From JamesM: 15mm limbered Pak40s (12 points)

Hi folks,

A quick little entry for me this week, in the form of the towed guns for my previously completed half-track prime movers. 

These are 15mm metal models from Skytrex, who kindly provided three of the limbered gun versions on my order (rather than their usual mix of limbered and deployed). 

A simple paint job, and angled so that they match up with the tow hook placement on the half tracks. Basing done to my usual style to fit with the rest of my collection. 

And here they are with their transports:

Not sure that these will see the table frequently, but I like having this type of thing as part of the collection. They form any official part of the rules for Flames of War, it's purely a modelling thing on my behalf, and I have 6-pdrs and 17-pdrs done like this.

We had one interesting game pre-Covid where the allied (Canadian) force had to rush forward limbered A/T guns to provide infantry with support against marauding Panthers, which then deployed into useful positions. Those looked cool too!

It'll be nice to give the Germans a similar option, or to scare the players with sight of this unit dashing down a road somewhere off in the distance... The joys of very large tables, bwa ha ha. 

These three guns at 15mm come out at 12 points. 

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Excellent guns, James. I like that you did these just for being a completionist and the hobby-joy of it. I can definitely get my head around that. They especially look great being towed by the tracks. They could also provide some wonderful targets of opportunity for air attack games with Thunderbolts and Typhoons clouding the skies, doing their thing. Lovely work!

- Curt

From Mike W - 28mm Viking Berserkers (90 Points)

This post utilises a number of figures from the Warlord Games Ancient British plastic set, I originally got these figures as I thought I could convert several of these into Viking Berserkers. This I successfully did a number of years ago - but never got around to finishing the job, which I have now....

The completed group of Viking Berserkers

I have taken the view that the Viking Berserkers would be a group of guys who could not stomach the discipline needed to stand in a shield wall, thus the dynamic poses offered by this set are a good starting point to represent a group of warriors who would charge dead long into the enemy.

A close view of some of them

There are tales of Berserkers going into battle naked with just their weapons in their hands (Ooh Err!) However I have opted for them being largely bare chested & bare headed, with or without a shield or two weapons. No one really wants to see a a lot of meat and two veg on display! 😀

And another angle

As with most of these dark ages figures - I gave them a sprayed on white undercoat which dried quickly with a good finish and my first stop was to paint in all the flesh on show.

All five of the guys with two weapons and no shield

Next up was a variety of muted blues, greens & brown colours for their clothes before adding in appropriate wood, leather & metalwork. Once dry I used a variety of suitable coloured inks to add shading, I then highlighted with base colours again.

The three guys with a spear and a shield

Each figure was then coated with Matt varnish before being based in my usual manner.

Six of eth guys with bare chests!

The final four guys, one with a cloak

POINTS

18 x 28mm Foot Figures  = 90 Points

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Great work on these Berserkers, Mike! Your efforts in giving each of these figures their own characters has really paid off. That fellow in the front with the buff shield looks like Rollo from 'Vikings'.  Well done!

- Curt

From Mike W - 28mm Ancient Britons (60 Points, 1 Squirrel Point)

This post is a journey back in time to AD 43 / AD 56 and all that ancient malarkey! The figures are Warlord Games Ancient British, which have been kicking around my loft for a good few years now.

Completed Ancient Briton Warband

You will see in another post what my plans were for some of these figures but many of these remaining figures could only really be used as Ancient Britons, due to their distinctive armour. I added in some additional figures to make up their numbers to a viable warband.

The guys in armour

My aim was to put together a small warband that could be used in an SPQR game to oppose a Roman force that I previous painted a couple of years ago (I believe!).

These little guys are very dynamically posed, with a 'ball & socket' joint at the waist to allow for a multitude of different positions. I took the opportunity to take advantage of that and produced quite a lively warband.

And the unarmoured guys

As with most figures - I gave them a white undercoat (using Halfords Acrylic Paint Spray) this dried quickly and my first stop was to paint in the flesh.

Next up was a variety of muted greens & brown colours for their clothes before adding in appropriate wood, leather & metalwork. To give them a British feel, I then added chequered and stripe effects to the clothes and blue 'woad' paint to some of the exposed flesh.

My attempt at adding 'woad' tattoos / war paint to the guys with a lot of exposed flesh

Once dry I used a variety of suitable coloured inks to add shading, I then highlighted with base colours again - where appropriate.

Shields were completed with the pre-printed sticky back sheets supplied with the kit, this was the fiddliest part of the project as each shield pattern has to be cut out using scissors. That said they do look pretty effective.

An old and tattered sheet of Warlord Games Shield designs - on sticky backed paper.

Each figure was then coated with Matt varnish, with an extra coat applied over the shield designs to help them stay in place before being based in my usual manner.

I claim 1 x Squirrel Point for Ancient British

POINTS

12 x 28mm Foot Figures  = 60 Points

Nice work on these Britons Mike they look ready to challenge the might of SPQR.  I like the woad tattoos but you've positioned the figures so that the shield designs are either no visible or at a very oblique angle so we can't get a look at them.  Still I salute you must having the patience to deal with stick on shield patterns as this is well beyond my skill set.

