From DaveD - A little bit of Pulpiness .. and the entry fee (25 points)

Another year another challenge. This is my 4th one, and I've really been looking forward to it. There will be a mix of projects old and new. A return to the colonial era Sudan with the Imperial forces in my sights - more Mahdists as well. There will be a Cowboy or two, and perhaps a few left field bonus round entries.

For those of you following my blog you will have seen the mean town of Serenity has grown in a Serenity City, picking up the action into the roaring 20's - an era of Gangsters and classic Pulp. So here is the opening entry - and entry fee .. I will claim a certain "John Dillinger" as my Rogue - so Curt he will be winging his way to the Frozen North soon enough , hope ya like him.

Now someone said something about a Pulp side challenge? Or will it be a khaki point bomb?

Next up we have "Long Sarah" .. a tough woman , who runs a certain establishment down the seedy end of town..

Both are 28mm Pulp Alley miniatures (the Tommy Gun toting one is badged as the local DA.. but like it so much as Bad Guy he has changed sides).

From Curt:

Haha! Guess what pair of figures are sitting on my paint desk at this very moment? Well, they're getting quietly moved to the back of the queue now. You've beat me to the punch, Dave, so they'll have cool their heels for another day.

Cracking work and thank you! I love Dillinger's charcoal pinstripe suit and the black and white tiles on Long Sarah's base is a great touch (and it's almost impossible not to think of this figure in a red dress). Since I also have these two figures I have to mention how superb the castings are. The DA's Thompson is a separate piece and it's an amazing work or art in of itself (I particularly like that it has a straight clip instead of the ubiquitous drum magazine). Highly recommended.

Thanks again Mr Docherty. Dillinger will find a very warm welcome in the Challenge V's 'Rogue's Gallery'.  

These two hard boiled characters will give Dave 25 points. 

MartinC's Opening Volley (92 points)

This is my first completed unit since the start of the Challenge and my first foray into ACW, recently I've been flexing my imagination on a VBCW with the brave miners of Dinnington fighting off evil Lord Ridley for control of Northumberland.

I had a day off yesterday and it was freezing so I hunkered down and painted what are nominally described as the 63rd Pennsylvania whilst listening to Half Man Half Biscuit.

Figs are part of 2 Perry infantry brigades I have planned to paint  for the challenge (236 infantry, 4 cannons and 2 mounted generals). I plan the paint them as Early's Louisiana Tigers brigade and Collis' 1st brigade of III corps. Picked them as they both have zouaves and I have box of them to paint as well. That makes me sound like a technical detail nerd (c.f. Rimmer's Risk diary - Red Dwarf on TV as I type) but really I think they'll just look cool in massed ranks.

Overall I'm fairly happy with the unit but the lighting makes them look like I've painted them with a wallpaper paste brush as all the shading has disappeared or become opaque - will have to work on that from both ends of the problem.

Having seen the entries so far I will have to up my game, or maybe just buy some cavalry and supersize my target.

Oh and my score is 90 I think.

Martin

From Curt

Wow, fast work Martin, excellent stuff. You have a good-sized project in front of you and I look forward to seeing it debut through the upcoming months of the Challenge.  

I'm going to give you an extra couple of points for the standard bearer as I know how fiddly they can be, so 92 it is. 

From SamuliS: Early War WWII German Armour (45 points)

Looking at everyone's point targets I figured I'll never have enough time to achieve fame and fortune by winning the challenge so I decided on another route with a quick dash to glory and taking the first place for at least a day! And with December 6th being the Finnish Independence day it's only suitable that I'll try protect the honour of all Finns by leading the challenge for a while :)

So to achieve this I whipped up 6 Flames of War German AFV's with a quick simple paintjob that could be achieved really fast. I got them base-coated in dark grey yesterday and painted the rest this morning by applying a few consecutive drybrush layers, decals, some enamel washes and mud. A nice quick job that in my calculations should put me just in front of Miles and hopefully with a large enough of a point lead to hold the position through the 6th :)

The vehicles themselves are Battlefront Flames of War minis, 2 Sdkfz 231 8-rad reconnaissance vehicles and 4 Panzerjäger I light tank-hunters that both saw service during Operation Barbarossa. These are the first submission of my second larger project for the challenge that is an Early War German Panzerschützen army for Flames of War.

