From JP: Scottish Structural Madness (100 points)

I have always been a fan of George MacDonald Fraser, starting with the MacAuslan books, moving on to Flashman and then, eons ago, The Steel Bonnets - a history of the Border Reivers. Something about the Border Reivers bit deep and I have come back to the topic a number of times in my wargames years - usually ending with dissatisfaction with the rules or the figures and selling them. 

Flags of War launched a dedicated set of rules and figures for the Reivers some time ago. I took the plunge with their Kickstarter. I still had the sheep, pigs, Angus cattle and dogs waiting patiently to be allowed out....

A couple of years ago I had also made a sizable investment in Grand Manner buildings, they are one of the best miniature building firms in the market. Their Border range is significant: walls, cottages, stables, and not one, but 2 kinds of Bastle House... 

My logic was that they would also serve for Fantasy and D&D gaming, as well as Sharpe Practice.

This is a Bastle House - a fortified border 'manor' of the Elizabethan period, livestock on the ground floor and humans above, usually. Very hard to assault... look Ma, no windows (or hardly any)! It provided refuge when your neighbour came calling with mal-intent.

Over the past 18 months I painted much of the building order, but bogged down  with the 2nd Bastle House. It sat ignored as it represents a time investment that I prefer putting into figs... So, as I am dragging out challenging items that have languished on the shelf...  and as it might even fit into Overdues and Returns...

Other than the bone undercoat, the Bastle House is painted by hand, 7 layers of paints and washes for the outside walls alone, as well as the inside (which is a bit more roughly done). Yes, I am a Luddite as I have no idea how to use an airbrush.

Stage 4 looked like this:

After a few stiff Scotches and many more hours, we have this, 8.5 inches wide, 6.5 inches deep and 6 inches high :

The inside has a dirtier ground floor for the livestock, a second floor with wooden floor, slate chimney and white washed walls affected by smoke. 

So, I am hoping to claim :

 -  4 x 6 inch cubes                = 80 points

 -  Overdues and Returns      = 20 points

Total                                      = 100 points

I realise that the depth is only 6.5 inches, but as there is both an inside and an outside as well as a 1st floor...

Thanks for looking folks and do read The Steel Bonnets!

From Millsy: I think this may be my favourite terrain entry of 2024 so far. Such an evocative period and you cannot go past Grand Manner kit for quality and detail. I'd love a painting tutorial on how you did these JP as the stonework is spot on, just the right blend of hues, and the attention to detail is superb. Definitely worth 100 points from my POV! Love it.

From JP - The Death Dealer a homage to Frazetta (10 points)

An enduring image in my mind has been the artwork of Frank Frazetta, which adorned the covers of so many fantasy tomes when I was young. Of course, the one that stuck the most was the iconic Death Dealer:

A few years ago, Northumbrian Tin Soldiers ran a Kickstarter of Angry Gnomes. The firm does some great whimsical figs - check them out if you enjoy humor on your painting table. Anyways, they introduced a set of jousting gnomes on toads, but then added one more mounted figure...

How could I resist... More and more I enjoy painting little vignettes that will never be used in a game, but which are fun and full of meaning for me.

Mounted 28mm figure  10 points.

From Millsy: Absolutely brilliant! I'm a big fan of the work of Frank Frazetta and to see his work reimagined like this is hilarious. I wonder if he's aware? Super brushwork JP and another 10 points for your tally mate.

From KenR : The Last Garibaldi (142 points)

 

It's not often that you can say "Project Done" but I can definitely say "Project Done". Roughly 950 figures, all done.

I started this plan to build both sides for the Battle of Mentana 1867 a couple of years ago and today sees me finish the last two parts of the jigsaw, a final and 20th Battalion of Garibaldi and a rather unexpected Command Stand.

First up is a Battalion of 24 x 28mm figures again Perry ACW plastics repurposed for the Risorgimento. These represent the Vacchieri Battalion another of the Northern reinforcements for Garibaldis expedition. The striped uniform was an absolute must, something really different and a bit of a challenge as well.

Points wise this is the usual 24 x 5 for the figures plus one for the flag giving me another 121. These will join their compatriots on Wednesday at the club as we continue to playtest the game before it debuts at York on the 4th February.

Finally I have another Command Stand for the Garibaldi and an important lesson when completing a big project. So lets do a bit of Maths (with an s for our US friends !)

Work out the number of Command Stands, let's call it x.

Add up the number of Command Stands you have painted, let's call it y.

If y >= x you are good 👍 

Unfortunately when I did this calculation y was minus 1 ! Queue rapid root through the bits box and thankfully I had a couple of Perry ACW Cavalry left, although I've no idea where the officers horse came from as its metal but any port in a storm 😀 

So that ends this project with 20 points for a couple of mounted 28mm figures and 1 for a flag, 21 in total plus the previous 121 for a total of this post for 142 points.

