From ScottM: World War II Germans and Monsters (65 points)

My contribution this week is a collection of World War II early-war Germans and some monsters for Frostgrave. First up is a pair of MG34 light machinegun teams (4 figures). These metal figures are from Black Tree Design.

Next up is a pair of plastic Sd.Kfz 251/1 Hanomags from Warlord Games. These are nice, simple models.

And finally are the monsters. I'll end up using these for Frostgrave. All three figures are metal and are from Reaper Miniatures. From left to right: an Undead Troll, Cretus the Minotaur and a Giant Scarab Beetle.

So that should be 4 - 28mm infantry = 20 pts., 2 28mm vehicles = 30 pts. and 3 28mm monsters = 15 pts. For a grand total of 65 pts.

From Ray

Excellent brushwork Scott. That's quite a mix of figures too. Love the early war Germans, the Sd.Kfz 251's look pretty cool as well. The Monsters all look like they're gonna cause a bit of trouble, especially the beetle thingy!!! Top brushwork Sir!!!

As you worked out its 65 points!!!!

From JohnM: Epic Air Support - 12 points

I received these models a couple of weeks ago and they really are first class and a lot of fun to paint. I have now completed my purchases for my 4000 point Horus Heresy Epic army. Still some painting to do, but should be ok to go for that planned but not yet scheduled Canadian East versus West Epic battle. The Blood Angels will be ready!

I have a tendency to overpaint these small models, but time was limited and I think I have them just right. I did learn an important painting tip this time around. I had been priming the models red and then using a wash to bring out the details. This time I primed them black and then used an airbrush to spray the red. Much better effect for shadowing but leaves the high points bright.

The descriptions of the airships are from the Warhammer 40k Fandom.

Kharybdis Assault Claw

The Kharybdis Assault Claw is a type of Drop Pod used by the Legiones Astartes during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy. The Kharybdis is a monstrous drop pod capable of carrying large assault forces through the void and mounting significant firepower to blast a path through defending small craft. As a fully operational dropship, these craft serve as orbit-to-surface transports, a role that allows them to use the firepower of their storm launchers and melta cutters to scour clean their chosen landing zone before disembarking their deadly cargo. 

Storm Eagle

The Storm Eagle is a heavy assault gunship used by the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes as a heavy tactical air support unit. Storm Eagle gunships will follow a Space Marine Chapter's Thunderhawk gunships and Drop Pods into battle, where it can lend its weapons to a devastating aerial assault. The Storm Eagle mounts an impressive amount of firepower for an aircraft of its size and is also capable of transporting twenty Space Marines directly into the thick of a ground assault.

Xiphon Interceptors

The Xiphon Pattern Interceptor is a void and atmospheric flight-capable fighter craft once used by the Space Marine Legions of old. The Xiphon Interceptor was widely used by the Legiones Astartes during the early days of the Great Crusade, before falling out of regular service and seeing a resurgence in general use during the Horus Heresy due to shortages of available combat aircraft.

A small submission at 8 points,  but I believe just pushes me over my 500 point goal. Hopefully I will get one more in before next Monday!

From Ray

Wow! I'm not really into spaceships but these are really cool!! Love the way you've painted these John, they have amazing detail for such small figures.

Its a travesty to only award you 8 points for these beauties so I'm going to add an extra point per ship so that's a total of 12 points

From JamesM: III Flak Corps 88's - 56 pts!!

Hi folks,

Back on track attempting to finish off my German artillery/AA compliment. This time, I've 4 x 88's from a battery of Luftwaffe guns that formed part of III Flak Corps.

These are newer plastic kits from Battlefront - 15mm models from their 'mid war' desert range. As such, they look slightly different from the metal guns I have. I suspect there is a reason for this, but I've not been able to track any specifics down. Difference include square footplates on the cruciform mount and a slightly different shape to the gun.

Unfortunately, when I've put them together I've somehow managed to not line the barrels up, so they are all a little off centre. Obviously these Luftwaffe troops are not used to engaging ground targets! From a rules perspective, I am going to use an army list from the Market Garden FoW books, which had an all AA gun army list. Reluctant Trained troops all the way!

As they are technically desert era figures, the crews are all in soft caps and one man on each crew is in shorts(!), but I felt this worked OK for Luftwaffe troops and I got the packs at a significant discount. Each crew is 5 men strong, with a gunner sitting at the gun and 4 men serving the gun. They are the new Battlefront ABS plastic figures. These were actually OK to paint, paint stuck fine and the detail came out alright. Faces are poor though, and getting the mould lines off proved to be a fools errand.

