From BillA: 20th Century African Militia and Mercenaries (65 points)

 This is a project I kind of stumbled into accidentally. A couple years back, I started painting and wargaming the 1980s GI Joe comic book and animated series in 28mm, and decided to add some local insurgent types - the idea being the terrorist organization Cobra funds and arms localized groups in Central America, the Middle East, etc. in addition to their own, more sci-fi oriented, operations. One of my favorite stories from the GI Joe Special Missions comic (which tended towards more realistic stories), appearing in issue#10, involved the Joes escorting the prince of Kalingaland, an equatorial African nation, home to assume rulership despite Soviet-backed efforts to install a Communist puppet government. I decided I wanted to include Kalingaland in my games, and that meant Cobra-backed rebels, leading me to pick up a couple packs of 20th century African militia from The Assault Group.

And then I got a few more. And then I bought a copy of "Wars of Insurgency," my friend Mike's rules for wargaming the various bush wars and small conflicts around the world from 1945-2000. And then I bought a few more African militia to round out a complete force for "Wars of Insurgency." I have no idea if I'm ever going to play Wars of Insurgency. I have more African rebel militia than I'll probably ever field in a GI Joe game, which I usually play solo. Anyways, here are the last of them, painted up.

There's a lot going on here, so let's break that up.

I did one pack each of Militia with Handguns and with SMGs:

These two packs were combined, with a guy holding a RPG, to form a single militia unit for Wars of Insurgency:

I also painted a pack of "Wild Geese" style mercenaries with AK-47s; these are intended as bodyguards for the force's commander, who has previously been painted.

These figures complete this force, and I have a partially painted UN Peacekeepers force to oppose them; whether I'll complete the second half of the Peacekeepers before the end of the Challenge or not remains to be seen.

That's another 13 figures for 65 points, and another Squirrel point, bringing me up to 4 (Modern Horror, Maya, Dinosaurs, and 20th Century Africa.

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Sylvain: You bring to the Challenge a type of skirmish figures that I've never played with and never seen at conventions. Your brushwork brings out the ruggedness of the militiamen. I will watch closely what you will bring next week! Génial! 

 

From TeemuL: Green(ish) Squirrels in Four Acts (135 points)

I have had this flu or something for over a week now. It has prevented me to do my work or participate in my other hobbies (judo and boy scouts), but has allowed me a lot of time to paint minis. I'm not able to work 8 hours a day, but I can paint several 30-45 minutes sessions in a day, so I have managed to paint quite a lot during this week. But let's forget the flu and let's focus on the minis and squirrels. There will be things that should be green and are green, things that should not be green, but are green, things that should be green, but are not and finally a small bonus thing that should not be green and is not green - just to round up one squirrel.

We start with green things, which should be green. These are SU-76s for Operation Bagration and these are from Plastic Soldier company and are assembled as late variants. Painting these vehicles were quite easy and straigth forward, they are basically all green. I might be bit "lazy" with my historical references, but these were actually just green mean machines, so no shortcuts here.

I did some highlights and then covered them in dust and mud, there is a long way to Poland. Exhaust pipes were painted brownish orange, they oxide very easily. The markings are "authentic", my reseach told me that Soviet forces were not like Germans or other countries with strict rules for numbering, they were basically anything that commander wanted. I guess it makes it difficult for the opponent's spyes, when even the Soviets can't figure out what the numbers mean!

But I saw some photos with similar markings and went with these, at least there is an indication that they are from the same unit. P was a simple choice as a letter, since it is written in same way in Cyrillic alphabet, too. Finally I glued them on MDF bases (from Warbases) for easier storage - there is a magnetic sheet on the bottom. The bases are green, with green painted sand and green tufts, Operation Bagration took time in the summer 1944.

There are two crew members on each vehicle, but since I glued them first and painted second, I will only claim points for half the minis - the lower parts are just mess of green, blue and black paint. I chose blue overalls on them, I've seen some evidence, that these were used. There are also two heads on two of the vehicles, but really hard to count them for anything. 5 15mm vehicles for 40 points and 5 infantry for other 10 points, total of 50 points and squirrel for 15mm WW2 Soviets.

