FROM JohnB: Whats that coming over the hill is it a monster?

Nope its an AHPC wrap! Mind you "The Automatic" (welsh indie rock band) hit was a cracker Well I have had my best year at AHPC and its my third year on the trot signing up. With a photo splurge what have I learnt? I have again learnt a lot from the other 70 odd entrants plus their figure and basing ideas as well as some of their figure/painting combinations all inspiring me to buy and paint yet more figures but actually paint more! woohoo 700 plus points worth or 13 micro projects if you like. plus I started to do stand up painting! yep stood at a bar style bench set up and doing sprints - short paint sessions of 15 minutes - 45 minutes, which led to my mini paint palette method as I tended to use one colour.

ok this paint is 4 days old but the method does work on small amounts of paint used over say 24 hours oh and the tissue is meant to be kept wet!!!!! On with the results - I am particularly pleased that I painted the ECW Tumbling Dice unit, maybe that project will get a kick start now.

Finishing the 1848 Hungarian Steam Engine having scratch built it for AHPC15 was very satisfying. You need two airfix rockets.........and a lot of cursing.

The Irish Brigade unit using Strelets Louis XIVth range was also a hit - I have admired their range for a long time - too long and never painted any. Now that has been fixed maybe more will follow.

I hope you all have seen the error of your ways and realise that injection moulded plastics in 1/72 is the way to go - queue woops of laughter about this madness of mine. Seriously I hope you have all enjoyed painting what you like and love.

That said I am glad I painted my 40mm Vikings to celebrate Ian Kay's retirement at Irregular Miniatures - I am happy for him yet sad to see such a vast traditional figure range sail off into the sunset.

And I painted my first printed figures - Italian support weapons in 20mm from MarDav.

Plus ca Change! And I sorry for my Minion Peter who was hoping to see my French Dragoons completed - I am off to the allotment for the year so this is as far as I got! Lets hope those red monsters don't get me.

So a big thank you to everyone who took part and of course especially to Curt and all the minions and duel runners and anyone I have missed. Hope to be back in the 17th challenge later this year.

From JohnB: The clatter of hooves - HAT 1/72 Fauxterre Lancers (64 points) and a squirrel

OK so this might be my last post as the deadline looms. Therefore a big thankyou to Curt and the gang, my Minion Peter and the Tuesday Terrors team. Its been great fun and this year I actually did a lot of painting - the two previous AHPC's I have entered resulted me in doing a lot of scratch building - something I had not signed up for. Anyway this year its different and I have painted all I prepped so actually I have just one unit left to paint - of course with a giant pile of "half paints" left untouched since December.... I have enjoyed seeing every ones submissions and I have learnt quite a bit more about painting models figures - even after half a century at it: new tricks and old dogs saying does NOT apply here. So back to my last but one post - hopefully......... Having spent some time building up sinews of war for my fantasy historical Fauxterre Wars I have finished up getting some pointy end forces done.

Being interwar/nearly mechanised in theme it's no surprise that Cavalry units might have some new armoured kit but also still rely on the horse.

Normally I steer clear of static grass but on this occasion succumbed and I quite like the result. The horses were burnt sienna over white primer with gore grunta fur citadel contrast wash over the top - nice and speedy. belatedly I noticed I had only painted yellow metal buttons on the front facing ammo pouches for which I seek forgiveness.

This is a unit of World War One British Lancers now appearing as Fauxterre Cavalry of a number of countries at war with each other. The equipment and uniforms except perhaps the Lances were to be seen in the real world war two. Italian Cavalry (Savoia Cavalleria) fought on the Russian Front charging the Russians at Izbushensky in 1942 albeit armed with sabres and grenades. I think the lances look better for the gaming table. Thats Fauxterre for you.

Total Points 8 x 8 points for 1/72 cavalry = 64 points one squirrel I believe?

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Sylvain: That you have painted all of what you have prepped (or almost) is a sentence that is great to read in the final stage of the Challenge. And the cavalry you are showing us today is a great way to conclude a stunning production. Bravissimo!

