From ChristopherS: 28mm Successor Pikemen (120 points)

Like Brer Rabbit meeting the Tar Baby Christopher has been stuck with this unit since the Challenge started. Nonetheless he is finally free of them so we can now admire his efforts and he can get on to his next project.

From Christopher:

I've finally finished my first unit for the competition! I didn't think it would take so long, but somebody should have smacked me with a reality stick before I started! These gentlemen took me the better part of my vacation to do which doesn't help when trying to rack up some points! Anyways enough of my moaning and on to the unit.

The figures are from Aventine which I personally believe are hands down among the best you can buy for this period. The shields are from the wonderful LBM and the bases are from Warbases. The unit is based for Impetus which in addition to the game I like both the look of the bases and that they give good protection to the figures as you primarily handle the base and not the figures. Also, I can use the units for Hail Caesar which is another game I quite like.

I saw in the new Successor osprey book they showed guard infantry pike in purple helms and I quite liked it  and so decided I would use that as the theme to the unit. The armour is fuchsia which is a mix of pink and purple and so goes with the helm and shield I think. I kept feathers and such all white to give a nice contrast to the purple. Except for the clothes I kept them uniform in appearance as I feel it gives them a more elite feel. I should also add the front rankers are deliberately more elaborate as they had the best gear in every formation.

Beautiful work, Christopher! I love that hedge of pikes. You can't argue with a wargames unit that can actually draw blood on the table. :) I also really like the eggplant-purple of their uniforms and I agree that the uniformity gives them a more elite bearing.

These twenty-four pikemen will give Christopher 120 points.

From BenG: 20mm WWII Soviet Anti-Tank Rifle Team (21 points)

From Ben:

This entry's a small one; a PSC Soviet anti-tank rifle crew in action and on the move. I like making a little diorama for these blokes, so that they are hiding behind cover waiting for a careless PzKw III to cross their sights!

...and praying its not a PzKw IV or V!

Thats a very nice set. I like the spot you've created for them to lay up and wait for their shot.

These four will give Ben 20 points plus another for the diorama groundwork. Well done!

From Curt: Spatter Wound Markers & Musketeer (5 points)

Touché!

Just one figure today and some gory wound markers.

Several years ago I picked up a bunch of figures from Redoubt's 'Three Musketeers' range. I've painted up most of them and we've had some rollicking skirmish games. Nonetheless I came across a couple lonely castings awaiting attention so today I did up the fellow in brown with the green tabard.

As you can see from the photo he's taken a bad riposte from his opponent. I been wanting some wound markers that were a bit more grisly for skirmish gaming and I had seen these great markers over at Anatoli's Game Room so I thought I'd try to make a set for myself. I ordered a batch of clear acrylic discs from Litko in two sizes and then painted them in layered inks (Brown, Chestnut and Red).

I'll use these for skirmish games like SAGA, Operation Squad and Strange Aeons.

'Armand, was that a bit of bad road or a gaggle of peasants that we just rode over?'

I thought the larger size markers will be handy for tracking hits on multiple-wound creatures or to symbolizing a unit meeting a particularly sticky end.

'Back, you, you... You tentacly thing from a tentacly planet!'

If you decide to make some of these DON'T varnish them as it seems to cloud the acrylic and lessens the glossy/gory appearance of the ink.

Oh, and 5 points for me!

From JohnB: 40mm Old School Toy Soldiers - 1850s 'Great European War' (234 points)

Ok, here is a treat for you this New Years Eve. Another resident of Saskatchewan, actually a shifty import from Wisconsin, gives you a dose of Old School Toy Solder goodness. John, sculpts and casts his own soldiers (I sent one to my nephew for Christmas) which sort of puts him in a class of his own.

From John:

Here is my first entry into the Painting Challenge. 36 40mm foot and 1 mounted officer. 

These are my own 40mm sculpts and casts inspired by Holger Ericsson and Aly Morrison. They are painted in toy soldier style with simple bases and glossy finish. 

They are part of my Great European War of 1850 project. Submitted are the 3rd and 4th battalions of the Hoch und Deutschmeister Regiment (#3) and their beloved Oberst. (Has there ever been a beloved Oberst...is that even allowed in the German speaking world?) There are 36 foot and 1 mounted. 

My Russian and Austrian armies are almost complete and will be campaigning against each other this winter. 

At present I am casting Danes, Prussians, French, Bavarians and Saxons...and inspired by "Lincoln" and a reread of Shelby Foote, my first ACW infantry. I really enjoy this scale and style and period of figures...if only I could recruit some of my buddies....

While a fairly good sort for a Cheesehead, John is a bit of a whiner as we game with his stuff all the time (we even let him win once in a while).

The base points for these boys are 197, but since John does the sculpting and casting I'm going to add a point each, so 234. Not a bad debut, eh?

From JamesB: 28mm French & Indian Wars Infantry and Civilians & Seven Years War Cavalry (235 points)

Ok, someone has been a busy lad, apparently eating turkey with one hand while painting with the other. James sends in this amazing entry composing of a F&IW Indians, Civilians, Scots AND a full unit of SYW Prussian Hussars!

From James:

My next offering is more FIW stuff, we have 3 Indian Chiefs from Perry miniatures along with 6 civilians from the Redoubt miniatures. 

It made me giggle that you have the Women protecting the children one is carrying a baby while another shields a young girl, while the  single man has picked up his pet dog and legged it. 

Next I have 2 squads of 42nd Highlanders (The Black Watch) also the Officer and Sgt, these are again from Redoubt and are some of the best sculpts I have seen from them.

Lastly I have a unit of Prussian Hussars from Foundry Miniatures you will be seeing alot of these as I bought 8 units to paint up for all the variuos forces involved in the SYW.

Wow. That is an impressive amount of work - Bravo James! This reminds me of the stuff Kent was blasting out last year. Awesome. 

This group of figures will give James a very impressive 235 points.