From PeteF - Girl Power! Viking Bow Women from Bad Squiddo (20 points)

This first post of Challenge IX is a tribute to my weakness for miniatures campaigns on Kickstarter and begins to atone for the total lack of females in my Challenge VIII body of work.

Earlier this year (or was it last year?) Bad Squiddo Games  ran a Shieldmaiden Kickstarter and brought their expertise in sculpting realistically proportioned and somewhat sensibly attired women (*with the possible exception of the berserker ladies to feature in the future) to the miniature painting and gaming communities. I'm a sucker for Kickstarters - currently really suffering from indecision over the Tainted Grail miniatures - and backed the project to the tune of a full selection of Shieldmaidens. Almost enough for an all girl Viking SAGA warband.

If you're unfamiliar with Bad Squiddo I highly recommend their sculpts - great female miniatures from a variety of historical and fantasy settings as well as animals - from cats to farm animals to guinea pigs (some with guns).

I'll need to do at least one more shieldmaiden to give me my first category in the Squirrel! duel (28mm female vikings) but I wanted to get a handful of points on the board before Christmas.

For my Viking faction in SAGA I'm going for a subdued autumnal colour palette. I'll be working on better blonde hair - these ones turned out shinier and streakier than I wanted. Since these are levies bling is dialed down. Gripping Beast delivered the new Book of Battles yesterday so I'm looking forward to getting the Vikings on the game table.

Based on 25mm rounds for SAGA that are magnetised so they can be fixed into larger movement trays for massed battle games. Four 28mm models for 20 points.

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Beautiful brushwork Pete! I'm completely with you with Annie's quest to have a fairer, more sensible presentation of females on the tabletop. I saw these models when they first were promoted for the Kickstarter but missed out on them. Now, after seeing yours, I'm thinking I'd like to pick up a set. I really like how you've painted the textiles and leatherwork, it makes them very distinctive and 'pop' on the tabletop.

A tidy 20 points to start your Challenge this year. Great work!

From TeemuL - Brothers in Arms (10 points)

Just getting myself to the score board this year with these two Stormcast Eternals. I developed very quick gold-and-blue theme for them earlier this year when I got tired with my previous Stormcast Eternals chamber. Gold and blue is not very special, they are from Hammerhal of course, but I have not yet given them any real name. It just gold and blue with heavy Druchii Violet wash all over. Then drybrush with lighter blue and silver. Looks rather good, a bit beaten, but still bright, so they are polishing their war gear every now and then, which is only expected.

Knight-Incantor

This Knight-Incantor came from the Getting Started with Age of Sigmar magazine, so it is basically a freebie. There is a small spell effect on the ground, which I painted silver and added some red and yellow ink to make it more magical. Looks rather nice on my lava-type base. His eyes are red and while his hand is up, his eyes are down - looking at the growing spell.

Knight-Heraldor

This Knight-Heraldor came from the Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower Hero expansion pack and he has the same colors as the other knight. In addition to his golden armor, he has golden horn and golden flag... You might say I´m lazy, but I think they just like all things golden, it makes them look stranger and more horrible in the eyes of the enemy.

I just labeled this post as "Brother in arms" without thinking too much, but may be they are brothers. Battle Brothers at least. I think I need to create some fluff for them. Like I said, they are from Hammerhal and are on lava bases, so they are obviously fighting on Realm of Aqshy, the Realm of Fire, and come from the Hammerhal Aqsha part of the twin city of Sigmar.

Two 28mm miniatures gives me 10 points.

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Lovely work Teemu! I know virtually nothing about the Age of Sigmar, but these two chaps certainly look the business. I like the worn-but-burnished armour effect you achieved and the blue tabards and cloaks set them off nicely. I can see why so many people use these models for 40K conversions as the armour for both 'periods' share many similarities. 

10 well-earned points for you, Teemu! Welcome back!

From TamsinP - 28mm WW2 Soviet Women (40 points)

I bought these a couple of years ago from Annie at one of the shows (Colours I think), but they have languished in the lead pile since then. I thought that now was as good a time as any to get them painted, to give me some more early points before I head out of London for Christmas. Besides, I was able to paint these alongside my entry for the first bonus theme round - two entries from one painting project = win-win!

Maxim team:

Mortar team:

These are 28mm figures from Bad Squiddo Games. I have previously painted some of the infantry, and these figures showed some of the same problems with the faces. I don't know if it's a problem with the sculpting or with the casting. At least these didn't have the distortion issue that I'd seen with some of the infantry.

For scoring I'd suggest counting the Maxim and mortar as 28mm foot rather than crew served weapons as they aren't big. That should give me 40 points.

