From MartijnN: Cowboys, Bandits and Lawmen (Western)(57 points)

 Today, a small contribution from me. As we stylishly arrive at the Western studio, by luxurious limo, from the adjacent High Adventure set, we meet several actors and extras preparing to shoot a Western scene.

Obviously, there is no lack of choice when looking for famous Western movies. For me, the epitome of the Western must be Once upon a Time in the West. My father bought the soundtrack back in the day (on vinyl, of course), and the first time he put it on I asked what the heck this yammering, whining, drizzle was. However, somehow the music started to fascinate me, so imagine his surprise when sometime later, when I got to choose the music to be played, I chose exactly this record. If anything, I have come to appreciate Ennio Morricone’s haunting, mournful, and extremely atmospheric score even more as time went by.

 

The figures I have painted for today are for Dead Man’s Hand. Last year, I built or printed a few Western buildings, painted some figures and had great fun with them. My youngest stepson, who is 11, enjoyed it too (though of course he needs help with the English). It is a great little game, a simple system, and much fun.

 

These are seven and a half figure. Two are metal figures from Great Escape Games, and the other 5 ½ are 3D printed figures designed by JOD. They ran a great Kickstarter a way back, with cowboys, bandits, marshals, 7^th cavalry, Native Indians and Mexicans, among others, so I potentially have now more than enough figures to play any scenario you can think of. As you can see, the figures match perfectly in size, so it was not necessary to resize the STL files at all. 

Join Or Die figures (Outlaws)

Great Escape Games: Wild Bill & Jonathan Pain

So, seven full figures and the barrel guy. I really like the barrel guy, but I would suggest 2 points for him as he is mostly barrel and so a very simple paint job.

 Score:

7 x 28mm foot @ 5 = 35

1 barrel guy @ 2

Western Studio bonus = 20

Grand total 57 points

And a Squirrel!

Great looking western types, Martijn. I like the guy hiding in the barrel, though I'm not sure it will stop a bullet once the lead starts flying. For me, Morricone's music defines the whole western genre. You can't hear it and not be reminded of dusty plains, horses and gritty strangers knocking back whisky in a saloon with swinging doors. 

From GregB: Specialist Stormtroopers for Star Wars "Legion" (28 points)

Stormtrooper specialists for Star Wars "Legion" - figures from Fantasy Flight Games.

My second post for the day moves to the larger scale of Star Wars "Legion". These are specialist Stormtroopers, plastic models from Fantasy Flight Games' figure range. 

Some detail on the backpacks. Is that one guy carrying beers? Sure looks like it...

These figures are meant to represent a selection of enhancement options for your Stormtrooper force - there is an officer, a communications specialist, and a couple of Stormtroopers equipped with heavy weapons - a DLT-19 blaster (i.e. a "space MG34") and a DT-21 blaster (i.e. a "space Lewis gun"). Also interesting that the fellow with the DT-21 also seems to have a communications unit in his pack too.

There are also pauldrons on all of the models. With a little help from Dallas, I did some digging into what the different colours might mean, and settled on orange for the officer, white for the communications specialist, and black/dark grey pauldrons for the troopers carrying the heavy blasters.

This photo shows up the limitations in my approach to painting bright white...but hey, they'll do.

All of the blasters look impressive, but we all know what the chances of these fellows hitting the broad side of a wampa barn with any of these things is...pretty low...that said, you can't play "Star Wars" without plenty of Stormtroopers, so it is nice to have some specialists to bulk of the firepower of my Galactic Empire collection. 

"Have you seen any droids?"

Painting white is always a hassle, and the bright, clean and clear white of the Stormtroopers is an extra challenge, and a bit of a bridge too far for my painting style. It occurs to me that if I'm ever going to paint up more of these fellows - or even Clone soldiers for the Clone Wars - I'll need to lean into white base coat sprays (madness) or finally screw up the courage to try my airbrush...all problems for another day, and maybe another Painting Challenge...

Points wise, these four 40mm infantry should net me 28 points. Stay tuned for more!

With that much firepower your stormtroopers will hopefully be able to hit something, maybe even a rebel or two if you are lucky.

Painting white can be really difficult, but these figures have turned out nicely. I imagine it's hard to keep your armour looking pristine while you're out hunting rebel scum in the desert. I like the fact that you put extra effort into decoding the colours on the pauldrons, SF enthusiasts can be just as much a button counter as a historical modeler.  

From RayR: Almansa 1707 - Portuguese Vasconcellos & Silvera's Brigades 46pts

We stay on the Portuguese for the next post and just to please Martin C I've combined two post together. 

These are Portuguese infantry regiments from Vasconcellos' Brigade who fought on the 2nd line of the right wing of the battle.

There isn't a lot of information on what colours the infantry wore and on the flags they carried . David over on Not By Appointment posted some flags back in 2020, he was commissioned by draw some Seven Years War flags and lent heavily on info from the WSS, I will be using David's flags a bit later on, but these are some simple flags I drew using David's ideas.

