From BenF: Big Cats and Swimming Wagons (80 Points)

With the imminent release of an Operation Market Garden supplement from Toofatlardies, along with an even-more-imminent trip planned to Arnhem, I feel like some Market Garden related gaming is on the horizon. To that end, I've decided to start refreshing my British Paratrooper and German Waffen-SS and Heer forces for Chain of Command. As with all of my Chain of Command forces, I've gone down the 20mm route due to the availability and range of vehicles and the superb sculpting of some figure ranges. I've also been dabbling with some Battlegroup at the local club, and my 20mm forces would work equally well for that. 

Up until now, my WW2 collection has focused on the Normandy campaign, and so rather surprisingly I've avoided collecting some of the most familiar of German tanks, a Tiger. While I had a Panther, it was an older resin sculpt which suffered from 'bendy barrel' syndrome, so I've replaced the whole thing with a more suitable Dragon diecast.

My first part of this entry is a few Waffen-SS crew figures. I think Crew really add something to armoured vehicles, however it does sometimes look a little odd to have crew sitting atop a knocked out or burning tank on the game table, to say nothing of a regular cycle of knocking off and regluing command figures. To that end, I've magnetised the open turrets and figures using some rare earth magnets which I've got left over from a 1/300 aircraft project. I think this is a pretty neat solution, as it allows variety and, in the event that a tank is knocked out in a game, the commander can easily be removed before a burning marker is applied.

These five figures are from Battlefield/Blitz, and are sadly no longer available. As with all of Andy's sculpts, I like that they give the feel of movement and action while maintaining lifelike proportions and easy to paint detail. Happy to hear that Simon's Soldiers has commissioned Andy to sculpt many more figures to be released soon, so I'm hoping to bend Simon's ear into getting a pack of crew figures for my British forces sculpted up.

This lot are painted up as Waffen-SS tank commanders, suitable for Normandy through to the end of the war. While the SS was a reprehensible organisation, I must admit I do like the variety of camouflage patterns you can use when painting them up. 

Next up, it's the big cats. This Tiger I ausf E and Panther ausf A are both from the Dragon range of prepainted WW2 vehicles. While I do try to avoid having a Tiger on the table in platoon level games, the attacks of Kampfgruppe Hummel on Frost's 2nd Parachute Battalion around Arnhem Bridge would make for an interesting game. I made some minor modifications to these which consisted primarily of sitting open the hatches. I then painted both of them, looking for a relatively generic set of schemes so they can be used for Heer or Waffen-SS vehicles.

Next, it's a little Schwimmenwagen, painted up as an SS vehicle. I'm not sure who the make of this one is, but I think it could be a Hasegawa model which came with a 1/72 scale Focke Wulf 190. The driver is from AB.

Finally, it's a brace of Sd.Kfz 251 halftracks, a troop carrying 251/1 variant, and a 251/10 37mm armed vehicle, often used by platoon commanders. Both of these are the excellent offerings from Plastic Soldier Company, with stowage from the same kit, and foliage from Noch.  I've got one more to do, which I think i'll build as a 251/9 75mm armed support vehicle.

Well, that's it for this entry. That makes it 5 20mm vehicles, (60 points) and 5 crew figures (20? points) for a grand total of 70 more towards my goal.
Next up will be some 15mm ancients.

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Great job Ben - always nice to see 20mm, and always nice to see some Big Cats come off the painting table.  Great work all around here, but I'm particularly impressed with the 251s...and even more impressed that you managed to get any of these PSC kits, I've been trying to get some for months... 

For points, the crew figures are halves, but I'm still adding a few bonus points for nice camo patterns and the interiors of the 251s, always a pain in the arse to paint.  Great work. 

Greg B

From Barks: 40k Assassins (10 Points)

After several years, I have shorn this albatross from my neck. I got these assassins second hand, assembled and basecoated. I very carefully removed the mouldlines and pointedly put off painting them. I did the Vindicare in 2018, and the Callidus earlier this challenge. I have now finished the Culexus and the Eversor.

The Culexus is a psychic assassin, using your dreams to murder you. He's got Psyk-Out grenades, and insane neck muscles from holding up his not-at-all-Gigeresque hat.

Culexus Assassin

The Eversor is a straight-up psychopathic murder machine pumped to the eyeballs with combat drugs. I'm not a huge fan of the funky scenic base, but it looks OK on display.

Eversor assassin

As a bonus, I dug up my 1997 Eversor, and I think my paintjob still holds up. I really like the old model. Skull-ception on the head!

And for those not down with 40K- these are the good guys.

2x 28mm figures 10 points.

