From PeterD: Pict Chariots and The Library Cart (85 points)

Second post this week and it includes figures that I've been working on intermittently since December, a unit of 2 Pict chariots.  These are Crusader figures although the chariots themselves are 4Ground mdf kits.

The rider in red is comes from the Irish Warriors pack, note the base under his feet.

Back last summer NorthStar had a sale on these and I picked up 4 blister packs of Celtic chariots.  Although clearly modeled for Caesar's Gallic Wars or the Claudian invasion of Britain, I figured a Celtic chariot is a Celtic chariot.  I tried to stick handle around most of the anachronism with paint work (taking away trousers and adding beards) and subbed in an Irish warrior in one case.  I also made a lot of mistakes early on and got myself tied in knots a couple of times.  Finally after a couple of rebuilds and being put aside for other pieces a number of times, I've got these completed.

  

Next up is a solitary Bad Squiddo figure of Noor Inayat Khan to let me take Sarah's Library Cart to the Biography Section.  Khan was an SOE operative in France during the Second World War who was best known as a radio operator.  She was a very brave woman who deserved a much better fate than being betrayed, tortured and executed.  She would make a fine Biography topic herself, but she happened to be the female figure that I had ready on the day. 

I have acquired a number of Bad Squiddos Women of WW2 range.  I don't plan on doing any gaming with Landgirls, Lumberjills or Spies.  I just like the figures and want to support Annie for developing the range.   They are universally well researched, sculpted and posed and have bags of character.  they are also a joy to paint.  IN this case Door's "briefcase" holds her radio equipment.

I kept the colour scheme to follow the example on the Bad Squiddo web store, because I know that they've done the research.  I am pretty happy with the folds in her outfit but no sure about the skin tones.

Photographic evidence of me taking the Library Cart.

I believe that these chariots don't count as vehicles (I least my Pict general's didn't last year).  The point tally goes like this

• 4 horses and 4 chariot crew in 28mm @ 5 pts/each =40 + chariots = 60
• I female spy in 28mm =5
• Library Cart bonus =20
• Total 65 85

My challenge map now looks like this...

I really need to brush up on my chariot recognition skills, but even if these are anachronistic they look very fine nonetheless, Peter. I like the tunic pattern on the driver, and the two chariots together are quite a stirring sight!  I am also very much taken with your choice of  Noor Inyat Khan, another new thing I learned today. As for points, at the very least you forgot to count the chariots themselves, and scoring them as a limber/ gun seems reasonable so 10 each. Which sees you further racing away from your target with 85 more points added!

Martijn

From GregB - Thousand Sons Tactical Squad (100 points)

Thousand Sons Space Marines of the XV Legion Astartes. 28mm figures from GW.

For this week's submission I am back to a familiar setting, GW's "Horus Heresy" setting. This is a tactical squad of Space Marines belonging to the XV Legion Astartes, known as the "Thousand Sons". These Marines are wearing Mark VI power armour, known by fans of the setting as "beakie" armour for the pointed faceplate on the helmets. These are multi-part plastic 28mm, with some themed resin helmets and shoulder plates. 

A couple of the individual Marines.

View of the power packs.

I have painted a great number of these models since GW released them a couple of years ago, and I can't seem to ever get tired of them. I have always loved the classic "beakie" Space Marine armour pattern, and I have also been a huge fan of the Horus Heresy for a long, long time. So when GW finally brought these classic models back specifically for the Horus Heresy setting I was super-duper hooked, and have accumulated a rather, um, shall we say "significant" stockpile of these figures.

I love these particular poses.

Nice view of the embossed Legion symbol on the custom shoulder pads. Love these things - plus it saves on the decals a bit.

The Thousand Sons Legion is great fun, combining all of the violent combat potential of the Space Marines with an assortment of spooky psychic powers. They pursue and accumulate knowledge, as opposed to the other Space Marines who otherwise struggle to stand out from one another via varying degrees to which they are either violent, stoic, or violently stoic. 

Officer on the left, with a power sword (sporting a SKULL in the hilt!).

Of course, in GW's universe of the future, learning and knowing things doesn't tend to work out well for you in the end, and so it is for the Thousand Sons. By the "time" of Warhammer 40k, the remnant Thousand Sons are basically Flanderized parodies of their former selves. 

A sort of "must-have" for these big tactical squads - a vox operator and vexillary.

But during the "Age of Darkness", the Thousand Sons are wearing cool armour, with fun Egyptian-themed accents and all sorts of symbols etc. The custom enhancements are part of that, and I love how they look on the Marines.

The Heresy-era Thousand Sons are often seen sporting an awesome, metallic candy-red on their powered armour and vehicles. I love how that looks, but to do it properly, you need to use an airbrush, especially on vehicles. I had experimented with different possible approaches, but in the end have settled for a nice, basic red with white and gold accents, relying on the custom symbols to help them stand out from the other Space Marines who also use red (such as the Blood Angels). 

Vox operator (with a skull, because obviously) and vexillary at the front of the squad.

So for scoring, we have 20 infantry models in 28mm scale, which comes to 100 points. That's all for this week - thanks for reading! We also get THREE SKULLS. Not much, but I'll take it.

For a moment I was at a loss whether I was being buttered up or insulted, but having looked up "Flanderized" my mind is completely at rest now. Which is just as well, because now I can enjoy the lovely work you are presenting to us today, Greg. A great assembly of beaky Space Marines, I think they look splendid in their red armour suits and your painting is meticulous and crisp as ever. A great addition  to your large collection, and 100 well earned points!

