From TamsinP: Yet More 28mm WW2 Japanese (125 points)

The Adventures of Oscar: Time Traveler, Slayer of Squirrels and Very, Very Good Boy

Chapter 6

In which our hero gets bored of his desert playground and goes in hunt of food...

I'm bored, bored, bored now. Playing in this starship wreckage was fun, but I'm hungry and there's no food to be found here. I know where there will be food though, but how do I get back to the jungle? There are so many buttons on Tamsin's device, there must be one which keeps taking me there. Maybe if I try each one in turn? Better leave a message here in case Tamsin and Daddy-Curt try to find me and follow me here. Right, that's done. Now to press buttons...

*press 1* Hmmm, pine forest...

*press 2* Nasty, nasty desert...

*press 3* Ruined buildings...and explosions! Gulp!

*press 4* Futuristic buildings...

*press 5* The jungle! And there's my scent marker! Now, let's follow this path and see of I can find some food somewhere...

Buildings! That means people live here - there must be food! Better search it out...

Ruh-row! More of those unfriendly Japanese soldiers! No chance of finding food now! Better scarper...again!

OK, which button to press to get me out of here? I think the third one has the best chance of food that I might like - explosions be damned!

*press 3*

Yes, more WW2 Japanese. This time the third rifle squad for the core platoon and some more supports.

Rifle Squad

Go-cho (Corporal) and LMG Team

Rifle Team

Snipers

Why six snipers? Mistakes were made. I did order a pack of four from The Assault Group, even though I won't need that many. Then Warlord Games accidentally sent me a snipers and flamethrowers pack by mistake instead of the FOO team I'd ordered and told me to keep them.

MMG Team

With foliage added:

That just leaves the grenade discharger squad to complete the core platoon, plus a few more supports.

<<<<INTERMISSION>>>>

Extract from the Journal of TamsinP: Time Traveler, Society Girl and Adventuress

Well, so the modified device is going to need to be vehicle mounted? I ponder the practicalities for a few minutes and come to a few conclusions:

• It's untested and may not work, therefore...
• I need to get Dave to make one of my basic time travel devices as a backup...
• No point vehicle mounting the modified device here...
• Dave will have to ship it out to Canada when it's ready...

OK, so who to ask about vehicle mounting it? I reckon Byron would be the best bet, but it's too early to call him. I'll just potter for a few hours and work out what equipment and supplies we might need to take.

<<<<..........>>>>

It's evening now in the UK, so it should be early afternoon over in Canada. I queue up the request for a video chat.

"Hey, Tamsin! What's up?"

"Well, you know that Oscar's gone missing?"

"Yeah, I heard that nutty mutt had gone off with your time travel device."

"Well, Curt has asked me to get him back."

"Yeahhhh, that sounds like Curt, passing the problem onto someone else to sort out. I hope you've got him doing at least something to help out?"

"Oh, yes, indeed! After rescuing him from Challenge Island on my own that time, I've learnt my lesson. I'll be dragging him along when we go after Oscar, and he's on the hook to Miles for a "Consultation fee"."

"Puppies and kittens?"

"You know Miles so well!" I laugh.

"Right, so what can I do for you?"

"Well Dave is working on a modified device with time-tracing, but he says it will need to be vehicle mounted. Would you be able to sort out a vehicle at your end and then mount the device if I get Dave to ship it out to you?"

"Sure, sure. I'll just take a look on the local second hand vehicle pages for something suitable."

A few minutes of silence pass...

"Are you still there, Byron?"

"Yes, and I think I've found the perfect vehicle for a pair of anarcho-leftist-hippy-mystic ravers like you and Curt."

I ignore the (rather too accurate) description. "Really, what is it?"

"You remember that KLF vehicle? There's one on here that's quite similar."

"OK, snap it up and send the bill to Curt!"

"Will do!"

"Thanks and toodle-pip!"

I end the video chat and recline in my chair. The KLF vehicle? Ford Timelord? Even if the device does to vehicles what it did to clothes, how cool would it be to start the rescue mission driving off in a 1968 Ford Galaxie police car, sirens blaring and light's blazing?

An image of Ford Timelord

For Scoring

24 x 28mm foot @ 5 = 120 points

There's also the MMG itself. Although it is a crew-served weapon I think it would be better scored as a 28mm foot figure.

Total claim - 125 points

The figures are a mix of Eureka, Warlord Games and The Assault Group.

