From SamuliS: Roquefort Rodents (95 points)

After a quick start to the challenge I faded out a bit, but finally it's time to get my second entry and first weekly submission in! In early December I made the mistake of starting on some Napoleonics before the challenge and not surprisingly I failed to get them done until New Years Eve. So my painting progress towards the challenge goal was a bit lacking due to having to finish them. But with 2018 dawning I could finally get started on my first real entry.

For 2018 I have a few main projects and themes, with plenty of Skaven, 40k and Napoleonics in the pipeline. I decided to start off with a soft start to my Age of Sigmar Skaven by painting up my Willy Miniatures Skaven Blood Bowl team that I had gotten late last summer from their Kickstarter.

2 Throwers and 2 Blitzers

These guys represent the first half of my team with all the core players and a few special linemen to represent players who've already picked up some skills. I still have all the star players, plenty of different mutations and all the supporting staff to paint up, but they'll have to wait for sometime while I get other projects going forward as well. Considering that a team can have a maximum of 16 players it could be said that I might have gone a bit over the top as the final player and support staff count will come up closer to 30...

4 Gutter Runners

These Willy Miniatures sculpts are quite nice, but the casting quality did let the minis down a bit with massive flash and some slipped mould lines on them. And the sculpts are clearly done by at least two different sculptors with the style changing quite a bit between different minis. The difference is already quite clear between the normal linemen and the special ones like the kicker and fat rat, but with the star players and mutated players it's even more pronounced.

6 basic Linemen

I actually had the miniatures themselves painted up for last week already, but ended up trying to do some water effects on the bases in the form of puddles, which caused some issues and a bust schedule. I'd bought a bottle of AK Interactive Still Water that I decided to use on these guys. And to be honest the product was quite a disappointment. The end result was quite nice, but to get there required way too much effort to be really worthwhile if doing large batches of miniatures. It's supposed to be usable with layer thickness of up to 3mm, but even with 1-2mm thickness shrinkage was a major issue already on puddles as small as the ones I have on the bases. All the liquid would pull to the sides and I'd have a massive hole in the middle. 

In the end I ended up doing 5 layers of the stuff on the worst bases and 3 on even shallowest one to get the whole thing even. And with long drying times this whole process took ages to go through and I only managed to get them completely finished on Friday evening.

Kicker, Fatty and another Lineman

Another new product I used on them was Warcolours paints. I've had them for a while, but never really used them too much. There's bit of a learning curve to them as they don't exactly work like other acrylics, but rather have much longer drying times, are a bit gel like before thinning and are extremely translucent. But for doing smooth highlights and blending different paint layers they are just amazing! 

My photography doesn't really show things well enough, but even with my skills achieving really clean highlights and semi-borderless colour transitions was easy to achieve. The paints definitely aren't that great for painting large armies, but I can definitely see use for them with heroes and some more special minis.

Rat Ogre

With that my wall of text is over. 17 28mm infantry and 1 Rat Ogre who comes at around 60mm tall so should be about the same as 54mm infantry should amount to 95 points. Next up some Napoleonics in the form of a few Saxon battalions for my 1813 project. Hopefully they won't take as long to get finished up as these guys did.

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Yaaaaay….go Skaven…! These are terrific, Samuli! I’ve been harbouring a secret Skaven admiration for many years – probably linked to their slightly insane, warpstone-fixated mindset – so this team is doubly welcome to the Challenge in my book!

They’re a perfect way to kickstart a project, leading on to hopefully many more gnawing, long fanged fanatical vermin during the rest of your Challenge entries. And I really like the way that you’ve covered the base of the team, and then gone on to add more, and more – a true gamer, bringing along the ‘kitchen sink’ (or ‘circular spinning wheel’, as older Skaven grandmothers would say) to the game.

I have to say, I can’t see the problem on the casting that you’ve mentioned. If the mould lines are there, I think they’re more than masked by your super brushwork. I do, however, share your pain on the AK Interactive Still Water. That stuff can be very tricky to work with. Have you tried ‘Solid Water’, which is a two part resin? It’s a little fiddly to mix, but it applies quite well, and you only need one coat. Worth a look for at some point, maybe.