 

 

JohnB: Tuesday Terrors: "sinews of war" the final cut - 3No. - 1/72 Opel Blitzs (45points)

This is my last post concerning the WW2 era forces that populate my Fauxterre fantasy games.

This time straight from the production line are some real world Opel Blitzs by Plastic Soldier Company. A post by another challenger last week, shows the same vehicles after a bit of campaigning.....

I had some fun fitting the windscreens which fouled the really exact fit of the models - something thats impressive until you mess it up with a mod. Anyway its fine in the end. I might even skip some shading although windscreens wipers might be added later.

I did paint the driver and assistant because they are so visible.

This time round I chose anew paint for me vallejo "Olive Brown" I gave it two coats over black undercoat/prime. I used contrast colour browns on the wood truck bodies and over yellow ochre for the canvas hoods. I might need to dry brush the hoods to reduce the shade a bit.

so its 3 vehicles at 15 points each for 20mm (1/72) or 45 points. not sure that different forces (german) vehicles gets me a squirrel?

Another trio of fine looking vehicles John.  Trucks don't last long on table, but they serve a vital role and I love to see them included.  And yes, I've counted opposing sides as two squirrels.  Hope that we see more before the end of days.  

 

PeterD

JOHN B: Tuesday Terrors: Off the production line for the Front - 1/72 PSC Valentine Tank (15points)

This AHPC has been a productive one if a little light on scratch built modelling. However I have made quite a few kits.

This kit is one of many Plastic Soldier Company models I collected as part of my Fauxterre project. Basically its between the wars nearly mechanised where those things I have read about and liked get to the table. So thats interwar biplanes, low gun capability tanks or simply the obscure technology that does not feature as late war - no super tigers or jets or overwhelming air power and industry.

Here is a simple example. Its the valentine which actually served the Allies (British and Russian) yet also used by the Germans. Its funny but the Germans were always short of tech/equipment so alongside all their fancy inventions often built in limited numbers you get the enemy kit recycled.

This is a plain Mk1 Valentine so has a 2 pounder gun which the British soon found to be of little use being not High Explosive capable and yet the Armour Piercing round soon could not penetrate the enemy armour. It is just off the Fauxterre production line and destined for the Rugian/Gombardia wars.

I think it looks quite confident! I have found doing camoflague a bit of a struggle during the challenge so tend to do the vehicles as built with the idea they get the camo added during or after an actual table top encounter. I mean I don't know yet which theatre they will be operating in.......... Points total is 1 x 15 points = 15 points and no squirrels

Nice work on this Valentine John, but you're a month or so late....Your camo less paint scheme works well given that you haven't decided on a theatre.  I've enjoyed your plastic kit vehicles over the challenge.  

 

PeterD

From JohnB: The Sinews of War Continues! 3No. 1/72 scale CMP trucks (45points)

I have been busy painting during this challenge and while not making models, my weekly offering has been sidetracked because I chose to do this years THREE BONUS THEMES. I have now completed the three bonus themes and posted them. First - Empire - Hungarians 1848 1/72 Hat figures.

Second - Toy Story - Duke of Berwicks Irish Regiment (wild geese) from the back cover of "Charge or how to play wargames" These were Strelets 1/72 Austrians (from War of the Spanish Succession) figures

Third - Rebels - Tumbling Dice 1/72 ECW Scots Covenanters - Colonel de Bois Regiment of Foot

I had not realised that they get corralled away from the weekly posting. Anyway here is my next offering to the Tuesday Terrors which just happens to be more Sinews of War in the shape of another 3 trucks. Somewhere in deepest Fauxterre.......

This time they are 1/72 plastics from the Plastic Soldier Company. The CMP truck was according to the box blurb a chevrolet manufactured mostly in Canada for British Empire forces.

Now which way do we go??

The canvas covers, drivers and wooden bodywork got a sepia wash finish but otherwise the paints were used straight out the pot. Yet on this occasion instead of using my usual Vallejo paint selection out of the blue I dug out some of my old citadel paints - still going strong (these are pre 2012 era). And I do think the Knarloc Green is very suitable for these trucks.

