From GregB: More Space Marines (77 Points)

"Let's wreck some sh*t for The Emperor!"

Greetings again Challengers. For my second submission, I continue with my 40k Raven Guard Project. Here we have another lone character figure from the "Indomitus" box, and unit of Heavy Intercessors, all Space Marines painted to be part of the Raven Guard Chapter. These are multi-part plastic models from GW, enhanced with shoulder insignia from 3D print vendor "Pop Goes The Monkey". 

Judiciar

The well-dressed aspirant to a Chaplaincy in the Raven Guard - the Judiciar.

This Marine - surely a 100% emotionally well-adjusted individual, not-at-all-total-psycho - is a "Judiciar", a new sort of character figure introduced in the "Indomitus" box set. As with all of the Marine characters from that box, there is an affectionate tribute to the OTT nature of 40k in general and Space Marines in particular. 

Walking along with a giant sword and a spooky hourglass. As one does. 

A Judiciar is a sort of Chaplain-in-training in the Space Marine chapter. Taking a look at his battle gear, that training seems a little...specific? Spiritual comfort via a terrifying two-handed sword and oversize spooky hourglass? Premium on confession, I expect...

Let's go for a walk!

I did make one minor modification to this figure, swapping out the silly original head (which made the guy look like a cosplay reject) with a helmet (which a Space Marine should be wearing all of the time, even if he walks around with a bonkers sword). 

Heavy Intercessor Squad

No sneaking around for these Raven Guard - let's smash stuff!

Intercession, the act of intervening on behalf of another...it is a testament to the imagined terrors of the 41st millennium that the main line Space Marines of The Imperium are called "Intercessors". And when stuff arrives that even they have a little trouble with, the Space Marines call in "Heavy Intercessors" - some of the heaviest infantry to be found. These are even bigger dudes with even bigger bolt rifles and even heavier armour. These fellows are deployed when The Emperor has decided to wreck your sh*t.

Love the heavy bolt rifles, with the huge drum magazines...now THAT is some scary sci-fi heavy infantry.

I love how they still have pistols, even with all of that armour, and those heavy bolt rifles.

These "Heavy Intercessors" are some of the latest new-look Space Marines from GW - quite a long way away from the original "beakie" Space Marine models from the classic RTB 01 box released all of those years ago. While those original models will always be close to my hobby heart, I find I do like the look of these new, ultra-heavy infantry. The layered armour, the heavy bolt rifles with the extra-large drum-style magazines...these guys are fun.

Sergeant on the right, subaltern (at least, I call him that) on the left.

While the unit includes 10 models, in practice it would often break down into two different five-man teams, so I used different colours on the knee-plates the differentiate between the to sub-units. Whether in groups of five or 10, these Marines will lay down withering sheets of heavy fire on the gaming table. Then, when the inevitable "close combat" gets going on the table, these fellows will absorb a ton of abuse, hopefully holding out until their buddies with swords and other insane bits of kit come to help. 

Let us intercede!

The sergeant, of course, still gets a "beakie" style helmet, a tribute to the history of the old Space Marine models. Seeing that old style of helmet on the new "Gravis" power armour certainly underlines how different today's figure designs are, at least for an old grognard like me.

So, for scoring, we have 11 Primaris-sized 28mm figures, scored at seven points each (thanks to Teemu for the scoring reminder!), which should work for 77 points. Thanks for reading, and have a Happy New Year! Let's hope 2022 brings some better things for a troubled world...failing that, let's hope it will bring even more painted figures :)    

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Fabulous looking Raven Guard, Greg! Like you I love these new models from GW and your brushwork really makes them sing (chant?). So wonderfully chunky, loony and lethal. At first glance I thought the vendor was called 'Pop Goes The Money', which would sorta be apropos for anything even distantly related to GW. :) Nonetheless, those are great add ons to give the unit a more bespoke character.

