From AaronH: 28mm Roman Auxiliary Infantry (40 points)

Aaron sends in this excellent group of Early Imperial Roman auxiliaries.

From Aaron:

These models are Warlord auxiliary infantry for my EIR army.   The figures are Warlord games plastic box.  They are nice but very samey.  I’ve bought two boxes of these models, giving me 48 total.  I had to buy some extra command to give me three units of 16, the standard size for my Hail Caesar Romans, since they are single based for skirmishing, and stuck in GW War of the Ring bases. 

The box comes with one set of decals which I have used on both of my units so far, and the third coming up.  These decals are clear, so they will show a base colour painted underneath, (unlike the Legionary decals which are opaque).   I’ve painted each unit’s shields a different colour.  If I buy more of this set I’ll have to pick up some of their decal sheets to mix things up a bit more.

If you are paying attention you’ll notice that six of these have yellow shields and two have green shields.  I’m an idiot.  What can I say.  I’m painting these to complete a half cohort that is already done.  The Warlord box comes with four command models, so the eight that were already completed had a commander already.  This batch should have been six troopers and the signifier and cornicen.  While not a problem, they are in the next group to get painted, poor attention to detail like that can cause me problems as I try to make my goal.

These are painted to my usual tabletop standard.  The only difference being a bit of highlighting on the faces which I don’t normally do, but will after this as I like the change it brings.  I really like the red, bronze and steel together.

Great work Aaron! Our group quite likes the 'Hail Caesar' system but we have not yet delved into the EIR period. Your stuff makes me seriously think about digging out my unpainted Foundry stuff and getting started.

These eight auxilaries will give Aaron 40 points. Nice job!

From IanW: 6mm Napoleonic French Hussars (10 points)

Ian sends in this great stand of Napoleonic French hussars in 6mm for his 2015 Waterloo project.

From Ian:

For the last twelve months or so I have been working mostly on 6mm figures ready for 2015 when a mate and me plan to play out the whole of the Battle of Waterloo via our blogs. Not having much in hand to play the game we have been steadily building up the forces. To add to these regiments I give you the 1st Hussars part of my commitment to the French side. 

These are the new Baccus Hussars and from talking to Peter his favourite newly re-sculptured French to date. After painting some of them I can see why as they are fun to paint and have plenty of detail.

You won't see much more in the way of cavalry in the Challenge as I have most of the French finished. Just a bunch more Landwehr cavalry but infantry, well that's a different matter.

After the disaster that was the Russian Campaign the Hussars were very badly mauled and as such little is seen of the Hussars at Waterloo so I have made sure I have painted up the few that were involved in the campaign.

I really like Adler Cavalry but these boys will take a lot more handling so more suited to the rough and tumble of the gaming table and Baccus have the lion's share in my French army though by far it's the older castings .

I always really enjoy your 6mm work Ian. There is no doubt that your figures are excellent but I think it's your groundwork which puts these over the top. I believe the groundwork in this scale is crucial as it can make or break the whole look of a unit. Less it more in this case. Wonderful stuff.

These Hussars of the 1st will give Ian 10 points in total. Well done and I look forward to seeing your upcoming Landwehr and infantry.

From ChristopherS: 28mm Dark Age Saxon Gedriht Warriors (35 points)

Christopher sends in this beautiful unit of Dark Age Saxons.

From Christopher:

My next entry is Saxon Gedriht which are elite fighters typically members of a Warlords family, close retainers and household guard (Huscarls) and are professional warriors armed with the best armour and weapons in the army. 

When I first saw these on the Musketeer web site I knew I had to have them as they looked seriously hard and fearsome. 

They are based on individual bases mounted on a sabot movement tray. The shields are LBM with some MIG pigments I added to give a more used effect. 

They are mostly painted with Foundry paints which are my personal favorites and some Vallejo.

