From StuartL - Counting Down the Days - Western, Gift Shop & Limo (289 Points)

Hello all,

I have quite a few things to post today, so let's get started.

First off, a trip in Lady Sarah's Limousine to an unplanned stop at the Gift Store. To pay for this, I offer this model is from Wyrd Miniatures' game Malifaux. Malifaux has 8 factions each with about 8 sub-factions (known as Crews) and this model is taken from the Showgirls crew of the  Arcanists. The Showgirls are illusionists and tricksters, running a smuggling operation from the basement of the Star Theatre in Malifaux city. This figure is the leader of the group, Colette DuBois.

Last week, my wife found some garden ornaments at our local dollar store (100 yen store actually), that she really liked. However, they were quite plain being mainly white clay with just a hint of colour. Knowing that I have a room stocked full of paints and other colourful substances, she suggested that they would look much nicer if they just had a tiny bit of pigment added. Figuring that these would qualify for the Gift Store bonus, I agreed to take time out of my schedule and paint them up.

Miniature Arab for scale.

So, after googling some pictures of hedgehogs and having my wife select one that she likes, I set to work. As the ornaments had a lot of texture sculpted on already, I settled on a 'wash and wipe' technique. I first applied some dark fleshy tones to the feet and mouth, then put Vallejo washes on the parts of the body that needed them. Before that had a chance to dry, I wiped a folded tissue over the figure, trying to remove some of the wash on the top layers of the fur. I then added a second darker wash over the top of the body and repeated the process. Finally, I painted the eyes a bit more, as the originals just had small dots of black in the centre rather than a fully black orb. Once everything was dry I varnished them and quickly grabbed some pictures before my wife could transfer them to the garden. 

With that quick pit stop out of the way, it is on to the next part of the studio, the Western stage, but to get there I need to pay my way in the Limo, so here is another Showgirl for Malifaux.

The Western stage is a tricky one for me as I don't have any real Western figures. However, I do have a lot of Weird West figures, or more accurately Wyrd West. Malifaux is a game set in an alternate world circa 1900, where magic is real. Using magic, people opened a breach between dimensions, linking Earth to the strange land of Malifaux. In this new land, humans have gone forth to settle and plunder, creating a new frontier of colonisation. Leading the way are an organisation called the Guild, they control traffic through the breach and maintain law and order in the most draconian ways possible. They maintain magically powered automata to bolster their forces as well as countless guards, undead hunters, monster slayers and more.

These are some Guild riflemen backed up by two Wardens, machines designed to apprehend and detain possible suspects using grappling claws. These five will form the start of my Guard crew. The Wardens can also pull double duty in one of my existing crews as well, so that is a bonus. Malifaux figures are usually in the 32mm range, but the constructs are bigger, standing around 40mm+.

With my main studio visit out of the way, it is time to see what else I painted up this week. I've been on a bit of a Bolt Action/WW2 kick this time and so I present the following, in 5-man Squirrel sized squads.

Some African soldiers to fight for the British against the Japanese in India and Burma. Models are from Warlord Games with heads from Gripping Beast.

Some Frenchmen, equipped by the Americans to fight the Germans in Italy. Models are from Warlord and Artizan (or Crusader, I forget) with heads from Gripping Beast.

Some Germans to fight pretty much everyone in Europe. Models are from Warlord Games.

And some Russians to fight for the Motherland. Models are from Warlord Games.

And some Death Korps of Krieg, just because I was painting Germans and thought the colours would be a good match for these models. The figures are from Games Workshop and are part of their Kill Team range. Being GW Imperial figures with a name like Death Korps, they obviously bear a lot of skulls. 1 on each helmet, belt and backpack and 2 each on most guns.

So, with that, I just have to pay for my trip to the last section of the studio before the Director's Chair, the Fantasy Studio, which I will be tackling next week. One more Malifaux model should do the trick.

Ok, on to the scores.

31x 28mm models @5 points = 155 Points.

2x 40mm models @7 points = 14 Points.

3x Limo Rides + 2 Studio areas @20 Points = 100 Points.

Hedgehogs = ? These were really fast and simple and I didn't paint large sections of the lower body. If my minion feels like giving me some bonus points, that's fine, but it was mainly just splashing on two layers of wash.

Total = 289 Points

My side duels.

Squirrels + 6 = 34

Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Dwarves, Fire Giants, WW2 Polish, Daemons, Viridians, Vasa, Junkers, Turnips, Necrons, Tau, Genestealers, WW2 Japanese, Teutonics, Lizardmen, Gnolls, Arabs, Space Marines, Kung Fu Chinese, Wolf's Dragoons, Merfolk, Fishmen, Fish, Mummies, Greek Myth, Peasants, Desert Terrain, Guild, WW2 Africans, WW2 French, WW2 Germans, WW2 Russians, DKoK

Skullz + 24 = 224

Turnips - 115 Points

That's a lot of squirrelling. Great work, love the western ladies. I'll count he hedgehogs as 28mm cavalry, just for cuteness.

