From SylvainR: Experimentation with 28mm Great Demons for D&D (40 points)

 

Without hesitation, I would qualify myself as a "serial painter", as I love painting the same kind of miniature many times, as demonstrated with battalions of 6mm WW2 infantry and tanks that I posted on this blog for the Challenges. Even when I paint D&D figurines, I tend to used the same painting techniques and color patterns on a group of figurines, like I did on the four "sword giants", which makes them look like brothers, if not quadruplets. When came time to paint the four great demons of today's post, I was thinking that I should take this opportunity to experiment and try to paint these as different from each other as possible, as a personal challenge to my serial painting handicap.

Regarding the first demon, I figured out at the very end that it was actually the Minotaur, as I realized, while painting the base, that it was a miniature labyrinth. It's a big guy; the tip of his halberd towers at 15cm, dwarfing the cleric beside him. I wanted "to paint a demon as dark as possible". So the skin is pure black with dark grey highlights. All metal parts are Tamiya "Bronze" with Tamiya "Dark Copper" highlights. All leather parts are Citadel "Scorch Brown". There is barely enough contrast to distinguish the various parts of the miniatures, but somehow I'm happy with the result.

For the next resident of hell, featuring a wingspan of 23cm, I opted "to paint a demon only with Tamiya metallic colors". I applied gold and copper tones on the skin and wings while keeping the silvery colors for the weapons. The result is far from a masterpiece, but I like it. Besides, I can now brag that I have a "Golden Demon"(tm) on my shelves...

For the next evil fellow, the order was "to paint a demon only with Citadel inks". The fact that the sculpt offered lots of crevices indeed made this miniature a great candidate for inks. I also did a light brown wash to enhance the volumes. The end result is a little too shiny to my taste, but when comes Spring (when the temperature is, finally, above -20oC), I will go outside to spray this guy with dull coat.

Finally, for the last infernal dude, the challenge was "to paint a demon pink". Somehow, the model I chose for this painting exercise looks more "naked" in pink, which is disgusting. I used spots of green and washes to make the skin look like it's rotting is some areas. Disgusting! Wait, is that a snake coming out of "les fesses"? Disgusting!

I have to admit I really enjoyed this experimentation exercise, but at the end I had to make some concessions to my inner "serial painter" demon and applied burgundy to all the bases and enhanced the details with a pink dry brush. As well, all the demons' eyes (including the snake's) are green.

Points claimed:

4 x 54mm foot figurines at 10 points each = 40 points

Total = 40 points

Thanks for reading!

****

"Golden Demon" indeed Sylvain! Some great painting all around, and well done for pushing at your own boundaries and trying new approaches. As a "serial painter" myself (I glance at a nearby shelf heaving with 30k Space Marines as I type this) I certainly know the sense of comfort and relaxation that comes from painting a familiar miniatures. But it is great to step out of one's comfort zone from time to time and try new things. 

Demons and monsters are great subjects for this sort of thing, being in that they are often so unique. You've done fine work here, with a wide assortment. And yes, your final demon is sufficiently disgusting that he might fit in perfectly with the Chaos gods of GW's various settings. 

That's 40 points for you sir!

GregB

From MartinN: 3rd Century AD Roman Legionaries/ Limbo (70 points)

This week too I'm running with the Middle Imperial/ Late Roman theme from last week. This time I've brought with me a base of Legionaries, which can clearly be dated to the first half of the 3rd century by their old style semi-cylindrical shield. Also the broad leather balteus, from which the Spatha was suspended, which had by then superseded the earlier Gladius short sword. Most of the Legionaries are sporting the -in my humble opinion- rather fashionable Niederbieber type helmet, also dating to the 2nd to 3rd century. As for armour they're wearing a hodgepodge of Lorica Squamata (scales), Lorica Hamata (chainmail) and the rather famous Lorica Segmental (banded metal strips), that is featured in so many Hollywood movies.

The figures themselves are a mix of Armorum & Aquila Miniatures, which by now are rather dated but almost the only commercially available figures for the 3rd century. Then there's a single Wargames Atlantic miniature from their Late Roman Legionaries set. The set fits the 3rd century almost perfectly with the inclusion of the Niederbieber helmet, but I find the details on the plastic rather soft and the Spathae much too large. That said they paint up OK. Also included are three heavily converted figures from Victrix Limited' Late Romans. To make them suitable I gave them heads from Aventine Miniatures, sculpted on the broader Balteus and designed and 3D printed  Spathae/ appropriate scabbards and Pugiones, the famous Roman daggers. Despite being noticeably larger than the other figures I do think they work together rather well. Shields are a mix of Aventine and A&A.