It's been great to finish this project where it started on the Challenge. I'll do a couple of Troops on Parade videos for the two sides and lots of pics of the Battle will appear on the various Yarkshire Gamer social media platforms.

Next up I'm back to the Italian Wars and may even have an entry for this week ready in time.

From Millsy: Absolutely beautiful Ken, from the painting to the scenery to the photography! I've enjoyed every post in the project and this is is certainly a fitting way to bring the curtain down, at least for now. 950 figs is a decent pile in any scale and in 28mm is even more impressive. Congratulations on getting to this point and I hope you have some wonderful games with your collection!

From DaveD: 1st Battalion 2nd Chasseurs a Pied. (102 Pts)

Ah yes .. here is another one . Hopefully there will be something else this day , but as my trusty 10 year old daylight lamp has given up the ghost who knows ! 

Another 99 foot and 1mounted of 10mm goodness . Pendraken figures once more. 

Another entry for the  “little things” and Napoleon duels ! Huzzah !  3 of 8 done .. 

Something a little bigger next time.

From Millsy: I'm deputising for Greg and got lucky it seems. Lovely work Dave! I'm consistently impressed by your ability to produce quality output regardless of scale or period. Pendraken are some of the nicest 10mm going around and you continue to do them justice. 102 more points for your tally. Well done mate.

From Curt - Japanese terrain for 'Hametsu' [Overdue and Returns](50 Points)

I figure a new game requires new terrain, so here are some tabletop additions for our ongoing 'Hametsu' adventures.

First up is a Japanese family grave. I understand from my reading that these grave markers are called Haka. In doing a bit of research I found that they often are adorned with flowers, incense, and sometimes have these long, elegant wood planks called sotōba. These boards would be inscribed with the names of the deceased and set beside the formal stone markers. I've done a somewhat crude facsimile of sotōba using thick paper, scribed with ersatz kanji, stained and then glued into place.  3d models from Terratribe Scenery.

These bamboo barriers are from Village Hope Miniatures. I thought they'd add a bit of colour and texture to our miniature streets and alleyways. I used this picture I found online as a reference for painting.

I really liked the look of this whimsical little tea 'cart' from CobraMode. 

I thought it would serve nicely as a 'Loot Marker', or perhaps just as an interesting little accent for the tabletop. 

Several of the scenarios in 'Hametsu' are set within built-up urban environments, so I figured that some formal walls were in order. These are 3d prints from Making Tlon which I've scaled to fit my figures. These were started prior to the Challenge but now benefit from a few extra sections, a good highlight and some cleaning up, so I'll claim them as my 'Overdue & Returns' entry. I decided not to glue the wall sections together as they look alright separately, and it allows me to store them away more easily (I think I can go out on a limb and say storage is a going concern for many of us in the hobby).

All of these would fill 1.5 6x6 cubes, so I will claim 30 points, plus 20 more for 'Overdue & Returns'. 50 points total.

I'm not exactly 'on fire' with my Library progress. I need to attend to this...

Thank you Martijn for letting me join in with your Tuesday team!

- Curt

Another great Hametsu entry, Curt! We are very proud to have you as one of the Tuesday Troopers today, and boy is this a nice contribution! In all their modesty those bamboo stakes are very lifelike, I love the way you accomplished the transition of green into light brown. The grave markers are great too, and what a creative and effective way of making the lettering! I'm afraid my Japanese is a little rusty, so whether they commemorate some beloved relative or are just an order for salmon sushi I can't tell, but they absolutely look the part. The tea cart is a little jewel, likely to be of use in many a game. Your table lay out looks quite impressive already! I would have loved to have a more close up view of the walls, but set out on the table like this they look excellent. Of course you can have your Overdue and Returns bonus, but I would be remiss not to remind you that, although you know the Library like the inside of your back pocket, a map would have been nice to track your progress ;-).

50 points for the Head Librarian!

Martijn

From MilesR: More 10mm Russo-Japanese War and a Romantic Surprise (320 Points)

A moderately sized swath of 10mm Russo Japanese War figures.  These are the new sculpts from Leon at Pendraken Miniatures and I really do love the line.

First up are 24 bases of Siberian Infantry.  I building my armies (and the accompanying rules) so 1 base equal a battalion.  Hence 24 bases equals 2 Divisions - only 22 more to go.  Most of the time in-game, these will be grouped on bases as regiments of 3 battalions, but every now and then players may want to detach a single battalion to grab an out-of-the-way objective or (more likely) as as a speed bump for a pursuing enemy.

