From JuanM: 28mm SAS, Taliban & Highlander (45 points)

 From Juan:

Here is my last entry to The Challenge. This year, the levels of participation and "products" have been fantastic, and I´m sure you have had a lot of work.

Well. First one, here is a SAS team in 28mm from Empress Miniatures. They have been painted for my "Skirmish Sangin" games and my idea has been to give them their particular look, with a lot of civilian equipment.

Secondly, there is a group of Taliban and al Qaeda fighters also for "Skirmish Sangin" and also from Empress Miniatures. Very nice figures.

And lastly, my first 28mm Highlander for the Third Afghan War. Another 28mm figure from Empress Miniatures. I have been testing a new khaki "recipe" with this veteran of the Great War, and I like the result.

And this is all.

Again, a fantastic Challenge with wonderful painted figures and models. Thank you a lot Curt for your perfect work!!!

As usual Juan you've provided us a wonderful selection of lovely miniatures to feast our eyes upon.  Your modern figures are always a treat, especially your work on the various contemporary camo schemes. I'm also delighted to see your new foray into the Third Afghan War. By the looks of this first 'test' Highlander you will have a very enviable collection when it's complete.

These nine miniatures will give Juan 45 points. It's been a pleasure Juan and I look forward to seeing you join us again next year!

From JuanM: 28mm Taliban Mortar Team, Al Qaeda Fighter & Modern US Infantryman (30 points)

From Juan:

Here is another entry for The Challenge. This time, some models from "Empress Miniatures", from their Modern Range. They are a Taliban Mortar Team, an al Qaeda "Freedom Fighter" and my first US soldier with ACU uniform. I have painted them to become part of my "Skirmish Sangin" games.

These are very nice models, clean and really easy to paint. I expect to prepare, soon, a game based in the "Lone Survivor" film/book.

Beautiful work Juan. The Empress range is fabulous and you've really done them justice with these figures. I'm especially impressed with your rendition of the American ACU camo, which can be very tricky to pull off. Well done!

This assortment of modern figures will give Juan 30 points. Great work!

From KentG: 28mm Modern Taliban Tribesmen & 15mm WWII German Panzerknacker Teams (110 points)

From Kent:

First up 28mm Taliban insurgents. Seventeen of these. This finishes off a commission. They are Empress Miniatures figures. Lots of fine detail and easy to paint.

Next up are twelve 15mm Battlefront miniatures they are panzershreck teams for an up and coming competition. I used the Bolt Action how-to paint SS for the paint scheme - seems to have worked alright.

Great work Kent. The Taliban figures are very well done - I particularly like how your choice of colours reinforces their irregular nature. I also think you've done a great job on the dot-pattern camo on the SS troopers.

These figures will provide 110 point to Kent's mounting points tally. Well done!

From ChrisP: 28mm ACW, Taliban & Ronin #6 (368 points)

From Chris:

Just like the title says, more American Civil War, more blue bellies.

This time we have the 56th Pennsylvanian to complete the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Corps, along with a skirmisher stand.

Then we have the beginning of the Iron Bridge, the 1st Brigade of the 1st Corps resplendent in their Hardee Hats. These are Perry Plastics, which have been given new heads from Steve Barber Miniatures. The command figures also come from Steve Barber. I do like the changing of the heads, it makes them nice and different from the other (hordes) of Union infantry. These two units will represent the 6th Wisconsin and the 2nd Wisconsin.

The 1st Maine Cavalry gets represented too, just union blue troopers on horses, nothing extraordinary! The 1st Maine Cavalry were the provost guard for the 1st Corps at Gettysburg.

Lastly we have three of the major Union commanders from Gettysburg. On the left, Hancock who commanded 2nd Corps and who was with 1st Corps briefly on day one. In the centre, Meade himself, riding a white charger, saving the day (and all that). If I cared to, I could have found out what colour his horse actually was, but I liked the idea of him riding to save the day! On the right, we have Abner Doubleday who was in command of the 3rd Division, 1st Corps. He was also briefly in charge of the entire Corps, when Reynolds was killed.

Then to a lonely Taliban with an RPK light machinegun. I needed another one of these guys for Skirmish Sangin (LMGs are great), so I picked one up when I did the order from Eureka for the NVA previously seen here.

Here is my 10th Helicopter, this one to support my Modern US and British armies in Skirmish Sangin. To be fair, you don't strictly need to have the helicopter, but you know what? It looks way cooler to have the model!

This is an AH-64A Apache helicopter, which has been upgraded with the Longbow Radar equipment. The kit is 1/48 from Academy, and was a bit of a pig to make actually. There were needlessly complicated pieces (4 parts to make something which could easily be one) and there was also no pilots given with the model. But, it looks damn cool, a couple of decals to make the it looks less drab, it is ready to go, with it's 30mm cannon, hellfire missiles and rocket pods!

