A Station Break for an Important Day - Lady Sarah's Birthday!

 

I'll be offline celebrating Lady Sarah's Birthday today! 

I expect to be back posting to the blog later this evening to catch up.

Thanks!

Curt

From StuartL - Sanguinary Correspondence - Lady Sarah's Limousine - 75 Points

Hello all,

Today I need to pay up for another Limousine ride across the studios. Last time around, I entered some models for the World Cinema section of the studio and now I want to scoot over to the Sci-Fi area.

I forgot to attach a map to my last post, better late than never I suppose.

So, as payment, I am putting forward this steampunk witch from Reaper Bones. She has a mechanical hand and a motorised broom. No reason why you shouldn't have all of the latest tech when you're out casting spells and hexing people.

The model was painted using a popular Contrast over Zenithal technique for the most part, but the purple, metallics and skin were done using standard paints. This figure will go into my collection of RPG figures in case I ever run a steampunk game.

To accompany this model, I have also been working on some Chaos Daemons for Warhammer. 

These figures are Bloodletters, minor daemons of Khorne the god of war and slaughter. I did a batch of these last year and these will join them in my slowly growing army. Daemons are the only army that can be used in Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000. Hopefully they will soon be able to be used in the current edition of Warhammer 30,000 which is where I want to use them. GW seem to be dragging their feet releasing new rules content for the Horus Heresy.

The unit comes with a choice of standards, one with a giant icon (that I painted in the last challenge) and this large banner here. The banner is totally blank, so I had to paint on a motif for the unit. I opted for a giant skull along with the eight pointed star of chaos, and of course liberal splashings of gore.

The unit was fairly quick and easy to paint being largely just drybrushing various shades of red and a couple of odd spot colours here and there. I may yet do more daemons in this challenge, we shall see. These do net me a point for the Squirrel duel and my first point for the Skullz duel.

For scoring:

11x 28mm minis @5 points = 55 Points

1 Limousine ride @20 points = 20 Points

Total = 75 Points

My side duels:

Squirrels - 6

Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Dwarves, Fire Giants, WW2 Polish, Daemons

Skullz - 1

Turnips - 0

Next up, a visit to the far future and some SF action.

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A steampunk witch?! Who knew? No matter, she definitely looks the part with her steam-driven broom and clockwork hand. I know Sarah will be pleased with her.

Also, what a great mob of Bloodletters, Stuart. The doorknockers of Khorne, before the really nasty guys show up.  I like how their blue horns and tongues provide a great counterpoint to their red flesh. 'Nice' banner too! Yeeash...

- Curt

RobH - Nine Rings for Mortal Men - LOTR (35 Points)

Would you believe three Nazgûl of the nine. Each year for the AHPC I endeavor to summit at least one entry from the Lord of the Rings. This year I have three foot figures that were crying out to be submitted as an entry in the field of Black & White cinema. I don't think you can find figures from cinema much blacker than these, especially at heart. It was just a hop over from Studio Sci-Fi.



I believe these figures came from the Attack on Weathertop package by Games Workshop and are close to 20 years old. I have collected a lot of LOTR dark forces, but I have been slow in getting them painted. The minis were sprayed flat black, painted with Vallejo Black, dry brushed with German Grey, followed by another light grey dry brush. Swords and armoured fists were painted Gunmetal Grey.




Points

3 x 28mm Foot Figures = 15 Points

1 x Black & White Studio = 20 Points

35 Points

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Great looking Nazgul, Rob! A perfect pick for Black & White, and it checks your box for your LotR submission for AHPC XIII. Well done!

- Curt

From MikeF - Gamma Wolves - Ghosts of Tiamat - 28mm - Under Construction (110 points)

First post of the Challenge and first completed faction for a new project - Gamma Wolves by Ash Barker. I picked up his new rule book last year. It's published by Osprey Games and is meant to represent Mech combat set in a post-apocalyptic future. Most sci-fi games seem to be set in some form of a post-apocalypse or dystopia. We're so pessimistic these days!

The game can me played in a few different scales. The easiest would have been 15mm or whatever Battle Tech and Heavy Gear are, but those scales already have games attached, so what's the point? What I really wanted to do was 28mm! There's much less selection at this scale though, so I had to scour the internet and my own pile of shame to make 4 factions for the game. Some of these were very lucky and/or timely purchases. I managed to purchase from a couple of companies that have since gone belly up and one order even managed to beat international sanctions to my mail box (stay tuned for that one)!

In the game, each faction represents an arcology. Arcologies are the only habitable places on earth and their populations have to scavenge from the wasteland to survive. Since outside is so deadly, you need a vehicle for protection. This inevitably brings arcologies into conflict with one another and the arcologies warriors battle it out in mech suite or "frames". Frames come in 3 sizes: heavy, medium and light. Each frame can carry an assortment of weapons with larger frames able to carry more weapon systems than lighter ones. Lighter frames are also more maneuverable.

 The Ghosts of Tiamat are one of the games factions, but they are a bit different than the standard arcology. They are evolved artificially intelligent nanobots that were originally designed to rebuild the atmosphere and save the planet. They ended getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of damage humans could cause and began to multiply and grow out of control. They've since returned to the surface and continue self replicating from the planets salvage piles. Occasionally they cobble together some frames of their own to defend against the other arcologies.

