From BenitoM: Bring up the PIATs! (20 points)

A new “stick” of the British Paratroopers is about to land in the DZ. Having concluded the models for the HQ section and some of the leaders of the different infantry sections in the two previous posts, I’m turning now my attention to some of the support weapons.

The entry today is a PIAT and flamethrower teams respectively.

The British portable flamethrower was a very effective weapon to add punch to the paratroopers in their offensive actions, although the fuel capacity was slightly limited. If you’ve watched A Bridge Too Far, you may remember the scene when the flamethrower team attempted to bring down a bunker at the bridge, failing to hit the target but putting to fire an ammo deposit just behind… 

PIAT’s (Projector Anti Tank Infantry) were the main portable anti tank weapon. Built on a spring-recoil mechanism similar to the mortar, it was not very reliable, only effective engaging the enemy at very-very short distance (less than 100 meters, which required a high dose of bravery).

In addition and when carried in gliders, it was subject to malfunction as the weapon tend to bend easily during the rough landing phase (in the Pegasus Bridge operation apparently only one survived, the rest were rendered useless)

The models are 28mm from Warlord. The flamethrower team is from a support weapons blister in metal. The PIAT team is built using the multipose options included in the British Airborne plastic box.

With these four models I add another 20 points to my score, rising now to 60 points which I consider very satisfactory given that the Challenge is only three days old. Unfortunately I won’t be able to maintain this rhythm when the Xmas break ends.

I take this opportunity to wish all challenges a very Merry Christmas in the company of your beloved ones.

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Again, lovely clean lines on these paras, Benitio. I especially like the PIAT gunner and the flamethrower operator - those are great looking minis. 

As you say, 60 points is a great start to your challenge. Well done! 

Happy Christmas to you and yours, Benito!

From Paul SS: Warbases Peasant Cart (25 points)

I've been a busy chap over the past couple of days, three 0500 starts in a row mean that I've been able to crack on with quite a bit.

Over the past few weeks Mrs Scrivs, Victoria, has been gifting me with some goodies that she ordered from Warbases for me and if you check the Scrivsland blog you'll see a Ammunition cart and some Geese that I already painted earlier in the month.

On Wednesday I got the Peasant Cart 1 kit. I already had some draft horses that I picked up when last in the UK so it was just a matter of adding a load of logs and securing them with some bakers twine held in place with PVA glue.

The whole thing was primed with grey primer and then it was only an hour or so to block in the base colours, was and then do some highlights, the basing probably took longer. Victoria did remark, why do you take brown mdf, spray it grey and then paint it brown again ;)

This was quite a bit longer than the 100mm x 75mm Renedra base I planned to use, so luckily I had some 120mm x 60mm Warbases bases still in the bases box.

I now got quite the baggage train made up from the Warbases range.

As for points, 28mm vehicle - 20pts plus contributing to the North & South challenge.

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Haha! I've gotten much the same question about painting Italian Wars gendarmes, 'So, if they're all in metal armour why on earth do you spray them black and try to make them look like metal again?' To which I reply, 'Tut, tut, you shouldn't question these things, m'dear. It's all for the sake of the 'art'. (Scratches own head, realizing that what we do must look COMPLETELY ridiculous.)

Great log cart, Paul! I love these types of models as they have such a wide utility for the tabletop - from the 16th to 21st century, you could see a variation of this cart being used somewhere.

As to scoring, you get 25 for this model: 20 for the cart (the 'vehicle') and another 5 for the horse. 

Well done!

From LeeH: Natal Native Contingent (48 Points)

During this years Painting Challenge I am not focusing on just one army or a single new project. Instead I decided I would revisit some of my older armies and finally get around to adding to them like I have been saying I would for ages. The first of these additions are four companies of Natal Native Contingent to support my Anglo Zulu War British Infantry I painted in the Challenge last year. The eagle eyed amongst you will notice I have changed the way I have based these, compared to the units I painted last year. I have also changed the figure ratio making the units larger... and yes I have had to go back and re-base some of my British infantry from last year. It wouldn't be me if I didn't change everything halfway through a project! 

