From GregB - 20mm WWII Soviets (166 Points)

Russian tanks and tank riders in 20mm - models from PSC, figures from PSC and Elhiem

Christmas vacation was lovely this year, and I was fortunate to be able to bring some painting along for the trip. Here are the results - a whole pile of 20mm WW2 Russians to assist in the liberation of the Rodina. There is a platoon of T-34/76s, a platoon of SMG-toting tank riders to accompany them, a squad of assault engineers and a squad of scouts. 

The 1/72 scale tank kits from PSC are marvellous

Tank commander visible in the hatch to mark the platoon commander

A T-34/76 ready for action on the table

The T-34s are 1/72 scale models from the Plastic Soldier Company. These are excellent model kits, with a three-tank platoon per box.  They are easy to assemble and have very nice details.  Of course, those who know me will laugh (rightly) at my continuous inability to properly assemble tracks - it's not easy to see in the photos but I really managed to screw up one of these tanks, but thankfully from arm's length it looks OK. 

SMG-toting Lieutenant on a hexagonal base

Of course, a fumbler like me prefers one-piece track assemblies, but the fact is these are tremendous models that any normal person (i.e. any of you, anyone reading this, not me) could put these lovely PSC kits together with no trouble at all.

A squad of tank riders - one NCO (on square base), LMG team and four troops

The SMG platoon consist of figures from two manufacturers - the 1/72 scale infantry figures from their Russians WW2 plastic line (just have to say again what a great value that box is!) and a group of metal figures from Elhiem Figures.Elhiem is a 20mm figure maker I have heard a lot about, and I wanted to try some of their figures for myself so I ordered some packs to round out the platoon.

The Elhiem and PSC figures mix very well together

The platoon is organised along the lines given in the Chain of Command rules - a lieutenant (on a hex base) and three squads each with an NCO, a two-man LMG team and four regulars, all armed with the ubiquitous PPSH sub machine guns, for a total of 21 troops.  These troops would have accompanied the T-34s to battle, hitching a ride on the hulls as they advanced into battle.

I like the PSC pose of the fellow ready to toss the grenade

Two spare SMG-armed troops - Elhiem sculpts

I know it would have been cooler to model some of these guys on to the tanks themselves - after all, that is an iconic image of the Soviet army from WW2.  But in a game skirmish game, the amount of time these troops would spend actually on the tanks is very limited - the outside of a tank is a horrible, dangerous place to be when the shells start to come in and the Soviet tank riders would be hopping off in no time once battle was underway.  So I opted for the dismounted platoon.

Russian assault engineers from Elhiem

I was very pleased to note that Elhiem offers many Russian LMG gunners who are not prone - what a pleasure! As a result the LMG teams don't need large, wasteful bases and they fit in much more nicely with the other action-packed poses in the squads.

Another view of the engineers

Up next is a group of Russian combat engineers.  These are also Elhiem sculpts.  These troops carry SMGs, but there is an LMG (not prone either!) and a fellow with a flamethrower too.  They are modelled wearing camouflaged body suit and body armour. They are doing various engineer things (one is digging up a mine) and carrying engineer stuff (one has rope, another is kneeling and ready to set off a detonator).

Flamethrower trooper

Another view - gave him a different-shaped base so he would stand out

Fellow on the left is digging up a mine, while the one on the right is ready to blast something out of the way

Finally is a group of Russian scout troops. Again, they are Elhiem sculpts. They are carrying a mix of SMGs and what I think are semi-automatic rifles, SVTs perhaps?  I'm not familiar with Russian semi-automatic rifles from WW2 - I don't know if many were used or how common they were in the front lines.

Russian WW2 scouts from Elhiem

Some lively colours in the camouflage body suits

The scouts are also wearing camouflage body suits, similar to the engineers, but most of the painting references I found online for these troops had the camouflage suits in very different colours from the engineers.  Where the engineers had olive green suits with brown patches, the scouts seemed to wear either brown or a strange green, one that seems more appropriate for infiltrating a peppermint candy factory or a 70s prom than the German lines of the eastern front. I thought I would give it a try anyway - it certainly looks different!