Lastly is the Green Samurai, another Eureka figure. He was originally red, but I just couldn't get excited about the colour scheme. So, here he is in a nice earthy green. Should be enough to pay my way, right Curt?

This will probably be my last entry, there is one thing I am working on currently, but i am not sure it will get done before 7pm tonight (kiwi time). So, thank you Curt for running an excellent competition once again, thank you for making me get off my lazy ass and get painting, I have completed projects which have been looming for years, started some new ones and thoroughly enjoyed sparring with James with the top spot!

I am most happy with...Refinding the enjoyment of plastic kits, that HMMWV was great fun to build and looks damn good too.

I am most annoyed about...Putting big fat thumb prints all over my MH-6 helicopters. Although it made me do better with the Huey, so it had a purpose!

Next time I will...Paint my Thirty Years War! I had so many plans to get them done! But I got distracted by EVERYTHING ELSE.

Great work again Chris. You've got a great start on your Iron Brigade which I'm sure you'll have done within the week. :) Ronin #6 is fabulous. I really like the green and light yellow combination (and a great sculpt to boot!).

This great selection of figures will give Chris 368 points securing his place at the lead. 

Thanks again Chris for treating us to your blistering pace and tremendous enthusiasm for the hobby. Bravo to you!

From JuanM: 28mm Taliban, Civilians & Modern Contractors (50 points)

From Juan: 

I have painted some more models for The Challenge.

These models are from "Eureka Miniatures" in 28mm; excellent figures I´m going to use in my modern warfare games. I am going to test the new skirmish rulebook I have bought, "Skirmish Sangin".

I have painted five Afghan insurgents, two civilians from a wonderful set I found in the E.M. catalogue, a Somali Eureka Miniatures sent me without cost and the first two "Blackwater" contractors I´m going to use in my first game. All of them are fantastic figures, really nice, and, IMHO, better than those of "Empress Miniatures".

Wonderful work Juan. All are excellent but those mercenaries, er, 'contractors' certainly look the part. I always enjoy your painting style as it's so clean and smooth.

These ten figures will give Juan 50 points. 

From ChrisP: 28mm Taliban & Modern Americans (193 points)

This time from me, we have the Taliban Insurgents to be an OPFOR (opposition force) for my Modern US I sent through recently. Primarily they are Empress sculpts, with a few additions from the Eureka range. 

The bones of the force is made up of 8 soldiers with AK-47s (or derivatives thereof), in addition to one having a Light Machine Gun. These are all Empress sculpts.

The firepower for the basic guys comes from three insurgents with Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), again cheap, seen all over the world and incredibly nasty.

The insurgents also have a "dicker", which is a British term for an observer with a phone, who might be calling in troop movements or mortars or the like. I like to think he is actually just on the phone to his mum, "But mum, all the other kids are allowed out to fight the infidel...."

Heavier firepower comes in multiple forms for this Taliban force, ranging from very accurate in a marksman with an SVD sniper rifle, to a two man machine gun team, to a DsHK heavy machinegun, right up to a recoil-less rifle or even a Stinger Anti-Aircraft Missile!

Lastly we have a unit of 4 Insurgents, these guys are a bit more hard core with better assault rifles, body armour and camo. One even has a ski mask! They must be hard core. Or off skiing. Perhaps in a Bond Film.

I am pretty happy with how these have turned out over all, I used a reasonably limited colour palate to keep them a bit more unified. I plan to add a few more bits and pieces to them hopefully before the painting challenge is through.

As for the Americans, they needed a cool way to get to battle. Option number one, is to ride in a HMMWV, armed with a Mk 19 40mm Grenade Machine Gun. This is a 1/48th scale Tamiya kit, built exactly as the box said. The soldier has been put in there for scale. I am really happy with how this turned out, and am already planning another!

Perhaps driving isn't for you? So for those who rather aerial insertion, I converted two MH-6 Little Bird helicopters. Starting with an Academy kit, I cut off the doors, built bench seats and gave it a swish black paint job ready to represent the helicopters from Task Force 160. I am really happy with the conversion, and the painting of the pilots (hence the close up), but my big fat thumb decided it wanted to have the last laugh, and put smudges all over the canopies of both helicopters. Much swearing later, I have accepted my failings and have moved on. Will I replace the canopies in the future? Possible.

Last, but surely not least is a 1/144th scale LaGG-3 fighter aircraft from Zvezda. This is going to be part of my Soviet Tank force (last seen here a month or so ago) for a competition at the weekend. The paintjob came straight from googling the LaGG on the internet, nice and simple!

I need to get back to clearing my painting table, I have too many half done things so I am trying to get some things actually done now.

Holy crap that is a shedload of excellent toys Chris! That HMMWV is a particularly fine piece of work and compares very nicely with 28mm figures.

This great assortment of figures and vehicles will give Chris 193 points to add to his first place lead. Well done!