From NoelW: Spanish and cricketers: (90 points)

As this is my second ever post to the challenge, I thought I'd briefly introduce myself.

I'm a retired academic living in Sheffield, UK. Like many wargamers, I began with Airfix figures in childhood, and still have the same passion for new figures that I had in 1960 when I'd run to the local toyshop with 2 shillings in hand (that's 10p, for you youngsters). S0 I’ve amassed a large amount of unpainted lead and plastic, which seems to grow every year, despite my best efforts with the paintbrush.

I'm interested in most periods up to WW2 - anything more recent unsettles me somewhat - but the battlefields I keep coming back to are Napoleonic. I like the spectacle of uniforms and flags, so tend to go for smaller units so I can get more variety on the tabletop. I’m also a writer (poet and occasional fiction) so I write the odd piece for the wargames press, too. Luckily, all my family are gamers, so we’ve a dedicated wargames room, and figures of various kinds scattered around the house. I used to be a very good painter – won some prizes etc – but these days various infirmities, particularly eyesight, make it more difficult to get a decent job done. The Challenge is a great incentive for me, and I’m hoping to get many more figures done than the 500 points I set as my target.

My aim in taking part in the challenge is to add figures to as many stalled projects as possible to prompt some new games. The list of incomplete projects is a long one!

But here are two I’m now keener to get going. My go-to period is Napoleonics. I’ve a decent Waterloo setup, but the Peninsular conflict has been sorely neglected. However, the Perry's recent release of Spanish, to be followed by Portuguese, has excited me. And here is my first foray.

A second long term but rather incoherent project is Sealion/ Walmington. Effectively, this is WW2 fantasy, so anything goes. My seaside town sits somewhere between TV’s Walmington on Sea (on the South Coast) and Scarborough (300 miles away on the North East coast). Scarborough houses one of Yorkshire’s cricket grounds, so it seemed logical to arm local cricketers as a further arm of defence. Sloppy Jalopy seem to be the only firm making suitable figures, intended for the Very British Civil War. They’re lovely figures, but the castings left something to be desired – lots of flash and very pronounced mould lines which were difficult to remove without also removing detail (you’ll see from the photos I’ve not fully managed to succeed in doing this). Even so, the designs are great and they paint up really well.

The blazer and jumper colours are Yorkshire’s (my county, and that of all right-thinking cricketers), apparently made up of gold, Cambridge blue and Oxford blue. As both these cities are significant for me, too, that makes these a powerfully symbolic unit. Which almost certainly means they’ll run from the battlefield at the first opportunity.

I’ve six more of these to paint, but they’ll have to wait till I’ve enough patience for scraping and filing. Meanwhile, I’ve already undercoated the next Spanish – but they’ve been elbowed back in the queue by a French general and some ECW. Which of them will make it to the next post?  

(Submitted: 12 * 28mm Spanish Napoleonic and 6*28mm cricketers)

Welcome Noel, to the Hallowed Halls that are this Challenge! What a nice bunch of figures you've shown us today. Those Spanish really look the part and must have been at Bailen where they thoroughly trounced the French. For me the cricketers must be the crème of the lot, what a characterful team they are. I cannot see your poor eyesight having any effect on your painting for these are very well done! The basing is also very  good and it almost looks as if they are standing on the White Cliffs in order to strike out the invading Huns.

90 points well and truly deserved! Now if you're taking votes on what to paint next, Spanish, Frebch general or ECW, I vote for the latter! But whatever you decide to paint please keep them coming!

Cheers Sander 

From ClintB - Betteshanger Support! (20 Points)

As the Betteshanger Colliery was short of support here is a VBCW machinegun and crew. Not sure where I got these figures from but I would guess Sloppy Jalopy. That should bring the Coal miners of Kent up to full strength on the table-top.

Tomorrow I will have the finished last few of the socialists. But for now that is just my addition to the Very British Civil War Colliery Platoon which has been painted in the Challenge. One last post tomorrow and that is me done. DO NOT expect a point bomb! As I am just finishing things off before I start something new.

This is a great addition to your VBCW collection, Clint. Your miners will be very pleased with the extra firepower I'm sure. I love the gunners' helmets with their yellow-lensed goggles and their civilian jackets. I also like how you've done the basework for this project, with the bands of impressionistic base-terrain colour - it gives a very cool effect.