Now with the early morning rush of painting done it's then time to relax for the rest of the day and prepare for watching the parades and independence day reception and gala on the TV.

From Curt:
Great work Samuli and Happy Independence Day! 

I've always loved the design of the 8-rad armoured car - it's so futuristic for something that was designed in the 1930s.  

The vehicles give you a base 36 points and I'm also awarding you 9 points extra for the partial crews. You've pipped Miles to gain the front of the pack and claiming the lead... for now. ;)

From IannickM : "Kitty Bonny"; a gift to a friend, and my first entry (5 points)

The last few competition it took me a few weeks before submitting a first entry, so I decided to break the habit by submitting something straight outta the gate. It will put me on the board and motivate me to add to this early start.

2014 was a very difficult year for me; I spent most of the year unable to walk after undergoing three knee surgeries and at one point, after a series of complications, I seriously feared I might never get to walk normally again. Although I've mostly recovered now it's in those difficult times that you get to know your real friends, and I am lucky enough to count on a few amazing ones who supported me, visited me and cheered me up through these hard times. So I decided that, for Christmas, I would do something special and individually paint for each of them a unique figure as a show of gratitude. I rarely if ever paint for someone else and the plan is to paint something which represents them or something they love.

So my first figure of the competition is a gift to one of my best friend, Emilie, a great girl with a love of cats. In fact, she even has a cartoon cat as a tattoo on her arm. The figure is from Dark Sword Miniature's "Anthropomorphic Animals range", obviously a cat, and it's an awesome sculpt full of personality. The pink details and plumes are also a wink to Emilie's favourite colour.

I named the figure "Kitty Bonny" and I cannot wait for Xmas to give it to her.

That should give me 5 pts to start the competition with panache.

From Curt:
Iannick, it's wonderful to hear that you're on your feet again and are able to join us for the Challenge. 'Kitty Bonny' is a marvellous figure (I especially like the ears poking out from the tricorne) and I can appreciate the sentiment behind it - well done. I think your friend will be delighted with the gift. An excellent first entry.

Reminder: This week is Open Season on Submission Entries

'Open Season'. Get it. Oh, never mind...

I just want to remind all the participants that for this first week of the Challenge you can submit as many entries as you like, when you like.  We will commence the established submission schedule starting next Friday, December 12^th (12:01am CST).  Let's roll.

From MilesR: AQMF Mobile Artillery - 30 points Starts Miles's Triumphant March to Victory!

Here is my first entry of the Analogue Hobbies Annual Painting Challenge V or "AHPCV" as the "cool kids" refer to it.

A unit of US mobile artillery from the new game system All Quiet on the Martian Front.  The miniatures are 18mm scale and are plastic and metal.

Just like in the H.G Well's original "War of the Worlds", heavy artillery can be effective in taking out a Martian tripod and this unit has managed to take down 2 of the those three-legged menaces.  Each vehicle has two crew members and some extra ammo for the storage racks.

The AQMF stuff is really easy to paint and the game is a lot of fun.  In terms of scoring, there really isn't a point scale for 18mm so I'll use the scores for 15's.  So lets see here... 3 times that number and six times the other one gives me a total score of 10,000 points - I WIN!!!!!!!!!!

... wait a minute, I forgot to carry the two - let's see umm that's um 18 points for the vehicles and 12 points for the crew so a total of 30 points for my first entry.

I do need to point out that my first submission wasn't in the grand spreadsheet until week 12 - I've never been all that keen on the whole rules following thing.

