WEDNESDAY from AlexD - Chaos Space Marine Havocs (25 points)

Hi everyone, this is my first time participating in this painting contest. Hope you enjoy!

I've been sitting on a fully assembled and primed Thousand Sons army for some time now, but thanks to real life shenanigans and general procrastination I haven't gotten around to actually painting them. So my goal is to have the entire 1500 point army finished by the end of this contest.  A lofty task, but I look forward to the challenge!

My first entry is a unit of Chaos Space Marine Havocs.

I've always fancied the Thousand Sons chapter.  I love their aesthetic and find their lore really interesting, especially that their armor is a sealed tomb animated by magic and empty except for a handful dust - all that remains of the Space Marine who once wore it.  Riffing off this concept, I went with an Egyptian-inspired theme, and played up the animated armor angle.

I did a fair bit of converting on each of the figures in this army.  For this Havoc squad I replaced their helmets with skulls from the Tomb Kings Tomb Guard boxed set.  I wanted them to appear intimidating, but otherworldly, so I went with a blue tint on the skulls instead of the standard bone color.  Weapon wise - two of the Havocs are armed with Heavy Bolters, one has a Rocket Launcher, and other wields a Lascannon.

For the Aspiring Champion I added an Egyptian-style death mask (also from the Tomb Guard boxed set), along with a flamethrower and a banner proclaiming his allegiance to Tzeentch.

That's it for this week.  More Thousand Sons coming soon!

ByronM: Welcome to the challenge Alex and VERY nice start!  Not sure where to start on these guys, there is so much good stuff to comment on.  I really like the head swap conversions as it keeps the Thousand Sons feel, but with a slightly different aesthetic than normal.  I also really like the super hard black line / edge highlight work that you did as it almost makes it look like they are from a cell shaded video game or comic book. From table top distance those two things are really going to make them "pop".  Excellent work, I can't wait to see more!

WEDNESDAY - A Beginning from RossM (12 points)

In comparison to some of the first entries seen so far in this year's challenge below is somewhat smaller than others.

The entry has two parts to it, firstly a command stand for ADG or DBA with 6mm Rapier Macedonians.

This is the second command stand that has been recently completed for these games although the other can't be shown here as it was pre-challenge painting.

6mm is a new scale here and still trying to workout the best way of painting the little chaps for me. This stand started off with a white undercoat and then blocked in the main colours before washing with a certain earth coloured wash. On this occasion the mounted character's leg has blended in with the animal skin on the horse, so perhaps less is more on this colour scheme.

From the 6mm specialists on the challenge any hints and tips would be appreciated.

Next is a 28mm water wagon from 4Ground. A good model that was easily assembled - watch the axles as they are bit fragile once out of the frame - and very easy to paint.

The painting involved a base coat of Khemri Brown, followed by washing with that certain earth colour and then dry brushing up to the finish you see here.

Felt that the barrel needed more colour to it hence the coloured barrel lid, no branding intended.

So, there you have it the first entry from here for this year

6mm Infantry x 2 = 1 pt
6mm Cavalry x 1 = 1 pt
28mm limber x 1 = 10 pts

Total for entry: 12 pts

Cheers for now

ByronM:  A really nice first entry into the challenge Ross!  I can sympathize with the new to 6mm scale thing as I only painted my first 6mm figs about 2 years ago (in a previous challenge).  You are completely correct in the "less is more" statement as you really end up painting for effect more than detail. 

Others can voice in, but with 6mm I find the best thing to do is base black then work up, so that you leave really hard shadows that can be seen at that scale, to each their own though.  I tried working from white down and found it didn't have enough contrast.  Your results are really good though, so whatever works!

The water wagon is a wonderful little kit and you really brought it to life with your paint job, excellent work!  It would be a shame to haul water in there though, it really should be beer or whisky!

WEDNESDAY from RichardP - WWII Kriegsmarine (116 points)

A 20mm Platoon of WWII German Kriegsmarine for Chain of Command. Figures are Kelly Heroes from Grubby Tanks (Britannia Miniatures).

Each of the three sections consist of:-

Junior Leader
Rifle Squad - 4 Riflemen
MG Squad - MG34 Team (2 Figures) + 2 Riflemen

Commanded by a Senior Leader.