Mike's got a couple more posts in the READY queue but I think that I'll leave those for Tamsin or another minion so as to share the goodies with more  minions than just me.

From DougM - Lightning Elephants- Corsucant (sic) - (76 Points)

Not exactly a points bomb, and I am sure no surprise after my 1/200 Japanese WW2 aircraft...  this very versatile hex mat is no longer Kent, it is in fact, paddy fields on Asian islands. 

So first some Army Lightnings. The hard part was finding ways to make a very dull colour scheme a little bit interesting. 

And the Navy is here... F4F Wildcats. As usual, I didn't make them for a particular squadron, but kept them generic. 

Finally, you know when you think an 'army' is finished, and you spot something? Well, it doesn't come much more 'Imperial' conflict than the Indian Mutiny, and who could resist a splendid (and very well priced) AW Miniatures Elephant drawn limber? I think this will be my Deployment Point for Sharp Practice.

That's my 'Imperial' for Coruscant planet bonus, making a total of:

12 x 10mm 'vehicles' @3 each = 36

1 x 28mm 'vehicle' @20 = 20

Planet Bonus = 20 for a total of 76 points. 

Hopefully more to come this week... 

And Squirrels..  now up to 10 I think.

• 1/200 WW2 Japanese Aircraft
• 1/200 WW2 US Aircraft
• 1/200 WW2 British Aircraft
• 1/200 WW2 German Aircraft
• 1/144 WW1 British Aircraft (not quite enough for WW1 German Aircraft (doh!))
• 28mm German Armour
• 28mm 12th SS Panzer infantry
• 28mm Indian Mutiny Sepoys
• 28mm Dr Who
• 28mm Austrian Napoleonics

I was curious about the content of this post based on the title.  I was kind of expecting Incendiary Pigs or some other Anti-elephant ploy that used to exist on the WRG army lists.  However I am well satisfied with what you've presented Doug.  Love the aircraft and that Elephant is just the bees' knees.  Really good work on the saddle blanket and mahout. 

From PhilH: Worshipping the Root at Arda (50 Points)

Making an escape from Solaris, we arrive at Arda. I didn’t have a Fantasy project on the go, but have developed an curious fascination for the grimdark root vegetable-based whimsy of ‘Turnip28’ (those that haven’t come across it, look up @maxstaxidermia on Twitter). The nonsensical world is oddly charming, I like the idea of repurposing 28mm historical plastics and it being a freeware passion project rather than from one of the big gaming companies.

So as a first attempt at getting into the theme, I threw together some Perry HYW French bodies and AWI arms to make a unit of ‘Fodder’, the lowliest of the half dozen unit types offered. 

I liked taking a wildly different method to painting these: zenithal base, base coats and then heavy application and smearing of enamel washes (particularly ‘streaking grime’) designed for tanks to get a grimy look. 

With plenty on the got already doubt this will ever develop into a ‘full’ project, but it was a curious dalliance.

50 Points, a second (!) squirrel and my sixth planet. Onwards!

I'llm adit to jumping around on the Ready posts and turnip picking this one!  Great work on this fodder unit Phil.  I find the whole Turnip28 thing quite entertaining.  You've clearly had a to of fun putting these together and painting and the whole daffy, grimy effect is wonderful.  Can you confirm if that is some type of foliage growing out of their backs?  Or are they stuffed with straw and it's poking out, or are they just packing hay for later use?

Any way well done sir.

From FrederickC: The Final Quadrant Challenge (92.5 points)

"Bring me a fine collection of Lord of the Rings Figures."

And now we face the final Quadrant Challenge, the Challenge XII Star itself. Our original ship was too battered to continue, suffering from failing engines and an outer hull that was showing stress cracks. It was time to switch to something lighter that had a greater thrust to mass ratio to be able to navigate in the gravitational field of the quadrant star.

 

"Engage!"

As requested by the orb, I present a gathering of Lord of the Rings figures, both Good and Evil, that I hope will be pleasing to the Snowlord. Some of these have been in the painting queue for several years, while others are recent purchases to add to the collection. All were painted in my usual style, starting with a coat of black primer, followed by Vallejo acrylics, and then a mix of ink washes and/or highlights until I got the look I wanted. May they be deemed worthy of the Final Challenge.

The first group is a trio of Orc Trackers that have been in the 'PENDING' box for a number of years. These appear in the Barad-dûr section of the latest version of the Armies of Middle Earth manual, but now seem to be out of production. In addition to their role as trackers, they will also be useful to depict dismounted Warg riders.

Next up are the three Orc Captains, Gorbag, Grishnákh, and Shagrat (holding Frodo's mithril shirt). Like the Orc Trackers, they have also been in the 'PENDING' box for a while. These appear in the army lists in the Mordor section.

Gorbag, Grishnákh, and Shagrat

Shagrat, Grishnákh, and Gorbag

The last of the Evil characters is an Orc Shaman, who also appears in the Barad-dûr section of the latest version of the Middle Earth army lists. He looks pretty badass with his collection of skulls. This is another metal figure that I have had for a while. A plastic version of the figure is available from Games Workshop as a boxed set which includes one mounted on a Warg.

