From DaveD - Sudan - Egyptian Camel Corps - 425 points

Its about time we had a decent amount of camels - so its a  proper Sudan camel post for you this week. This is one of the more unusual units for the collection.  It was first raised as an irregular unit in 1883. it was composed of Egyptian and Sudanese soldiers and  fought in the Gordon relief expedition and fought right through the period and upto the first world war.

The figures are by Old Glory - overall they are nice figures - with the usual few OG oddball poses - some are looking 180 degrees away from where thier weapon is pointed - lets hope that is not an indicator of table prowess! But they are nice and characterful once done.

So here we have 24 mounted Camel Corps

a home made flag done for these too - i converted the standard bearer from a rifleman

Plus 24 dismounted close order. 6 skirmishers , plus 3 mounted officers for the upcoming Egyptian and Sudanese battalions that are on the table

27 mounted = 270 points
30 foot = 150 points
total = 420 points

Now then - someone challenged me to camel painting duel - well I think my eye is in now!

From Ray

Look out everyone Dave's back to his paintbomb best!!!
Beautiful work Comrade, what more can I say??? I love the 2 skirmish bases bases, they do look pretty cool. I think we need a pic of the whole army, just to see what you've got.

As for the points it's as you said a combined 420 points, but I'm adding another 5 points for the home made flag and just because of the awesomeness of this post!!

From RoyW: Science Fiction terrain, a spaceship, and a 28mm figure (14pts)

Mouldy orange, anyone?

Well, I think it looks like a rotten citrus fruit, even if no one else does!

This is my second post of the day (unless Ray posts this up first, then this will be my first post of the day!) and it sees another Personal Best achieved. Most total points submitted on a single day. Although the other post, today, sees the majority of the work done to earn those points, this post features the non-historic bits I've painted since my last submission date.

The terrain piece is quite obviously a DIY attempt at 'planets', for use in spaceship games. They are polystyrene balls, purchased from the haberdashery section of a local department store and painted with acrylic paints. Mounted on bamboo skewers and attached to an MDF base, all then painted in acrylics to represent Space and distant stars.  

28mm cowboys illustrating the size of them there balls

Next up is another Star Trek Attack Wing repaint. The model is a Kazon Predator ship, but I've painted it to represent something else - I haven't decided what yet, so my Starfleet ships will be fighting an unknown enemy when first they meet.

The photo below shows the repainted model (to the right) and the as-bought, prepainted model (on the left).

Finally we have a 28mm Rogue Stars miniature, sold through Nick Eyre's North Star Military Figures. I've converted it somewhat, using greenstuff to alter the hair. The model will be used as an RPG character, who has an interesting taste in colourful clothing!

Points-wise;

1x 28mm figure = 5pts

1x Spaceship = 5pts (we decided to score them as 5pts each, last time)

1x Terrain piece = My suggestion is to count the planets as part of the 6" cube of terrain that also houses the trees and columns from the first of my posts today. Probably easiest, and will justify full points be issued for filling the cube. At least that is my suggestion.

So 10 points for this post, I reckon.

Over to you Ray. You're doing a grand job, so far 👍

From Ray

A second post eh????

You have been a busy boy!!

The Planets look excellent I especially like the orange one, and being home made too! A grand job, You could very well have a home made galaxy of planets soon.......now there's a Challenge!!

As for the points 10 points for the figures and 4 points for the planets!

From JamesM: 4 x 15mm German LeFH 18's + 15mm Terrain (70pts)

Hi folks,

After the rush job of the Nebs for last weekend, I finally managed to get my next battery of German artillery done. These are much more standard German 10.5cm LeFH 18's.

These guns were the standard division artillery of German forces during WW2, having initially been developed in the 1920's. I've painted up 4 as a battery for my 89. Infanterie-Division collection - a lighter alternative to the French 15.5cm howitzers I painted the other week.

I've weathered up the wheels a little and gone with the usual barrel soot. The models are all Battlefront and I've stuck to my usual basing style.

I've always been a bit wary of the striped poles people like to paint attached to WW2 guns. I know in a lot of cases these were actually the barrel cleaning tools... but it does look like these German guns had the survey poles attached and that they were striped. I've painted them on and they add a nice splash of colour! Talking about reds... I forgot the damn shoulder panels again... I also have ammo containers to add to the bases, but for not this unit is done!!!

