From MilesR: 28mm Byzantines for Barrons War and a History Library Submission (510 Points)

 

Wow, I've painted more 28mm figures during the first week of this challenge than I've done in the past 2 years.  For your consideration is a small Byzantion force intended to be used with the Barron's War ruleset (which is the new "hotness" at my club).  I'll also be submitting these as my "historical" library challenge.

These are all 28mm plastic from Fireforge Miniatures and I highly recommend them.

To be honest, I am a little nervous submitting these giving the superb Byzantines presented by both GregB and DarrelH.  I can never approximate their skill level.

First up are 12 Koursores or thematic heavy cavalry, 6 with lances and 6 with swords

Maybe not quite the armored might of a cataphract but they can still hit hard and are a bit more manueverable.

I used Army painter speed paints 2.0 on all my Byzantine figures and have really liked them.

Speaking of Cataphracts, here are 12 of the armored monsters, 6 with lances and 6 with maces.

Not the most nimble of troops but wow do they pack a punch

Some skirmishers and light archers 

Lastly - some heavy infantry (25) and armored Archers (10)

WHile Cataphracts are the showboats, the heart of any Byzantine army is their heavy infantry and archers.

You will see a few more Byzantines added to the mix before this challenge is over.

As for points:

  50 Infantry = 250 points

  24 Cavalry = 240 points

  plus 20 for the Library Challenge

that totals 510 points, so not to bad a haul.

OK, I think that's all for today - it appears my painting partner Gus has some business to take care of outside so I've got to go.  Happy New Year Everyone!

_____________________________

Thus it begins, right after the Paint Bomb (TM) of the ever-industrious Martin, we have Miles The Machine opening up the throttle on his Paint Engine!

Amazing work Mr. Miles. A full cross-section of Byzantine military power in all it's armoured glory. 510 points worth all at once. Bam! Wowzers that's very impressive. I look forward to seeing more of this project fly off your hobby desk, Mr. R.

Also, give Gus a good skritch for me - he's such a good boy.

- Curt

From MartinC Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists (New Acquistions) (453pts)

Here we go again. Another winter chained to a desk painting toy soldiers for the Snowlord. Now I know how Santa's Elves feel.

I've been prepping madly for the last few weeks and have a bit of a stash to paint. So lets get on with it.

Crusader Miniatures (via Northstar, and one of my favorite manufacturers) have a Boxer Rebellion range and they had a sale on (88 figs for £90). Who could resist. The boxers are The Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, and fought to overthrow the Imperial Powers, who had occupied most of China. 

There are loads of them

Riflemen, I kept to simple colours

Another section

And another

Next up some spear and sword armed chaps

All the figures have the boxer character on their backs

And some have the Ying Yang symbol. This figure is actually one of 3 Perry Korean's that I've repurposed

Another one, with a flag, again with the Boxer Chinese character

Erm, another one. Bored yet.

And finally the last group

So this is me, and those of you who know me know that I don't do things normally. I'm about to start a 10mm imagination campaign with 7YW Prussians, Austrians, American AWI, Woodland Indians and Jacobite Scots, set in the Baltic states.

So obviously these aren't going to be Boxers for the rebellion, but another force for my Back of Beyond forces. So they need a leader. I present to you Dr Fu Manchu

Fu Manchu was a arch villain from my youth, created by Sax Rohmer in the 1920s. Usually played by Christopher Lee in the movies. I started to read the books but they are appalling and deeply racist - the Yellow Peril and all that.

Fu Manchu in his palanquin is the Dr Koo figure from Pulp (a cracking figure), with his daughter (Fa Lo Suee) and a diminutive poisoner from the Hasslefree.

I love the dragon on the back of the palanquin and the syringe in the hand of the poisoner

He will lead his forces, and those of a Chinese Warlord (figs to follow later in the challenge) to great victories.

Scores on the doors

80 Boxers = 400

3 flags = 3

For Fu Manchu

4 figures = 20

Palanquin + Fu Manchu = 10

Someting New Bonus = 20

Total = 453

Have a great new year

Martin

_________________________________

Welcome back to the Challenge, Mr. Cooke! I always enjoy seeing what you have in store during the Challenge, as you often complete entire armies during the three months, and today is no different with this stonking entry. 

