Welcome to the Painting Challenge. Here you will find the fabulous, fevered work of miniature painters from around the world. While participants come from every every possible demographic, they have three things in common: they love miniatures, they enjoy a supportive community, and they want to set themselves against the Challenge.
This site features the current year's event along with the archives of past Painting Challenges.
Enjoy your visit and remember to come back soon.
Two very contrasting offerings for this week but in each case probably among my favourite bits of painting from anything I've worked on.
First up is a superhero offering for Krypton -- Simon bar Giora hero of Beth Horon and an important albeit deeply flawed leader in the subsequent revolt. Ultimately captured and brutally executed by the Romans.
The figure is based from a Victrix Roman auxiliary with removal of the focale (scarf) and braccae (trousers), the addition of a cloak and a head swap both from Anvil with additional cloak material in milliput and of course thread tzitzit.
Unbelievably the colour scheme was just what seemed to work but sub-consciously I must have meant something so I carried the reference through into the base work as well …
Leaving Krypton we catch a lift on Lady Sarah's star yacht with the assistance of a Kitsune -- once again a Ludus Magnus Studios Black Rose Wars figure.
I loved the references for this figure and working on the colouring then all the bits of her leather armour. I tried to keep the colour palette muted and in keeping with genuine samurai armour. Her fur colour is taken from the Japanese red fox.
Kawaii!
I mixed a deep reddy orange base, a wash of Feugan Orange and then layered on successively lighter shades of brown. Tip of the tail was base Morgehast Bone then washed in Apothecary White Contrast then finished in White Scar.
Feels a bit cheap with only two figures to claim 50 points but at 5 points each 28mm figure (the Kitsune is larger but her body size is close to 28mm, all the rest is tails!) and two 20 point Challenge bonuses I think my math is on point.
Nest stop should be Terra and back to earth with a bump and some mid 1980s NWOBHM!
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What a wonderful post, with two figures on opposite thematic ends of the spectrum.
The Kitsune is marvellous. I love the red tones you've chosen for her, especially the white tail tips, and the red and black samurai armour is an excellent choice. As good as the fox-demon is, my heart goes out to your Simon bar Giora. Wow, that is some wonderful mods you've given that figure, Simon. The care and consideration you took of the subject matter really shows, and your execution is superb. Bravo!
Extract from the Journal of TamsinP: Time Traveler, Society Girl and Adventuress
It's the 6th of March, afternoon. I lay in this morning so that I'll be well rested for all the time-traveling I'll be doing. Everything is packed and ready to go. As I sip my coffee it dawns on me that Curt never actually told me where his secret lair is. I'd better leave slightly earlier than planned to give me time to find the place.
5.30pm. OK, it's time to go. I punch the time, date and location into my time-travel device and press the button. The rift opens and I step through it to Regina. A quick check tells me that it has changed my outfit to warmer clothes. Looking around I spot a cab and hail it.
"Where to, Miss?" the cab driver asks me.
"OK, this is a long shot I know - Curt's secret lair?" I reply.
"Sure thing - hop in, it's only five minutes from here."
I get in the back seat. "I guess I lucked out, finding a cab driver who knows where Curt's secret lair is!".
"Not luck at all - everybody knows it!" the driver tells me.
"So, it's not exactly secret is it?" I laugh.
Sure enough, five minutes later the cab pulls up outside a building. I pay the fare, get out and bid the driver "Adieu!".
I go up the stairs and ring the doorbell, shaking my head at the sign.
"Just a minute - I'll be right with you" I hear Curt call out from somewhere inside. "Ahh, Tamsin. You're early - it's not even midday."
"Not even midd...you know what I've gone and done, don't you?" He looks puzzled. "I programmed the device to be here for 6pm GMT, not 6pm CST."
"Oh, the timezone difference thingy. Gotcha! Well, you found the place alright."
"Yes, I just asked the cab driver for "Curt's secret lair" and he brought me straight here."
"He knew where this is?" Curt asks, somewhat worriedly.
"Apparently they all do. Maybe it's because of that sign?"
"I can't think why they'd assume from the sign that this is my secret lair."
I shake my head in despair. "Well, Byron's not going to be here for a while. Why don't you show me round the place?"
"That's a jolly good idea. Do come in. Ahh, yes...this is "mission control", where I run things from."
"It looks jolly, errmm, hi-tech. So that's it, just a big, almost empty warehouse?"
"It's all that I need really. Now, my dear, do you really plan to set out on the rescue mission dressed like that?"
"Well, yes, as it happens. I know that I've told you several times that when we go through the rift our clothes will change to match wherever we are, so..."
"That's all very well, Tamsin, but I really do think that on such an important mission to rescue my poor, missing Oscar that we should make an effort and set off in dramatic costumes."
"Costumes?"