Three skulls (not that I am counting)

 

The first group for the Good side are three leaders of the Ithilien Rangers - Faramir, Captain of Gondor, Madril, Captain of Ithilien, and Damrod, Ranger of Ithilien. These are a very recent purchase and came as a blister containing all three figures. They will be ready to command the company of Rangers that I painted last April.

Faramir, Madril, and Damrod

Damrod, Madril, and Faramir

The last offering is Éowyn (as Dernhelm) and Meriadoc, Squire of Rohan. While I had already painted metal miniatures of Éowyn, I was so impressed by the newer plastic set of figures that Barks had submitted for the Challenge, I had to buy a box for myself. I especially liked the way Merry can be placed in front of Éowyn, or removed as the scenario requires. Not having any contrast paints in my arsenal, I used my usual technique of starting with a black primer, followed by Vallejo acrylics, with highlights and washes as needed to get the final result. Since the metal miniatures I had depicted Éowyn without a helmet, I went with the 'helmet on' version with the plastic set.

 

Éowyn with Merry

Éowyn with Merry

Éowyn without Merry

Éowyn without Merry

Éowyn and Merry on foot

Merry and Éowyn on foot

New and old mounted version of Éowyn

Old and new dismounted version of Éowyn

The points being claimed are as follows:

1 x 28mm mounted figure @ 10 points = 10 points

12½ x 28mm foot figure @ 5 points = 62.5 points

(I am counting the mounted version of Merry as a half figure)

Challenge Quadrant location (Quadrant XII Star) @ 20 points each = 20 points

 

At this point, I am not sure if this will be my last submission for the Painting Challenge. I have another 60 zombies sitting on my desk, but I can't guarantee I will have them completed before the deadline. We will give it the 'old college try', as they say. This submission will put me over my target, so it's all bonus from here on. This was my first year of active participation in  the Painting Challenge, although last year I 'played along at home'. I have been impressed by both the level of skill demonstrated by the other participants, as well as the volume of output. Kudos to one and all.

Just in case this is my last submission, I want to thank all those who left encouraging comments on my posts - (in no particular order): MartinC, IainW, GregB, RayR, Codsticker, TashaH, DallasE, PeterD, TamsinP, Barks, SanderS, TeemuL, MikeP, StuartL, Curt, DaveV, PaulSS, DaveD, SimonG, Millsy, Nick, BruceR, PeterB, HerrRobert, KenR, DavidB, MikeW, MattW, KerryT, JezzT, AdamC, TobiasK, Bedford, Evan Hughes, and Anibal Invictis.

[As much as possible, I have tracked down the name people have been assigned on the participants list. Hopefully I haven't missed anybody.]

Cheers,

FrederickC.

A fine collection of LoTR goodies Frederick, the orb is pleased.  While the orcs are terrific (and skullacious) my favourites are the Eowyn/Merry combo, great work on these lovely sculpts.

You've had a terrific challenge Frederick, hope to see you again next year.    

Happy Pi Day

 

It is of course march 14, or Pi day.  My students are busily serving pie and I've just finished my piece of pie (or maybe the first piece).

Gluten free Chocolate Strawberry made by my wife.

From Mike W - Oathmark Human Infantry (150 Points, 1 Squirrel Point)

Following on from Millsy's fabulous Oathmark Infantry Post last week, here I present my take on the same subject. Unlike Millsy's more uniformed unit mine represents a militia that has been formed from a variety of local sources and unified by shield and helmet colours - the guys themselves wearing their usual civilian clothes.

The completed Unit of 30 Rural Militiamen

So the unit is built from a whole box of these figures, 30 in all and I decided to give them all a spear, except the commander who has a sword. The unit's champion also carries a spear but has the bonus of a full helm to give some extra protection.

Another view, I deliberately gave some a round shield from the Spares Box to imply different equipment sources

As ever I started with a white undercoat and then applied a range of 'rural' colours in greens and browns, all figures have leather jacks of one type or another, some have cloaks again in various colours. I gave the unit commander a red cloak to help him stand out.

Shield transfers were from old Games Workshop Britonnian figures

Once painted I then went on to the shields, using green & yellow as a unifying the figures into a unit, I found some old Games Workshop transfers of Fleurs-de-Lys and shields to add some symbols to the shields. Yellow and Green is one of my favourite combinations just as they are my local town's colours. I also added yellow & green panels to a number of helmets for added unit identification.

First of a series of close-ups, Comander & Champion centre, flanked by two Sergeants

As ever the bases were completed with a fine sand and electrostatic grass mix that I have pre-made.

Rank & File Rural Militiamen

I claimed a Squirrel Point for the Oathmark Fantasy Human subject matter

More Rank & File Rural Militiamen

And more...

Final group of Rank & File Rural Militiamen

POINTS

30 x 28mm Foot Figures = 150 Points

Excellent work on these Oathmark Humans Mike.  I quite like what I've seen of these Oathmark kits but have only seen the Revenants up close and in personal.   The round shield swap is really effective and I might field some similarly equipped lads in with my Dark age stuff.  also liking the livery and flour de psi marks.