Painting wise I tried to give them a somewhat uniform appearance by using broadly the same colours, without painting them all the same. Personally I find it highly doubtful that Roman Legionaries ever wore anything approaching a uniform. For the shields I went with free hands and frankly, I had a blast. While at first I found it a rather daunting undertaking, I quickly realized I quite liked the look. So much so that by now I have more of those shields already painted than Legionaries waiting in the painting queue. First world problems I guess.

As some of the figures were already started before the challenge, in fact they had lain partly painted in my cupboard for a few years already, I'm claiming the Limbo bonus for this bunch.

So what do we have here?

Eight 28mm infantry plus the Limbo Bonus should give me 60 points plus whatever our dear minion is prepared to throw in for the hand painted shields and conversions.

***

Well Nick, I have no doubt that I speak for all Challengers when I say "holy crap, this looks f**king amazing!" Your brushwork is, as ever, top shelf stuff. The conversions are amazing - and you know this because, absent you telling me/us about the conversions, we would not realize they were present, so seamless and smooth does everything look. 

In particular I am impressed that you managed to squeeze Victrix models in there. While I appreciate the quality of the Victrix sculpts, their giant size has turned me away from making purchases as they seem to loom of every other type of sculpt out there. 

Seeing your Romans always inspires me to say "one, day, I'll paint some Romans!". One day...

I award 10 bonus points for hand painting shields (!!), conversions and general amazing-ness. 

70 points for you in total!

GregB

From BruceR - Shift to WW2 28mm BEF (40 points)

What’s great about AHPC? Getting stuff done. I purchased these last year at AdeptiCon as I enjoy playing WW2 games with early war as a favorite. Had done up a squad and blocked in another and was drawn away a few months ago. So why not get after them. These are Crusader miniatures. Thick in body and gun barrels. This makes them easy to paint and sturdy for the table top. The faces are not the greatest but helmets cover most of these. 

Here are support options. Leader, AT rifle, crew, and light mortar done in an effort to allow a game of Chain of Command game in the future. 

I used a rattle can base coat Vallejo light brown, blocked in flesh, light green for webbing, dark brown for wood items and black foot wear.  I next wash them and highlight all with the same color mixed with Iraqi sand.  Some static grass and tufts.  Done  

I was able to get another 17 90% done while ranch sitting for my son. Few hours a day feeding the herd and the rest cooped up as minus 17 does not lend itself to the great outdoors. So paint. No static grass and tufts at hand so will wait to submit them next week. 

I hope everybody is staying safe with the winter trials we are experiencing and getting paint on figures. 

Points

8 28mm @5 pts per     = 40 pts. 

Thanks for looking, Bruce. 

***

Great work here once more Bruce. You are right - getting stuff done is, indeed, one of the great past of the AHPC! Your workman-like approach has paid dividends on these lovely sculpts. I'm with you on the Crusader sculpts - whatever might be lacking on the faces, the sturdy bodies - and gun barrels - more than make up for it. 

Your early-war BEF look great - that's another 40 points for you!

GregB

From JamieM - Kings Of War Salamanders (150 points)

 Nice and simple this week, two regiments (or one horde if I stick them together) of salamanders for Kings of War, along with two salamander heroes.

These will go into my Forces of Nature army with the elementals I’ve already painted as part of the challenge.

Not my most inspired or detailed paintwork, but they’re certainly functional as a unit and I’m going for them as a whole look instead of being super detailed individually.

I like to take the opportunity to multi base for Kings of War as I think it looks great and should allow me to set up and play nice and quickly when I start getting games in.

Simple maths this week, 30 x 28mm figures for 150 points this week.

***

Have to say Jamie that when I first saw the title of this post, I was thinking "oh great, he's back at some 30k stuff!". These were not the "Salamanders" I was expecting...

But they look cool all the same, and "Kings of War" is a fine game. Rather distressing to think of "nature" amassing such armoured forces, but they look great, particularly in the big mass/horde as you have them here. That is a fine 150-point bomb for you!

GregB

From GavinB- New WoTR Army, Disturbing T28 fellows, and The Walking Dead, Oh My! (145 points)

And I swore to myself that I would not be a wargames butterfly, and yet here we are... 