4 x 15mm scale guns and 20 crew (5 per gun) =  56 points?

With these done I've just a few more Nebs and then a load of 88's, and my 15mm German arty surge is done!

I've also (sorry Ray!) been working on some 15mm scale terrain which I needed for a game on the 18th. Unfortunately this has now been pushed back to the 25th, so I'll be adding more terrain bits to the queue for that. The entries below were all painted from bare resin/MDF.

6 x Tiger Terrain resin 4" wall sections (to add to what I already have for around my church)
4 x Tiger Terrain 15mm resin 'Outhouses' (for scattering around my house's back yards)
10 x Blotz MDF rough wooden fences (4") and 2 x Gates (2") (useful in town boundaries)

I have no idea how these would be pointed I'm afraid!

From Ray

Oh Gawd!!! More terrain!!! You lot are killing me!!!

Love the artillery James, they look fantastic, you're going to need a massive table to get all this artillery on the table at once!
The terrain looks pretty cool too!
So the points...
56 points for the artillery and men and we'll go with ..............14 points for the terrain
For a total of 70 points!

From LeeH Royal Artillery Batteries and Gatling Guns (18 Points)

Just a small entry this Wednesday, but considering how busy and tired I have been I consider this a success. I was planning on getting more infantry companies painted but was making such slow progress I switched to something a little easier just to make sure I could submit something this week.

4 Gun Batteries and Two Gattling Guns

Lots of firepower

Royal artillery uniforms were dark blue with red collars and red stripes down the outside of the trouser legs. I opted for a slightly lighter blue as the original dark blue would have looked almost black after the usual ink wash, especially at this scale. I rather like the result, although I'm sure uniform purists will be pulling their hair out.

Close up of Gun Teams

Staring down the Barrel of a 7pdr

At the start of the Anglo Zulu war the N/5 Battery Royal Artillery, consisted of Six 7pdr 200 lb Rifled Muzzle Loading (RML) guns. These were mounted on Colonial or Kaffraria carriages - low slung with large wheels and narrow tracks - which were considered more stable and therefore suitable for African conditions. This battery arrived in the Cape Colony in 1878, taking part in the closing stages of the war against Sandili before being assigned to the invasion of Zululand. Field batteries were usually equipped with 9pdrs at this time, but this battery had 7 prs which were thought to be more mobile and therefore better suited to the rough terrain.

Facing both ways...just to show them from different directions.

One Gatling Gun was also brought into the early stages of the war via a Naval Brigade from HMS Active. After Isandlwana more Gatlings were brought into the Order of Battle and played an important part in the closing battles of the war. I expect I'll be painting more of these at some point in the future but with naval troops manning them rather than RA gunners.

24 Gunners and six artillery pieces should net me a modest 18 points, but its another step towards a target I worried would be impossible when I started the challenge.

From Ray

Beautiful work Lee, I forsee these getting a lot of action in your games, but I fear for their safty with all those Zulu's you've been painting!!!
I quite like the blue you've used, it may well be a little brighter than it was supposed to be but you can see the detail on the figures, which is what its all about really. Anyway when these chaps arrived in Africa their uniforms were darker..........the hot African sun has bleached them don't you know!!!

Looking good Mr H......18 points are on their way!

From Barks: Perry TravelBattle 213pts

I wasn’t long into the Challenge when I unexpectedly acquired a secondhand copy of the Perrys’ TravelBattle. It tickled my paint gland and so I have taken a detour into 8mm Napoleonesque figures.

Red army

Defending the farm

Light cavalry scout a cottage

The commander broods manfully

Laying the guns

The heavies wait in reserve

Elite and regular infantry

Blue columns advance

Elites

The gods of war

Blue cavalry charge

The general poses

Blue army (I don't know where the bar came from)

The entire project

I say Napoleonesque as the two sides are identical sculpts. I followed Aly Morrison’s lead and painted a Red force and a Blue force, with blue and red facings and flags respectively. I haven’t seen any White or Green forces, but they or others could easily be done. The figures have a lovely toy soldier aesthetic, which influenced my simple basing scheme.

When I got this secondhand, the red force had already been assembled. Painting crossbelts on the second row of troops is not fun...

