From FrederickC - Roaming 'Round the Rotunda [DIY][Literature][Graphic Novels][Sci-Fi] (321 points)

Since my last post two weeks ago, I have been bouncing around between nine different projects, and having trouble focusing on just one until it was completed. I am sure other challengers have experienced similar problems in their own quests. Instead of trying to cram all of the final products into a single post, I will split them into three separate submissions. We will carry on with our exploration of the Challenge Library with a visit to the two levels of the rotunda.

First up is the DIY section. In November 2020 I painted up the first of my growing early war Polish army, and I was keen to play a scenario with them. I was attracted to one found in the Bolt Action 'Germany Strikes' campaign book which was based on the defense of the Polish Post Office in Danzig on 1 September 1939. In preparation I constructed a model based on the actual building, and I painted up some additional German forces specific to the battle. However, when we played the game, I still didn't have the correct type of fence for the front of the building. That has now been rectified using a combination of polystyrene foam (cut with my new Proxxon hot wire cutter), thick cardboard, and some miniature wrought iron fencing that dates back to the 1950s. The sections of fencing were 'collectibles' made in a white hard plastic that came with a German margarine brand called 'Ei-fein' and included all manner of zoo animals, trees, buildings, etc. My grandparents had saved these over the years, and passed them on to me when I was still a young boy. While the trees are more two-dimensional than one would like for use on the table top, and the animals aren't in a useful scale, the fencing was perfect as a starting point for this project.

The longest sections of fencing are 11" long and 2" tall. I built the shorter sections without a column at one end so that they can be butted up against a long section to either make it longer or form a corner.

The original Polish Post Office circa 1930 showing the fencing

Work in progress

Sections complete

Fencing in front of the Polish Post Office

Next we have Literature. I wasn't sure what I could do for this section, until I spotted an extra Games Workshop figure I had of Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn from the 'Heroes of the West' boxed set. With a little bit of conversion work to cut his coat shorter, change his sword and give him a wide brimmed hat, he became Viggo Mortensen as Captain Alatriste, the Spanish Musketeer.

 

Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

 

Viggo Mortensen as Captain Alatriste

Image in background is a Spanish Tercio at Rocroi

Taking the stairs  up to the upper level we come to Manga and Graphic Novels. For this one I painted the rest of the retro Star Wars miniatures sculpted by Nevile Stocken of Archive Miniatures within weeks of the first Star Wars movie hitting the theatres. Alas, Stocken couldn't get a licensing agreement, and the line was modified to become 'Star Rovers' with enough changes made to circumvent copyright. These were a gift from a friend who got them from the estate of a mutual friend who had passed away. A total of sixteen figures consisting of Obi-wan Kenobi, Greedo, R2-D2, a Tusken raider, four Jawas, and eight Stormtroopers. Obi-wan's light saber, and the gaffi stick of the Tusken raider  had broken off at some point. I rebuilt them using lengths of florist wire. 

I was initially going to build a Gondorian tower for Minas Tirith, but the materials I had weren't giving off the right vibe. I decided to add another building to my Tatooine collection instead. It stands 8" tall and the base is 8" on a side.

 

Star Wars - A Graphic Novel

 

Somewhere in Mos Eisley

Stormtroopers

Tusken, Kenobi, Jawas, Greedo, and R2-D2

More Stormtroopers

Our last stop in the rotunda is Science-Fiction. For this section I painted up five resin cast vehicles from Scotia Grendel, consisting of two of their tracked Sci-Fi APCs and three of their wheeled A.T.A.C. APCs. I had purchased these at least fifteen years ago when I was still running an after-school wargames club, and I needed more vehicles for the large number of students who attended. In the end, I never found time to paint them and, after I retired, there was little incentive until now. Once again, the Painting Challenge has provided the necessary motivation to paint up items that have resided in a storage box for over a decade. 

The wolf's head on the back of the tracked APC is actually detail that is cast on the model in slight relief. I painted them white on both vehicles.

A group shot of all five vehicles

6-wheeled APC, right side and front

6-wheeled APC, back and left side

Tracked APC, front and left side

Tracked APC, right side and back

 My Library progress thus far:

 The points being claimed are as follows:

17 x 28mm foot figures @ 5 points each = 85 points

 

5 x 28mm vehicles @ 20 points each = 100 points

 

2.8 x cubes of terrain @ 20 points each = 56 points

4 x Library sections @ 20 points = 80 points

Total = 321 points

Sylvain: Another point bomb this week! This is also quite a diverse submission. I especially like how you converted Aragorn, keeping the Viggo inside. Seeing the quantity and quality of your production, I can only wish to retire as soon as I can. Keep the projects rolling!