Well done Clint, I look forward to presenting your final post in the next day or so.

From ClintB - 28mm Betteshanger Miners (111 points)

Betteshanger Miners;

The following is taken from Wikipedia.
Betteshanger colliery opened in the late 1920s and was the largest of the Kent collieries. It had two shafts of almost 2300 feet, plaques can still be seen where the shafts were once sunk. The colliery was served by a railway branch which left the main line between Deal & Sandwich.
Betteshanger had a tradition of union militancy; it was the first pit to come out on strike during the second World War and took active part in the miners' strikes of 1969, 1972 , 1974 and 1984-85
A sit-in was staged at the colliery in 1984 and those involved were sacked for trespass. The Kent Area's NUM initially refused to return to work until those sacked were reinstated and continued to picket the rest of the country after the NUM's national executive had voted to return to work,so Betteshanger was actually the last pit in Britain to return to work after the strike.

Thereafter, Betteshanger became known for the brutality with which strikebreakers were treated. Posters had gone up in the village with photographs and names of the 30 men who had broken the strike. It was the last Kent colliery to close, closing for good in 1989.

So where does this leave wargaming? Well these will be a socialist faction in Kent loosely allied with the Anglican league. Not working against them but neither fully supporting them in their fight against the London fascists. I will fully write them up for the VBCW forum. Probably next week.

The figures are a mix of makes, Sloppy Jalopy, Ironclad and Musketeer miniatures. Oh and one Warlord "Dad's Army- Verger" While the Flag was created by PETE BARFIELD  (LINK to Petes Blog). I have permission from Peter to offer the flag to any who want it in the challenge if they are to create this force. So if you want the Flag email me at Clintburnettagain(at)Hotmail{dot}UK[dot]com and I will happily pass the PDF of the flag on to you. the flag is not the official/real Betteshanger colliery flag, but one created for VBCW.  The flag was slightly too large when printed so I have had to turn one of the banner bearers just to fit it on the base. Oh well such is life! But you will notice the white horse emblem of Kent prominent on the flag which bears the motto "Invicta".

These troops carry a mixture of weapons, mostly rifles but also 2 Thompsons, a shot gun, a pistol and a Lanchester smg (Used by the royal navy).

All in all there are 22 figures with a flag and ready to join my previous miners and reek havoc on the Gravesend Fascists. All 28mm and all ready for battle now as I have over a platoon of miners if we include the ones from 2 weeks ago.

Thanks for looking and all comments welcomed.

I've been waiting for these boys to appear! And what an awesome appearance they've made. As for the banner, Petal's done a great job with that. As for the trouble fitting it on the base, just be grateful it wasn't one from the Yorkshire pits - you know, the ones that are so big they are on wagons.
This bunch of belligerent blackleg bashers should give you 110 points, but I'm going to add a point for the work with the banner.

From ClintB - 28mm Kent Miners (82 points)

Only one entry this week Tamsin; real life is getting in the way. But here this week are the first detachment of my Kent miners for a VBCW. The figures are a mixture of makes including "Sloppy Jalopy" "Ironclad" and "Musketeer Miniatures" All clumped together and in this instance bearing the flag of the "Peoples Assault Column-Kent Miners" . The Betteshanger Colliery will be shown in the future.

They have all been painted in sombre colours as befits the time and place as not everything in the "Garden of England" is bright and cheerful. Most of the miners are wearing hard hats a few are carrying them on their belt at the back and just a couple are not carrying them at all. We have to assume the ones not carrying hard hats work above ground. Historically in Kent 4/5 did work below ground so a couple without hats is about right.

The Flag is by Solway, but the Kent Miners Flag will be shown next time. As Pete Barfield has done one specifically for me. But I am happy to send it out to any VBCW player in the Kent area. (Yes even to Tamsin in London IF she would use it!)

Thanks for looking and see you again next week.

It looks to me as though these chaps are quite rightly upset about the actions of an American manager with a Scottish surname who has been brought in by the government to screw the miners while they, allegedly, sc[redacted on instructions of our lawyers due to ongoing police inquiry]ors.
Nice bunch of figures Clint and I think they deserve a couple of bonus points.