From Barks: Taste the Rainbow of 20mm Samurai Cavalry (260 Points)

"Snowlord!" I croak. "Snowlord!"

"Barks? You're still here? I thought you were dead."

"I've done as you wished, at the cost of my sanity."

"Only a small sacrifice then. Show me."

The Snowlord doxxed me and found I was in Japan last year. I went to Nikko, which is a few hours north of Tokyo and famed for its World Heritage shrines and temples.

Off the tourist trail under the Untameshi-no-torii

One of the most famous is that of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who outmanoeuvred other daimyos to become Shogun of all Japan and ending the Sengoku period. One of his rivals was the Takeda clan, known for its strong cavalry and their four-diamond mon. Tokugawa Ieyasu suffered a defeat at the hands of Takeda Shingen at Mikata ga Hara (1573), and Takeda Shingen in turn was defeated at Nagashino in 1575- by Oda Nobunaga, who has already been on Snowlord's Peak.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's physical form was interred here in 1617.

I needed a bit of a kick-along for my years-long samurai project*, and I rashly decided to go large. Why paint a unit of four cavalry, when I could paint twenty-four? I might as well add a mounted commander. If I'm painting a commander, why not throw in a few more for economy of scale?

So, three and a half weeks later, I'm calling these guys done. They could be Takeda cavalry, but I make no claims to historical accuracy and they will be my Red force for Commands and Colors: Samurai Battles. The big flat flags with purple stripes are markers for that game.

I spent more time on my commanders

Daimyo

Messenger with horo

Taiko drummer

They're hard plastic multipiece 20mm kits from Zvezda and are a bit of a fiddle** to put together. They are nicely cast but there aren't a lot of variety in the poses. The decals come with the kits. I don't do horses often, and these are just basecoat/ wash/ mane and tail. No blazes or socks etc., and not all the hooves!

Yabusame is the art of mounted archery...

... which was superseded by the yari.

I was inspired by shots from from Heaven and Earth (1990 dir. Haruki), which show vibrant bold colours and bright red yari.

Heaven and Earth (1990)

The red is VMC 70.909 Vermillion and Army Painter Mid Brown wash. I have tried to hide it in my photos, but I've had frosting issues with some decals with Testors Spray Dullcote over VJ 73.212 Decal Medium. How can I salvage this?

15mm jinmaku curtains from Eureka.

So, this is:

25x Mounted 20mm = 200 points

4x Foot 20mm = 16 points

Scenic command base?

* Here's a link to my Yellow command stand from AHPC VII.

** Understatement. Each 20mm horse archer is seven pieces...

"I have decided, Snowlord, to continue my trip around this island and aim to tick off all the sights. If you don't mind, I'm just going to grab this frozen corpse and sled down to my next spot. Wheee!"

________________________________

Wow! These are just fantastic Barks. I have the original 'Command and Colors: Ancients', but didn't know about this game. Cooool. The Zvezda models are very nice, but 7-piece 20mm horse archers?! That's just cruel.

While you kept your cavalry simple, they still look the business, and the extra time you spent on the command vignette really paid off. It looks fantastic in that punchy red and black livery.

I'm a big fan of 'Heaven and Earth' as well. Much of it was filmed next door in Alberta as the rolling landscape fit the original terrain (which I understand has been encroached by urban development). I knew a few guys that served as extras in the big battle scenes. They ended up buying their kit afterwards at a big auction (full armour for $130, swords for $10...). Lucky sods.

https://www.cbc.ca/archives/the-alberta-shot-samurai-epic-and-the-epic-costume-sale-that-followed-1.4856933


Your math is good, except you forgot the location bonus, plus I'm going to give you another 14 for the flags to make it a nice even 260 points. Well done Barks!

And finally, last but not least, your Snow Lord Peak prize is... John's 'Pete the Pensive Viking'!!

Again, terrific work Barks and thanks for showing us your shiny new Samurai additions.

-Curt

From PaulSS: Confederate 12lbr Howitzer (30 points)

Following on from the 10lbr Rifle that I finished earlier this week is another Confederate artillery piece, this time a 12lbr Howitzer also from the  Perry Miniatures American Civil War Artillery set.

We are playing a Longstreet campaign and one of my batteries has just acquired an howitzer, so it was a good excuse to get one painted.

