue but I do not see them on the Conquest Miniatures site so I am not sure if they are by the same sculptor. A lot of 28mm figures have seen my painting desk and I can easily say the Conquest Miniatures line are the best I have seen in this scale for all the eras I have painted.

The figures themselves are nice, some what "Eliteish" in posture; with them looking up to the right with their sharp chiseled faces. There is some flash, they came with a lot of extra bits but I could not fit it all in the canoes. All in all though they are OK.

Well that is it for this week, I will have a solo submission for next week as I am starting work on a project which is charting completely new territory for me. I will leave the point scoring to Byron as I am unsure if canoes are regarded as vehicles or not.

ByronM: Another very sharp looking entry John.  I like these as they are not something you see all the time, in fact I don't believe I have ever seen a miniature canoe!  Being Canadian I know we have a lot of history that could be played out in miniature, but never really looked into doing so before.  This is a very cool idea though, you could use them for any number of small skirmish games based around either exploration (change the Congo rules to be based on the Voyagers instead of English explorers and move it to North America, or use Saga or Sharp Practice for some European vs Native battles).  By your saying you already do FIW though, I assume you have a rule system you use, which is it? It would be interesting to check out.

I had to do some checking with the commander in chief on points, in the end they are going to be viewed  as a bike or horse with two riders, so 15 points per model for a total of 30 points.  Which seems rather fitting as that is kind of how they were used, as the cavalry of the river ways. Regardless of points, thanks for showcasing something very cool and different than the norm!

From StephenS: British Regular Infantry (62 points)

I've missed roll-call for the last few weeks as I've kept plugging away on these guys in between preparing for the bonus rounds. Originally, I had four ready and then optimistically thought I could squeeze 4 more in before the cut-off... I then figured I might as well finish the last few, so I present 12 of His Majesty's finest from the 44th (East Essex) Regiment of Foot. These guys will combine with the six of their fellows I painted last year, to make two units for use in French-Indian War themed games of Sharpe Practice 2.

The 28 mm miniatures are by Conquest Miniatures from Warlord Games. The banner is just one from the box the miniatures came in, with a few splashes of paint added to brighten it up a bit.

The command - the uniforms are not quite so bright in the flesh.

I chose the 44th because I liked their yellow flag more than the others that came in the box (I know, I think about these things too much...) Interestingly, I recently discovered that the 44th apparently holds the honour of being the most massacred regiment in the British army during the 18th and 19th centuries. Being first slaughtered to almost a man at the Battle of Prestonpans by Scottish Highlanders. Then massacred again by Native Americans at the Monongahela River during the French-Indian War. Before being cut-down a third time at Gandamak during the retreat of the British during the First Afghan War. I must say, I feel this regiment and I have been well-matched!

This marching in circles might help explain why they kept getting massacred...

Surrounded on all sides - business as usual!

My brief love for painting 18th century uniforms is beginning to fade, but I have a unit of Grenadiers ready to paint up along with some Native American allies that will make a nice diversion. That's if I can get through to a few other things first...

Cheers,

Steve

ByronM: A very nice entry here Steve.  I can see why you like the regiment, the red/yellow really makes them distinctive and you have done a top notch job on them.  Painting anything from that era is hard (at least for me) and your sharp break black lining method makes all the details in the uniform really stand out and look great.  The base work is excellent as well, the little leaves in light tans help tie the yellows down to the base in my eye.  So 12 figures for 60 points and a bonus couple thrown in for the banner work, well done!

For Wednesday: JuanM More Sci-Fic figures! (25 Points)

Here is my third entry, at last. I have been painting in a 1:1 scale so I have had very few time for this task, but here are the next figures:

First one, Hansa, a Security contractor. He is a 28mm character from Warlord Games´ BGA game, a very nice miniature and a perfect character for my "Rogue Stars" games (if I´m able to play one!).

Secondly, one of the clones used for security task in the Astropolis Fleet, member of Hansa team. He is a figure from Haslefree Miniatures:

Then, another figure from Lead Adventure Miniatures´ Astropolis range: an Officer. Great model, very nice and really simple, but with a lot of character.

A Navigator from Colony 87 small range of Science Fiction miniatures. Really, really fine.

And finally, a second Crono-Gladiator from Games Workshop´s Necromunda range. I like a lot these old miniatures, they have lost nothing of their character.

And this is all. In this moment, I am painting Science Fiction models, and enjoying the task a lot, but I am looking at other periods too.

Cheers!!!

ByronM: Some very good painting here Juan, top notch!  I really like all of the highlights on all of these guys and especially like the skin tone on the first one. All of them are excellent, but the shading and subtly on the first in really good.  That is something I always struggle with as typically shading on skin is either to harsh (done to look good at a distance) or to soft (done to look good close up), yours is a perfect balance between the two (at least in my opinion!).  5 different characters and looks, for a well deserved 25 points.

KyleC - Frank "The Train" Wilson and Commissioner Gordon (37 Points)

Will bring in Commissioner Gordon and his band of blue here to counter the Penguin's crew from last week.

I didn't paint these up to a massive high degree, but I did try to add some more extreme highlights to them while copying for the most part the box art colors of them.

Had a lot of fun painting up Gordon after the bolt action tournament on Sunday. Quick hits of browns, with some reds/blues tossed in, but more washes of different GW washes over it to give some better tonal differences. The extreme highlights on the white really came out, and I tried the same for the pants and jacket before washing it back down with browns.

The plain clothes police officers. I really liked how they came out with a minimal of colors. But the extreme white placements really shine through on them! Compared to the duller pants/trousers they are wearing.

The SWAT I am less happy with, only because they are supposed to be dark,and they came out dark. But maybe too dark?

But they are done and they were pigs to put together ( much carving into metal here ). But good as a group all the same!

Frank 'The Train" Wilson.. ready to join the Human Blood Bowl team. Originally an apoc fighter found in Savage Forged Miniatures line up, but now recruited and re purposed for the Averland Avengers!

Quick swap out of his bat and shield for some hands that are far too large, but work all the same. I thought they would have been better for him as his scale is a bit larger also ( 40mm tall ).. but seems even heroic Skaven hands are too large for this scale!

Just need to find one more blitzer ( which is what he will be until I get proper ones ) to complete the team.

6 28mm figures and a 40mm scale piece. A slow week for me it seems.. but lots of building has been done in the background for 2 more Blood Bowl teams, and a new release from Mr Lee's Minis! ;)

ByronM: Excellent stuff here Kyle.  It is nice to see other groups out there playing (or at least painting) Batman stuff.  Around here it is just SteveB and myself playing it that we know of, so nice to see others with it.  I really like the hard contrasts on the police, as you say they really pop with the harsh white, and that will really make them show well on the table.  I also really like how the jacket and pants are essentially the same blue, but due to highlighting differently you make them look the same yet different, its a very nice look.  

On the brown on Gordon, using other colours is exactly the right way to make it look more interesting and something I am just learning to do as well.  In addition to the blues and reds you used you can skip the mix and go straight to the resultant purples instead if you want, and you can even try some greens and oranges (both in small quantities), blacks, and greys as well. For "The Train", the hands may be big, but I think it works.  Have you seen some players hand sizes? Or some boxers how their hands swell after years of abuse and damage?  I think it works well and I like him.