From FrederickC: No. 11 (Scottish) Commando in North Africa (Arrakis) (90 points)

 

Well, I booked a quick jaunt on Lady Sarah's Star Yacht. "But, Frederick," you say, "Arrakis is right next to LV426. You don't need to use the Star Yacht to get there." That is true, but the protocols said that everyone who visits Acheron has to spend a week in quarantine. Well, after a week of that, with nothing but protein shakes or Red Kibble on the menu, I was ready for some luxury. I booked a flight aboard the Star Yacht so that I could enjoy a vat-grown steak washed down with a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. 😋

Here we are, now at Arrakis. I can't say that I am impressed. Don't get me wrong. The Grand Palace of Arrakeen is pretty imposing, but as for the rest, it's just Tatooine with giant worms. I was able to get a small resupply of fuel pellets, and I just learned that their biggest export is something called 'spice melange'. When I asked if I could buy some, you know, to give my next dish of Mariner Valley lasagna a bit of a kick, suddenly all the locals get downright shirty. 

"It's not for cooking. Spice melange is the most precious substance in the Universe. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel."

A load of old cobblers, if you ask me.

Anyway, back to Arrakis, and the theme of 'Desert'. With that in mind, I give you two sections of No. 11 (Scottish) Commando, who were involved in 'Operation Flipper'. These are the first British North Africa figures I have done, but I don't think they qualify for a 'Squirrel'. I kind of bought them by mistake, and didn't realize until I opened the blisters that half of the figures were wearing shorts or 'Bombay Bloomers'. I was planning to just sell them unpainted online, but when I saw the 'Desert' theme on the Challenge Quadrant I thought, "I have just the figures for that theme."

The miniatures are by Artizan Designs and consist of an officer in a Balmoral, a sergeant wearing a Tam O'Shanter and kilt with kilt apron, and a dozen soldiers armed with a mix of SMLE No. 1 Mk IIIs, Bren guns, or Thompson submachine guns. I found the detail very pronounced, which made them quite enjoyable to paint, especially after painting all those PSC Soviets. In my usual style, I glued the figures onto 1" fender washers, added sand to the bases, and primed everything black using an airbrush. They were then painted using a selection of Vallejo acrylics suggested by the Artizan Designs painting guide for the 8th Army in North Africa. I also used some GW washes, specifically Reikland Fleshshade on all the skin areas, and Agrax Earthshade on the uniforms and weapons. All in all, I am pretty happy with the way things turned out.

 

Two sections of No. 11 (Scottish) Commando

No. 1 Section commanded by an officer

Close up of the officer with two supporting riflemen

No. 2 Section commanded by a sergeant

Close up of the sergeant with his kilt and kilt apron

 

The points being claimed are as follows:

14 x 28mm foot figures @ 5 points each = 70 points

Quadrant Challenge 'Arrakis' - 'Desert' - 20 Points

 

'Round and 'round we go!

 

I hope that you enjoyed your meal Frederick.  These Artisan figures are much more rounded than those PSC figures in your first post.   I quite like these Scottish Commandos, they look a tough lot with some interesting uni options.  Well done.