From NormS: A 20 man Napoleonic Austrian Battalion in 28mm (100 points)

This submission allows me to hit my 400 point goal, which was looking very unlikely just a week ago and as I am now away on my hols, there was a narrow window for completion before the challenge ended.

I would like to thank Dallas, Curt and the AHPC team for the time they set aside for the yearly challenge, together with all those who have kindly commented.

It has brought my painting discipline back on track and has added the equivalent of 80 infantry to my Napoleonic Austrian force, which was really needed to allow them to equalise in terms of numbers with the French force that I have. I can now do more balanced scenarios.

As before, I am using just two bases per unit (80mm x 40mm). These are Perry plastics, with facings of green to represent the 9th Infantry Regiment, Czartorski Galician.

I have still not fully standardised my whites - this unit was primed black and then had a base (two coats) of artist quality (Liquitex)  Titanium White acrylic and for a while was perhaps too white! But a dirty wash and Vallejo white highlights helped restore the balance of the universe.

20 x 28mm = 20 x 5 pts

Total for submission 100 points

Thanks Norm.

Norm, your Austrian Napoleonics have been an inspiration throughout the challenge - for one, white is a colour I find very difficult to paint, and two - they're Napoleonics, which look awesome but do require considerably more paintwork than, say, Khorne Berzerkers! You've done a great job on these ones too.

One hundred points for you my friend.

Dallas

From NormS: A WWII Soviet 2 man base in 28mm (10 points)

I am presently working on a 20 man Napoleonic unit that will fetch me 100 points if I can get it done it time for the challenge ending (a holiday is looming, so the race is on!), but at the moment that would still leave me 10 points away from my 400 point challenge goal …. So I have injected those needed 10 points here.

These are the new Soviet WWII sculpts in plastic from Warlord Games. They gave a promotional free sprue away on last months Wargames Illustrated Magazine, so I though I would have a dabble, making them up as basic riflemen, though the sprue has all kinds of options from sniper to panzerfaust armed troops.

These are based at 40mm wide by 30mm deep and it was intended as a bit of a trial to see how a smallish two man base would look / work for the Rapid Fire Reloaded rules for my smaller table and against my current terrain.

The base is plastic (from Kallistra). As the figures are free standing and do not have their own puddle base, I thought a plastic weld glue between plastic figure’s feet and a plastic base might give the strongest bond. 

Anyway, here they are easy to put together and I quite like the look. Whether or not they become the next project ….. who knows!

Total for submission 10 points

Thanks Norm.

Very nice work here Norm, and a good use for freebie figures as a test to see if you want to spend your own money on 'em. In my experience though the answer has usually been "yes" which leads to a new project... but you do you! Anyway I quite like the uniform colour you've used and the groundwork on the base also looks great.

Ten big ones for your account, may they stand you well!

Dallas

From NormS: A Napoleonic Austrian gun battery in 28mm (60 points)

This is a two model gun battery in 28mm metal from the Perrys for my 1809 Austrian collection. The brown tunics help break up all of the white of the infantrymen that I have been painting of late and I have been saving them for a bit of a treat.

One model is firing and the other is loading.

All my artillery to date has been of the firing pose type, based at 50mm wide by 80mm deep and I had fixed these guns to the bases to match everything else and prepped them just before the challenge, while I could still use the rattle can primer. 

It was only this week when making up each base that I saw that the gun model being loaded either needs a deeper base or the gun set further back to help the guy with the ram to be better placed within the base to protect that rod from accidental knocking - hey ho!

Anyway they have painted up quite nicely. For my metals I gloss varnish (hand brush) first, followed by a matt varnish, because years ago I read somewhere that gloss varnish is tougher than matt and that metals need that strength. I have no idea whether that is true, but am a slave to it anyway! Does anyone know whether the gloss varnish thing for metal is true?

8 x 28mm Infantry crew at 5 points each = 40 points.

2 x gun pieces at 10 points each = 20 points

Total for submission 60 points

Thanks 

Norm

Norm, these models look very nice, I especially like the bases and the great work on the uniforms. The artillery crews must have been stoked to have those cool bicorn hats, they look very sharp!

And yes I have also heard that gloss varnish gives a much tougher protective coating than the matte variety. However I am too lazy to varnish my models twice (and I also worry about the matte varnich not completely killing the gloss shine) so it's strictly matte for me, despite the fact my models might suffer for it.

Sixty points for you to start the work week!

Dallas

From NormS - An Austrian Infantry battalion and Commander 28mm (110 points)

Firstly, can I thank those who commented on the previous Austrian infantry concerning my troubles with ‘whites’!

