From BenitoM: An Hecatomb of Humans to Teutates at Cooke's Crevase (50 Points)

Having being roughly dispatched off the Balloon's basket with a faulty parachute, I landed in the mysterious lands of the Path of Forgotten in a place called Cooke's Crevase. This is a very rocky place and the challengers can only escape from there presenting "something on a rock" (!?) 

After much thinking, I found my inspiration while deciding what to do with an old (in all senses of the word) Wargames Foundry druid model. What about a shrine or even better, a sacred place where human sacrifices were undertaken?

So here it is: my entry represents a hard day's of hecatomb work for our great druid and his host. They are caught  offering a tribute of blood (somewhat gory) to Teutates the God of War, requesting his help to defeat the almighty Caesar's Roman legions.

I bulit from scratch this rock outcrop. I started with a simple scheme, having in mind a small vignette with three height levels.

The foundations were some old plastic roundbases found in my box of gaming accesories.

The final shape of the rock was made with kitchen paper wetted with a mix of water and white glue.

 

I let it dry for 24 hours and then the models were glued to the base. The final part of the construction was to cover the whole base with a layer of plaster to provide the texture of a bare rock.

In the painting phase I struggled to decided how much "gory" I wanted to make the vignette. I found totally unrealistic some models seen in Internet that looked coming straight from a "chainsaw" movie decorated with generous doses of McDonald's ketchup.

Therefore I went for yes, some blood with a restraint.

The vignette will be used in my games with Infamy! Infamy! the skirmish ancients rules by Too Fat Lardies to be released next April. This would work as a jump-off point, a command base, Also a druid base (a character used in the rules) or else as an objective marker.

The final part of the project was to add some green turfs. Initially I was planning to let the bare stone, but it was too dull to my eye. Some contrasting green color would actually help the rock to stand out.

In conclusion, milestone achieved and 45 points to be added to my Challenge scoring ( 3 x 28mm models @5 points + 30 extra points). Next stop will be the Snow Lord's Peak... now I have to decide whether catching another ride in Sarah's Balloon or go the longer way through Hawkins' Hill.

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Another fine entry Benito - and, of course, more great advance-buzz-style advertising for "Infamy! Infamy!" (did I spell it correctly? :) Not only is there some excellent painting work on display here - in particular the tattoos on the, er, "lead spiritualist" on the rock - but also some great craft skills in building the rocky outcrop. I agree, the tufts of grass help the special rock stand out even more - and that only makes sense, as the God of War is not going to help you unless you use an appropriate rock location for your ceremonies. 

I am adding five bonus points for all around quality and execution (cough).  Nice work Benito, we are all really enjoying your progress across Challenge Island. And I feel like I have already ordered a copy of "Infamy! Infamy!"...

GregB         

From BenitoM: Booking a seat at Sarah's Balloon (35 points)

Having trotted all along the Path of History, I'm still one spot away of reaching the Snowlord Peak. For that reason I'll need to ride Sarah's Balloon and drop me on Cooke's Crevase as soon as some seats are available (tried through Booking.com but couldn't find the airline).

My payment for the seat is this nice Wargames Foundry model of Cartimandua.

Cartimandua (43-69 AD) was the opposite mirror of the better known Briton heroine Boudicca. As a queen of the Brigantes (a northern tribe in the Isles) instead of revolting against the Roman, she actually become a very faithful allied.

When Caratacus was defeated, he took shelter under the protection of the Brigantes. But Cartimandua decided that what a better gift t than to hand him in chain to the Romans. The Brigantes flourished under her tenure, but in year 69AD (the Year of the Four Emperors) she was deposed by his former husband Venetius and then disappeared from history.

This is a metal 28mm from Wargames Foundry. Despite being bought in the early 90s, the sculpting is good and can still be found in the current catalogue

I'd like this model also to compete in Sarah's Choice contest. Cartimandua will add 5 points (1 x  28mm model @5 points) to my Challenge scoring.

A fine looking Celtic lady Benito and an excellent token for a balloon ride.  I really like the plaid and the subtle shading on her shawl.  From my quick check of your previous posts (beautiful work FYI), this seems to be your first balloon ride.  Therefore the lady with the unpronouncable Celtic name nets you another 30 points for a total of 35.