I wanted this faction to look the most high-tech with a sleek design and shiny paint job. The models are from Antenocitis Workshop (out of business) and Ravenstar Studios (still around - check em out!). The force consists of 3 light frames and 3 medium frames. I painted them using mostly metallics. Vallejo's Gunmetal and GW's Ironbreaker are used primarily.

3 Light Frames from Ravenstar

3 Medium Frames from Antenocitis Workshop

For points, each medium frame is a 28mm vehicle for 20 points each = 60 points.

The 3 light frames are a bit trickier. They are technically 15mm, but they're larger than most 15mm vehicles. I put them at 10 points each = 30 points.

Plus 20 points for the studio, under construction.

110 points total.

Thanks for visiting!

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Oh man, I think I need to pick up this ruleset as the setting sounds very cool. I like the whole 'frames' concept and can see how you've worked with these to fit the look and feel of a particular faction. I'm looking forward to seeing the 'frames' from the other 'arcologies' over the coming months. Very inspiring. Great work Mike!

Curt 

From ScottM: Sci-Fi Flyers - Studios x2 (80 pts)

And we're back for another year of painting goodness! I believe this is my 7th Challenge. I've completed my goals every year so hopefully I can continue with that success. I'm submitting two locations to start and both will be using science fiction figs.

1980's or Retro - I went with a V16 Windrunner Rocket Bike from Bombshell Miniatures. This 28mm resin fig is from they're Counterblast line of figs. I picked this as a retro fig as the front grill gives me a very retro '50s kind of feel.

Scoring: 28mm vehicle + location bonus = 40 pts.

Sci-Fi - For this location I went with another fig from Bombshell Miniatures. This 28mm resin fig is a Mekkus Strafer from their Counterblast Mekkus faction. The original fig came with the same kind of base as the fig above. I thought it weird having this flying vehicle basically hovering just above the ground, so I made up a much more appropriate base using some a 60mm round wood base, a brass rod and some assorted bits I've had in a drawer for who-knows-how-long.

Scoring: 28mm vehicle + location bonus = 40 pts.

Scoring Total: 80 pts.

Onto the next location!

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Oh man, I love that retro rocket bike! The chrome wraparound grill and the baby-blue colour that you picked is just perfect for it - it's just screams 50's sci-fi. The Mekkus is a very aggressive looking beast. Being scaled to 28mm, it must be quite large. It's interesting that at certain angles it looks quite TIE-like. I think your addition of a taller stand was inspired. Well done! 

- Curt

From BruceR: 28mm WW2 10 Winter US and 9 AFV riders: Historical Drama: (Bulge) (85 pts)

28mm US Winter troops and divers.

I should probably enter the squirrel action for the challenge.  I like many of you suffer from this approach to the hobby.  Winter started early for me and my book of choice on Audible is currently Snow and Steel, Battle of the Bulge.  I have a number of US troops and had box of Warlord figures in winter gear.  I had previously painted a few squads of my favorite manufacturer, Artizan.  These were not Artizan and the faces almost non-existent.  Oh well, they are in the pile of opportunity so  paint away.  I had base coated these in brown and green.  I tried to build them up with layers and soldier on.  Not my best work yet ready to pull out some Bulge scenarios and hit the table with my other troops.  They are US, they should look like "Joe Sh*t the Rag Man".  The favorite quote from my COL in Desert Storm, Kuwait and Iraq, for any soldier not in proper uniform. 

Ha, I admit to googling to see painted winter US and up comes MartinN from the Challenge March, 2016.  Great inspiration, mine are nowhere near his quality.  Did give me a road map.  

Historical Drama:

I'm traveling along the road from World Cinema to the Historical Drama studio set.  Drama for sure if you were sitting in a fox hole and the German artillery started to come in at the Bulge.   

AFV Crew:

Of course, I have a few vehicles ready to support the GI's.  A few of the vehicles are Trenchworx.  I had purchased some sci-fi figures from them last year at Adepticon (those will be seen later) and had seen unreleased tank divers and commanders at the stand.  When released I dove in with the idea to spruce up my vehicles. So, I'm working on US, why not paint some heads.  These have great facial expressions and I simply love them.  

Here is the lot on my secret miniature figure holders.  Yup, beer tops.

Pretty sure yelling "FIRE FIRE FIRE"

M10 Loader

Loader in his M10, sharing with earlier painted troops.

Oops, British markings, Tally Ho, instead of Fiiiirrree!!!

Reconnaissance in the M8, find them for the big boys to handle. 

Always look to the rear.

Tally:  I estimated 2 points for the half bodies and a point for the heads.  

28mm x10                   =  50

5 half body Cmdrs   x2 =  10

4 heads drivers x1        =   4

Historical Drama         =  20

Total                             = 84

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While they're not Artizan, these foot sloggers still look great Bruce. (Interesting side-note: My wife Sarah had a great uncle who was wounded serving in one of the ill-fated infantry divisions in the center of the Bulge.)

The stars of the show though are the vehicle crews. Wow, so characterful, and they look superb in place in the vehicles. Superb brushwork on these figures, Bruce. Well done!

- Curt