From Paul O'G More Caesarians! (145 points)

Building on last week's expansion of my Caesarian Roman force, this week I am adding another 2 units, and a Commander.

The Command stand is a great Aventine sculpt - a Legate focused on Crushing His Enemies and Seeing them Driven before Him, for the Glory of Caesar!

These two units (with 11 figs each) were prepared similarly to my submission last week - veterans with some mismatched gear and dynamically based on 120mm frontage. They are a mix of Warlord and Wargames Factory Romans (OOP) - the latter aren't nearly as nice but do the job for troop bases like these.

Our weekly Antipodean paint and chats have been great to build some momentum and catch up with a bunch of Aussie and Kiwi challengers, and see friends old and new. However, Kent was even more helpful this week - while I was looking for tips for  the leopard skin pelt on the standard bearer, I stumbled cross his tutorial at his YouTube channel- thanks mate! Here is the full 30min video it is for those who seek to emulate him better than me!

I hope I haven't embarrassed your tutorial Kent!

Added to last week's output my veteran Legionaries look thus

And all my Legionaries massed up are starting to look rather imposing (I hope!)

Points Wise that is 25 x 28mm figs @ 5 points each for a total of 125 points. No bonuses for hand painted shields last week so I didn't bother with any this week!!!  :-)  but I was quite happy with how the vexillum came out.

I've done the History section so am looking to file this in the Children's section because Wikipedia says: 

"The Eagle of the Ninth is a historical adventure novel for children written by Rosemary Sutcliff"

Maybe its a bit of a stretch but Alan's logic for his bonus was far weaker so I reckon its a fair cop! :-)

From Millsy: More wonderful Romans to expand your army Paul! The leopard skin has come out really well and you've certainly not embarrassed Kent with your efforts. A book about Romans written for kids seems a legit argument for the Children's section so no problem with the bonus from my POV.

From StuartL - Running with Sharp Objects - Local History and Sarah's Library Cart - 50 Points

Hello again,

    For my second post this week, I have a library area themed offering for the Local History section. As a British ex-pat living in the centre of Japan, I have lots of options. The three great unifiers of Japan (Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu) all came from the area near where I'm living. Numerous famous battles were fought nearby including the Battle of Sekigahara which gave Tokugawa the Shogunate. Heck, the Mitsubishi Zero was developed and produced at a factory nearby, so that would be an option. So, with all those possible options, I have opted to go for.... my hometown area of Teesside in the North East of England. Everyone knows Japan has a lot of cool wargame related stuff, let's talk about a less well known area of the world. 

    Teesside is, as the name implies, the area around the Tees river in the UK. There are no big, famous cities in the region, though York, Durham and Newcastle aren't far away and have a bit of history to them. Nope, Teesside is kind of boring. It is also kind of poor. The main industries in the region are the type you don't really want to live near, chemical works and steel mills, though more and more they have been closed down and moved overseas. When I was a child we would get yellow and orange clouds, perfectly normal, right?

    So, we have a small population, not much in the way of sightseeing, any good points? Well, Pendraken miniatures is in the area, and the Battleground show is held in late November, so those are worth a visit if you are in the area.

    With all of the preamble out of the way, it is time to look at the local history. And... there isn't much of note here either. In the top 20 events in Teesside, only a battle between the English and the Scots in 1138 would be related to wargaming, and it isn't a period I usually focus on, so I went looking further afield. Rather than looking at regular history, I started looking at 'future history'. Fellow challengers, I would like to invite you all to step into the future with me and take a look at the impossible events that will occur in the far flung time of er... 2019. 

    Back in the early 80's there was a Science Fiction movie made set in the futuristic dystopia of 2019. That movie wasn't really a big hit, but went on to become not only a classic, but the core of a whole aesthetic look. Blade Runner set the tone for the whole Cyberpunk genre for years after its release and still has an impact on the designs and styles that are used for that setting now. The director of the movie, Ridley Scott, was born in South Shields, a little to the north of Teesside. When he was making Blade Runner he was looking for inspiration for the setting, and part of that came from the various heavy industries around the region.

    The opening scene for the movie, dubbed the Hades Landscape (YouTube video here if you want to see it), was heavily influenced by the chemical factories in Teesside. Apocryphally the chemical works were used to shoot the scene for the movie, but it was later confirmed that they just provided the inspiration for it.

    So while the rest of the world may quickly be heading towards a grim, dreary future, just know Teesside has been a hellish dystopia for decades already. 

    Of course, we need a model to go with all of that, so I'd like to present my own Blade Runner.

    The model is a 3d print from a maker called Unit9 who does all sorts of cyberpunk related minis. I copied most of the colours from stills taken from the original Blade Runner movie. I didn't paint the correct patterns on the tie and shirt, but I feel the overall look is close enough. The figure also has a cybernetic hand and an SMG that Deckard obviously didn't have in the film. 

