From JonathanO: The SAGAS of Noggin the Nog - At various locations of the Chambers of Challenge XI (150 points)

 I did not intend to do a really late post, but I realised that I still had time to make my points target.  I finished off a few figures that were in progress and completed a few more.  This is a bit of fun to finish off with and I hope you won't mind if I visit 5 additional locations in the one post.

I present some miniatures from the Little Soldier Company that were based on the characters from the children's books and TV series "The SAGAS of Noggin the Nog".

At the Hall of Heroes we have Noggin and queen Nooka:

Retracing my steps through rooms already visited, I get to the Hatchery.  Here we find Nogbad the Bad and his crows hatching a plan:

At the Armoury there are two Nog soldiers:

The Gallery of Ancestors features Noggin's parents King Knut and Queen Grunhilda:

Finally in the Guardroom, NOT keeping a close eye on the treasures of the Nogs are these two sleeping Nog sentries:

The whole group:

I had planned to complete all the figures during the challenge, but plans change!  At least I got most done for this final entry.

So 10 x 28mm figures = 50 points , plus 5 x 20 for new locations visited = 100 bonus points.  For a grand total of 150 points to take me comfortably over my target.  Hurrah!

Thanks to Curt for allowing me to participate in another enjoyable Painting Challenge.  Thanks to Sarah for continuing to support this madness!  This could not be so awesome and big without the wonderful Minions - thanks to you all.  Finally well done all participants and thanks for sharing your superb painting, interesting and amusing stories as well as for supporting each other on this journey through the Chambers of Challenge XI.  

Cheers,

Jonathan

From Guy B: [Hall of Heroes] We could be heroes, just for one day... [90 points]

These lovely miniatures almost were the miniatures for the Oubliette. I bought some lovely BEF miniatures (from BEF Miniatures) over a decade ago, but never got round to painting them. They are now supplemented by Warlord Games and 1st Corps models. 

I loved the BEF Miniatures, but they were sold to Warlord Games, so are no more. The Warlord models are similar but not the same sculpts (I'm not sure why). The Bren gunner above is a Warlord one.

The models are painted in Vallejo colours but using thinners to achieve a washed effect (similar to contrast). I'm still experimenting with the technique, I'm not 100% happy with it, but it shows promise.

Oddly, the Warlord ones come with separate heads and are a tad shorter than the BEF ones. I am glad to get paint on these finally and have enjoyed painting them.

Next, I need to add some vehicles and support weapons, probably an 18/25 pounder. A Matilda tank would be cool, probably the Mark 1.

There is also the 1st Corps range, which I do like. The sculpting is perhaps a tad simpler than other ranges, but they mix in fine. Painted up, you can't tell the difference. The Boyes team is a 1st Corps model.

So, that's fourteen heroic BEF soldier ready to defend Dunkirk, Calais or a Seelowe invasion. I make that 70 points plus the 20 point bonus.

LeeH - Lair of the Spider - Spider Scorpion

The description for this penultimate chamber in the Chambers of Challenge says that the aforementioned spider has been scared off by something worse. Well, I think a Spider Scorpion can definitely be described as worse! This fearsome critter is as creepy as a spider but with an added reason to be wary. Both insects give me the creeps at the best of times, but combined this model was a challenge just painting it.

This is a Ral-Partha figure that I picked up on eBay some time ago. It has been sitting - no, Lurking - in my lead pile ever since just waiting for a chance to pounce. The tail is cast separately and I had to do a bit of work to make the joint fit properly before glueing it together with a strong Epoxy glue to give it some resilience. 

I have a confession to make though, this wasn't my first choice for this room. I have a large Beholder model that I was going to use here and I got as far as priming the figure but I couldn't face it (no pun intended). Despite looking forward to painting it for the last thirteen weeks, when it's time came Eye just couldn't find the motivation (pun definitely intended). Thankfully the Spider Scorpion was waiting in my lead pile to replace it. So there it is, I have battled my way through the Chambers of Challenge and now I stand before the Snowlords alter awaiting instructions. What devilish tribute will be demanded of me I wounder? 

(Scoring: 1x28mm Monster + CoC Bonus = 25 Points)

LeeH - The Hall of Heroes - Northern Barbarian

As someone who grew up reading the works of Robert E Howard, it's probably not surprising that when someone mentions a Hero I naturally think of a windswept northern barbarian striding across the tundra of Hyboria. And this figure is very inch the heroic archetype. The sculpting of the furs, in particular, is exceptional and far better than one would typically get on a 28mm model I think. Although it has to be said he's about 32mm to the eye so he's a big fella!

This metal figure is suitably chunky and has a real heft to it when held in the hand. Call me old school but it feels much more satisfying than an equivalent resin or plastic miniature. 

From here I am heading towards the final chamber the Lair of the Spider before braving the Snowlords Challenge. I can hear ominous scuttling sounds from the darkness ahead...did someone say the spider wasn't there any more, because I'm not so sure...