Camo on the guns was just a light stipple of the same colours I used on the smaller Luftwaffe guns.

Total for these will be 16 points for the guns and 40 points for the crew (at 5 men per gun for a total of 20 figures). A total of 56 points.

From Ray

Terrific work James, love the subtle camo work on the guns, and the Luftwaffe blue. I didn't notice the chaps in shorts and I couldn't when i blew the pics up. Did you paint them as shorts?
 Cool work James 56pts it is!!

From TomM: They where the terror of the woods... (80 points)

So this is it, the final wednesday entry for the AHPC8, and what a journey it has been!

This challenge is great fun, and very, very motivational on the painting front.

As has become a bit of a habbit for myself the past weeks, I've been painting up one of our Crisis entry models as the 'post opener' every time, and this time it's our Bokkenrijder (buckrider) we gave as entry model in 2010.

The Bokkenrijders where folklore figures that rode through the sky mounted on bucks, but also the inspiration for a band of ruffians operating in southern Limburg (a province in Flanders) during the 18th century.  They took the iconography like leaving a buck head sign on doors of raided farms to inspire terror in the local farming communities.  This link to the occult also resulted in many innocent men being tried and executed as being a bokkenrijder.

The model was sculpted by Paul Hicks as usual.  Now, to see the other Crisis models painted up when I get round to it, just glance at my little corner of the internet once in a while under The Vault tab of my page, or feel free to add me on Facebook or such.

But that isn't everything that I painted up this week, as I'm breaking through the 1500 points mark this week.  Like, just in time to double my target.

One project for this challenge I as such finished in the nick of time, is completing all those Gripping Beast plastic Dark Age warriors I had lying around, in the form of another two partial units of Bonnachts: one armed with swords and shield, the other with spears.

A small 'in between' entry are these 15mm Dark Dwarf cultists, produced by 15mm.co.uk and which I picked up years ago at Salute when I still planned to play HOTT (it never got 'launched' at the club though, so they just lingered around on the stack).

Another base of Shang Chinese spearmen has also been completed.  Nothing to impressive and I still don't know if I'm going to continue building on this force for the Mortem game, I will first have to see if the people at the club are convinced to try those rules.

And finally another small expansion for my 40k Slaneeshi legion, because a week without pink power is a week wasted.  The model is from the Raging Heroes line of figures, and I thought she made an excellent Herald for the deamonic compartment: both sexy and gruesome blended together in one vicious looking lady...

So for this week, that grants me the following points:

Bokkenrijder 1 x 28mm = 5 points
Bonnachts 8 x 28mm = 40 points
Cultists 4 x 15mm = 8 points
Shang Chinese 4 x 28mm = 20 points
Herald 1 x 28mm = 5 points

For a nice total of 78 points

And that is it, the final time I got to badger... I mean, bugger, Ray with my weekly entries.  Now all that is left if the very last entry on the final day, which for 'cycle completeness' will of course be 6mm epic forces for my Emperor's Children.

From Ray

An epic entry from you this week Tom. Lovin' the Bokkenrijder figure. I very envious of all the wonderful free Crisis figures you've picked up over the years. They're a great start to each post you'vr made and this ones just as good as the others.
The Oirish look great  as does the Chinese Warriors. Then we come to the Pink Princess, what a stunner!!
Pink Power is certainly all the rage in Belgium!
As for the points
78 and 2 more to add you to to 80 point!

From DaveD WW2 Tanks and 80'S Airpower 130 points!

As per last week I have now finished the next lot of tanks and halftracks for my WW2 American forces for a Normandy campaign.

I have added another 20 vehicles , 2 M10s, 3 M5s , 10 Shermans , and 5 M3 halftrack

so 20 x 15 mm vehicles = 120 points

M10's "Smasher" and "Basher" by Battlefront

Plastic Soldier Company Half tracks and Stuarts

and with the 4 I completed last week, up to 24 vehicles ,a good start to my US armoured forces

I also had an order from Heroics and Ros turn up with the remaining air assets for my 6mm Soviets..

so 5 x 6mm vehicles = 10 points 

I just have a final pack of Soviet infantry left to paint , and few West German forces left to do - pretty pleased with the progress on this this project - it  can be classed as "as good as finished" 

3 Su25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft 

Another 2 Mi24 Hinds 

That makes 8 Hinds altogether - that should have MartinC scrabbling to paint some AA assets!