From JamesM: 10mm Pegasus Knights, For Joshua! (Cooke's Crevase) (64 Points)

Hi folks,

Following my earlier dabble with Sci Fi drones, I've ballooned it over to the fluff filled crack that is Cookes Crevase.

If that doesn't put you off your Sunday dinner, nothing will.

My previous airborne insertion being a failure, I decided to go with gliders this time round. In the form of some winged horses (Pegasususeses, which I think is the plural). The (tenuous) connection to geology being that these creatures are mountain dwellers, who use with mighty wingspan to gloat over mountain goats and reach inaccessible pastures. As with most mountain dwelling fantasy flying creatures, you do not want one of these to poo on you while out for a hike.

I would also point out that the rocks on the base are real, hence a slightly less tenuous geology connection. Martin can spend hours figuring out which types they are next time we play.

These models are 10mm scale figures from Polar Fox Studios. In my imagination force of good as part of my ongoing charity project, these units form the dedicated bodyguard of King Joshua. Able to keep up with the boss on his Hippogriff, these are elite troops equipped with the very best equipment, including rings of featherfall...

I've stuck to the same red, green and blue paint scheme for these troops, while the wings of the Pegasus are faded from grey to light tan. I used the flying stands provided (which are for Warmaster style basing) but adapted to mount on the 50mm by 100mm bases. I had planned to have 6 on a base, but wingspan meant this was a bit of a squeeze, so I have three.

These figures took me a while to paint, mainly as I had no idea what to do with them. A common issue I have with fantasy figures. Give me a uniform to paint (with appropriate colour guides) any day...

In total then, there are 12 mounted 10mm figures for a total of 24 points. Plus 30 points for the Challenge Island location giving me a total of 54 points.

____________________________

Lovely Pegasi James (see, you learn something new every day)! 

I really like the dusky grey-blue-to-tan of heir wings set against the blue, green and red of the riders' livery. In addition, the basing looks terrific, with them all massed together, swooping in for the kill. 

I'm going to give a few extra points as these are bit more involved than straight-up cavalry. A great entry for Cooke's Crevasse, well done!

-Curt

From AlexS: Neanderthals for Cooke's Crevase (55 pts)

Hello everybody! My name is Alex, and I am the main producer of Neanderthal miniatures in Russia. I’m the main one because I’m the only one. I ordered master models and molds from a talented sculptor and I produce these miniatures at my dacha.

These miniatures did not go on sale, and now the important point is that they are painted for the first time. Moreover, they are painted not just like that, but as a tribute of respect and respect to MartinC. He is for me an example of how to work a lot and well in a hobby.

I thought that the unique figures of Neanderthals with stones in their hands is a good idea in order to be able to get out in this place. I specifically made them dirty (well, fine, I don't paint very clean at all, but I tried really hard) and a little doomed. They probably know that they will die out soon ...

You may ask what kind of stones they have in their hands? I don’t know, I’m not a geologist, but I think I got obsidian. May be. And then they can be used to play on the books of George Martin ... How do you like this idea?

points
28mm inf 5x5 = 25
bonus = 30
total - 55

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By Paul
Not enough to bring down a fully grown Mammoth to feed the tribe, but this handy little gathering will make the sabertooths and terror birds think twice about attacking!

55 points for you Alex!

From JamieM - A Delicate Balancing Act at Cooke's Crevasse (38 points)

Wizards.  What on earth are they about?  Usually stupid sparkly stuff, trying to impress the local wenches/muscle down the local inn most likely.

Take this one for example.  What benefit could it possibly have if you balance a load of rocks on each other and then stand on them?

Bloomin' wizards...... always standing at the back chucking fireballs around or taking no interest in magic armour and only worrying about dusty old books......can't trust an adventurer who thinks like I don't reckon.

What?  Me?  Ever been adventuring?  Not a chance.  Much safer to stay here at the farm.  Probably more fun too.  Right?...... right?......

I thought that was rather a good fun wizard, it's by GW and was originally an Elf, but with a quick headswap with a Greatsword figure, he's now Magnus Purple-Eye (and yes, that was the name of a D&D character I ran back in the day :)  Sadly the original Magnus died in his first dungeon with the exit in sight and so lasted less time in the dungeon than he took to roll up, but that's RPGs for you sometimes!)