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Lovely, clean work on these female Soviet support teams, Tamsin. I can't see the issues with the faces, but that may be that your deft brushwork took care of them. I also like the subtle shading on their uniforms - very nice.

40 points it is. Have a great break from The Smoke and we'll see you back in a few days - Happy Christmas Tamsin!

From SimonM: "Warlord Games" Cyberman (5 Points)

This 40mm tall metal Cyberman miniature is manufactured by “Warlord Games” and forms part of the Nottingham-based company's "Nightmares In Silver" Cybermen Collector's Set 1966-2013. Sculpted to replicate the Doctor's old enemies during Derrick Sherwin's 1968 television serial "The Invasion", this 'Planet 14' version of the silver giants saw the costume department add some "ear muff type shapes to the sides of their helmets and one-piece silver wet suits to their bodies."

Initially undercoated with "Vallejo" Black, the figure subsequently received two layers of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and a wash of Nuln Oil. It was then dry-brushed with (more) Ironbreaker, before having its eyes, mouth and central chest unit panels 'picked out' with "Vallejo" Black, and a generous dollop or two of some OOP "Citadel" Badab Black.

This particular piece was actually a much appreciated gift from "Warlord Games" during my most recent visit to their Nottingham-based Headquarters for having publicised their "Doctor Who" miniatures range over the past twelve months, and resultantly gives me just enough of Tobias Vaughn's emotionless allies to use the 'Cybermen & Cybermats' Recruitment card in the "Doctor Who: Exterminate!" tabletop game.

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It wouldn't be a proper Painting Challenge without Simon (and Edwin) providing us with a Dr. Who entry or ten! :)

Nice work Simon, I always enjoy reading the background pieces to your entries. I'm not a Dr. Who fan (it wasn't available on our TV channels when I was a kid), but I always love discovering the lore and manner in which these classic sci-fi series were made. 

I love the trippy Sennheiser headphones on these guys. Kinda gives them a crash-test dummies hipster look. (They must be 'big' audiophiles.) ;)  

Congratulations on being recognized by Warlord for being such a great booster for their miniature range. Well deserved and well done!

5 points to kick off your Challenge. Welcome back, Simon!

From PaulS: Those buildings are... Epic! (20 Points)

Having been unable to sleep last night, I decided to handle something pretty easy to get the ball rolling further. This entry gives you a hint as to what is coming up later in the challenge ;)

These buildings are from the new Adeptus Titanicus range from GW and are exceptionally flexible in their modularity. Hopefully they come out with some additional sprues over time that include some of the bits in their 40k range. It would be nice to have factories that match. The big building looks like it should have a giant marshmallow man attacking it...

The buildings are 6mm (approximately), but not your typical historical size doors. This is the far future we are talking about here, so to give you a sense of scale on these things, here's the Strawbear from yesterday next to the smaller buildings. Maybe this is what some poor Imperial citizen felt was the safest appearance to think of for the Destroyer...

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Excellent work on these, Paul. 

I really like the design of these new little building kits from GW, especially as you can swap them around to make different shaped structures. They have that wonderful over-the-top sci-fi gothic look that fits the setting perfectly. The only problem is that you've have to spend a veritable fortune to fill a proper 6 x 4 table with the little blighters - then again, perhaps that's the point. :) 

I'm looking forward to seeing more Adeptus Titanicus stuff from you, Paul. I may have a couple Epic things to pop up as well, if I can get my skates on.

Well done!

From LeeH - Father Grottmass (7 Points)

Winter has enfolded the land in its cold embrace and magic hangs thick in the air. Now is the time of year when goblins are abroad so lock your doors, bar your shutters and stoke up the fire. Tramping through the snow Father Grottmass is just as likely to hit you over the head and take your presents than leave some under the tree. I guess that's one way of dealing with the naughty list!

Starting the Challenge with a fantasy figure is becoming something of a tradition for me so when I found this in my Lead Mountain I knew it had to be my opening entry to Challenge IX. This is a 28mm white metal figure from Midlam Miniatures. It came with a plastic slotta base but I swapped this for a cork 'rock' and cut a slot in it to mount the figure. This setup gave me more surface area to add some groundwork such as snow and frost covered grass. I'm getting quite a collection of Christmas themed models, but I expect I'll have to raise my game for Challenge Ten!

This was a relatively quick and easy figure to paint with plenty of detail in the model to make shading and highlighting easy. I particularly enjoyed the little details like his fake beard, the skull tassel on the tip of his hat and the rats tail poking out a hole in the sack. The 'snow' (from Tamiya) takes a couple of hours to set but it is by far the best snow product I have ever used. It is very easy to apply using a small spatula and can be smoothed easily with a wet brush.

So five points on the table...and a mountain still to climb!

