From MikeD: 20mm North Vietnamese Army (132 pts)

My current gaming project is to run a campaign of Charlie Company with some friends. It's a rule set published in 1986 for miniature gaming in Viet Nam 1965-1972. It's got elements of a typical skirmish war game, but also some RPG elements. For example, the players represent squad leaders in a single platoon, with one playing the platoon command. Each squad leader may have different levels of experience, and accordingly better command stats. The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces are handled by the game-master/referee. The campaign will be a tour of duty, I'm thinking about 10 missions.

So I've been painting up a lot of VC and NVA. These are 20mm North Vietnamese Army figures from Britannia Miniatures. It's the second batch I've done for the project so it's mostly heavy weapons, officers, and a few vignettes. And a couple a water buffalo and pigs.

Group Shot

Small Mortar

RPG and Water Buffalo

Captured American Airman

Anti-Aircraft Gun

Tax Collector (I suppose it's healthy to feel a little ambivalence about this hobby sometimes)

Bigger Mortar w Radio man

Heavy MG crew backed up by pig

29 x 20mm foot @ 4pts each = 116

The past month has been crowded with a lot of life's 10000 joys and sorrows so it was touch and go if I would make this cut. I'm so glad I did. 

***

Hi Mike - congratulations on "making the cut" - we all know that life (or "1-to-1 scale" as I sometimes lament) can throw a lot of curve balls, and at times our hobby must take a back seat. But you have persevered, and here you are with a fine opening entry!

Gaming a setting such as the Vietnam War(s) is appealing, but daunting! How, after all, does one find rules which can recreate on our gaming tables the elements that made that period, particular the era of direct US intervention, so specific and unique? Congrats on finding and adapting a clever set of rules for just such a purpose.

Your painting is fine, and wow, I fear for whatever patrol might come up against this heavily armed crew!

Note for scoring I added extra points to account for the multiple crew-served weapons int the submission.

Welcome to AHPC XV!

GregB

From PeterB - When Science meets romance and some WW2 Aussies - Romance - 145 Points

 

The lights flickered in the laboratory as the thunderstorm crashed outside. Lightning filled the room with brilliant white as Dr Frankenstein (it's pronounced Fronk-en-steen!) slammed the giant lever down connecting the array of equipment frankensteined together (yep its that kind of post) connecting the lightning rod on the roof to the slab in the centre of the room. On the slab a figure lay, covered in a sheet. Raw electricity pulsed through the corpse and for a brief moment the skeleton was visible as creature glowed with energy. (You know, like when Jerry tricks Tom into shoving his paws into an electric socket.) There was a pause in the storm and the lab was silent. Then, very slowly the creature began to stir. 

"She's Alive!" shouted Frankenstein with giddy abandon. "I've done it again, now I shall have my bride!"

My first entry is a new modern take on a classic. From the horror range, Bad Squiddo games have this great pair of models, gender swapping the classic literary scientist.

Also in this post I can show the results of my experiments of sepia over browns. Last week I was looking for some specific shades. This is because an old wargaming friend had challenged myself and a couple others to a tale of four gamers challenge. (Yes, I am simultaneously taking part in two challenges) Each month we have to paint a set value of models in 20mm scale to then eventually partake in a day's gaming of Rapid Fire WW2 rules. My chosen nation is Australia.

I hope I have done them justice. The models are from Britannia miniatures and my first months budget has enabled me to paint up HQ, an infantry company and a machine gun company. The machine gun company needs a couple of trucks as well, but these will have come out of next months budget.

HQ

Machine gun company

Infantry company

The Points:

2 x 28mm @ 5 points = 10 points

Location bonus = 20 points

25 x 20mm figures @ 4 points = 100 points

1 x 20mm vehicle @ 15 points = 15 points

Total = 145 points

 Sylvain: A very interesting take on the classic tale of Frankeinstein (BTW, was Albert a cousin of Frank?). And these Aussies look like they are just ready to jump into action. Bravo for the truck, this under appreciated companion of all men at war! Superb production this week.

From RayR - Haitian Revolution - Royal Navy Landing Party 40pts

 

Its Haitian Revolution time!!

We had their leader Horatio Hornblower earlier on in the challenge.

so here we have his Royal Navy landing party.

The figures are from Britannia Miniatures that are available from Grubby Tanks.

These 8 will add 40 points to my total.

These fine naval gentlemen are all suitably attired (unlike your last entry...), ready to wrest control of Saint-Domingue from those French and their rebellious slaves. The Haitian revolution seems like quite an interesting period, with lots of betrayals, shifting loyalties and political backstabbing, giving you plenty of room for gaming small skirmishes and the occasional set-piece battle. 

Cracking work on these 8 additions to your collection.

From BenF - 20mm British Para Support (40 Points)

This entry is a few more figures for my Chain of Command British. Nick and Rich have been working on a supplement covering the Arnhem campaign, and so I thought it about time to add some missing bits and pieces to my Paras, as well as another PIAT team for my British. After 2019 being a year of many projects started, and none completed, a few mates and I have decided that 2020 will be 'consolidation year'. This means that we are currently having a focus on Chain of Command, and besides having three pint sized campaigns on the go, each matching up different players, it has given me a bit of focus to get some long term projects completed.