The 5th Annual Painting Challenge Begins - The Death of Boromir from J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' (5 points)

As per tradition, I’ll open the Painting Challenge with its first entry, and since this year’s central theme is ‘Antiheroes, Rogues & Ruffians’ I thought I’d lead off with one of my favourite antiheroes from modern English literature: Boromir of Gondor from J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

I realize claiming Boromir as an antihero is a bit contentious to some as his place in the Middle Earth mythos is still hotly argued amongst Tolkien fans and scholars. Nonetheless, as the definition of an antihero is (and I paraphrase here): ‘a protagonist of a drama or narrative who is often lacking in classic heroic qualities, not entirely pure, often perceived as a flawed hero’, I think that Boromir fits the role of antihero admirably. 

Though in the book his contemporaries regard him as a great captain of Gondor, a valiant warrior and a bitter foe of the Dark Lord, we find Boromir is willing to betray the Fellowship by attempting to forcibly take the Ring from Frodo. His vanity in thinking he had the power to control the Ring, that he could force it to his own will, was his tragic flaw – his hubris, which I think makes him a classic antihero. In the end, Boromir pays for his treachery with his life, while at the same time redeeming himself, in his attempt to defend Merry and Pippin from the orcs at Parth Galen. 

During my first reading The Lord of the Rings, as a typical angst-ridden teenager, I was quite struck by the pathos of Boromir’s character. He seemed to me somehow more human, more accessible, more real than the other characters who were either larger-than-life or far too pure for me to identify with. Though his actions certainly upset me, I could still understand where he was coming from – flaws, vanity and all. So when I came to the part where he's fatally wounded fighting a host of orcs I was deeply saddened, perhaps even more than his treacherous act which led to the breaking of the Fellowship. All in all, a great character and perhaps a classic example of Tolkien’s jaded view of our modern age.

‘I would have followed you, my brother…my captain…my king.’

This model is an older casting from Games Workshop’s early efforts in producing miniatures for The Lord of the Rings. I remember that when I first saw it I knew I had to get it as it brought back many fond memories of my first reading of the books. (In fact, I already have one of these painted, but thought I’d do another up for The Challenge.) The two orcs carrying Merry and Pippin were painted years ago so they will not count for scoring (but they cried out to be included, and who was I to deny them). 

So there you have it, the opening entry to this year’s Painting Challenge and my personal welcome to you all. I see that other entries are already beginning to come in, so please come back and visit us again and see what the participants have created! 

'Let Me Connect You...'

I've just sent out an information PDF along with blog author invitations to all of this year's Challenge participants. If you are on the roster and have not received an email/invite from me please drop me a comment below or email me so I can get it sorted out. Thanks!! 

'There will be Paint before Breakfast' - Painting Duels and Side Challenges for the Fifth AHPC

'La!'

A fun element that has grown from the Challenge is the 'painting duels' and side wagers taken up between participants. These 'duels' run the gambit from seeing who can reach a defined points goal first, to being able to paint the most figures within a particular period or genre. They are great fun to watch unfold over the three months and provide a great source of goading and cheering for all concerned. 

Here are the first set of duels to kick off this year's Challenge:

- First, I'm calling out Sidney to see which of us will reach our 750 point target first - winner will claim a painted figure from the other. I aced Sid last year so I ask: Will I be hard-pressed this time out or will I get another limited edition Roundwood for my display cabinet?  ;P

- The Dutch Contingent (Jacco, Michael and Rob) have challenged one another to see which one of them will meet their 500 point target first. 

- Anne and Sander have challenged each other to painting the best Femme Fatale. The parameters of the duel are still being hammered-out but I hear murmurs that this clash will come off sometime in January. 

- Anne keeps busy with another duel, this one with Simon. They have challenged one another to see who can paint the most points in Pulp adventure figures over the three months of the event. The winner will get a painted figure from the vanquished. 

- I also have something in the works with Alan and Phil, but more on that once we've hammered out the details on the matches.

To the other participants, I challenge you all to comment below and issue your own call-outs for duels and cage-matches. Let's make this year's Challeng a paint-lashed scrum to the first day of Spring!  

