John B: FRIDAY CREW: The Final Reel - the whole lot

Its been a great winters painting again.

I managed to exceed my target. I reached the heady heights of 529 gainst my target of 400 - both I think were more than last year although I painted more units/pieces in AHPC14.

I also yet again got distracted by the theme and again started modelling homebuilds........

NOTE TO SELF: if you want to paint more stop making models!

I got plenty of variety in this year

I suppose the big red space ship was the most satisfying - my red dwarf!

Then again I have made progress on my Schleswig Holstein Wars figures. Unfortunately a load of artillery missed the cut Martijn as my holiday break was a case of bad timing.

Last but not least I created two backgrounds for displays - as you do! Heres to AHPC16 and the challenge that keeps surprising me. Go Forth and Paint. Till next time.

From Millsy: 28mm WW2 British Army Regulars (100 points)

G'day All,

I figured since I agreed to participate in the WW2 Side Duel that I should make at least a token effort to get something painted and submitted.

These are 1st Corps miniatures painted up as British Army Regulars in Normandy '44. Great fun to paint and super fast too. Unlike everything else I've done this year these flew by. Just 3.5 hours from undercoat last night.

The submission represents the start of a Bolt Action force - command, medium mortar and one of three infantry squads. There's also a light mortar team which has no place in Bolt Action (boo!) but came with the army deal so I've painted them anyway. I believe they do have use in Chain of Command.

Hope you like em!

Points wise I've managed to pass my target right at the death. Serves me right for not painting more quick stuff right?

• 18 x 28mm infantry = 90 points
• 1 x 28mm crew served weapon = 5 points

Total = 95 points

So that's my Challenge done for another year. I never tire of these and have great appreciation for Curt and Sarah for the effort they put in to making these happen. Thank you both! Thanks also to my wonderful crop of Antipodean charges, our regular paint-and-chat sessions are the highlight of my week.

See you next year!

Cheers,

Millsy

TeemuL: Going over the target just in time, how precise! I'm quite sure you had this all planned on Excel spreadsheet at the start of the Challenge? The minis look great and provide at least something for the side duel of yours. Now just rest and recovery for the next nine months before this happy mayhem starts again! Thank you for your efforts regarding this Challenge, Millsy!

P.S. Crew served weapons are worth 10 points in 28mm, so 100 points to you. Yeah, we can arque what counts as a crew served weapon, but we can't argue with the Spreadsheet...

From FrederickC - Opening Salvo (212 points) [Under Construction]

 This may seem more like a collection of random shots rather than a concentrated salvo, but it clears away a number of small projects associated with my various Bolt Action armies, specifically my early war Poles, early war Germans, and late war British.

Last year I started the challenge by painting a squad of the Polish 10th Motorized Brigade. One squad just wasn't enough, so I added a second squad from the Warlord Games Bolt Action range. These were painted using Vallejo acrylics followed by a coat of Army Painter Strong Tone Quick Shade. Since you can't be a motorized brigade without some motor transport, I have added four Polish Fiat trucks to move them around the battlefield. These are 3D prints done by a friend. One of the truck beds came out a bit warped and my attempts to fix it were unsuccessful. In the end I scratch-built a replacement from thin plastic card. These were also painted with Vallejo acrylics followed by a wash of Vallejo European Dust.

Polish 10th Motorized Brigade squad (Last year's squad taking cover in the background)

 

A column of Polish Fiat trucks

 

 

Since many of the scenarios in the 'Germany Strikes' campaign book involve command tanks, I decided to add a Panzerbefehlswagen I (aka Sd.Kfz. 265). This is a 3 piece resin casting from Warlord Games with metal bits such as the machine gun, hatches, and commander. The pose of the commander had his right arm extended to rest on a turret hatch, but it didn't match up with the location of the hatch on the tank model. I decided to remove the arm and replace it with one holding a pair of binoculars that was left over from a German Blitzkrieg Infantry sprue. The tank was primed black using Vallejo Surface Primer and painted grey using AK Interactive Dunkelgrau. Highlights were dry brushed onto raised surfaces and some AK Splatter Effects Dry Mud applied to the tracks and road wheels. Since the theme of the special challenges this year is a movie studio, I also painted up a Propagandakompanie cameraman, also from Warlord Games. It was painted using Vallejo acrylics followed by various Citadel washes.