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Haha! A great figure for the Festive Season, Lee - well done! I love this stalwart greenskin 'Santa' who, by the look of him, has already eaten his reindeer and is forging ahead on foot. I pity the naught boys and girls he's about to visit... Also, very nice touches with the cork stone, snow effect and the alpine backdrop - ace work all around and worthy of a couple bonus points to my eyes. A Merry Grottmass to you!

From TomM - The World is Changed (5 points)

And we are off!  The 9th challenge, the second one I'm joining, and this year I'm only entering figures from Games Workshop's Middle Earth game due to the theme being Fellowship.

Now, participants are asked to enter something in the first month, and as a modest opener I decided on the character first heard in the Peter Jackson movies, the lady Galadriel.

The mighty queen of the elves, residing in the mystical woodland realm of Lothlorien, she is the bearer of Nenya, one of the three elven rings of power.

The model is her first incarnation that GW brought out over 15 years ago, but the range of metal characters remain beautiful and sublime.  I painted her over a grey undercoat for all the lightness of the white robes, drybrushing and layering as we progressed.

So here we have it, the first entry and the first modest 5 points for this challenge year...

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Excellent work on a lovely model, Tom. I've always thought Kate Blanchett absolutely nailed it as Galadriel in the films and so I never tire of seeing miniatures based on her performance. I also applaud your resolve to paint noting but Tolkien themed figures over the challenge - I look forward to seeing your work over the coming months.

5 Points to start your journey - well done!

From ByronM - What a Tanker! Allied force in 28mm (60 points )

Well hello everyone and welcome to another year of madness here at the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

I was busy today and was not at all sure I would succeed in getting my yearly day one post up, but I just squeaked in the submission at about 11PM (although I am not sure Curt will see it and get it posted on day one, so who knows).

First up is a Crusader from Rubicon (my first ever Rubicon Model).

For this entry I did a super quick and basic air brushed paint job of several tanks I picked up from Rubicon and Warlord (Bolt Action) during J&M Miniatures close out sale a few months back.  I picked them up so that I could start playing the amazing game "What a Tanker!" in 28mm with some friends that have a bunch of 28mm WWII tanks, since we have only been playing with my 15mm collection so far, since oddly I have never done WWII in 28mm, so what better time to start.

All three tanks were painted in the same way, I airbrushed them using a paint modulation set from Mig specially made for the WWII green and for airbrushes.  It has 3 different shades and you simply layer them on to get the right shades.

Next up is a Cromwell from Warlord (Bolt Action).

After the green was setup, I painted the tracks and wheels by hand.  I then painted all the details, such as the cables, antennas, shovels, and more.  It was then time to put the decals on by brushing on gloss coat where they would go and then putting them on with some micro set.

Last up is a M10 Tank Destroyer, which I never knew was open topped until I built the kit!

I then went about mixing up a bunch of pigments (dark earth, terracotta, rust red, and clay brown) with alcohol and lining the tanks and going around the bolts.  I find that this is about 10x faster and neater than using washes as the consistency of the alcohol makes the pigment stick right in the creases or around any detail.  There is almost never any cleanup to do, and when there is, a bit of water or alcohol wipes it right off.

After all the details, decals, and wheels were done it was time to break out the airbush again and give it all a quick dust of a mud type colour to cover up all the wheels and tracks and mess up the edges of the armour.  Clear coat afterwards and all done.

I built and primed all of these a while back to get ready for the challenge, and while I can not remember any specifics, I remember really liking the Rubicon models over the Warlord models.  More options, better decals, and better instructions, and more, I just cant remember exact details of why.  However, between the two companies, I strongly recommend the Rubicon models.

I think this top shot shows the colour modulation best.

As I said, and as you can see, a basic and quick job but I believe due to the clean nature of airbrushing them and the amazing MIG modulation set they turned of pretty damn nice for the time spent and should be very passable on the table.  Before anyone gets upset by me calling this a basic job, it really is, there is no fancy weathering, no chipping, no edge highlights, etc, etc and due to airbrush speed, little detail work done, and pigments put on with alcohol the total time per tank was around 90 minutes, so while I think they turned out pretty nice I did skip a lot of steps that most painters will do to blow the paint job up for competitions.  The images don't do a great job showing the colour variant, but I am very happy with the shading on them.  I believe they are really solid game pieces, which is what they are meant to be.  Better yet, due to this years raise in points for 28mm vehicles they should net me 60 points! Not a bad day one!

I want to finish up with a word about the game I painted these up for... What a Tanker!  It is another great game by Too Fat Lardies, and while not a serious wargame like almost any of their other amazing games (can you tell they are one of my favourite companies), it is a whole lot of fun!  It is a great beer and pretzels game, and generates a lot of fun and memorable moments.  Best of all, the entrance fee to the game is something that I would bet at least 80% of everyone participating in this challenge has already.... 3 World War Two tanks of any scale.  It is a great set of rules and one that I think most people would enjoy.