"Of course! I've spent the past few days sorting some out for us. And as you're very early, we'll have plenty of time to try them on and find a combination that works for both of us."
"All right then" I say resignedly, fully expecting that they will all involve czapkas. "Where are they?"
"Upstairs in the offices."
I follow Curt up the stairs and he shows me into one of the offices where there is a rack full to bursting with costumes. I wonder where on Earth he got them all from. And whether he knows my size. Curt traipses down to the far office, so I start looking through the costumes. "nah, no way! OMG, that colour is yuck! Frilly lace collar and cuffs?". Eventually I find an outfit that I can live with and put it on. As I leave the office, I see that Curt has also found a costume to wear, which doesn't look out of place with mine. Amazingly, it doesn't involve a czapka.
"Are you all set. Tamsin" Curt asks.
I make a quick assessment - clothed - check; time-travel device - check. "Yup, shall we go down and wait for Byron?"
"That's probably a good idea. He'll be bringing the vehicle around to the loading bay out back."
We go down the stairs and through the warehouse, onto the loading bay.
"Can you hear something a bit odd?"
"Yes. It sounds a bit like "Yankee Doodle" but..."
"...tinny and loud. And getting louder, so probably getting nearer."
"I think it must be an ice-cream van. Rather odd for one of those to be around in this weather."
"Fancy a cone while we wait for Byron to show up? It seems to be coming this way."
"Oh, go on then!"
We move down to the end of the loading bay, ready to call it to a stop.
"Here it comes..."
"Err, hang on, isn't that Byron driving it?"
"It is! But why is he driving an ice cream van, not Ford Timelord?"
"I have a horrible feeling..."
"Ahoy there, hippies!" Byron greets us.
"Hi, Byron! Two questions. Why did you get out of the passenger side and where on Earth is the KLF vehicle you said you'd got for us?"
"Errr, the driver side door is jammed and doesn't open. And this is the KLF vehicle."
"No, no, no. Their vehicle is a 1968 Ford Galaxie police car."
"That's the Justified Ancients of Mummu she's singing about!" I despair.
"Well, it's too late to do anything about it now, I suppose. Is Tamsin's modified device installed?" Curt says, disappointment etched on his face. I know how excited he was about the through of setting off with sirens blaring and lights flashing.
"Yes indeed and everything powers up. Obviously I haven't tested it - no way am I dumb enough to mess around with time travel."
"OK, another question. Why are you dressed up as a WW2 soldier with a Tommy gun?"
"Why not?", Byron replied. "And what about you two? Has he had you playing dress-up?"
"Err, yes. Well, I got here a few hours early and we had time to kill..."
"You forgot the timezone difference, didn't you?" Byron chuckles.
"Maybe?" I say. "Well, Curt, shall we?"
"We shall! Byron - thanks for sorting the vehicle out, even if it isn't Ford Timelord. Look after the shop while we're gone, won't you?
Curt and I climb into the ice cream van. I take a look at the equipment; everything seems in order as I power it up.
"Right, I think the first thing to do is to check that the time travel device works."
"That sounds like a good idea. How about sometime in the future? I quite fancy seeing how things turn out."
"Right you are, Cap'n! I'll set it for 2522." I enter the settings "Ready to go when you are."
"Hold on, I think this counts as a high-speed chase, kind of. I'll just put on my high-speed chase music."
"You have got be be kidding me!". I look out of the window and see Byron doubling over, face turning red, tears streaming from his eyes as he tries not to burst out laughing. He fails.
"Good luck, Tamsin!" he calls out. "You're going to need it, traveling with that loon!"
I press the button to initiate the time travel. The rift opens ahead of us. "OK, hit it!" I call out to Curt. He floors the accelerator and the van trundles forward into the rift...
This post is brought to you by Scope Creep. Originally, I was just going to paint up Curt and Oscar figures in and out of a vehicle as a gift to go with his Sarah Bella & Felix set (Post 1 & Post 2). Then came the madcap idea of Oscar the time-traveler. Which of course led onto the rescue mission and it would have been a shame for Curt to only make one return trip through time, so I decided to purchase some more vehicles and figures for the additional trips. I wasn't sure what vehicle for the trip to start in, and then I saw one from Antenociti's Workshop which could generate a fun misunderstanding in the accompanying stories...
Anyhoos, on with the serious part of this submission!
The Ice Cream Van
This is a heft chunk of resin from the Antenociti's Workshop "Survival" range. KLF aficionados will of course note that this is not the right model of van for the one which appeared in the "Justified & Ancient" video - that's a Bedford.
I've been kicking myself for a couple of days, having found out that Oxford Diecast do a 1:43 scale model of the right type, which would actually have been slightly cheaper (if I shopped around) than this resin one...
I did, however, paint it up in the right colour scheme - white roof, cream top half, pink bottom.