Skull-o-meter™: 12

Cumulative Skullz: 49

***

Haha, very nice Barks! The "good guys" indeed. So nice to see the vision of the future for "combat drugs" is so positive, in tune with the uplifting vision of The Emperor...

Great job, another 10 points for you. 

GregB

Challenge X Information Bulletin

Hi All,

First, my apologies for having gone 'run silent run deep' this past week. Lady Sarah and I took a short vacation to recharge the batteries and have just returned to the schloss.

As we are now heading into the last three weeks of the Challenge I thought I'd give everyone a heads up that Snow Lord's Peak will take on challengers until midnight Friday March 13th.  So get your crampons on if you want to scale the Bad Blue Boy's summit before the season ends.

Otherwise I'm aiming to catch up on pending SLP challenges over the coming days.

Thanks!
Curt Actual Out

From PeteF: Old School Minifigs French Line - Bad Hats (120 points)

The Fightin' 2nd 61st

This is my 3rd and final planned 25mm Minifigs submission of this year's challenge. Way back when, as Minifigs expanded its line, they added forage caps and pokalems into the mix. These hats were  objectively ugly and should never have been allowed as part of a Napoleonic uniform. They do look a lot more comfortable than shakos though.

Bad hats, warm coats

Anglo Allied soldier's view

Unsightliness notwithstanding, greatcoated and bad hatted infantry will do very well as 2nd and third battalion types - the Marie Louises - who were unwillingly pressed into service towards the end of the Napoleonic era. These represent the 2nd battalion of the 61st line, which was engaged at Quatres Bras. On the French side I will need a total of 22 line battalions for the battle. With the addition of the 61/2 I have nine line battalions to complete (and seven or eight light).

Grenadiers

Voltigeurs - the light company

To add to the general grubby and unkempt look of the unit I went with different great coat colours and a heavy wash. Minifigs are always a pleasure to paint - whatever the headgear.  I wasn't so sure about how they would look when painting them individually but I like them as a unit - the fightin' 2nd/61st!

24 infantry for a total of 120 points.

Marching to Quatres Bras

***

This is very neat, Pete - when it comes to "Old School", Minifigs are certainly classic figures, and you have done some fine work on them here, whatever the head gear. I have to confess a certain enjoyment of these "undress" sorts of caps, it's always nice to break up the endless ranks of shakos with a touch of depot reality and tough-campaign feel. 

I'll toss in a few bonus points for eyes and for the nice caps :)

Great work Pete!

GregB

From MilesR: WW1 BEF in 28mm (160 Points)

It's been awhile since I had a submission so hopefully you like these WW1 Early war British Troops in 28mm from Empress Miniatures.  The miniatures are superb - I really think Empress has the best line of 28mm figures on the market.

 There are a total of 24 infantry figures, 4 command and a machine gun with a 3 man crew.

These chaps will see use with the upcoming Blood and Valor game system which is supposedly making its way to me as we speak.

I really need to find a way to get more of these figures - they are a true joy to paint.  The tally should be pretty simple - 31 figures plus the machine gun.  The "rules" say 28mm guns are 10 points but this is a really simple model so lets go with 5 points for it instead - that brings me a tidy 160 points.

It was very nice to get the time to spend at the painting bench.












***
Great work Miles. I have to agree - and I'm sure many others here will as well - that Empress do produce some of the finest and most enjoyable figures to paint.  Since you cranked out 31 of these lovely castings, no doubt it was enjoyable, we can sense from your post that it was a great bit of hobby fun. 

These look tremendous - that will be 160 points for your always-impressive tally, good stuff. 

GregB

From SamuliS: Another Daring Investigator (5 Points)

Once again I find myself in the need of a skilled balloon pilot so it's time to return to the world of Eldritch Horror and it's brave Investigators from the Cthulhu: Death May Die box. This time I have a slightly shorter trip booked with a flight from Millsy's Millipond towards Bromley's Butte to submit a slightly unorthodox take on recon troopers.

The Death May Die box is proving to be quite a handy addition as I actually don't really have that many female figures in my collection so the plentiful selection of female Investigators is really proving helpful. Again this is painted mostly with just citadel contrast paints over a two tone basecoat that had been applied with my airbrush. Skin is painted traditionally to give a bit of contrast and a focal point to the mini.

I've been travelling for work pretty much constantly for the last couple of months so painting has been quite slow as well as my ability to follow the challenge progress from other participants as well. These boardgame minis are proving to be quite a nice way to get the painting mojo back on as these are super fast to crank out and provide almost instant satisfaction.

With that out of the way it's time to prep for landing at Bromley's Butte and dig out the recon guys.