The NNC were an Auxiliary force of mostly Basuto and Mponso troops who were recruited to fight alongside the colonial regulars. They were generally organised along the same lines as the British troops with companies of about 100 warriors with 6 NCO's and three Officers per company. They were not issued with uniform and were only distinguishable from their Zulu opponents by a red bandanna worn around their heads. Fears about arming native warriors (even allies) meant that only one in ten were issued with a rifle. 

Some Imperial officers (such as Colonel Durnford, who died at Isandlwana) believed the NNC should have been used as scouts and light infantry. Less wise heads however decided these troops were only good for menial labour, believing their fighting ability was negligible. Sadly they remained poorly lead and ill used throughout the war against the Zulu's and not surprisingly their performance in battle reflected this. At Isandlwana for instance they fought hard but in the end died alongside their better armed white comrades. 

I may paint some more of these at a later date but these four companies will keep me going for the time being. 96 figures will get me a tidy 48 points and means I'm comfortably on schedule for week one.

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First, welcome back to the Challenge, Lee, and thanks again for agreeing to be our Tuesday Minion for this year's gambit.

It's good to know that I'll have another comrade who will be revisiting previous projects, filling in gaps and starting new ventures. Focus is for cowards! :) Your past 6mm Zulu project is the stuff of Challenge lore, so it's wonderful to see them getting some reinforcements with this lovely mob of wee men (and treated to some little-known military history). Well done!

48 points to begin your Challenge run. Bravo!

From DaveD: MTB'S and Target (50 points)

Well , just time to get a starting entry in under the Xmas radar to kick off my 8th challenge. Like a number of people I jumped into Cruel Seas with a starter set. I had an interest in this genre already as last year I picked some bargains at a bring and buy and was just looking what to do with them .

3 x Vosper type II MTBS 

I have added 9 crew figures to these - they are full 6mm figures so a few points for them?

I modified the masts , drilling through to add a metal pin stay as I don't think they will last long in combat conditions - the twin purpose of this was that it also gave me a nice place to fly the ensigns from. 

1 Vosper type 1 - no crew figures added to this yet until I find some! 

The first of the "targets" - this is the tanker supplied with the warlord starter set - its about the size of 4 MTB's so not massive - , but does look nice. I had to reinforce the base as the resin was flexing alarmingly - so I added a cardboard base and it seems to have added some good support. 

hmm - maybe is should have entered the Naval duel! 

The tanker "S.S Challenger" 

the scale for this game is pretty flexible and when working it out something like a liberty ship should be about 35 centimeters long you guess why.  - so larger ships are going to be interesting -and tempting!

If you are interested the mat I have , it is the one from Deep Cut in mousemat material , at  8x4 size. I bought last year too before a proper use - build and they will come as they say. 

Some of the other merchants I picked up last year (dirt cheap) are on the prep desk along with some Germans .. we have a game next Sunday (MartinC and JamesM will be along) to try this out .

As for what else I have in the wings this year - well I have some Sudan - obviously , some WWII 15mm stuff, lots of terrain items, and some thing a bit different - so you can wait for that! 

I also have a little duel on the go with my old sparring partner Millsy - looking forward to a bit of a laugh... 

We will be running some paint and chat sessions - I will stick a post up as I get sorted with them .

All the best to you challengers this year - cheers -DaveD - right then Petty Officer Millsy pass the Rum ration

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Those are some lovely Vospers, Dave, and that tanker is ace as well. I think I may nick your idea of reinforcing the MTB mast with a steel pin for the ensign - good one. I'm also looking very enviously at your lineup of freighters as 'Cruel Seas' demands many floating targets for the raiders to hunt. 

Hoping I can sort out the time difference to attend one of your paint and chats this year. Such a great idea.