I suppose what we see here is a tantalising preview of what is to come: A pulp Imagination featuring such characters as Fu Manchu along with his horde of fanatical minions! I love all the varied figures, together providing a riot AND a riot of colour, and all led by a plotting overlord and his deadly daughter. Fabulous.

This will be a fun project to watch unfold. Great work, Martin!

- Curt

From StuartL - Estonian Legion - History & Sarah's Library Cart - 161 Points

Hello all,

One of the fun things about the challenge is that is encourages you to learn more about the subjects you are painting, and to actively go out and find new things. As my case in point for today, I have ended up researching an area of WW2 that I previously didn't know much about. 

In August 1942, the Wehrmacht created the Estonian Legion, a combat support formation of the Waffen-SS. It was originally formed of volunteers, and later augmented with some 700 men from the police forces. During this period, it was an active participant in many of the Nazi regimes crimes against humanity, particularly in the occupied areas of Belarus and Poland. 

    

As the military situation worsened in the East in 1943, the Germans began to conscript Estonian men into the legion and its numbers swelled up to about 6000. The Legion was moved away from police duties and started to see combat against Soviet forces. As things got even worse, the Germans organized a second round of drafts in '44. This time, the Prime Minister of Estonia, Juri Uluots endorsed the conscription. Seeing the possibility of a German defeat in the near future, Uluots thought that it would be a good idea to get as many guns into the hands of Estonian patriots as possible to help secure their independence once the Nazis were beaten. As a result 38,000 Estonians signed up. 

These minis are all from Warlord Games' old range of metal Waffen-SS figures. The detail on some of them isn't as crisp as it could be, but they're not too bad. The separate heads allow for some different poses and customization.

I bought a bunch of these figures years ago when Bolt Action first came out and still have a load more in my to-do pile. They are equipped with all sorts of gear, from SMG's to Assault Rifles to Panzerfausts. 

In total there are 21 models, but two of them are lying prone, so will only score 2.5 points each.

   

The late war German supply chain was a mess, so I have painted these guys up in a variety of camo patterns. Plane Tree, Oak Leaf and Pea Dot are the names of the patterns I was using. Some of the minis have a mix of patterns on them, which made the process way longer than it could have been. Still, they give a good impression of an army logistics department that is getting by by the skin of its teeth.

So, with the history section finished it is time to move on to Overdue and Returns. Sadly, these models are still Overdue and won't be putting in an appearance until 2024 I think. Still, I can hop onto Sarah's Library Cart and get over to the correct section. 

As is standard, I have a female mini to pay for the trip, a Minotauress, (Minotaurina? Lady Minotaur?). As I was already painting up one model, I grabbed a couple of companion figures for her from my collection and here we have the results. 

As with nearly all of my fantasy submissions, these are Reaper Bones minis. The two male Minotaurs are the older type with softer details, whereas the Minotauress in the centre is the newer type and is a lot higher quality. These models will find a home in the skirmish game I am working on.

The models were all started from a brown undercoat, with the various colours selectively brushed over the top followed by a sepia wash. A final highlight of the skin and cloth finished them off pretty quickly.

The models look quite slender, but they are actually quite large, as you can see from this comparison with the rather scared looking SS Grenadier.

So, the scores should be:

21x 28mm minis (2 prone) = 100 points

3x 40mm minis = 21 points

History Section = 20 points

Sarah's Library Cart = 20 points

TOTAL = 161 Points

For my duels:

Skulls +0 = 32 Skulls

Legions +100 = 140 Points

__________________________

Great work on these Estonians, Stuart. They provide an interesting, albeit grim, slice of their national history and an creative take on the 'legion' challenge. I like how you deftly created the mottled sense of their uniforms and kit that would be apparent during the unravelling, late-war period. The Minotaurs are very impressive and I like that Reaper provided a female version as well - not something you often see! Well done!

- Curt