    

    I should have some more cyberpunk minis before the end of the challenge, as I had a few more printed out. In my previous posts, you may have seen me make reference to writing a set of skirmish rules for my own game system. While I am currently writing the rules for a fantasy setting, it is my hope that they can be expanded to cover other genres, including cyberpunk. We shall see.

    And with that, I am off to the next section of the library. I think I will visit the Gift Shop next, so to pay for my trip on the library cart, I have (yet) another Reaper Bones mini.

    

    This model is quite heavily armoured, but I wanted to take a break from metallics (see my recent 40K posts), so I opted for a dark red leather look for the armour, making her look more like a savage barbarian ranger.

For scoring:

2x 28mm = 10 points

Local History = 20 points

Sarah's Library Cart = 20 points

TOTAL = 50 Points.

    That's all from me for this week, see you next Friday.

From Millsy: You are a master of understatement Stuart! Saying York "has a bit of history to it" is like most of us saying "I have a few miniatures in my pile of shame". You are spot on though when you relate Tineside to the grimdark environs of Bladerunner although I expect the latter has better noodle bars.

Your very own bladerunner has plenty of noir about him just like the movie version and feels like he'd have fit right in on screen. Maybe this is Deckard 2.0 and he's short a human-like hand having had a couple more interactions with other (yes I really said that!) replicants? Nice work on the barbarian too, you've got a restricted palette but have kept things interesting which isn't easy.

From Barks: Zombies & Galadriel & new Challenger (Science Fiction, Library Cart) (197 points)

I'm finishing off my whirlwind library trip.

Firstly, thirty Poxwalkers. These are GW's science fiction zombies, and as such are overly detailed. They have these quite nice grins, and are erupting with tentacles and horns. One is turning into a fly. There are maggots crawling in and on the figures. My main complaint with the miniatures is that there is no simple route for customisation. I'd prefer to be able to adjust the angles of the arms, try out different heads etc, but I'm stuck with repeats of the same ten distinct monopose figures. Sure, I could convert them, but it's a bit too much work for fodder. I stuck to a limited palette with yellow accents.

Thirty poxwalkers

That finishes off my library tasks- so I summon Lady Sarah's Library Cart to take me to the Snowlord's shelves. This is a 3D print of the lady Galadriel and her mirror (Printing Goes Ever On). I threw in a quick eye of Sauron, which stands out much more than I had anticipated! I wonder if I should make the edges darker. Should I give it a coat of gloss?

30x 28mm Poxwalkers (150 points)

Science Fiction (20 points)

Lady Galadriel and mirror (7 points)

Sarah's Library Cart (20 points)

Now I'm ready to face the Snowlord's Challenge!

Addendum: I've added a new Challenger! The Skirt-Swisher has used her in-built 3D printer for a long print, I've removed the supports and washed off the residue.

I'm looking for name suggestions:

• Boudica
• Hive Queen
• Montgomerina
• Rommelina
• Napoleonette
• ?

From Millsy: Firstly, congrats to the both of you on the new arrival mate! So good to see your latest creation healthy and happy with her Dad. Remember its never too soon to start them on the brushes. Might I suggest Skullzette for a name? It has a lovely feminine tone and just rolls off the tongue.

On to more important matters and you've got another great entry here. I second your thoughts on the customisation options (or lack thereof) for the poxwalkers but as you say they're just chaff.

Galadriel is wonderful The Eye of Sauron is just brilliant. My first thought is she's thinking "Bugger. I knew washing the palantir in this thing was a bad idea!" 

From StuartL - Uncivil War - 270 Points

Hello all,

    Today sees me come to the end of, (well not 'the end', but the point where I take a long break) my Tyrant's Legion army project. Having painted up a commander and dreadnought early in this challenge and then a lot of auxiliary infantry last week, this week I have the main Space Marine contingent for the force all done and dusted.

    Above are the fast attack elements of the force, two units of 5 motorbikes, along with an attack bike with a multi-melta. In the Tyrant's Legion army list, there is a unique unit option called Iron Hunters. The Astral Claws chapter that forms the basis of the legion was known for it's skill at rapid encirclement and assault actions, often outflanking enemy forces and hitting them from an unexpected direction. The Iron Hunters are similar to regular marine bike squads, but they benefit from the Counter Attack special rule, meaning you can run them forward to hit targets early in the game and not worry too much about enemy assault troops wiping them out in melee.

