From EdwinK: 28mm Retro Raygun Rocketeers (25 points)

Here are five 28mm figures from Hydra Miniature's Retro Raygun range 

I've had them for quite a while in a half-painted state, but scrubbed them and started afresh for the challenge.  

In retrospect I wish I'd left the out-sized rocket packs off, which would have given them a cleaner colour-scheme, but then they wouldn't have been rocketeer would they?

Very, very cool Edwin. I love these guys! Their metallic gold spacesuits are very posh (in a 1962 kinda way) and I really like your backdrop as well. You just need a bright silver bullet-shaped space ship off in the distance to complete the scene. 

These five rocketeers will give Edwin 25 points. 

From PaulJ: 28mm WWII British Paras (55 points)

From PaulJ:

Here is another section of WW2 British Paratroopers in 28mm.  They are a combination of Warlord and Crusader metal figures.

A fourth Infantry section provides an additional support element to my core three section platoon. 

The second PIAT team also add a bit of redundancy to the platoon.  The PIAT isnt that good an anti tank weapon, but its handy to keep the lighter and recon stuff at arms reach.  Having only team makes it a bit vulnerable, and an extra team should help build a crossfire too.

For those who asked for more closeups of the rest of my Para platoon I've uploaded a bunch of closeups and pictures here:

http://tasmancave.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/red-devils-platoon.html

Lovely work Paul. You've really hit your stride with these fellows. They all look superb but I especially like the photos of the prone PIAT team - your garden should be free of critters with these lads guarding the verge.

This section of paras will give Paul 55 points. Nicely done! (As you see your choice of 800 points for your second points target was a bit conservative. I still think you should go for 900... just sayin'.)

From Millsy: 28mm ECW Rupert's Lifeguard of Horse (60 points)

From Millsy:

See? I told you I was painting ECW cavalry. Despite my easily distracted nature, I have managed to get these chaps off the painting table today.

This is Prince Rupert's Lifeguard of Horse, armed and armoured as befits the best of the best. No pistols out for these lads, it's swords out and charging into the teeth of the enemy just as Rupert taught them.

The miniatures are a mix of 28mm Renegade and Bicorne riders on Renegade horses. An absolute joy to paint as always and packed with lovely detail and character. The sashes on the Bicorne figures are especially nice.

The guidon is a commercial one for once, as opposed to my usual home made efforts. I was given it as a prize years ago when I took part in a massive ECW participation game. I commanded the Royalist cavalry and drove the enemy horse from the table with their tails well and truly between their legs. In proper Cavalier fashion I immediately followed and myself and my opposite number retired to the bar early. :-)

Well, that was certainly worth the wait, eh? Bravo Millsy, these are some excellent harse boyz. Very clean brush-work and great basing to boot. Wonderful stuff.

These hard chargers of Rupert Lifeguard will give Millsy 60 points. 

From RobP: 28mm AWI American Minutemen (45 points)

Rob cracks the whip to prompt his fellow Dutchmen to greater efforts with this excellent entry of AWI Minutemen.

From Rob:

After a two-week skiing trip I was surprised to see that my two fellow Dutch contenders (MichaelF and JaccoK) did not take the opportunity to catch up with me on the points list.  I have given them another week but now there is no more mercy regarding getting first place in our side competition...

To further work towards my points goal here is my next entry: 9 AWI Minutemen.

The figures are Foundry (Perry sculpts) and I think almost everybody bought this pack since you see them in a lot of pictures and articles. I had these lying around for a long time but since we are into 'Muskets and Tomahawks' with our gaming group I decided to paint them up to field a small American force as an addition to my British to be able to play both sides if needed.. 

The figures were fun to paint and will certainly get more company in the form of some militia units in the near future.

Excellent work Rob! These are great models (as you noted, one sees them everywhere it seems) and you've done a very nice job on them.  I like that you've kept them in a varied mix of colours to underline their irregular status.

These nine Minutemen will give Rob 45 points, bringing him within 55 points of winning the Dutch side challenge. Well done Rob! Now, Michael and Jacco, where are your entries?

From ByronM: 28mm Great War Highlanders & Challenge Desperado (80 points)

From Byron:

Here are two more submissions for the challenge, first up is another unit of Canadians for my Great War project.  

This unit is made up of a rifle section of 10 brave men from the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) 16th Battalion along with their leader.  Also included here is the big man that I am using to lead the 16th Battalion in games, a level III big man, who very appropriately can be called the man with the plan, since the model actually has an attack plan on it.

The figures are a mix of the Great War and Musketeer lines as they fit together size wise wonderfully.

It still bugs me that I can not paint the kilts on these guys though as they are almost entirely covered by the kilt aprons that they wore into battle.  I did paint the tiny little patches that peak through as the 3rd of the 4 different regiments that went into making up the 16th Battalion.  This tartan is of theThe 72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada and is a dark blue and green tartan with white and red striping through it.  

The Seaforths provided almost 1/2 of the men that went into making up the 16th CEF Battalion, and as members of the 16th were part of almost all of the bloodiest battles in the war, including Ypres, the Somme, Vimy Ridge, and Passchendaele.  This holds true for all of the component parts of the 16th though, and is the reason that I chose to represent them as one of the Battalions in my CEF force.

The second submission included here is the miniature being used as my entrance requirement for the challenge.  It is a Foundry wild west figure that I felt had a very similar look and feel as the crazy old coot played by Edmond O’Brien in the 'Wild Bunch'. 

I know that the figure has an eye patch and that Edmond didn’t in the movie, but I still felt the figure worked and didn’t want to try and carve it off and try to sculpt an eye. I tried to keep the colours close to seen in the movie and from the side where you don’t see the eye patch, I think it looks pretty damn close.

I muddied him up a bit with pigments mixed with alcohol which provides a cool effect in person, but doesn’t show up well in a photo.  I was told about using them wet to get mud effects and they work pretty well, the only issue being that they go on wet and pretty much invisible….  hence using alcohol instead of water so that it dries faster so that you can tell where you applied it about 20 seconds later rather than a minute later.  I figured the alcohol suited the crazy old coot better anyway.

Hope you like him Curt.

Another excellent unit of Highlanders to add to your burgeoning force of Canadians - great job. Just as the others, these are wonderfully painted (very nice work on the Glengarry caps), though I feel your pain for not being able to paint the tartan on the kilts (I had the same reaction when I discovered that they almost always had them covered with the khaki apron). I really like the Jock officer with the iPad. 'How do we break through the Hun trenches? Hmm, I think there's an app for that...'

And Edmond is fabulous with his hoary grey beard and single mad, mad eye (even though the eyepatch is an indulgence he's definitely rockin' it). He will be a great addition to the 'Wild Bunch' that is gathering strength in my display cabinet.

These Highlanders along with 'Edmond The One-Eyed Coot' will give Byron 80 points, enough for him to meet his Challenge target of 1000 points. Well done and Congratulations Byron!! 

Do you have a new target for our last three weeks?