Martijn

From PeterD: Late Roman Archers and Epic Halberdiers [Gift Shop] (120 points)

This is the first post from me this week, a unit of 12 formed archers for my Late Romans.  My wife flew off to Phoenix for the week yesterday and I've been left to deal with a blizzard with up to 40cm of snow expected.  So I am left at home with lousy weather, the Briar (national curling championship) on TV and some free time...

Shields are made up, based on pictures in the Notitia Dignitatum

This was not a planned unit, it just kind of happened.  I bought a pack of Victrix Late Roman Archers and Slingers over the summer mostly for the slingers, but also thinking that I could use the bow arms for Pict archers.  It turned out that the 2/3 of the figures are archers with composite bows that look out of place in the hands of Picts.  So there were 24 archers and I felt I needed to do something with them...

These are nice figures and there are lots of variant arms and heads.  I like the variety of loading, shooting and admiring one's last shot poses.  I included an officer and a musician who is likely over armoured but was fun to paint.   

My previous Roman archer units had been light infantry and I'd filled my quota under the TtS army lists, hence the formed bowmen unit.  I've given them the title Sagittarii Nerviorum. There are three units listed as Nerviorum under the Dux Britanniarum in the Notitia Dignitatum.  The name comes from the Nervii, a Belgic tribe from Northern Gaul as I continue to try and butter up my Belgic minion.  Other Nervii units served in Northern Gaul, Spain and even as an elite Auxiliary Palatina unit in the Eastern Empire.

The officer and musician come from the Armoured Infantry kit.

No Challenge bonus points, but I will claim the points on the Legions of the Empire Side Duel.

Also counting for the Legions of the Empire Side Duel are these Epic Empire halberdiers.  I am also going claim the the "Gift Shop" bonus points because Curt told me I could when I Voluntold me to paint these.

Curt has been running a Old World themed TtS! Campaign using these Epic scale figures and I've been running the Empire side.  More like the Sacrificial Offering giving my skill at these games.  One thing that I've finally figured out is that the bog standard grunts like these Halberdiers and pretty darn useful (and cheap to boot). 

Curt has a sizeable Empire contingent which looks lovely in a mostly blue and yellow livery.  To mix things up I went for a Crimson and White livery, which I believe means that these lad don't follow any of the Official liveries.  I will note that I've left their based un terraformed as Curt will want to base them according to his own system.

I had more fun painting these than I thought I would once I figured out a system.  By system I mean going with a wash technique and not worrying about the small details.  The flag and a couple of shields are free handed to kinda look like Imperial Eagles if you squint hard and have had enough wine.

Points wise I make it

• 12 archers in 28mm @5 pts each =60
• 36 halberdiers in 10mm @ 1 pt each = 36
• Giftshop bonus =20
• Total 116 points.

This takes me over my 500 point Challenge Target.

Finally since Martijn's been suggesting books, I have a book suggestion for him Buried by Alice Roberts.  it's a survey of archeology over the first 1000 years CE, looking at a number of specific burial sites.  She's got two others in the series dealing with the BCE and medieval eras (just out now in Canada).  The first two have some great history about the archeology in Britain and challenge a lot of ideas.

Well,  the first rule about buttering up minions is not to confuse Belgians with Dutchmen! However, as I am by now at least part Belgian, in mind if not by birth, I won't hold it against you. Too much. All joking aside, though, another fine post from you Peter! I like the variety in the archer unit, and I am sure Curt will be thrilled by those nimble halbardiers. Your method really works, and even without the wine the flag looks fine too. Well done! Thanks for the book suggestion, was it you who suggested it earlier? It is on my shelf now, I'm looking forward to reading it. Pointswise I agree with you, but will give you the by now customary bonus for shields and flag for a total of 120 points. Good job!

Martijn

Fom MartijnN: The Tuesday Tomes Volume IX

Both in Flanders and The Netherlands the standard language spoken is Dutch. However, just like between say, British English and American English, there are subtle differences. For one thing, there is a difference in pronunciation. Dutch Dutch (I'll say Dutch and Flemish now one, just to mark the difference) is generally "harder", containing more guttural sounds like the hard "g" (try the  German ch as in Bach, but form the sound more towards the top of your mouth. Yes, that is very difficult), while Flemish is smoother and sounds more melodious, with a soft "g". As a result, even to Dutch speakers Flemish sounds more "civilized", so to speak, and friendlier. The soft g is also used in the south of The Netherlands, immediately identify the southerner to anyone from above the great rivers.  Also, Flemish makes more use of the rolled "r", which, as a born westerner, I am completely unable to pronounce. Even after more than ten years in Belgium, people almost instantly recognize my Dutch accent. Also, some words are peculiar either to The Netherlands or Flanders. The Flemish still use many words that are considered obsolete in The Netherlands, and many words in Flemish are derived from French (like trailer, remork, from the French remorque), and are completely unknown in Holland. Only about 4% of words are really different, but that's enough to cause some from confusion now and then. On the other hand, in Dutch there are a great many loan words from English, more so than in Flanders. Also, some words have a slightly different meaning in both countries; famously, "een schoon kleedje" means "a nice dress" in Flemish and "a clean carpet" in Dutch. All that being said, both peoples are usually easily capable of understanding each other, and it is not for nothing that in every Flemish municipality the Dutch are the greatest group of foreigners and there are many Belgians working in The Netherlands.

Not much confusion about the great posts for today, few in number though they may be.

- From PeterD: Driving your Chariot

- From GregB: When family planning goes wrong

- From PeterD: Outdoor Archery

And who knows what may come up during the day?

Enjoy!