Cameraman filming a command tank during the invasion of Poland

Panzerbefehlswagen I of the 4th Panzer Division

Cameraman of a German Army propaganda company

Next up is a Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tank of the 79th Armoured Division in Normandy. I got another Corgi diecast Churchill tank from another member of the Fawcett Avenue Conscripts that was painted up for Tunisia in Desert Yellow and Olive Green camouflage hoping to use it with my planned 8th Army project, but the yellow on the model didn't look very desert. Last year I had repainted one in the colours of the the 14th Tank Regiment (Calgary Tanks) at Dieppe, but I didn't need anymore Dieppe tanks. I decided to convert it to a Crocodile using a resin conversion kit from Quarter Kit Model Shop in Paris, France. This was basically the armoured trailer that carried the fuel for the flamethrower, and the special nozzle that replaced the hull machine gun.  The resin of the kit was quite brittle, and a few pieces arrived broken despite being shipped in a blister. With the careful application of some super glue followed by a sprinkling of baking soda, everything got repaired and assembled. Both tank and trailer were primed in black and then painted with Vallejo UK Bronze Green. Raised surfaces got dry brushed with a light green, and the lower areas of the tank were given a wash of European Dust.

Side view showing how the trailer was attached to the tank.

View from above showing the special nozzle in place of the hull MG

Next we have a small bit of terrain. Last year I painted a stone bridge as part of my first submission, so it seems appropriate to finish this submission with a broken bridge. The two halves are actually display bases that came with 1/72 Matchbox Sherman Firefly kits when they were released back in 1974. I no longer have the tanks, but I still had the display bases in one of my boxes of terrain building bits. A number of different ideas have been bouncing around in my head over the years, including building the center portion of the span that could be lifted out in a scenario where the bridge gets blown, a partially constructed repair done by engineers, or incorporating the two halves into a more elaborate river crossing with a ruined central support of a two arched bridge. I am not entirely sure what final direction I will take, so I am going to call this 'Under Construction'.

A bridge over troubled waters?

The point being claimed are as follows:

11.5 x 28mm figures @ 5 points each = 57.5 points

6.5 x 28mm vehicles @ 20 points each = 130 points

(I am counting the trailer as half a vehicle)

0.11 terrain cubes @ 20 points each = 2 points

Studio lot 'Under Construction' @ 20 points = 20 points

___________________________________________

Great post and welcome back to the Challenge Frederick.

I have a soft spot for early war WWII (the Big Cats steal all the press) and you can't get much earlier than Poles and Panzer I's! I also really like your propaganda cameraman and the blown bridge. Well done and a great opening entry!

- Curt

PS: I've given you a few extra points for the bridge and the trailer.

From HowardT: British 1940 Regulation Platoon, 15mm (222 Points)

British 1940 Regulation Platoon with Supports, 15mm.

I have had these figures since October 2019 and they are the last of four armies that I have struggled to complete .  Will be used to play CoC early WW2  1940-1942.  Finally able to complete over the Christmas break.

This submission is a complete British 1940 Regulation Platoon with Supports, Scale 15mm. 

From various manufacturers but mostly Peter Pig.  All metal except that all nine vehicles are PVC 3D prints.

My first ever submission so I hop it works.  Thanks Tamsin.

The basic platoon consist of the the platoon;

 Points breakdown:

HQ ( 2 x senior leaders plus 2” motor team (2) and Boys AT rifle team(2)). 

Points = 2 x 6 = 12.

Three sections each of:

Bren Team of 3 figures, a rifle team of 7 figures and a Junior leader (11 figures per section). 

Points = 2 x 33 = 66.

Selection of support infantry covering: Adjutant (1), medic (1), snipers(2), Boys (2) and 2” mortar (2) , engineers (3) and spare figures (8). 

Points = 2 x 19 = 38.

Three 2-man crewed weapons, Vickers HMG, 1-pounder AT and 2-pounder AT.

Points = 4 x 3 = 12.

Additional individual crew (3x3) with Junior leaders (2).

Points = 2 x 11 = 22.

Vehicles - RAF car, Matilda MkII, Cruiser A10, 4x Bren Carriers, Morris CS9 and Vickers Mk VI B.

Points = 8 x 9 = 72.

