From TomC: Aaaaaand cut!

I would like to (forgive me) set the scene before I go through what I managed to get through during the Challenge: it is late 2022, Liz Truss squats athwart the helm of the United Kingdom, and I have only completed one figure so far in the year.

There she is, 5 points worth of Corporate Security Unit from Corvus Belli's Infinity game. That was it. So, cut forward several months and I am very pleased to have at least managed to best that!

 All in the light-box (if not all quite in focus...), with plenty of firsts for me in there and thankfully just enough to get me over my points target! I was a little short of my stretch goal of reaching the Director's Chair but all in all I'm glad to have managed what I did get done. 

 So thank you, once again, to Curt for engineering the Challenge, Sidney for the wonderful locations, Phil and his phellow Minions for herding us cats, my wife for her patience, and to the many people kind enough to comment on any of my posts, you are all wonderful.

 With the spirit of the Challenge in mind, here is what I have on my list to do next and, now that I have offered that information publicly, I have no choice but to actually get them finished!

I did try (and failed) to get this corn-fed chunk done before the Challenge...
...perhaps before AHPC XIV?

 
As a post-credit treat (?), here is the Maestro with some biped:

She knows not personal boundaries

Until next time!

From RossM: Romans, Spartans and a Skeleton (60 points)

 It's getting late for scribbling and scratching on the paper, not long to go now so time to show some more painted figures. 

This entry, my fifth in this Challenge,  has more Romans from Corvus Belli and Essex, Spartan cavalry from Xyston and a retro Citadel skeleton. 

In reverse order then, the skeleton from the Second Citadel Compendium in 1984, this was one of the first miniatures that I bought back in the day. This is the same figure, cleaned down to the base metal using cellulose thinners and repainted for your viewing today. 

If you follow the link above you will see the others of this motley crue. Over this year I hope to paint them all again and the release them to a gaming table at some point after all they can only die again.  

Next are the Spartan cavalry from Xyston. Never the strong point of a Spartan army, cavalry does however have it's uses so here they are. The slight shine is due the picture being sans matte varnish; a school boy error that will be rectified shortly. 

As always with Xyston figures, very nicely sculpted and cleanly cast. 

Lastly, for this post are a few more Early Imperial Romans. The legionnaires from Corvus Belli - the original metal casts - and supporting saggitarii from Essex Miniatures. 

The shield transfers are from Little Big Men and really bring the unit together. 

The double depth basing on a 40mm front is for use in ADLG and works well aesthetically as well as providing a more realistic look that the standard single rank on 40 x 15mm. 

There will be Romans in the next two weeks with the last legionnaires, auxilia and cavalry alea joining the finishing line for the 19th. 

So, how does this tally for the Challenge? 

1 x 28mm infantry figure: 5 points

3 x 15mm cavalry figures: 12 points

20 x 15mm infantry figures: 40 points

For a total of 57 points, taking the Challenge total so far to 118 (23.6%) with another 110 points nearing completion. Not the full amount however, it will see the Romans finished for now. 

Cheers for now

Cool mix of figures Ross.  Really like seeing the veteran Skelly come back to life (sort of).  Fine work on the ancients too.  Spartan overly does have it uses, scouting, flank protection, being something to thow away so as to give the phalanx another turn.  According to Xenophon, they hired Mercenary Cavalry which could be of better quality than the citizen cavalry.

I am rounding you up to 60 points.

From VictorK: 28mm Sci-Fi and WWII Germans (100 Points)

Okay, there would be no shields this time (wait for them next week, some Iberian cavalry incoming).

First are some Germans for WWII, nothing really special about them. Warlord minis (really nice, if you ask me), vallejo paints. This isn't an organized group like squad or a team, just a base for a future squad, an officer and a flamethrower carrier.

There is a proverb in our local community: "If you don't know, which colour to use for a miniature, paint it with fieldgray." Tons of sci-fi, fantasy and modern-like infantry were painted with fieldgray in our club - this colour is easy to use and nice-looking on the tabletop.



And the creams (for me) of this post are these guys - more different sci-fi minis from Corvus Belli, Inifinity, to use in our RPG.