We'll count the Vospers as 15mm vehicles and the tanker as a 28mm vehicle, so that puts them at 44 points. Also, I'll give you a few extra for the crew and flags. 50 Points! Cracking stuff.

From VictorC: 1/35 Italeri M13/40 (35 Points)

Here is my first post for the 2018 Analogue Painting Challenge, an Italeri 1/35 scale M13/40 tank. I picked this up at the local IPMS show this past October. I decided to try building a model again after not doing one since I was a teenager. I've always liked Italian tanks and when I was gaming WWII Italians I always portrayed them as they were on the Eastern Front against Russia.  

So this tank is done in the Eastern Front Grey and then weathered heavily since the snow and rain would have taken a toll on the metal. It was fun to do something like this again. I may have to do some more.

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Wow, what a beautiful piece of armour, Victor. You can almost smell the diesel and dust what with the fantastic weathering you've achieved. I too have always liked the design of Italian armour, with my first big-boy kit being a M13/40 in North African livery (with many decals being crooked and fingers glued together). Much like their cars and motorcycles, they have great design, but end up spending a lot of time in the shop. ;)

We'll equate this fellow to a 54mm vehicle, so that gives it a base of 30 points, with a few more added for the terrific execution on this clanker. Well done!

From PaulSS - Pair of Battletech Mechs (16 Points)

Continuing the mad burst of activity at the start of the Challenge I had some Battletech Mechs that I wanted to get painted during the Challenge, but in time to give as a gift tonight (Sunday).

I only have scant interest in Battletech so have no idea what these Mechs are, maybe somebody with more knowledge of the canon could let me know what I've painted.

The brief was bronze and gold, I thought metallics would look pretty nasty, so went for a base-coat of Vallejo Chocolate Brown for the 'bronze' and Vallejo Gold Brown' for the gold. Additional areas were picked out in red or black to give a bit of contrast.

Everything was then washed in Army Painter Strong Tone.

After the wash was dried I repainted the base colours then highlighted, adding a couple of highlights with Beige Brown added to the Chocolate Brown and a couple of highlights with Yellow added to the Gold Brown.

Finally Windsor & Newton Peat Brown ink was used to pick out the panels and detail.

We play on a black arena, so the bases were painted Black with a light highlight of Black-Grey.

The final photo shows all three members of the 'Lance' the third Mech was painted before the challenge started.

Not sure where these stand on the scoring table, they are rather big to count as a 6mm Vehicle, maybe either a 15mm Vehicle or a 54mm foot figure?

They also should give me some points in the Squirrel duel too.

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Ah, Battletech. Now that's an old chestnut from the 80s - gosh, back when I had hair! A fun set of rules, if I remember. I wonder how they've held up over time? The brown and yellow-gold livery is very eye-catching. Great work Paul and good luck with them on the tabletop!

From Curt: Czech Legion Rifle Squad (55 Points)

While my last entry was focused on the German coastal forces of WWII, this time I give to you a squad of hard-bitten veteran infantry from the Czech Legion. These hard nuts fought their own private war along the breadth of the Siberian Railway during the end of the WWI and well into the Russian Civil War. These are the same chaps who, riding on a series of armoured trains, captured the Imperial gold reserve, soundly defeated every Red force put against them and inadvertently caused the Bolsheviks to panic and execute the interred Romanovs.  The Czech Legion was ultimately evacuated out of Vladivostok in 1920 and formed the core of the new Czechloslovakian national army in the interwar years.

The rank and file are from Mark Copplestone, one of my favourite sculptors in the market. (Why, oh why can't he be more prolific. His stuff is absolute gold.) They have great heft, possess wonderful character, and have such clean lines which are a joy to paint. I did them up in a mish-mash of coloured greatcoats. The only cohesive thing about them is the red and white Czech colours on the fabric top of their fur caps. 