But wait! There’s more! TravelBattle also includes a 10x20” game board with roads, hills, fields, woods, and buildings.

This entry includes the following 8mm figures:

32 mounted
172 foot
4 guns
Terrain board

If 6mm is 0.5 points each and 10mm is 1 point each, then I’m going to claim 0.75 points per figure, and 1.5 for the mounted and guns. That works out at 183, plus whatever the Terrainometer calculates.

From Ray

Oh my God!!!!!! That's fanbloodytastic!!!!
Do I need to waffle on about this.......I think not!

Good plan for the points, it makes sense, so its 183 points for all the figures and I'll award you an extra 30 points for the terrain! Making a grand total of 213 points.

From RoyW: Cowboys hiding amongst the palm trees (59 points)

Personal Best! This post marks the largest number of Challenge points that I have ever submitted at one time, outside of a Theme Round. Woohoo! Go me 😎

(a points grenade is what it should be labelled as, I am informed 😏 )

The miniatures hardly need explaining, they're Old West figures from a number of different 28mm manufacturers.

(top row) Artizan Designs/ Artizan Designs/ Great Escape Games

(top row) Great Escape Games/ Great Escape Games/ Artizan Designs

(top row) Artizan Designs/ Wargames Foundry/ Great Escape Games

I've based the miniature (with the sword) on a slotta-base as I want to use it as my RPG character, so the base fits with my others and helps it to visually stand out against the MDF-based NPCs.

'Roy has painted both of my eyes, they're hidden by my hat that's all!'

Sci-Fi Crate from Beast In The Broch 

Terrain: the palm trees were bought as unpainted metal castings produced by Unfeasibly Miniatures. The metal trunks and the MDF bases have all been painted. Though the palm fronds are green coloured plastic (so unpainted). The stone columns/obelisks are resin, bought off eBay, painted and based by me.

As to scoring the terrain; well,  I can tell you that it wouldn't completely fill up the volume of a 6" cube. The extended tape measure is showing 6" (15cm) and the gridded cutting mat shows that the terrain bases reach the 15cm (6") mark on the other axis. But, obviously, there are gaps in the three measurements comprising the 6" cube scoring perimeters. 

9x 28mm figures @ 5pts each = 45 points
1x 28mm crate thing = 1 point?
Terrain = 14 points (maybe that's too generous?)

Over to you, Minion Ray...

From Ray

I wish my Wednesday Motley Crew would stop posting terrain, its so hard to calculate the points!!! 
I love the Wild West figures Roy, especially the figure first pic back row on the left. He looks like the infamous Henry McCarty!! 
The palm trees look pretty cool to, I didn't know Unfeasably minis sold them??? And a very well done on breaking your points total!!

Hmm? the points.......
45 for the figures as you said...
I'll throw the crate on one of the trees and award you a total of  14 points for the palm trees and obelisks.

From TomM: General Winifred S. Hancock (60 points)

A bit less (well, far less) then I wanted to get finished this week, but big club battles took up a lot of time, as such I didn`t get as many painting hours in as I estimated.

But never the less, now that my target has been achieved, I can focus more on painting models for future 2018 events, then actually reducing lead mountain with dribs and drabs, so most of my remaining time will be divided by ACW as I work further on my II Corps, 1st Division at Fredericksburg.   Not that particular battle, but in june TSA will host a big battle with the "in house made" game rules, so I`m putting the pedal to the metal on these guys to expand my force.  Apart from that, I guess another pink assault will appear here as well before the challenge ends... for the 65000 points Warhammer 40k battle in May.

But back on track, this weeks entry is the commander of my force, Gen. Hancock, and his retinue.

Apart from him, I also painted up the general for my third division, Samuel K. Zook.

The final part of the entry are the command models for my 28th Massachusetts regiment, aka one fifth of the Irish Brigade.  I hadn`t gotten round to completing that unit so now that is settled as well.

Flags are by GMB Designs for the divisional one, and Flags of War for the 28th, while all the figures are by the Perry's.

And now to paint the next regiment for my force...

From Ray

Great to see more historical minis from you Tom. I do like the Pink thingy's but prefer this kind of figure! Excellent brushwork and great looking flags too! I do like the Zook figure, top work ol' boy!
These will indeed earn you another 60 points to add to your tally!!