From Millsy: Coruscant and Revenant Cavalry (80 points)

G'day All,

This is my second and final submission for this week. So... Coruscant is about good vs. evil. These kitbashed Revenant Cavalry are definitely evil but were also good fun to put together and paint! Stretching the theme maybe? I'll let Curt decide...

The majority of each miniature is a Fireforge Games Living Dead Knight, but I have swapped the heads and shields for those from the Oathmark Revenant Warriors box set to keep up the theme of my undead army I'm working on this Challenge.

One of the great things about the Fireforge Games Living Dead Knights kit is that the sculpting on the horses gives you some license to paint parts as either flayed flesh or bare bone. I took the opportunity to go with a little from column A and a little from column B.

That chap in middle is clearly camera shy

So that another 80 points added to my total for 6 x 28mm miniatures plus the 20 point bonus. Next up for me will be some Oathmark Skeletons and something else to relieve the tedium of endless hordes of boney warriors.

Cheers,

Millsy

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Oh wow, another excellent undead unit from you, Millsy. These guys are brilliant. I really like what you did with mixing the two boxed sets, and the rust, decay and verdigris is wonderfully evocative (the armour and shields are particularly striking). 

I look forward to the upcoming skeletons!

- Curt

From Barks: Ambot (Cybertron)(30 points)

Ambulls are massive burrowing insect-like monsters* in 40K. Ambots are mining cyborgs with the brain of an an ambull controlling them. 

I do struggle with vehicles, but this has such a dynamic pose and was somewhat fun. I painted the metallics first, then all the plate in cream before building up an industrial yellow. I gave it a light targeted drybrush in dark grey before final details. I had thought about a bit more dust and rust initially, but think it is fine as is. I like the control panel swinging off the back with the tantalising possibility that you could stop its murderous rampage if you could just reach the red button...

1x 54mm figure: 10 points

Location bonus (Cybertron): 20 points

Slowpainter's ABC: A is for Ambot

*Entirely not at all like umber hulks, oh no.

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Oh wow, this is such a cool model, Barks. You say you struggle with vehicle (I certainly do), but this guy is magnificent. I really like the yellow armoured plating and the black and white caution stripes. Is it an official model, a 3D print or something else? Anyway, I think it's brilliant. Now, if they could only figure out a way to turn it off wirelessly...

- Curt

From Millsy: Sarah's Star Yacht and Celtic Myth (130 points)

G'day All,

Sunday comes around faster that you can poke a brush at a miniature it seems!

Admittedly this submission did turn into something of a rabbit hole with the character of these Erin Celtic Myth miniatures from Alternative Armies well and truly sucking me in. I spent hours each night this week painting these and loved every minute. So much so, that I finished the last one and immediately ordered a whole bunch more. I'm so sorry credit card, I've failed you yet again...

First up we have Morrigan the War Witch, who pays Sarah for another ride on her Star Yacht to carry me to Glorantha in the Quadrant Outer Ring.

Morrigan the War Witch travels to meet up with her fellow Sidhe warriors, who are a great Orlanthi analogue for those who know Runequest at all. All the humans in the following images are again Erin Celtic Myth, whilst the hounds are from the Wargames Atlantic Irish box set. 

Cheeky! You could crack walnuts with those...

Having visited Glorantha I've now travelled through four planets and can dive inwards to the Second Ring. There I once again board Sarah's Star Yacht, this time paying my fare with Babd Macha the Head Collector.

It's not clear whether Babd Macha is a collector of heads, or in charge of head collection, or even some combination of the two. I favour option one, if for no other reason than manager's hardly ever know how to do a subordinate's job! The miniature itself comes with three heads at her feet which seemed like a pretty paltry collection so I added some more. A lot more.

So that tallies up as follows I believe...

• 14 x 28mm miniatures = 70 points
• 1 x Challenge Quadrant planet = 20 points
• 2 x Star Yacht trips = 40 points

Total = 130 points

To finish up here's a couple of shots of my whole Erin Celtic Myth collection so far.