This will be the first unit of my 2017 WWII Chain of Command project. I have painted them a bit bluer than they probably should be and have started to paint all my figures a bit brighter than usual as I like the way they look on the tabletop.

ByronM: A very good points score for the day at 116 points!  The blue may be a bit bright but I think it works and will really make them stand out on the table, especially with the white accents.  I hope they serve you well in CoC, and I look forward to seeing more of your CoC project.

Wednesday Minion Reporting in...

Hello Everyone, Byron here, your Wednesday Minion is reporting for duty...

How I got stuck with hump day is beyond me, I mean Curt is smarter than giving his friend with a really twisted / evil sense of humour the day of the week that leads to rude vulgar humour, isn't he???  I thought he was, but guess not! I will keep it as clean as I can, but no promises...

Oh, and another point against Curt today, how on earth did you not put DaveD on Wednesday? He paints desert themes every year and normally some camels and you DON'T give him to your Wednesday Minion?  Curt you are slipping!!! 

While I have participated in the challenge for a few years, I have never been a daily minion before so will try my best to be nice enough to be invited back again.

In all seriousness though, Wednesday is shaping up to be a great day of the week in the challenge and we have some very talented painters on this day from what I have seen already with this weeks entries.

There are already 8 entries for today and more still coming in! So come back often throughout the day as I space them out so that everyone gets there 15 minutes of fame.

From Anthony O - Mixing scales of WW2 (130 Points)

This week I have concentrated on WW2 though in two separate scales. The first is a continuance of my British Expeditionary Force (BEF) project for Bolt Action  and the second in the first platoon of a Grenadier Company for FoW4.

Warlord Games Universal Carriers - 1/56 scale - 30 points.

These two carriers are for my BEF force that I am putting together for Bolt Action and come from Warlord Games with crew included. If you are wondering why their skirts may be missing it seems to be a design flaw in the kit and they are impossible to put on. That being said it is otherwise a fine plastic kit. These UC's will provide an armored transport and light support option for my force and are so iconic they are a must have in any British force!

Battlefront Plastic German Grenadiers - 15mm - 66 points

After playing Bolt Action exclusively for almost four years I wanted to paint and play in some different scales. I was fortunate to meet up with an old friend recently who is focused on 15mm WW2 and this got me interested in the FoW miniatures and whilst I would not normally have jumped into FoW with a new version coming out and the promise of streamlined rules I decided to paint up an army in preparation.

These guys are the first platoon in a company made up of three 9 man sections and a 3 man platoon command team. They are going to be themed around Normandy in 1944 and I am hoping to complete the Company during the challenge including vehicle support options.

Nice work Patch!  A mix of scale for different periods of WW2 is a great way to mix it up.  That is a total of 130 points, comprising 70 for those lovely Bren Carriers (2 Vehicles + 4 crew/riders each) and 60 points for your 30 15mm Germans.

Paul & Alan

From GregB - Sons of Horus Whirlwind Artillery Tank (15 points)

Whilwind artillery support vehicle for the 16th Legion

More 30k stuff - This is a Whirlwind Scorpius, a multiple rocket launcher support vehicle for the troops of the 16th Legion, the Warmasters' own Sons of Horus. While I am trying to expand the collection into some other Legions, I still have a bias toward the 16th Legion, and somehow the Sons of Horus seem to have first claim on new model purchases...it's what Horus would do, after all...this model has been sitting around since just after our great big 30k mega game in October of 2015 - nice to finally get it done!

Rocket launcher ready to dish out abuse on loyalist fools

I generally dislike long range artillery vehicles being represented on the table for a skirmish game, particularly in 28mm, but the Whirlwind is one of those iconic 30k/40k vehicles for fans like me that are fun to have in the collection.  Games Workshop has made many versions of this model over the history of the game, but they all generally do the same thing - drop explosive rockets on the heads of opponents!  Let any who oppose the Hope and Change of the Warmaster flee in terror...

Some "good luck" script on the hatch - from the very useful "Betrayal at Calth" decal sheet

Another "good luck" symbol on the opposite hatch - these decals are meant for the Word Bearers, but I love the look of, and implied slight hint of corruption, these geometric symbols confer

This particular model is from Forge World, a mixed resin and plastic model kit.  I really like the look and design, as the Forge World guys have designed a sharp looking launcher while combining many throw-back features which are shout-outs to the original plastic model.   That nostalgia stuff gets me every time!