I always really enjoy your Dark Age work Christopher, and these lads certainly don't disappoint. You're right they do look suitably ferocious and hard-bitten, especially with their motley assortment of armour and well-used shields.

These six Saxons will give Christopher a base of 30 points, but I'm adding another 5 for the great basing and weathered shields. This will give Christopher enough to pip past me and Martin into first place in our private duel to 500 points. Well done but this lead won't last for too long... ;->

From KentG: 28mm Napoleonic French Cuirassiers (241 points)

Alright!  Kent's rolling out with the big guns now - well, the heavy cavalry in this case. Here we have two units of French cuirassiers ready to spread Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite - by the hoof or sword, take your pick.

From Kent:

Time put in another entry, this time it's 24 French cuirassiers. 

The back row are 12 Perry miniatures. These are for my collection and the front row are Front Rank and these are for a friend of mine. 25hrs of painting in these lot, they are all painted and based for 'Black Powder'.

25 hours of painting for this?! Jeez Louise, you are the 'Man With The Plan' when it comes to painting large units, Kent. This is seriously impressive - well done.

These 24 cavalrymen will give Kent 241 points with a bit added for the fine regimental standard. In two entries this put him neatly into second place - brilliant work Kent!

From MilesR: 28mm Confederate ACW Regiment (121 points)

Miles adds to his American Civil War collection with this fine regiment of Rebs from Hood's fierce Texas Brigade.

From Miles:

Attached are some photos of my second entry into the challenge - yet another 24 figure Confederate infantry regiment.  The figures are from the 28mm Perry plastic Confederate Infantry box set.  These troops are modeled as the 5th Texas infantry regiment of Hood's Brigade. 

I finished the 1st Texas as part of last year's challenge and now just have 3 left to fill out the Brigade. This regiment will bring my Confederate army up to 12 out of a targeted 15.

Wow, twelve regiments done! I trust we'll see you finish off the other three during this Challenge. Am I right? Of course I'm right. ;)

This fine regiment, representing the Lone Star State, will give Miles 121 points which includes a bit extra for the Battle Flag. Great job Miles!

From JuanM: 28mm Spanish Gladiator & British-Crewed Breda (32 points)

Juan, a veteran Challenger, joins us and submits these two fine entries for his debut this year.

Here are my first entries to The Challenge.

The first one is a 28mm gladiator, a 'Hoplomachius', from Brigade Games. This is a fantastic figure from Paul Hicks, the first one for another project I want to begin with my club´s mates. So here is 'Viriato', an Spanish gladiator. It has been a true pleasure to paint him.

The second one is a 28mm Italian Breda AA gun with British crew. This model is from Offensive Miniatures, a very nice one that I expect to use in my games of "Chain of Command", in scenarios based in the Dodecanese Campaing; for that reason, the crew are from the RAF Regiment.

Beautiful work Juan. You've such a smooth style with the brush, it's always a pleasure to see your work.

These two subjects, separated only by around 2000 years, will give Juan 32 points (including a bit extra for the great arid basework on the Breda). Welcome back Juan!

From AlanD: 15mm WWII German Halftracks (41 points)

Okay! We've had our fun with the first Theme Bonus Round now back to the trenches (well, for me anyway). 

Alan sends in this great set of German WWII era halftracks.

From Alan:

One of my best gaming discoveries of 2013 was Battle Group Kursk, which made me enthusiastic about painting WWII stuff for the first time in years. I particularly love the fact that the rules actually give you a reason to paint up and use lots of support vehicles, such as these 15mm half tracks from Forged in Battle. 

What we have are two Sdkfz 251/3 command vehicles, a 251/8 ambulance, a 251/11 telephone cable layer to increase the chances of those artillery requests getting through and a Sdkfz 10/4 flak vehicle.

Wonderful stuff Alan! As I mentioned to you before I particularly like the communications halftrack with the elevated wiring guide for the cabling. 

This group of vehicles will give Alan 41 points (which includes a few for the crews). Great work!