But I digress.  He's standing on several pieces of Geology and so I thought he'd be perfect for Cooke's Crevasse and so here he is!

Having enjoyed the rocks, I think I'll be off to Hawkin's Hill next as I have a frankly embarrassingly large choice of figures to paint for there......

5 points for the 28mm figure and 30 points for the location I believe.

From DaveD. aah , our resident telecommicationally challenged geologist has missed a treat here... that just brilliantly executed. The yellow is particularly well done - so lets call it 38 points .  Enjoy your rummage at Hawkins Hill!

From BillA: It Came From Cooke's Crevase! 37 Points

I had a couple different ideas in mind for the Cooke's Crevase challenge, all fished out of the "Lost Valley" expansion box from Reaper's last Bones Kickstarter.  Stone Giants? A big fertility idol? Ooh, a big, stompy dinosaur! I actually started on a couple options and let my paintbrush guide me.  Ultimately, what came to fruition first was this Giant Ground Sloth.

While these prehistoric grazers came in a variety sizes (with the species Megatherium standing 20 feet tall on its hind legs), this figure scales pretty closely to a North American species called Megalonyx jeffersonii.  If you'll forgive a short paleontology lesson, in 1796, Vice President Thomas Jefferson received a box of fossilized bones, including a number of large claws.  Theorizing that these were the partial remains of a large, hitherto-unknown American lion, Jefferson proposed the name "Megalonyx," or "Giant Claw," in a paper to the American Philosophical Society.  The publication of this paper marks the birth of American paleontology, and in 2008, Megalonyx was named the state fossil of West Virginia.

I'm used to seeing giant ground sloths in a variety of coppery red-brown towns, and while that formed the basis of my color scheme here, I tried to vary it - over a basecoat of Reaper's "Woodstain Brown" I drybrushed layers of red-brown, red-orange, warm gray, and khaki, allowing colors to mix a bit on my brush as I went.  Claws were picked out in a dark gray and the eyes in black - I'll go back and put a drop of gloss varnish in each one later.

Explorer for scale.  

I used Green Stuff to blend the sloth's base into a 50mm round base, and then textured the whole thing with superglue and baking soda.  Once this was painted I applied an autumnal ground-cover - I could have sworn I had a spring mix, but I couldn't find any.  I would have liked to have had that green to contrast with the reddish tones in the fur, but it wasn't to be this time around.


Well thats not something you want to run into for sure! i have tagged it as a 40mm figure so 37 points it is.

AdamC: Cooke's Crevase Part 2: The Tell (15 Points)

Visiting Cookes Crevasse a second time on my way back from Douchery's Docks.  I had originally conceived of this as a larger rendition of my previous visit

But this shape (which comes form the same package) had a number of areas that needed to be filled to keep it from looking too artificial.  It then occurred to me that I could make this an advantage by calling this a Tell (some times spelled Tel) rather than a Hill.

I added some scraps of rock that I've scavenged from my yard and which I believe were part of previous counter tops or similar stone accents that the last renovation used as fill and floated to the top in rain storms.

 I also used some aquarium gravel to represent rubble spilling form exposed areas.  In 25 mm this makes a good terrain piece for Frostgrave (I'll may add some snow or ice using cotton balls or something similar) or as part of a pulp adventure in the middle east and it will still works for 15mm games in North Africa or the Middle East.

 Dimensions not counting the base its 7"x8"x3 inches that last number is the height and I'm viewing it as an average. As you can see in the top isn't level but this is provably close to what you would get if you smoothed everything out.

So those dimensions come out to just a bit over 75% of the volume of at 6" Cube so I think ti should net me 15 Points?  Again I'm notoriously bad at estimating the points for terrain. On to Hawken's Hill and a project that has languished built but not painted since Challenge VI.

___________________

Your interest in geological features is rather 'telling', Adam. 

Mic drop.

Hookay... You are really rocking the shipping packaging this week, Adam. I especially like you sourcing the flotsam of previous reno projects to add a filler. Very creative work, well done!

-Curt