From JohnM: 20mm WWII British Paratroops (106 Points)

From John:

British Airborne Platoon:

Here we have 27 more 20mm figures from TQD, they complete my Paratrooper Platoon for Chain of Command. I also added one support element a 5 man Vickers MG team. I am happy to have the project done and am quite pleased with the figures, they are very nice castings.

In order to get enough riflemen I had to use their Polish paratroopers, but as far as I can see they are indistinguishable. I took Curt's advice and used Agrax Earthshade to blend the dennison smock's three different colours for a somewhat smoother transition. The two snipers are from the PSC late war infantry box. 

The last photo details the whole platoon and includes figures previously submitted. 

From left to right you can see the command group with the Lieutenant and Platoon Sergeant as well as a 2" Mortar team, a Piat team and a Sniper. Behind them is the 5 man Vicker's MG team (List 4). Next we have sections 1 & 2, with Section Sergeant as well as a 3 man Bren team and a 6 man rifle team (one man is armed with a Sten). Section 3 is a little different with a Section Sergeant as well as two Bren teams with 4 men, one armed with a Sten. This Section also has an attached Sniper. They have a Platoon Force rating of 8+ and 6 Command Dice. I will look forward in putting them up against some Panzergrenadiers.

Wonderful work John. It's great to have watched this whole reinforced platoon come together over the Challenge. I think your Denison camo came out great. Also, I wonder if those TDQ are the same as the old SHQ line? They look very similar to me (I like those crouching poses and its wonderful to see plucky Major Frost in there with his hunting horn). 

This group of British Paras will give John 106 points. Lovely work!

From ClintB: 28mm Challenge Academy Girls School (40 points)

From Clint:

The Team

From left to right. 

Tamsyn P is a very productive worker. Andrea Saunders has a keen interest in Norse Mythology (and 'sign language' - ed). Anne O'Leary a very glamorous foreign exchange student. Francine Lee while a team player has anger management issues. Miss Campbell is the head girl and she keeps them all in line by dishing out house points. Me a new girl. And finally Rachel Rousell is very keen on her history, liking to get both the facts right and to wear lace lingerie for which the other girls sometimes tease her she has even had a couple of falsies (sandbags) and it is best not to mention anything about her "erhm...badger".

All the figures are 28mm Crooked dice miniatures. Inspired by the work of Ronald Searle and called St Searle's Girls (That's St Trinnians as far as the film industry is concerned) They started as cartoons and books originally, the first being published in 1941 in the magazine Lilliput.

I have kept the colours of a local school uniform but avoided the local girls grammar school where I did a PGCE ( which is Navy blue and pink). I have used pink as an accent colour just because I see a lot of girls in the UK wearing pink and I suspect that they might find it hard these days to get any other colour. 

And the last picture is of me and "Misty" the muse for the crooked dice miniature. As Misty is a zombie hunter you can see the zombie going Nom Nom Nom on another wargames Blogger (Mathyoo from Slovakia) on the left. (Salute last year).

Haha! This is awesome. I think you may have nailed the characters here Clint. Tamsyn (Veruca Salt!?) and Andrea are hilarious and Anne is quite the vamp (great legs). I quite fancy myself as Head Girl (dated one in High School - lived up to her title... ba-dum-pish! Boo! Hiss!!) Francine may need to be a bit more strawberry blonde but the rage-filled pose seems appropriate. How Clint would translate into a schoolgirl's name I cringe to think about (nice teddy)... And poor Rachel with her hidden secrets, Victoria or otherwise... 

All of them, excellent stuff.

The Team will give Clint 40 points, with a bit extra as, well, I'm in it.   ;-)

From RobH: 28mm Indian Wars - Survivor of the 7th: 'Comanche' (10 points)

From Rob:

Comanche was supposed to be my entry into the Casualty Round. However, I wasn't pleased with the rushing needed to submit him last weekend, so I took a few more days to finish until I was pleased with the result. I think it was the right choice, though Comanche's story fits well with the Casualty theme. 

I chose a 28mm Sash and Saber casting, from their Union horse holder set. I have several of the Sash and Saber horseholders (Union and Confederate) as the Perry ones. I chose the Sash and Saber horse specifically for the military bearing the horse sculpt has - tall chest out, proud eyes, front, standing tall - all befitting the 2nd Commanding Officer, 7th United States Cavalry.

Comanche was a 15-hand high bay gelding, purchased by Capt. Myles Keogh, 7th US Cavalry, to be his personal mount in battle. Comanche apparently got his name when he was wounded in his hindquarters by an arrow. Comanche carried Keogh throughout Keogh's service with the 7th, until the Little Bighorn. Comanche is often noted as the "sole survivor" of Custer's two battalions at the Little Bighorn, but many other horses survived. Comanche was found, two days after the battle, He was loaded aboard the Far West with the other wounded of the 7th Cavalry, and nursed back to health. Per the order of Col. Samuel Sturgis, Comanche entered a semi-retired status of honor in the regiment:

"Headquarters Seventh United States Cavalry, Fort A. Lincoln, D. T., April 10th, 1878. General Orders No. 7.

(1.) The horse known as 'Comanche,' being the only living representative of the bloody tragedy of the Little Big Horn, June 25th, 1876, his kind treatment and comfort shall be a matter of special pride and solicitude on the part of every member of the Seventh Cavalry to the end that his life be preserved to the utmost limit. Wounded and scarred as he is, his very existence speaks in terms more eloquent than words, of the desperate struggle against overwhelming numbers of the hopeless conflict and the heroic manner in which all went down on that fatal day.

(2.) The commanding officer of Company I will see that a special and comfortable stable is fitted up for him, and he will not be ridden by any person whatsoever, under any circumstances, nor will he be put to any kind of work.


(3.) Hereafter, upon all occasions of ceremony of mounted regimental formation, 'Comanche,' saddled, bridled, and draped in mourning, and led by a mounted trooper of Company I, will be paraded with the regiment.

By command of Col. Sturgis, E. A. Garlington, First Lieutenant and Adjutant, Seventh Cavalry."

Comanche served with the regiment during their time at Fort Meade, and with the Regiment when they moved to Fort Riley. He had the freedom of the post, would form up with Company I during parades, and was named the Regiment's "Second Commanding Officer." He formed a bond with his keeper, Pvt Gustave Korn, and they became inseparable - with Comanche even leaving the post to go look for Korn, if Korn had not returned to the post in time for nightly feeding. Here's where Comanche's story takes the sad turn. Korn was killed at the Battle of Wounded Knee, and Comanche never recovered. He lingered on through 1891, until dying of colic - or, perhaps, a broken heart. The members of the Seventh were devastated, and Comanche remains one of two horses given a funeral with full military honors.

Comanche was preserved by Professor Dyche of the University of Kansas, for $400 and the right to display him at the 1893 Exposition in Chicago. For reasons unknown, the officers of the Seventh could not pay the $400, and so Comanche remains on display at the University of Kansas.

And now here he waits, in the shade of the trees, for the Seventh to parade.

A fabulous entry and a very touching bit of history - thanks for sharing this with us Rob. Actually I think 'Comanche' could have easily been an excellent entry for either of the casualty, hero, character or last stand rounds.

'Comanche' will give Rob double points for a steed as I believe the sentiment supports it.