From DaveD - Bolsheviks, Workers, command and guns! (105 pts)

Well I started this years challenge with Bolsheviks, have painted Bolsheviks most weeks , so it seems appropriate to end with Bolsheviks . 

Here we have the glorious workers militia from the Putilov Arsenal . They are mobilised  to protect the revolution - and keep the new tank working ! 

Figures are from Eureka- and very nice they are too - I may need a few more of these boiler-suit clad lads in due course .  

Next is the mounted commander again from Eureka. I must add top marks for their service last week, ordered to delivered in 4 days which has let me turn these around . With the horse being on its rear legs I have added in a thin piano wire support into its abdomen. 

Finally of course the peoples proletariat at the great Putilov Arsenal have been busy producing naval weapons to equip the next generation of Bolshevik craft . The keel has been laid on it and it’s under construction but not launched yet . 

The great Bolshevik vessel the “Kickmartinski”is used to test the new weaponry in all it glory 

So for new weaponry I have  two 6 pounders, two 3 pounders, a single 1 pounder Pom Pom, and two torpedo tubes - these are a mix of 3d prints and some Bob Murch pulp stuff .. These are all fitted with magnets so they can be exchanged on any vessel I have, or even dismounted for shore use .

‘Peace, Land and Bread” comrades ! Not sure there will be much of the first going on , but one can wish eh !

Points 

8 infantry - 40 points 

1 mounted - 10 points  

5 guns - 50 points 

2 torpedo tubes - I suggest 5 points 

Phew - it’s been a good one . I met my usual challenge objectives of posting  before Christmas and then post every week, a few thousand points is a good tally indeed. Thanks to Gregg for the weekly minion  - hopefully he’s seeing Bolos in his sleep .😆. Thanks to The back room minions and our host Curt of course. Time to go and give my brushes some cleaning TLC 

I shall see you in the wrap up . 

From Millsy:

Another wonderful batch of Back of Beyond goodness Dave! I've really enjoyed following both yours and Martin's efforts and I see he gets a mention here as well. Your modular approach to arming the gunboat is really cool and I will have to pinch that idea for a project of my own.

Cracking work mate, both here and right across the whole Challenge. Thanks for sharing you work, it's always great eye candy and has plenty of puns and other goodness packed in.

105 points to close your Challenge out. Nice work.

Cheers,
Millsy

From DaveD . Terrain Russian buildings 20pts

 I have been looking at some geography specific terrain items for the Back of Beyond . I have picked up a Russian timber house and barn set 3d printed by Battle Honours3d  

I will create a proper base with fences etc in due course .

They were neatly FDM printed with only minor clean up . I started with a dark grey base and then a lighter overspray of desert yellow . Pretty much everything after that is various stages of heavy or light dry brushing in a fairly fresh timber colour with a light blue/grey for the door and window frames . 

The basecoat complete. 

Points , maybe 20 I think given the time it feels about right . 

Right now, time to finish the Bolos

Well I like these a lot, they look great with your figures marching past too.  I will pre-empt Byron's role and accept the 20 points that you suggest.  I see another post, but I'e had the pleasure of two of your posts today Dave so I'll leave that one for the next minion.

 

PeterD

More Ancients From GrahamB ( 390 points)

 More ancients from the stash this week.  Firstly a unit of 32 Macedonian Pike Phalanx. The figures are Warlord plastics, including an officer and standard bearer from a box of Greek Hoplites.  The colour scheme is inspired by a unit in the Phyrric Wars Hail Caesar supplement.  I don’t know how accurate it is but looks quite striking to me.

Next are two units each of 8 Triari to boost my Republican Romans.  The front rank kneeling figures are 2nd hand from Renegade miniatures with the standing guys at the back from Aventine Miniatures.  These figures are destined to serve double duty as spear armed Italian allies to support my Republican Romans and Phyrric army’s.

Thirdly are a unit of 16 Foundry Spartan Hoplites.  Their spears are made from broom bristles.

Next is a small unit of 4 Tarentine light cavalry.  They were favoured as mercenaries and fought for several armies of the period.  The only thing that I can find to distinguish them from other Greco/Roman light cavalry is that they were early adopters of shields.

Finally 6 skirmishers from Victrix Republican Romans, in generic tunics making them suitable for use in several armys.

Totalling up there are 32 phalangites, 16 principe, 16 Spartans, 6 skirmishers making a total of 70 foot @ 5 points each and 4 cavalry @ 10 points each giving a total of 390 points.

I've been enjoying your ancients over the challenge Graham, and these ones are quite a treat.  That pike phalanx is lovely, I like the colour scheme and it looks right to me.  I also like how you've built your units to morph into other armies as needed.  IIRC, fighting in the Tarentine style came to mean carrying a shield while mounted and not all "Tarentine" cavalry came from southern Italy.  Bravo on this lot.  