And thanks for the heads up on the Warcolours paints. That’s news to me, but if your fantastic Rat Ogre is anything to go by, I can guess we’ll all be getting some soon!

This most excellent work will gain you a Skaven-skittering 95 points to scamper you up the Challenge ladder. Tremendous work, Samuli, and we can’t wait for more.

From ValeryN - Soviet tanks and Scout Cars M3 (156 Pts)

Hello everybody!

Today I want to introduce you to Soviet light tanks BT. 5 BT-7 with 45-mm cannon and 3 BT-7A with 76-mm cannon. 

The second part of the reinforcement is the american armored personnel carriers M3A1, supplied by Lend-Lease. I did not put Soviet symbols on them to be able to use them in the future in the American army, which I began to collect.

Total 26 models with 6 points each = 156 Pts

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Mother Russia...!  What an arsenal!  That's a wonderful points-drop in a single week, Valery, and I would feel sorry for anyone facing up against this sledgehammer.  It's just 'Soviet' to look at - a tremendous mass of formidable armour, rolling inexorably towards East Prussia or Berlin.  Great work!

I think the decals look great - and that gives the models additional versatility for use with an American army.  A quick swap of the borscht for ginger beer and you're good to go.  

Excellent work, my friend, earning you a thoroughly deserved 156 points and propelling you up up the Challenge VIII rankings like a favoured son of the Politburo!

From PaulOG: Russian buildings and MG bunkers (68 points)

This week I have laboured to complete the Ukrainian village of Ostrog for the Battlegroup Barbarossa Campaign that Alan and I are enjoying:  3 more small houses (1 damaged) plus a wonderful partly destroyed church.

The fruits of my labours this week

Like the two buildings from last week, these are lovely resin models by Mk IV Miniatures. Wonderfully crisp sculpts with no bubbles or flash, they are a delight to paint.  The battle damage is particularly good - not overly done but still quite evident both inside and out.  The interior detailing is also lovely (all roofs are removable) though took quite a bit of extra time to do justice to it with the brush.

Its been great to finish off the total of six buildings from a standing start i.e. when a mate comes over, tells you your painting table priorities are all wrong, informs you we need a new 15mm village finished ASAP for our games, and points to the buildings in the lead pile looking all forlorn in their packets...  

That said, I bought them at Fall-In in 2015 (where I met Miles) so its good to finally give them the attention they deserve.

Next up are 4 MG bunkers - resin Battlefront models. 3 have Maxim barrels and 1 has MG 34/42. These were fun to paint up.

Overall, the 3 houses and the larger church are three 6inch terrain cubes, totalling 60 points. For the MG bunkers I suggest the same as a 15mm infantry figure, 2 points, for 8 more; a total of 68 points for this submission. Now to get back to some figures!

The village of Ostrog, which I have completed in the last fortnight

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Wow - that's a pretty sizable village you have amassed there in record time, Paul!  It just looks absolutely brilliant, and it's been great watching it come together over the past couple of posts.  The church is an absolute stand-out - it looks magnificent, and I love how its wonderful spire adds a lot of height to the tabletop.  You've most definitely done it justice, and the Mark IV Miniatures buildings are clearly something for me to watch out for at a show or on the internet.  A great recommendation.

I love how you've painted the burn damage on the houses.  I can almost smell the smoke in the ear and hear the crackle of the embers.  Really nice painting, Sir!

And the MG bunkers look great.  Well done with the finishing touches, like the additional grasses growing (carefully seeded or turfed) on the roofs.  The machine guns poking menacingly from the aperture, scanning the fire lanes, is a really great touch.

Great work on all of these Paul and a well deserved 68 points to your total !!

From PhilH: A Swarm of TIEs (60 Points)

My entry into the 'Flight' bonus round was a collection of Star Wars Rebel fighter squadrons. My first normal Monday entry are their Imperial foes: a swarm of TIE Fighters.

