From RossM: Curtgeld and Mortal Gods Characters (35 points)

Second post for this year's Challenge and it includes three figures for skirmish gaming in Ancient Greece. The veteran Spartan Hoplite in centre position being this year's Curtgeld figure. 

The left hand figure is a healer from Mortal God (Footsore Miniatures), central the veteran Spartan Hoplite (Footsore Miniature) and on the right is the seer (Warlord Games)

All three have been a pleasure to paint and hopefully who ever gets the Hoplite will be pleased with the figure and the style of painting used. 

Mortal Gods was a game that I had just started to play early last year and hoping to get back to it later this year. Might even opt to try this on a virtual platform if can manage the tech. 

In terms of points these three gents yield

3 x 28mm figures - 15 points

Curtgeld bonus - 20 points 

Totalling 35 points. 

This added to the running total takes the challenge to 87 points (14.5 % completed). Looks like this is going to be a busy month as there are several items on the painting table nearing completion. 

Thanks for looking and stay safe. 

Cheers for now. 

From TomM: The Armoury - Neo Soviet armoured force (79 pts)

  For our next stop in the Chambers of Challenge, we arrive at the Armoury.

And what better entry then some armour of course...

 

This entry is made up of tanks and assorted vehicles, supported by infantry, from the Brigade Models line of Neo-Soviets.  Being their only "tracked" force, I bought those to go along my 1/400 scale Gundams (okay, I know 6mm is actually 1/300, but it looks better on the table this way) as the Cav Open Market list from Future War Commander.

The entry consists of 20 vehicles, mainly some much needed APC's for mobility on the battlefield, supported by some tank hunters and two very heavy tanks.  Artillery provides some much needed range with the mortar tanks.

I also painted up the infantry with 5 bases of troops, the necessary command stands, and 2 scouts who come with their vehicles to provide some artillery guidance and leadership boosting.

 

So that means for this entry of 6mm troops, I painted 38 infantry and 20 vehicles, which mounts to 59 points, and with the bonus for the room adds a grand total of 79 to the tally for this year.

from RayR - The Chamber of Challenge - The Adventurers Landing (25 Points)

 

My first entry for Level 2 of The Chamber of Challenge and I've braved the drop and waves from the Aquifier, nearly falling off the page and washed ashore on Adventurers Landing.

As I said in my pervious post, this was originally going to be me entry into the Aquifer, but the lucky find of the Well, soon put pay to that.

Adventurers’ Landing: A chance to paint a landing on a home or foreign shore to collect some points. Try not to get your feet wet...

You certainly won't get your feet wet at my small pier and rowing boat, as you can see they're all in dry dock for a wash and brush up. They'll soon be sent back out to the river though don't panic!

Once again, I've had these so long, I don't remember when or where they were bought or from whom?

If anyone has any idea I'd love to know.

As to the points?

This is a difficult one...

The pier is 90mm long and the boat is 70mm long at its highest its only 35mm.

So I'm really not sure?

20 points for the Bonus

5 points for the terrain?

Mr Minion can you advise?

From Chris K: Allied and Axis Fighting Vehicles and Transports (140pts)

Hello All,

I must say, I'm still enjoying the fire that Curt has lit under my painting desk with this challenge, and thoroughly impressed by your work, too! 

With heartfelt thanks for the encouragement and comments my first offerings receives, here's the second tranche of completed models from my WW2 vehicle park - I present the following, all  in 1/56 scale(-ish), for 20 points each:

• Challenger A30 tank (11th Armoured Division; 3D print),
• Crusader AA tank (11th Armoured Division; Rubicon Models),
• Marmon-Herrington armoured car (RAF Regiment; 3D print),
• Otter armoured car (RAF Regiment; 3D print),
• Lorry (RAF Regiment; Lledo die-cast 'Days Gone' repaint), and
• 2x Lorries (German Heer; Lledo die-cast 'Days Gone' repaint).

I'm not in the general habit of using 3D printed models, as I prefer to support mini manufacturers where I can, buuuuuuut I've yet to find anyone who makes a 1/56 Challenger A30 to support my armoured recce Cromwells, so I consider that fair enough. The model was printed by a very generous friend and is a little blocky but I was able to smooth-out some of the striations so it looks indistinguishable from a tabletop distance:

The Crusader AA (for the HQ of 3RTR) is a gorgeous model (being Rubicon), and the guns elevate for their AA role, even with the broken star decal on the mechanism... or at least they did right up to the point where I put the final wash on the tank and left it overnight to dry. Rats. Because it's such a thin layer, I'm hoping that I'll eventually be able to wiggle it loose again, but I dread the damage I could cause in the attempt:

The Marmon-Herrington and Otter armoured cars are the first non-transport vehicles I've completed for my small RAF Regiment force and both are 3D print from the same friend. These are similarly a little blocky, but look fine with a lick of paint:

[Marmon-Herrington above; Otter below]

On all of these RAF vehicles, the roundels are hand-painted, as is much of the lettering. Not perfect, maybe, but I'm getting there. 

