StuartL's Challenge - Welcome our Lizardman Overlords

StuartL arrived at the centre of our Quadrant, having stopped at every planet along the way.  That means that I get to select a FINAL Challenge for him. 

This has been a year of the Lizardmen for the Challenge (MartinC I'm looking at you), and you mentioned a while back that you have a collection of vintage Suarans to paint up.  You challenge is to paint up a unit of your favourite cold blooded reptiles, any unit type and any species of Lizard will do. 

AdamC: Cave Troll and Middle Earth Statures 33 Points

Some additional pick ups from the Gamer's  flea market last fall and its one of my favorites I went with the armored version rather than the unarmored Moria version. 

The trophy's hanging from his armor harness was a nice touch a call out to the terrible missiles fired into Gondor in the book (though not in the movie, I guess a rain of severed heads was too visceral for Peter Jackson)

This fellow has an interesting scaly skin it seemed a bit lizard like.  

The patched up shield is one of my favorite bits I did the patches in bronze instead of steel. 

Six Sutures that are also from the same set three standing and three fallen statues. 

I kept the palate simple, dark grey, black wash, light gray dry brush.  I added a little light blue in the deep part of the base where decoration or writing might once have been. 

Rear view of the statues not much to add here. 

The fallen statues can either be used in conjunction with the standing statues or I could replace them as battles occur resulting in the fall of a statue. 

Points the Troll is about 60mm tall (probably more if it stood up straight) so I will call it a 54 mm figure for 10 points. 

It seems best call the statures 28mm figures as they are terrain for that scale.  If we go with that the up-right ones are 5 points and the fallen ones 2.5 each that's 22.5 so let's call that 23 points. 

That's a big hulking brute of a Troll Adam.  Like the bronze patch on the shield.

I really like the statues, the boat trip past the giant statures was one of my favourite scenes from the films.  I agree on your points total.

Great to see that you are feeling well enough to paint again.

From GrantH - Canadian Tank Hunters and Light Mortar (45 Points)

Hi Everyone, I have returned with more Canadians! These chaps in particular are the tank hunter section and light mortar team for my late-war project. Like the Recce team I posted previously, they are from the Warlord Games British and Canadian Army plastic set, though I have kit bashed in some PIATs and ordinance Cases to vary their look a little bit. 

While similarly equipped, British And Canadian forces sometimes diverged in structure. The tank hunter team represents one such unique diversion in tactics and structure. The 1st Canadian Infantry Division formed dedicated Tank Hunting Platoons for each Battalion in 1944. These units were outfitted with enough PIATs, Sten guns, anti-tank grenades to menace axis armoured units. These troops were also supported by an LMG section but I have yet to finish painting the support gunners. 

These units proved to be highly effective as the concentrated fire from multiple PIATs proved to be a much more efficient use of the anti-tank weapon. One particularly famous Tank hunter from these platoons was Private E. A. ‘Smokey’ Smith from the Tank Hunting Platoon of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada . He  awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during the crossing of the Savio River, on the night of 21–22 October 1944.

The NCO

The Tank Hunters

Light Mortar

Grand total for this post is nine 28mm figures for a total of 45 points. Now to finish the Flamethrower wielding assault squads and Wasp IICs....

Great work on these tank hunters Grant, they really look the business.  I also like the kit bashing to get the PIAT salvoes up to snuff.   

I'm really enjoying this Canadian project of yours.   I can't recall if Curt or I have recommended the books by Mark Suchlike to you (probably we have).  Holding Juno has plenty of small scale actions where these lads would be really useful as the Panzers try and push our plucky Canucks back into the Channel.

From Mike W - 28mm Warhammer Saurus Oldblood Unit (100 Points)

So here is my last post of the week, the weekend is looming and I have a lot of baby sitting and granddaughter hugging 'duties' lined-up, meaning that the other posts that I'm working on will need to wait until next week now. Hopefully they will get finished off relatively quickly and I can see if I can catch-up on my planned schedule?!

