From TeemuL: Green(ish) Squirrels in Four Acts (135 points)

I have had this flu or something for over a week now. It has prevented me to do my work or participate in my other hobbies (judo and boy scouts), but has allowed me a lot of time to paint minis. I'm not able to work 8 hours a day, but I can paint several 30-45 minutes sessions in a day, so I have managed to paint quite a lot during this week. But let's forget the flu and let's focus on the minis and squirrels. There will be things that should be green and are green, things that should not be green, but are green, things that should be green, but are not and finally a small bonus thing that should not be green and is not green - just to round up one squirrel.

We start with green things, which should be green. These are SU-76s for Operation Bagration and these are from Plastic Soldier company and are assembled as late variants. Painting these vehicles were quite easy and straigth forward, they are basically all green. I might be bit "lazy" with my historical references, but these were actually just green mean machines, so no shortcuts here.

I did some highlights and then covered them in dust and mud, there is a long way to Poland. Exhaust pipes were painted brownish orange, they oxide very easily. The markings are "authentic", my reseach told me that Soviet forces were not like Germans or other countries with strict rules for numbering, they were basically anything that commander wanted. I guess it makes it difficult for the opponent's spyes, when even the Soviets can't figure out what the numbers mean!

But I saw some photos with similar markings and went with these, at least there is an indication that they are from the same unit. P was a simple choice as a letter, since it is written in same way in Cyrillic alphabet, too. Finally I glued them on MDF bases (from Warbases) for easier storage - there is a magnetic sheet on the bottom. The bases are green, with green painted sand and green tufts, Operation Bagration took time in the summer 1944.

There are two crew members on each vehicle, but since I glued them first and painted second, I will only claim points for half the minis - the lower parts are just mess of green, blue and black paint. I chose blue overalls on them, I've seen some evidence, that these were used. There are also two heads on two of the vehicles, but really hard to count them for anything. 5 15mm vehicles for 40 points and 5 infantry for other 10 points, total of 50 points and squirrel for 15mm WW2 Soviets.

Next we have those things, that should be green, but are green! We step in to the world of "Post World War 2 Alternative History" or "Imaginations", weak minded should close their eyes and scroll down a bit. Some of you might remember my Wars of Insurgency project I started two Challenges ago (probably) and I've been adding things every now and then. A short explanation. We are in the alternative history (or universe) after WW2 and there is something happening in the old colony of Delmonteland. There is a power vacuum and several factions are eager to exploit/expand/exterminate the area. There are of course locals, there are private armies, neighbouring countries, super powers directly or indirectly, union of countries and so on. Delmontenland is especially rich in blood oranges, their juice is their primary export.

I have not created a back story of these guys yet, but they are properly dressed in green uniforms suitable for Delmonteland jungles, they seem quite professional (or at least professionally equipped) and ready to fight in the heat of the jungle. Maybe a private army of some rich local or just pawns of some super power in disguise?

I painted their clothes green, I was thinking about adding some camo effect, but liked their green so much, that I didn't want to. They remind me of my plastic army men of my childhood. I added a yellow round on their caps/helmets and yellod dots or stripes on their left arm, insignia or something. Their equipment are simple brown, I used two different tones to get some variation. Rifles are brown and metal, while submachine guns, bazookas etc are black.

I gave them my usual Delmonteland basing, sand pained green and then all kind of green things to emulate the jungle they are. Quite happy with them. You might wonder why these look familiar, but strange, of why these should not be green? Well, these are actually Perry Miniatures plastic DAK, so they should not be green! In my twisted (and open) mind I found them perfect sculpts for jungle fight, light summer uniforms, caps and sun helmets...

Wars of Insurgency rules put a lot attention to bazookas and machine guns, much more than WW2 units do. So I have ordered some bazookas from Warbases and glued three of them for these guys. The crouched position fits nicely here, they are listening orders or looking for a good view to fire. Here you can see the yellow marking quite good, too.

A close up of a mortar team, yes that tiny thing there! Two coats of green lighter green for highlight and a green wash does wonders! Here's one of the rare hard helmets in this group.

This last photo is an example of how you can tell stories with miniatures, which are assembled in hurry and in bad lightning. Quite cleverly the set comes with bare heads, you can glue cap, hard helmet or sun helmet on them, to get a lot of variation. The guy on the right is most likely scared like in cartoons or shot through his cap. The guy on the left is probably just scared... These are 28mm minis, 10 standing, 2 prone, so 55 points in total - that mortar is not a crew served weapon! Also "Post WW2 Alternative History Squirrel" (I would like to see some squirrel sculpts of these...)