Next we have those things, that should be green, but are green! We step in to the world of "Post World War 2 Alternative History" or "Imaginations", weak minded should close their eyes and scroll down a bit. Some of you might remember my Wars of Insurgency project I started two Challenges ago (probably) and I've been adding things every now and then. A short explanation. We are in the alternative history (or universe) after WW2 and there is something happening in the old colony of Delmonteland. There is a power vacuum and several factions are eager to exploit/expand/exterminate the area. There are of course locals, there are private armies, neighbouring countries, super powers directly or indirectly, union of countries and so on. Delmontenland is especially rich in blood oranges, their juice is their primary export.

I have not created a back story of these guys yet, but they are properly dressed in green uniforms suitable for Delmonteland jungles, they seem quite professional (or at least professionally equipped) and ready to fight in the heat of the jungle. Maybe a private army of some rich local or just pawns of some super power in disguise?

I painted their clothes green, I was thinking about adding some camo effect, but liked their green so much, that I didn't want to. They remind me of my plastic army men of my childhood. I added a yellow round on their caps/helmets and yellod dots or stripes on their left arm, insignia or something. Their equipment are simple brown, I used two different tones to get some variation. Rifles are brown and metal, while submachine guns, bazookas etc are black.

I gave them my usual Delmonteland basing, sand pained green and then all kind of green things to emulate the jungle they are. Quite happy with them. You might wonder why these look familiar, but strange, of why these should not be green? Well, these are actually Perry Miniatures plastic DAK, so they should not be green! In my twisted (and open) mind I found them perfect sculpts for jungle fight, light summer uniforms, caps and sun helmets...

Wars of Insurgency rules put a lot attention to bazookas and machine guns, much more than WW2 units do. So I have ordered some bazookas from Warbases and glued three of them for these guys. The crouched position fits nicely here, they are listening orders or looking for a good view to fire. Here you can see the yellow marking quite good, too.

A close up of a mortar team, yes that tiny thing there! Two coats of green lighter green for highlight and a green wash does wonders! Here's one of the rare hard helmets in this group.

This last photo is an example of how you can tell stories with miniatures, which are assembled in hurry and in bad lightning. Quite cleverly the set comes with bare heads, you can glue cap, hard helmet or sun helmet on them, to get a lot of variation. The guy on the right is most likely scared like in cartoons or shot through his cap. The guy on the left is probably just scared... These are 28mm minis, 10 standing, 2 prone, so 55 points in total - that mortar is not a crew served weapon! Also "Post WW2 Alternative History Squirrel" (I would like to see some squirrel sculpts of these...)

Okay, on we go. Next we have things that should be green, but are not. From history to alternative history to pure fantasy! I have long had a dream of metal Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) army in WH40K - the vehicles will be an exception, of course. It is difficult to choose which minis you want, because you want them all. So some years ago I started my project and decided to include all the different minis with a background story. These are not really a fighting force, but a promotional unit used for propaganda, rising morale and boosting up drafting. Think about a huge LARP, where there are spectators watching how the brave soldiers of the Imperium beat the Chaos and Xenos threats (which of course don't exists) with fixed bayonets! If you can imagine this, then good for you. So far I have been painting Mordians, Cadians, Valhallans and some vehicles, but now it is time for Catachans - you know the guys in green with red bandada?

But of course these aren't green, they are a wild tricolor of red, yellow and blue with black weapons! I have painted all my Imperial Guard minis with this uniform, so they will all look good together. Someone might ask why choose such a striking uniform, even in the grim dark world of WH40K. Just think about the backstory and you will figure it out. But I explain it anyway. These are not real warriors in the warzones, these are basically actors in a play and specatators want to see the actors, right? It would be boring, if all the good guys are camouflaged in the terrain, would it?

In general I have decided to paint yellow jackets, red pants and blue helmets, but it went a bit tricky with these half naked guys, but I guess I managed it. Following my strong contrasts I have picked up details like water bottles or pouches in contrasting colours. And I have painted these with Citadel Contrast colours, quite clever!

What do we actually have here? We have an autocannon team and a mortar team with a sergeant. I have followed my inconstant choice of bases and the heavy weapons are now on 40mm round bases with one crewman and the other is on 25mm base. In the past I have sometimes put them all on the same base or all on separate bases - despite my dream I'm not likely ever play WH40K with these, so the base sizes won't really matter - on the other hand, some of the bases are most likely the correct size!

I'm not sure, but I believe there are Perry sculpts, because this is the only skull in the unit! Looks quite messy in the photo, but is slightly better in real life. That will be 25 points for the warriors, 1 skull and "Warhammer 40K Imperium" squirrel.