Hello everyone, sorry its been a while! For my birthday I received the Wars of the roses supplement for Hail Caesar 2nd edition and decided to start a new division. (Ill take any excuse I can get to paint more WoTR Figures) This time I choose to make Richard Neville, 5th earl of Salisbury, and I figured I'd try a new basing system too, because I'm not very pleased with the way I did them in the previous division 

Anyway I made two test bases of troops, one of bill and the other of bow, and I was pretty happy with the results. When I start a new project I always get exited about making the command base, So as soon I finished the test figures, I pulled some Green Stuff, multiple boxes of perry plastics, and a 100mm base and got to building. At first I planned on using the metal Perry miniature of the earl of Salisbury on foot, but it just didn't feel right, I wanted him on a horse, so I built a new Salisbury from the mounted men at arms set and sculpted a bevor onto his face that way it resembled the metal foot version of him. After the other fellows were built I smashed some  modeling compound onto the base making it appear as if he and his his men were charging down onto a road. And In the end I was very pleased with how it came out!

17 x 28mm foot figures (Including both the unit bases and command base) for 85 points

2 mounted figures for 20 points

Totaling 105 points

This man at arms really adds some personality to the base!

I bit of string always make archers look a lot better!

And The Command Base:

CHARGE!!!

A close up of Richard

My attempt at hand painting a flag...

Turnip28... On my last post I had made a unit of Fodder for the Parsnip Pustules 91st. Well now its time to give those guys a toady to command them and who better to lead the Fodder into battle than  Peeves! (Or "Little P" as his men call him) But with Peeves's little stubby legs he cannot maneuver about the battlefield quickly to keep up with his men, and with the size he is, he would end up getting lost under the legs of the soldiers and no one would be able to hear his commands. So this is when his handy "assistant" Jim comes in, Peeves rides on Jim's shoulders which kills two birds with one stone, now he sits up above everyone else and Jim's lanky legs let him travel with speed that Peeves alone could never accomplish.

Peeves was built entirely out of green stuff (aside from his hands and pan on his belt) and Jim was just a zombie miniature that I had kicking about with a basinet plate glued onto his face and I did some repositioning of his back and arms. I'm not really sure how much points these two are worth because Peeves is kind of small so I will just not score him and say:

1 28mm figure for 5 points

Oh Jim How did you get yourself tangled up in that barbed wire 

I have one last quick T28 figure and then it will be onto the walking dead. In turnip 28 a lot of people represent battered units with teeth tokens which I will probably switch back to, but I just wanted to try something different so I made a poor guy bleeding out in the mud to represent the battered units. I used a lot of greenstuff to change the position he was in and to make that classic T28 style helmet. Then I caked on a lot of mud and blood!

1 x 28mm Foot figure for 5 points

Ouch!!

Does someone need a hand?

Okay sorry about how long this is, but we are at the final section don't you worry! The Walking Dead All Out War! and this weekend I really got the itching to paint up these wonderful miniatures. So I primed a batch of walkers and Clementine, who is obviously one of the best characters in the walking dead, along side Lee Everett. To your relief there is not a whole lot to say about this bunch so...

5 x 28mm Foot figures for 25 points!

I do not want to be that deer !

And Clementine:

Thanks for reading my post, sorry it was a long winded one, I know that you have a lot better things to do than listen to a strange person talk about what he's been painting. And I also apologize for the lighting inconsistencies, I got a special lighting box for taking pictures and I am still figuring it out.

POINT TOTALS:

24 28mm figures for 120 points

2 Mounted figures for 20 points

The total points of all of the miniatures is 140 (If my math is right!)

Happy Painting!

Gavin

***

Well done Gavin! As you indicate in your headline, this is quite the assortment of painting to take in - and it is all of very high quality. I am always tickled to see some Turnip28 stuff - and "Peeves" looks like he will fit right in with his lot. And we all enjoy seeing more Zombie, and Zombie-adjacent content. 

But I truly tip my hat to your WOTR stuff. I am totally captured by the idea of that period, but the banners/livery is so intimidating to me that I chicken out every time before I try it, and I have a lot of respect for those willing to tackle it. You have done fine work on the fellow who was "the Kingmaker" - at least, I think he was? Anyway, it looks tremendous. I am tossing in a few bonus points for the hand-painted flag - bravo, and thanks for sharing all of these photos and the thoughts which accompany them!

GregB