Okay, on we go. Next we have things that should be green, but are not. From history to alternative history to pure fantasy! I have long had a dream of metal Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum) army in WH40K - the vehicles will be an exception, of course. It is difficult to choose which minis you want, because you want them all. So some years ago I started my project and decided to include all the different minis with a background story. These are not really a fighting force, but a promotional unit used for propaganda, rising morale and boosting up drafting. Think about a huge LARP, where there are spectators watching how the brave soldiers of the Imperium beat the Chaos and Xenos threats (which of course don't exists) with fixed bayonets! If you can imagine this, then good for you. So far I have been painting Mordians, Cadians, Valhallans and some vehicles, but now it is time for Catachans - you know the guys in green with red bandada?

But of course these aren't green, they are a wild tricolor of red, yellow and blue with black weapons! I have painted all my Imperial Guard minis with this uniform, so they will all look good together. Someone might ask why choose such a striking uniform, even in the grim dark world of WH40K. Just think about the backstory and you will figure it out. But I explain it anyway. These are not real warriors in the warzones, these are basically actors in a play and specatators want to see the actors, right? It would be boring, if all the good guys are camouflaged in the terrain, would it?

In general I have decided to paint yellow jackets, red pants and blue helmets, but it went a bit tricky with these half naked guys, but I guess I managed it. Following my strong contrasts I have picked up details like water bottles or pouches in contrasting colours. And I have painted these with Citadel Contrast colours, quite clever!

What do we actually have here? We have an autocannon team and a mortar team with a sergeant. I have followed my inconstant choice of bases and the heavy weapons are now on 40mm round bases with one crewman and the other is on 25mm base. In the past I have sometimes put them all on the same base or all on separate bases - despite my dream I'm not likely ever play WH40K with these, so the base sizes won't really matter - on the other hand, some of the bases are most likely the correct size!

I'm not sure, but I believe there are Perry sculpts, because this is the only skull in the unit! Looks quite messy in the photo, but is slightly better in real life. That will be 25 points for the warriors, 1 skull and "Warhammer 40K Imperium" squirrel.

This has been a long post, but there is little left. I wanted to round this post with final and boring section, a thing that should not be (I hear Galadried in my head everytime I write this stuff) green and is not green. We stay in the WH40K universe and add to my earlier post from December.

Here is a Chaos Space Marine of the Magma Hounds chapter. Magma Hounds is not created by me, I found it on internet while searching for Renegade Chapters, because I didn't want to invent my own. I wanted a Renegade Chapter, not one devoted to Chaos God or Gods, a bit different and one with no special rules. I painted a group of these for Kill Team (when the current ruleset was in first version) and even played with them. In December I painted that old Dreadnought in these same colours and I realized that "Warhammer 40K Chaos" squirrel is just 5 points away, so I dug up an old metal body and glued some hands and backpack. Not necessarily the Codex look, but these are renegades, so anything goes.

His pose looks a bit strange, at least from some angles, but I guess it would not be too hard to figure our (or build) a diorama, where he would be spot on. Note also the skull on the gun.

So the colours are gold and purple, they work together very nice. And they look even better together, when both are covered in purple wash like I have done here. Purple gives a nice tone to bright gold and naturally ties the two colours together. Very simple. Note the skull on the backpack.

Here's a comparison photo with the new guy and his older friend. Apparently I went mad back then and put those minis on larger bases, but this new one is on the original 25mm base. This one Chaos Space Marine will give me 5 more points, 5 skulls (gun, backpack, both knees and belt) and completes the "Warhammer 40K Chaos" squirrel.

In total 135 points, 6 skulls and 4 squirrels (7 in total)! It was a long post, next time something else and something shorter!

 

Now Teemu please do not apologize for making a long post. We all like to see and read posts like these that show us what our compatriots in the Challenge are up to! Now let's start with saying that I do hope you get rid of that pesky blessing of faher Nurgle soon, get away you foul flu! With that out of the way, I really enjoy your "alternative historical project" a lot, but the GW Catachans are the cream of the crop for me, I also really appreciate your backstory for them which enables you to get so many brilliant figures in one project. 