So, what a lucky person gets to have these guys 'intercede' on their behalf? Do you get a special calling card for it to work? Perhaps a quick dial number on your mobile summons them - sort of like a 'Uber' request for extreme ass lamination. I love it.  The Judiciciar is particularly wonderful (that squared-off sword really gives one pause). I particularly like the hourglass that he's holding ever-so-significantly before him. 'I want this city compliant by the time the glass empties, or you'll be cleaning out the Battle Barge's sewage tanks by hand.' Hey Jude, no probs, we're on it. By the way, if the Brothers got together to buy you a watch, would you wear it instead of lugging around that antique? No?

Great work Greg!

- Curt

From DaveS - Hundred Years War French (180 pts)

One of my major discoveries last year was the Basic Impetus 2 ruleset.  It's simple, it covers a wide range of time periods, and most usefully to me, it has fixed army lists.

As a painter who leaps between projects on a whim, having fixed lists lets me "finish" an army.  I find that this is really helpful when it comes to keeping me on track with projects, so that things that get finished.  This worked over the summer, when I managed to stick with, and finish, an Early Imperial Roman Army.

Continuing the theme of "finishable" armies for this system, several of my planned projects for the Challenge are for the system.  The first of these is my Agincourt/Hundred Years War French army.

I have now finished the first units of these, all made using Perry Plastic miniatures, a mix of their plastic Knights, Frnech Army and English Army Agincourt boxes, as well as bits from the European Mercenaries and Light cavalry boxes.

So far, I have completed;

2 Bases of Crossbow Skirmishers

2 Bases of Peasant Levy (Heavy Infantry but low quality)

And a Base of Light Crossbow Cavalry (and after the last time I posted Cavalry and Tamsin told me off for making them all the same colour, I've tried for some variety in the horses)

In total, this makes 28x28mm Infantry and 4x28mm Cavalry for, what I believe is 180pts.

Next up will be the rest of the infantry, and the flower of French Nobility, the heavy cavalry.

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Having just enjoyed Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel', it's wonderful to see your HYW French grace the small screen, Dave.

I've never tried Impetus, but I do like its vignette style basing system. Your units look terrific - such clean brushwork. I have to say that Tamsin's 'arched eyebrow' paid off as your cavalry look varied and excellent as well. :)

Now, with there be a Jean de Carrouges and a Jacques Le Gris in amongst your heavy cavalry?

- Curt

From SamuliS: Implements of Carnage (79 points)

With a nice Christmas behind me I managed to get back to painting on Sunday with bit of an unplanned little project. We had a Gaslands game planned for this Monday and I wasn't able to find my ready vehicles after our move, so I decided to quickly paint up a few new ones that I had mostly built previously. One Idris team with a Monster truck and two Buggies with Nitrous kits and a Rutherford team with some heavier firepower and a Performance Car with improved off-road capabilities in the form of tracks.

Mostly pretty small modifications with just wheel (and track) changes and some added weaponry. The monster truck had a ram built in front to ensure smaller cars won't cause issues on the racetrack. I threw on a soldier on the back of the pickup truck to remind me of the Grenades that the car is carrying. The mini is some 20mm flexible plastic moderns mini I had picked up from some toy store.

Painting was a breeze with just a rattle can primer in the main colour followed by picking out some details and then applying rust in a few different colours using a sponge. Then a wash to highlight some panel lines and they were ready for mayhem. Decals were from old 40K chaos sheet from the 90s I think. Text from a custom decal sheet I had printed for my Alpha Legion project some years back. Unfortunately I had some silvering especially on the text decals that I just couldn't completely hide. Might have to go back and try to paint over the edge areas to blend it in better.

The first outing wasn't too successful as I came dead last and only the Idris team got to race. But boy was it fun with plenty of crashes and exploding vehicles going around. I've never had my whole team get wrecked during turn 1 before which was even more astounding considering that we all started in different corners of the map. The Monster truck ended up getting destroyed two more times after respawning twice and taking out several other vehicles on the way. 

Anyways 5 vehicles in what I think is closest to 20mm scale as well as one passenger firing his weapon. By my count it should be 75 points for the vehicles and four more points for the passenger to net me another 79 points.