And now on the groups. Those in red would be used as space pirates, PMC contractors and well-organized criminals. One of the main sources of military equipment on the Frontier is the "Atlas" corporation, and it uses red and white colours. Lots of  "bad guys" use their armour and guns as they are pretty easy to obtain and very reliable. In rare cases you can even obtain (buy, steal, get by other means) a power armor! And one of this guys managed to do it.

Next are two new operatives for 'Serenity' corporation. One is a common 'security specialist', but the lady is a more sophisticated person - covert operator and assassin (of course she is, everybody knows, that wearing a cloak makes you a steals-master!)

Two guys, which are nothing really specific - criminals, militia, adventurers, PMC-contractors, "hired guns".

And one more "gun specialist", accompanied by a member of "U Zang Wong" corporation.

So there are 20 28-mm minis, which sum up to a total of 100 points exactly.

Great entry again, Victor. Everyone appreciates a bit of Feldgrau in the morning, but those SciFi minis are most excellent. Interesting you're using them for your RPG, but thanks for sharing the background. Are you mixing manufacturers or just choosing from the Infinity range (which must be pretty huge by now)?  

I really like the Sci-fi styled clear bases on your Infinity minis. Partial as I am to the hulking power armour, I think my favourite of the bunch is that gun specialist at the bottom. I was fond of the Infinity system a few years ago, and have rather a lot still in my lead pile, but found the release schedule and power creep of later factions a bit much to keep up with. Still, the core rules are really dynamic and fun. 

100 points for your good self. Looking forward to those Iberian cavalry next week.  

Phil

From GillesW - Catching up on the Backlog - and Borix the Bard! (160 points)

Hi everyone,

I slowly catching up my "base and flock it!"  backlog this week, at least on my Chinese infantry.
These figures are from Essex Miniatures.  I painted them to replace some older ones I had painted previously.  The spears and halberds have been cut off and changed for plastic spears and I have added a banner from the excellent "Little Big Men" studios.

The main issue was to flock them like those I already based some years ago, so I could mix and match them on the table it if needed.

I also worked on more generic Chinese troops in case I want to play something different.  These are bowmen and crossbowmen. I'll paint the same skirmishers but with a brown base to use them in medieval settings too.

To me, this is not a true "points bomb" because the painting was done during the  3 and 4 weeks ago.
I still have some biblical, hellenistic, carthaginian and generic renaissance troops waiting their turn in the queue as I try to finish basing.

But I did paint sone figures this week - some Gauls with a new idea in mind, inspired by the magnificent figures of Miss Anne. Only it is on a more modest scale of course  - don't forget that I'm only a jester ;-)

I did a white undercoat and washed it in my mixture (the wash, known as "frenchjester's bath" is on my blog). Then I put a red glaze called Bloodletter (from Games Workshop) on the flesh areas. Once dry I highlighted here and there the skin with the Ungor Flesh  of Games Workshop, and added the details.

Here is the subject just below:

 Borix the Bard is a limited edition sculpted by Westwind Miniatures for a French friend of mine
(guess how much money he spent for the Kickstarters??) who play Gauls and all sorts of French armies all along the French history

 I'll use it as commander of my Ancient celtic mercenaries.

There are some conversions like heads and shields swaps among these warriors, the shields are inspired by the paintwork done on an Ancient British army by one of my paint masters the great Ian Speed. I find the " so fast" result  on the skins very interesting ( enough to self congratulations ;-)).
more of them will certainly follow...thanks a lot Anne!

Bien fait come toujours, Gilles! Well done.  Whenever you got the painting done, so long as it was done during the Challenge, then this looks like a real points bomb to me.  A lot of variety here (Chinese? Super cool!) but I quite like Borix the Bard, and I envy the esteem in which his colleagues appear to hold him (and the apparent strength they have to carry him around like that). And I'm sure Anne will be pleased to have influenced the work of a painter as prolific and proficient as yourself!

These 79 figures, along with a couple of extra points for spear replacing mayhem and the banner, get you 160 points.  What will the Jester have for us next week? J'attend avec enthousaisme...