From AdamC: The New Cub Christmas ornament Gift shop (25 points)

You may remember I have a tradition of giving my wife an ornament for Christmas. In 2018 I did the Bad Squiddo Mama Bear with a Cub.

Well we added a new cub this year so painting up another cub seemed in order. 

Really not a lot to describe here it's a brown bear that I made a Santa hat for 

The tricky part was making a hook so it could hang on the tree. My pinning drill and some wire.  

Okay it's a 25mm scale miniature for 5 points and the gift shop adds 20 points.  Most importantly my wife was very pleased with the gift.

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Absolutely, one new cub deserves another. A lovely gift to mark the year's celebration, Adam. Great work.

- Curt

 

From PeteF: Wild West Werewolf (27 points) [Westerns]

One of the games I play infrequently is Dracula's America - it's a great little skirmish game that unfortunately didn't attain sufficient popularity to see a continuous stream of supplements and figures.  North Star's line of figures is solid - although this particular monster is a 3D print.  This is my entry for the Westerns studio as Dracula's America is set in the Wild West. 

Rather than use speed paints/contrasts on this one I went with layering and one of my favourite recipes for fur (Field Drab/Khaki/Deck Tan).  The photos don't do the fur justice - it looks better irl. Honest! 

I like the 3D sculpt - which also came with a nice 3D printed base.

The base included a SKULL! So this gets me on the board for the skull challenge - I'm hoping to get some squirrels on the board but keeping getting distracted by projects too small to count.

If this werewolf was standing up it would be somewhere around 40-50mm foot to eye so I'm counting it as 1 40mm foot for 7 points + 20 points for a studio for a total of 27 points.

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Lovely brushwork Pete! Yes, yes, your fur is excellent (it's nice not to fall back on Contrast all the time, eh), but I was also taken by his eyes and teeth - fabulous work there. I've not heard of 'Dracula's America', but I'm definitely going to check it out based on your recommendation.

Good one, Pete!

- Curt

From Steve K: 28mm North African Civilians and market stalls (44 pts)

Im back at it, after the eating and drinking frenzy that is Christmas! I dont know about you guys but im glad that is all over and done with for another year....

So today I've finished off some 28mm bits and bobs for an upcoming game, pretty much just table dressing for a game of chain of command set in North Africa in 1941.

first up, Civvies!

6 civilians, these are Perry miniatures from their Crusades range.

And to finish off, a couple of 3D printed Market stalls, complete with boxes of fruit and veg. Fiddly things to put together!

Scores on the doors.

6 x 28mm foot @5 pts each = 30pts

2 x Market stalls - i am at the mercy of the minions, I've no idea how to point these so will have to see what the powers that be say.

Thats it for today, cheers lads and lasses,

Steve.

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Very nice work Steve. I really like seeing civilian figures/accoutrements on a tabletop, it really helps to set the tone and period for the game. While the market stalls and associated bits may have been fiddly to get finished, they certainly have paid off in their overall effect. With this in mind, I'm going to give you 7 points for each stall. 

Ace work Steve!

- Curt

From IanS:15mm Palmyrans, and 6mm Russians (160pts)

Dear All

So here is my first post of the challenge as per usually with my painting i am behind in my schedule with projects.  First up are some Palmyrans which should have been finished before the challenge even started and only half the army was done so they are being carried over into the challenge.

All figures are from Forged in battle from their Palmyrans or Sassanid ranges. The Draco standards are home made from green stuff as is the foot officers cloak.

First up are the Cataphracts which the army will have 5 units this is the fourth unit.

Light Horse which there will be 3 units and this is the first.

And rear view or is that front again never can tell with these type of units.

Finally for the Palmyrans, some Heavy Infantry, inspired from an Osprey men at arms book on eastern armies took a long time to find these figures but forged in battle came up trumps in their Sassanid rage.

So Plamyran pts:

Cataphracts - 12 x 15mm figures at 4pts each = 48 pts

Light Horse - 8 x 15mm figures at 4pts each = 32 pts

Heavy Infantry - 16 x 16mm figures at 2pts each = 32 pts

Total = 112pts

The next submission is the one that i was actually planning for this challenge.  6mm Napoleonic is the scale and period i have been doing for over 40 years and this year my club Farnbourgh Wargaming Club in the UK decided to try out 6mm Napoleonic's but based on 15mm figure basing for a massed effect.  So i declared i know what for this years painting challenge i will do Sackens corps at the battle of Leipzig.

I costed up figure options and knew the wife would kill me if i spent that much on toys soldiers especially ones that small.  Then Chris at the club came to my rescue and agreed to print off some resin figures.  I brought 5 STL files from MC models at £2 each and a week later the figures arrived.