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Nothing like an impeding game to get one's creative juices flowing. Well done on getting these great looking vehicles on the starting line Samuli! 'Gaslands' is wonderful as it serves up that wonderful blend of absolute mayhem, combined with a thin veneer of tactical acuity. Such fun.  

- Curt

From DavidB: Warpath enforcer walker and companion (17 points)

This is what a squirrel desk looks like!

It is wonderful to be back again for AHPC XII!

I was deployed and missed out last year, although time and internet service did give me a welcome distraction after hours. Since I've been back home, my family have provided lots of fodder for this year's efforts. Alas my enthusiasm has already clogged my desk including back log of "intended" holiday gifts.

I am usually very strict and regimented with a highly structured time schedule, but wargames and miniatures is much like fishing where time has no meaning unless it is your turn or the paint/glue is dry "enough".  I also have a hard time staying focused on a few miniatures and my desk is rapidly filled with partial paints of many types. Color, period and project have no meaning either!  ;)

Being old, and infantry, I also have an abundance of Dr. visits and physical therapy sessions. Note that I do not care how cute and pretty the physical therapists are, they are all devotees to the Spanish Inquisition! I am also exhausted from all the parties I have been asked to and seeing many friends and family. 

The fact that my mind and desires wander and I keep picking up miniatures to paint as the whims take me....well, I am having fun!

New camera, I will figure it out soonish.

This is mantic walker for the enforcer faction of warpath. He has been idling in the mountain of neglect for quite some time while I was pondering a paint scheme.

I decided on a warm turquoise with orange accents on the armor to pair with the yellow and gray hued of the metal.

I also have completed the very first White Scar as a test and seeing how fast I could paint one. Using contrast paints, three red acrylic, two white, three flesh, two brown, two gold, and two gun metal colors; I can finish one in three hours. The urban base turned out nicely. I may yet add some more weathering to the base and dust it with snow. 

My test model was also the first White Scar built and used the White Scar sprue. He now allows me to take a pip for the Skullz challenge!

The walker was given an extensive flocking with foam and static grasses. I also added some clumps of tufts for visual interest. 

Many layers of paint on him, definitely not as quick as the marine. 

These were the first two considered done enough and have cleared the clutter from the desk. They were promptly replaced by another 10 models as my attention wanders. 

Merry Christmas!

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Yep, that's definitely a proud hobby-squirrel's desk. :) Don't change a thing, I love it.

Isn't it wonderful to be home? I'm certainly happy you're on civvy-street and not larking about on deployment. 

Great work on these two figures Dave! I particularly like the walker with its tan BFG, set against its teal livery. Very imposing hulk that. I've scored the White Scar marine as 40mm and the walker as 54mm.

Best wishes with the Inquisitorial Therapists. Remember, it's for the greater good, and just name, rank and serial number. 

- Curt

From MikeW: 28mm Scots Covenantors (140 points, Squirrel, Istvaan V)

For my second post of the day I have just finished a unit of 24 x Scots Covenantors, which in use for both ECW games and as an opposition to English later 17th Century Armies in the period known as the 'Killing Times'. See a couple of my post on our club website covering Rullion Green & Bothwell Brig <here>. I also have to declare an interest here as my family were themselves covenantors - back in the day!

Completed unit, minus command element! Dour Scots Covenantors!

Before I go any further a big thank-you to Curt for sorting out my tech issues preventing me posting earlier - and thanks to Peter for dealing with two posts in a day, as I catch-up!

One of the Musketeer wings form the unit, I tend to use figures in stands of four
but allow individual figures as well to allow for various scenarios

So these little guys are Warlord Games plastics and the more astute amongst you will have immediately noticed that there are no command figures in this group. I have a second batch of Covenantors on the workbench that do have command figures for both that unit and this one! I built these units from an old battalion box of figures I had and found that there were no command figures in the box - so I had to acquire some new ones via eBay and they arrived too late for the challenge's kick-off....

So breaking with tradition - I undercoated these guys in grey but then as soon was appropriate - I then painted hands and faces in white.

