AHPC Studios, GmbH
Our wayward talent agent, Sidney Roundwood, has returned from scouting a prime location for our next adventure, and wow, is it a doozy!
From Sid:
'After last year’s voyage through planets and stars, this year we travel to the lavishly appointed AHPC Studios, GmbH. Based on several acres outside Berlin, AHPC Studios is benevolently controlled by the infamous cinema director, Kurt von Paintheim, aka the “The Show-Lord”. Ably assisted by his two hench-dogs, Oscar and Felix, and the leading studio-starlet, Lady Sarah, the Snow-Lord has invited all of you to AHPC Studios to assist in making some movie magic in miniature.'
(Updated) Here are the rules for exploring the great variety of cinema-inspired themes on the AHPC Studios lot.
Each Studio has a hobby task associated with it (see below). You must submit your work to your minion, get their approval (they may consult with other minions if he/she believes greater deliberation is required) and they will post it to the blog. You then can continue on to the next Studio;
Each successfully completed Studio awards you 20 one-time bonus points;
The Studios need different security passes to enter. Each Challenger begins with a Green Security pass and can enter any Green Studio. After you have visited four Green Studios, you will receive a Blue security pass, allowing you entry to the Blue areas located further in the Challenge Studio grounds. If you complete four Blue Studio tasks, you will receive a Red security pass - which allows you to visit the studio of the Great Show-Lord himself.
There are three ways you can move between Studios: by the pathways between Studios; along the Yellow Brick Road running through the whole site; or by being driven through the Challenge site in Lady Sarah’s Limousine;
Once a task is completed you can pass through it without having to do the theme requirements again (unless you wish to);
When you complete the task which is appointed to you by the Great Director, you can sit in the Producer’s Chair, and bask in the adoration of all the beautiful people out there, self-satisfied with your grand achievement.
Lady Sarah’s Limousine
At the (very reasonable) cost of you painting one single female figure, per relocation, Lady Sarah - star of the Silver Screen - will drive you in her luxuriously appointed limousine to any location within your security pass colour (Green or Blue), or back to a previously cleared colour pass area. Travel in her limo will award you 20 bonus points for the journey. The Limousine award can be collected multiple times. At the end of the Challenge, Lady Sarah shall judge all the female figures painted during the Challenge - including those painted to facilitate Challengers’ relocations in the Challenge Studio site - and award the winning Challenger a special prize.
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The Yellow Brick Road
The Yellow Brick Road runs through Challenge Studios. At the additional cost of painting a Cinematic miniature figure (of your choice, according to your discretion), you can travel down the Yellow Brick Road from any crossing point to any other crossing point on the site - which are denoted by the small traffic lights (note: The Director's Chair cannot be accessed by the Yellow Brick Road unless you've achieved 4 locations of both the Green and Blue areas). For your efforts you will also receive 20 points. This award can be collected for each use of the road.
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(Updated) The Gift Store
Are you looking for something to commemorate your visit to the AHPC Studios GmbH, or maybe a souvenir for those friends and family unable to make the trip? Come along to the AHPC Gift Store and see what we have to offer. Snow Lord (tm) snow globes, Replica flight attendant uniforms, delicious AHPC Studio crayons, we have it all.
Models entered as a Gift Store Special must be figures that you are going to give to someone else as a gift. Entries should explain why you chose the model as a gift for its recipient along with the usual photographs of the mini itself. Challengers can visit the gift store from any other point on the map without needing to use the Yellow Brick Road or Lady Sarah's Limousine (though you can if you wish). A gift submission will award 20 bonus points. Like Lady Sarah's Limousine and the Yellow Brick Road, the Gift Store bonus can be collected multiple times.
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Green Security Pass
These are Studios which allow access to all participants in the Challenge at any time. Feel the excitement on each of the Green-pass Studio lots as you join the huge array of extras and crew and watch magic being born.
Under Construction: Half-done, almost-done, or barely started. This is the studio for painting projects which are just not quite there yet.
Black & White: Paint something in grey-scale, with black and white being your colours of choice. Reconjure the elegance of the silver screen!
High Adventure: Whether it’s battling mummies in a pyramid, or scaling the Himalayas in search of a Yeti, the entries for this studio all remind us of the spirit of High Adventure, daring and risk-taking. All that, and fighting a giant Gorilla on the Empire State Building.
Historical Drama: The whole of history at your fingertips and painting brush-points. Which historical drama will you choose to paint in miniature?
World Cinema: Russian war movies, Bollywood excess, or Samurai showstoppers. The idea in this Studio is to paint a figure, vehicle or terrain item from elsewhere in the world from where you live now.
The Casting Couch: Every film needs stars and talent. Let your paintbrushes create one of the leading characters of your gaming experience. Champagne flutes will be handed around while you paint, as befits visitors to this most discrete of Studios.
1980s or Retro: You might remember the white socks. Or New Wave. Or maybe neon lit palm trees in Miami. Or just WRG 6th Edition Ancients. Whatever you remember from the 1980s, the 1970s, or indeed any time long past - your task is to paint something which screams “RETRO” to you.
Sci-Fi: From Aliens to the Mandalorian, from Solaris to Jules Verne - your mission here is to boldly go and seek out new science-fiction subjects to paint. May your paintbrushes live long and prosper.
Blue Security Pass:
These are the inner Studios on the Challenge Studios site. You need to have completed at least four Green locations to be allowed into these most-exclusive of Studio locations.
Books: Time to paint something from a famous book. It can be any book, as long as you think it would make a great subject for a film.
Swords & Sandals: The gladiatorial arenas of Hyboria. Chariot racing in the Colosseum of Rome. Battling strange gorgons on white-sand Greek beaches. Or climbing into the Wooden Horse of Troy. Whatever you’re painting in this studio, we’d love to see the shifting sands of ancient adventure, scimitars flashing in the dark, and maybe a few sandals too.
Fantasy: If you want to paint a hobbit, a dragon, a skeleton or a wizard’s castle, this is the studio for you. Anything goes as long as it’s from a world which is either fantastical, or pure-fantasy.
Arthouse: Darling! Come in, relax at the Cabaret, and enjoy the show! From cold-war European drama, to adventures conducted solely in 8th Century Mayan dialect. From miniatures created out of bottle-tops, to hair-roller armies. Everything artistic is welcome here - whether the art is visual, or just a pose. Want to paint a miniature in just pink paint? Obsessed with Carroburg Crimson ink? This is the Studio for you! Welcome to the location for the quirky, arty and the downright strange.
Superheroes: Bring a cape, and your set of flaming-lazer eyes. This is the place for painting Homelander, Batman, Buffy or Judge Dredd. But supe’s come in all shapes and sizes. Who’s your favourite superhero for painting in this Challenge?
Westerns: Anything goes, as long as its ‘Way Out West’. Your chance to Paint Gary Cooper, Sitting Bull, or - for the more lateral thinkers - Toshiro Mifune, Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. Wagons roll !!
Red Security Pass:
If you have completed at least four Green locations and four Blue locations, well done! You’ll now be welcomed into the Studio of the Great Show-Lord himself to collect your Red Security pass. The Show-Lord will give you one task to complete. If you succeed, you’ll have earned the chance to sit in the Producer's Chair. Everyone… please be quiet…… shhh!! ….Lights. Camera. Action!
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As usual, I'm sure we've (meaning me) missed something... If you think of anything that may have been overlooked, or something that has not been clearly explained, feel free to ask in the comments! We strive to ignore all queries with equal consideration. :)
I'm looking forward to exploring AHPC Studios with you all!
Next from Administration: A Guide for Posting from our Senior Studio Tour Guide, Tamsin!
- Curt
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