I made a bit of a hash with painting the window glass, to be honest.
I also made up some decals for the menus. I should really have done them on white decal paper, but I discovered that I didn't have any.
The Figures
I had rather a job looking for suitable figures to represent Curt and myself at the start of the rescue mission. I eventually found a suitable pair. It was even harder trying to find one to represent Byron.
Tamsin
Curt
Byron
"Byron" is from Artizan; "Curt" and "Tamsin" are from Crooked Dice. I added the beards for Curt and Byron using greenstuff.
For Scoring
1 x 28mm vehicle @ 20 = 20 points
3 x 28mm foot @ 5 = 15 points
Total = 35 points
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Wow, this is so wonderfully, fun, imaginative and awesome all rolled into one. I'm gobsmacked by the whole story and all the effort you put into the telling of it. My only small criticism is the lack of snow. As we have a lot right now. No, really, A LOT as you can see from the real 'Secret Lair'.
The KLF van is absolute genius, especially with the lurid paintjob, menus and ice cream cones on the corners. Brilliant.
I also love the figures you did for the three of us. I especially admire Byron and my bespoke beards and his svelte noggin. Very much 'on point' there! :)
Ready for war! 10mm Orcs for "Warmaster" - GW metal castings.
This week's submission carries, for me, a huge dose of nostalgia - here is a force of Orcs for GW's "Warmaster". These figures are all metal castings from GW - in my opinion, some of the best metal fantasy castings ever done by GW, or done by anyone. I don't want to bore you with the long story of gradually acquiring these OOP figures over many years, keeping them as part of my Smaug-like hobby horde...but The Painting Challenge smiles upon long-unpainted figures, and for the 12th edition of the Painting Challenge, I felt it was finally
time to open these packs and get paint on these Orcs!
I find I can't quite throw these away...that is probably a bad sign...
There are three units of Orc boyz, two units of Goblins, a unit of Orc boar riders, a unit of Goblin wolf chariots, along with a couple of character bases - and to cap things off, a Giant! Enough to cause plenty of trouble on a raid out of the mountains and into The Empire!
Three Regiments of Orc boyz! The core of the army.
Beautiful castings.
So many small details...really tried to capture it...
"Warmaster" is, flat out, one of the best rule sets GW has ever produced - indeed, one of the best sets of rules, period, its core mechanics having served as an underpinning for so many other rules that followed. The accompanying line of miniatures that GW released to go along the game were amazing, just wonderful castings. Painting these was definitely a "labour of love", and I tried my best to capture the many, many small features cast on to these stunning figures - a squiq here, a bone there...all sorts of wonderful little details - many perhaps beyond my brush skill, but I gave it my best shot.
The goblin regiments...I wish I could secure more of these units...note the Orc in the front rank to keep an eye on the other gitz...
The Giant in particular is such fun to work on - many, many, many little details, like the smashed cart on the base, the poor patrons of the cart either hiding, or already stuck into the giant's belt for consumption later...what a cool figure. He should be fun to unleash in the game.
The boar riders, ready to charge home!
Gobbo charioteers - ready to rampage!
Curt and Byron, among others, have been posting some amazing 10mm fantasy work of their own during this Challenge. They have been basing their awesome figures for other games, but for me, I wanted to do plain old fun "Warmaster", so I based the figures up for the classic game - ready, one day, I hope, to take on my Empire troops on a game with my friends!
Here are the characters that came with the Orc starter army. The Warlord is on the right, and an Orc boss is on the left.
As I said at the open of this post, the nostalgia factor on these figures is tremendous. For me, they are a connection to GW's "Old World", still one of my favourite fantasy settings. I have a few more packs of Warmaster Orcs that I hope to paint up before this edition of the Challenge ends...after all, even with all of the Orcs you see here, this is actually a pretty compact Orc force for the game. Still, even if my brushes don't find more Orcs before Spring arrives, at least there is a force that is ready to go!
Here is the full bunch - ready for war!
Ok - for scoring, I hope I have this figured out...but we have 96 orcs, 49 goblins, three chariots - all in 10mm - and the giant, which I thought I would score as a 28mm figure. I think that works out to 191 points, which should bring me very close to my overall target for this edition of the Challenge. Good thing, given that we are approaching the end stages of this edition of the Painting Challenge...thanks for reading, and have a great week!
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Ahh, this is fabulous, Greg. I love seeing all these 10mm fantasy armies being brought to life this Challenge. The Orcs are so iconic, especially for the Warhammer setting, so it's great to see these wonderful (and rare!) models getting treated to such fine brushwork. I really admire the clean lines, fun banners and punchy colours of these greenskins - they will look absolutely spectacular arrayed across from your Empire army.
I'm going to add a few more points for the banners and extra details on the command stands. Beautiful work dude!
