From RobP: More Blackstone Fortress (15 pts)

 A small entry today, only 3 figures from the Blackstone Fortress game. Of the three , two are Chaos Beastmen:

I have already painted the other two and quite enjoyed them. With their chainswords and laspistols I don't expect they do much other than run straight at you.

Lots to paint on these minis; itty bitty brass skullz, leg and arm hair. Personal grooming is out the window once you join chaos.

Fear not though; I have also painted Taddeus The Purifier- Space Pope!

 A rather an intimidating figure to paint; even more fiddly than the Negavolt Cultists. Sometimes I wonder what GW are thinking when I look all the shit dangling off their minis. Somewhere in the development of this figure some body said "I think he needs a tube coming out of his nose." To which the team replied "Brilliant!"

Anyway, thank the Emperor he has his Space Bible with him; surely a few verses from that will convince the beastmen of the error of their lifestyle choices

Nice painting! Not sure that those beastmen will stop to read that holy text before dismembering Taddeus though.

Tamsin

PaulS: Lair of the spider (30 points)

That Domerunner seemed like a nice fella, slightly distracted all the time... but who wouldn't be in a place like that. He'd muttered something about beware the amble. I'm not sure what he meant by that... maybe he means just don't loiter in this part of the tunnels and be quick about going through, maybe? The map said this was the spider lair so maybe it is just to avoid those...

The Domerunner appeares and yells "I said beware the AMBUL! Run!"

The Ambul is from Warhammer Quest: Black Fortress, but had rules in White Dwarf for use in Necromunda as a wandering monster. It's a fantastic reinterpretation of a really old figure that I recall really wanting at the time.

This is 7 points, with 20 for the bonus round... and that marks the end of the dungeon, with only the Snowlord's Altar in front of us. The end is near!

Last entry there were some queries about the walls and how I'd painted them, so here is a step by step using the Ambul's base as an example

Step 1: Undercoat black, then drybrush with Sons of Horus green

Step 2 and 3: Add a little bit of white to the green and drybrush again for each step.

Step 4: I made a useful weathering liquid by putting some VMC Chocolate brown into a full pot of GW lahmian  medium. This gives quite a nice brown wash that still has enough pigment to go over black to do mud, but when run over the green and wiped off with a fingertip, gives a nice dirty look

Step 5: After that, sponge on some very dark brown for chipping

Step 6: finally some rust weathering liquid is dabbed into cracks and joints to dirty it all up a bit more

From Barks: Guardian Drones in The Guardroom (35 points)

For The Guardroom, here are Guardian Drones from Blackstone Fortress. I have yet to see them in action, but they didn't thrill me whilst painting them. The carapace is Apothecary White and a white drybrush over a white undercoat.

This one's got a damaged Spindledrone

This one has a swarm of repair drones
coming from the floor.

With standard Spindledrones painted for AHPC IX

They're big; on 50mm bases. If anything, I wish they were bigger- the damaged drone is smaller than its siblings. So I reckon 15 points for the pair. This finally gives me runs on the board for the GW challenge, but not a skull to be found! I've been pumping out daily posts for the last week, but this will slow down a bit now.

2x large things: 15 points

Guardroom: 20 points

GW Challenge: 15

From RobP: Codsticker's First Submission: Negavolt Cultists (20 pts)

 Hello all, this is my rookie appearance in the APC but I have followed it for years and missed registering last year 'by that much'.

    My first entry is 4 Negavolt Cultists from the Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress basic game. 

I started these on the 21st but didn't get much painting time in between the 24th and 26th with family stuff going on. Today I was able to finish them off.

Like most (all?) GW figures there is a lot of detail on these minis; I may regret my choice to try and get through the remainder of my Blackstone Fortress models as part of the challenge.

Actually, looking at the pics, I'm not sure why they took so long...😕

Next up something simpler I think; possibly a unit of Norman warriors for my Saga warband or some boats to float around the aquafer in...

From Barks: Blackstone explorers (22 points)

I've been in isolation this week, waiting on a swab result which hopefully will come through today. I've used my time to attack these Blackstone Fortress explorers. I got started in December, but lost a bit of oomph as I was distracted by other projects and couldn't come up with satisfying schemes. But here we are:

Crusaders are, I think, nobles on religious quests. I would have preferred a more dynamic combat pose, since his role is to get into the thick of it and soak up damage.

