From SamuliS: 28mm Victorian Science Fiction Ottomans (50 points)

From Samuli:

Change of subject again with a small company of VSF Ottoman's for In Her Majesty's Name. These guys are from Lead Adventure and they great castings with plenty of detail. They are part of the Ottoman Special Operation Services (SOS) formed of some of the most highly decorated Janissaries of the Sultanate.

These buggers took a lot longer to paint than I anticipated as there is just so much detail on them and I constantly had to go back to paint something that I hadn't noticed earlier. Still a pleasure to paint and bringing a bit of change from the larger projects that I have going on.

Leading the company is Colonel Mehmet Pasha who persuaded the Sultan to let him form a small team for special operations after seeing what the Prussian Society of Thule was able to achieve. Keeping order in the company is Sergeant Yahya who had gained fame leading a desperate last stand against overwhelming odds. He survived, but lost his arm, which has now been replaced by a mechanical prothesis made by the Ottoman Master Engineers.

Responsible for the Company's heavy support is Corporal Seyit. A well known strongman who proved his strength by carrying shells to his 240mm naval gun. He is equipped with a new rocket launcher that is normally meant for a team of two. Medics of the company traditionally don't carry any weaponry except for the Janissary scimitar which they also use to treat unfortunate casualties.

Rest of the company is formed of veteran Janissaries who are supplied by the best that the Sultanate can muster. From the latest self-loading rifles to machine guns, they are prepared to deal with whatever threatens their beloved Sultan and his empire.

How incredibly fun! I love the figures from Lead Adventure as their sculpts typically have stacks and stacks of character and these guys certainly don't disappoint. Without a doubt the main characters are wonderful what with their bionics and hand cannons, but even the lowly squadies have so much to discover. I particularly like the fellow with the hooka pipe and the other with the portable gattling gun (!). And really, who can deny any figures who's are rocking the fez like these guys?

These formidable Ottoman Special Operatives will give Samuli 50 points.

From AlanD: 28mm Wild West - Citizens of 'Hurricane' (90 points)

Alan adds some more local colour to his Western town of 'Hurricane'.

From Alan:

Hurricane is a diverse and inclusive little community on the edge of nowhere. Here are 18 new citizens, all with something to offer the town. All towns need some entertainment, and nothing says entertainment in the Old West more than a couple of beefy pugs beating the stuffing out of each other in the street. 

Well, nothing is more entertaining except maybe the town drunk shaking his leg to the sound of the fiddle. The undertaker looks on, sensing a customer in the offing.

There are still fortunes to be made prospecting in the hills...maybe. These three hopefuls heading in to town for supplies still think so. Or maybe they are so far gone with hard work and sun that they just can't face the truth that their dreams are ending in a hole scratched out of the desert stone.

Someone has to keep the peace, and when the law turns its head away it falls to the citizens. These three have tooled up, sensing trouble.

The West is changing, and the railroad is bringing new wealth and opportunity. These three have just arrived from back East, with powerful thirsts and eyes for the main chance.

And meanwhile the wheels of the town keep turning, whether it is the railroad man, the constable keeping the peace, or the barman at Miss Lily's, who has seen it all before.

All figures are from Foundry, except for the tooled up citizens from Great Escape.

Excellent stuff Alan. I'm really enjoying watching 'Hurricane' come to life over these past few months. My favourites from this group are the shifty Eastern Speculators and the stoic Barman - such great characters.

These featured 'Huricanites' will give Alan 90 points to add to his total.

From GillesW: 15mm Ancient Libyan Infantry (144 points)

From Gilles:

Here is my new submission for the Challenge, 72 Early Libyan footmen coming from the 15mm ranges of Chariot Miniatures and Essex miniatures.

They are done for some days now but stood unbased on the painting table, as I was diverted by other more funny tasks than basing.

Still have the chariotry and the commanders to finish the army.

So now it’s time to return to the Jester’s bath. Hope you like them.

Great work Gilles! I really like the variety of bright colours of their clothes and headdress. Also, I find the groundwork is very well done, doing a great job in portraying the local arid environment - minimalist but effective. 

This horde of Libyans will give Gilles 144 points. Well done!

Enjoy your bath(!?) Is this a New Years Resolution or an annual thing?  ;-P

From MilesR: 15mm American Infantry for 'All Quiet on the Martian Front' (90 points)

The flash bulbs of the paparazzi are only starting to dim as we get a glimpse of a new range of figures for an very much anticipated game system.

