From Millsy: 28mm ECW Charles I & Edmund Verney (30 points)

Millsy presents to us Charles I (with his head) and Edmund Verney (with, well, all his parts). 

From Millsy:

Here are some more 28mm English Civil War mounted figures from Bicorne Miniatures. This time it’s Charles I, by the Grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith. The King is accompanied by his most loyal servant Sir Edmund Verney, carrying the Royal Standard.

Lovely work, Millsy. I've alway really admired those Bicorne sculpts and you've done a brilliant job with them. (Hmm, I should do an 'After' version of Verney where all that is on the base is his hand still grasping the Royal Standard...)

These two will give him a base of 20 points but I'm going to give another 10 for the excellent basework and the proud Royal Standard (am I showing my true colours?).

From BenG: 20mm WWII Soviets & 28mm Ronin #2 (92 points)

Ben sends in this great group of 20mm Patriotic War Soviets and his 'Challenge Tithe' of Ronin #2.

From Ben:

Here's a few pictures of what I've been able to squeeze in between family visits and over-indulgence in Xmas fare: 11 Soviet infantrymen, 1 command base and 1 anti-tank gun and crew, plus the obligatory 28mm Samurai figure.

The Soviets are by the Plastic Soldier Company and are part of a painting commission I'm doing for a friend. He gave them to me about this time last year and although this is the end of the infantry, I've still got a few support weapons (mortars, light and heavy machine guns) plus an AA crew with 4 Maxims and a forward observer team to go. I'm hoping to use this challenge to pull the finger out and get them finished!

The samurai is from Eureka Miniatures and provided a bit of a challenge, as it's only the 2nd 28mm figure I've ever painted, and is the 1st samurai figure I've ever painted! I tried not to get too hung up on patterns and colouring, so after the briefest exploration of images on the net, I used my imagination to come up with the colour scheme. The figure had very faint stars, like those on the gloves and earpieces, moulded into the sleeves and legs of the kimono, which I originally painted gold. This made him look like he'd put his armour on over his pajamas, so I eventually painted over them! 

Beautiful work here, Ben. Those Soviets are the business (really like the AT Gun) but the pièce de résistance is the Samurai! :) Well done.

This group will give Ben 92 points to add to his total. Great job Ben and thank you.

From DaveD: 28mm Cowboys, Mexicans & Indians (88 points)

From Dave:

So it has been crack on time - all 28mm stuff . Clearing out the remainder of the unpainted for the Old West . With the campaign action starting next week some of them are going to be needed sharpish - one of the guys managed to role having his motley crew in the " Indian Territories" - so first up we have the  "Davaches Warband"  out for trouble and the only force guaranteed to unite the warring factions in the territiry.  These 9 figures are all by Artizan Designs  - the Apaches sets. 

Also the Trail Boss by Artizan I can't praise the Artizan Old West figures enough they have all been a joy to paint.

Next up the completion of the "Banditos" set and one of their victims - again all by Knuckleduster.   

Also another recreation of the "The retired Marshal" by Crusader Miniatures. I already have one in the collection. I have done this one as as present for a friend. Method in the madness of course as it will start his Old West collection.

Finally a mount for one of last years entries (The Man With No Name") - A mule from Irregular Miniatures. They are a great source for animals. This one has had a blanket added from greenstuff , and twisted copper wire "rope" bridle made. Don't go  frightening  the mule - you may have to apologise - and you know what that means - Get 3 coffins ready.....  

This now completes  painting all the outstanding Old West  miniatures  - and you  know what that means ... I will have to buy some more!!!

Now what to do next ......

Excellent work Dave! I love the pattern on the ponchos and you just can't deny Mr. Cogburn...

These rootin' tootin' bad lads will give Dave 88 points. YeeHaw!

From MikeP: 6mm Napoleonic French Artillery (12 points)

The Mad Padre (Mike) enters the Challenge with a very nicely painted battery of 6mm French Napoleonic artillery.

From Mike:

My entry consists of four stands of Napoleonic French foot artillery, in 6mm scale, figures from Baccus.  

This is a new scale for me, and only my second group of Napoleonics figures in that scale.   I like the fact that it is a fairly forgivingscale to work in.  I painted these figures in a day and had the basing done within a second day.  That's incredibly fast for me.

So far I like the Baccus castings, and have several regiments of French infantry to do next.  The biggest learning curve for me in this period is the uniforms, but again, the scale is fairly forgiving so I don't worry too much about being challenged by grognards taking issue with the colour of facings on my figures.

Great work Mike! This battery will give him 12 points for his debute on the points board. Welcome Mike!

As an additional note, we now have over half the Ronin with scores on the points board - not a bad showing for the first week. Thank you all!

From MilesR: 28mm WWII American Paratroopers, Japanese Mule Train (190 points)

Miles adds some armour and logistical support to his growing Japanese collection while also branching out with some U.S. Paratroopers.

From Miles:

This time the total is 31 infantry, 4 pack mules and a tank all in 28mm. Picture one (above) shows the whole lot. 