(Scoring: 1x28mm Figure + CoC Bonus = 25 Points)

Who doest love a Cimmerian on the tabletop? Bonus point for Conan!

Cap'n W

From NoelW: The Hall of Heroes: (186 points)

 And here we find ourselves in the Hall of Heroes. In the red corner, which is very red by now, stand the remainder of our heroes, valiantly launching arrows into the air as if there is no tomorrow. Which there probably will not be, for them.

Because, in the blue corner, emitting blue smoke from the ends of their muskets and language of a similar colour from their snarling mouths, are ranks of invaders from Challenge Island.

 

Now we see the archers about to run out of arrows.

As the enemy now masses its cowardly cavalry, ready to charge and complete their conquest. 

 Those heroic archers are on the point of being overwhelmed, all hope just about lost. It’s exactly at the moment, with classic timing, that – 

Hang on! I was just saying: “It’s exactly at the moment, with classic timing, that - ”

Where are they?

I know they were around here somewhere. They were in the Lair of the Beast, and charging in this direction…It should be exactly at this moment, with classic timing, that -

“Woof!”

Scruff charges in. Closely followed by the huge troll that Gnawbone has become, and hard on his heels the slew of monsters he has gathered together. 

They hurl themselves pell-mell into the mass of invaders, taking no prisoners, biting, chomping, stinging, flailing, skewering, shishkebabing – in short, rather dismaying the hitherto cocky invaders. And in a few moments the fight is over.

The monsters each select what they desire from the pile of the defeated (we better not look too closely at that) and wander off to their selected undesirable dark, dank and dismal corners of the Chambers of Challenge which they’ve just successfully protected.

It’s exactly at the moment, with classic timing, that Titchy and his party come charging in.

“Oh,” says Titchy, “we got lost. All these tunnels look the same.”

“There’s another over there,” says Getrude, watching a sneaky survivor attempting to crawl back to the beach. “Let’s follow Gerald’s lead and put the last of these pesky invaders to the sword/staff/dagger/tooth.”

Here we see a party of not entirely sensible adventurers fired up with blood-lust and consumed with the indignant desire to protect treasure which they have absolutely no right to, racing down the tunnel towards the scent of the sea, sand dunes and something that sounds ominously like a rattle of bone.

 ***

So this is another somewhat eclectic post.

First are 5 Perrys’ Agincourt archers.

I’ve a sort of policy – well, habit, really – of adding to the English army each time I add to the French, so having painted six French knights a little earlier in the Challenge, I had to add another handful of archers. However, these figures are not my favourite Perry pieces – they’re fine, of course, but not exciting to paint – and the archers tend to be a mass of nondescript colours in any case, so I don’t lavish a huge amount of time on these. Basic colours and a wash here and there, and that’s it.

Next we have a badly photographed regiment Zamora, Napoleonic Spanish infantry, in the 1805 uniform (my army is loosely aimed at 1808) – though further research suggests the collar should be white, not black.

Figures by Warlord in their rather strange resin/plastic hybrid. I actually quite like these models, and enjoy painting them, though you can probably see that the relief on the castings is not as deep as you'd get with metal. I will probably buy more, simply because they're a decent price for bulking the army, but the resin has annoying flash which is difficult to spot (until you find yourself painting it), seems to occur arbitrarily on the figures, and is difficult to pare away in reasonable fashion.

The cavalry unit is Hompesch’s Hussars (1801), fighting for the Brits in Egypt against those pesky invading French who for some reason question the hegemony Britain is trying to impose upon the world.

Figures by Perry Miniatures from their Napoleon in Egypt range. I like these figures so much it turns out I accidentally bought the unit twice! I don’t know what I’ll do with the other six, unpainted, figures. Possibly their uniform is similar to a unit fighting in the West Indies. Or else they may merely become some imagi-nations unit. I tried hard to do these figures justice, spending quite a while on them but the photos are mediocre, so you'll just have to trust me when I say they look pretty cool!

Scoring:

21 x 28mm foot figures: 105 points

6 x 28mm cavalry: 60 points

1 flag: 1 point

Hall of Heroes: 20 points

TOTAL: 186 points

I’ve lost track of the side-challenges. But I believe I had a score of 60 points in the Cavalry challenge. This now goes up to 120 points. And my Napoleonic score goes up by 140 points.

From TeemuL: The Good, The Hall of Heroes (25 points)

 

Shellington run away from the ghostly army and stumbled in to a large room, or a hall. In the middle of the room stood a grim man, a stranger from the wild west, silent, staring. Uggla stopped and shouted to him. "Run, you fool!" The man continued staring, silently. Only his cigar was slowly moving between the lips, smoke curling up. The silent voices of ghosts were getting closer and S.N. Owl-Ord decided to continue. "That man will get a heroic death", he thought and carefully moved on, the strange man with no name continued to stand and stare, only the smoke of cigar hinting that he was alive.