    Next we have the second group of specialised troops, the Retaliators. This is an assault unit where every warrior is equipped with a combat shield. These give them an invulnerable saving throw (it can't be modified or removed by enemy weapons), making them that little bit more durable. They are led by a special character known as Carnac Commodus. (The fellow equipped with the flag). He isn't that great to be honest, being something of a weaker marine captain, but adds a bit of flavour to the army.

    All of the models have transfers, with the chapter symbol (Tiger's Head) and the Maelstrom Warders symbol (The black shape inside a white circle) coming from a website called 'The Mighty Brush'. Sadly these are now out of stock, but they do have a lot of 40K related decals if you are looking for some. The skull transfer (and the unit transfers on the right shoulders) are all GW stock.

    And here we have two tactical squads. I painted up 3 sergeants for the 2 squads, so I have some weapon options to select from. Being the special snowflake list that it is, the tactical squads are a little different from the standard Codex approved units. Rather than having 1 specialist weapon and 1 heavy weapon, the Tyrant's Legion can select 2 specialist or 2 heavy weapons in their units, avoiding the trap of tactical squads being a bit confused over their battlefield role.

    

    Finally, we have a shot of a tactical squad in a standard defensive formation along with the auxiliaries from last week. Any incoming fire should be stopped or slowed by the wall of bodies in front of the marines. Yes, this is legitimately how the army is meant to be played. In a game world where you have 4 Satan equivalent god-like entities, undead space robots, alien bugs that seek only to devour all life in the universe and more besides, these guys are quite possibly the worst.

    These models are all festooned with skulls (an average of about 4 per mini) and all count towards the Legion duel as well.

Points-wise there are:

31x 28mm infantry = 155 points

10x 28mm bikes = 100 points

1x 28mm bike with sidecar = 15 points

Total = 270 Points

For my side duels

Skulls (144) +167 = 311

Legions (350) +270 = 620

(In my last entry, Minion Millsy corrected my points score, so my Legions tally is 5 points higher than was previously stated) - You're welcome, the Score Gods abhor inaccuracy and we cannot risk their wrath!

From Millsy: Haha! I cannot believe you said "the end" out loud, even if you did qualify it afterwards. 

A sterling effort on these Stuart, especially the shields and the bikes. 40K bikes are one of the wilder ideas in a setting that is wild from start to finish and very thematic for it. It's good to see them getting some love and done so well to boot. 270 points for your tally!

From GeoffreyT: Assault on the rotunda. (Maritime, DIY, Literature, Travel, 149 points)

Hello Challengers,

I resume my library trek in the central room, where I tackle the Maritime section.

This rather odd miniature is from Mammoth Miniatures and cast in resin.  I don’t know what it is, but importantly the sculpt was made from shells recovered from the Thames Estuary, as such I consider it Maritime.  I loved the concept of the shell made miniature and could not resist this random purchase.  It is about 40mm scale.  I guess estuarine shells are 'inshore' and not 'offshore', but close enough match Dewey’s shelf classification I hope.

From the central room I move east into the rotunda main level, perusing shelves as I go.  The first is DIY, where I paint three miniatures I sculpted myself from epoxy putties.  They are 'caucasian zombie hunters in summer attire'.  A bearded man armed with a beer gut and chainsaw, a teen with a bat and bin-lid and a youth riding a skateboard with an over and under shotgun, grinding a hand rail.  They are 28mm scale. 

Also in the rotunda we find the Literature section, where '10,000 words will do'.  This immediately made me think of Tolstoy's war and peace, therefore I have 8 Napoleonic Russian figures from Northstar Miniatures ‘The Silver Bayonet’ range which could fit said book nicely.  Admittedly, I already have far more of this range than I can practically use, but they are such fine figures I cannot resist them.  No doubt I will buy whatever comes out with every new supplement.

After completing the rotunda lower level, I now climb to the summit, and go to the Travel section.

Here I have a vignette of a travel experience, with me waiting patiently for a plane whilst flanked by recalcitrant vending machines.  These pieces were second hand and I don't know their source, so I cannot credit the sculptor sorry.

The library now as stands, with me standing in the rotunda.

Points:

1 x 40mm infantry = 7 points

12 x 28mm infantry = 60 points

2 x widgets = 2 points

4 library topics (Maritime, DIY, Literature,Travel) = 80 points 

Total points for this post = 149 points and 1 skull (raising Skullz tally to 5)

Kind Regards

Geoff.

From Millsy: This must be one of the most eclectic and interesting posts this year Geoff! Its packed full of all sorts of weird and interesting stuff, all beautifully painted to boot. Your rendition of yourself at the airport is absolutely hilarious and something I suspect many of us can empathise with.

Great too see someone else has dived right in to Silver Bayonet and not held back, although I'm not sure I understand what you mean about having too much stuff :-P

149 points for your tally mate!