 

Cheers Sander 

From Lorenzo: Mixed Bag - Noggin, Nottub and Namreg (Points 75)

So I don't forget here is my library map.

Well this is certainly a mixed bag this week.

First up back to my childhood and as it happens a friend who likes Oliver Postage, Smallfilms and Noggin the Nog. My friend will be getting this figure as a gift, it is a subject they still enjoy despite the ravages of dementia.

This was a sudden purchase from the little soldier company. Very prompt service.

I painted the 28mm Noggin conventionally although I did use snakebite leather Citadel Colour Contrast to "line/shadow" the white primer.I also played a bit with citadel washes and contrasts on the red tunic. Frankly the 20 year old Baal red on his shoes was as good as last weeks blood angels on his tunic. Elsehwere I used a traditional mix some paint to get three purple colour for the cloak. And I used Citadel Colour Contrast Nazreg Yellow over some Vallejo gamers colour gold. A contrast over the conventional green leggings does not show as they were too close together. You do have to plan your overcoats of contrast and experiment. That is less attractive for large numbers of figures in production I guess.

Then it was some Peco railway grass and a GW sand mix to finish the base. I would like 5+20= 25 points for this childrens character please. Turning to Sci Fi I offer up "Namreg the Breather". a 28mm character He came from a free sprue of Panzergrenadiers off a recent Miniature Wargames Magazine? or maybe it was WI? Except he did not look this way on the sprue. I took a basic figure then tweaked a luger with some spare sprue and also cut some more for the face unit. Plastic rod from the bits box provided the cyclinders while the hose was a discarded flosser minus its handle. A spanner got painted up as some sort of "whizzy doctor who type sonic screwdriver" tool.

I primed the result in white and shadowed with snakebite leather. Then the trousers are a VJ bright blue covered in a dark blue citadel contrast while the jacket was done in VJ game colour beasty brown again covered in snakebite contrast. The cylinders were finished in Magos purple while I felt an armband was required to show he is a militia type.

I did a couple of highlights - the gun barrel got game colour heavy black green then VJ lime green spot and VJ ivory white spot. while the visor unit got good old (20 years!) Citadel Mechrite Red then VJ Game colour orange fire and again VJ ivory white spot. The breather unit gauze was VJ gamer polished gold with nazdreg yellow contrast on top. I could see these for real but the photos don't show them very well even in close up. I would like 5+20 points for this character and library section. Finally I am taking a chance here to visit the manga/graphic novel section courtesy of DeathZap wargaming pastor

I was really taken with the Hominids on his blog and as it happened also saw some "crappy soldiers" at a toy fair in Doncaster at Xmas and thought why not have a go. Here is another link to the Pastors "how to make Hominids" I copied his method just mixing up the top highlight with GW Mechrite red and some white to make a nice pinky colour over blood angels contrast over GW mechrite red over snakebight leather contrast. Maybe there is no story book yet..... - but the Hominid, in my case Nottub Reidlos looks suitably odd and scary for this library section?

So thats my contribution to manga etc. and just maybe they will appear in my own TACFOS story I reckon my 28mm hominid Nottub Reidlos earns me 5 + 20 points = 25 points. so if all is permitted thats three figures and three sections 25+ 25 + 25 = 75 pts. Not sure if I will manage another submission before we end the challenge which is currently a set of figures that are not quite working for me. Anyway its been a great challenge for me and very satisfying. Thanks especially to Sylvain for all his ideas, themes and assistance to this rooky. 

 

Sylvain: That Noggin is a cute little fellow. You have an interestingly weird submission this week, well served by your paint job. I hope you enjoyed your first participation in the Challenge! 

From lorenzo: I claim everything in the library - because its a library! (must be mega points - actually 60 points please)

