From AndrewB: Death Ride of the Spanish Armada!(60pts)

You’ve all been seeing my 1/600 pre dreadnaughts, and this week we have the Spanish contribution!  The only paint schemes I could find seemed to vary quite a bit, and this is where I settled, with the turrets, guns, and masts a weird sort of dirty Bart-Simpson complexion   Overall, they are distinctive from a few yards off, and that’s the look I need. 

First, and my personal favorite, Armored Cruiser Emperador Carlos V!   This thing is huge, bristling with guns, and has the Spanish clamshell turrets we all love!

Next, the pre-dreadnaught Pelayo!  Have to love a good tumblehome, right?   I know I can’t get enough.   This model was shipped to me short the wing turrets, which are on the way with my next order, but I got excited and painted up the ship without them!

Another Cruiser!   Reina Regente class ship Lepanto! Lots of guns on this beauty. 

Lastly, this little fella Cristobal Colon!  I’ve chosen to add primary armament turrets, as this whole ship should have been sunk at Santiago de Cuba anyhow.  Looks cool this way, too. 

And group pictures!   These folks will be used in a great big game simulating a ‘what if’ scenario where Camara takes his fleet west instead of east into the Med.  once off the coast of the US, they’ll be running afoul of the American squadron posted earlier in the challenge. 

As always, I enjoy seeing your progress and hearing your feedback.  Thanks to Teemu, the greatest of all AHPC minions, for being understanding with my submissions at all hours and on random days.  

How do I commune with the snow

Lord with regards to those Director’s Chair?

From TeemuL: Not one, not two, but many nice boats this time from Andrew! Excellent ships. Regarding the Director's Chair, please contact Curt via wonders of email.

From Codsticker: Variags of Khand Horsemen (70pts)

I almost had these done for last week but  just a few details and basing had to be finalised before they were ready for posting. 7 mounted Variags of Khand.

Not a ton of variety here just two poses. One with an axe... 

...and one with a bow.

GW have just released a Warband of 7 models, one of which is a Chieftain that is only available in the warband box. I may grab a box just to get the chieftain. In the meantime there are 6 more in the queue but they probably won't get done for this challenge as I am moving back to the early medieval period for my next couple of entries.

That is 7 mounted 28 mm models, for 70 points.

From TeemuL: Very nice, I like how the red contrasts with black, but is not too bright. Very nice and neat painting and the bases meld nicely to your board. Quite limited poses from GW, some of their sprues have much a variation, some seem to have less.

From MikeW: 28mm WoR, Specialist 40k Grechin and More (145 Points)

Last week's posting was a bit of a rushed job, painting 60 odd figures didn't leave me time for much else and I got to Wednesday evening thinking I still have to put a posting together! This week I'm starting early and although I'm not doing so many figures now that I have reached my target - hopefully the variety will continue to interest people...

... This week and next I have to travel for work so my postings will be somewhat limited, so I will post what I can for this Thursday and see what I can do in time for next Thursday before hopefully resuming normal output

Today, I have just completed a number of generic War of Roses figures, 5 x Mounted, plus 12 x Foot. The Mounted figures are all Officer / Character types, whilst the foot are three armoured guy with a poleaxe, spear and warhammer plus a number of figures to be used as markers' such as Heralds and Standard Bearers.

Five mounted War of the Roses figures, all will be officer or aide types
to help with Command Control in these mob on mob engagements!

A non specific aide for a commander on the field

This guy will also be used as an advisor to a commander,
giving him additional command points

Ditto to the above!

Officer figure to command units of horse -
once I get around to painting these!

Again ditto to above - another Officer figure to command units of horse.

A selection of marker figures to help with unit status,
plus four armoured footmen to help fill the ranks

Standard Bearers will be used as a market to indicate the unit is moving to contact, number of addition standards with a unit will indicate how keen they are to get engaged

Another view, concentrating on the Standard Bearers

As a quick interlude, I also completed a Viking Jarl figure! The figure was acquired from eBay and came undercoated but missing his axe, which I was able to quickly add this back from the spares box. See below..