On this model #2 is just about to put the shell in the barrel while #1 stands ready with the rammer to send it home. #3 is blocking the vent while #4 stands ready to attach the lanyard. You can do some quite dynamic poses with these Perry plastics.

Looking at the pictures though I did note that some dust had stuck to the rammers hat and made an unsightly string when the dull-cote was applied, fortunately I was able to pick this off so no damage done.

Four 28mm foot and a gun should add me 30pts to my total.

Lovely work Paul, I like the differences between the regulation and campaign dresses in your gun crews.  I also really like the Perry poses on their gun teams.  Be they metal or plastic, they sets allow you to put together a team that's actually working as a team.  Very nice basing and I like the gleam on the brass barrel.

JamesM: 15mm Sci Fi Western Ships Crew (Lady Sarah's Balloon) -33 points

Hi folks,

Despite being distracted of late by real life (curse it's sudden and inevitible betrayal), I finally managed to get something finished! And having rummaged around Cookes Crevase for far too long, it's time to follow the flight of the glowing bugs and return to the black. Because you can't take the sky from me.

This weeks offering to the great balloon in the sky is a selection of 15mm scale models, who might bear some small resemblance to certain characters from a sci fi western ships crew. This is probably a tranquil co-incidence.

These figures are from GZG and were picked up at a bring and buy sale many moons ago. Possibly in Edinburgh. They have sat in my lead mountain for far too gorram long, and lept into the painting queue along with some other 15mm sci fi bits.

Of course, I couldn't just paint the ladies of the crew. I even attempted a Hawaiian shirt:

And the obligatory picture with 'something' fizzy.

9 x 15mm figures: 18 points
Glass of fizz: 5 points
Being free of the gorram alliance: Priceless.

Edit: I forgot to mention - destination is Frans Fjord!

Well done on getting clear of real life issues long enough to get these figures done James.  A fine set of crewmen and women for the sci-fi ship which shall remain nameless.  A glass of bubbly and gorram free makes it all even better.  By my count this is your third trip by Balloon which grants you a 10 point frequent floater bonus, if I'm reading the fine print correctly.  I've adjusted your point score accordingly.

From JohnS - T is for Trained Guerrillas, Spanish Guerrillas that is (45 pts)

Continuing on with my Napoleonic British Allies in the Peninsular War I present this unit of Spanish Trained Guerrillas.

In Sharpe Practice II terms, at a massive 4 points for this unit (plus 3 for the Junior Leader) they can easily be added to my force without breaking the bank and give me a little more flexibility.
I wanted to give the idea of troops that had "volunteered" (whether they intended to or not!) and had been given a musket and the bare minimum of a uniform - in this case some very nice red stocking caps. (No Alan and Paul, they are not Santa hats!)

Given some rudimentary training, they at least know how to stand and fire although rank discipline is still a work in progress.
The figures are once again from Brigade Miniatures (their Napoleonic range is really nice and characterful) and I had a lot of fun painting them. I do find non-uniformed troops a bit of a challenge as I get a bogged down in choices. I spent a lot of time searching for close to contemporary images and found a couple to guide me. The rich red I used for the hats was present in many illustrations as an accent colour; a hat, scarf or sash.

I am currently in the planning stages (OK, I have flights and nothing else booked) of a trip to Spain to do a battlefield tour with a friend and fellow wargamer so Peninsular War units and battles are at the front of my mind. 

These fine fellows are also part of AlexK's side challenge to build a Sharp Practice force, this brings me to a total of 26 points of SPII army. More disciplined troops to follow! Plus another letter off my personal Alphabet Challenge.

In AHPC points these Trained Guerrillas are 9 x 28mm - 45 points. Unfortunately I can't remember if I achieved 325 or 375 points in AHPC IX. If the former, I have a new PB. Otherwise, I am soooo close.

John's Sesame Street tour adds another letter.  I think the trick is going to be not doing Zulus for Z.

That's a nice group of ragged guerilla's that can have a lot of uses in your SPII games.  Good luck on your planning for the trip to Spain, I'm jealous.