The other Musketeer Wing, my OCD will be soothed when the next unit is completed and the back ranks of both musketeer wings will have matching poses, as I will mix & match the figures accordingly

Various coloured trousers were added and then the gutsy work of painting in bandoliers, straps and pouches was undertaken, mostly in a natural leather colour but with some variation in bags etc. Socks, shoes and bonnets were then base coated and then flesh and hair was added in.

The Pike block, for post ECW conflicts the pikes would have been substituted for a variety of pole arms, from agricultural tools to Lochinvar axes etc

Details were added to give the swords, muskets and pikes plus splashes of colour on the bonnets (green sprigs), garters (red to give a sense of unit cohesion) and power apostles (sky blue, as this is a popping colour in an otherwise dour unit).

As the Covenantors were considered to be heretics back in the day by King James (with their ultra Presbyterian views) I'm going to claim a cheeky 20 Point Bonus for Istvaan V (if that is allowed).

POINTS

24 x 28mm Foot Figures        120 POINTS

Istvaan V Bonus                       20 POINTS

TOTAL                                    140 POINTS

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Lovely work on these Covenanters, Mike! I too have a fond spot too for them as my family has a connection to the period (however ill-stared). Apparently, these Scots are so dour that they even eschewed their own colours! ;P I look forward to seeing their brave bannermen in a subsequent post.

- Curt

From KerryT: Project P (120 Points)

Morning/Afternoon & Evening all

First of all a big thank you to Curt for letting me in for my first ever challenge. The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge to date has been something mysterious that I'd read about and viewed from afar in previous years and am now really pleased this year to be able to take part this year and will give it my best effort. I feel fortunate to have sneaked in having registered quite late after listening to Curt talk to the Yarkshire Gamer on a podcast while painting.

I'm not so sure about hunkering down in the cold and getting the paints out because there's nothing else to do because I'm not in the top half of the world. In real life I'm a  Welshman who moved to New Zealand in 1999 ( transporting 7 toolboxes of my much loved 15mm Napoleonics in the shipping container I would add!). Its actually Summer so a bit hot here you know, 32 degrees the other day so the Vallejo's a bit lumpy at times.

My wargaming or painting habit was once described as "all over the place" - which I actually decided to take as a compliment- OK I'm a butterfly, with a short attention spa... - Oh Look Shiny...-  you get my drift? 

In reality I think of myself as die hard Napoleonic - but not in a Bruce Willis sort of way though - I'd never shoot anybody for instance, but then I suppose I'd try my hardest to knock them out with a double six though. In the past few years I've wandered about quite a bit and well sort of got a little bit distracted and as a consequence have a little bit of not quite everything. I'm at the stage now where I'm finally managing to collect figures for those periods that took my breath away when as a young man I first opened those early editions of Miniature Wargames. The only problem is that there are so many!

Consequently my paintbrush might best be described as ill- disciplined  - in that it wanders from one period to another, though at least that does at least keep me productive. That is what I suppose sums up my approach to the current challenge or my Project P - I figured as this is the 12th Challenge as a newbie I need to play catch up and produce 12 units. 

I was painting some ECW Pike at the time so P for project, P for Pike and perhaps I was a little Pis.... at the time so painting 12 units with a connection to the letter P was dare I say err Procreated! ( Apologies - I'll get my coat)

So my project P - which hopefully will allow me to wander through my various projects and periods will be an attempt to produce at least a total of 1000 points worth of figures with at least 25 points of figures or at best a wargames unit in each of the following categories

1 Pike & Shotte

2 Parliamentarian

3 Pointy - As in Pointy Sticks

4 Peasants

5 Pious

6 Personality

7 Posh ( as in self important or gaudy posers)

8 Polished

9 Prancing (as on the back of an horse)

10 Pagan

11 Perry Miniatures

12 Plastic

Man, my indecision is killing me, I've been trying to keep my  options open (Maybe I should have gone for Pandours, Prussian and Palestine WW1) but I hope I've been sneaky enough to leave myself plenty of options for roaming

So here we go

My first offering - my Peasants - these are Ratnik 18th Century Civilians - I hope this works ok - Thank you Tamsin for your instruction, I hope I have it right!