I love this NCO figure for the scouts - a great sculpt from Elhiem

Interesting assortment of weapons on this group

I liked the proportion of the Elhiem sculpts, but the quality was not the best.  Not the worst, but not the best - some of the hands, for example, or some of the faces, were not that great, not that crisp. But they are still nice, and I look forward to painting more of them.

So in total there are 38 different 20mm-sized infantry troops and three 20mm sized tanks in this submission - however, only one of the tanks counts for the challenge (one had been completed prior to the start of the challenge, and a second had base paint colours applied prior to the challenge).  I am hoping Curt might toss in a couple of extra points for the Soviet tank commander in the hatch too.

From Curt:Excellent work as usual Greg. The T34s look wonderfully grimy and campaign hardened while the paintwork on the infantry is crisp and their groundwork excellent. I like those Elheim poses even though, as you say, their detail can be a bit soft. 

This post sees Greg meeting his initial points target of 300.  Dude, seriously, why you chose such a low target for yourself is beyond me as the lowest total you've ever accumulated in any of the previous Challenges is 888 points. In the future I'll have to institute a low-ball penalty for those who meet their targets in the first half of the Challenge.  Anyway, consider your next target and I'll update the roster.

From DavidB - Red Caps & Skaven Mage (25 Points)

Ah, holiday week! No internet, insurance company phone tag, and the usual holiday frivolities! Here are the pictures of the delayed ratman and some holiday fun I had with the kids. The fun all started with a full dinning room, three dogs, one terrified cat, and a led squeaky ball....

I did have an "Oliphant" full of nasty evil folk for the fortnight challenge, but he and the mighty Harad warriors were taken out! A fuzzy stampede lead by said led light and consisting in order of one cat in-the- wrong-place, three excited lab mixes, and four concerned kids. No holiday decorations, French doors, or heirlooms were damaged. No lasting harm to any living being ( the cat may have lost a life, but he has at least 8 more). The mighty oliphant and a couple troops did not survive the charge. They can be repaired, but I'm not keen on it for now. 

To settle the kids, we painted models yesterday. Each of us had 4 Defiance Games marines from my prep box. The kids feel better about it and some of their work may be observed behind the four I painted.

Mine are the Red Caps, an intergalactic mercenary group made up of former soldiers looking for decent pay. The troops are responsible for their own gear and uniforms. Hence the mishmash of gear and camo. They are for a freebie skirmish written by Howard Whitehouse. Quick play and wounded/dead troops are not removed. Care- under- fire is part of the rules.

There was controversy about Defiance Games. But as you can see the models are pretty decent. Plus I was in contact with them and received TWO boxes plus extras for FREE while I was deployed and I never asked once for samples or anything beyond what I paid for. I am sorry to see them gone now.

I like the "combat diapers" the models sport. "Combat diapers" are uncomfortable, hot, jock-itch creating gear that you don't need till you do! Seeing them reminds me that you the same idiots will be designing uniforms for troops in the future, and those troops will find the same discomfort I have...and the same gripping on comfort will continue anon! ;)

In the 1812 War, more British troops died on the march to Washington than in the skirmishing. It was because of the wool uniform jackets, backpacks, and humid summer air! You KNOW they were griping a bit!

The Skaven mage is a conversion of several fantasy bits. I needed a sorcerer for my skaven warband and did not like what GW had available. All the parts came from GW kits, and in the end , I had my very own cycloptic mage!

Since mages are albinos in the Skaven world, he was undercoated white. Since he eats warpstone for magic, I painted his eye green. He keeps his stash of warpstone in his staff within the lantern.

I have him posed as if he is preparing a blast of magic. I used a lot of inks and washes on him with a light drybrushing of tan followed by more washes and some highlights. I prefer black undercoats, but white makes washes work really well. The Defiance Games marines (mercs) have a NMM attempted on the weapons, but I don't think it worked out too well. I think I did better with it on Red Platoon, but it is still new to me. I'll try again on later entries.