Sarah, please drop me off on Coruscant for my second post this week...

Cheers,

Millsy

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Oh, these are fabulous Millsy. I can clearly see why you would have been so easily drawn into spending extra time working on them. Of course, I can't help but love Babd Macha. A whole litany of bad jokes and off-colour puns are running through my mind right now, but, while my fingers are veritably twitching over the keyboard, I'll spare you all. 

Terrific work Mr. Mills. Please, we want to see more, so don't loose your head of steam (Sorry, that one just slipped in).

- Curt

From GregB - Sons of Horus for Istvaan V (52 points)

Some new additions to my XVI Legion collection for Warhammer 30k.

When I saw the details of the Challenge XII Quadrant Map, I knew I would have to give that overall aspect of the Challenge a pass. Very little of what I wish to paint/have lined up to paint would fit with with the worlds on the map, certainly not enough to get to the Quadrant Hub. But that doesn't rule out a stop here and there...and while most of my painting subjects fall outside planet themes, there was one planet that was right up my alley: Istvaan V. I did not have to reach far on my painting desk to find something to work for that theme.

Here we have a couple of Space Marines from GW's Horus Heresy setting ("30k"). Longer term participants of the AHPC will know I am a huge fan of the 30k setting, and probably will guess that I had stuff for Istvaan V within easy reach - and would have such items within easy reach on my painting table at any point of the year, Painting Challenge or no. Here we have a Praetor, a Techmarine and a Damocles-Pattern Command Rhino APC. All of these are from Forge World. All are painted in the colours of the XVI Legion Astartes, the Sons of Horus - a Space Marine Legion that fought at Istvaan V!

Techmarine

"So you say you hear a rattle in the wheels?"

Even Space Marine stuff will break down eventually, and when it does, they have the "Techmarine" on hand to help out. For the rivet counters out there (like me), this particular Techmarine is wearing Mark IV powered armour plate - the tech version.

ONE of these cables will plug in, no doubt...

Fixing things in the grim and dark future seems to involve..well...breaking them more first? That is all I can surmise from the huge axe this guy carries. He also has so many cables connected to his power armour he seems a bit like some sort of Dr. Octopus cosplay loser...Techmarines are not my favourite figures. They are of limited use during games, and they look...well, they look kind of "off" - although when you read about how the tech-types hold and carry themselves in the 30k setting, "off" doesn't begin to cover it... 

My motivations to paint this guy up were mostly completionist - I have a pretty large collection of Sons of Horus Marines, including a wide assortment of vehicles. So it just seemed wrong not to have a Techmarine on the shelf to take care of these lovely machines in the collection. The Warmaster Himself seemed to demand it! Good to have this guy available to ensure the hallowed war engines of Horus Lupercal stay in top condition.

Preator

"Horus for hope!"

This figure is a bespoke command figure, released by Forge World last year (in the summer, I think). Over time, Forge World has released a number of such command figures for the different Legions in the setting. I'm such a huge geek for the setting that I just had to have this guy, even if I don't totally love how the Forge World studio conceives of the Sons of Horus. He is wearing heavily customized Mark IV power armour.

Who says you can't rock a sweet cape while wearing power armour?

This armour bears the markings and features consistent with the Sons of Horus in the 30k story - not just the big creepy "Eye of Horus", but also features tied to the "character" of the XVI Legion. In the 30k story, we are meant to understand that most members of the XVI Legion, before they were "recruited" into the Legion, were members of violent gangs on their homeworld of Cthonia - a world where the primary economic activity was organized homicide. Thus there are etchings in the armour (meant to be 'gang markings', but coming across to most as 'hey look, random scratches for no reason'). There is the bronzed skull bearing the "XVI" (again, this would be a gang decoration, presumable the skull of a slain enemy). There is the general aura of ominous threat. Who could have believe they would have turned into bad guys, right?

This handy volkite weapon will help solve problems!

