RhysH - Fantasy, super heroes and Sci-Fi in several scales (49 points)

 This week is a group of models from four different sources.

First off are two 32mm entries from AMG's Star Wars Legion Empire line. They are the customizable Officer and Operative.

These are a new addition to the game. The box lets you build two characters with a ton of options to customize them as you assemble them, but also as you add them to your army.

Rhys did some reflected glow off of the lava bases on the uniforms.

The character on the left is melee focused while the one on the right is a ranged support character.

Next up is a birthday present from Rhys' cousin, who also likes D&D. It's a cloaker, a nasty monster that inhabits dungeons and kills low level players.

It's mottled gray coloring helps it blend into the roofs of caverns where it hides.

This is a large model, easily twice as big as the Empire heroes above.

Next up are two Kings of War models from Mantic Games. The barbarian on the war-goat is for the Northern Alliance while the panther is from Basilea.

Rhys is finally ready to start learning to paint faces.

The models are fighting in the snowy north, where the Northern Alliance is from.

The panther is bendy soft plastic and was very difficult to get based, but he persevered and got it to stick.

Last up are two models for Crisis Protocol, AMG's super hero game. These are Beast and Mystique.

These are 40mm, with Beast coming in quite a bit bigger.

These models can be quite fiddly to assemble. AMG apparently thinks that bigger scale enables smaller attachment points. They are not correct. Rhys said the hardest part of Beast was figuring out that he had to attach the beam to the base first, then put Beast on it.

The heroes use character cards in game and Rhys was able to use those as painting guides for these figures.

This is 3 x 28-32mm figures for 15 points

1 x 28mm cavalry for 10 points

1 x 40mm monster for 7 points

1 x 40mm Mystique for 7 points

1 x 54mm Beast for 10 points

The two Empire characters are Rhys' entry for the first bonus round, EMPIRE.

Total points are 49 points, plus the bonus round when it comes up.

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Hello Rhys - and Happy New Year! Thank you for sharing this interesting assortment of figures with us. 

Now I must confess - I'm not one for the super-hero genre from Marvel, so those are not figures I would be near myself, but it sure sounds like they were a pain in the rear end to get put together. I'm sure many Challengers sympathize with your experience, managing figures designed by people who don't ever actually put them together, much less game with them...

But congrats on sticking with it! You have some fine results here. I also salute your efforts to work on reflected-glow-effects...that is something I will NEVER have the courage to try myself! Well done!

That's 49 points for you - cheers!

Greg

From Barks: Snow Golems (14 points)

A very quick and easy paintjob to get me started. I like to do something seasonal for my first Challenge post, and with the mercury well over 30℃ these snow golems were perfect. They're from Nolzur's D&D minis, and required minimal prep. My painting technique of white undercoat, Speedpaint 2.0 Battleship Grey, drybrush white really brings out the mouldlines like I intended... I used some sparkly snow effect on the bases held in place with satin varnish, hopefully it holds.

They're tall, on 30mm bases, but I'll be more than happy with 10 quick points.

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First, welcome back to the Challenge, Barks! We're on the other end of the temperature spectrum from yourself, with us here in Canada experiencing windchills at -30 currently.  These's fellas would be quite at home here! I really like your ice/snow recipe, which provides a great backdrop to their 'happy' maws. Well done!

These two golems look to be at least 40mm high, so I'm going to score them at 7 each. 14 points to start your climb up the ladder, Barks!

- Curt

From ScottM: Perelandra & Terra (55 points)

For this post, I've managed to stop off at two locations in this Quadrant. First up is my last location in the Middle Ring: Perelandra. I went with the Ocean theme and have a Giant Octopus. This plastic figure is from Wizkids Deep Cuts line.

Simple and easy fig to paint. It does look a bit better in person. I've never been able to master the art of taking decent pictures.

And for my first location on the Inner Ring, I stopped at Terra. I went with the Earthbound theme and have a pair of Xorns. These plastic figs are also from Wizkids and from their Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures line.

And here am I so far. Hopefully I can scramble out one more post.

So that should be:

• 3 - 28mm foot figs = 15 points
• 2 locations (Perelandra & Terra) = 40 points

Total = 55 points

From Millsy:

I really like you colour choice for the Giant Octopus Scott. That iridescent blue is so saturated and vibrant. A great choice but I can understand why it was hard to photograph too. It's also the colour Aussie kids get drummed into them means BAD when you find it on the beach :-P

And what's not to love about a Xorn? All they want is hugs.

From ScottM: LV-426 Monsters, Critters & Indians (140 pts)

My second stop in the Middle Ring is at LV-426, the Alien world. For this location I went with a medley of monsters that would easily fit in to any alien world setting. First up is a pair of 28mm plastic Gricks from Wizkids' Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures D&D range.

Next up is a pair of Flumphs from the same range as the Gricks. These two definitely have an 'alien' feel to them.

And finally is a lone Magmite. This 28mm metal fig is from Northstar Military Figures Frostgrave range.

And finally a size comparison shot with a 28mm Stargrave Medic.

Also to add to this post, I completed a box of Warlord Games Woodland Indians from their French and Indian War range.

So that should be:

• 24 - 28mm foot figs = 120 points
• 1 location (LV-426) = 20 points

Total = 140 points

From Millsy:

What a cracking collection of nasty space bugs Scott! I love all of them but the Magmite in particular is very cool indeed. I can almost feel the heat coming off him in waves. Every time I see a collection like this it makes me want to add to my own.

Nice take on the FIW figures too mate. I'm always impressed by people who can paint convincing skin tones outside the Caucasian space and tones with red in them are amongst the hardest I think. Awesome brushwork indeed.

