From MilesR: A Story of 3 P's (283 Points)

 The first P in this trio are Paratroopers and take the form of 18 WW2 Italian para's.  These are 28mm metals from Warlord and they were "OK"  The came in a box set of 22 but only 18 seem were serviceable.

 This will complete my Italian collection (infantry wise) for the North Africa campaign.

Simple desert basing.  I copied the camo from the box art on the packaging they came with.  Not the most diligent form of uniform research but they're done and table ready.

The next P in the trilogy is a Pirate Ship!  Specifically the Sloop kit from Firelock Games for their wonderful Blood and Plunder ruleset.  The ship model is superb and consists of a cast resin hull, wooden dowels for masts and metal detail parts (Cannons, hatches, etc).  The sails and flags are available as downloads and print out nicely of a inkjet printer.

The ship is 18 inches long and 14 high - I included my recently painted Captain to show the scale of the boat.

I'm a sucker for ship models and really had a blast putting this ship together and then painting her up.

The cannons are really nice casts and the rigging is minimal to allow for ease of movement for figures.  The Sloop is armed with six cannons and six swivel guns.

 The only finicky part was attaching the sails but after the first one went on the others followed quickly.  The sails can be found here and are a PDF with images for both sides.  Simply cut them out, glue together and attach to the ship.  Before rigging the sails to the ship, I stained them with a sand colored wash to match what  weather sails look like.

 I think she looks grand and will soon be joined by two other larger ships as I finish out my Pirate collection.

In the lower left you can see where there was a small casting issue with the hull.  I decided to leave if as battle damage rather than try to repair the problem.  I think it looks fine and give the ship a little bit of character.

The model kit comes with black elastic thread to use for the ratlines.  It's really easy to install.  I tie a knot a one end and thread to line up from the chain plate (the lower part of the ratlines) and then up and down until you thread it from the top to bottom of the final hole on the chain plate.  Pull it taught (but not to much) and tie off another knot.  Done!  The elastic provides a lot of give as your reaching for figures.

A parting shot as she sails off into the sunset - oh just imagine she's that she's at sea and not dry docked on my painting desk.

I haven't named the Sloop yet (I know that's bad form) but just haven't figured out which faction will get her.  Perhaps I'll let the Challenge community name her.  Please note "Boaty McBoatface" and any derivations thereof would be considered historically inaccurate.

Lastly we come to the final "P"which is, of course, Pterrain!  This is an old english phrasing of Terrain where the P is silent.  I'm sure you all learned that spelling in school.  If you didn't then Im very sorry to say your education system has failed you.

20 more 4x4 sections have joined the collection and also some special details.

Here's the collection so far - it makes a nice little dungeon / catacomb to go exploring in.

 I decide to make some removable bars that will turn a "U" section into a prison cell.  Nothing all that fancy but it gets the job done.

 I added some LED lighting to 2 tiles - this one is a simple fire pit.  The black embers are a mixture of grey railroad ballast, matt medium and a few drops of black india ink.  It really looks like coals in person and dries rock hard.  No points for this tile as it's been counted earlier.

The lights are basic tea lights.  I picked up 24 on Amazon for like $5.00 so be prepared to see a lot of them over the next few weeks.

 Just for fun, I 3D printed a still to serve as an objective piece.  It was a fun little project and very helpful in teaching me how to run the printer.

 I added the green ooze on a whim but think i really looks good.  It's just Eileens tacky glue with a little green paint mixed in.

The boiler for the still has it's own LED "fire".  Really just scratching the surface of what one can do with both LED's and 3D printers.

I'll be quite over the next few weeks as work is conspiring to take me away from the painting desk with upcoming trips to London, Sao Paulo and our annual offsite in the Turks.  If only British Airways would let me paint while on board their flights.  What good is being "Gold Status" for their frequent flyer program if I can't paint while onboard?

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So much to love in this entry, wow. Great work on the WWII Italians (I think there's nothing wrong with copying the boxart as long as you believe the artists took longer than 5 minutes research before doing their drawings). It must feel good to finish off a contingent for your North African collection. 

The Pterrain (we pronounce it with a soft 'puh' here in Canada) continues to amaze. I love the prison bar add-ons and that 3D print of the 'likker still' is just stonking. The LED fire and Eileen's Ooze are perfect touches to help set the scene.

But the piece de resistance has to be the Sloop. Wow! What an absolutely beautiful craft for your pirates to bob about in while reaving the Spanish Main. I really like the paintjob you've given her, especially the light woodgrain for the deck (very realistic). That elastic rigging you describe sounds (and looks) absolutely brilliant - what an ingenious approach to an otherwise daunting chore. Name? I dunno, I think we've used it before but I've always been fond of 'The Challenger'.

Points? Hmm. Well, the Italian paras are easy at 90 points. The dungeon sections we'll place at 100 points for the twenty sections and associated bits. We'll give 8 points for the still for its creativity and fun. Finally for the Sloop lets say it's the equivalent of five vehicles with some extra for the rigging: 85 points. All together, a very respectable 268 points. Thanks for the very entertaining entry Miles and safe travels for the next few weeks!

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