I use old Lledo die-cast lorry toys as transports for all of my British WW2 forces - partially because I hadn't any spare hobby cash when I started, and partially because I love going 'vrooom!' as they trundle along on the tabletop with their working wheels! This is the seond lorry I've repainted for my RAF Regiment, and (although it's not clear in these pics - drat!) I make sure to paint flecks of RAF blue into the weathering/'chipping' etc. and on high-traffic ridges so that the keen viewer on inspection might just buy the idea that these were - in a previous incarnation - sitting comfortably in an MT shed at RAF West Malling or somesuch. It's the little things, right?

Lastly, two [- ahem: 'captured' -] lorries for my Heer. Again, these are used from a habit going back quite a few years now, and in this case, they've both been repurposed for the German war machine with Dunkelgelb, and then at some point once has received locally two additional colours for camouflage. I don't have an airbrush, so it's just sponged on, but even if it's not quite perfect, it complements some other vehicles in my already-assembled forces. And it brings me joy! I've tried a vague approximation of Heer markings, but I'd be lying if I claimed any sort of comprehensive understanding of the German systems, and besides: it all just gets muddied-up on my models anyway...

Thanks for your time, Friends - all the best with your ongoing challenges!

- Chris

From AlexS: siege tower (20 pts)

Hello everybody! My name is Alex and I continue to finish various interesting things. Today it is a siege tower from the Russian company Zvezda. An excellent but underutilized vehicle that can only be used in rare castle or city siege scenarios. The tower is large, gloomy and clumsy. I thought to paint a Mercedes sign on it, but decided it might be an anachronism. What do you think is worth writing on the tower?

28mm venicle = 20 pts

From NickJ: Orruk Ironskullz Warband (20 Points)

Ahem. Once Upon a 2019... sorry what? It's when? 2021? But it was 2019 yesterday... right?

There's a scene in Spaceballs that ends with the lines:

"When will then be now?"

"Soon!"

And right now I'm trying to work out how firstly it's been probably 2 years since I last posted and also how the heck the first month of the challenge is already over!

Anyway - hello and I hope everyone is well.

For this Challenge I will mainly be trying to remember how to Hobby. I really didn't get much done in the last 2 years for various reasons that I won't bore you with but have actually managed to get my first 4 figures painted - so achievement unlocked. Hurrah.

Here we have Ironskullz Boyz - A warband for Games Workshop's Underworlds game. 

They've been sat on the shelf for about 4 years and finally managed to push their way to the front.

First up is Gurzag Ironskull himself. Having not painted Orruks (yes GW no longer calls them Orcs/Orks) it took a while to work out how to paint green skin.

Now meet Basha and Hakka. Look I take no responsibility for the names. That's on GW!

Basha is on the left with the fetching eye-patch...

I opted to have fairly dark silver armour as Orruks aren't the tidiest creatures plus then the red would have a chance to contrast.

And finally... and again I apologise for whatever naming rules they are using in Nottingham... here's Bonekutta

Lovely big axe and I'm sure it does cut through bone... 

So there we have my first completed, painted models since 2019. I suspect I may have been a bit enthusiastic when I proposed a 500 point target for this Challenge but a start has been made!

Scoring: 4 x 28mm = 20 Points. Just another 480 points to go!

From BenitoM: Night Watch at the Rhine Limes - Chamber of Darkness (25 points)

A moonless cold night, on guard duty, in this damp godless place... Marcus Agrippa dreaming with Livia... so far away in that small farm in the sunny plains of Etruria...

 

This is my entry for the Chamber of Darkness. At first, my intention was to paint one of my early German 2WW panzer grey vehicles... but then I though "What the heck! Let's have some fun and experiment with de greys"... Thus I chose one of my EIR legionnaires in grey tones... when suddenly I had the idea of putting some context for my model. So one idea lead to another and I finally worked on the theme of a Roman soldier on night watch with a campfire. 

 

The model is 25mm legionnaire from Wargames Foundry (yes, another from my old 80s ancient armies that I'm currently reworking ad repainting). The campfire I did playing a little bit with green stuff. I'm not very skilled with the product, but as a fire presents a rather chaotic shape, I just cut very small pieces and fix all together... the final result (once painted) was effective enough for my purposes.

I guess this entry is worth 25 points: 5 points for the 28mm model plus the chamber bonus. Now moving towards The Larder and looking to finish exploring the dungeon first level.