 

 

The Hall of Heroes is in a way quite easy, choosing what to paint was difficult. I have lots of characters from LotR range (both GW and Mithril), lots of heroes from here and there. But since I painted the Campus Sheriff some time ago, I wanted to paint more Wild West stuff. I understand, that some heroes are better heroes than others, it is all very subjective in the end, some might even be antiheroes. I'd say this gunslinger is definitely in the grey area, but then again, he is The Good guy from the famous trio from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, so I'm quite confident he will qualify here. The miniature is sculpted based on the classic image from A Fistful of Dollars movie poster.

 

This miniature is 28mm metal miniature from eBob Miniatures, and he is called Gunfighter. Not an official miniature, of course, but the inspiration and idea is obvious. I got this from Model Box last year and very much like the model, being a big fan of both John Wayne and Clint Eastwood westerns. 

The colors are not 100% match to the movie, but seem to work ok. I left the poncho blank to save my nerves. The greys and blues fit nicely, it is easier to change sides in Civil War, when your outfit matches the both sides...

So, 5 points for a single 28mm model, 20 bonus points for the Chamber, no points for side challenges.

 Now I just need to finish my entry for the Lair of the Great Beast and Shellington can then enter the Chamber of the Principal...

"Blooondieeeee!!!!"

Nice work on "Il Buono", Teemu. 

Now, repeat after me: "Ayeeee ayeeee aarrr dum dum dum"

Tamsin

from RayR - The Chamber of Challenge - The Hall of Heroes - Frederick the Great - 30 pts

 

The Hall of Heroes: A location for heroes and the heroic things they do.

My first wargaming period I ever painted was the Seven Years War long, long ago.

It was pre-Reject days and as a group (the same group of pals) we painted up armies for the Age of Reason Campaign .They were all 15mm and I painted up the British and Russians, not the Prussians, they were painted up by Reject Richard.

I bought and read countless books on the period. The main man and

 Hero of the war has got to be Frederick the Great, he's called The Great for a reason!

The figure is from Front Rank and will earn me 10 points

plus 20 points for the bonus, making a total of

30 points

From Peter D Wrens for the Hall of Heroines (45 points)

For the Hall of Heroes I'm going with this set of Signalling Wrens from Bad Squiddo.   I've been mining my pledge figures from Bad Squiddo's Women of WW2 Kickstarter for a lot of my posts this year, and this is one of my favourite packs from the lot.  There's a lot to love in this range and it's given me the push to do some reading into the role of women in WW2.   The Woman's Royal Navy Service (WRNS) did invaluable work in many roles nd they count as heroines in my book.

These figures are very nicely sculpted and lovely to paint, or they would be except for the need to add depth to all navy blue uniforms.  The Wrens are clearly using the signalling equipment here and not just posing with it like some 60s cheesecake calendar you see in your local garage.  There's  lass with semaphore flags, one with an aldiss lamp, one reading signals from another team with her telescope and two scribbling down notes.

A really good read on the WRNS can be found i the book below, which I picked up from my FLBS last year.  It's the story of how the RN used a home brew war-game to develop the ASW tactics that helped win the Battle of the Atlantic.  The WRNS payed a heavy role in developing the game and GMing it while officers from the Western Approaches command came in for training.  Good naval history, good wargaming history, good social history.  A win all around, 

Points wise there are 5 28mm figures plus 20 for the room for a total of 45 points.   These mark two milestones for me the ear.  First I should give me enough points to get over my 500 point target.  Secondly I think that 45 points is a seasonal best post for me this Challenge.  While Miles and MartinC have been gorging themselves on 200+ point displays of gluttony, I've been sedately grazing my way through the treats on the h'or d'oeuvres platters. 

Nice nautical ladies, Peter!

Tamsin

From BruceR Hall of Heros (30 pts)

         After beaching the Tug, the party moves into the Hall of Heroes and is greeted by another contingent of the Movember Crew.  Only a hero can sport such "Marvelous Mustaches" and thus the heroes of the chamber. The two guide the party through the hall and beyond leaving us with some thoughtful words as we continue our investigation of the Chambers.

 Captain Krustache of Kashgar

"I have some interesting scrolls back it the yurt if you would care to see them"

The 2015 Movember sculpt by Bob Murch

 

         

Pasha Moustasha Ali-Pasha

"What you need to remember Gentlemen, is that monkeys can be troublesome for the expedition cook, but apes are a distinct hazard for the radio operator under all circumstances." 

The figure are great fun to paint and I'll use them in any number of adventure style scenarios.  

With that I've cleaned up a batch of Pulp Figure British Army Tropical Rifles to supplement the sailors back at the Tug. Hope to get to them, which could be difficult as we went above freezing (here in the south of the Great White North) for the first time in 28 days.  Painting could be "challenged". 

Stay well.

2 28mm 10 points + Chamber 20 pts = 30 pts total.