From SanderS: A squirl post? (55 points)

 Hoi,

 

Today I'd like to show you a few figures I have painted up to clear the table. First up is a figure from Wargames Foundry depicting good old Julius Caesar. My brother turned 40 last week and as a present he asked for a figure of Caesar. That might seem strange but there's a reason for this. He has two sons, just like me, and the eldest is called Ragnar. So for one of his earlier birthdays I have painted him a figure of Ragnar Lothbrok. His youngest is called...can you guess it? Yup...Julius and hence the figure.

Next up are two test figures I have painted up for a future project my Warhammer 40.000 Thousand Sons. I couldn't choose between the regular and characteristic blue armour and the more 30K ish red armour. In the end I chose the latter since I could proxy them for 30K if need be.

Last are 4 real Fimir from the old Heroquest box. After my previous post I really needed to get rid of the  taste of fish in my mouth and so painted up my remaining Fimir.

7 times 5 points for 28mm figures is 35 if I am not mistaken. Oh and there's 12 skullz on the Chaos Space Marines by the way!

Cheers Sander

Nice figures, Sander! I don't think any of them count for the squirrel duel though, as I believe it is a minimum of 25 points per type. However, as the first figure is a gift, I've added it as a Gift Store entry, so you've got another 20 points and can tick that location off on your studio map..

Tamsin

From StuartL - Battletech Mechs - Gift Store - 50 Points

For my fourth and final post today, I am going to drop by the Gift Store.

In my local group, I am one of the only current members who plays Battletech, the other only shows up once in a blue moon, so we are never really able to play. However, a good friend of mine who is really into the game is moving to the area in Spring this year. So, I have been looking for other people who might be interested in getting into the system, so that we have some variety in our match-ups. Another friend of mine has tried a game and kind of liked it, but he is one of those hobbyists who almost never buys into a new game and when he does takes an absolute eternity to get anything painted. So, to help get him up and running faster, I decided to buy and paint a small starter force for him.

Wolverine, Archer and Locust

My friend likes to play the goodies in most games, but those are hard to find in the Battletech universe where the definition of 'good guys' is 'doesn't indiscriminately nuke civilian targets for giggles.' My friend also really likes wolves, for whatever reason. Taking those two nuggets of information, I eventually settled on painting a bunch of models from the mercenary unit Wolf's Dragoons.

Blackjack, Awesome and Spider

In the lore, the Wolf's Dragoons were sent to spy on the Great Houses of the Inner Sphere by the Clans, a group of eugenics loving, honour crazed nutters who thought they should be in charge of everything. The Dragoons worked as mercs for each of the Great Houses, and eventually decided that while the houses were despicable tyrants they were still marginally better than the clanners. When the Clans did invade, Wolf's Dragoons sided with the Great Houses, making them kinda, sorta one of the good guys???

These minis are all 3D printed, I found a designer (Syllogy) on My Mini Factory who is releasing most of the basic mech STLs for free. The smallest of the mechs is about the height of a 28mm infantry model, with the Archer and the Awesome being a fair bit bigger.

Scoring time:

6x28mm models (I know that they are nominally 6mm vehicles, but they are much bigger than that)

=30 Points

Gift Store = 20 Points

Total = 50 Points

My side duels

Squirrels +1 = 21

Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Dwarves, Fire Giants, WW2 Polish, Daemons, Viridians, Vasa, Junkers, Turnips, Necrons, Tau, Genestealers, WW2 Japanese, Teutonics, Lizardmen, Gnolls, Arabs, Space Marines, Kung Fu Chinese, Wolf's Dragoons

Skullz - 200

Turnips - 85 Points

And that is all from me for this week.

Love these, not a game I've ever played but these are really cool. If you've done for the week does that mean i can relax

From SimonG: Roman Shields, Zombie Aladdin and a Brace of Nogs (119 points)

After last weeks plain diet of Romans my offering this week has something for everyone I hope. Before I get to the main dish however I have an amuse bouche -- the hand painted shields that I had not had delivered in time for last week.

These are 1st Corps rounded edge scutum which I think are closer to the shields used in the Jewish war. They were free hand painted and edged and annotated in fine marker in a style to suit legio V Macedonica. I discovered to my chagrin that fine markers scratch metal very easily so there was a lot of fixing and filling needed -- no such problem on plastic or even other harder metals. Anyway at gaming distance I think they look pretty decent.

A Visit to World Cinema

Our first main stop this week is to the studio lot where an Estonian director is directing an adult take on Disney's Aladdin in which Aladdin is a Zombie ...

... Who rides an ancient Egyptian centaur ...

... And there are three versions of Abu, all of whom are malignant Imps!

These are all 40mm scale plastic sculpts -- the Aladdin and the Imps are from Descent: Legends of the Dark and the Centaur is from the Black Rose Wars Inferno supplement. Shown here next to a Victrix Roman to get a sense on scale.