PS. Now THAT'S how you label a post! Well done that man, carry on.

Cheers,

Millsy

From ScottM: Golem's Haunt - Manticore (25 points)

For Golem's Haunt I needed to come up with something that was 'created', for want of a better word. I went with a Manticore, a magical creature created in some wizard's laboratory. At least I hope it was created in some lab, as I don't want to think about that 'encounter' if it came about naturally. This 28mm fig is from Wizkids and their Nolzur's Marvelous Miniatures line. 

So that should be:

1 - 28mm foot fig + Chamber bonus = 25 points

From EvanH - A Brief Interlude for Scatter Terrain (10 points)

Greetings, Challengers and Challenge Fans!

Just a quick post with something I rustled up after finishing my submission for Awdry's Atoll.

Nothing special, just a rather dilapidated farm cart for use as scatter terrain in pre-industrial skirmish gaming.

It's a Nolzur's Marvellous Miniatures primed model, and it's been glued to a Warbases 80mm round MDF base.

It was basecoated with GW Rhinox Hide, and drybrushed with GW Gorthor Brown and Kommando Khaki. Ropes were picked out in GW Bleached Bone before inking with Agrax Earthshade.

The groundwork was laid down with Vallejo White Pumice Paste, and painted in successively lighter earth shades.

Static grass was added and broken up with Tajima1 wild grass and flower tufts.

It's going to be useful as set dressing or cover for any warriors or soldiers who find themselves in the vicinity when the manure hits the winnowing fan (pre-industrial metaphor there).

As a 28mm vehicle, it's worth a princely 20 points on paper; but this is rather different to a truck or tank! So I'll recommend scoring as an artillery piece equivalent for 10 points.

What's next? Well, I have to get across to the mainland from Awdry's Atoll, so the next landfall will have to be Reidy's Reef, unless a balloon trip can be arranged.

Stay tuned...

Ev
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By Paul: 
nice one Ev - it will be useful from Hastings to Hobbiton. 
10 points it is!

From SimonM: "Wizkids" Iron Golem & Earth Elemental - 45 points

The 54mm tall model of an Iron Golem is produced by “Wizkids” and can be bought from their Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures range. “Highly detailed… primed and ready to paint out of the box”, the artificially constructed creature made its first appearance in the original 1975 "Greyhawk" supplement written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz, and “could take a hero’s head off with a swipe of their arm.”

Amongst the strongest types of Golem, the figure was originally treated to a couple of coats of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and subsequently dry-brushed quite heavily with “Citadel” Ironbreaker. I then drenched the entire animated object with “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade. This helped blend the brown and metallic paints together so as to create a rusty, time-worn look to the large creature.

“Three times as strong as a Flesh Golem”, the model was dry-brushed with (more) “Citadel” Ironbreaker and dabbed with “Mig Productions" Extreme Rust Wash. This product produces a nice rusty orange stain, so specifically targeted the miniature’s joints and gaps between its armour plating. The entire ensemble was then light dry-brushed with (even more) “Citadel” Ironbreaker in order to help blend the Rust Wash in with the metallic areas.

Where I was unhappy with the stain’s final result, I went back in with some “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and then simply (re)dry-brushed these tidied-up areas with “Citadel” Ironbreaker. I also had the chance to try out my new Psycho brush by “The Army Painter”, courtesy of applying an incredibly thin line of “Vallejo” Dark Vermillion into the Iron Golem’s two very narrow eye slits. Finally, because I wanted to try and draw attention to this area, I then applied a line of “Citadel” Ironbreaker to the construct’s eyebrows…

The 67mm tall model of an Earth Elemental is produced by “Wizkids” and can be bought from their Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures range. Able to “travel though solid ground or stone as easily as humans walk on the earth’s surface” the summoned creature made its first appearance in the original 1974 “Dungeons & Dragons” boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and “can come in almost any shape, size, and composition imaginable.”

Unable to swim, the monster was first primed using a double-layer of “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna and somewhat submerged in “The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade. The figure was then enthusiastically dry-brushed in (more) “Vallejo” Heavy Sienna, before receiving a significantly lighter ‘dusting’ with a make-up brush containing a little Heavy Brown.

The Elemental’s formidable maw was darkened using a combination of “Citadel” Abaddon Black and Nuln Oil, and subsequently shaded with (more) Strong Tone Quickshade by “The Army Painter”. Finally, I ‘picked out’ the model’s eyes with a couple of dabs of “Vallejo” Heavy Ochre and shaded them with a spot of “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade…

In addition to my latest “Dungeons & Dragons” figures, I’ve managed to finish off a significantly smaller model in the guise of a 28mm scale skeleton for my Empire of Dust “Kings of War” army. However, rather than exclusively populate my Spearman unit with well-armed bleach-boned cadavers, I’ve started the ten-figure regiment off with the deceased animal corpse that can be found on the “Mantic Games” plastic Undead Skeleton Troop frame.

Primed with a double coat of “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand, the two-piece creature was shaded with The Army Painter” Strong Tone Quickshade and dry-brushed using (more) “Vallejo” Iraqi Sand. I then gave the critter a much lighter dry-brush of White, before picking out its collar with a combination of Gold and Strong Tone Quickshade. In all likelihood the skeleton is meant to be a giant rat, but as my Undead force will have a distinctly Egyptian feel, I figured it could be a cat…


Blax its always an education! Well our spreadsheet o doom doesn't have 67mm figures - Miles please note! - i have applied minion mathemagician skills to award a total of 45 points..Though i think you might have skimped a bit on the Nuln Oil!