_____________________________

Haha! Wonderful work as usual, Tamsin. It's always a joy to see what Oscar is up to AND to see what's been occupying your time this past week as well. Your Japanese troops look excellent and I particularly like the socketed in terrain bits - nice bit of modelling, that. I had to laugh at your description of us as 'anarcho-leftist-hippy-mystic ravers'. It's actually pretty spot on. :) 

Well done Tamsin!

- Curt

Sunday: February's Frozen Doldrums

The secret thoughts of every arctic explorer:

Yup, the deep winter doldrums have settled in here in the Prairies. :)

We're now in that midpoint of the Challenge where many of us are either:

1) exhausted our initial head of steam;

2) have decided to take a break;

3) are working on too many projects all at once;

OR,

4) all of the above.

Well, take heart folks, we're all in this together and remember that the Challenge is a marathon, not a sprint. So, relax, find your own pace, and enjoy the journey as we head towards spring.

Now for today, we have entries from:

- Tamsin & Oscar who take us on another trundle in the jungle;

- Barks, who has penned up his dogs, but confirms that there are little men from Mars;

- Greg, who cuts a fine a dash in flouncy pants and a fez;

- Kerry, who gives us a bait-and-switch with Dragons;

and Millsy, who unleashes his Necromancer (you won't be able to avert your eyes!).

I'm sure we'll have more as the day move along, and if the stars align, I hope to get something posted myself. 

So stay warm and enjoy the show!

- Curt

From PeterB: A mighty dragon - (40 points)

A quick additional post dropped in as I have just finished this beast. Not part of my original plan for the challenge, so I had to build and undercoat this too. This is a new release from a company called Dungeons and Lazers. I bought mine from Bad Squiddo Games just after Christmas and had a real blast putting the plastic kit together. The parts fit really snugly together as long as you tidy up the sprue connections properly and it was a real joy to paint. It was a real pain to photograph however, I really couldn't get a decent shot to show off all the highlighting I did.

When I am painting a large model like this I like to do a bit of preparation work first before deciding on a colour scheme. I wanted to do a real classic red dragon, but I wasn't sure on the specific colours and highlights. I always delve into my scraps box and do some tester paint ups on something similar when in doubt. In the summer I like to go to the carboot sales and I always seem to grab a box of unloved Warhammer plastics at some point, so these GW hormagaunts were perfect for my test washes.

I eventually settled on a Coat D'arms blood red, with a GW Baal Red wash, then some Coat D'arms golden yellow mixed with red for some progressive highlighting. Some of the darker parts also had some Agrax shade.

So quick points add up;

• Dragon in 28mm scale 20 points
• 4 x 28mm scale hormagaunts 20 points

Total 40 points.

From Millsy:

What a cracker of a dragon Peter! Great choice of colour IMHO, dragons will always be red in my mind before any other colour after the Basic D&D box set cover art. Great brushwork mate.

Cheers,
Millsy

From ForestP: 1 Squadron (12 6mm? vehicles) of Imperial Armada of Marduk Spaceships from Hydra Miniatures [LV426] (44 points)

So, after that absolute unit of a terrain piece, The Alamo, I needed to take a little rest from painting. Quite honestly, my painting hand hurt something fierce after that much work, and since I have to write and type as a significant portion of my career, I wanted some time to heal. I seriously feel for those individuals who have to suffer through carpel tunnel syndrome on a daily basis. Now, however, that I am suitably rested it's time to get back in the saddle... or is it cockpit?

Having taken a Warp Maelstrom to Arrakis I found myself compelled to travel the Void Sea to the Alien world of LV426 next. What better way then to be escorted by a squadron of the finest Imperial Armada of Marduk Class 1 and Class 2 spaceships from Hydra Miniatures? I've had two squadrons of miniatures for Hydra Miniatures War Rocket Retro Sci-fi Space Combat wargame a little over a decade now. I half-way painted the Zenethian squadron all the way back in May, 2010 (proof), and I decided to finish them up prior to doing the Imperial ships. I'm obviously not counting these for the Challenge, but I figure you'd enjoy seeing how they look.

In case you are wondering I used Windsor & Newton Brilliant Green ink to do that translucent green.

Now, with that out of the way, onto the matter at hand. I decided that I really wanted to use some of the Turbo Dork Color Shift and Metallic paints that I bought last summer on these miniatures, so as per instructions from Turbo Dork I primed the ships in Krylon ColorMaxx Gloss Black (5505). 