However to this post - 20 x Warhammer Fantasy Saurus Oldblood Lizardmen. The previous Lizardman foot unit that  completed were of the more modern plastic boxed set, whereas these guys are from Games Workshop's first edition plastic lizardmen.

The completed Saurus Oldblood Unit

My aim with this unit is to try and reflect that these guys are from an older more primitive Lizard line by giving them a darker colour palette, so I went for a dark green body with light blue scales to form their natural protective armour.

Close-up of some of the Lizardmen, slimy, wet skin effect is deliberate!
Yes I know that lizards a not really slimy but hey - this is fantasy wargaming!

To try and tie them into the more modern figures I did their weapons in a similar black and grey finish, albeit with leather bindings and grips. I mixed a base coat of medium green with some salamander green - about 50:50 and applied this over a grey undercoat. When dry I applied a strong tone wash before picking out all the armoured scales in Sky Blue, over which I applied a blue wash to give them shading and depth.

First of the Saurus Roll Call 

Claws and horns were added in appropriate colours as were the leather loincloths and weaponry in black and grey. Jewellery was added using Bright Brass paint and mouth, tongue and teeth details were added before a Satin Varnish was applied - to give them a slippery, wet look.

Five more mug shots

And another five

Figures were based in my normal manner. You'll notice that there are no command figures for this unit, I'll be starting a search of eBay to get some in as soon as I get some time!

The last group of five

The same five from behind, to show the detail of their armoured scales

On reflection I should maybe have done these guys in blue with green scales but they're done now and I'll not be changing them! Watch out for some supporting Skink Archers next week, when I get them finished...

POINTS

20 x 28mm Foot Figures = 100 Points

Nice looking Saurus unit Mike.  I really like he blue scales on green, but I'll guess you'll have to do another regiment from a different species to compare the green on blue effect.  I'm no biologist so won't question the slimy skin, but maybe they just molted?

From JamesM: A mixed batch of 15mm Battlefront Grilles (32 points)

Hi folks,

A second entry this week, but a similar theme. I present four Battlefront resin and metal 15mm vehicles, in the form of two '15cm Schweres Infanteriegeschütz 33 (Sf) auf Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) Ausf. H' (Grille Ausf. H) self propelled infantry guns, and two '15cm Schweres Infanteriegeschütz 33/1 auf Selbstfahrlafette 38(t) (Sf) Ausf. M' (Grille Ausf. K) self propelled infantry guns. Catchy names! Hence they most often go by the name Grille (Cricket). 

These are basically two versions of the same concept, using the same base Czech Panzer 38(t) tank chassis and 15 cm sIG 33 infantry gun. 

Grille H

Grille K

I ended up with both versions due to happenstance and lack of clarity in sources. Someone gave me a single Grille K model, and so I bought another to be able to field a pair. Then Battlefront brought out the newer version of the Grille H, and the old v3 Flames of War books puts this version in Normandy. My own research seems to show that 12th SS Panzer may have had both, with some Grille K's being delivered as the campaign went on. Either way, I figured they were cool little models and I would find a use for them. 

I treated these in a similar way to my half-tracks, using the same paint colours. For camo patterns I go with the whole 'Schmidt has been told to paint the camo on, but he's meeting his French girlfriend in two hours and only has a mop' method. I keep camo patterning within platoons the same, but each platoon has a different style. The camo is then dulled down with a stipple of the base camo colour. 

Hull numbers have been added to the superstructure sides (514-515 and 524-525), along with German crosses, divisional markings to the front and rear hull numbers on the Grille H. Decals are a mix of Skytrex and Dom's Decals. I also weather down the markings a bit, just to make them a little less fresh looking. 

These vehicles would be from the 5th Company of III battalion, 26 SS-Panzergrenadier Regiment, 12th SS Panzer Division. 

I added foliage in keeping with the other models in this project, but also as one of the models was dropped and damage caused to the fighting compartment walls. Some hasty repairs resulted, and the damaged area covered with some foliage!

Some Tamiya weathering product has been applied, but other than that I've gone light on weathering. I may go back and add some soot to the gun barrels!

I do have gun crew for these models, and they will be painted and added post challenge. For now the models are table ready!

