From JohnS - W is for War Party 25 pts

Muskets & Tomahawks II is on the way! There is much excitement here at the outpost. So much so that I thought it was time to get a few more Native Americans ready for the warpath.

These are some of the large quantity of Crusader Miniatures that I picked up last year at a bargain price (yeah, I know you always tell your significant other they were a bargain price) that I am slowly painting for Sharp Practice II and now M&T2.

I have always been fascinated by the Forest Tribes and since I have an ancestor who fought in the FIW and the American Revolution I have long wanted to build some forces to game the period. And I love any figures that I can use for multiple games. I spent a happy hour or so browsing through my bookshelves to come up with authentic war paint schemes.

I am looking forward to adding these to my previously painted tribal warriors and counting some coup on whoever they choose to fight this week.

Moo helps with AHPC9 photos

On a sad note, I lost my longtime painting buddy, The Moo, last week. We had 17 years of me picking her fur out of paint and off my games table. I sure miss her.

These 25 points take me to another AHPC Personal Best. I plan on painting like a demon for the next week. I want that 500 point goal to fall!

That's a very nice war party John, and another letter off of your personal alphabet challenge.  I've done some Crusader First Nations for my 1812 project and they are very nice figures.

Congrats on hitting a PB, but I've think you've got your work cut out for you to get the remaining letters filled in.  Sad to hear of the loss of the Moo - she looks like good company.
PeterD

From DaveD: Sleeping at Hawkins' Hill (35 points)

It’s just a short hop across the trail to Hawkins' Hill to knock off something from the previous challenge prep pile. In this case a Wargames Foundry Old West figure enjoying a little afternoon siesta. This was prepped for  challenge 3 or 4 - I think - when I was doing my Old West collection. So why not do him up for this one eh .

So , it’s 5 points for 28mm figure and 30 for X Marks the spot .

And that sees me land at Snowlords Peak,,, OI ! Big blue ... wakey , wakey ! 

Asleep on the job? Or too much tequiiiiiiiilaaaaaa? Smashing figure Dave.

TamsinP

From EricM: Its All Greek To Me (235 points)

 Those troublemakers over at Footsore Miniatures tempted me with the new Mortal Gods:Mythic kick-starter.  I am sucker for the old Ray Harryhausen style Jason and the Argonauts movies.  So besides backing the kick-starter, I felt compelled to paint some Greeks.

I started by working on some mercenary hoplites.  I have to admit I really like the smaller unit size of many of the modern skirmish games.   These figures are a mix of Wargames Foundry and Black Tree Design.  I have a hard time telling them apart, but if you look close the  Black Tree are bit more angular and well fed than the Foundry.

This unit was a first for me.  I used Little Big Men Studio shield transfers.   I have had them for quite sometime but have been a little worried about using them.  They aren't your traditional water slide transfers. A quick Google search turned up a great video tutorial.   I highly recommend Little Big Men's Transfers.  I used Vallejo Transfer Medium to help blend the edge of the transfers. 

Despite a few mistakes (bonus points to you if you can spot the backwards Sigma.  I am going to claim its not a mistake I am just a big Dale Earnhardt fan) really liked how the transfers turned out and will be using them again.

Next up I decided to paint some Athenian Marines.  These guys are the cream of the crop for the Athenians.  Unfortunately I did not have shield transfers for them or the arrow drape at the bottom of the shield. These figures are a mix of Wargames Foundry and Black Tree Designs.

Here are a few close ups

My final group of Greeks are very lightly armored and extremely self-confidant.  I have tried to position them in the photo to use their modesty shield to maximum effect, but I would not recommend clicking on these pictures at work, just in case

I used LMBS shield transfers on this unit which is comprised of Wargames Foundry and Black Tree Design figures.  I got a little over enthusiastic and painted 10 instead of the required 9 for this small  group.


In total I completed 47-28mm foot for a total of 235 points which I believe pushes me over my 1500 point total!

Thanks for looking




Using transfers on shields? You're lucky it's me minioning this post - if it had been Peter you'd have had points deducted left, right, centre, above, below, in front and behind!

Cracking job on these Greeks!

TamsinP

From Barks: Why did it have to be snakes? (54 points)

I've finished the snake-themed baddies from the latest Mansions of Madness expansion. They're fairly quick to paint, but didn't really capture my interest- they're just not Cthulhu-esque enough for me. I like the splash of colour they have.

Ancient Basilisk

Temple Guardians

Serpent People

Feathered Serpents

I've put in some of the investigators for size comparison. I reckon 5 points for the smaller figures, 7 for the guardians, and 15 for the big chap?

5x small 25

2x medium 14

1x big 15



You might not have enjoyed painting them, but they are cracking paintjobs nonetheless. I think your suggested scoring is quite reasonable, so I've gone with that.

TamsinP

From PhilH: Armour Inspired by MartinN at Mudry’s Mesa (83 Points)

As soon as I saw the task for Mudry’s Mesa, I knew what I’d enter: in Challenge IX, MartinN entered a stunning T-26 tank for his gorgeous Spanish Civil War Nationalist force. He made the Rubicon kit sound excellent, so I ordered a pair.

Martin’s work on vehicles is peerless among the challengers, so I took the opportunity to learn a few new techniques and (mostly) follow his method, that was detailed in the second Setting the Scene book.