This has been a long post, but there is little left. I wanted to round this post with final and boring section, a thing that should not be (I hear Galadried in my head everytime I write this stuff) green and is not green. We stay in the WH40K universe and add to my earlier post from December.

Here is a Chaos Space Marine of the Magma Hounds chapter. Magma Hounds is not created by me, I found it on internet while searching for Renegade Chapters, because I didn't want to invent my own. I wanted a Renegade Chapter, not one devoted to Chaos God or Gods, a bit different and one with no special rules. I painted a group of these for Kill Team (when the current ruleset was in first version) and even played with them. In December I painted that old Dreadnought in these same colours and I realized that "Warhammer 40K Chaos" squirrel is just 5 points away, so I dug up an old metal body and glued some hands and backpack. Not necessarily the Codex look, but these are renegades, so anything goes.

His pose looks a bit strange, at least from some angles, but I guess it would not be too hard to figure our (or build) a diorama, where he would be spot on. Note also the skull on the gun.

So the colours are gold and purple, they work together very nice. And they look even better together, when both are covered in purple wash like I have done here. Purple gives a nice tone to bright gold and naturally ties the two colours together. Very simple. Note the skull on the backpack.

Here's a comparison photo with the new guy and his older friend. Apparently I went mad back then and put those minis on larger bases, but this new one is on the original 25mm base. This one Chaos Space Marine will give me 5 more points, 5 skulls (gun, backpack, both knees and belt) and completes the "Warhammer 40K Chaos" squirrel.

In total 135 points, 6 skulls and 4 squirrels (7 in total)! It was a long post, next time something else and something shorter!

 

Now Teemu please do not apologize for making a long post. We all like to see and read posts like these that show us what our compatriots in the Challenge are up to! Now let's start with saying that I do hope you get rid of that pesky blessing of faher Nurgle soon, get away you foul flu! With that out of the way, I really enjoy your "alternative historical project" a lot, but the GW Catachans are the cream of the crop for me, I also really appreciate your backstory for them which enables you to get so many brilliant figures in one project. 

 

Cheers Sander 

From TeemuL: Reinforcements for Delmonteland (50 points)

Continuing my project with imaginative Wars of Insurgency I come back to the first faction I painted in previous challenge: Delmonteland Warriors in AHPC XIV

"US Marine" next to his "German" friends

I'm not quite sure who these warriors really are and what they are fighting for, but they are definitely from the better armed and equipped end. But here they are casually sitting on the Open Blitz (painted before Challenge) and waiting for action. So they are originally Germans for WW2, but now "paint converted" to Delmonteland and fight with their "paint converted" US Marines. :) The same colour scheme for different warriors does wonders, doesn't it? I'm almost tempted to use these as an entry for one of the inner circles of Abyss, but I'm not that far yet.

Their camo is basically for desert, but Delmonteland is quite green  - basically a jungle. That might cause some issues in firefights, but these are professionals. Unfortunately their WW2 era surplus equipment doesn't fit the field of war they have gone. Actually I'm quite sure that most of these are just bullies and they don't expect to get any real fights (or at least any real opponents), they are just posing and looking dangerous and expecting it to be enough. We shall see, when I get to the actual gaming phase.

Freedom Fighters guarding their truck...

...only to be surpsised by the cargo!

Story behind these is that I got the Opel Blitz from Warlord Games Mystery Box and decided to use it for my Delmonteland Natives (the ones you saw last week), because it looked like a vehicle, which could have been used in the blood orange plantations after WW2. I was happily surprised, when I found these 10 passengers in the box. They do not work as natives, but I can field them as mercenaries (or whatever that faction shall be). And they can even hijack or "take in control" the Opel truck and travel with it undercover. Or I can use the truck to move the natives. Lots of options, you see.

Paint job is quite quick and dirty, sprayd yellow, then picked out the flesh, boots, guns and belts. Dotted some camo spots and then a brownish wash all over. The scoring is a bit tricky, since they are touching each other, but quite lightly - they are not prone or something like that. And I painted their bottoms and soles of their boots, so I'm asking for the full points. My minion is free to disagree.

Just to allow myself to sleep, here's the proof of rarely seen painted areas...

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Who am I to disagree with Teemu and the well-painted back sides and bottoms of his Banana Republic passengers? Full points it is for your soldiers of Delmonteland

I am intrigued by this project of yours.. it seems very versatile and a project that could easily morph into many diverse scenarios. Cool!