Points wise I think I get 3 vehicles at 15 points each = 45 points in total and like all my submissions so far I think I can claim some squirrels as the earlier trucks were corgi toys models at 1/60 scale?

Well thats it for now - not sure what might appear next!

Sorry about the confusion on the Theme Rounds John, but yes they have their set days, own tab and are officiated by the Snow Lord.  I've left your photos for the next two rounds as teasers, and you are appealing to my old school heart on both counts.

I always like to see transport on table, and that's a great looking trio of soft targets that should be very useful.  I confirm the 45 points, but you'll have to taker the squirrel count up with the Squirrels Finder General.  I've tagged the post so that he can find it more easily.

 

From MattW: Red Tail down (20 points)

 Red Tail Down 

I built this old Frog P51 kit from with an intention of adding it to my 1944 collection, however the quality was lacking so I built it as a crashed model. I happened to be watching Red Tails so I thought I would paint it as a red tail.

20mm vehicle 15 points

Cheers

Matt

TeemuL: It takes some courage to make a crashed plane from an intact one, but it pays off. Especially if the model is not perfect quality. And as this is a painting challenge, we don't really care if the models are flying or crashing or where they come from, we focus on the brushwork. I find paiting planes quite tricky, the coat of paint needs to be thin and even, but still have a good coverage, otherwise it doesn't look real. Based on your work, I guess this P51 just came from the factory, was painted and failed the lift off, because it looks so smooth.

I'll use my minion powers and grant you 5 bonus points, planes are often larger than the most common vehicles of the same scale, so it makes sense.

From Lorenzo: 1848 Danish Rifleman (32pts)

This is my second submission and it is another special unit for my First Schlieswig Holstein Wars (1848-1851). In this case we have some rifleman or light infantry from the Royal Danish Army.

This first photo shows these are conversions and not just repaints like the Guards were. I started this unit by first hunting down suitable head gear. The reality is this war has no ranges available in any scale except Pendrakens 10mm.

The great thing about 1/72 or 20-25mm is it is small enough to skip detail and large enough to consider each figure indidviually.

If I did want divisions and corps I would be at Pendrakens door or down to 6mm etc. But I want individual figures and 20mm is where that starts for me. I tried 15mm Ancients and again found it fell between two stools too big for big battles and too small for details to be appreciated. Injection Plastic ranges permit multiple purchases because of price and therefore also modificiation.

So I ended up with World War One British in this case because their flat caps in 1914 were the nearest match for my Danish.

The 1914 tunics can just about do for the frock coat although the rifles and ammo belts are wrong - but in 1/72 plastic land you can tolerate that. The puttees are another problem though - so out comes the toilet roll and glue. Long trousers with turnups and spats were quite the thing in 1848.

All in all I am pleased with the outcome. At three feet on the warboard they will work.

Basing wise although most rules show light infantry multibased I have gone for individuals on one penny pieces which are cheaper than buying mdf circles. I dug out some ancient GW basing stones and then added some javis fine green turf.

I reckon its just 8 x 4 pts as they are another "new aquisition" so thats 32 points I believe.

Sylvain: A very nice submission about an army rarely seen in gaming. All this is new knowledge to me. I hope more will come in the next few weeks.

 

From Lorenzo: 1/72 1848 Danish Guards + New Acquisition (69 points)

 Hi this is my first entry into AHPC ever, so please bear with me.

i am starting with some Danish Guards in Greatcoats circa 1848.

 

 

cockades were a feature of the 1848 war

in line for most rulesets

in attack column for most rulesets

in 1848 some troops still had old red straps and others the new black

hopefully others will follow!

 

 

the scale is 1/72, made by Strelets.

points claim is 12 @ 4pts = 48 points.

these are new starts so can i claim 20pts in the library for something new?

this would total 68pts.

 

Sylvain: Welcome to the Challenge, Lorenzo, and what a wonderful first submission. Your Guards look like they are in serious business and the ground work on your base adds to the esthetics of your units. I will add one point for the Danish flag and, yes, you can claim the "New Acquisitions". Bravo!   

If you could provide a map of the Analogueville Library showing your progress, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!