I must say these are lovely figures to paint, I first came across Ratnik's figures on the LAF forum from the Bruegelberg range of Lead Adventure Miniatures and just bought them on impulse

Just a few close ups if that's allowed?

If I'm correct that should give me  20 & 5 points for 20 x 28mm figures

Does that mean 25 Squirrel points and a Sarah's Choice Bonus?

Where do I want to go?

I don't know, I'll just hop on the bus, open a beer, probably fall asleep and wake up with a jolt wherever you send me or when the conductor tells me its the end of the line - I'm a wanderer after all

Many Thanks

Kerry T - Valleyboy

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First, welcome to the Painting Challenge, Kerry!

I like your 'P' theme (steady lads) and look forward to seeing how it develops over the next few months. I too very much enjoy Ratnik's sculpts, and will paint almost anything he comes up with - his stuff is so characterful, as one can clearly see from these wonderful vignettes you've constructed. You have wonderfully smooth brushwork Kerry, and I really like your choice of colours. Terrific stuff.

You indeed have more than enough figures for a ticket on Sarah's Star Yacht (including the 20 point bonus). Now you can chart a course to any planet on the outer rim or plunge into the Great Abyssal. I'll leave the Squirrel points to Stuart as he will be minding them this year (thanks again Stuart!). 

- Curt

From Mike W: 28mm Cheyenne Braves (80 points, Squirrel)

Well this is my first entry for AHPC XII and its good to be off the starting blocks early for a change, in previous years I've waited until the new year and then found myself struggling to do all the points at the end of the challenge.

So these 16 x 28mm figures are from two Wargames Foundry Blister packs dating back at least some 16 or 17 years.

The first eight are the 'Plains Indian Dog Soldiers' set...

... whilst the second eight figures are from their 'Plains Indians Young Bloods' set.

The Dog Soldiers were one of several militaristic societies created by Cheyenne braves and they played a key part in the resistance to American expansion westwards. One of their traits was to literally pin themselves to the ground they were defending by tying themselves to a stake in the ground using a blanket or breachcloth!!

First Two Dog Soldiers, note the long 'scarf' on the right hand figure for staking him to the ground!

As ever  I undercoated these figures in white, then added on leather tones followed by flesh. Feathers and headdresses were repainted white and black tips to all feathers added.

Two more Dog Soldiers, note the Coup Stick held by left hand figure, to count coup,
a brave had to touch an enemy with the stick, without killing him 

Wooden shafts to weapons, rifles,  bows  clubs and pistols were painted ad appropriate before painting each figures hair dark grey.

Two better armed Dog Soldiers, one with a repeater the other with an ex Army Sharps Carbine.

I then gave the grey hair a black wash to give it some toning and shading and then added maroon hair bindings to their braids.

Last two Dog Soldiers, one with traditional bow and arrows, the other with a captured Colt Revolver.

All flesh areas were given an undiluted  flesh tone wash   hen the leather areas were given a mid brown wash (both Army Painter) once dry weapons were given a light black wash.

Two Young Braves, one bow armed, the other with an old flintlock musket

All figures were completed with a matt varnish, painted on for a thick protective coat and then bases were finished with a fine sand and grass clumps.

Two more Young Braves, this time armed with a club and a flintlock musket

More Young Braves, this time with bow and club

Finally the last of the Young Braves, with spear and club

POINTS:

16 X 28mm Foot Figures = 80 POINTS

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Welcome back to the Challenge, Mike!

Just so you know, it's 'Free Fire' until January 3rd (post as much as you like, when you like), so I'll be tending the group until then.

Great work on these First Nations warriors. Even though they are getting long in the tooth, I've always had a soft spot for this Wargames Foundry range of miniatures - they have such great character (especially those 'dog soldiers') and wonderfully dynamic poses. 

Well done Mike!

-Curt