From ChrisW 5th Foreign Legion Grav ambulance 15mm (New aquisitions) 28 points

 

Hello all

Well this years challenge looks like it will be much more of a challenge than I thought it would be.  I almost did not sign up this year as I had really hit a painting block, I just could not pick up a paint brush. Oh I have plenty of stuff to paint (of course) and I kept ordering more stuff to paint (of course) and I really want to paint it all, but I just could not do it, I had lost my mojo! However it was for that reason that I ultimately did sign up, counting on the challenge to inspire and propel me back into painting. Well it has not entirely worked, so far. Here I am a little more than a week away from the challenge cut deadline and I have nothing done. To add to the lack of mojo I recently had a change in medicine (not for anything too serious) that has made me drowsy and lacking in drive. The end result, up until now, is zero production. But, that Challenge entry deadline at least has motivated me enough to complete one vehicle.

So, the item I present today is a 15mm Brigade models ambulance from their Pac fed contingent. It is somewhat ironic and not entirely planned that the first thing that I painted would be an ambulance given what I said above. This was a test paint to see if I liked the paint scheme and it took a few tries to get it to something that I liked. It is 1 of around 24 vehicles that I plan to paint for this particular army. Most of these vehicles arrive on the first day of this years challenge, with the remainder arriving last week, so clearly they fit into the new acquisitions category. I will also have around 100 infantry (GZG FSE) to paint up but they will not arrive until February. 

I guess it is appropriate, given the theme for this years challenge, that my inspiration for this first entry and one of my bigger projects, is a book, the one pictured above (a rather entertaining yarn!) I have ordered a lot of aliens from Alternative armies to represent the native aliens in the book, plus more aliens for when I tackle the second book.  I also have a lot of tracked AFVs for the native aliens. 

Anyways here is my first attempt this year.

The base is a work in progress, I am not yet certain how big a base I want. My thoughts are that I want a base so that any damage markers can be placed on the base and thus easily move with the vehicle.

I have not used decals in many years, for some reason I always thought of them as tricky temperamental things to apply. Well I was right, they are a pain, at least these ones were. Admittedly they were rather old decal perhaps that is why they were so unwilling to separate from their backing. At any rate with only some minor tearing I was able to affix them.

Anyways that is it for today.

•   8 points for 1 x 15mm vehicle 
• 20 points for new acquisitions

Total 28 points

Thank you

Chris, thanks for the post. I'm sorry to hear of your challenges with health and painting energy, but I'm really glad the latter seems to be returning. You've done a great job with the grav ambulance and this whole "Fifth Foreign Legion" thing intrigues me! I'm looking into that series now, and my interest is only piqued the more because of the resemblance of your model to the stuff in Hammer's Slammers, another classic SF series (albeit your stuff is grav, not blower-operated, but what the heck). The decals look great and need cause no fear, just make sure to gloss varnish the areas where they'll be applied and use copious quantities of Micro-Sol (or more exotic liquids like my favourite Japanese concoction, "Mr. Mark Softer" :-)

That's 28 points to open your ledger!

Dallas