From GrantH: Germans for the Battle of the Scheldt [Overdue and Returns] (360 Points)

Greetings everyone! 

Happy to be back for the first time in a few years! After letting the "I will surely get around to it" pile go out of control while away at school, the challenge has once again motivated me to chip away at the unpainted things in my collection.

For my first post of this challenge, I present 68 late-war Germans for my Battle of the Scheldt project. I started this project after reading an excellent two-part series by Tim Cook on the Canadian contribution to WW2.  The watery battlefields of the Scheldt campaign immediately stood out as an interesting operation to model a few forces and draft a 'pint-sized' campaign around. Having finished my Canadians in the time between challenges, painting up a worthy adversary was long overdue.

For this particular force, I mainly used Warlord Games plastic SS and Winter infantry kits to create a varied core force of infantry and support specialists for my Bolt Action and Chain of Command games. I equipped them with the idea in mind that by the later stages of the war, they would likely have a mishmash of equipment and uniforms. As such, these troops have varying colours of greatcoats, smocks, and field uniform to reflect the diversity of equipment supplied or scavenged. Some are equipped with darker variations of the German field grey and the more orangey fall camo smocks, while others have been outfitted in more greenish variations of field grey. 

Here they are broken down into some easier to view sections:

German Pioneers with anti-Tank Gear.

Special Weapons Teams - Tripod mounted MG42, Panzerschreck, Flamethrower, and marksmen.

NCO's and Officers with MP44s and MP40s and a few C96s.

Officers 2: Now with more peaked caps!

and the Infantry.

So much infantry. 

Can never have too much infantry.

Some light machine-gunners in the mix with some loaders.

That one guy without a helmet will surely regret his decision.

More infantry!

Some machine gunners to support the horde.

Because there are 68 of the buggers, I did not want to photograph all the webbing, so here is a little selection.

For a grand total of 68 Minis at five points per figure in 28mm, and a submission to the challenge theme 'Overdue and Returns', I believe this post is worth 360 points to kick off my contribution to the Challenge! At long last these figures may face their Canadian adversaries in full Technicolor after one too many games with matte black primer.

Thank you to Curt and the minions for once again organising this fantastic event! It has been a pleasure to see what everyone is working on and to once again be involved in the challenge. I think I will have German armour support to paint next, but after this long project working on cold weather forces I think it is time I turn my attention to something sunnier...

TeemuL: What a nice come back to the Challenge, Grant! Waiting for the last minute to make the first entry and with that first entry almost reaching your points target. :) I do hope you don't let the target to prevent you and you keep painting more and more. Your mixed uniform approach looks good, as well as the muddy bases.

From BenitoV: A Motorbike and Some Green Devils (35 points)

In this very final lap of the Challenge I continued with the WW2 Germans. On the one hand, I have painted the last motorbike with sidecar for my Chain of Command motorized infantry unit.

 

As in the previous two weeks, this a resin 3D printed model from Eskice

 

 

This week I have recovered some leftovers from an old project in our club to recreate the airborne attack on Crete in 1940. I painted and officer and a couple of LMGs in the early war jumpsuit gear. 

Unfortunately, I did not notice until today that one of the weapons is a German MG model 42....impossible to have jumped on Crete. The mistake originated in the Warlord's plastic German paratroopers box, which combines both early and later war models. When I assembled the models, I distributed in two boxes the early and the late, but I may have mixed up this specific model. In any case, too late.

Another 35 points bagged today and getting very close now to my 700 points target in the Challenge. I expect to reach the mark during the Saturday and Sunday frenzy.

Those all look fantastic, Benito! I wouldn't worry over much about the MG42 - at tabletop viewing distance it probably won't be noticed.

Tamsin

From MartijnN: Walking through Belgium and a limo ride (Sarah's Limousine/Historical Drama)(122 points)

Last week found us at Under Construction. Although I could easily spend the rest of the Challenge there, that would obviously not do at all.  However, as Western is now a blue pass area, I did not have a clue for Black & White and was not yet ready for High Adventure  (then again, who ever really is?), I had to call on Lady Sarah's excellent Limousine Service to bring me to my home ground, Historical Drama. As my fee I offer this 3D printed 40mm figure. It's from a Kickstarter by the very talented Iain Lovecraft, Desert Adventures, although I painted her more in European style. I used Contrast paints for her, striving for a ton-sur-ton effect. She looks better in real life then on my very amateur photos.