The second is a 10 man squad of US paratroopers (Warlord Games Bolt Action line) 

The third picture is of 10 more Us Paratroopers from Black Tree Designs, 7 of which have BAR's and three have Thompsons.  I think I prefer the Black Tree Figures over the Bolt Action ones.

The fourth photo is some US Paratrooper Command and support - a two figure Bazooka team, a 30cal MMG, a mortar (60mm but I'll let is sub for an 81mm!) a artillery or air observer and an officer with his trusty colt.

The fifth picture is of a Japanese Mule Train which I plan on using as an objective in some upcoming games.

And lastly a picture of the  HoNi tank, like all Japanese tanks it's protected by paper thin armor but at least this baby mounts a 105mm Howitzer!

Great work Miles! I love the various mule train sets that Warlord produces for virtually every range they support - they are just so handy and add such character to the table. I also quite like your Warlord paratroopers, especially that mortar section.

These figures will give Miles a very tidy 190 points. You're keeping consistently near the top of the ranking Miles, well done!

From PeterD: 1:2400 WWII Merchantmen (17 points)

Peter sends in a juicy group of WWII merchantmen for rapacious sea raiders to hunt.

From Peter:

I finished up a set of 11 WW2 merchantmen while watching the Dr. Who Christmas special this morning.  These are 1:2400 resin casts from Panzerschiffe - a large range of solid, workman like ships that covers many ships not available otherwise.  I find them too crude for warships but the 2 packs of merchantmen I picked up were tremendous value for money. 

They come cast in battleship grey with a blackened funnel cap, and could be used straight up.  For a while, I considered drilling holes and adding masts and cranes (using wire and GHQ spares) but in the end I opted for a utilitarian approach and painted them as is.  And yes, I repainted the grey, then added layers of washes to simulate rust and grime. 

The photos include 3 Hunt class DDEs which predate the painting challenge so shouldn't be counted.  As for the point value, I will leave that to our moderator and chief judge Curt.

Very good work Peter. I look forward to sinking (or convoying) these in our upcoming engagements on the Med.

These eleven ships with their sea-bases will give Peter 17 points for his entry on the points roster. Welcome aboard Peter!

From GregB: 15mm Syrian Anti-Tank & Support Weapons, T-62 Tanks & Israeli Infantry, Support Weapons & Journalists (80 points)

Greg sends us a bewildering selection of 15mm models which will bolster his '73 Golan Heights project.

From Greg:

This is a selection of 15mm infantry support weapons for the IDF and Syrian Army for my 1973 Golan Heights project. The figures are all from Peter Pig's modern range, with the exception of the Sagger missiles themselves - they are Command Decision castings.  The quality of the Command Decision Sagger crews was so low (basically cast rabbit turd plops that make QRF look like the Perry bothers in comparison) so I just used the missiles themselves, and used spare crew guys from Peter Pig as a bodge. 

For the IDF I have two .50 cal MG teams and one 81mm mortar team. These are likely to see action in the table for scenarios where the IDF infantry were defending their isolated bunkers along the Purple Line, or the desperate defense of the HQ at Naffekh.  For the IDF figures I swapped the heads, using the "professionals" from Peter Pig's modern line, but replacing the heads with WW2 US infantry heads.  Peter Pig's head swap system is quick and relatively easy to do.

 

For the Syrians I have two Sagger ATGM teams, two heavy (105 or 108mm) recoilless rifle teams and an 81mm mortar team. These would see action in scenarios involving the IDF counterattack into Syria - but the Saggers would see action in the initial Syrian assault as well.  The Sagger - a wire-guided ATGM weapon which the operators had to try and steer on to the target - was quite a surprise to the IDF tankers, but was very difficult for the Syrians to use in actual combat conditions.  Imagine trying to steer a missile toward a target while shells and bullets are falling and flying around you, over broken and challenging terrain.  Very tricky.  But the Syrians definitely gave it a go - I remember one anecdote from an IDF Centurion commander marvelling at the number of "strings" lying across his turret when he popped the cupola hatch open.  Then he realized the "strings" were guide wires from the Syrian Saggers, and realized how many close calls there had been...the Saggers to me really help "set" the period. 

The journalists are just done up for a lark - I like to have TV crews or journalists as objectives, to represent modifiers on the table, or just for pure fluff (propaganda crew or some other sort of battlefield ephemera).  These journalists represent a 70's era TV camera team. 

Peter Pig makes wonderful figures - I recommend them highly.  I do wish they would flush out their modern range more - particularly with a non WW2 soviet HMG team. Here's hoping! 

Finally, a platoon of three Syrian T-62s, 15mm scale.  These models will see action in the Golan Heights games on our table. 

These models are QRF - very poor quality castings. Lots of mould lines, tons of flash and tons of tags. Assembly was very hard, as the fit is very rough for the components. The cupola MGs are very thin, and I am concerned they will not last long. 

For all that, they are still much nicer than the models from Command Decision. At the end of the day there is not much to choose from when it comes to modern 15mm stuff. You hope Peter Pig has it, and if they don't, you make do with what is available.

Beautiful work Greg. You certainly made a silk purse out of a sows ear with those QRF models and at a blistering pace no less!

This collection of miniatures will give Greg a tidy 80 points. Well done my friend!