2880 infantry

480 cavalry

36 guns crews and limbers.

The figures come on strips of 16 infantry or 12 cavalry and guns with crew attached.

Each file has two strips one with command and one without.

Each Battalion will have 1 command strip and 5 marching strips giving a battalion 96 figures based on 2 x 60mm frontage bases.

Front view

Back view

6mm Russian;

Battalion of Infantry - 96 x 6mm figures at 0.5pts each = 48 pts

So total for first submission 

15mm Palmyrans - 112 pts

6mm Russians - 48 pts

Total 160 pts.

I am hoping that i have complied with the rules for posting especially as my Minion is TamsinP.  

Yes i am very afraid.

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Well Ian, fear not as Tamsin is not on duty as Minion until January 3rd. Instead you have me as your humble servant, so you can rest easy in fearful anticipation for another week. That being said, I'd suggest you re-read her missive on not publishing to the blog yourself (ahem), otherwise things will get messy, I can guarantee it. :P

Lovely work here! I really like the vibrant Palmyrans with their red spears, blue tack and colourful shields. The Russian Napoleonics are excellent as well, especially as you've made great use of the scale to mass them on your bases. They look terrific.

Great work Ian, and welcome back to the Challenge!

- Curt

From FrederickC - Opening Salvo (212 points) [Under Construction]

 This may seem more like a collection of random shots rather than a concentrated salvo, but it clears away a number of small projects associated with my various Bolt Action armies, specifically my early war Poles, early war Germans, and late war British.

Last year I started the challenge by painting a squad of the Polish 10th Motorized Brigade. One squad just wasn't enough, so I added a second squad from the Warlord Games Bolt Action range. These were painted using Vallejo acrylics followed by a coat of Army Painter Strong Tone Quick Shade. Since you can't be a motorized brigade without some motor transport, I have added four Polish Fiat trucks to move them around the battlefield. These are 3D prints done by a friend. One of the truck beds came out a bit warped and my attempts to fix it were unsuccessful. In the end I scratch-built a replacement from thin plastic card. These were also painted with Vallejo acrylics followed by a wash of Vallejo European Dust.

Polish 10th Motorized Brigade squad (Last year's squad taking cover in the background)

 

A column of Polish Fiat trucks

 

 

Since many of the scenarios in the 'Germany Strikes' campaign book involve command tanks, I decided to add a Panzerbefehlswagen I (aka Sd.Kfz. 265). This is a 3 piece resin casting from Warlord Games with metal bits such as the machine gun, hatches, and commander. The pose of the commander had his right arm extended to rest on a turret hatch, but it didn't match up with the location of the hatch on the tank model. I decided to remove the arm and replace it with one holding a pair of binoculars that was left over from a German Blitzkrieg Infantry sprue. The tank was primed black using Vallejo Surface Primer and painted grey using AK Interactive Dunkelgrau. Highlights were dry brushed onto raised surfaces and some AK Splatter Effects Dry Mud applied to the tracks and road wheels. Since the theme of the special challenges this year is a movie studio, I also painted up a Propagandakompanie cameraman, also from Warlord Games. It was painted using Vallejo acrylics followed by various Citadel washes.

Cameraman filming a command tank during the invasion of Poland

Panzerbefehlswagen I of the 4th Panzer Division

Cameraman of a German Army propaganda company

Next up is a Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tank of the 79th Armoured Division in Normandy. I got another Corgi diecast Churchill tank from another member of the Fawcett Avenue Conscripts that was painted up for Tunisia in Desert Yellow and Olive Green camouflage hoping to use it with my planned 8th Army project, but the yellow on the model didn't look very desert. Last year I had repainted one in the colours of the the 14th Tank Regiment (Calgary Tanks) at Dieppe, but I didn't need anymore Dieppe tanks. I decided to convert it to a Crocodile using a resin conversion kit from Quarter Kit Model Shop in Paris, France. This was basically the armoured trailer that carried the fuel for the flamethrower, and the special nozzle that replaced the hull machine gun.  The resin of the kit was quite brittle, and a few pieces arrived broken despite being shipped in a blister. With the careful application of some super glue followed by a sprinkling of baking soda, everything got repaired and assembled. Both tank and trailer were primed in black and then painted with Vallejo UK Bronze Green. Raised surfaces got dry brushed with a light green, and the lower areas of the tank were given a wash of European Dust.

Side view showing how the trailer was attached to the tank.

