Friday 5 February 2021

For PaulS: The Altar of the Snowlord

Altar of the SnowLord (brought to you by the kids of Kinsmen Park South)
  

Congratulations Paul on forging your way to the SnowLord's Altar. Complete this last challenge in order to claim your prize.

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I understand you are needing to finish a few Necromunda gangs. Okay, let's see if you can get at least two of those done up for us. Once completed, you will have met the challenge and will receive your prize.


Paul's Prize: not-Master Chief from DaveV!


From Barks: Come up to the lab, and see what's on the slab (39 points)

Any suggestion that these loyal Imperial scientists have been corrupted is fake news.

The scientist is a 3D print from 2nd Dynasty, and comes in a casual and action pose.

"We do what we must, because we can."

The servoskullz are 3D prints from Makers Cult. I would like some input on how you paint solid flight stands- this is pale grey; should I go brown or tan or mid grey or matt black?

The scenery is GW. I would love to fill the specimen vat with tinted resin, but am worried it will fail horribly. I have left the top loose if I get some courage in the future.  I like all the control panel greebling.

Hard to photograph!



2x 28mm figures: 10 points

2x servoskullz: 4 points

Scenery: 5 points

The Lab: 20 points

GW Side Challenge: 5

Skull-o-meter™: 9





From GregB - French Turcos and Command Stand, 10mm FPW (33 points)

More 10mm troops for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870!

Some more work completed for my 10mm Franco-Prussian War of 1870 project. This submission includes a unit of French Tirailleurs Algeriens - the feared "Turcos - and also a command base for the French, all in 10mm. The Turcos are castings from Pendraken, and the command figures are from Magister Millitum.

The Turcos are Pendraken sculpts, and they are amazing quality to work with, I love them.

The Imperial French Army had a poor showing overall in the Franco-Prussian War, but it was not for lack of bravery or determination on the part of the front-line troops, and the Turcos in particular gave a good account of themselves. They were fierce and disciplined in battle against the Prussians and their allies - and from a gaming perspective, they also had cool uniforms, which is great fun to paint!

The problem is much more likely to be found on that command base...some spare figures left over from my Magister Millitum packs. Again, these command bases can be generic but in the "1871" rules, two figures on the base generally represents a division commander. His uniform is nice, but I expect his command modifiers will not be...

A close-up showing the Turco officers...the flag is cast-on, so painted in free-hand.

These figures are based with the rules "1871" in mind, but of course can work for a number of other rule sets.  Even the "1871" rules themselves can scale up and down, but the default starting position is that each base of infantry would represent a battalion, and the three bases together comprise the regiment. But rules like "1871" and "Black Powder" are very flexible, so in the the future there are many potential uses for them.

Ready for action! Vive L'Empereur!

The Pendraken castings are really, really fun to paint. Yes, they are small, but the sculpting and casting are brilliant, with all sorts of little details that will reward your time if you try to bring them out. Painting the flag freehand was a bit of a challenge, but in this scale it is manageable. I'm not sure my brush was up to all of it, but I sure enjoyed these fellows, and they will add to the colourful variety of uniforms to be seen on the Franco-Prussian War gaming table...whenever that can be...sigh. 

Great details on these Pendraken figures!

Ok, so for points there are 31 foot castings and one mounted casting, all in 10mm, which I believe works out to 33 points all together. That should put me past 500...which is great, but still far from my goal for this edition of the Challenge. I had better get cracking! Thanks for reading, and try to stay sane!

From Dallas: Adventurers and a Landing (Craft) in the Adventurers' Landing (70 points)

Throughout this Challenge I've been avoiding painting boats. I know I pulled a cheeky move posting my Gaslands Porsche 928 in the Aquifer, but the "Adventurers' Landing" really requires an actual water-going vehicle, so here it is.

This is a 1/56 Italian Motolance ML landing craft from Barrage Miniatures, which Alf kindly included as a freebie when I ordered a terrain mat from him several years ago. Nine examples of this craft were built for a planned invasion of Malta.

You've no doubt noticed that the boat is packed full of British Commandos... since my theory is that one landing craft very much resembles another (and more to the point, I have no Italians in my 28mm WW2 collection, nor do I have any desire to paint any), I figure I can use this model for generic landing craft duties in pretty much any theatre.
 
It's a decent model, cast in resin, although the artifacts of a 3D-printed master are evident from the small lines in the casting. Fortunately the cargo area is precisely 40mm across so it perfectly fits my 20mm-based models two abreast.

There's some nice detailing on the deck.

A pretty neat model all in all, if you want a smallish landing craft for a game.

So that takes care of the "landing" part of the Chamber... now for the "Adventurers"! This lot is again from the Casting Room, plus one old Wargames Foundry figure.

