From: Jeff B, Level 2 - Chamber 1 - Adventure's Landing (50 points)

The dark steaming jungle lies directly to port, the sunlight dances off the clear, shimmering, and bright aqua surf. The young LT wonders if this beach landing be contested or will it be a cake walk as his commander boasted? As the oarsmen struggle against the heat and humidity the French Naval Landing artillerists are cursing their wool uniforms. They soon, like the Legionnaires already inland, will discard the unwanted and inappropriate items and exchange them for locally made lighter fabrics. The excessive humidity deteriorates the European theatre gear rather quickly.

For this beach landing challenge I have chosen a French Naval Landing gun crew from Askari Minis. They are in the 1890's -1910's Naval Uniforms and are kitted out for a landing party in support of French Marines, Sailors, and Legionnaires fighting the infamous Black Flag Pirates of Tonkin. (I have Black Flag gunners on the painting table now!)

The small artillery piece is a French Mountain Gun, also from Askari Minis. However, this model is about 20 years old, Al has since made an even better retooled version of this gun that I will surely have to get. Askari Minis new retooled gun link.

I've painted this crew for my buddy Dan from the Last Stand Boatyard to be used for my favorite rules set The Sword And The Flame, though he's also a fan of the rules set, The Men Who Would Be Kings.

Chamber 20 pts, (4) 28mm figs x 5 pts = 20, (1) 28mm gun x 10 pts (it's a small gun, possibly only worth 5 pts?) - Total for this chamber: 50 Pts

What fine-looking Tars. As for the scoring, a crew-served-weapon is a crew-served-weapon ang gets 10 points if it's 28mm!

Tamsin

From Jeff B: Level 1 - Chamber 4 - The Aquifer (25 points)

Seaman McNulty gripped the wheel with white knuckled hands as he changed coarse as commanded. He could see the approaching enemy ships altering course as well. Below him on decks was a hive of activity with Midshipmen ordering crew and gunners to clear decks and prepare to engage the swiftly closing enemy ships.

I rarely mix colors as I find it tedious, difficult to master, and wasteful as I usually don't get to finish up what I mix. However in this case since I knew it was a one off figure I experimented and added an off white color to the tan to make 2 highlight shades for the base color and a light cream to the grey to make 2 highlight shades for his grey trousers.

I believe that this is a dated Old Glory Casting from one of the large resin sailing ship kits, it's quite heavy indeed. The helmsman is a simple and fairly clean casting, nothing extravagant, and is a good basic casting that will do the job well. The legs are a bit thick, but at his station on his ship he looks the business and is a perfectly good wargame model.

I painted this ship about 8 years ago for a Yorktown game we assisted a good friend and clubmate of mine Bill Moreno of Good Ground Miniatures was running for one of our HMGS-South's two Florida cons. The sails are by The Flag Dude and the excellent rigging was done by another long time (41 + years) friend and clubmate Jorge Sanchez Galarraga. If it wasn't for Jorge and his friends letting the little kid play with them in the 70's I may not still be so involved and enamored with our awesome hobby today. Thanks gents!

The Aquifer Chamber = 20 pts, (1) 28mm fig = 5 pts: Total: 25 Pts

Oh! Thank goodness! I thought for a minute that I might have to come up with a suitable score for the ship!

Nice job on the helmsman - as you say, it is a good, basic wargames figure.

Tamsin

From Jeff B: Level #1 - Sorceress Sarah please teleport me (25 points)

Oh Sorceress Sarah, I ask you to use your powers to please teleport me from the Golem's Haunt to the Aquifer as the grey scale scares me and I've not cleaned and primed my Larder vignette as of yet.

As a sacrifice for this request I offer up this entry, a stalwart colonial woman adventurer. A walking stick with internal blade in one hand and possibly a Derringer hidden in her pocket in the other.

Primed black, as I usually do, I've used my comfortable military shades pallet to make her fit into a column of other colonial adventurers trekking across the jungle, savannah, desert, or veldt...

This is a 28mm figure from the Copplestone Castings High Adventure Range. The Copplestone figs are a joy to paint. I was going for a suntanned skin tone, however I think it came out a bit too orange in the pictures, way more so than in person. I may have to add some more highlights to lighten up the overall tone a little.

Here's the link to the page: https://www.copplestonecastings.co.uk/prod.php?prod=191

                                     Sorceress teleportation request: 20 pts

I do agree that Copplestone figures are a joy to paint; such great sculpts. I can just see that archaeologist bossing around her diggers before retiring to her tent for a refreshing G&T.

You forgot about the 5 points for the figure, so that makes 25 points added to your tally.

Tamsin

From Jeff B - Level #1 - 3rd Chamber - Golem's Haunt

 

My next entry is a fantasy figure I picked up in the late 70's or earlies 80's during my D&D days. I'd saved this figure from the great sell off many years ago and was recently found in box while doing a log of all the unpainted lead. Something I needed to do to prevent me from buying figures I didn't need and to curtail the "Oh Shinny" sickness. 

Balrog lives! An adventurer given the name of a demon by the local populace due to his heinous chaotic evil deeds has been reanimated by a wicked sorcerous whom he'd loved to serve her black heart and evil ambitions.

 This is a true 25mm figure from an unknown mfgr, mounted on a thin 1 1/8" fender washer, primed black, and painted with various hobby and craft store paints. The base material is a gesso mixed with sand, old coffee grounds, and pebbles, then painted and dry brushed.

This fig was actually given the name Balrog by one of my buddies Victor, during an adventure, whom I've been gaming with for the past 42+ years. I can't believe that I still have this figure, that it took me this &%$^#(@ long to slap some paint on it, and that I can remember the story. 

This fig will also serve as my entry if needed. 

Chamber 20 pts, 25mm figure 5 pts.