Another view of the launch turret

The Sons of Horus will look forward to an opportunity to use this new toy to wipe the galaxy clean of fools who cling to belief in the so-called "Emperor".  This one vehicle should get me 15 points. And now, on to some more 30k stuff...

Its always nice to get a model completed after it has been sitting around for awhile waiting for attention (if only I did that more consistently!) - 15 points for this big, bad beastie!
Paul & Alan

From GregB: The Alpha Legion Arrives (45 points)

The Alpha Legion arrives on my painting table

My second submission today features a new Legion for my 30k collection - the 20th Legion, known as the Alpha Legion.  The Alphas have one of the more entertaining back stories among the numerous legions featured in GW's "Horus Heresy" setting.  The other Legions have elaborate histories - some noble, some bloody, nearly all grim, and all with long service in the endless wars which abetted the rise of the Emperor and the establishment of the Imperium.

Veteran Sergeant on the left, Chaplain on the right

Back view of the officers

The history of the Alphas, on the other hand, is not well known, on purpose.  They started off as a black ops, special forces-type organization, used by the Emperor and his senior officials for specialized activities of the sort that archivists were not meant to record. Eventually the demands of the "great crusade" were such that this force was elevated to the status of a Legion itself, and they became the 20th - and final - of the Space Marine Legions. One of many decisions the Emperor would likely come to regret...

Vexillary on the left, and a communications trooper on the right

Rear detail on the communication and vexillary models

The last Legion established, but taking the name "Alpha", is a contradiction action that fits well with how the Alpha Legion rolls.  Where the other Legions strive in the shadow of their elaborate histories to pursue greater causes and honour their ponderous histories, the Alphas just seem to be trolling the galaxy.  The Alpha Legion is all about wheels-within-wheels, schemes, plotting, subversion, spying...like a Space Marine Legion-sized version of the CIA, complete with its own military industrial complex to sustain its machinations. They can do all of the standard, scary, appear-in-orbit-and-destroy-your-world Space Marine stuff.  But before they would bother, they will probably have wrecked on the pension funds, crashed the property markets, illegally seized the leases for resource extraction and rigged the elections.  If all that wasn't enough fun, then fine - orbital assault.

The Alphas built a galaxy-spanning network of informers, agents and contacts, even infiltrating the other Space Marine legions.  They spun endless webs of information and misinformation, mixing freely and spreading them widely. As such, they were disliked and distrusted by their brother Legions. 

Some Alphas in Mark IV armour

The embossed shoulder plates are from Forge World...an expensive addiction, but I love how they look

The outbreak of the Horus Heresy was almost a coincidence for the Alphas.  Although they sided with Horus in the Heresy, the Warmaster had difficulty controlling them.  The Alphas would interpret orders as liberally as they liked, and had so many schemes going they were just as likely to fight the rebels as the loyalists.  Their main operational motto is "no witnesses".  With a bunch like this, there are a lot of possibilities for fun scenarios!

Mark VI "Corvus" power armoured figures from Forge World - the Alphas are often portrayed employing these classic "beakie" armour suits, much more so it seems than the other Legions

As an aside, if you are a Space Marine dork like me, you will fine no models to be more fun to build than these Mark VI suits from Forge World - the price is eye watering, but these are faithful to the original RTB01 plastics - you will love them

The other reason I wanted to collect this force had to do with their colour scheme. They are often seen in a blue, or blue green, with a metallic sheen, the colour of a sports car.  The downside to this cool look is that it almost always seems to involve an airbrush, a general deal-breaker for me. I tried for a couple months before the Challenge started to find a way to come up with that cool metallic blue without an airbrush, but just couldn't make it work.  So I came up with a different blue-green approach - it's not a cool, metallic-looking finish, but I'm still pretty pleased with how it is turning out and there is no airbrush involved.

Chaplain for the Alpha Legion...given their approach to the universe, I expect this guy would be into irony more than anything else

This model will do as a command figure for the Alphas until I can get some more command troops

Can you feel the "faith"?

These models were a ton of fun to paint.  They are a mix of plastics from the "Betrayal at Calth" box set, with some upgraded bits from Forge World, and some resin Mark VI power armour marines from Forge World.  The Chaplain is the "Kurtha Sedd" plastic figure from the "Betrayal at Calth" box set, painted to be an officer/command figure for the Alpha Legion.