Total of points is  (12+66+38+12+22+72) = 222 points.

The completed 15mm British WW2 Platoon - Mark6B tank is missing

Close up of the core Platoon section and HQ.

 

Close up of Platoon support units, 1 pounder, 2 pounder and HMG 

with assorted infantry support.

Second Boys ATG,  second 2 inch mortar.

All the support vehicles -  4 x Bren carriers, Mark VIB tank, 

RAF Car, Matilda II, Cruiser 10A, Morris CS9.

Close up of some of the vehicles

Complete army in a transport container. 

Welcome aboard, Howard! This is what we call a 'small points bomb' as your first entry. I would like to hear Richie Benaud award you 222 points for it. Thank you very much for the detailed points breakdown. Those printed vehicles are lovely- but can they withstand the blitzkrieg?!

Barks

From Chris K: Last Gasp! 30 Archers, a Hero, an obective, a Jeep...and a Trap! (200 pts)

 Did it! - Just.

(Although Mrs K is a bit concerned at my lack of sleep the last couple of nights!)

With hearty, hearty thanks for the opportunity this challenge has provided, here's my claim for the last day - all 28mm:

• 30 Dark Ages archers (Gripping Beast) for 150pts,
• Sir Simon the Templar (a knightly hero, who would have been for a future challenge, had I more rigorously pursued that path - from Warlord Games) for 5pts, and 
• Two resin objective markers (1st Corps), for my WW2 British Paras...and one of them has quite evidently run into...

        A TRAP!

• ...so I'm claiming 20pts for the vehicle, 20pts for a TRAP! and 5pts for the para supply hamper, making a grand total claim of two hundred points.

The archers were all painted entirely with GW contrast paints; the Gripping Beast minis are really simple but still surprisingly characterful [please accept my apologies for the photos - I couldn't access my large light-box and some of these really didn't come out well]:

Sir Simon was completed as a gift, hence being unbased beyond the integral mossy stone pedestal. Again, painted with contrast:

And the Para objectives are marvellous. Painted in my usual way with Vallejo. The air recognition ID panels have been given a deliberate gloss varnish:

And there we leave it. 

Thank you so much, Curt and Team, for having me this year, and allowing me to participate on behalf of Wargames Soldiers and Strategy Magazine; I thoroughly look forward seeing you and all of your wonderful, wonderful painting efforts again next year!

Until then, TTFN,

- Chris K

From Guy B: [Hall of Heroes] We could be heroes, just for one day... [90 points]

These lovely miniatures almost were the miniatures for the Oubliette. I bought some lovely BEF miniatures (from BEF Miniatures) over a decade ago, but never got round to painting them. They are now supplemented by Warlord Games and 1st Corps models. 

I loved the BEF Miniatures, but they were sold to Warlord Games, so are no more. The Warlord models are similar but not the same sculpts (I'm not sure why). The Bren gunner above is a Warlord one.

The models are painted in Vallejo colours but using thinners to achieve a washed effect (similar to contrast). I'm still experimenting with the technique, I'm not 100% happy with it, but it shows promise.

Oddly, the Warlord ones come with separate heads and are a tad shorter than the BEF ones. I am glad to get paint on these finally and have enjoyed painting them.

Next, I need to add some vehicles and support weapons, probably an 18/25 pounder. A Matilda tank would be cool, probably the Mark 1.

There is also the 1st Corps range, which I do like. The sculpting is perhaps a tad simpler than other ranges, but they mix in fine. Painted up, you can't tell the difference. The Boyes team is a 1st Corps model.

So, that's fourteen heroic BEF soldier ready to defend Dunkirk, Calais or a Seelowe invasion. I make that 70 points plus the 20 point bonus.

From MartinN: Matilda II (23 points)

I meant to get round to paint the plastic Matilda II's by Warlord Games for a while now. In actual fact I built it a while ago already but didn't get round to paint it as I wasn't able to get my hands on the appropriate colours first. Help finally came in the guise of the AK Real Colour range. They're easy to use with the airbrush and allegedly give you the exact colours as used on the actual vehicles. Well, if the latter is true I actually don't know but it looks good enough in my opinion. Unfortunately the range doesn't yet include the Dark Green No. 4 as used from mid 1939. It was to be painted on top of the base colour of Khaki Green No. 3 which was used from February 1939 onwards.