For my process, I have dropped the Citadel Base Corax White - which was too grey and replaced it with Contrast Apothecary White, which has a much lighter blue hue and then of course added white highlights on top.

It is a bit difficult to see here because the camera has got the white balance wrong so there is a blue hue on the figures, but to the eye, we are back to where we need to be.

The infantry have been given red facings and are representing Infantry Regiment 35 - Graf Argenteau and are Perry plastic Austrians in 28mm.

The Commander on this occasion is Prince Liechtenstein, a Perry metal 28mm, part of their commanders pack (of three). He is turned in the saddle, something has caught his attention behind him …. Three French columns I dare say! :-)

20 x 28mm Infantry at 5 points each = 100 points.

1 x Mounted Commander at 10 points = 10 points

Total for submission 110 points

Thanks Norm.

Lovely work here on these Austrian Napoleonics Norm! The white looks great and these chaps look more than ready to go up against the Ogre. I gather that the Citadel Contrast white is applied over a white undercoat and just gives a very light shade?  In any case the models look superb.

One hundred ten added to your tally!

Dallas

From NormS: Two mounted Austrian Colonels 28mm (20 points)

I was saving these two Napoleonic Austrian Colonels, together with some artillery for the end of the challenge, as a break from painting white infantry uniforms - however!

These chaps have been urgently needed on the battlefield and so jumped straight to the top of the painting queue and have already been out of barracks - fighting at Klein Stetteldorf (above photo). 

I was convinced that these were Perry 28mm plastics, but I seem to recognize the faces as being Victrix and I know that they do have a mounted colonel in their plastic infantry set.

Primed black, heavy dry brush of white (2 coats) and then normal acrylic painting. I used GW Apothecary White Contrast paint on the uniform before applying GW White Scar highlights. There is a general wash on them and then extra highlights. They will do quite nicely in the build up of forces.

In my rush to do these, I was a tad annoyed to have forgotten that I had planned to use the officer with his hand extended on a double base with a spare hussar figure I have. I was going to place a set of orders in that extended hand and use a warmed up piece of wire to encourage his fingers to bend around them.

2 x 28mm Cavalry at 10 points each = 20 points.

Thanks for looking.

Wow Norm, these models look fantastic! To me, white is the hardest colour to paint (well that and yellow) and you've made a great job of these Austrians. Looks like a very pleasant ride they're having in Klein Stettdorf!

Twenty big ones for your tally.

Dallas

From NormS - 28mm Napoleonic Austrian Infantry (100 points)

This is my First involvement with the Painting Challenge (yes I know, 16 years :-) )  and I would like to thank the kind people who administer all of this to make it possible.

I have been collecting two Napoleonic armies in 28mm, French and Austrian and until recently have been painting both sides equally, to reach 6 - 8 units per side, so I have been able to do a Neil Thomas ‘One Hour Wargames’ sized game.

I now want to move the starter collection to the next level to do roughly 3 decent brigades per side, but I have bought in some pre-painted French, leaving an imbalance between the two forces. I am using the Challenge to have the Austrian force catch up.

My 400 point pledge should see four infantry units added (or 3 units and some artillery etc if all of the white drives me mad!).

So, the first unit up is a 20 figure infantry battalion, with 10 figures per base. I just use 2 bases per unit. I calculate these as 20 x 28mm inf = 100 points.

These are Perry plastics, primed black with hand brushed Vallejo acrylic, heavily dry brushed (twice) with Wraith Bone White (GW) and then block painted.  Their distinctive pink facings designate them as Ferdinand Von Wurttember Walloon (Disbanded 1809). The pink is Game Workshop’s Emperor’s Children, which is a bit too translucent, so needs two or three  coats.

My difficulty with this batch was that I used (GW) Codex White [I think you mean "Corax White"? - Dallas] to build them up before using a Vallejo White for highlights, and the problem was that the Codex White leaves them too grey, to the point that AFTER BASING, I had to dive in with (GW) Scar White to brighten them up from greyish to white.

Anyway, I consider them appropriately rescued and they broadly fit with what I have previously done, so that’s okay. They are based on 80mm x 40mm MDF.

White is a b*gger to paint Norm and you've done a creditable job here, the models look great. I also really like the groundwork. Your twenty 28mm infantry here will credit your account with 100 points. I'd love to see some closer-up photos of your great models along with some pics with the rest of the army as the Challenge continues. Welcome to the Challenge!

Dallas