Always nice to wear someone's bronzed skull on your belt. You know. Because reasons.

There is one other notable thing about this figure - at least, for obsessives like me - he is rather tall. A lot of us in the 30k community are expecting GW will re-size the Marine models to more closely match the size of the new "Primaris" marine models in 40k. We don't know for a fact this will happen...the twats at GW, as is their way, are utterly silent on this...but this figure, being a recent release, is notably taller than the previous Mark IV power armoured Marine models. The same thing has happened with other recent 30k releases from Forge World - all noticeable taller than the previous Marines. Is this an indicator of things to come? I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

Damocles Pattern Command Rhino

A nice ride for the command elements of the Warmaster's own legion!

The Rhino is the standard APC of the Space Marine Legions - this specific one, as you might guess from the little rotating dish on the top of the hull, is a command variant. Again, this is kind of a completionist thing to have for my collection - in an actual game, I probably would not select this vehicle for a basic force for a pick up game, but it will make for a nice piece to have in scenario-driven games, ambushes etc. And again, I'm sure it will sit nicely with all of the other XVI Legion vehicles on my shelf.

Gotta sport the XVI Legion brand, even on the rear hatch!

Forge World sells (or at least, used to sell) Legion-specific doors for the Rhino kits, and this model is sporting some bespoke doors for the XVI Legion. The "Eye of Horus" sure looks spooky! Very nice! Not something I would want on the "regular" APCs, but I'm pleased with the effect for the command vehicle. Looking at that Preator figure, he would probably want some kind of OTT ride for the battlefield, and this will do the trick.

Communications array providing a solid, high-bandwidth 5G connection to nice folks aboard the Vengeful Spirit.

OK - for scoring, we have two 28mm figures, one 28mm vehicle, and one planet bonus, which I think adds up to 50 points? Anyway, it was lovely to visit Istvaan V, and to add these guys to my 30k collection! Thanks for reading!

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Lovely work dude! That Rhino is really lifted by the custom doors and iconography. As you say, not something you'd necessarily use in a points driven game, but certainly great for a more thematic story-based scenario. I think you're onto something with GWs slow gravitational pull to these obviously taller models. I wouldn't be surprised to see them proliferate across the entire range. Still, they are very cool, and I'm sure the sculptor/designers enjoy have that little bit more real estate to work within. With this in mind, I'm giving you a few more points for the larger officer.

Again, wonderful work Greg!

- Curt

From TamsinP: More 28mm WW2 Japanese (120 points)

The Adventures Of Oscar: Time Traveler, Slayer of Squirrels and Very, Very Good Boy

Chapter Three

In which our hero finds himself returned to the jungle...

Row-row! Hmmm! Back in the jungle again. Is it the same one? Is it the same time? *sniff, sniff* Must be - that's the scent marker I left last time. I think I'll explore this way this time - maybe I'll find some jungle squirrels? I wonder if Daddy-Curt is missing me? I bet he is, but this time-traveling lark is such great fun!

Ruh...those look like big garden canes with leaves. Is that bamboo? Well, there seems to be a path through it - let's go find jungle squirrels!

None so far. Maybe if I go a bit further...oooh! Another clearing - there won't be jungle squirrels there, but let's take a look-see anyway...

Drat! No jungle squirrels, but what's that I see?

Yoiks! More of those Japanese men! Better scarper!

Whew! That was a close one, but they don't seem to have followed me! Better get out of here tootie-sweet! Now which button should I press? I think I'll try this one...Ruh-row! Not the jungle but it's very hot and dry...

Now, onto the bits that you probably came for.

Yes, the second batch of 28mm WW2 Japanese. In the photo above you can see the second rifle squad for my core platoon, a FOO team and a Type 92 70mm infantry gun and crew.

Rifle Squad

I had almost finished these in time to submit them last week, but the basing wasn't quite dry in time for me to matte varnish them with my airbrush (as my hobby room is above my downstairs neighbours' young daughter's bedroom, I've agreed with them not to use the airbrush after 7pm) so they've had to wait for this week to be submitted.