From Curt:David, it sounds like you've had your hands full this holiday season! My deepest condolences regarding the stricken Oliphant and its posse. I hope we see the repaired beast soon. I like your Red Caps though I find the whole idea of 'combat diapers' deeply troubling. I had no idea... (Though I guess they make perfect sense.) Your Skaven mage is completey ace. I love the lantern, his green eyes and his albino fur - excellent stuff.  

Finally, your hobby space has that whiff of chaotic reality about it that I find strangely calming. Thanks for sending that along.  :)

From MartinC - 'My name is Alice and I remember everything' (237 Points)

Happy new year all, this is my latest submission and is something of a departure. Firstly there is the obligatory ACW unit, the 68th Pennsylvania. I have been experimenting with ink washes, normally I paint in the shading using the Foundry 3 colour system and sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. When I was buying my micropen I purchased some Windsor and Newton inks and have been washing the trousers (pants is probably more accurate) with thinned down cobalt blue. It works pretty well, although the photography doesn't really pick it up - still experimenting with photography having never photographed a figure before the challenge in my life and only having a smart phone. New skills are always good.

Most of the decoration on the stands is lichen that I found in the garden and I think it looks great. I also managed to do some varnishing for the first time in months as I do it outside and the weather has been dodgy - windy and drizzle. Again the photography makes them look much shinier than they really are.

Next up is something more unusual. Whilst digging in the back of the cupboard for the goblin chariot - see bonus submission - I found these. These ten 28mm dwarfs appear to be the 10th Dwarf Legion. I bought them in the 1980's and I don't know from who. I really like them and would like to try and find some more so if any one has any suggestions that would be a great help. I can't imagine they are still being made though.

The basing rubble is vermiculite which is used in packing chemicals as it is very absorbant. I stained it with black ink wash as it is gold coloured and it looks really good. However it is so absorbant that it hoovers up glue and doesn't stick well. The triarii are standard red but I painted the Hastai in Vallejo Oxford Blue.

And finally a random 28mm Hasslefree miniature that I recently purchased of Alice from the Resident Evil movies. The figure is great with no flashing nor annoying mould marks - I will definitely be going back. Despite the quality of the figure I couldn't get the painting quite right and so instead of submitting her to the Hot bonus round (which to be honest I felt quite embarrassed about - I'm not 14 anymore) I've submitted her here. Think I'll use her as a wild card in VBCW - she will certainly shake up 1930's Northumberland

P.S. I unexpectedly completed the 105th Pennsylvania and therefore I think this makes it a points bomb of 237. I love that work is closed until the New Year.

Will have to find a new pose, these are getting repetitive. Off to build and paint my Christmas present for next week.

From Curt:Wow, this year's weekly submission protocol has really generated the points bombs. Great work Martin! Your ACW project is clipping along at an amazing rate. I like the ink effect on the trousers (NOT pants). As a suggestion, if you wanted to make the shading even more distinct you could highlight the raised folds in the original colour. Then again it would probably reduce the pace of your work (which is blistering). Your Alice is wonderful (I'm 12 at heart so no embarrassment here) - is that a severed head at her feet? 

And with this submission Martin moves into amongst the top three in the points ratings. Bravo Mr. Cooke! 

From Gilles - The reinforcements are coming! (127 Points)

I was in hurry this week!
For a busy week , it has been a busy one !
too much painting programmed for too few days to do it before the Tuesday parution.
but with patience and practice I nearly finished, althought a part of it will appear only next tuesday due to a lack of basing and flocking in time.
so here is the reinforcement as promised:
Firstly three more chinese workers from Wargames Foundry in 28mm

Then a unit of Polish knights with their mixed strzelcy for my Medieval Polish project at Grunwald

The banners of the district of Poznan and the Nadworna (court) banner, the figures are from Essex miniatures and there's 2 mounted crossbowmen from the good old Mike Models inserted,of course in 15mm.

and the second Germano-Bohemian unit of spearmen for my Medieval Hungarian project (how many projects the french jester does in the same time? You will never know ;-) )
Like the other Germano-Bohemian unit of spearmen they are from Essex Miniatures.
The choice of the shield designs was a pain because I would like to do different colours from the first I done, just to differenciate the units when I'll play.