This submission has 11 28mm infantry models, but two of the models were test paints from before the Challenge so they don't count, so this should net me another 45 points.  See you with more next week!

Great additions to your 30k collection Greg, I'm sure they will continue to sow distrust and heresy on your gaming table with skill and panache!  Your blue-green colour scheme looks very good indeed.
45 well earned points!

Paul & Alan

From Barks- Prepare your troops for a surface attack! (102 Points)

Greetings, challengers! I feel a little bit slow off the starting blocks, but here is my first post, and a harbinger of more to come.

These are boardgame pieces for Fantasy Flight Games' Star Wars: Rebellion, which I hope to play once I have painted it all! A good project for the challenge.

Four AT-ATs. I added the bases, which are matt black to the human eye!

Ten AT-STs

Thirty Stormtroopers

A mix of scales- I throw myself on the mercy of the minions to calculate points! The AT-AT is about 30mm tall (1:700ish), the AT-STs a tad over 20mm (1:500ish), and the troopers about 15mm.

The bases (triangular/ circular/ square) have symbolic value within the game.

The walkers were undercoated grey, washed black, and drybrushed up again using white as the final colour. The troopers were undercoated white, washed black, heavily drybrushed white, then stronger highlights were added in white.

"Echo Station 3-T-8. We have spotted Imperial walkers."

The Force is Strong with this first entry Barks!  A great force to menace any Rebel scum in your path. Don't worry about the slow start, we all know that the Imperials didn't well until Hoth anyway :-)

Thats netted you a total 102 points for your Imperial Sector - 60 for the Stormtroopers (15mm infantry) and we costed up the AT-ATs and AT-STs as 10mm vehicles.  "Pray we don't alter the deal any further..."

Paul & Alan

From RosieD - Mouselings 1 (10 points)

Everybody at home calls me a mouseling, so for my first challenge I decided to paint some mice. They are a 28mm witch and a wizard made by Reaper Bones. I chose to make the wizard's eyes gold because he is casting a spell and when he casts a spell he glows.

What a wonderful first entry Rosie- welcome to the Challenge!  You've done a fantastic job with your Mouselings and I really like the way you have put highlights and patterns on their cloaks.  The flowers on their bases are a nice touch too.

That totals ten well earned points - congratulations!
Paul

From IsobelS: Ghosty Goos (60 points)

Hi everyone, this is my first time in the painting challenge and my first post. So for my first submission, I painted 12 Army of the Dead figures from the Lord of the Rings. I believe these guys were sculpted by the Perry's or by the Prime Minister, based on the 'PM' on the foot tabs. I plan on using them for a Dragon Rampant force at some point in the future, or just for looking cool in my growing Undead Collection.

The boys from the top in a classic wedge formation.

A bit of a close up of all the guys.

The three champions; Axe Shield Ghost, King Ghost, and Menacing Sword Ghost.

Super serious going to mess you up shot.

The paints I used were Vallejo Fluro Green, Fluro Yellow, and White, as well as Citadel Green Ink for the figures. For the basing, I used run of the mill sand and small bits of cork for rocks and then inked them with the Citadel Mahogany ink. Then I dry brushed around the ghost for some spooky glowing ectoplasm with Citadel Snot Green and then over the top of that closer to the models with the Vallejo White. I finished it all off with a Satin Varnish and the Army Painter Anti-Shine Spray.

I quite like the way they turned out, although I think I went a bit heavy with the dry brush for the glow effects. I do plan on doing more ghosts in the future to match these guys so I'll take this as a valuable learning experience. Also, thanks to Phill K for the setup and taking these photos. Next up, I plan to have a small bunch of Napoleonics based up for Sharpe Practice. Wish me luck!

Welcome to the Challenge Isobel! These ghosts are so realistically green and moist looking they had me reaching for my hanky. You have done a great job with a limited palette to make these ghosts look suitably glowy and spooky. Just lovely, and the final photo is quite intimidating. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with Napoleonics, and also to see more of your undead figures. 60 points for you!  (Alan and Paul).

Tuesday's Minions Report In!

Greetings from the Two-Headed Tuesday Monstrous Minion, otherwise known as Alan and Paul. Paul is the one on the right with the beard. Alan has the droopy horns. We will be guiding you through the Tuesday submissions with all the professionalism, acuity and je ne sais quoi our photo suggests.