Neeeeeoooow

Twenty four of the blighters, in eight squadrons of three. Not much to day about them, just lots of black panelling on grey, pretty dull to paint so I did the whole lot in one batch. The two bases with red detailing will serve as TIE squadron aces named Howlrunner and "Mauler" Mithel. 

They came out a bit dark from the method I used, particularly the cabin sections: once shaded I just picked out the details like the windscreen, rather than highlighting up the whole cab. But slightly non-canoncial colouration aside, I'm satisfied with how they look en masse.

Hiding in the swarm are two Aggressor Assault Fighters, another of the many ships from the extended SW universe. These were painted pre-challenge.

And lastly, paint still wet as I took a quick photo, six TIE Interceptors.

I leave final judgement on points for these to the esteemed gentleman on Monday Minion duties this year (hi Sid!). My guesstimate would be 2 points per fighter, for a total of 60.

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Nnnnnnneeeeeoooooowwwwww indeed, Phil !  These look terrific, and you're being far too modest!  The black paneling on the grey, with the added scarlet flashes look excellent.  A real swarm which look very much like the movies - all tumbling, turning and cascading through space like a horde of stellar locusts, hungry with intent.

They look great as models, but really come alive with a careful paintbrush and their designated basing.  The TIE Interceptors would be a particular favourite - and sure these guys would be a worthy challenge for even the most hardened rebel pilots.  Surely....?

Great work, Phil - which will most certainly garner you 60 points towards your total.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING CHALLENGERS !!

Here’s hoping you all had a FANTASTIC weekend, filled with good food, entertainment and more than a little painting fun. And here we are again, at the start of another week of Challenge VIII, with the race to the end of the first month well under way.

We’ve a terrific selection of entries for your admiration and astonishment this morning. 

They’ll transport you from the wild steppes of Mother Russia to the gridiron fields of a Blood Bowl cup final. They are as varied as the urbane market places of Vienna, the ravaged battlefields of Kursk and the fetid drainage tunnels of the Underhive of Iago V. And they’ll immerse us all in amazing drama as far distant in time and place as the green fields of the English Civil War and the battles between The Empire and rebels in the vast, black, vacuum of Space.

And that’s just for starters, everyone!  I am more than sure that they'll be plenty to come later in the day... 

So, ease up the race for the end of our first Challlenge VIII month for just a moment, refresh yourself with a beverage or banana, and enjoy our Monday Madness over the next few hours.

The Votes are in for the 'Flight' Bonus Round Theme!

Hi Everyone

Well, our first bonus theme round is complete! We had 45 participants submitting entries illustrating their interpretations of the 'Flight' theme. Below are the results of the voting.

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The Runners Up, all tied with 21 votes each:

StephenS' 'An Argument of Witches' 

PaulO'G's 'One Man Dirigible'

BenF's ' Battle of Britain'

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The top three podium finishers are:

Third Place: DebD's 'Scale 75 Jessica Thunderhawk'

Deborah will receive another 25 points in recognition for her excellent submission to this round. Wonderful work and congratulations Deb!!

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Second Place: SidneyR's 'Troops in Flight, 1688'

Sir Sidney will receive another 50 points to add to his total which will also see him reaching his 400 point overall Challenge target. Well done Mr. Roundwood! 

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And in First Place: 


ByronM's 'Dropfleet Commander UCM Beijing Battleship'

Absolutely wonderful work Byron. For claiming top spot on the podium Mr. Mudry will receive another 75 points and a gift certificate from the great folks over at Comic Readers. Congratulations Byron, and thank you for sharing your inspiring work with us.

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Again, a BIG thank you to all the participants of the bonus round - your good natured creativity and sense of good fun really makes the theme rounds sing. Thanks again! 

Finally, as a reminder, next Saturday midnight (Jan 20th) is the submission deadline for our next Bonus Theme Round: 'BFG: Big Freakin' Gun', so roll up your sleeves and get to work so we can enjoy a wonderful spectacle of ginormous guns and compensator cannons!