From RayR - Marshal Ney & Chums Retreat From Moscow 1812 - 25mm - 23pts

 

Well hello once again fellow Challengers and thanks for taking a peek at my first entry into this years Challenge.

As you may be aware, fellow Posties Reject LeeH and myself are heading on a Retreat From Moscow adventure. Lee is painting up the Russians and already has a unit painted and posted. I'm doing the French!

And for my first figure I wanted to paint up Marshal Ney, who is synonymous as being the leader of the rearguard, during the retreat.

I was aware of a few other manufacturers, who make a Ney figures all dressed up and posed as in the famous painting by Adolphe Yvon. I chose the figure from the collection of Wargames Illustrated magazine as I think it just looks pretty darn cool.

So for the rest of my Sharpe Practice army I shall be filling out the ranks of Ney's Third Army. Which has a lot of non French units!! My plan is to have some units as actual units and some with the mixed rag tag look.

Third Army Corps Marshal Ney

10th Div (Ledru)

Brig Gengoult: 24th Light Inf 4 batts, 1st Portuguese regt 2 batts
Brig Marion: 46th Line 4 batts
Brig Bruny: 72nd Line 4 Batts, 129th Line 2 Batts

11th Div (Razout)

Brig Joubert: 4th and 18th Line 4 Batts each
Brig: Compere: 2nd Portuguese regt 2 batts, Illyrian regt 4 Batts
Brig d’Henin: 93rd Line 4 Batts

25th Div (Marchand)

Brig v. Hugel: 1st and 4th Wurttemburg regts 2 Batts each
Brig v. Koch: 2nd and 6th Wurttemburg regts 2 Batts each
Brig v. Brusselle: 1st and 2nd Wurttemburg Jagers, 1st and 2nd Wurttemburg Light Inf, 2 Batts each, 7th Wurttemburg regt 2 Batts (joined in November)

Corps Cavalry (Wollwarth)

Brig Mouriez: 11th Hussars 4 Sqdns, 6th Chevau-Legers Lanciers 3 Sqdns
Brig v. Walseben: Wurttemburg Mouted Jagers 4 Sqdns, Leib-Chevaulegers (Wurttemburg) 4 Sqdns
Brig Beurmann: 4th and 28th Chasseurs a Cheval 4 Sqdns each
Brig v. Breuning: 1st Wurtemburg Chevaulegers 4 Sqdns, 3rd Wurttemburg Mouted Jagers 4 Sqdns

I did a bit of experimenting with some figures I had left over from my Haitian Revolution. To see how I could make up some Officers look a tad more chilly

I'm quite pleased with my efforts, if I say so myself. I do have loads of Officer figures to paint up, so this my go in the rank and file pile??

All three figures are from Essex Miniatures

And so to the points

4 x 25mm figures @ 5pts each

Gives me a total of 20 pts

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Welcome back Ray! Wow, this is a serious project you and Lee are undertaking. I know it will look magnificent when it's all completed. Your Ney looks magnificent. Fabulous brushwork. I also am very impressed with your cold weather green-stuff modifications to these three officers. They look brilliant! Along with Lee, your snow base effects are spot on (I should know as we've been trudging through a lot of the white stuff here in the Canadian prairies). I think a few extra points are warranted for these. A grand opening volley to your project!

- Curt

From DaveD - Sir Garnet Wolseley & Sir Sidney Ruff Diamond. - 30 pts

Having worked on ‘Nam for the last few challenges , it’s time to leave the green and the heat of the jungle mostly behind. This year will see a bit more of a variation in output with top ups for most collections, and two new ones starting off. 

My opener sees a return to more dusty trails with the arrival of Sir Garnet Wolsley in the natty red jacket and cord trousers . He is engaged with the infamous Sir Sidney Ruff Diamond looking out for restless natives from the fort  walls  . MartinC and  I have a large 3 day game booked in August (with 9 players) to revisit Gordon in Khartoum so I might as well clear out the lead pile. I last added to this collection in 2021, with the bulk of it being done 2014-2018 . 

 

Both figures are from the limited edition WI Heroes in Miniature range . They have been sitting in the lead pile for a few years now and with a revisit to the Sudan this year - more to come with the expansion of the Indian army brigade - I thought let’s get these lads done . I trust they fit into the opening library area  of Overdue and Returns . 

Scoring 2 x 28mm = 10 

Bonus theme = 20 

Total = 30 

As usual I have an autumn and winter “plan” - I usually get through about 2/3rds of it so we will see how things go .. mind I have already come up with a “side diversion” - hey him 

Cheers Dave D 

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First, welcome back to the Challenge, Dave! This year you get to put aside your minion's mantle and just 'relax' with your paints and brushes. With no outward distractions I anticipate full hobby mayhem from you.

Lovely work on these two lads, Dave. Nothing says 'Imperialism' like stiff-necked collars and overzealous facial hair. I look forward to you revisiting this project!

- Curt

From SanderS: Christmas Truce (25 points)

 Hoi,

Here we go, my first post of this Challenge and I am happy to be back again. Since we have just done down into another lock-down here in the Netherlands, a lot of time last week has gone into preparing for online-teaching when the break is over. That left me only limited time for my first post and I really wanted to make something Christmas related but the only figures I had lying around for this were the two WW1 soldiers playing a game of soccer during the Christmas Truce of 1914 made for Wargames Illustrated. 

From the start I intended this piece to be a showcase vignette and not a wargames figure and so I made the scenics more to give the impression of nearby trenches and battlefield debris, rather then really recreating an actual battlefield with trenches and all. 

In the end I am very happy with how this piece turned out and it nets me my first 10 points for the two 28 mm figures.

Now on to some more point-heavy posts.

Have a great Christmas everyone, cheers Sander

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Wow, you've done fabulous work on this vignette, Sander! I'm gobsmacked, really. I've seen these figures several times, but think this the best treatment of them. On top of the excellent figures, I really admire the judicious use of battlefield scatter to set the scene - wonderful. I'm going to add a few extra points for your work on this wonderful vignette.  

Welcome back to the Challenge, Sander!

- Curt

From PaulsSS - Marxist Che lands at Sanders Sand Dunes (60 Points)

I've been on a moratorium on buying new lead for a few months now, so had a dig in the lead pile and found a Che Guevara model that was given away by Wargames Illustrated at Salute and Historicon in 2014

It's rather a nice model and was and a simple paint job in his combat gear.

Che will be my prize figure for the Island and has they don't get much redder than Marxist Che I'll start off at Sander's Sand Dunes and shall be declaring the Peoples Republic of Challenge Island and forming a revolutionary committee to ensure that the plans for the capitalist exploitation of Challenge Island are thwarted and their running dogs sent scurrying.

Sorry, got a little carried away there....

Looking forwards to the coming weeks on the island with you all.

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Haha! What a fabulous figure (the lit cigar is a great touch). I really like your take on having Che for Sander's 'it must be Red' challenge. Well done Paul! 

'Viva! Hasta la Victoria, Siempre!'


...and a very tidy 60 points for you, sir. Nice one!

Now, off to eBay to see if I can nab one of these for myself...