From PeterB - From the Sabbat Worlds to Star City, via a Limo Ride - 112 Points

 Last week I finished my post at the Westerns studio with just two more lots left to visit. So, a quick nip across the road to the Books Studio for a trip into the oh so familiar 41st Millennium, but bear with...

Now, last year one of my early posts was an unexpected Christmas gift from Mrs B that I painted up of a McFarlane Toys Space Marine. I chose to paint him up as an Iron Snake Space Marine as I am a fan of Dan Abnett's books (as are a few of you lot including Curt and Barks I now know). So, this year for our book theme of course I had to paint something from the Library of Mr Abnett and who better than Warhammer 40,000's answer to Sharpe, the Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and a couple of his "Ghosts" from Tanith First and Only. 

Gaunt and "Try Again" Bragg

I cannot recommend this series of books enough to anyone who enjoys a bit of Sci-fi mixed with their military fiction. I would be the first to say that Games Workshops' Black Library press can be a bit hit and miss sometimes with some of their titles not quite Booker prize material. Dan Abnett however is an exceptional author and I think the Gaunt is his best work. I will warn you thought there are 15 books so far and no sign of Abnett stopping.

Major Elim Rawne and Colonel Colm Corbec

The First and Only are so called after their home planet Tanith was destroyed shortly after the founding of their first three regiments. Gaunt managed to evacuate enough survivors to form the one and only regiment. The Ghosts wear Cameleoline cloaks that shift colour to match their surroundings (think magical elven cloaks that Frodo and the Sam wear in Lord of the Rings) and they are specialists in scouting and infiltration.

Scout Sergeant Dan Mkoll and Master Sniper Hlaine Larkin

Mkoll as a scout makes the rest of the regiment seem like baby elephants running through the jungle (he could probably sneak up on Batman) and Larkin is the Regiments top sniper, learning his craft hunting in the forests of Tanith.

 These are GWs second attempt at a set of models to represent the Ghosts. I thought people might be interested to see a compare shot for two reasons, one to see the scale creep that GW have partaken of over the last twenty odd years and secondly, to see how badly I used to paint!

 

Our next and final studio to visit on our journey around the Analogue Hobby Challenge is Superheroes, but this final studio is not accessible from any other blue studios I hear you cry (must be a clever partnership between the studios and Sarah's Limo company to boost bookings) so I shall have to rest my feet in the plush interior of the Limo, crack open a diet coke for the journey and maybe snack on some M&Ms from the mini-bar. So to pay for this journey I present Peggy Carter (or a member of the Women's home defence from Bad Squiddo Games).

So, now we have made it to the last studio I need a Superhero. Not a problem I thought, I am a massive comic book fan/collector, I love Superheroes. One problem though, I didn't actually have a Superhero to paint. Confession time, I actually bought a model during the challenge. Yep, I added to the lead pile. I couldn't resist this character though.

I'm a big DC fan but was properly introduced to Green Arrow when Kevin Smith (yep that Kevin Smith, film director. That's twice this year I've mentioned him now?) brought the character back from the dead and started a new solo run with him. This model is from Knight Models and based on Oliver Queen from the Batman Animated series. I therefore kept the colours bright and kept the shading to a minimum.

Of course he has to have a boxing glove arrow, I'm sure he had one before Hawkeye did, but I shall leave that debate to wiser men.

So, that just leaves one Final Destination (movie pun intended) The Directors Chair. I defer to the Show-Lord if he would like to consider a task worthy of a visit.

To the points!

6 x Ghosts at 40mm. 6 x 7 = 42 pts

1 x Peggy at 28mm = 5 pts

1 X Green Arrow at 28mm = 5 pts

2 Studio visits and a Limo Ride 3 x 20 = 60 pts

Total = 112 points

Minion Miles: I'm not sure crossing the streams of the GW and DC universes is a safe thing to do (all those lawyers just chomping at the bit) but you seem to have done so without incurring any IP related legal bombardments - Must be the quality of your painting holding those hounds at bay.