 I hope you'll like them....


 

From BrendonW - 28mm Wars of the Roses Bannermen (45 Points)

My miniature late medieval force is growing and now I present the first of the Banner bearers. 8 x  28mm Perry Plastics with Banners that I created. 

The two long ones are inspired by the styles that actually come with the box. However I created original designs with some found images from the internets in CorelDraw. We learn a little more about this force through the Latin which is Fermentum and Lardum. Translates to Beer and Bacon roughly. Perhaps they are significant traders and the Kingdom was founded on those products? Why 3 tankards? Well I did a little searching and my last names is Watts and there is an old heraldry for some such Watts bloke from England who has 3 severed heads on his coat of arms so instead of heads, 3 beers please. I don't mind decent head on my beers but smelly old severed heads you can keep. 

The banners are not actually shiny but I will hit them with a coat of Matt Varnish. Just another effect of my dodgy photography.

Cheers from me.

From Curt:Brendon, you are on a roll with this project! These are some fabulous bannermen Brendon, and custom created no less. Beer and Bacon. Definitely things to fight for. Very impressive work so I'm adding a few more points for your efforts - well done Mr. Watts.

From DaveD - Fix Bayonets!! KRRC,RMLI & Naval Brigade Gatling Gun (285 Points)

Cracking along nicely with the Imperial forces, this latest lot completes half of the Infanty requirement for the inital OOB's

So we have the Kings Royal Rifle Corps (30 figures) , and the Royal Marine Light Infantry (24 figures). The officer and rifle armed guard for the Gatling were picked up already painted and needed little work- as was the gun itself - so just the 3 gunners to count. All of this lot are Connoisseur Miniatures. Can you tell I am enjoying painting these?

Both battalions are in a version of  blue/grey uniform, although slightly different shades as this seems to have been an issue and its nice to get a bit of variation - I will do a blog post on how these were done, as its actually really quick to do on these figures.

And here we have a shot of all the various completed Imperial units from this challenge and last year and a few bits in-between.

Right, off to make sabres for the upcoming Hussar conversions. I am nicely in the swing  of things with this little lot - an early morning session, and then an evening one is working nicely.

Oh Millsy - I have found some lads that are quick to paint...Egyptians...white uniform , red fez (whatever) rifle and flesh - and bobs your point bomb!

From Curt"
Wowza! Another beautiful (and huge) Sudan entry from you Dave - wonderful stuff!  As the last entry, the blue/grey uniform is particularly eye-catching (and I love the straw hats of the naval gunners). And you can't help but appreciate the last picture with the square in all its glory. Magnificent.

This entry will see Dave crack the 1K mark and move back into top position in the points ranking... for now. Millsy, Miles and Dave, the three of you have been trading broadsides these past few weeks. I wonder if the three of you can keep it up for the next 11?  Time will tell...

ClintB - 28mm Confederate Infantry (60 Points)

It has been a slow week for me. But here are my latest figures finished.  12 Perry 28mm plastics all from the same box that the Blue coats came from and all for skirmish games.

Here they are triple ranked in a mixture of uniforms grey and butternut. Should I do more (I will ) I suspect there will be more butternut colour clothing. Although you can't see it in the front rank there are quite a few patched knees and elbows on the figures which add to the campaign look of the figure and hint that they may not get all the supplies as often as they would require.

Some civilian clothes are also included in the mix, everything from non-regulation socks and blankets as well as hats and even leather work. Hopefully they now look like a slightly more dishevelled group than my Northern troops.

In Fact only the officer has the majority of "Regulation" Uniform as realistically he probably bought it himself. Or bought at least part of it! All the colours of the clothes came from the Films "Gettysburg" and "Gods and Generals." but I have lightened them slightly as colours tend to dull the smaller the figure. And it was a good excuse to watch those films again.

From Curt:Another great addition to this project Clint. I really like the various colours for the uniforms, hats and blanket rolls as they give them that quintessential 'Rebel' look.