What I really enjoyed with these three pieces (beyond some great sculpts) was the chance to really play with techniques -- for the Ninja/Assassin/Aladdin figure the choice of brown tones with the pop of colour in the sash and the leaves, plus working on smooth gradations for the air effect.

On the centaur I played around with OSL for the first time -- the magic spinning chain saw thingies casting an eerie green glow across the upper torso (a mix of a sliver layer paint and a bright green layer).

And with the Imps getting each to be a distinct character, to use colour carefully with the only red in the Toadstools -- and two sorts of magic effect (the water and the green twinkly wings) -- using a mix of gloss and matte varnishes to make the various effects pop.  This probably the most complex figure I've had to work on for overlapping figures, so lots of back and forth correcting over painting as you put in each colour!

Just Stopping Off at the Gift Shop

Finally for this week we're swinging by the Gift Shop with a present for my Wife's birthday coming up next month. The present is a presentation set of the main characters from Noggin the Nog in the white metal versions from The Little Soldier Company.

Painting was straight forward using the LSC references with simplification of details to suit the cartoon style. I think I liked how Thor Nogson turned out best!

Totting Up the Results

My totals for today are:

• 49 points for the three Aladdin figures (two 40mm foot and one mounted, I'll count the three imps as one larger figure) including the 20 point World Cinema bonus 
• 60 points for the Noggin the Nog set (8 28mm figures plus a 20 point gift shop bonus)

For a total of 109 plus anything our illustrious Minion thinks the ten hand painted shields might be worth!

So far I've stopped off at four Green Zone locations and have one more before I'm done -- next stop another journey with Lady Sarah will take me to the 1980s!

Nice work on those shields, Simon, but it's the centaur that steals the show for me. Oh, and what a great gift for your wife! For the shields, I believe that 1 point each is customary.

Tamsin

From Sarah: Three 10mm Fantasy (Fantastical?) Buildings (70 Points)

Hello Everyone,

Great to be back in this years Challenge and I’m very relieved to have submitted a post before the dreaded 'Director's Cut'.

During last years Challenge, I painted my very first-ever mini as well as terrain/buildings. Of the three buildings I intended to paint last year, two were finished and the third one sat neglected and sad, lost in the lead pile.

Conveniently, the Snowlord has given us Challengers opportunity to re-visit partially painted figures with the Under Construction Workshop on the Studio Map. Yay!

The two buildings from last year, Sunset Tower and Dusk Hall, were painted in a style I call ‘Monet has lost his mind and is painting small buildings instead of Giverny’

That’s right, behold the mash up of pointillism and impressionism as interpreted by me on the canvas of these wonky, whimsical buildings.

First up, and the entry for the Under Construction, is The Ochre Arms.

Here is The Ochre Arms, unfinished and neglected in the Spring of 2022

...and now finished in all its ochrey glory.

This grand and welcoming building that has stood for centuries. The Ochre Arms is so ancient that the structure itself appears to be part of the landscape.

The ochre tones of yellowish-orange is meant to imbue a warm, welcoming and bright feeling on The Ochre Arms. It’s a good spot to meet up with friends new and old for a pint!

Another wonderfully whimsical building is Moss Manor.

Like The Ochre Arms, Moss Manor is venerable and ancient, and perhaps through Fae Magick has acquired a hidden, secretive aura, blending in with the verdant landscape.

Nonetheless, my favourite of the three, is The WaterHouse.

Like its neighbours, The Ochre Arms and Moss Manor, The WaterHouse has over time taken on the characteristics of its location.

Deep blues turning to light blues& greens, highlighted with silver as though reflecting light off water.

But the coolest features are the small jolly boat hanging off the side, and the use of a longship as a tower!

These three buildings were given a coat of black gesso then a dry brush of a light grey craft paint, followed by a light sand or bone craft paint.

Then I literally gathered up all of Curt’s colour contrast paints, sorted by colour and channeled my inner mad Monet and dabbled paint in a seemingly haphazard fashion until I was done (enough)

I’m sure my carefree paint brush manner drives the Snowlord bonkers … but he was very encouraging and tried to not make too many suggestions. (I made many suggestions, but she ignored most of them. -ed)

Points wise, I think these three buildings take up 1/2 a cube for 10 points

The first building, The Ochre Arms, will give me 20 points for fulfilling the Under Construction criteria.

I’m using Moss Manor to move to the High Adventure area. Moss Manor looks like the home of adventuring Elves. High Fantasy = High Adventure for another 20 Points.

The WaterHouse (in fact all three of these buildings) will be ‘gifted’ to Curt for use on the tabletop, which fulfills the Gift Store criteria for an additional 20 Points!

That should put me at 70 Points in total. :)

Thanks for stopping in to look at my village!

- Sarah

Minion Miles: Well this is a wonderful submission - I especially like Ochre Manor and the line " my carefree paint brush manner drives the Snowlord bonkers" is both wonderful and earns you a whoping 5 bonus points - nicely done!