I can't remember where I sourced the leader from. Maybe Artizan? Tsuba? Beats me. All I know is that he looks hard as nails striding purposefully ahead, all grim faced, brandishing his artillery Luger sporting the all-but-useless-but-oh-so-cool wooden stock.

These fellas will give me 55 points to add to my total and another notch to my Squirrel tally. Yes indeedee, I'm on a roll folks!

Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year everyone!

From BenF: Cold War 1984 - West Germans in 6mm (80 Points)

Merry Christmas all! I'm thrilled to be taking part in my third Painting Challenge. For my first entry of number IX, I've got some 6mm Cold War Bundeswehr ready to defend West Germany from the communist hordes. These are the final pieces of a force based around I. (German) Corps in 1984. We've been playing a lot of Cold War Commander at the local club, and I've begun working on a campaign based around a Soviet drive to the Rhine across the North German Plain in the spring of 1984.

One of my personal targets of this painting challenge will be to finish off the forces needed for this campaign - Dutch, a bunch of Soviets, and a small French force.

First off, here's the whole force. This really is an 'odds and sods' collection, as i've already painted up the majority of the infantry and armour needed.

Here's a Panzer battalion of Leopard 1A1A1s, to compliment the battalion of Leo 2A1s  which I have already completed. According to my research, the majority of the Germans were still using the upgraded Leopard Is in 1984, at least in the 11th Panzergrenadier and 7th Panzer divisions which will be the main Bundeswehr combat arms of the campaign. The panzers are GHQ and the M113 'Beobachtungspanzerwagen' is from CinC. The camo netting is done using slices of soft foam 'melted' onto the vehicles using superglue. Aerials are nylon bristles from a cheap dustpan brush. A random Leopard 1A4 was included accidentally in one of the GHQ blister packs, so I painted it up as well, albeit in the NATO three colour camo rather than the Gelboliv of the rest of the force.

Next, here is a battalion's worth of Unimog U1300L trucks. These can be used for lots of different roles, as transport for Jäger, Fallschirmjäger, or Heimatschütz Reserve battalions, or as tows for artillery pieces. The trucks are GHQ, the VW Iltis and the command figures are from Heroics and Ros. The quality and detail of the new 6mm Heroics sculpts are superb.

Next up, here is a Bergepanzer 2, the armoured engineering vehicle based on the Leopard I. This is a Heroics and Ros vehicle with some decals from Flight Deck Decals 2400.

Below are a few Tpz Fuchs transport vehicles which I will be using for pionier assets. I may add another 5 at some stage to provide enough transport for a battalion of Jägers. These are from CinC. 

Next, here is a 'Beobachtungspanzerwagen M113A1G'. Name really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? Anyway, these are forward artillery observer versions of the M113 unique to the Bundeswehr, and are from CinC.

Finally, a selection of artillery, self propelled and stationary. The M109A2Gs are from GHQ, the rest is from Heroics and Ros. The field guns are the 155mm FH77, which were used by many NATO forces. The huge gun-on-tracks is a M110A2. The tiny little AA guns are 20mm Flak FK20-2s, and the M113 variants are an M125 (81mm) and M106 (120mm) self-propelled mortar vehicles. 

So, by my totalling the points should be 75 points :

32 x vehicles (64 points)

5 x artillery pieces (5 points) 

12 x infantry figures (6 points)

That's it for the first entry. Next up will be the soviet hordes - all 82 odd of them......

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Welcome back, Ben! 

I've really enjoyed your microscale work in past years, and so you don't fail to please this time out either. Geez, these are lovely little models. 

One mod that I'm very taken with is how you did the camo scrim on the Leopards - that effect is just terrific - consider it unabashedly stolen.  The command stand is another highlight, with the vehicles just having pulled off the autobahn and the officers conversing - very cool. The tiny decals are just icing on the cake as they really finish of the models nicely. Fabulous stuff.

I'm going to give a few extra points for the creative detail work and nice compositions - well done!