As for the uniform........the only info I've found says white or grey and some regts might still have their old blue uniform. At least it adds a splash of colour?

The regiments in this brigade are...

Manuel Leiton de Carvalho 

Georges d'Azevedo Coutinho

Nicolas de Tovar

Eric Lopes

The second brigade is that of Silveira, they also fought on the right of the battle but in the front lines

The brigade consisted of the following regts.

Don Bras de Silvera

Don Pedro Josep de Mello

Don Bernardo de Vasconzello

Jos de Sao Payo

Ant,  d'Avita aka Galbo

How did that rogue cat hair get in the pic?

I like the blue on Payo's regt along with the blue and white flag, which again is totally random I'm afraid.

So as for the points

9 units @ 5 points each = 45 points

2 Brigade leader@ .5 = 1 points

So a total of 46 points!!!

More great looking units. The blue regiments really stand out from the rest. It is a shame that you can't get all of the details that you want, but at the same time you do get some creative license to paint the models your own way. 

I'm honestly worried about the absolutely massive feline that is apparently stalking the battlefield of Almansa, those muskets aren't going to do much to a beast of that size. 

From Barks: A swarm-o-gaunts (240 points)

Last year, I painted seven termagants. A nice little project, I felt. Maybe a few more melee gribblies for a more rounded force wouldn't go astray, I mused. They come by the dozen, so I got a sensible twelve. And another whimsical twelve in the unlikely event my warband skirmish scenarios got out of hand. I started painting them after Christmas, and quite liked how they were going. Then a stray copy of Xenos Rampant appeared, and I found a bloke on ebay selling them pre-assembled...

Forty-eight hormagaunts later, and I'm good with tyranids for the time being! Contrast or similar is just about mandatory for these, but I still edge highlighted all the claws.

They're infamously unbalanced, so I used split lead weights to lower their centre of gravity.

I also painted up the movement trays, but I have more to do and may submit them for a point later in tthe Challenge.

48x 28mm figures: 240 points

Those hormagaunts do look quite scary when all massed up like that, the living wave of xenos about to come crashing down on whichever poor unit has to hold the line against them. I'm pretty surprised that GW didn't sell official lead weighted bases (at an obscene mark-up) to go along with these models. The use of movement trays is pretty inspired, I wish I had thought of that back when I had my own horde of these critters.

From RayR - Almansa 1707 - Portuguese, Noronah's Brigade 13pts

Its Saturday and its time for a trip to Portugal.

Here we have the 7 squadrons of Noronha's brigade

In this brigade are the following units.

Marquis Das Minas Gardes 1 Squadron

General de la Cavallera 1 Squadron

Don Antonio de Noronha 2 Squadrons

Campo Major 3 Squadrons

I found no information on Portuguese cavalry flags what so ever. So I used the flag of Portugal as a Kings colour for the 1st squadron and gave a random colour for other squadrons.

Unfortunately, most of the Portuguese cavalry were dressed in white or grey, so they're all gonna look the same if there are 1 squadron units. So I might mix it up a bit in other brigades??? 

I cannot claim any point for the 2 squadrons of Noronha, as these were test units prior to the start of the Challenge.

Just remember these are 2mm, they are small, so the paintjob won't be to everyone's taste

5 squadrons @2.5 pts each = 12.5

Brigade Leader @ .5 pts

Total 13 points

You are really rattling through this project, Ray. I'm enjoying watching it grow week by week. Your units look very nice and neat, and the little flags give them a nice burst of colour. 

From GregB: XQ Platforms for Star Wars "Armada" (5 Points)

XQ platforms for Star Wars "Armada" - models by Mel Miniatures.

This week, my brushes took some time away from the grim darkness of the far future and switched over to subjects from a long time ago in a galaxy far away. Yes, we'll be doing some Star Wars today - up first are two "XQ" series space platforms, intended for use in the Star Wars "Armada" game. These are 3D prints from Mel Miniatures on Shapeways.

Some bright landing markings for this platform - it is the smaller and sleeker of the two, so maybe it's just a research station? Or up to no good?

Better scan that thing, just to be sure...

The "Armada" core box set comes with assorted 2D markers to use for terrain, including one for a platform. Space platforms are not only fun terrain, but great plot devices and objectives for scenarios, and I much preferred to have models to represent them. Thankfully, the amazing universe of 3D sculptors and printers who clearly love Star Wars has this covered!

A little more going on with this one - including some more obvious weapons for defence.

Could be a harmless observation outpost...right? I mean, room for a squadron of starfighters, sure...

These are intended to be generic stations, useful as Rebel stations, Imperial stations, neutral or even a mercenary location out somewhere in Outer Rim! I hope they will help bring games of Star Wars "Armada" some more life! The sculpts were very nicely printed, easy to paint, and designed specifically to fit with the large bases from the game "X-Wing" (which are square). Maybe my only quibble is how hard it is to get extra bases for either "X-Wing" or "Armada".