Grand total = 130 points

From Ray

WoW that's a lot of  Camels Tanks once again Dave, how do you find the time to paint all these figures?
The tanks are brilliantly painted as are the halftracks. The Soviet aircraft also look the biz, not quite sure what the quote, "as good as finished" means???


20 x 15 mm vehicles = 120 points
5 x 6mm vehicles = 10 points
Total 130 points

From Barks: And that's it from me (74 points)

I'm done. I hit a bit of a wall towards the end of the Challenge, but I had pre-planned to perfection so I collapse just over the line with my honour intact.

I have some more fyrd, with handpainted shields:

And my Curtgeld is from Reaper and is currently en route to the Snowlord. When I did the snow, I hadn't planned for it to slide down the base, but it did it so nicely I left it!

On the one hand, I didn't get done all I wanted (I've got some squigs, some 15mm WW1 artillery, and another 20 Dark Ages chaps), but on the other, I hadn't planned to do the Necromunda terrain or TravelBattle.

Thanks to Ray for minioning, and to all you Challengers for being such fun company! Now I'll catch up on all the posts I've missed, and prepare a total Challenge shot.

8x Gripping Beast plastics with handpainted shields (40)
1x 54mm-ish monster (10)

From Ray

Its been a pleasure and a headache to be your Minion for the Challenge, so thank you Barks.
Love the Fyrd figures and their lovely handpainted shields. I'm sure they'll do some damage on the battlefield! Curt's gonna love the Reaper Curtgeld figure for sure. I do like the way you've dripped the snow off the edge of the base, very clever Sir!
As for the points
40 for the GB Fyrd
10 for the Monster
20 for the Curtgeld
and I'll throw in an extra 4 points for the shields and dripping snow
So that's a total of 74 points!

From LeeH - Isandlwana 80 points!

With all my planned figures painted and two weeks left of the challenge remaining my mind began tuning towards a final 'Body of Work' photo. Then I thought it would be cool to lay out my British and Zulu's against a backdrop picture of the mountain of Isandlwana. This train of thought could only go one way and it wasn't long before I had a moment of inspiration/madness... and the next thing I knew I was building a mountain in my living room! 

Let me start by saying that I have not built a lot of terrain before and certainly nothing on this scale, so this was a major learning curve for me. One thing that was evident from the beginning was that I was using the wrong materials; I had the wrong tools; and the less said about my technique the better! However I am happy with how this turned out and when I get myself properly tooled up I will be making more terrain in future!

This isn't an accurate 3D model of the mountain, rather a rough approximation based on modern photo's and contemporary drawings. I think its recognisable as Isandlwana and is certainly acceptable for wargaming at home and in Posties shed-o-war.

Last Stand Cave

According to Zulu accounts one lone infantryman of the 24th is supposed to have held out in a cave only to run out of cartridges before being overrun and killed. If true he would have been possibly the last man to die in the battle. 

This model is made up of five layers of foam, each a little over 2" thick, so the whole model stands 11" high. Trying to work out the dimensions for the purposes of scoring this is a little tricky but here are a few pictures and my size calculations.

Layer 1 - 17x10x2" = 340 in³
Layer 2 - 14x8x2" = 224 in³
Layer 3 - 12x7x 2" = 168 in³
Layer 4 - 6x5x2" = 60 in³
Layer 5 - 5x4x2" = 40 in³
Total = 832 in³ divided by 216 in³ = 3.8 six inch cubes

The dimensions of each layer have been rounded down and sloped edges haven't been included so the cubic dimensions for each layer are pretty solidly conservative. Rounded down to the nearest whole number makes this 3 x 6" cubes or 60 points... unless the Wednesday Minion feels generous! I'll accept whatever is deemed fair and at the end of the day it was fun to build as an unplanned extra to my Challenge.

From Ray

That's a mighty mean looking hill you have there Lee or are you just pleased to see me!?!
Great work ol boy, I wouldn't wanna climb that!!!
I give up with these bloody terrain items, I'm retiring from trying to work out points for these items. Math was never ever anywhere near my strong point.
I'll go with your very complicated layer by layer workings out giving you 76 points and I'll throw in an extra 4 points! So 80 points it is!

My Last Wednesday!!!

It's been a blast chaps, its also been hard work!

How the hell the SnowLord used to manage this on his own I'll never know???

It seems I've spent all my spare painting time, usually a (Tuesday and Wednesday)

sorting all you luvverly lots posts rather than my own painting.

Thank you to all my charges for delivering some damn fine figures for me to 

point score, I can't say I'll miss trying to add up the terrain items, that's for sure!!!

Anyhoos on with the show!