From KentG: 28mm French revolutionary wars, ACW Ambulance set, Russian Pavlov guard, maritime, statue, captain cook, (5 Library entries)(370pts)

With this weeks submission I'm hitting the Library pretty hard

knocking off 4 different categories, with an array of different figures.

It's been one of those weeks when, I kept getting side tracked by little 

projects here and there and the majority of what I was going to submit

ended up sitting at the back of the painting table unpainted, a few very hot 

days made it almost impossible to paint which was a shame, 

but I'm happy with what I've managed to complete.

First up we have 24 Wargames Foundry 28mm Pavlov guard

these chaps have been waiting two years for me to paint they are the very 

last figures in a large Russian army which has now 19 regiments of figures

 all Foundry minis, which I personally think was are some of the best minis in 

the their Napoleonic range.

I didn't have a second standard bearer which was a shame

I've always loved seeing Napoleonic armies ranked up

I think it was one of the reasons I started into gaming 

and has always been a passion of Mine to paint Napoleonic armies

Library progress please ignore the tick on the rare just above 

Made a wee mistake will correct next time I post

Next we have what I am calling Captain Hook which is my first entry 

into the Library under the Children's book section. As the competition 

began a good  friend gave me an assortment of minis he didn't want which

 included about 40 pirates, which after painting this chap I think I'll 

have a lot of fun painting. they are by irregular miniatures

This set is by Wargames Atlantic

It's been 3D printed, I was very lucky and Wargames Atlantic gave me complete 

assess to all the STL files for free and this was one of the sets I decided to print out

As you can see the figures have great detail and they were a pleasure to paint up

I did have fun with these chaps all their bayonets broke off and 

I did snap a musket in half but a bit of super glue managed to fix it

 after about 10 minutes of searching around for it that is.

when I got the figures back from the printer, there was no

 headless body so I chopped up a French casualty figure trimmed off the 

cartridge pouch and extra bits broke the right arm off, used some 

green stuff to get it into the right position and bobs your uncle we

 have our poor headless chap.

they have obviously been busy with their morning loping sessions 

as two poor fellows have already heads 

The base is 3mm Mdf and this is why it wasn't in last weeks entry.

 My wife said you can't enter that without a good base. 

Two hours later I had hand painted the base and she is right it brings it all together

I feel a bit sorry for the poor chap being paraded around

My second entry into the Library is under, oversized books as the base that 

I had available for this set was a bit to big, which meant I ended up adding 

a few more figures to the scene plus some goats

this is a Perry Miniatures ACW Ambulance set all metals

I've painted it up as confederates after seeing a picture on line that I thought was cool

I had a lot of fun with this set, I used some water effects on the road 

hoping it would look like they had some recent rain in the area

I had to pack under the wheels some card to stop it sinking into the 

filler I had used on the base. The wagon being all metal was just to 

heavy and it had to be the correct height for the guys lifting the wounded 

man out of the back

I used a little bit of green stuff to make an apple placed it in the guy at the 

front so he could feed the goat with his head tilled up

Next entry into the Library is under maritime, 1/2400 scale

Duke of York Commissioned into the Royal Navy on 4th November 1941 

this is part of a small batch of minis that have been hiding in a 

deep dark space simply because I couldn't work out how to paint them or base them

My final entry into the Library is a 28mm statue of

 Maj Gen George E Pickett

Just happened to be sitting in my box of bits

he is 28mm Perry Miniatures Metal and a really nice figure

   

 Well it's been another fun week of painting if not a little all over the place,

 I have been having so much fun going over everybody's posts. 

It is so cool to see so many wonderful minis that in many cases 

have just sat about for years.

            Points for this week 264pts

            24 x 28mm Pavlov guard = 120pts

            1 x 28mm Captain hook figure = 5pts

            9 x 28mm revolution set figures = 45pts

            1 guillotine & platform = 10pts

            11 x 28mm ACW foot = 55pts

            Wagon 10pts, horse 5pts = 15pts (not sure on this one)

            2 goats = 2pts

            1 1/2400 scale ship = 2pts

            1 x 28mm cavalry = 10pts 

            Library entries total 100pts

            

            Children's books 20pts

            maritime 20pts

            The statue of famous Person 20pts

            Oversized books 20pts

            Grand total of 344 pts

            

From Millsy: What an absolutely smashing post Kent! So much here to comment on I hardly know where to start! 

The Pavlovs are such an iconic unit and you have done a superb job on them especially their mitres. The top pick for me though is the two vignettes which are just wonderful and so packed with character. They remind me very much of the work of Michael Awdry who we sadly don't see in the Challenge any longer. Any comparison to Michael's work is a compliment in and of itself and I know he would love these scenes.

Cracking effort mate and I've given you a few extra points for the bases to round you up to 350.