From JaccoK: 28mm Cowboys & Cowgirls (110 points)

Jacco, a charter member of the 'Dutch Water-Bicycle Detachment',  picks up the gauntlet dropped by his chums MichaelF and RobP to see who can first get to 500 points.From Jacco:

Here are 7 Dead Man's Hand Lawmen I picked up at crisis Antwerp last November.

They are manufactured by Great Escape Games who also make the DEAD MAN’S HAND rules (which we have never played). These are in 28mm scale 28mm, my favourite scale. 

Next are 15 western figure from Black Scorpion. 28mm metal figures, the last ones I think because they switched the whole range to plastics a while ago.

I really love these figures although they are slightly bigger than the Dead Man’s Hand figures. The characters, poses and expressions are much better.

 

I painted all these cowboys to put a little pressure on Michael to host a western game with his beautiful new wester town (with train) which I have never seen fully on the table. 

Wonderful work Jacco! As you say, there are such great characters amongst these figires. I particularly like the fellow in the long duster with the crucifix and the formidable lady in the pink pantaloons.

These 22 cowboys and cowgirls will give Jacco 110 points. Well done and welcome back onto the roster Jacco!

From TamsinP: 15mm Thirty Years War Artillery Limber Teams (48 points)

This is the first day in which I've basically caught up with the Challenge submissions. Then again, I suspect that most of the participants are beavering away on their entries for the 'Vehicle' bonus round so I may be only experiencing an artificial reprieve. 

Nonetheless, having administered the Challenge a few years now I sense that we have left 'The Heady First Stage'; the euphoric, out-of-the-gate flurry of activity which is fuelled by the  abundant calories and free time of the holiday season. Instead, we are now entering into what I call 'The Grind'. This is where the pace of the Challenge becomes more measured and workmanlike. It's like the middle week of the Tour de France. Most participants are back to work and have to manage their hobby time judiciously.  It is also the period where many of them will think, 'I still have two months left, no worries.'  Ah, but  therein lies the rub as before you know it six weeks will have slipped by and we will be in the final run-in. It all comes down to good time management (something I always find challenging in of itself).

Accordingly, Tamsin manages to keep up her pace with this fine entry of six teams of Thirty Years War limbers.

From Tamsin:

Here we have six limber teams for my 30 Years War army. The figures are 15mm from Donnington Miniatures. Nothing else to say about them really.

Yup, just the facts, ma'am. Just the facts. 

It may seem like meat and potatoes but this is very nice work Tamsin. I quite like the civilian drovers with their wide brimmed hats coaxing the horses in their work.

These six limber teams will give Tamsin 48 points, well done.

From Curt: 28mm First Indochina War - French Paratroop Officer and Radioman (10 points)

'The enemy has overrun our positions. We're blowing everything up... Au revoir.'

- Last French radio transmission from Dien Bien Phu - May 7th, 1954.

I needed a brief intermission from the winter-themed figures I've been working on and so decided to finish this command stand for my (slowly) developing Indochine project.

These two figures are from Red Star Miniatures' 28mm 'Dien Bien Phu' range. Beautiful models sculpted by Paul Hicks - I highly recommended them. I've based them on a hex-shaped base so they can be easily identified as a command stand when on the tabletop.

I understand that Red Star is just about to release their range of Viet Mihn to serve as the French's intractable opponents and so I'm very eager to get my hands on some of those.

These two French paras will provide me with 10 points, inching me further along to my 700 point goal.

Now back to the ice and snow of Russia...

From RobH: Challenge Desperado: Freddie Sykes (20 points)

Rob sends in his Challenge Desperado: Freddie Sykes from 'The Wild Bunch'.

From RobH:

Here is my entry fee. Unfortunately, my point and shoot camera's batteries were dead, and I had only one AA battery, so I had to use my cell phone...  It's a 28mm Pinnacle miniature, as best as I can tell, painted as Freddie Sykes for the Wild Bunch. It's not a perfect likeness, but it was an enjoyable figure to paint. Here he is waiting for the rest of the bunch to return. 

His suit is actually done in Reaper's Dark Skin triad, and turned out much much much better than I expected. I also really like how his hat turned out - it's a different brown from the suit, and I think it works rather well. His shirt is ivory, painted using Vallejo Buff as the shade, then Vallejo Ice Yellow as the main color, and then Delta Ceramicoat's Antique White to highlight.

I always paint eyes on my figures greater than 10mm, and I rather like the squint I was able to put on his left eye. As you'll see when you get the mini, he's not as bug-eyed as some of the photos show. The pipe he's smoking, the nose, and the really big bushy white beard make me think of Santa gone bad. 

Basework is my standard 30mm round for civilians, with the figure's name written on the base and color coded with his experience status. All in all, a fun figure to paint, and one I'm sort of sad to give up.

Santa gone bad indeed! Lovely work Rob and thanks so much! I think you found a figure very close to Freddie's likeness and you've really done an excellent job with capturing the colours of his clothes from the film. Well done!

Freddie Sykes will give Rob 20 points to add to his tally. Lovely stuff and thanks again Rob!

From BenG: 20mm Ancient Germans & Challenge Desperado (52 points)

Ben shelters from the Australian heat wave and sends us this great group of Ancient Germans and his Challenge Desperado.

From Ben:

Long time no post! After the extravaganza that was Borodino 2014 and its aftermath, the school holidays and the fact that southern Australia is in the grip of a +40ºC heatwave for most of this week (blessed cool change predicted on the weekend!), I haven't had a lot of painting time in the last couple of weeks.

What I have done, though, is a stand for my long-neglected late antiquity project; namely another Germanic tribal stand featuring mainly 1/72 Strelets figures with a couple of Miniart figs thrown in for variation. (I've just noticed that the rear-right axeman has had the paint from his helmet nasal wear off somehow. Grrrr...) I think the front row right figure with the sandy hair bears a slight resemblance to a certain round-house kicking, religious right-wing American B-movie film star who now inhabits the world of internet memes. Maybe under his beard there is no chin; only another axe!

Also included in this entry is the entry fee for the Challenge: a 28mm broomhandle Mauser wielding Mexican Villista revolutionary/bandit from Brigade Games.

I have 4 more figures which I was going to send unpainted as a bonus, but I had so much fun with this chap that I might paint the rest with a by-your-leave, of course, Curt.

Great to have you back Ben! Those great, hairy Germans are, well, great! I quite like the plaid cloaks and the hand painted shields - very choice indeed. And thank you so much for your Challenge Desperado! I love his guy with his mega sombrero and distinctive broom-handle heater, excellent stuff.

This group of hirsute Germans and this Mauser wielding Mexican will give Ben 52 points. Great job and thanks again!