From AlexS: Colonial British (185 points)

 Hello everybody! My name is Alex and I lived in the USSR for some time. Then I read in a history textbook that British colonial policy is evil, because enslavement of entire nations and the dissolution of entire countries took place. Now I’ve grown up, time has changed and I understand that it’s not so simple.And when I started my new project, "Pirates," of course I decided to assemble several British regular infantry units for the period beginning of the 18th century. They are perfect as one of the factions for games.

In addition, I will need porters for story games - they will carry supplies and wealth. Well, as always, I painted the dogs. I always paint dogs. This is a good recipe - when you know what to do, paint the dogs!

Well, as always, I decided to make terrane myself. Firstly, I decided to make a jungle. I have never been in the jungle, so I decided that the jungle could look like a bright diverse vegetation. Artificial flowers and a glue gun helped me cope with this task.

Then I decided to make the huts of the natives. For them, I used seedling sticks that I had stolen from my wife, a glue gun and artificial fur. It turned out perfectly - it was in this hut that the natives oppressed by the British colonialists should live. :)

Well, the general photo. The plans are to make British artillery, a standard bearer with the flag of the East Indus company, natives and pirates in addition to those that I already made during this event. And then find interesting rules and opponents. And I can start playing!

32 inf 28mm - 160 pts
2 dogs 28mm - 5 pts
terrain - сube with approximately 6 inch sides - 20 pts
total - 185 pts

Another post, another project from the uber productive AlexS.    No British Colonial history is never simple, much like Russian history I bet.  This does make an interesting counter post to Benito's post from earlier in the day when Britain was somebody else's colony.

Great work all around on this project, lots to love here.  I wish you had a close up of the infantry because from what I can see they look very nice.  What make of figures are they?  Are the WSS era?  Inquiring minds want to know.  They are certainly overdressed for their new environs, but the Brits are always over or under dressed (you should see what they wear in Canadian winters).  I also really like you terrain, especially those huts.  And yes, stealing crafting stuff from your wife is a time honoured tradition...just don't tell my wife that I said that.

I can't fault your tally, so 185 points it is.

From StuartL - Challenge Island Safari Tour - 9th February (40 points)

Greetings brave C.I.S.T.ers,

Today we head for that wondrous celebration of generosity, O'Grady's Gulch. It is traditional upon visiting the gulch to gift friends and family with presents and souvenirs from your travels. For any of you wanting to reward your guide, Challenge Island Safari Tour staff accept all known credit cards, Paypal and cash. Please ensure that all payments are made in your home currency and not Snow Lord Bucks, which are not even legal tender here on the island.

The exact history of O'Grady's Gulch isn't entirely clear, but visitors to the location often leave behind their own offerings, and it is one of these that we will be visiting today. As part of their efforts to ensure that every planet in the known galaxy has exactly the same type of architecture and design, the Adeptus Mechanicus (or cog-heads as they are called when out of ear shot), frequently deploy Imperial structures and defenses in seemingly random and illogical locations. They say that it is all down to the Omnissiah's will, but personally I think that they are running an older version of Google Maps and got a bit lost.

Should there ever be a need to defend the island from attackers deep striking from orbit, this handy-dandy lascannon will ensure that only burning fragments of wreckage reach the ground. Oh, at this stage I would like to remind you all to wear your C.I.S.T approved hard hat and that only those of you with our platinum insurance package are covered for injuries caused by burning fragments of wreckage.

Feel free to take pictures of the weapon system, but please refrain from climbing on it or pushing any of the buttons. To comply with all Imperium regulations, the lascannon features a simple on/off switch that can be activated by any designated member of Imperial Personnel, Heretics, Xenos or, as we have found out several times, curious tourists. We don't want a repeat of last year and the incident with the cruise ship. They said you could see the explosion from miles away. Ahem.

To give you some idea of the scale of the device, Battle Brother Proportionis Comparicus of the Ultramarines is here to help. Hmm, it seems that the cannon has locked on to a large spherical object traversing the airspace above the island. If you'll excuse me for a second, I need to enter the abort code to preserve the Island's public transport network from imminent blasting.

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At my local club we have a few new players who all have armies for 40K but little to no scenery. With that in mind, I intend to donate the lascannon to the group as a combined objective/terrain/weapon system for them to use how they see fit. The gun comes from one of GW's old Planet Strike kits that they released back when 40K was in it's 5th edition. I'm not sure how to score it, as it represents a very small volume of terrain (roughly 2" x 2" x 4" or 1.48 points), so I will leave it up to the Minion on duty to decide. The marine was painted in last years challenge and is just for scale.