View from above showing the special nozzle in place of the hull MG

Next we have a small bit of terrain. Last year I painted a stone bridge as part of my first submission, so it seems appropriate to finish this submission with a broken bridge. The two halves are actually display bases that came with 1/72 Matchbox Sherman Firefly kits when they were released back in 1974. I no longer have the tanks, but I still had the display bases in one of my boxes of terrain building bits. A number of different ideas have been bouncing around in my head over the years, including building the center portion of the span that could be lifted out in a scenario where the bridge gets blown, a partially constructed repair done by engineers, or incorporating the two halves into a more elaborate river crossing with a ruined central support of a two arched bridge. I am not entirely sure what final direction I will take, so I am going to call this 'Under Construction'.

A bridge over troubled waters?

The point being claimed are as follows:

11.5 x 28mm figures @ 5 points each = 57.5 points

6.5 x 28mm vehicles @ 20 points each = 130 points

(I am counting the trailer as half a vehicle)

0.11 terrain cubes @ 20 points each = 2 points

Studio lot 'Under Construction' @ 20 points = 20 points

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Great post and welcome back to the Challenge Frederick.

I have a soft spot for early war WWII (the Big Cats steal all the press) and you can't get much earlier than Poles and Panzer I's! I also really like your propaganda cameraman and the blown bridge. Well done and a great opening entry!

- Curt

PS: I've given you a few extra points for the bridge and the trailer.

From TeemuL: Army of Dead and Army General (60 points)

"Murin and Drar, were they really there (3000 Years Ago!), when Battle of Pelennor Fields took place? This a question we like to answer with our forthcoming movie 'Wild Wandering Adventures of Murin and Drar during the time of Lord of the Rings' or one of its' sequels or spin-offs. It is very likely, we like to think and here you can see some storyboards, were these two iconic heroes are there fighting alongside the Dunharrow ghosts, filthy oathbreakers. May be all those arrows were not from Legolas, maybe he miscounted his toll, I dare to ask. The movie is still in pre-production, so we have to think about the possibilities, not restrictions, you understand?"

My "Dwarfs, Rohan and Mithril"- labeled box has at least one error, there are 16 Dunharrow warriors there, but not any label to tell so! Well, here are six first out from that box. I followed my 4 year old simple recipe, which you can find here: Post from 2018.

Yes, very simple paint job, suitable for grabbing some quick and easy points at the start of the Challenge, so I can relax later. Light Grey, Blue wash and Bone drybrush. These sculpts are very nice, not just some formless ghosts, but very characterful minis.

I tried to take a detailed look, but still I'm not able to see any proper (ghostly) skulls here, there's flesh, no bone...  I need to find something else for the Skulls Challenge than Lotr minis.

I'll try to paint the remaining ten (they are metal casts) during the Challenge while trying to empty the box. Unfortunately I couldn't claim any of these to any nearby Studio location nor are any of them female so I'm stuck for the Casting Couch for time being.

Let's forget the WWAoMaDdttoLotR movie (and the acronym) for a while and move on. You might remember Sludge the Wargame, I painted several minis for that during previous Challenge. Quite similar to popular Turnip28, which is getting some love during this Challenge.

I have now started a second army for Sludge, Blaster 04 magazine includes expansion for original Sludge, allowing to create different nations, one of them can have giants, one has flyers and one has crawlers etc. So yes, over here you can see my army commander (unnamed at the moment) with his flag bearer and a crawler (very similar to M3 Stuart). I started the crawler before the Challenge, so I can't claim any points for it - I'm at the opposite side of the Studio than Under Construction! But I just wanted to share it here, since I'm quite happy with it. The gun barrel is not original, it is a paint brush protector tube and radio mast on the behind is now a flag pole (not visible).

Usually the Sludge minis are quite conversion heavy, but this command stand is pretty much straight from the Austrian Napoleonic Cavalry 1798-1815 box, there might be a piece or two from somewhere else. I wanted my commander to have some kind of sharpness and tidyness, so I avoided conversions. I really like the bold colours on them, quite opposite to the dusty crawler (I need to create a good story to explain that), the paints are mostly Citadel Contrast paints except the white, which is more traditional approach.

The backstory for this army is that they are from mountains, they have plenty of iron and ore, but not that much gunpowder. That's why they have the tank-like crawler and basic infantry has plate mails, but fight with cross bows. They are more heavily converted than the commander. The flag here shows the anvil and the hammer inside a circle, just explaining it here in case someone has poor eyesight or not enough imagination.

The mud on the base is my own mix of sand, pieces of twigs, brown paint, white glue and water. Twigs and grapevine twigs(?) painted yellow to create exotic look and some orange sand to represent rust, fungus or something like that. I'm quite happy with that, too.

Scoring, 6 warriors on foot, 2 mounted, all 28mm, so 50 points. No skulls, Studio locations etc.

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What an excellent post, Teemu! I know the Dunharrow ghosts can be doodle to paint, but they are always welcomed as they are so characterful and creepy. 