Go-cho (Corporal) and LMG Team

Rifle Team

FOO Team

Type 92 70mm Infantry Gun Team

In case you are wondering what the green "posts" on the FOO and infantry gun bases are, they are anchors for some vegetation:

I left the vegetation off until I'd taken the photos so that you could see the figures better.

<<<INTERMISSION>>>

Extract from the journal of TamsinP, Time Traveler, Society girl and Adventuress

I'm sitting in my hobby room, studiously painting some miniatures when a message flashes on my computer screen - "Video chat request from Snowlord". "What does he want me to fix now?" I think to myself, before clicking *Accept*. The chat screen opens and Curt's face appears, sitting beneath that bloody Czapka which makes him look such a berk.

"Hello, my dear! I do hope I'm not interrupting anything important?", he begins.

"Just painting the flesh on some figures. What's gone wrong now?"

"Why do you assume that something's gone wrong?"

"Well, for a start, you're calling me."

"Errrmm, well, yes. You've got me there, Tamsin."

"OK, so what is it that you need me to fix for you this time."

"Well, you remember that box you sent me back in 2020?"

"Yes..."

"The one with your time travel device?"

"Yes......"

"That you asked me to put somewhere safe, where my "pesky hounds won't find it?"

"Ye...one of them's found it, haven't they?"

"Errmm, well, it seems so..."

"Seems so???"

"Well, the box was on the floor, and there's no sign of the device, and Oscar's missing."

"Riiiiiight. So, how and when exactly did this happen?"

"Ahh, you see, there's the thing. I was distracted, what with it being the first day of the Challenge and I must have left the door of my new hobby room slightly ajar."

"The first day of the...you mean he's been missing for just over a month? And you're only just telling me? My gods, but you're a berk! Heaven knows what trouble a time-traveling hound could cause!"

"Yes, I must admit I am a bit of a berk for not calling you straight away. Anyway, is there any chance that you can help me get him back? I miss him awfully, you know."

"Hmmmm. I suppose there isn't anyone else you know with time-traveling experience. I still have the blueprints for the device, but there's no way to tell where and when Oscar is. I'll have to consult with some of the other minions to see if it can be modified to target the original device."

"Oh, thank you so much, Tamsin! I've been fretting dreadfully about it all, you know. I'll leave you to get back to your painting. Cheerio!"

"Bye!"

The chat screen closes and I put my brush down on the bench. "Drat and curse that berk of a man!". I sit for a few minutes, fuming and pondering how to tackle this problem...

Two bits of silliness in one post? I'm spoiling you this week!

The figures are all 28mm and a mix of Warlord Games (FOO Team, Gun and gunners, a few of the other figures), Eureka and TAG.

For scoring:

22 x 28mm foot @ 5 = 110 points

1 x 28mm crew-served weapon @ 10 = 10 points

Total = 120 points

I'm sure some of you are thinking "Tamsin hasn't painted very many figures this week". There's a good reason for that - I may have distracted myself with assembling a load of MDF terrain which might appear later in the Challenge:

Almost everything...

Just the "White Box Bundle"

Most of it was the "White Box Bundle" I purchased from TT Combat at last year's SELWG show. The rest were purchased at Salute - containers, crates and large generators from TT Combat; small generators from Blotz. These will be for various SciFi games (but mainly for Judge Dredd). I was thinking of buying some more of the pre-fab buildings, but looking at them laid out on the table I'm not so sure that I need them.

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Haha! Tamsin, I'm very much enjoying the continued misadventures of Oscar Lost in Time. The Japanese figures look terrific, especially the time you've obviously spent thinking about the groundwork for them - it really looks superb. And speaking of groundwork, those jungle terrain bases are magnificent, especially the standing bamboo. Nice schwack of MDF terrain as well - I look forward to seeing if those make an appearance later during the Challenge.

Now, go see if you can help me out and get Oscar back home where he belongs. )

- Curt