From IainW: Italian Wars Stradiot (80 points)

Hi there, I don't know if this makes it for this Thursday or next but here are eight 28mm stradiot by Perry Miniatures , well mostly. I wanted two units of eight and bought six Perry figures and ten Old Glory figures but I couldn't combine the two, the Perry figures were way too big so I've got two warlord games ECW figures on Perry horses with cut down shields, I think they'll do.

No flag as I'm a bit pushed for time, I've got to pack all my figures and move them to a shed I've just built, I've got to get out of the basement the builders start in March, what fun!

I'm pretty happy with how these have turned out.Got to get finish the baggage train for them to pillage!

All the best

Iain

These are splendid Iain! Not only are they moving with a purpose, but they are a true riot of color as well! The colors are really wonderful on them. I also like the basework. It looks precisely like the ground Clint Eastwood will film Westerns over in a few hundred years! ;)

Although they lack the impact of a gendarme, They certainly don't lack in style!

From JamesM: 15mm FoW British Command (96 points)

Hi folks,

Long time no entry, but I have been busy!

Over the last few weeks I have been prepping and painting various elements for this entry. I've still more to do, but the back of the infantry painting has been broken!

This entry consists of:

3 x Jeeps
3 x Observation Team Universal Carriers
2 x 'Staff' teams (for directing artillery batteries)
5 x 'Command' teams
2 x Observation teams

These are support teams for a variety of forces - mainly my 1st Polish Armoured, 4 AGRA and 128th Field Regiment (of the Highland Division).

A very tidy entry, James! I really like the vicks as both the carriers and the jeeps look rough and well used. The teams are very well worked too, my favorites being the observation teams. Only two men and a radio needed to complete mission! ;)

I'm still a big fan of that groundwork too.  I also like the vignettes of the commands including the courier bike. Real top shelf stuff!

From PeterD Freytag's Jaegers (30 points)

As with the whole Perry AWI range the poses and sculpts are very nice.  I especially like the kneeling poses and that the two who are fine have wrapped their rifle slings around their wrists for support.

Another week in February, another small batch of 28mm SYW figures from me.  This time around it is 6 members of Freytag's Jaegers who served in the Hanoverian army.  The Anglo Allies raised Jaeger Corps from 4 different German state - Hanover, Hessen-Kassel, Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Schaumburg-Lippe (a variable meet up of Imagination bloggers).

I had a set of 6 Hessian Jaegers plus officer and hornist plus a few left overs , the result of changing rules unit sizes to fit rule systems!  As leftovers had been previously painted as Freytag's corps, I ordered another pack of Jaegers from Messrs Perry and Perry to serve as a group of Freytag's Jaegers for my SYW Sharp Practice project.  The figures are from the AWI range, sold as Hessian Jaegers but work equally well in the SYW as Hanoverians.

Uniforms are very basic as fits a Jaeger unit - green jacket and waistcoat with green facings, white breeches and grey gaiters.

Here's the requisite Folky arty print for historical reference.

Darn I missed the flower pot mounted in the tricorne!

The Backside view shows the nice details in these sculpts.  They are packing a hide knack sack, canvas haversack and metal canteen plus cartridge box.

Front side view with the 6 new lads flanked by the officer and hornist on un-tufted bases.

By my count that is 6 28mm figures for a whopping 30 points.  Don't count the two pre-existing Jaegers.

Grand job, Peter! Jaeger and light infantry are two of my favorite terms in refernence to war besides ranger!  It is a common missnomer on the term "light infantry" as these fellows do show that meaning is never in reference to pack size and weight! I actually just spied the Freytags Jaeger print on Pinterest over the weekend. I am working on a project where I am shoehorning on hand models into unit/units. Your method of finding a unit THEN finding the models seems to be a lot more practical! ;)
The green suits them very well and seems very close to the shade featured. Although I've seen evidence for black and grey gaiters during campaign and later years of the 7YW, these are the first fellows I've seen painted up with grey gaiters. Kudos to you for bucking popular wargaming trend and painting grey ones instead of the goto white or popular black. You may be setting a trend! ;)
I'm thinking you may need another unit or two of 'hunters" !