The lore of the Imperial Armada of Marduk indicated that the paint scheme of most of their ships are liveried in the standard Imperial colors of red with gold and black accents. Well, I don't want to do that, so nyah. Evidently "His Imperial Majesty Marduk permits alternate color schemes for veteran commanders as long as they still include red, black, and gold." I considered that, but no, I want more flexibility. A-ha! "More latitude in color schemes is allowed for the vassal planets of the Imperium." Yes, that'll do quite nicely. I decided to make this squadron the 1979th Nightcallers of Kavinsky (listen to the unit's march here). May you enjoy them in all their synthwave/80's pastel glory. 

Working from a lighter-to-darker framework I started by painted each ship in Pearly Gates. The ColorShift and Metallic paints by Turbo Dork all require multiple coats to get the full effect. As you can see by image below, three coats of the Pearly Gates does give an amazing metallic look to the miniatures. Dare I say it, this paint is my favorite silver-chrome paint to date.

I love how this metallic paint looks!

The bulk of the ships were painted with Turbo Dork Bubblegum Crisis. As you can see from this little video the paint goes between bubblegum pink to a gold color. It's a little hard to see in the video, but trust me, it's there!

The color shift doesn't show up well in photos or video, but it looks great in person.

Moving forward I picked out details and accents using Bubblegum Crisis, Crystal Cavern, Purl Grey,  Sakura, and Shell Shocked, as well as Vallejo Deep Sky Blue (70.844), Deco Art Americana Pistachio Mint (DA253), Deco Art Americana Electric Pink (DA231), and Deco Art Americana Royal Fuchsia (DA151). Windows were picked out with Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue (703899) and given a highlight pop of Vallejo Deep Sky Blue (70.844). Weapon ports on the Class 2 ships (the bigger ones) were picked out in Craft Smart Neon Green (23669). Finally, exhaust ports on all ships were dry-brushed with Vallejo Flat Red (70.957) followed by Vallejo Deep Yellow (70.915). I finished off the miniatures by sealing with Hobby Lobby Clear Acrylic Coating Gloss Spray (706945).

The whole squadron

Now, who wouldn't be terrified of these? :-)

Close-up of the Class 1 fighters.

The three Class 2 ships.

Close-up of the Class 2. I love the retro futuristic look of these miniatures!

Anyhow, this is my entry for the week. I wasn't super happy with the Color Shift paints from Turbo Dork, but that may be because I'm just not comfortable with putting them on. Also, from what I've seen online they are better served being airbrushed rather than with a traditional brush. I really like Turbo Dork's Metallics though! In summation, my points are calculated as follows:

12 x 6mm vehicles @ 2 = 24 points

LV426 (Middle Ring) bonus = 20 points

Total = 44 points

Not as much as last time, but a decent showing nonetheless. I'm definitely not as good painting sci-fi as I am historical figures. I think I prefer painting with a guide as my imagination just runs too wild otherwise. Until next time!!!

From Millsy:

Certainly not as big or involved as The Alamo but a great post nonetheless Forest!

These ships have a groovy Flash Gordon feel to them and your vibrant colour scheme really takes them to the next level. I particularly like the go fast style of the Class 2 ships and you've really managed to pick out the detail for such a small scale. Nice choice for LV426 too.

Top work mate and here's hoping we see more of this stuff before the Challenge finishes up.

Cheers,

Millsy

From Paul O'G: War of the Roses Lancastrian force (265 points)

The start of a new but long awaited project: War of the Roses. Stage 1 is a Lancastrian force to oppose Alan's lovely Yorkists that he painted a few years ago.  Ironic that I should be doing Lancastrians though, as I served aboard the Destroyer HMS York for more than a year... Anyway, this initial burst of 48 figures includes Foot Knights, Billmen and Retinue Archers for Lion Rampant. In the wings are lots more of the same plus Mounted Knights, Prickers and artillery, as well as European mercenary Pike, crossbows and hand gunners.

I was experimenting with the Scale 75 metallics for the armour - very nice products, and I'm really happy how they have come out and contrast with the snow. This is also my first real foray into snow basing so that they match Alan's army; going for a patchy, early winter look. They came out a bit heavier than expected but I'm happy with them overall.

