From ByronM:15mm WWII Canadian Infantry & Churchill Tanks (110 points)

From Byron:

This week I decided to get a force together for Chain of Command, which I have played several games of with Curt and with the Fawcett Avenue Conscripts.  I had picked up a pile of 15mm WW2 British (Canadian) figures YEARS ago with the plan in mind to do a landing force for a Dieppe game using Flames of War.  I never got around to it, being stuck on how to actually do the terrain and the buildings of the town.  Therefore they sat.  

Once we started playing around with CoC I got interested in the idea of some Canadian WW2 troopers again and dug them out.  Only to find that all the British I had, were wearing shorts!!!!  Damn, I had picked up 8th army guys and they have sat here for probably almost 10 years!  

Well, I had to come up with something else so figured I would give the Plastic Soldier stuff a try.  So I found and ordered a pack of 5 Churchhills and a pack of British infantry a few weeks back to try them out.  I had heard mixed reviews, but figured at less than $60 for 5 tanks and 150 infantry I would give it a shot anyway.

So, with all of that long story out of the way, here is my first Chain of Command 15mm force.  

There is a platoon of Infantry made up of:
 - Platoon Headquarters with a lieutenant, sergeant, PIAT team, and 2” mortar team
 - 3x Infantry sections, each made up of a Corporal, Bren Team, and 8 riflemen

Overall, I really liked the Plastic Solider infantry, there are a few poses that could use some improvement as they merge the packs into the body awkwardly, but overall they are really nice.  It is 15mm and for the most part you probably won’t even see the few slight things that bugged me.  For 150 figs in a box at the price I picked them up for, they are way better than I expected.  All the detail is there, faces are good, and almost no flash.  Awesome!

There is also a platoon of Churchills which is made up of 4 Mk III’s and a single MK IV.

The tanks impressed me even more.  I had heard that Plastic Soldier company had some issues with soft details, but I saw none of that here.  Everything was crisp and clean. While they were a little work to put together, having about 25 parts a piece, there was very little cleaning required and everything fit perfectly. So while they took a little time to get together it wasn’t really that much more time than a resin/metal kit.  Better yet, they worked out to just over $6 a tank, which I thought was pretty good value for what I got.

I had a lot of fun painting them all up, both the tanks and the infantry, but especially the tanks.  There is just something about 15mm vehicles.  They paint up so insanely fast, and look so awesome with so little effort compared to 28mm vehicles.  These were airbrushed for priming then base colored, then sponged for some chipping, some silver on the chips, a quick wash for some depth, a clear coat, then some pigments for weathering, and then another clear coat. Total time…. maybe 3 hours for all 5, and I think they look ok as is, but may go back and add some grime and rust drips, still haven’t decide. 

Now to get in a Chain of Command game with them!

You've really done an amazing job on these guys Byron. The infantry is excellent but those Churchills are completely brill. That airbrush and weathering technique you've used looks wonderful, especially with the minimal amount of time you put into them. Amazing. 

This platoon of Canadian infantry and their accompanying Churchill tanks will give Byron 110 points. Great job!

From JaccoK: 28mm WWII German DAK Infantry (60 points)

From Jacco:

A Couple of years ago we did a North Africa project. I painted a bunch of DAK for Disposable Heroes. With the new rules from Too Fat Lardies Chain of Command out I had to redo the platoon structure and paint some extra figures.

These are the first 12 reinforcements for the DAK, all 28mm miniatures from Artizan. The vehicles are from the project mentioned earlier.

Excellent work Jacco and you've provided an wonderful group of photos to feature them. I've always appreciated the 'heft' of the Artizan sculpts and you've done a very nice job on these fellows. (I also really like the captured Marmon-Herrington armoured car tucked away in the background.)

These dozen members of the Deutsches Afrikakorps will give Jacco 60 points. Again, great job Jacco, you're only a few points away from your target now!

From EdwinK: 28mm Professor Morrison - Before and After (10 points)

From Edwin:

These two figures are Prof Morrison before and after The Incident - either that or a pathetic attempt to link two disparate figures.

The 'before' is a 28mm figure 'Dr Curfew' from Artizan's Thrilling Adventures range.

The 'after' is 'Brain in jar on track' (snappy name!) from Black Cat Bases and 20mm to the top of the jar. I painted it for the Vehicles Bonus Round, but thought better of submitting it (I had the same doubts with it for the Villains Round).

Awesome! Will there be a back story about this character provided on your blog, Edwin? Inquiring minds wish to know more about the mysterious Professor Morrison and his later incarnation: 'Brain in Jar on Track'. What was 'The Incident'?

Also, what is that red globe-thingy on the track assembly? Maybe he's coin operated...

These two versions of Prof. Morrison will give Edwin 10 points.

From Lord Hill: 28mm British Napoleonic Infantry at Waterloo (260 points)

From Lord Hill:

Real life has caught up with me recently and I've barely done any painting since January. Unfortunately things remain hectic and these might be my last submissions for the competition but I've really enjoyed it, both seeing all the great entries by everyone and also all the kind words received which have spurred me on to get a lot done!

Here are 3 of the 4 grenadier companies of Halkett's brigade - the 30th (Cambridgeshire), 33rd (West Riding) and 69th (South Lincolnshire).

I've also attached some casualty figs from the 95th rifles which I did for the Casualty theme round. I had them all ready to go weeks before the deadline, but in the end just had no time to take pics and send them in! 

Wonderful work Lord Hill! Again, I love the mass of these bases that you produce. They provide such great insight to how Napoleonic formations were a direct reflection of the technology and tactics of the period. Being in three ranks instead of the usual two I assume these fellows will be part of a larger square formation you're creating?

These grenadiers of Halketts Brigade will give Lord Hill 260 points which is more than enough for him to breach his 1200 point target for the Challenge. Congratulations! Again, marvelous work.