10 x 28mm figures = 50 points added to your scoreboard

See you next week

- Sarah

From TeemuL: Imaginatives (40 points)

During the previous Challenge I encountered a ruleset called "Wars of Insurgency" and the simplicity, openness, inbuilt campaign mode and multiplayer possibilities inspired me. Not wanting to scare away any players frightened by too modern conflicts, I created an imaginative conflict. You can read more from my rather slow progress blog: Delmonteland.

In short there are several factions to fight over the power vacuum in a former colonized country somewhere warm some time after WW2. The country is called Delmonteland and the main export is blood oranges. I have already painted some forces for a strong military faction, possible mercenaries whose loyalty to anything else but money and gold is not very clear or strong, and internation peace keeper faction called United Federation of Kindness. I have started a third force, consisting of natives of the country, whose part has been being the work force of the blood orange plantations. With this post I'm adding couple of warriors for that faction and some civilians.

These all are slightly converted Afghan Tribesmen from Perry Miniatures plastic range painted in imaginative blue-purple-pink. The unarmed people are civilians and they have some off-white in their colours, to give some hint about their neutrality, but mainly trying to create intended chaos on the table. If opponent isn't paying attention and mistakes a civilian to freedom fighter or vice versa, then it just adds to the story.

Like I wrote, these are natives of the country, forced under a colony rule some time ago, but now when the system is collapsing, they are eager to make their voice heard. And like every one else, they are ready to use some weapons to make themselves heard. These four warriors have WW2-era weapons from my bitzbox (originally German) making a strong contrast to previous warriors, which were armed with weapons from Tribesmen box (dating them to the previous century). So the bulk is using the old weapons inherited from their great-grandfathers, but these are most likely leaders, who have acquired some modern weapons.

These are the unarmed civilians. Play close attention, they are unarmed - do not make the mistake and take that sophisticated blood orange gathering tool as a machete, sword or knife, it is a tool. A bit of clipping and cutting here, there were not enough empty hands in the box. So they are the natives of imaginated country, or imaginatives. The brushwork here is bit sloppy, lots of washes, not that many highlights or details, no eyes, but that is somewhat intentional. They are not real historical forces, but they are not really fantasy either, they are a bit blurry, suggesting that they are just gaming pieces of a game. And I wanted to finish these guys quickly. :)

Points wise this is rather simple, there are 8 28mm minis, which should make 40 points in total. I really need to focus on the Dante theme next...

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Hey Teemu

I just got home form work and was delighted to see this post in the drafts.

I love the pink/purple colour choices for your civilians of Delmonteland  and also your creative raiding  of the bitzbox. You say the brushwork is sloppy but I think it works well ... Afterall, it is imagination-land!

40 points added to your total

- Sarah

From TeemuL: Warriors of Delmonteland (50 points)

Working on with the box project this time. In January I bought Wars of Insurgency rules after reading the review in WSS. I liked what the review said about the system and I also saw the game as a possibility to some conversion projects and a group work. What I didn't realize, that I didn't have any minis for the rules (nor terrain), but I was hooked after reading the rules. Then one thing led to another and I dug up this US Marine Raider Box, which came in a Warlord Games Mystery Box last year. These minis would be a nice test project for the main project.

After some chat with our group it came obvious, that not everyone was comfortable playing a post WW2 wargame, where the values and agendas are not "fresh" an history might be too close. I understand and accept that and we started to play around with imaginative conflict in an imaginary area - alternative history or something. So my US Marine Raiders got a new camo, some sort of a desert camo, although they seem to be in a jungle now, and they will be fighting for some one in the conflict of Delmonteland. Heinzenstania has reportedly some own agendas based on historical borders and Afrovision is keen to protect their rights and people. World Police will be represented by United Federation of Kindness (UFK - try to pronounce it like a word...).

The paint job was quite fast, just the basecoat, dotted camo here and there and then a brown wash. I experimented with different tones, so some of the clothes and skin areas are different, bringing some realism. I decided to paint all the equipment brown, grenades green and guns black or wood and metal. Not a force for rivet counters, but they are exactly correct, because they are imagination. :)

I got some basing materials with my latest order and tried them out with these. The end result is quite a jungle, I think, and I like it. The camo is not practical there, but if it is a dense jungle, then the colours doesn't really matter...

I have couple of special weapons more, but lets see if I can manage to paint them during the challenge. My emptying the boxes project is going well, as you can see. 50 points for 10 models, please.

 

 

Sylvain: A great little project done quickly. The miniatures are colorful in a military sense. Nice paint job!