Extending a big THANK YOU to the Painting Challenge Prize Sponsors

I'm delighted to announce that we have a wide-ranging group of sponsors (nine and counting!) who've generously offered prizes for the Challenge. I know prizes aren't the be-all and end-all, but you have to admit they do add a certain lustre to an occasion.

This year I'm going to try something a bit different in that I will be holding prize draws for attaining specific points thresholds.  There will be six thresholds, starting from 500 points and going up to 2500.

Threshold I = 500 points

Threshold II = 750 points

Threshold III = 1000 points

Threshold IV = 1500 points

Threshold V = 2000 points

Threshold VI = 2500 points

I'm hoping that with this system I can provide a bit more fun than simply giving out prizes to the top-scoring painters, as I realize not everyone has the time, speed or stamina to compete at those upper levels.

So, without further ado, in alphabetical order, this year's sponsors are:

Barrage Miniatures

Romanesque Spanish Church

Grass Warmat in a Vietnam setting.

Barrage Miniatures specializes in very high quality, exquisitely detailed vehicles, buildings and warmats. I had the pleasure to visit Alf's workshop in Madrid this past spring and can attest to his near maniacal attention to detail and customer service. In addition to his generous prize offerings Alf is also giving a 10% discount to all Challengers who order from his store during the event (please contact me to get the discount code). Thanks very much Alf!

Deep-Cut Studios

Deep-Cut Studio is an artisan studio specializing in manufacturing miniature and RPG games accessories. They mainly focus on miniature games mats for various wargames. Deep-Cut also collaborates with companies looking to outsource their manufacturing and/or handling the distribution of their products. They provide a wide array of services: graphic design, drawings, manufacturing, packaging and shipping the goods to the customer's doorstep.

Diplomatist Books

The stock at Edwin King's wonderful online bookshop Diplomatist Books is always worth a thoughtful thumb through. You'll find titles on Military & Naval History, Archaeology, Early History and Exploration. Also, check out Edwin's Facebook page to keep up with his goings on.

Fife & Drum / Minden Miniatures

British AWI Commanders

Prussian Command Stand

Jim Purky's Fife & Drum Miniatures, whose wonderful 30mm figures focus on the American War of Independence, was awarded 'Best Historical Miniatures Range of 2011' by the Miniatures Page. Jim also has the excellent Minden Miniatures range, which focuses on the armies of the Seven Years War. Both ranges are sculpted by the very talented Richard Ansell.

J&M Miniatures

A long-time supporter of the Challenge, James Manto's J&M Miniatures is a great Canadian-based online hobby store specializing in all manner of products for miniature gaming.

Murawski Miniatures

Murawski Miniatures was created to fill a niche for Napoleonic figure collectors who wanted a comprehensive range that depicted troops from the Grand Duchy of Warsaw as they were dressed and equipped in the 1812-1814 period. The “look” of the figures is very much that of “in the field” rather than parade ground (ideal for the Peninsular, 1813 campaigns etc) . That said figures have also been designed with Czapska chords, plumes etc.

Orinoco Miniatures

A labour of love from the fevered mind of Mark Griffin, Orinoco Miniatures features a wonderful range of 28mm castings depicting the South American Wars of Independence (1810-1830) and the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay (1932-1935). 

SG2 Creations

Byron's SG2 Creations is a Canadian-based studio specializing in MDF terrain, figure storage and acrylic game markers. He is currently developing comprehensive ranges of buildings for 28mm Sci-Fi, 15mm Stalingrad  and another in 20mm for the WWII campaigns in Italy.

Westfalia Miniatures

Russian sledge gun, 1812.

Rude Scots

Kawe's Westfalia Miniatures combines the talents of Niels Rullkoetter, Paul Hicks, Ebob, Frank Germershaus and Bill Thornhill to build 28mm miniatures and 1/56 equipment that they always wanted for their own collections. Their research comes from Michael Bartling and many others.

Again, I wish to thank all our prize sponsors -  their very generous support of the Painting Challenge really adds a wonderful sparkle to the event.


Next Up: Paint Duels and Side Challenges! (Note to Challengers: Please send me your call-outs and white feathers...)