Well if one does the "R" part of "RJW" one better do the "J" part too.  I've completed 12 bases of Japanese infantry in winter coats and a whole bunch of artillery - specifically 9 batteries of 75mm guns 3 batteries of heavy artillery and 4 of siege guns.  Don't tell anyone but the siege guns are actually WW1 British 9.2" howitzers.  Both sides had dedicated batteries of 75's for each division and the Japanese had some heavier guns in independent formations.

During the war, the Japanese field 13 divisions - yet I only have 9 division batteries completed - have my math skills deteriorated that much?

NO! I'm cheating.  I've learned for any Little Wars TV video project to send some of the miniatures out to be painted by somebody with some actual skill.  Those are the troops you'll see in the close ups.  My stuff, mercifully is held in the background where the focus is fuzzy.  I've gotten 4-5 division for each side painted that way and will eventually so you some side by sides so you too can laugh at my limited skills.

And now for the "Romantic Surprise".  So surprising that I put my pictures on the right side of this post!  We live in crazy times.  My lovely yet fierce wife really surprised my for Christmas and got my a Xtool S1 laser cutter.  I love this thing and have started designing some 15mm buildings.  First off the assembly line is a 15mm Norman themed church (you can also see a earlier "prototype" in the back ground).

Designing these buildings has been really fun and I've found it A LOT easier than 3D CAD - maybe it's all those years I've spent spelunking in spreadsheets.  I've got 4 other building designs to test out (a couple of houses, a Cafe and a replica of our wargaming clubhouse

. 

I'm also working on some gaming aids for the RJW/WW1 ruleset and just generally messing about

.

Overall I'm having a blast and will be happy to share any designs for those who want them.

The materials used is 3mm MDF for the structure and "Thunderbolt Paper" for the details like the window frames.  What is "Thunderbolt Paper"?  it's .02 inch think cardboard that I stumbled on for making detail parts like shutters and window frames.

I still have a lot to learn but have great expectations for my laser focused future.  At least now I can make my own bases in bulk!

Here's a look at the file layout - I still have a lot to learn on how to build these things.  On the file image red=cut, blue score (cut a thin line) and black is the engrave.  The black part didn't show up but it's for the hatch to the floor of the tower (center bottom of the image)

So what's the final tally?

10mm Infantry figures        144 x 1 Point = 144

10mm Artillery Crew 16 bases x 5 crew each = 80

10mm Guns 28x3 = 84

15mm Church - well its 6x3x5 inches so thats 90 square  cubic inches and the holy cube is 216, so 90/216 =42% lets round that to 8 points

And now I'm going to be a little cheeky and try to slip this church past the librarian as a "Romance" submission because the my wonderful wife surprised me with the laser cutter.  I think we can ALL AGREE that nothing says Romance more than a Laser Cutter - can I get a "AMEN"? 

I really don't deserve her and live in constant fear that one day she will realize she can do WAYYYYY better than the likes of me.

add 20 points for Romance and we get to 336 points

OK, enough rambling from me - Gus wants to go back outside and play in the snow!

What a great entry, Miles! First let me say (again) that I absolutely love your growing Russo-Japanese armies. As has often been said, 10mm and other small scale miniatures look great in their mass, even spaced out like your RJW formations. Now these are great, but your self-designed and built church is even greater! What a fine piece of handicraft that is. Well done indeed! Now, I have one or two surprises for your esteemed self. In the first place, I have re-positioned your photos to the centre as you have undoubtedly seen. It is all fine and good being a rebel, but we cannot have photos aligned to the left or the right. I am sure you will agree that that way lies the road to chaos and anarchy, if not madness. In the second place, although I will not laugh at any of your work, even (or especially) close up (would love to see some of those), and I am sure you deservingly love your spouse,  and the present she presented you with is extremely useful and a sign of loving insight into your wants and needs, I will not buy in your futile attempt to pass off the church as a valid entry for the Romance Section on that basis alone. Should you have adorned it with a newly wed couple (or one after many years of marital bliss for that matter), it might have different. So, 316 points. I will round that off to a still quite impressive 320 though, because that church is rather awesome!

Martijn

From SimonM: Myrka & Robo-Men by "Black Tree Design" [Maritime] (35 points)

This 46mm long metal miniature of a "large species of reptile used by the Silurians for heavy backup in times of war" is produced by “Black Tree Design", and can be bought as Code DW509 Myrka from the manufacturer's "Doctor Who" miniatures range. A 'modified descendant of a unique species of dinosaur', the deep-sea creature first appeared in Johnny Byrne's January 1984 BBC Television story "Warriors Of The Deep" and was only finished "about an hour before it was scheduled to be used" by its two puppeteers on set.