After real life intervened in the last two weeks I am back with another surprise - thats for me of course. More building and less painting - what is going on? Well AHPC14 is what has happened to me. Yes I have painted which was the plan and yes I have painted more often since the December start. BUT........ I have made more, I have diverted into some unexpected themes and now I have scratchbuilt something out of nowhere. Lets start at the beginning. AHPC14 piqued my interest a bit more than usual and probably propelled me into joining up. The reason - the library theme. Libraries or rather books have driven my interests in wargaming. I was a reader who discovered gaming rather than a gamer who discovered the books. So the demise of libraries is sad for me personally and though book reading is picking up again, most people now consume and discover reading through image led internet systems. We should not be too concerned as human kind got by without "print" until the 1550's. Back to the challenge, I am told (Maybe apochryphal given my love of books) my first library visit was in a pram to a local Nissen hut like this one maybe: I found online a new library opening in an old Nissen Hut near Thetford Norfolk as recently as 2019. But this idea has stuck with me and when the library option appeared in the AHCP challenge, this unwanted thought simply landed in my head and stuck - "make a library" (secretly of course I would then be able to claim every part of the challenge by saying "they are all inside the building - heh heh). Yes AHPC14 has driven me mad to the point where I have scratch built a Nissen Hut I don't need, but hey ho it has been fun and I may even start building some scenery again. Right so what exactly did I build? first up how did I build it? first I dug out some old mounting board squirrelled away - I got a load of offcuts at an art framers for a few quid.

then it was find my compass set.

I had no idea how to make a Nissen Hut - wikipedia has some useful information. I decided on a skeleton and went big on it. This included deciding the cover would not be the structure. As it turned out this was wise as corrugated cardboard does not like to be curved much.

I have tons of unused corrugated cardboard for as yet unbuilt mediterranean towns......but as it happened a new hoover/dyson promptly offered up the exact corrugation I was looking for. So a piece was fortunately intercepted before it went for recycling. Mind you it only just fitted and was already damaged......

and curving corrugation suddenly seemed to make this side project rather complicated. Fortunately a spare tube and some rubber bands from a post office/newsagents (another dying piece of social fabric) came to the rescue. I had by this time decided on the base - the edge of the hut would be a concrete plinth and one end would be the backdoor with a slightly bigger area at the other end, for the main entrance. Now I had to paint it - more choice - too much choice. In the end I went for military grey and decided to try some contrast paint despite the absorbancy of the cardboard surface. Now I happen to know that you can get all sorts of tarry painted steel and so by chance I ended up with a look of "this was painted with tar paint over some grey paint but now its an ageing mess".

Now I was gaining a feel for this behemoth. I suddenly decided I would have a library entrance at one end and then a military style back door at the other. This even extended to the three quarter view foliage differences. Railway modeller grasses helped here. Bright bushes for the library and wintry scrub for the military end. Two Huts in one!

To add some character and reflect how Nissen Huts were made to have some light, I embarked on some dormer windows. Colouring pens helped here as they did for the library door.

Things were coming together in my head and I opted for simply a grassed site. I used Javis turf and added a footpath as well. I decided the worn ground would be pale, maybe sandy like the heathlands of east anglia. Paints wise I used a selection of craft shop paints - some showing their age but still viable while that new pot of GW contrast basilicum grey made the roof effect I wanted.

In my search for all things nissen huts I came across Wymondham College. If you scroll down a bit you get an eyeopener into the 60,000 US troops based in east anglia during world war two and that Wymondham College used former hospital nissen huts after the war to house its pupils. Britain had borrowed itself to death and the country was skint while army surplus was, well, surplus. You can also find out here what happened during the war years as well. time for some retro pics.

What about that pram visit to a Nissen Hut library - well its no longer there but I would like to think it maybe started life as a base for the home guard in the eastern counties bravely awaiting the arrival of the german army under operation sealion...... Above all, I remember my first library visit once I was walking - all those books stacked on shelves and you could just take them home with you - any of them (well only from the childrens section of course) and I was hooked even though I did not know it then. So I give you the nissen hut library.

The building dimensions are sort of 9" x 4" x 2".

So my points calculation is local history entry 20 points please then building scenery = 72 cubic inches or 2 x 6 inch cubes? = 2x20points GRAND TOTAL = 60 points? oh does "squirrelled" cardboard count? finally my map is as shown below  

Sylvain: You may indeed be diagnosed with "squirrelism" and I would encourage you to take part in the squirrel duel next challenge as a treatment. Very interesting description and very good looking scratch built project. I really like how you provided a detailed account of the building steps as well as pictures of the material you used. You may inspire a few challengers out there. As for the points claimed, the rules are calling for fractions when it comes to "volume". I would say your project would fill 1.5 "cubes" (6"x6"x6") for 30 points, plus the "local history" bonus for a grand total of 50 points. However, all the scratch building you've done is easily worth 10 points. So there is your 60 points. Excellent work!