Thus we arrive in the Historical Drama studios. A few months ago I visited my former club in Holland, and one of my friends told me about Blood and Valour, an American rules set for the Great War. They had had great fun with it, and it didn't require masses of models. Fired by his enthusiasm I of course bought the rules, and having leafed through them I thought them worth having a go at. Now I am primarily interested in the early war period, and although the rules are focused on the later phases of the war there are rules for 1914. So, after looking online for suitable models, I ordered some figures from North Star's Great War Miniatures series and from Wargames Foundry. Unfortunately, they don't really match, the Wargames Foundry being more accurately 25mm and the GWM figures decidedly largish 28mm. On the table, though, I think they can be used together if not in the same unit. North Star have a far greater range and more variant poses, but the WF are definitely better figures. I think I will stick with GWM, if I need more (what do I mean, if? Though there are enough in my lead pile for a decent game, I should think). I decided to paint some of them in the Challenge, and thought they fit this theme neatly, what with the new Netflix version of All Quiet on the Western Front hitting the screens recently (though I have not yet seen it). For these fellows nothing was quiet though, stomping their way through Belgium and northern France in the August heat of 1914. Two squads and a command group, 15 in all.

The obligatory group shot for the post-war reunion

An officer and two gentlemen

Great War Miniatures: six different poses

Wargames Foundry: three different poses

The two side by side, GMW in the middle

They were again mostly done in Contrast over a black undercoat and an airbrushed white ink zenithal. After much dithering and tribulation (and with some trepidation) I decided on Gryph-Charger Grey (yes, I know, but GW, you know) for the uniforms. For the leather I used Army Painter Speedpaint Hardened Leather (duh). Agrax Eartshade, a few highlights on the skin and a light drybrush did the rest. Even though correcting mistakes is a nightmare with most Contrast and similar paints, and even though I managed to throw a pot of Blood Angels Red over the nearly finished officer at some point, I'm quite happy how they turned out.

So here we are:

Scores:

1x 40mm @ 7points = 7

Sarah's Limo= 20

15x 25/28mm @ 5 = 75

Historical Drama = 20

Grand total 122

And a squirrel!

Fantastic looking Germans, Martijn, though I would suspect that a post-war reunion will have a very low attendance. The mixing of makers is a common question for a lot of hobbyists, but in real life people aren't all to scale either. I applaud your decision to paint up both sets of minis, they look good in the group shot. 

John B: Floppy berets and picklehaubes

Meanwhile, on the Hartsmannwillerkopf, some jaunty head gear… berets! (somewhat floppier than the one Curt wears when he zips around on his bicyclette…)

More home sculpted, drop cast homemade toy soldiers in 40mm scale. Remaining in the Belle Èpoche rut, (oh, what a lovely rut it is…) I have for offer, a unit of Chasseurs Alpins (18 figures), circa 1890-1914, a unit of German infantry in feldgrau und picklehauben (18 figures), and a unit of French infantry, 1890-1914 (18 figures), sans kepi cover.

 

 

 

I had a little trouble with the varnish on the Chasseurs. It came out mottled and cloudy. This figure has been a bit of an ugly duckling from the get go. I made the rifle too thick and the castings have come out with a fair bit of flash. I have replenished my varnish supply, and if nothing else, I hope these guys will do good service on campaign in the Vosges… win some, lose some I guess.

 

I realize that block painting and glossy varnish does not completely align with the ethos of the challenge, but I assure you that three or four hundred of these fellows on the table top is quite the spectacle. So much so, that it might inspire one to grow a droopy mustache à la Papa Joffre.

 

As for points, given my painting, I feel a little guilty taking 15 points for my modest efforts. I suppose sculpting, molding, and casting, could count for something, but it is a painting challenge after all.  I will stick with the program and humbly petition for the assigned 15 points per figure.

 54x40mm foot @ 15 7 points/figure = 810 378 points

Minion: if these are 54s then the 15 points applies, but think that they are 40mm in which case Tamsin is correct and the total is 378.

Total=810 points

 Next I hope to head to Galicia and to visit the polyglot and much underrated forces of Kaiser Franz-Joseph. I am assured there will be more champagne, gambling, and Italian actresses present than in any other headquarters.

 

Wow John, these are lovely.  Most of us get to blame the manufacturer on figure flaws, but as designed, caster and painter there's little room to hide for you.

You need to get rid of your guilty feelings and enjoy what you've done.   I am brooking none of your BS on these proper old school Toy Soldiers, especially not ones which are home cast in the Scale that All Other Scales Aspire to Be.  You haven't war-gamed if you've never flung matchsticks from spring loaded toy cannons at your opponents figures.