These are fleet scale models, for space combat...I have no idea what the points are, so I'm thinking this should be good for five points, but as always, I defer to the eternal wisdom of the minions. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more "Star Wars" today!

Honestly, I have always been more of a Trek person than a Wars person, but these look cool regardless. I have no idea how to score these, as they do look quite small, but also quite detailed. So, if you feel that painting the pair of them was the equivalent of a single 28mm model, I will accept your judgement and award 5 points. 

As you say, having these on the table should add some flavour to your games. Having your capital ships trying to board, defend or destroy them will give you more scenarios than just having two fleets crash into each other.

The Saturday Syndicate

Ladies, Gentlemen and Non-Binary Challengers, the Saturday crew is here once again to show you the best way to make your economic output more effective, fix your finances and manage your marketing.

 

So, is now the time to be investing in paint futures, doubling down on miniature purchases, or funging some non-fungible tokens? Our board of experts and consultants invite you to join our syndicate and find out how you cam turn your small time painting pastime into the lucrative and easy-to-manage hobby you've always dreamed of.

Today we'll be running expos covering:

The role of satellites and specialists in expanding your empire by GregB

The benefits of downsizing by RayR

How to get ahead in (bio)mass production by Barks

Effectively operating outside the law by MartijnN

Investing in the Equine Market by Millsy

Viral marketing and its effect on consumers by DaveV

Fulfilling customer needs through unparalleled diversity by ChrisW

From ScottM: Studios x2 (75 pts)

As we continue with our tour of Studios GmbH, we arrive at a couple more stops.

Western - For this studio I went with a sci-fi Western theme. These figs are all 28mm metal from Crooked Dice's Colony 87 line. 

From left to right we've got a kid looking for a way off planet, a shady character looking to offload a container of some stolen material, a local gang leader, a mysterious figure in from the deep desert and a starport tech looking to repair an old beat-up N1 Starfighter. 

Scoring: 5 - 28mm foot figs + location bonus = 45 points

High Adventure - For this studio, I dipped again into Crooked Dice's Colony 87 line. This intrepid duo are a pair of explorers looking for a lost ruin or civilization.

Scoring: 2 - 28mm foot figs + location bonus = 30 points

Scoring Total: 75 points

Minion MilesR: I subbing in a bit this friday and have a wonderful post from ScottM.  I wasn't familiar with Colony 87 figures but now am very interested - especially because of Scotts superb pain ting.

From TamsinP: In Darkness We Are Born [Fantasy] (35 points)

 

Having finished up post-production in the "Swords & Sandals" studio, I find my path leads me into the realms of the "Fantasy" studio, where I am confronted with three actors done up with purple skin and pointy ears. The production assistant informs me that they are "Drow" or "Dark Elves" and hands me a book - the 4th Edition Advanced D&D Monster Manual. A post-it tag leads me to the relevant entry:

Drow: The "Black Elves", or drow, are only legend. They purportedly dwell deep beneath the surface in a strange subterranean realm. The drow are said to be as dark as faeries are bright and as evil as the latter are good. Tales picture them as weak fighters but strong magic-users.

These are early 1980s pre-slotta figures from Citadel, that had sat unpainted in my collection since I'd bought them. 

With these figures, I can tick off my 7th studio, and my 3rd in the Blue pass zone - next stop, Arthouse.

For Scoring

3 x 25mm foot @ 5 = 15 points

1 x studio @ 20 = 20 points

Total = 35 points

Friday Minion: Oh I love how the Drow are so rarely seen, they are but legend, but of course because they're the coolest elves, they appear in nigh on every D&D campaign as a player character. Predictable, really. 

Nice vintage Citadel minis here Tamsin, I like the purple/red/black/gold colour scheme, very haughty and regal. And an understated approach to basing, is this for a particular setting, or inspired by Mr Roundwood?

From TamsinP: 15mm Gallic Cavalry (60 points)

 

In my submission last week I mentioned that there were some Gallic cavalry that I had skipped painting to go with the Numidians and Romans because I then wouldn't have had time to get the basing done on everything. Well, here they are one week later.

Again, these are 15mm figures from Lancashire Games. They'll form the start of an allied contingent for my Romans and ancient Germans (yes, I will have to order some more figures for that...)

For Scoring

15 x 15mm cavalry @ 4 = 60 points

Total = 60 points

Friday Minion: Aha, these noble Gallic cavalry look lovely: I like them flaunting their wealth with some colour, as well as the striking patterns on their shields. 

60 points to your tally, keep it up, Tamsin!

Friday Minion, Out in the Cold

 Friday Minion checking in again. It's been a mild winter so far, but suddenly took a turn for the cold this week. Admittedly, not this cold:

What goodies do we have from our beloved Friday crew this week? Well of course we have Tamsin representing with two more submissions. DavidB  has made his excuses already. I think Mr JohnE is cooking something up, and hopefully a few more to come during the day.