***
Great work Samuli - the various figures from the assorted "Eldritch Horror"-type games have been fantastic to see through the Challenge.  And I'm sure many of us can relate to the interference of daily life with our hobby ambitions - I've been struggling with a lot of work myself lately too, so I feel your pain there. 

But good on your for sticking with in, and getting another submission through.  Well done. 

GregB

From TamsinP: Robert E Howard Will Be In His Bunk...Again; Sarah's Balloon (250 Points)

Extracts from the journal of TamsinP, Time Traveler, Society Girl and Adventuress

1st March, 1933, Texas?

Wending my way along the path out of Fran's Fjord in the near-dark of arctic winter, I am decided that this region would be much better visited in the summer months when there is more daylight. As I stumble over a root trailing across the path I realise that having more daylight would also make getting around much less hazardous.

Resolved to find somewhere with more daylight, I retrieve the device from my bag. I have no plans of where to visit, so I hit "Random" again - surely I can't land up in Robert E Howard's erotic dreams again?

The rift opens and I step through. "Feck!" I utter, surveying the hot, dry, dusty landscape and seeing him walking towards me once more. "Back here again! How the feckin' feck can that happen?"

"Good day to you once again, ma'am" he greets me. "I see you have returned. I'm terribly sorry for my abrupt departure last time. Let me introduce myself - I am Rob.."

"...ert E Howard, the writer. I know." I interrupt, somewhat rudely, but I'm still annoyed at having been returned here by the device. "Please excuse my abruptness. My time travel device seems to be insistent on my appearing here, much against my wishes."

"A time travel device? I think I read about something like that once - H G Wells?"

"Errrmm, yes, he did write a book along those lines."

"But what is your name, my good lady?" he asks. "From your attire, and weaponry you appear to be a barbarian warrior princess. And is that lovely palomino yours?"

I look at my clothing and, although different to my previous visit here, it does place me firmly back as a barbarian warrior princess. At least this time both of my breasts are partially covered although I do still have too much exposed skin for this sunny clime.

"That does appear to be the case, sir" I answer, then see 'my' horse - it is indeed a rather lovely palomino. I'm a little put off by the two severed heads hanging from the pommel though...

There are loud whoops and a sound of thundering hooves from the South, where a large dust cloud appears. Out of the dust appears a band of barbarian horsemen, slowing to a trot then a walk and finally coming to a rest in front of us.

"More friends of yours?" he inquires. "Such fine young men, so muscular, so barbaric, so masculine, so almost naked...my apologies, I must return to my bunk immediately ma'am."

He departs, leaving me with the barbarian host. "Now look here, you lot. Like I told the others, I want to continue my adventures alone. Now bugger off back home."

"But, Princess Tamsin..."

"No buts. Naff off! Leave me alone!"

They turn their horse East and slowly move away.

"Faster, if I can still see any of you by the time I count to one hundred, you'll be on laundry duty for the rest of your stinking lives. Got it?"

It is clear that they know I mean it, as they touch heels to their horses's flanks and increase their speed. My count reaches one hundred and they are indeed out of sight. Looking West I see a hot air balloon again.

"Lady Sarah!" I holler. "Any chance of a lift to Hawkins' Hill?"

"For you, Tamsin, of course!" she calls back, dropping the rope ladder. I bid farewell to the palomino horse who has briefly been mine and ascend into the gondola of Sarah's balloon.

"Princess Tamsin"

I didn't notice the little blob of gel superglue on her left arm until I was editing the photos.


Command Group

These will be fielded as a reduced count Heavy Horse "Hero" unit


Heavy Horse Units

Light Horse Unit

Commanders

Musicians

Standards

Once again, these 28mm figures are from Battlezone Miniatures. All but four of the riders you see here came as separate legs and torsos. The fit wasn't particularly good and would have left quite large gaps so to assemble them I added a small amount of greenstuff, then removed any excess that squeezed out. It's also done quite a good job of gluing the two pieces together.

Both of the large standards snapped and I had to pin them, then build up the staff with greenstuff around the wire.

This isn't quite the end of my barbarian warband for Dragon Rampant. There are a few more models to do, which should be along next weekend hopefully.


For scoring:

21 x 28mm cavalry @ 10 = 210 points

plus however many points the minion feels generous enough to add for the three hand-painted banners and the 14 hand-painted shields.


And before I forget:

***

As always, Tamsin provides us with top-shelf brushwork AND a very entertaining post.  Although I must say reviewing her course on Challenge Island is giving me a bit of a headache...but yes, the incredible barbarian mounted mob looks fantastic. Furthermore, I shall award not less than 40 points for hand-painted banners, shields and overall entertainment level on the submission. 

Thanks Tamsin!

GregB