Foundry "Elven fighter" (so called because he's a bit smaller than modern Heroic 28s) and a Casting Room Thief. Both nice models although the eyeholes in the thief's mask seem rather awkwardly placed for regular vision... perhaps he prefers giving the "side-eye"...

Foundry model is well-equipped for dungeon delving with backpack, rope and potions. Shield is GW I think, from my bag of shields.
 
Two models here that strike me as mercenary/hireling types, both from the Casting Room. Dude at left was cast with a ridiculous full visored helm which was swapped for the bare head.



Last two fellas here, again from the Casting Room. I'm a bit indifferent to the fighter at left but I REALLY like the guy with the lantern.

Again, the figures are heavily armed and equipped for adventure.

Now the math... 20 points for the Motolance landing craft, 30 for six 28mm adventurers, and 20 for the room bonus. Next I think I will circle around to the Lair of the Great Beast before clearing the Hall of Heroes, as I'm waiting for a special base to use on the model for the Hall. Getting closer to that Altar and the end of the Quest!
 
Stay safe all!

From ScottC: Middle Eastern Apartment Buildings (220 points)

 This is by far the fastest I have ever received, assembled, primed and painted - terrain especially, and likely any hobby product ever. 

These are the new Middle Eastern apartment blocks designed by Byron @ Northern Lights Terrain.

I believe I easily have an 8x4's worth of terrain now and am very much looking forward to using these pieces in a game. I absolutely love dynamic terrain pieces that add height and variability to games.












And the ruined add on versions. 2 full ruined bases and 2 second story conversion add ons. I added some warlord rubble and playground sand, threw in a wash and drybrush. Very happy with how they turned out.




All in all:

11 - 6 inch cubes worth of terrain = 220

(8 for the 3 story apartments) + (~3 for the ruins)





From DrQ: Myrmourn Banshees at Graveyard Beach (40 points)

I painted up the rest of my Nighthaunt from the Storm Strike starter box for the Graveyard Beach. I would have included more picks, but most of them were rubbish—totally washed out and hard to see the models. This is the best that my limited photoshop skills could pull off.


Not much to say on these ladies. I tried to keep to the same paints as the Nighthaunt Glaivewraith Stalkers from the Tomb area earlier. Most of the models are painted using Citadel Technicals: Hexwraith Flame for the body with Nighthaunt Gloom for their bodices and weapons (and a few other miscellaneous colours to help round out the effects). I decided not to paint the roses or skulls in separate colours like I did on the Glaivewraiths, but rather to extent the eerily glow to the entire base. I think it works better, but won't know until I get them in a real battle.

As far as points: the four 28mm models come to 20 points with another 20 points for the challenge area for a total of 40. Oh, and there's a total of six skulls lurking on those bases as well. 

from RayR - Haitian Revolution - The York Hussars 80pts

 


Back to the Haitian Revolution and to my favourite unit I've painted so far.
The York Hussars.....The York who? I hear you say?


The York Hussars were raised in 1793 in Germany but with British Officers. There were 600 men in 3 squadrons. It fought in Holland before sailing for Haiti in March 1796, they saw action almost immediately. Many men perished from fever and there were less than 300 left in December and less than 240 by June 1797. Remnants of Hompesch and Rohan's Hussars were drafted into the regiment. They left Haiti in August 1798, sailing for Jamaicia, then back to England in October 1799. They were disbanded in July 1802.


I've painted plenty of Napoleonic's over the years, but reading and seeing the great uniforms of the Revolutionary Wars, really floats my boat! The uniform is so different to the usual British  dress, so much that you wouldn't think they were a British regt.
The figures are from Trent Miniatures, although they are actually Lombardy Legion Hussars, whose uniform is almost identical to the York Hussars. So they had to be painted up!


As for the points
8 x 25mm mounted figures = 80 points!

AdamC: Gallery of Ancestors USS Constitution (35 Points)

I asked before if a ship can be a hero now here are two more questions can a ship be an ancestor? A further question can an ancestor still be around?

USS Constitution is undoubtedly my favorite ship of the age of the sail(I suspect she's at the top of a lot of people's list). One of the original six American Frigates that in a very real way got US Navy going. 
Here you can see the details of her stern. Constitution's career began in the Quasi-War and then Barbary war she gave good if unremarkable service in both. 
Then came the War of 1812. Constitution started the war by escaping a British squadron on her first cruise. On her next cruise she encountered HMS Guerriere and battered her into a wreck. She went on to defeat HMS Java and then HMS Cyane and HMS Levant.  Other ships did good service in the War of 1812 but none had a record like Constitution. That record became the foundation for the United States Navy we know she's the spiritual ancestor of every ship in that fleet today and she's still afloat you can visit her in Boston and I have many times. 
Points Constitution is classes a frigate so 15 points plus another 20 for the room.  The minions can add any additional points for the rigging and flags.