So, whatever gets added to my score for the weapon, plus 30 points for the location should give me a grand total of something or other.  

I rather surprised to hear that anyone has survived this adventure tour, but always appreciate Stuart's  Travel Blog.  A fine submission for the Gulch, I hope that the cog-heads appreciate it.  This weapon vaguely reminds me of cheap toys I played with in my younger days (no I never got into GW stuff, I mean real toys back in the 1960s).  I like the red highlights and the bronze symbol on the plinth.

I'm scoring this as a 28mm gun plus the 30 points for the location.  

Iain W 28mm New period, new army Anglo Saxons for Dux bellorum 360 points

I remember buying a wargames illustrated in Carlisle ,I'd just walked Hadrian's wall (which was great fun).  It  had an article on the War of the Roses and on the cover, an illustration of the battle of Barnet 1471 which continues to be a battle I want to cover again in better detail, but I digress.

There was another article on a new rule set,Dux Bellorum by Dan Mersey covering warfare in  Britain between 400AD to the Norman era and seemed to have nice mechanisms of differentiating between each group of hairy psychopaths, and appeared to offer rather more than a shoving match with spears that dark age battles can become.

In the article there was an example of building two armies out of two of the new gripping beast plastic sets, at the same time another dark age skirmish game  Saga  came out and I duly bought the plastic boxes and both rule sets, clearly advertising in magazines work!

Some years later and very little/ nothing had happened, I'd bought some metal dark age figures on Ebay but that was it, I'd initially gone off the great idea because I didn't really want two dark age armies in chainmail,  it seemed a bit silly, anyway dux bellorum got bypassed by  Lion Rampant/Dragon Rampant and dux bellorum and Saga gathered dust.

I then went to Colours a couple of years ago and found someone selling lots of cheap Blacktree design ancient Germans which I had no use for and late Romans, obviously I bought them.  I hadn't bought the Picts which I deeply regretted and then saw the same chap at Salute and was able to buy the Picts, phew! With a few more purchases I now had enough figures to give me a pagan Saxon army , Pict army, Late Roman ,Irish and Romano Brits  the armies aren't that big ,the Saxon one is eight bases , I've chosen  ten figures a base-ish , so there are 70 figures here, one more base to go, they're mostly Black tree design Germans with round shields,  the armoured chaps are gripping beast plastics in  the back rows are various unknown Ebay types. I quite like the barbaric hairy, fur covered pagan Angles, looking at them now they look a bit like a bunch of Game of thrones extras!

 A unit of companions.

 A noble unit

 Some back row chaps

 Another unit of nobles

 More back row types.

 Final unit of nobles.

 Back row types.

 Ordinary warriors

 Second unit of ordinary warriors

 Final unit of ordinary warriors.

Big mass of hairy pagan English.

I know the helmets are slightly anachronistic (too late on the companians and too early on the nobles) having uniformed shield colours is also wrong but makes the disparate force hold together, plus they're my toys and I'm happy with them!

If it doesn't work out with Dux Bellorum there are plenty of other rulesets I could use them with so I'm just happy to have completed them!

Points 70 x 5 gives me 350 points so I'm halfway to my total.

The shields are handpainted but were pretty straightforward so I wouldn't bother with extra points.  I won't be doing quite so many in one go in future, I thought dark age figures, surely I can knock them out but that wasn't the case,  next post will be 4 figures!

All the best Iain

Wow, the back story on this project is an epic saga fit for the annals in own right Iain.  I'm someone who has just about every flavour of Hairy Psychopath DNA covered by Dux B in my own genes, so I can certainly appreciate a mass of Dark Age infantry.  I've done Late Saxon stuff in my past and am solely tempted at times by the earlier end of the time span.  

Excellent work on this horde.  I fully appreciate your issues on painting lots of these types.  Painting one DAIS (Dark Age Infantry Slog) type is fine but when you do a bunch you want to differentiate between flavours and it tests the brain.  I like these guys a lot, don't give a fig if the helmets are slightly off and am giving you 10 points for the nice shields regardless of what you say!  So that's 360 points for a nice complete circle (which seems appropriately Pagan to fit the army).