From Miles:

My next submission is a bit of a first -in fact it’s a “World Premier” of some miniatures from the upcoming “All Quiet on the Martian Front” game. How was I able to score such a “scoop”? Through hard work, exposing (but perhaps not living) a clean lifestyle and dedication to the hobby. Yes I’m sure it was all that plus the fact I live about 1.5 miles away from the world wide HQ of Architects of War and I was pestering Ernie to get a few test models. I could think of no better venue for this World, no it’s a , “Galactic Premier” than the Analogue Hobbies Challenge, which I am sure will soon become the miniatures world equivalent of the Cannes Film Festival, except with 100% more glamour.

Todays submission is 45, 15mm US Infantry figures complete with gas masks so they are less vulnerable to the damn Martian black dust. The troops are organized into 3 Platoons each of which consist of 3 five man stands. The figures are produced by Architects of War subsidiary “Alien Dungeon” and are based off of 15mm Eureka models which the AofW team have licensed.

These are metal figures and had very little flash to clean up.

I did the basing a little different for these figures. My usual method is to paint the base a tan color and then cover with playground sand. That works fine for 28mm but just does’t work for smaller scales. The basing material I did use was Liquitex brand “Blended Fibers” gel which goes on as a gel but dries clear and provedes a nice level of textures for smaller scale mini’s. In some of the pic’s you can still see some white where I missed with the paint but that will dry clear and look like a puddle of water (I hope). I was pleased with the outcome.

Each platoon has an officer (left most figure in each first rank) and then riflemen in 6 different poses.

A shot of the the whole company surging out to attempt to destroy one of those dreaded Martian Tripods…..

Ooh! Shiny!! A sneak peak of 'All Quiet on the Martian Front' (claps hands in glee)? Now, how cool is that! Thanks for letting us see your lovely new toys Miles. I can close my eyes and hear the super-creepy Martian war claxon blaring in the distance (probably the one thing I loved about the Tom Cruise movie). 

These fine doughboys bravely advancing towards the alien menace (only to be turned into fine ash) will give Miles 90 points. Great stuff Miles and thanks for sharing these guys with us! I can't wait to see one of the tripods!

Voters Selection for the 'Hero' Bonus Round & Additional Achievments

If I'm not mistaken the bonus rounds seem to be getting better and better as we move through the Challenge. This fortnight's theme was 'Hero or Heroic Group' and we had many wonderful entries. From chivalrous frogs to panzer commanders, from plucky gnome archers to Marshal Ney 'The Bravest of the Brave' - we ran the range of dashing heroes and resolute heroines.  

In regards to the voting it was a close race amongst all the leaders. Accordingly, the runners up to 3rd were:

Samuli with his wonderfully gritty Great War French Poilu...

...and Anne's whimsical fantasy scene of gnomes, goblins and giant mushrooms.

When it came down to the crunch of the final day, 3rd place was tied between two entries: My Rick Dekard...

...and Sidney's very evocative scene of Oberleutenant Von Brandis' assault on Fort Douaumont at Verdun. Sidney and I will both receive 25 points to add to our total. Well done my dear Mr. Roundwood!

2nd place was claimed by Michael Awdry with is wonderful team of celtic heroes and fetching heroine. Well done sir!

Finally the entry which claimed 1st place was Martin's (Nick's) superb Childeric of the Franks and his retinue. For this fantastic entry Martin will be awarded 75 points to add to his total along with a gift voucher from the good folks from Warbases. Wonderful job and congratulations!

In addition to the above we had several other notable achievements that came from the bonus round (and in the past day or so):

1) Tamsin claims the 1K points race that was fought between her, Ian and Burkhard. Well done Tamsin!

2) Millsy met his 1250 points target and has now taken aim at 2000. Well done and good luck on the next goal!

3) DaveD has achieved his 600 point target and with his most recent horde of Ansars has ranged-in on 2250 as his new goal. Well done Dave!

4) MichaelA has crossed the 600 points line with this, his second 2nd place finish. Bravo! What will it be now Mr. A? I'll call you out: Can you reach 800 by March 20th?

5) Edwin has met his 540 point target with his very creative 'A Aranha'. What is the new target Edwin and will we be treated to more of your 54mm goodness before the Challenge is concluded?

6) MartinN (aka 'Nick') has broke through his 400 point target with this resounding 1st place finish.  We all look forward to your upcoming submissions to both the main and theme challenges.

7) ...and I managed to creep past my 700 point goal. As some may know I have a 'side duel' with Sidney to see who can get to 700 points first but I am not counting points from the bonus rounds for this 'affair of honour'. I need another 82 points and Sidney owes me a painted figure. I have you in my sights Mr. Roundwood!