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Wow, great stuff Byron! 

That MiG airbrush paint set is the bomb and I can see how it would save one a ton of time in getting these models ready for the table. Still, thee of these in one day? That's pretty darn impressive. 

I've heard great things about the Rubicon kits and these look excellent, particularly that M10 and the slab-sided Cromwell. I also, like the subtle weathering you've done on the lower body and track assemblies.

60 points for your opening salvo AND you've already put in an entry for the 'What a Tanker' contest. Brilliant work, Byron!

From StuartL: Getting started on my mountain of unpainted minis (55 Points)

My first entry for this challenge is a set of 5 figures for my monthly Dungeons and Dragons game. From left to right we have a Werewolf, a strange Serpent-like creature, a Dire Snake, A Galeb Duhr and a Demonic Bug.

To be honest, I chose these models because they all looked like they would be quick and easy to paint and I wanted to have something finished on the first day of the challenge. Most of the work was just a simple base-coat, wash, drybrush technique, which I find works well for most creatures.

With the Demonic Bug, I based the colours on the Asian Giant Hornet or Suzumebachi , which is a fairly scary bug in and of itself. 

In addition to the fantasy models, I also painted up 6 old models from the VOID range. I've had these for nearly 20 years now, so I figured that I should try to get them out of the way. 

The models are done in Vallejo Black Grey with a Black wash and then a drybrush of the original colour. The tops of the models were also given a second drybrush with a Basalt Grey/Black Grey mix to add some highlights. 

I'm not sure what I will be using these for, but they'll do for generic SF troopers for some future project I guess. 

And that's my very first entry for the AHPC. In all they took me about 6 hours to do last night, plus a bit of time this morning to add flock and tufts to the bases. None of them were particularly complex, but they look good enough for gaming and that is fine I think.

By my count that's 11 28mm scale figures for the challenge count and it should be enough for 2 points for the Squirrel Duel.

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What a great opening gambit, Stuart. Welcome to the Challenge!

This is a nice mix of figures. I suspect the five beasties will be useful additions to your D&D 'monster reserve'.  I have a soft spot for werewolves and that fella looks suitably ferocious (very dynamic pose). What make are these figures? 

I find your second group a little nostalgic as I have a bunch of VOID stuff sitting in bare metal that is about the same vintage. Funny, I remember them blowing our minds as they were so cutting edge in design when they were first released. Still, they hold up very well after all these years. The panzer grey armour is a good choice for them. 

These two groups will give you 55 points to start your climb to your target. Well done Stuart!

From BillA - Undead for a Dark Night (20 points)

Tonight being the winter solstice - the longest, darkest night of the year, and one on which some might claim the veil between this world and the next is thinnest, I thought it fitting to open up my participation in this year's Painting Challenge with a quartet of undead from Reaper which I'd bought and primed back in September but hadn't gotten around to. 

First up is Reaper DHL#02224, "Armored Zombie," sculpted by Bob Ridolfi and originally released some time around 1998, I think:

Next, Reaper DHL#02104, "Plague Zombie," again by the talented Mr. Ridolfi and probably originating around the same time as the Armored Zombie.

Next, DHL#02157, "Undead Awakening," another Ridolfi sculpt (what can I say, I'm a huge fan of Bob Ridolfi's undead figures.  Somehow he can put a ton of character into a bare skull!).  This figure was packed with a separate tombstone which is in my bits box for a later time. 

Finally, DHL#02105, "Labella DeMornay," in this instance listed solely as a wraith but that name will later be applied to a number of miniatures specified as Banshees by Reaper.  She was given a heavy drybrush of Reaper's new "Spectral White" (which has a slightly purple tinge to it) over a black basecoat, given an all-over wash of Citadel "Drakenhof Nightshade," a dark blue ink, and once that was dry I began building up layers of "Druchii Violet" wash, giving the bottoms of her sleeves and her robes from about the waist down darker and darker layers of purple as I got closer to the base.  I then gave the top half of her another drybrushing of Spectral White, lightening my brush strokes as I got into the purple areas. 

I have no idea what I'm going to use these figures for yet, though all would be useful in Frostgrave, certainly, and the zombies might find a home as well in my undead Dragon Rampant army. 

Four 28mm figures should give put me on the board with 20 points. 

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Great work Bill! 

The zombies are all terrific (that armoured fellow has an especially Old Skool look about him), but I think the Banshee is my favourite of the batch. I like the purple to 'fright white' effect you've done on her - nice looking effect.

These four nasties will give you 20 points for your climb up the points roster. Well done!