MarkW - No 52 Next batch after a break(90 points )

Well isn't work a pain in the backside at times.

Last 2 weeks have had a real upturn in work, and thus painting has not been the first thing on my mind.  But I have managed some progress and here it is

10 Grave Guard (New plastics)
2 Spirit Hosts
1 Banshee
1 Zombie Dragon
1 Bloodthirster

So 1 of the spirit hosts and the banshee are Reaper miniatures and arrive in a blister and are made of clear green plastic one piece casting. The plastic is quite malleable, slightly less dense than an old Airfix toy solider.  None the less, the paint effect makes all the detail stand out.

The wings on that Blood Thirster were very simple and took about 20 mins with an airbrush, then a dry brush, then 4 different coloured washes - the effect is magnificent to my eyes and better in the flesh.

The Zombie Dragon was one of those models that makes you take time off after doing is it was a pig to paint.  Such hard work to get a good finish, I put the second one I have to assembled in a box and away from sight...

Lastly, I promosed a how to guide on the basing as I have had a lot of positive feedback. (thanks 😛)

So After painting I apply Vallejo Thick Mud (http://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/200ml-european-thick-mud-vallejo-26-807.html).  It clearly looks like something less pleasant than mud, but goes very easily and is water soluble in this state.

Using a brush or coffee stirring stick I mould in some puddles and lumps and then leave to dry for 12+ hours.

For purposes, the colour is too light.  So I paint it with GW Rhinox Hide, or as normal people call it - Dark Brown.

I then do a quick dry brush of Grey and blob some green patches.  Once the Vallejo Still Water is on, these green patches turn into a depth of colour that looks like floating algae.

Then I use some tufts of various sizes, colours and shapes that I have got from Ebay. I found this seller who does buy 3 get 1 one free type deals and the range is great. http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Serious-Play?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

From there I add Vallejo Still Water, and then sprinkle on some swamp debris (another product in a bag from that Ebay seller) and leave to dry for 24 hours, do the sides of the base black and there it is done.

Wow, Mark! Not to sure where to begin with this one! From the top, The spirit hosts and banshee really pop with that spirtit effect you use complimented with your basing. The skellies with the unborn spirits have to be my favorite of that lot with the further contrast and story element.

The grave guard are excellent too! I rather like the purple on them as I don't usually asociate that color with undead, but it works really well with them.

Now to the big bads of the bunch... That bloodthirster is probably the best chaos demon I have ever seen, and I am far from a fan of that line. I like the wide array of colors you've put on him and still remained faithful to the red and bronze armor. The wings are the focus of this model and the detail you picked out of them is astounding! I just built a big GW model and while i hate the cost, I do appreciate how far they have honed model making in the past 30 years. This baddie is better than the GW store gallery!

The Reaper fellows are IMO hot on the heels of GW for model craft and the Bones line is a boon for the hobbyist's pocketbook. Even with my hassle of vanishing paint, I'm still keen to get some more. I haven't picked up on their big beasts, but I'm certain one or two will come my way...He gave you some bother(vanishing paint?) but once again your pallet and brushwork picked out a lot of detail on him. He is a real pig of a menace too! I probably wouldn't notice him munching through my dwarves as I'd be distracted by his granduer! ;)

Lastly, I predict this page is gonna get bookmarked for that basing tutorial!

Good show, Mark!

I put your spirit hosts in as vicks and placed the big fellows as 54mm infantry plus a touch extra for sheer awesome!

From SimonM: "Black Tree Design" Servant Of Sutekh & The Nimon (30 Points)

"Die. I bring Sutekh's gift of death to all humanity."

These 28mm metal model of the Servant of Sutekh is manufactured by “Black Tree Design” and can be bought as code DW459 from their "Doctor Who" range. In reality the animated corpse of archaeologist Professor Marcus Scarman, this black-clad cadaver was used by the entombed Osiran, Sutekh, to construct a rocket aimed at the Eye of Horus on Mars, and first appeared in the October 1975 BBC Television science fiction serial "The Pyramids Of Mars".