View One

This little guy came with a base that had already had and and small rocks added to it and then undercoated, not what I usually do. So I adapted and having given the base a brown wash I then dry brushed it with 'Desert Sand' to give a nice finish before then adding electrostatic grass - a little different to my usual method but the figure looks fine with other figures in the collection.

View Two

Next up are six 40k Grechin, now I know I said that I'd completed my last batch, last week but the extra figures I'll be doing now are to add flavour to the army and  or to provide some mechanical support! Included in this group is the main man - 'Red Robbo', the rebellious Grot who heads-up the whole army!

A small group of classic/ vintage Grechin this week

I have also included three classic Grechin / Grots from the first ever 40K boxed set era, again these have been given the 'Red Star' treatment and have hopefully been integrated into the army as a whole, these are Robbo's personal bodyguard.

2nd Edition Grechin Bodyguard for Red Robbo

In addition there are two Grechin Mechaniks, both old metal figures from eth spares box, one with a large spanner, the other with a remote control unit. I'm planning to create a Grechin Drone - made form an old Orc Killa Kopta dating back to the 90s.

Two Grechin Mechaiks

Finally we have Red Robbo himself, in a black greatcoat, lined red, carrying a Hand Blasta and a skull busting mace. This is another venerable metal figure that I have had kicking around my spares box for what has to be 20+ years...

Red Robbo

Another view..

Final view

POINTS

5 x 28mm WoR Mounted Figures @10pts ea               50 Points

12 x 28mm WoR Foot @5 Pts ea                         60 Points

6 x 40k Grechin @ 5Pts ea                            30 Points

1 x 29mm Viking Jarl @ 5Pts                           5 points

TOTAL                                               145 Points 

SIDE DUELS

Skullz                            +2 Points

Squirrel                          +1 (WoR)

From TeemuL: Work related travels are generally not good for painting, I'm away for the whole next week. But you have still managed to create a reasonable output, both in quantity and quality. The Red Gobbo is a great model and you have painted him well. But I'd say the Jarl is my favourite here, a fine looking warrior.

From PeterD: Imperial Pretender in the Gift Shop (31 points)

Last post from me today, I swear.

I going to make a stop in the Gift Shop for a gift for that fine chap IainW.  During last year's Challenge Iain I received a beautiful  Landsknecht commander from Iain and I wanted to return the favour.  Of course Iain also gifted me a Jacobite artillery crew that I specifically said I didn't want and I'll reward that action too at some point.

I have a pretender Roman Emperor with standard bearer, both 28mm foot figures from Gripping Beast.  During the Later Roman Empire, Britain spawned Imperial Pretenders at a great rate.  The general pattern was that Pretender X got the support of the local army commanders in Britain, declared himself the true Emperor, landed in Gaul with an Army and got his butt kicked and his head mounted on a stick.  

Iain liked the Wolf Sock puppet shield designs on one of my cavalry units so I gave the leader the same design.

The less successful got murdered before stepping foot on the Continent (this happened twice in 407 alone).  The moderately successful stuck around long enough to get recognized as Co-Emperors for a while before the True Emperor got around to dealing with them.   The most successful went down in history as Constantine the Great.  

The problem was that every Pretender stripped the Province of troops which were never replaced.  Eventually the Emperor got tired of the Fractious Brits and told them to look after their own defences (or alternately the Brits got tired of sending taxes to the Continent and told the Empire to get stuffed). Some things never change....

I mangled the original GB Vexillum because the hands weren't drilled out completely and I forced things.   I subbed a wire shaft and Victrix plastic Draco (which I think looks the business).

Carausius avoided the normal path by declaring himself Emperor of Britain after running afoul of Western Emperor Maximian over spoiled looted by Saxon pirates.  He was successful enough to declare himself co-emperor with Maximian and Diocletian and minted his own coins.  He held on to power for seven years until the Western Caesar Constantius Chlorus (father on Constantine) made plans for an invasion.  Carausius was killed by his Finance Minister Allectus, who was in turn done in my Constantius and Britain return to the Imperial fold.

Points wise that's 20 for the gift shop and 10 for the two figures for a total of 30 points.