The Myrka was first super-glued onto a "Citadel" 75x42mm oval base, primed with two coats of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, and drenched in "Citadel" Agrax Eartshade. The infamous monster was then heavily dry-brushed using (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Green, so as to bring out the detail of its thick, rubbery skin and "large webbed feet". before subsequently being washed with "Citadel" Biel-Tan Green.

After a second (and final) dry-brush of "Vallejo" Heavy Green, the Myrka's "wide, pale eyes" were 'picked out' using a combination of White Star by "Two Thin Coats" and "Vallejo" Pale Grey. Finally, the four-legged reptiles's base was gritted with fine modelling sand, undercoated in "Citadel" Abaddon Black, dry-brushed in Doombull Brown and Rakarth Flesh, and subsequently washed with "Citadel" Agrax Earthshade.

Considering that this beast is believed to have existed as part of a vast colony which survived the dinosaurs extinction due to living in the depths of the ocean, I thought it would make an excellent submission for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge's Maritime Library desk. It's certainly "something wet and offshore", having been documented attacking Sea Base Four on the sea-bed in 2084 A.D.

Alongside my "large marine monster" I have also completed two 28mm metal Robomen by "Black Tree Design". Available as Code DW127 Roboman from their "Doctor Who" miniatures range, these sculpts are slightly different to the five figures I've previously submitted to the AHPC. But are still based upon the Dalek's minions from Terry Nation's November 1964 BBC Television story "The Dalek Invasion of Earth".

Perhaps unsurprisingly though, both fellows were painted in precisely the same way as I've previously done their hapless, zombie-like brethren, using a combination of "Vallejo" Heavy Sienna or Heavy Brown with "Citadel" Agrax Brown for their trousers, and "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal over a "Citadel" Abaddon Black basecoat for their jackets...

Three x 28mm scale foot figures = 15 Points

Romance Books Bonus = 20 Points

Total = 35 Points

And it gets even darker! Your robomen are certainly on a par with your previous entries, Simon, you are acquiring quite the squad here. The Myrka is very fine too. I am not entirely convinced of its place in the Maritime section of our Library, but as it is indeed wet and offshore I'll find a place for it on its shelves. I just hope I don't get an official reprimand from the boss for it...  I'll better make a note of where I put it. Anyway, that's 35 points for you.

From SarahHC: Violinist, Elfio and Bookstacks [Overdue andRreturns; Fantasy] (61 Points)

Hello Everyone!

Finally, another post!

Continuing through the Analogueville Library to the Overdue/Returns Desk where we find stacks of books waiting to be returned to their proper sections.

These books (3D prints from MyMiniFactory) will be used as set decor in upcoming Moonstone games.Fun to paint, though I did spend an inordinate amount of time attempting to get the ‘right’ look for a strange collection of ancient and mysterious tomes.

To fulfill the Overdue/Returns Desk location points, I present the Violinist - a figure I had printed and primed for last years Challenge. She will be a companion to the Flutist from last year. I did not yet have time to base the Violinist to match her companion, but that will happen!

I wanted both figures to look as though they are part of a traveling troupe and have used a similar colour palette. The musicians look a little travel weary, their once-fine garments a bit faded and dusty. I particularly enjoy the fluid movement of each figure, they do look like they are happy, creating music and dancing!

The library is currently experiencing a shortage of library carts due to an unprecedented number of patrons using the carts to transport themselves around the facility instead of returning books.  (The lack of book carts will hopefully be addressed by management later this challenge.)

Due to overcrowded shelves, the Librarians have noticed some unusual cross referencing - resulting in an identity crisis for at least one library denizen.

Heading into the Fantasy section, we find Elfio, a renown Elven warrior who has discovered his true calling as a romantic hero and is now styling himself as a cross between Mr Darcy and Daniel Day Lewis circa Last of the Mohicans.

Dreamy and pure fantasy!

Keen Challengers can look forward to a return appearance of Elfio when he will be featured in a little vignette. Stay tuned!

Points-wise:

Stacks of books/terrain cube = 1 point

Violinist 54 mm figure/Overdue Books = 10 + 20 = 30 points

(Flutist not counted as she was previously painted)

Elfio 54mm figure/Fantasy = 10 + 20 = 30 points

Total = 61 Points

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more of the Library Tour

- Sarah

I must say milady has outdone herself today! Great colour selection, Sarah, and great model selection too. The violinist seems the perfect companion for the flutist, and Elfio - wow, we only just manage to hang on to our family friendly atmosphere here. What a stunner! The stack of book is a little treasure, the time spent searching for the right look was time spent well indeed. A map next time to allow us to follow your progress would be nice, but 61 points added!