 

PeterD

From DaveD - Sudan , Kordofani and commanders - 400 pts

One of the supposed projects for this challenge was the Sudan Nile tribes for a commission job , these have been a bit of a background project . I have completed the guns for this lot earlier in the challenge . This lot makes up a lot of the command and skirmishers . 

They are based as open loose skirmishers with captured rifles and then as a closer mob style but various size of bases - the bigger the base more men obviously . Plus 3 mounted emirs . 

These are all Perry stuff a mix of plastics and metals , the flags from The Armchair General 

I had wanted to get the other half  done shown below  - but I guess that’s next weeks job ! Bolsheviks kind of got in the way 😁

I’m not finished yet posts on the production line. 

74 foot - 370pts  . 

3 mounted - 30pts . 

Those Dervish hordes look like they mean business Dave, great work here.  The mass of foot is effective, I like the variable base sizes.  I can't get a close look at most, but that command stand is mighty fine indeed.  I'll look forward to Bolshie hordes to follow.  

 

PeterD

From PeterA: Odds & Ends (180 points)

 I think the fact that we are in the final week of the Challenge is proof that Curt has invented time travel, as I can't believe three months have flown by. Congratulations to all Challenge Participants for their contribution to such a fabulous event. Special thanks also to Comrade Dave D, the Sunday Minion, for being such a encouraging, accommodating and welcoming presence throughout, not to mention churning out a marvellous Bolshevik force.

First up are 8 more Cartel soldados. They are all 3d prints by Turnbase Miniatures. 

One of the odd things about the prints is the length of some of the weapons like the two RPD LMGs in the pic below, which look a bit too long too me. I think these are older designs, and perhaps more recent designs don't have the same issue. 

Two standard 'gangster' poses - obviously from the 'pray and spray' weapons school!

Three assault rifle figures finish the group - unfortunately the figure with the AK had a fall and the barrel snapped of, so now he is equipped with a carbine!

Next up, are 4 PMC figures. These are also 3d prints, this time from Combat Octopus. As well as being very nice sculpts, they are modular in nature, so you can mix and match torsos, legs, heads and weapons, as well as having lots of extras like pouches, spare magazines and radios. 

So two of these have torsos with body armour and the other two are without it. They are pretty versatile figures in game - they could be PMCs as advertised, plain clothes operatives, or even mercs working for the Cartel. I have gone for a fairly subdued colour palette - I used images from Sicario as inspiration. As an aside, the two figures in blue trousers were originally much brighter - the Army Painter blue I used is pretty saturated and bright. When I mentioned this to my son he suggested I add a touch of orange to the blue to tone it down. Apparently, because it is opposite blue on the colour wheel, it will have a dulling effect, perfect for what I was after. Every day's a school day!

Obviously, these guys will need some transport, so here are two Land Rovers for them to tool about in. They are die cast toys which have been disassembled, had the windows blacked out (I do this with all my cars, as they then fit in with solid resin vehicles I have, like the Police truck in my last post), painted black and given a coat of satin varnish. Simple and quick, which makes a refreshing change!

Finally, I have 16 IRA figures by Footsore Miniatures for the Irish War of Independence, to provide some opposition to the Black and Tans and Auxies I posted earlier in the Challenge. I had intended to enter these into the Resistance Theme, but I wasn't happy with their original paint scheme. I had tried using speed paints over a grey undercoat with a white zenithal highlight. I have seen many people get good results using this method, but I'm not one of them. So I started again and that meant I was too late to enter them (plus the excellent rugby on show on Super Saturday in the Six Nations certainly put paid to any lingering chance of getting them finished in time!)

The first four are the Character pack - a shotgun armed figure painted to represent an undercover IRA agent masquerading as a member of the RIC, a Lewis LMG and loader, and a leader with pistol and rifle.

Then we have 4 figures firing/loading their rifles. I like the different clothing of the figures, a couple in the trench coat that was as close as the IRA came to an item of uniform for most of the war, the other two in suits. All also have ammunition pouches in bandoliers.

Next are four pistol armed figures. The IRA were short of weapons throughout the war, and to be honest my force here is probably rather overly-armed - most would probably have been armed with pistols like these four here. My favourite is the chap in the grey with the Mauser - obviously, being dedicated to the cause of Independence doesn't mean you can't also be a snappy dresser!

The last pack is more riflemen, advancing this time. Again, nicely mixed clothing captures the irregular nature of the force.

Finally, a group shot of all 16 figures to finish and I have to say I am much happier with how they look now.

So 28x 28mm figures = 140 points

2x 28mm vehicles = 40 points (I feel a bit of a fraud for claiming this as the paint job itself is pretty simple, so this might be revised downwards!)

Giving 180 all told I think, and that means I have met (and gone a bit beyond) my target for the Challenge.

First, get rid of the imposter syndrome and take your 40 points for the vehicles!  We don't judge quality or time spent, we just count noses.  Besides they look damn fine to me, I like the window treatments.  Your cartel looks and ganstas came out well, but I really like those IRA fighters with their mix of attire and weaponry.  Congratulations on hitting your target.  

 

PeterD