I've updated my Studio map to show the three lots visited today, completing my Green Security pass and allowing me to move on to the Blue lots.  Since I bounce back to World Cinema after my spree in the Gift Shop I will need to do something Fantasy related or do another female figure to hop to another lot by Limo.

From TeemuL: True friendship is a beautiful thing, I'm sure Iain will be happy. It is all about giving and receiving, sometimes passing the misfortune (not sure about the translation of the proverb) truly shows that you do think and care. :) The models look good, I like the tone on the red cloak. I'll give you extra point from the hand painted shield - or is that a decal? :D But hey, three nice, turnip-free posts from you! Looking forward to your Fantasy post.

From LeeH - Sir Robert Brackenbury (38 Points)

Sir Robert Brackenbury of Denton was a man on the ascendant. He had grown up not far from Richard III (then the Duke of Gloucester) and had become a close associate and later, Treasurer, to the Duke before his rise to the Throne. 

Brackenbury was made a Knight of the Bath at the Coronation of Richard III and was the Constable of the Tower of London. This means he was in charge when the Princes ‘disappeared’. Richard's young Nephews - the deposed King Edward V aged 12 and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, aged nine - were never seen again and it is widely held that Richard III had them killed to eliminate a possible threat to his reign. The young princes certainly would have made a good rallying point for Lancastrian opponents of Richard, so it is likely (but not entirely proven) that the King had them eliminated as a threat. If this is true, then Sir Robert Brackenbury, as Constable of the Tower, was either directly involved in their murder, or at best did nothing to prevent their deaths.

Brackenbury was recorded as also being Constable of Tunbridge Castle in 1485 and on news of Henry’s invasion, hurried to the King's side. He commanded Richard III’s Knights of the Body at Bosworth. Like the Duke of Norfolk whom I presented last week, Brackenbury was in the thick of the fighting in the Vanguard and is also recorded as having taken part in the final charge on Henry where he was killed by Sir Walter Hungerford of Farleigh, fighting beside his friend and benefactor Richard III.

Points Estimate
Brackenbury’s Command Stand - 2x6mm Mounted = 2 points
Brackenbury’s Men-at-arms, Retinue Billmen & Archers - 72 x6mm Infantry = 36 points
Total 38 points

From JezT: Post 7 - AVBCW Gun Crew - 25mm (30 points)

Hi All

Change of scene for me and managed to paint up some Empress Miniatures WW1 figures but using these as reinforcements to my mythical mid 1930's A Very British Civil War Police Regulars - hence painted up in the dark blue!

I find these Empress are true 25mm figures so quite slight but this fits in with my other Police

Its just the 6 x figures being submitted but posed them with some Warlord vehicles and a WW2 Home Guard "Smith-Gun" which nicely suits the theme. We play AVBCW using Bolt Action rules. I bought the gunners to fit with the Smith Gun and I also now have some extra Command and a Medic. 

another Squirrel period to tick off - only on 2 so far so no dangers to the leaders here but hoping to get to a personal challenge of 6 

So overall a simple 6 x 5 30 points. 

Cheers Jez

From TeemuL: Very nice and british police officers and you did really change your theme here. :) A Very British Civil War has interested me a long time now, even though I'm not British. But so are many other settings. :) Neat paint job and very nice vehicles, I'm very much fan of those mid/early war armoured cars.

From ScottC: The REAL black and white... and more halflings (130 pts)

Time for my REAL Black and White submission.

A 28mm TPGEO 3d printed Nazgul.

and of course... some more halflings! Operation Hobbitton is about... 50% completed now.

The heroes are 3d printed.. printable scenery, RNEstudio, Davale. and medbury miniatures.

Points:

28 x 5 = 140 pts

Next up... Westerns!

From TeemuL: More hobbits, what a wonderful day! I guess the Nazgul will be a bit confused, which hobbit is the Bagginses... I like the clear and colourful hobbits, not too bright, but not dull either, well done!

I'll score the hobbits of course as 28mm models and award 5 points each, but I must count 4 of them as prones and give you only half points from them, so total of 130 points.