I'm also loving the beginnings of your new Sludge faction. I'm enjoying the background of them being mineral rich, but gunpowder poor. Your crawler conversion is hoot, with its oversized cannon and hull covered in rust and grime. I also think your banner is ace, with its stylized anvil and 'T' (for Teemu?). 

As it's the Holiday Season, I'm going to give you a few extra points for the Crawler and the banner. Thanks for sharing them!

Great, imaginative work, Teemu! Well done.

Curt

From KyleC: Prison Heist - [SciFi] - (122 pts)

First off.. hope all had a wonderful Christmas day and got many more goodies to add to their collection for this season. 

I was lucky enough to get a Star Wars Legion starter set.. so obviously that's what I worked on recently for assembly.. 

But I had also begun to paint something to get me into the feel of it and work for the SciFi studio also.. 

But first in order to get there one must take a limo. And that limo comes at a cost. 

So here is the fare for the Limo.. a Wizard/Druid Princess Peach. Printed a while back for a customer who never collected.. so figured now was as good of a time to paint it up then! 

But for the SciFi portion we have the Prison Heist crew Vs the Security Droids. 

I didn't realize that the Star Wars models are all 40mm figures.. once these printed off I thought that they were too big.. but seems they are the right fit. And gives one a lot of area to play around with details (and to paint eyes!!).. 

The heist crew were a fun bunch. Especially the Twi'leks. Trying to nail the purple was especially difficult and required a bit of playing around. Pulled out the Scale75 Artist ranges for this here. Seems I didn't have any other purples that weren't dried out aside from them. 

The security droids were also interesting to paint up. Easiest manner would just to cover them in Darkstar Metals and call it a day.. but I would play with them, inks and washes to get a bit more depth on them. 

But now I got a few models to start the Star Wars Universe for myself.. and to build on now! 

So points wise.. 

Limo fare - 20pts

11*40mm figures - 77pts

Sci-Fi Category - 20pts

Total - 117pts

Now to tackle a bit of terrain that Santa dropped off and maybe play a game or two! 

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Fabulous work on Princess Peach, the heist crew and security droids, Kyle. I think you nailed the Twi'leks skin tone, and I really like the depth you achieved with the various metallics - time well spent I think. I sympathize with you on your hunt for usable paint after discovering the litany of pots that have dried out (sooo aggravating). 

I look forward to seeing the terrain that Santa gifted you!

- Curt

PS: Remember to give yourself the base points for Sarah's Limo . I've added 5 for Princess Peach.

From PaulO'G: Last War Trench Squad

The Living will Envy the Dead...

The battleground of the Last War is inhabited by the despairing, entirely without hope. Former causes have now been extinguished by an endless struggle for pointless survival. Equipped with the failing relics of industry produced by once proud nations, these scavengers now scrap over the dwindling remains of this once proud world...

I enjoyed making this base and its mysterious signage...

The Last War system has players controlling small bands (5-6 figs) of Trench fighters in narrative style scenarios to fight battlefield horrors in a desperate bid to win resources to enable their continued existence. Encounters can be head to head, coop, or solo, which provides a lot of great play options.

Posed in front of the pdf rules cover

My first trenchers are styled after the Kaiser's army but now reduced to desperate survivors.  Models are by Knucklebones miniatures and I have added some extra bits (stick grenades, Grenade satchel, backpack, trench shield) to customise them. The dog came from another sculptor on 3dcults.

I've painted them in a thematically Grimdark style, experimenting with adding textures and using some Abteilung 502 oil washes.  I also spent far more time than usual scratch building each base and liberally applied Vallejo water gel effects to give it all a sodden, miserable vibe.  

The glow from the gasmask lenses and complete lack of visible flesh tries to convey their devolution and reduced humanity. But I could be overthinking it.  On the bright side, they have a puppy to keep their spirits up! ('Trench companions' play a valuable role in the game).

Love the tattered rags adorning these models

In their bunker they have a damaged pianola, salvaged from a long destroyed Chateau and now haunted by a powerful but unknown spirit.  And if one wishes to hear it play, homage must be paid to the duck with the curiously bleeding eyes inside its rasping gasmask...  (Piano also by Knucklebones)

Yes, in my obsessive madness I painted each key individually; what was I thinking...

I had a lot of fun obsessing over these models, so yes it was (yet) another of those 'sweat all the details well beyond any points efficiency which is irrelevant' projects. Thats 6 x 28mm figs plus one more for the piano/duck combo - call it 35 points if the festive spirit endures :-)

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Wonderful work Paul! I love all the thought and effort you took in bringing these figures to realization. I have a bunch of Knucklebones stuff waiting in the wings, including some variations on some models seen here, and now I'm very inspired to give them a go.Your grimdark style looks amazing combined with these models. Well done sir!

- Curt