Foot Knights advance under a Percy House Banner

Well armoured Retinue Billmen move into the attack

Fun fact: Snow basing really soaks up any rum and coke that you might inadvertently spill over your entire army. REALLY well like a sponge. Like, scrape it all off and start again the night before your submission is due. Still, the models now have a nice smell and a fellow Challenger (who dwells in very close proximity) observed "You're really putting something of yourself into this project". I figure the spirits will keep the lads warm in the snow...

Unarmoured Billmen, led by a Man at Arms

Alan has convinced me with his zealous promotion of the 3-2-1 basing schema for the foot troops, but I kept the archers in more refined lines on rectangle bases. I think it shows a more formed and static line up, while the foot sloggers are a bit more ragged in the advance.

Stout Englishmen and their yew bows ready to deliver an arrow storm

Quadrant wise, I am chalking these stout fellows to the Plant of Vogsphere - the egotistical twists and treacheries of the War of the Roses while the nation suffered can only be described as a Black Comedy (as can this justification effort). 

That's 48 figs and a planet bonus for 260 points - as much of a bomb as I'll ever drop! And the two banners are hand painted of course.

From Millsy:

You say "ironic" that you're doing Lancastrians, I say "right minded" or "well adjusted". Despite your latent Yorkist sympathies these are bloody awesome Paul and have put me in mind I really need to dive in here (again) at some point too.

The palette you've chosen goes really well with the winter basing (or is that just me loving the fact you're also painting red and black?). Top work on the banners too mate, kudos for turning your hand to them when it is so easy to pick up paper ones now.

260 points is a decent bomb by anyone's standards and there's an extra 5 for the banners. Cracking work all round!

PS. We won't mention you can't hold your grog despite the burning irony of a navy man who has issues with rum...

Cheers,
Millsy

From TeemuL: The Fourth Androgynstealer and others (50 points)

I explained earlier, why there were only three genestealers on Gethen, and here you can see fourth one, painted by six-year old son. I helped with priming, reaching tricky places and minor fixing. He clearly saw my genestealers and took some inspiration firstly to paint one secondly copy some of the colours. However, he had some painter's block and couldn't decide all the colours, so I gave him an old Codex Tyranids (2nd Ed) to browse and he quickly choose the purple colour. There is some white primer visible here and there, but it doesn't seem to bother, but I will gently hint about this in the future - as well as finishing the base edges. :)

There are also couple of terrain pieces made and painted by him, but these were started before the Challenge started. They are small rocks and twigs on a base and painted with different colours. He made two similar earlier, which were fireplaces, these are meant to be placed next to the fireplace, so people can comfortably sit on them. The blue is of course water, so it can used if the camp site is next to river or lake.

Next something more boring, three bases of Sludge Line Infantry. These almost made it to the last week, they were missing the black in eyes and black on base edge, but I didn't have it in me to finish them in time. It was quite a rough and busy weekend, this weekend is busy as well, so that's three in a row. After that it should be easier and I can allocate more time for painting.

Perry miniatures, mostly American Civil War Zoauves, but torso and heads from Foot Knights, flag (heraldic wheat on brown) is made of yogurt jar lid - at least in Finland it is very nice and soft aluminic foil, which has a nice texture, when used as a flag. The universe of Sludge is very muddy, so the bases are swampy with some pieces of wood here and there. These guys most likely won't hear the "CHARGE!!!" when going through this terrain. :)

I'd like to claim painting points from the Genestealer, since it is very much a joint operation with my son - I could use the time to paint just by myself, but the possibility to share the wonderful hobby to a younger generation... My dearest minion, I believe you understand?

So that would then be 10 miniatures, all in 28mm, for total of 50 points. No skulls, no squirrels, no planets.

From Millsy:

I'm pretty sure Codex Tyranids (2nd Ed) is the very definition of an Oldhammer gateway drug Teemu! Well done getting your son started on an addiction that'll bring him endless hours of pleasure and destroy his bank account but at least leave his health intact LOL. Kudos to your young fella on a great paint job and to yourself for supporting him but letting him make his own choices and do the work.

Your Sludge project gets better with every post. The kitbashes you are coming out with are spectacular and full of character. Plastic kits have been an absolute boon to the hobby in so many ways and letting people express their creativity by mashing seemingly unrelated stuff together is a highlight for me.

Love everything about this post mate. Brilliant stuff!

Cheers,
Millsy