I didn’t have any fancy modulations, or an airbrush, so the base colours were all hand painted, which was time consuming. I consciously chose a darker, less vibrant green to Martin’s entry, and also wanted them to look a little cleaner like a fresh delivery by boat from Russia.

Republican tanks also  offered less scope for colourful markings, just some numbers by decal, freehand hammer and sickle and political slogans. I did add some baggage and a tank commander nonchalantly reviewing the battlefield, taken from a Perry metal set.

I’m pleased with how the exhausts came out, less rusted up, so I made up my own method.

Trial and error of new techniques, and waiting on new supplies meant these took me weeks to get finished, but I managed to do so for both tanks to make a debut last weekend.

There are a few things I’d do differently, but it was a learning process and they’re waaay better than the few vehicles that I’ve painted previously.

The kit comes with enough parts to make the 1938 pattern turret, so I built those as well, in case I should ever game the Eastern Front.

So deepest thanks to Moiterei for both the inspiration and guidance. I had such a blast I’ve a third tank on order to do as a captured Nationalist vehicle.

Two vehicles is 40, plus the extra turrets lets say another 10 and tank commander for 2. Then the location bonus for 30, makes a tidy 82 plus any Minion discretion for the freehand work.



You've certainly done a great job on these for brush-painting Phil. A fine pair of light tanks for your Republicans. I'm scoring the commander as 3 points (half-a-figure, rounded up).

TamsinP

From RayR: 15mm Monmouth's Rebels 1685 (185 pts)

I've had these Essex figures undercoated for the past two years, waiting for a slot in the Challenge.

and that time has finally come.
The majority of the figures are from the European Infantry 1660-1745 range
but there are quite a few ECW and Thirty Years War figures thrown in to add that civilian
style to the units, which works pretty well.

There were 5 infantry regiments raised for the Monmouth Rebellion. 

All 5 were present at the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685., where their army was routed.

There is no info on the flags of the 5 regts, its thought they got there names from the colour flag they held, so a quick play on Microsoft Paint and I came up with these coloured flags. I hand varnished them, and to my horror when they dried some of the colour had run, but if gave a wavy effect on the flags and looked pretty cool if I say so myself, so I didn't reprint them.

The White regiment

Commanded by Col Ffaulkes

The Yellow regiment

Commanded by Col Matthews

The Green regiment

Commanded by Col Holmes

The Blue regiment

Commanded by Col Bovet

It is said that Monmouth bought over "a good number of campaign coats red faced purple"

Its thought that the coats were given to Col Bovet's Blue regt.

You may just spot a few red faced purple coats in amongst their ranks.

The Red regiment

Commanded by Major Wade

Wade reported that his men from the Red regt, picked up discarded coats of the Somerset Militia

which were Red faced yellow. So there are a few of those coloured coats in this regt.

There are 5 regts of 18 figures, which at 2 points each should make Phil Taylor's favourite number

180!!!!

Plus any bonus points that may be awarded of course???

See? I told you he was filling sandbags, didn't I? And here he is, dropping the first of the cascade!

Very nice regiments Ray. I'm giving you some bonus points for the flags.

TamsinP

From NoelW: A Persian Party: Sarah’s balloon (25 points)

Aboard the balloon space is tight for it turns out the basket is already occupied by a hen party who’ve recently discovered Lady Sarah’s emergency prosecco supply.

Lady Sarah, too, seems unaccountably expressive.

“This time, can you take us directly to Douglas’ Shallows, please?” I ask, very politely.

“No probs, matey,” says Lady Sarah. “Shall we go the – hic! – scenic route? These girls haven’t seen the island yet.”

“No – no, thanks. Straight there, please. Just head south direct to Douglas’ Shallows. It’s not far. Just follow the coast.”

“Follow the coats!” Lady Sarah frowns. “What goats? Well – hic! – I suppose you know what you mean.”

She pulls on a few ropes, as randomly as a campanologist who’s just learned how to milk a cow. The hen party, fascinated by the dangling strings, have a go, too, but find it’s complicated when you’ve a glass in one hand and a bottle in the other.

The balloon veers left, then right, then up, then down, for all the world as if it, too, had a little too much fizzy stuff inside it – which it may well have, given all the hot air vented by these delicate daughters of Eve.

And then, magically, we’re over Douglas’ Shallows. There’s our fleet below us.

“Down!” I suggest, perhaps a little over-enthusiastically. “No – not South! Down!”

We shoot past the ships in a flurry of waving hands and crashing waves. The balloon spins wildly. It heads out to open sea, then races wildly inland again.

“Actually,” I decide, as the balloon bounces off a passing mountain and spins into an unlucky clump of cumulus. “Don’t worry about it. You can drop us anywhere.”

“I can, can I? I wouldn’t bet on hic! What have they put in that bottle?”

---

These three Persian ladies will form the court for Xerxes or Darius, or perhaps other non-combatant bystanders, but they may also find themselves a couple of thousand years later as part of an Ottoman camp. One advantage of Ottoman armies is that the details of costume are not easily established, so anything middle eastern and “exotic” might just pass muster.

They’re manufactured by Casting Room Miniatures, the Wargames Foundry subsidiary, as “Persian Civilians”.

Scoring: 28mm figs x 3: 15. Frequent flyer miles (this is my third balloon trip on the way back): 10 pts 

Total: 25 points



What a great trio of ladies; they must have made fine companions for your balloon trip Noel. Your "Frequent Flyer Club" card has been duly stamped.

TamsinP