"Kill him, but not yet. We need to know who he is and what he is doing here."

Rather simplistic to paint, the miniature was undercoated with "Citadel" Abaddon Black, dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal and then subsequently washed with "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

"It is he who built the complex for the Nimon."

In addition to the Typhonian's minion, I have also painted five more 28mm "Black Tree Design" Nimon. This parasitic species first appeared in the December 1979 BBC Television science fiction serial "The Horns Of Nimon", and were primed with "Citadel" Chaos Black, dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Charred Brown and washed with "The Army Painter" Strong Tone Quickshade. Their "Vallejo" Gold loincloths and "Vallejo" Heavy Ochre horns were then washed with more Strong Tone Quickshade, before I 'picked out' their eyes with a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Red and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

I'm still fond of the old Star Trek and Dr Who. Although the costumes and effects are horribly campy and dated, they are wonderfully still campy today! ;)
I do have vague memories of this episode and these fellows do bring back the warm fuzzy of nostalgic fun. The poor professor is suitably creepy. A fine addition to your collection Simon! 

From SimonM - "Heroclix" 40mm Mindless Ones (49 Points)

"The Mindless Ones! They've broken through!"

These seven brutish-looking 40mm tall plastic “Wizkids” models of a Mindless One can be purchased as miniature number 05 from the Marvel “Heroclix” Giant Size X-Men range. Summoned via magic to do the bidding of others, for they have no will of their own, these extra-dimensional beings have a rocky hide and no face except a single glowing eye. “Most often seen in the employ of Dormammu” the savage humanoids were created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and made their first comic book appearance within the pages of Issue One Hundred and Twenty Seven of “Strange Tales” in December 1964.

The Mindless Ones First Appearance - "Strange Tales" #127 (December 1964)

Due to these figures each requiring an incredibly simple paint-job, and having previously painted two of Dormammu's behemoths before for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, this particular project was rather straightforward. However, it did once again give me the opportunity to try out the combination of “Vallejo” USA Olive Drab and “Citadel” Nuln Oil. The Mindless Ones' cyclopean eyes were then subsequently ‘picked out’ using a combination of “Vallejo” Heavy Red and the “Citadel” glaze, Bloodletter.

"Now nothing matters! We are all doomed!"

First, I do apologize, Simon.  I missed this and another post from Simon as my Friday morning report time changed to Thursday evening...

These fellows I do remember, a nice simple villain needing pounding by I intrepid heroes. These fellows caused all sorts of mayhem. 

They pop up very well with your brush, Simon. They will make nice badges in several other games as well!  Great Job! 

Thursday Minion reporting in

It seems that I'm not the only one for whom February is dragging. Hopefully all will kick out of the hump doldrums soon! I am not suffering so much from the doldrums as Real World responsibilities. Embarrassingly it wasn't just the Flu, but also full blown shingles that laid me up for a week and half. I'm still itchy, but the body aches and pain have devolved to tolerable levels. The Contagion passed last week just in time for military training. I thought I could catch up on comments, but my new rank has new responsibilities and more commitment.
I assure all I did review all the excellent eyecandy (my favorite part of the AHPC)
I'm also mostly over the crushing of my ego too. Shingles is for older guys, not young at heart and active infantry dudes who are.... (sigh) close to 50.
The only hobby I've been active in is "whack-a-mole" research on Pinterest for 7YW uniforms. Thankfully I've been at the brushes since work ended Tuesday!
I will hope that the rest of the crew perks up as we do have a way to go!
Let's see what the Thursday crew can whip up, as my mailbox is being pinged with waiting posts!

For starters we have a few posts from Simon that I missed last week while traveling. We also have a wonderful post from Mark with a tutorial. I'm pretty certain that Peter, Padre, and a few others will chime in before too long as well. 

I'll be at the brushes till then! ;)