So the colour I used probably was a little too dark but the contrast works rather well I think.

About the plastic kit itself I'm in two minds really. On the one hand it's nice to finally get some more Early War vehicles in plastic, especially not as Shitaleri kit, but unfortunately the instructions provided are a little ambiguous at some places. It didn't help I managed to glue on the wrong set of tracks for the theater in question. That said I prefer the look of the lowered suspension anyway, so all in all not too much of a tragedy. The decal set provided with the kit doesn't compare well with those provided by Rubicon Models. It has only a few options and you're not able to reproduce a specific tank. So for example the war department numbers don't fit with the tank names. Neither in style nor the numbers themselves actually. So the tank Griffin, the name I settled on for my tank in the end, should have the number T6753 but the only number which would fit at least style wise was the T6761 which was apparently not a number used for Matildas in France.

While this probably is bordering on button counting I find it still annoying as it would have been just a minor thing for Warlord to provide the accurate war department numbers.

 Points wise I claim 23 points for a tank in 28mm with a half figure tank commander.

From Chris K: Allied and Axis Fighting Vehicles and Transports (140pts)

Hello All,

I must say, I'm still enjoying the fire that Curt has lit under my painting desk with this challenge, and thoroughly impressed by your work, too! 

With heartfelt thanks for the encouragement and comments my first offerings receives, here's the second tranche of completed models from my WW2 vehicle park - I present the following, all  in 1/56 scale(-ish), for 20 points each:

• Challenger A30 tank (11th Armoured Division; 3D print),
• Crusader AA tank (11th Armoured Division; Rubicon Models),
• Marmon-Herrington armoured car (RAF Regiment; 3D print),
• Otter armoured car (RAF Regiment; 3D print),
• Lorry (RAF Regiment; Lledo die-cast 'Days Gone' repaint), and
• 2x Lorries (German Heer; Lledo die-cast 'Days Gone' repaint).

I'm not in the general habit of using 3D printed models, as I prefer to support mini manufacturers where I can, buuuuuuut I've yet to find anyone who makes a 1/56 Challenger A30 to support my armoured recce Cromwells, so I consider that fair enough. The model was printed by a very generous friend and is a little blocky but I was able to smooth-out some of the striations so it looks indistinguishable from a tabletop distance:

The Crusader AA (for the HQ of 3RTR) is a gorgeous model (being Rubicon), and the guns elevate for their AA role, even with the broken star decal on the mechanism... or at least they did right up to the point where I put the final wash on the tank and left it overnight to dry. Rats. Because it's such a thin layer, I'm hoping that I'll eventually be able to wiggle it loose again, but I dread the damage I could cause in the attempt:

The Marmon-Herrington and Otter armoured cars are the first non-transport vehicles I've completed for my small RAF Regiment force and both are 3D print from the same friend. These are similarly a little blocky, but look fine with a lick of paint:

[Marmon-Herrington above; Otter below]

On all of these RAF vehicles, the roundels are hand-painted, as is much of the lettering. Not perfect, maybe, but I'm getting there. 

I use old Lledo die-cast lorry toys as transports for all of my British WW2 forces - partially because I hadn't any spare hobby cash when I started, and partially because I love going 'vrooom!' as they trundle along on the tabletop with their working wheels! This is the seond lorry I've repainted for my RAF Regiment, and (although it's not clear in these pics - drat!) I make sure to paint flecks of RAF blue into the weathering/'chipping' etc. and on high-traffic ridges so that the keen viewer on inspection might just buy the idea that these were - in a previous incarnation - sitting comfortably in an MT shed at RAF West Malling or somesuch. It's the little things, right?

Lastly, two [- ahem: 'captured' -] lorries for my Heer. Again, these are used from a habit going back quite a few years now, and in this case, they've both been repurposed for the German war machine with Dunkelgelb, and then at some point once has received locally two additional colours for camouflage. I don't have an airbrush, so it's just sponged on, but even if it's not quite perfect, it complements some other vehicles in my already-assembled forces. And it brings me joy! I've tried a vague approximation of Heer markings, but I'd be lying if I claimed any sort of comprehensive understanding of the German systems, and besides: it all just gets muddied-up on my models anyway...

Thanks for your time, Friends - all the best with your ongoing challenges!

- Chris