First off, here is a British Para .303in Vickers medium machine gun team. These are Britannia figures, and I did a small conversion by head swapping one of the figures. I do like the characterful Britannia sculpts, and feel that they do actually fit in fine with the rest of my force, which is primarily Battlefield/Blitz.

Next up, it's a forward observer team, again from Britannia. I've had a crack at painting a map with gridlines in the observers hand. This lot will be calling in some 3" mortar support in a chain of Command game soon.

Next, some snipers, two of which are required for a chain of command Para platoon. The chap with the hood is Battlefield/Blitz, and the other one is another Britannia sculpt. Another map for the hooded chap, just visible behind the tuft. I've gone for a dioramic approach for basing these, using some of the excellent taijima tufts and small shrubs.

Finally, the extra PIAT team. This is one of the superb new sculpts from Simons Soldiers. As with the other British infantry I posted, these are painted up as the 49th (West Riding) Division, with the polar bear shoulder insignia. Simon has been pumping out some brilliant new sculpts, particularly some late war Fallischirmjager and 1940 French. Some of his Volkssturm are on the painting bench, and I've just finished off a German grenadier gruppe for my Late War Germans. Short of an anti tank gun team, that should finish off my 1944-45 Brits, though I have been toying with the idea of getting a few sections worth of the new Adler British infantry in windproof smocks, for those 1945 scenarios.

So far as points, this should net me another 36 points (9 x 4 points).

Next up, it'll be a few 20mm German Landsers and a Volksturm commander for my late war Germans.

***

Great work Ben, I've got a ton of respect for anyone who can manage the camouflage of the British paras in any scale, particularly this nicely. Well done. 

For scoring, I (ab)use my minion powers to add extra points for crew-served weapons and tempting sanity by painting British para camo. Let's make it 40 points.

GregB

From LeeH: Ships of the Desert (Challenge Island Entry Fee) (35 Points)

The fortuitous combination of Bank Holidays and my regular day off means I have had almost a whole week off work over Christmas, without having to use any holiday up. That's lucky in two ways; first I work for a Charity and they are understandably stingy with holiday entitlement so I don't have many days leave available to start with, and secondly, it means I have had lots of time to get stuck into painting for the Challenge. On the less happy side, my poor wife has been quite ill over the holiday and while she has spent the last week and a half laying on the sofa watching TV, I've been free to occupy myself with my miniatures. I have to say that even I'm champing at the bit to get outside and painting these two ships of the desert is just stocking that need to be outside. 

I'm not 100% sure where I got these (Britannia Miniatures I think?) but I do know they almost made it into Challenge IX. I started painting them but ran out of time and I wasn't at all happy with how they looked, so I stripped them, re primmed them and put them aside for another year. Now, at last, they are back on my desk and I have managed to finish them off as my entry fee to Challenge Island. It won't take a genius to guess who I had in mind for these figures, but they could go to any of those that make it to the Snow Lords Peak. I decided not to rebase them, with the idea that if I kept the original cast metal bases they could be adapted to fit into any suitable force with a little groundwork. 

I have already finished my first location-based entry to Challenge Island, but I'll submit that later, once my fee figures have been posted. So two camels should net me five points each, plus the entry fee bonus of 25points will give me a tidy 35 points from this entry. Onwards and upwards! 

_____________________________

Great look camels, Lee. Some lucky Challenger will be getting these Ships of the Desert. I like how their head positions are evocative of how we imagine these smelly, hard-working creatures and I also fancy how the coloured tassels nicely offset their otherwise fairly drab appearance. Well done!

-Curt

From RossM: The Last Post - 20mm WWII German armour (38 points)

As the final hours of the Challenge tick by here is the final post for my contribution to this years challenge and as promised its the WWII German Armour in 20mm from Britannia Miniatures.

From left to right above we have:

• SDKFZ 140 Flakpanzer 38(t)
• PZKW III J with short 50 mm barrell
• PZKW II (f) - Luchs

All three vehicles were painted in the same method starting with a base coat of Vallejo Mid Stone, followed with a liberal wash of Nuln Oil from Citadel. Then it's wet brushing the base coat back on then to finish with a dry brush of Foundry Moss C to highlight.

Here are some more pictures of the SDKFZ 140 with decals from Skytrex.

Next we have the PZKW III

With all three vehicles opted not to have camouflage on them and whilst I enjoy painting Late War German camouflage I feel the finish on these three vehicles is good without the detailing of camouflage.

The stowage and extras on the MK III really make the model.

Lastly we have the PZWK II (f)

Both MK III and II together.

As this is the final post I make the tally a grand 36 points for 3 20mm vehicles. This takes my overall total to 304 which just passes my Challenge target for this year.

In preparation of next year's challenge I would like to put forward this tune for you all:

Public Image Limited - Rise

https://youtu.be/Vq7JSic1DtM

Looking forward to seeing your brush work again next challenge and I will sort out my donation to charity very shortly.

Cheers, Ross


From Minion Tamsin:
A cracking finish to the Challenge for you Ross and congrats on passing your target.
I do like the painting on these - as you say, they look damned good without adding camouflage. I'm going to add a couple of points for the stowage.