These four 15mm vehicles clock in at 32 points. 

I've heard it said that the baddest gangstas all sport a Grille!  Wonderful looking kit here James, love the basing, weathering and quick camo job which might actually be quite effective.    Having spent long (happy) hours researching RN naval camo, I know that what's on hand tends me the most frequently applied coloration and whatever they feel like they feel like that still fits in general guideline the most common pattern.

I had a chuckle over the comments on  your "due to happenstance and lack of clarity in sources"  excuse.  I'll have to borrow that for some of my over completeness purchases, like trying to build every Allied destroyer that served in the Med in WW2.

From StuartL - Jumping To Lightspeed - Xanth to Krypton - 142 Points

Hello all.

For my second post today, I present the last five planets in the Challenge XII sector before my final approach to the Challenge XII Star.

Unlike previous years where I blitzed through the Challenge areas to reach the centre as quickly as possible, this year I have tried to take my time completing each section. However with just four weeks left on the clock and no idea what herculean task my minion might set me, I figured that I should get cracking and finish off the outstanding planets. I still need to submit an entry for Lady Sarah's Star Yacht too. 

So, without further ado, the next port of call after Lune is Xanth, where I have looked at the Unique Talent part of the conditions. Most of the models I have for most of the games I play are generally focussed around killing the enemy with bullets, blades or bombs, so finding something unique was not so easy. Luckily for me, I play a game called Malifaux, a Weird Wild West skirmish game, and a lot of the minis for that game have some downright bonkers abilities. In my collection for the game, I have a faction of Performers. Essentially can-can dancers, singers and the like who use their stage shows and props as cover for a smuggling operation. Within than faction, there are a set of models called Ice Dancers. However, unlike more traditional figure skaters, these dancers are able to form ice themselves and then use it to move around the tabletop. The models come two to a box, but are generally considered to not be all that great, one usually being more than enough should you wish to use them.

 I imagine that skating through a desert on a pillar of ice should count as a fairly unique talent.

From Xanth I head off to Mars (surely that should have been after Lune??), and a meeting with a mysterious neighbour. For this mini, I head back to the Warhammer 40,000 universe where Mars is synonymous with the machine worshipping Adeptus Mechanicus. In the setting, the Ad-Mech have very strict doctrines and beliefs about what technology they can use and what is tech-heresy. However, there are also rumours that an ancient, evil, alien star-god is trapped deep within the planet and that it is tied in with the mysterious Necron race of sentient robots. So what would happen if one of these Mechanicus priests were to stumble upon some crypt of hidden alien tech while exploring the depths of Mars? Why he'd immediately report it to his superiors and they'd destro.... 

...Oops.

One of the problems with the Ad-Mech box sets is that you can quickly end up with duplicate Tech-Priest models that you don't really need if you aren't careful. Having a couple of these guys spare, I decided to convert one up as a Heretek using a bunch of spare Necron parts I had lying around. The head, shield, upper torso and right arms all got added to create this monstrous fusion of Martian and Alien technology gone awry. 

I usually paint my Necrons with green power cores, so to show that this guy was different, I went for an orange colour scheme along with paler colours for his robes instead of the standard Mechanicum Red.

Speaking of Necrons, Altair IV is my next stop with the theme of Old Robots. 

This lanky fellow is a Canoptek Reanimator, a giant machine that strides across the battlefield reanimating fallen Necron Warriors as it goes. The model is mounted on a 60mm base to give you some idea of it's scale.

The model came in the Indomitus set that was launched at the start of 40K 9th edition. I have no intention of ever playing 9th, but the Necron models in that set were all fantastic. This one was quite fiddly to paint with all the hanging wires and pipes, but I'm happy with the end result.

Onwards we go to Gethen were things are Icy and Cold. My next model fits both of those, (but I think I can't claim the Androgyny part). As I mentioned above the Malifaux Ice Dancers come two to a box, but you only really need one. Luckily?? they can work in 2 different factions in the game, the Performers and the Cult of December, both of which I collect. 

The Cult are a bunch of cannibals who live high up in the snowy peaks of Malifaux's mountains. So, it seemed like a good idea to paint up the second dancer to match that faction.