Crusader

This lady is a sanctioned psyker. Cool pose and lovely details, but she failed to spark joy. I might use her on my next expedition and see if my opinion changes.

Sanctioned psyker

X-101 is a weapons servitor. A lobotomised cybernetic slave, I went through so many colours for his cables before settling on all green! Now he's a combat pumpkin.

X-101

This guy is easily my favourite- a technoarchaeologist. He's got all these great steampunk brass bits and I really enjoyed painting him- so much so, I had to stop myself from looking at a Adeptus Mechanicus Kill Team! Maybe later.

Technoarchaeologist

This will be my last skull-containing post, so here's what I've painted for the winner of the Skully McSkullface side duel (whoever he or she may be): a servoskull of your own. Paul, please stay exactly where you are as we have detected increased levels of heresy and the Inquisition is coming to assist you.

4x28mm 20 points

1x servoskull 2 points

Skull-o-meter™: 17

Cumulative skullz: 200

Hope you get the all clear. As a minion you have worked out what a post is about before opening. Not this one. That 1st photo took me by surprise. These are absolutely brilliant, especially the Santa figure.

From Barks: Lady adventuresses (20 points)

For my second trip in Sarah's Balloon, I've got some tautological lady adventuresses.

First I have two characters from Mansions of Madness. Ursula Downs is an explorer, and Daniela Reyes is a mechanic. I thought her chequered shirt came out OK.

Ursula Downs

Daniela Reyes

I also painted Leo Anderson. I gave him some grey around the temples.

Leo Anderson

Here they are with fellow investigator Norman Withers, painted earlier this Challenge.

On the Path of the Serpent

Second, I have Rogue Trader Neyam Shai Murad. This is a gorgeous plastic figure and was fun to paint. I particularly like the servo-skull reloading her six-shooter.

Rogue Trader Neyam Shai Murad

4x 28mm: 20 points

Sarah's Balloon: second trip

Skull-o-meter™: 2

Cumulative Skullz: 20


Wonderful stuff Barks.  Your MoM stuff is great and you are capturing these characters very nicely.  Also glad to see the Skullometer getting some use on the final figure.  But my go man you've several ballon rides worth of ladies here, why not pace yourself, spread them out thinner and get some better ballon mileage?
PeterD

From Barks: Chaos Command (12 Points)

More Pinkstone Fortress!

I tried to feel the love for these two, but couldn't fully muster it. I don't like the idea of a Commissar fallen to Chaos, who does the same thing only more evil. I'm not happy with the flag, it isn't good enough. I do like his stubble and facial scars, though! The Ogryn is cool with the icon impaling him utterly.

1x 28mm = 5
1x 40mm = 7

Skull-o-meter™: 3
Cumulative Skullz: 12

***
Always fun to see more work from your Barks. For myself, I'm not a huge fan of the "Chaos look" in the current 40k universe - and I agree with you on the Commissar - but certainly the brushwork here looks great, and it's fun to enjoy your latest installment of "Pinkstone Fortress".  The Painting Challenge often includes many particpants' own special projects, and this is one of the fun ones to follow. 

I'm also an OSL skeptic, but I have to say, you nailed it on the big brute's sword/pole/bashing-people-bar-thing. One of the many small but excellent painting bits you have executed so nicely on these figures.  Great work. 

GregB

From Barks: 40K Chaos Cultists (42 points)

Here are some Chaos Cultists for my Pinkstone Fortress project.

I think I've got flames nailed down. Progressive wetbrushing from yellow through orange to red on a white base.

Cultist Firebrand

Leader

Heavy. Turanga Leela, is that you?

Grenade Launcher

Autoguns. Great poses.

The cult assembles

I'm starting to think I've overdone the pink? Maybe less is more. Help stop me from second-guessing myself!

Skull-o-meter™: 8
Cumulative Skullz: 9

8x 28mm figures: 40 points

I absolutely love these. Pink is such an underusded colour for heavily armed psychopaths. To my mind the excellent flames should count as a standard so an extra couple for you