And finally, we come to the last planet before the big finale. Krypton. Way back in the 90's I got into comics, particularly the various X-Men series. At that time, one of the more well known artists was a guy called Rob Liefeld. He is generally considered to be a source of division among comic book fans. He was involved in creating the very popular characters of Deadpool and Cable and his comics generally sold very well. However, his art style was unpopular among a lot of readers (he has no idea how perspective and anatomy really work) and he tended to draw a lot of pouches and equipment on all of his characters. So in homage to the comics I started out reading, I found a model with strange anatomy from my Reaper Bones stash and some glue....

Rather than my usual method of Paint>Wash>Highlight, I went for a different approach. The model was base coated black then given two coats of each colour, leaving some of the original black showing through to give it a more 'comic book' feel. The original model had no pouches on it, these all come from various 40K kits.

So, that's the final five planets done. Points wise, I have 3x 28m minis, 1x 40mm mini and a 28mm vehicle for a total of 42 points, along with 5 planets for a 100 point bonus and a grand total of 142 points.

The necron walker has 3 skulls on it's base to add to my Skull Duel tally. 

Skullz Total: 108

Before I finish, I would like to add the Ice Dancers to the Sarah's Choice category. I usually have a hard time choosing colour schemes for individual figures, so for these two, I based their colours on two popular characters from a Disney movie with a very similar theme to the models. While their clothing doesn't exactly match up, I think I captured the colours.

Next stop, the heart of the challenge sector!

Congrats Stuart on being the first of the Monday crew to the centre of the system.  I'm not sure if there are other challengers who have hit every planet in this years' challenge.  Most of us are opting for the faster (sic?) 4 planets and on the the next ring method.    I'll be in touch to discuss your FINAL CHALLENGE!!!  

I like the ice dancers lasses, nice blue palatte that you've used.  I would wouldn't know the difference between the Ad-Mech stuff and a Necron if one nipped me on the backside with a claw, but those are fine looking buckets of bolts your've assembled.  I also really like the effects that you've achieved on the Big Red guy, is he named Clifford perhaps?

BradS 28mm ISIS / Syrian [Vulcan and Solaris ]

 

Today's submission is my new ISIS / Syrian Fighters Force. The figures are 3D prints from a Kickstarter I backed a while ago: War in Iraq. Although designed for Iraq they really work well for any Syrian type of fight. The two Toyota trucks I got from Spectre Miniatures. These figures were a lot of fun to paint up. The research I did showed forces that wear whatever they wanted too. There are units who wear similar kit, I wanted to represent a unit who did not. The fun part was using colors I do not normally use like blue and red. The cammo was also mixed which made it fun. 

I painted the trucks up to be worn and well used. I wasn't ready to fill them up with kit yet so they look a little plain. I intend on painting up some weapons and figures for the back of the trucks.

I really like how they turned out!

These figures are really well designed and full of detail. Although not as heavy and solid as metal figures the fine detail exceeds any metal figures I have. What I really like about 3D printing figures is that if I mess them up I can just print another set, gives me freedom to screw up.

For this submission I am going to the planet of Vulcan with the two Toyota trucks. Nothing is more logical than leveraging the pickup trucks you have to outfit your force for mobility. Next I am moving to the planet of Solaris for the ISIS figures. The deception they use to fit into the local population to protect themselves from better equipped armies certainly fits the theme. 

Point Total:

10 mm Figures for 10 x 5points = 50 points

2 28mm vehicles for 20 x 2 = 40 points

2 Planets for 20 x 2 = 40 points

Point Total: 130 points

Really liking these Syrian irregulars and their improvised transport Brad.  They're a rag tag crew and their trucks look every bit the part, ready to carry bad guys about Damascus or get towed away from central Ottawa.  

You are pushing my logical boundaries with Vulcan on the trucks.  I have a lot of discussions with my better half resulting from my attempts to McGuyver what's on hand instead going out to get the correct bit for the job.  However, it's a Holiday Monday for me so I'll let it slide this time.  No arguments on the deception for the ISIS figures however.