From Iain W - 28mm Late Roman skirmishers (30 points)

I give you six Late Roman skirmishers for my Dux Bellorum army that will in all probability become a Midgard army. I've been chipping away at this army for a while, most of the infantry are Black Tree design with some plastic Gripping Beast figures. 

  

 

These though are Hat dark age figures with Gripping Beast plastic heads added as a previous post of Hat dark age slingers without head swaps got a comment asking if they were zombies, super cheap figures who are a rather slight 28mm. I don't think they're too bad, pretty simple paint job, primed in Halfords khaki spray, agrax earthshade wash, tiny bit of colour. We aim for adequate and sometimes achieve it but at least I'm up and running with 6 x 5 points 30 points. Makes a nice change from Napoleonics which has been my primary focus for the last few years.

All the best

Iain 

***

I love Romans! Early Romans! Late Romans! I am forever threatening to paint Romans myself and...never getting around to it. Thus I enjoy the Roman efforts of other Challengers with that extra vicarious thrill! And so it is here - well done Iain.

Ah Midgard! I do hear so many good things about this game that I look into it, and then toss the rules the moment I see they are yet another set of rules that uses alternate terms for distances...sigh...maybe one day...

We'll be watching for more! 30 points for you!

GregB

From Iain W: 28mm Late Roman cataphracts (50 points)

Here are five Foundry 28mm cataphracts, lovely figures if a little on the small side by today's standards. They are the start of a Dux Bellorum army to go with my Picts, Irish and pagan Saxons, they're on a 120mm sabot base so I can use them for Impetus, Hail Caesar, To the Strongest or Lion Rampant, each one is individually based on a Perry plastic base that fits in my homemade balsa and mdf sabot base which unlike the individual bases needs a few more processes! 

At least I got one Late Roman unit done, so I hope that keeps Peter happy?! I've got a few units semi finished but they will get done post challenge together with a Caterina Sforza command stand that's just a bit too late, I might get one more post in but it will be a last minute visit to the  library on Monday when I get back from the principality as I'm up here for my daughter's twenty first birthday on Sunday, so no painting this weekend! 

Scores 5 x 10 28mm mounted 

Total 50 points

All the best 

Iain

From Millsy: Time for a bit of free fire minioning and being first to get stuck in that means I get to pick stuff I'm interested in! Love what you have done with these Ian, particularly the variation in armour colours whilst maintaining a cohesive look. The red dragon banner really sets them off too. Are these Steve Saleh sculpts? His stuff is just beautiful and they have that look from my POV. Nice work!

From DarrellH Battle of Shrewsbury 1069; Interior Buildings II

Darrell H

Buildings are roughly 5" x 4" and  3.4" x 3" so 30pts

This time just a quick post with a couple of Gripping Beast resin pieces from their Dark Ages range I have completed for the Sherwsbury 1069 game which all going well will be at Partizan II in October this year. Again, these pieces were bought many years ago and I just never got around to painting them up. They are pretty basic castings and solid pieces but this does not diminish the aesthetic look and will not hinder the game.

The upright wooden superstructure and outer structure of the pieces were painted using a craft paint that is more or less the equivalent of Vallejo Model Colour German Cammo Black Brown (perhaps a little lighter) and highlighted up using craft paint creams and finally with Vallajo Model Colour Ivory.

The thatching was done in exactly the same way but starting with a craft paint of a lighter hue and highlighted up a few steps higher in tone than that of the wood.

these are very nice, Shrewsbury is starting to look like a nice place to fight a battle. It's about 1.5 cubes so 30 pts

Martin

Battle of Shrewsbury 1069; Watchtower Interval! (80 points)

Darrell H

About 12" in diameter (so 12" x 12") and over 12" high- 80pts(?)

The Normans within the Motte and Bailey at Shrewsbury in 1069 were safe and sound from the excesses of Eadric the Wild and friends. As added protection and to give early warning of any oncoming attack I am going to include a watchtower on then hill. The piece is too nice not to utilise! Though an imaginary scenario it is not inconceivable that in the three years since the Norman invasion, with much of England only nominally under control of William I of England that early warning outposts would be built to keep one eye open for potential trouble makers. In other words that's my excuse and I am going to use it anyway! :>)

The tower will be under the control on Eadric's Anglo Danish force and manned by his Welsh allies under Kind Bleddyn and Rhiwallon. More on the history of the revolt in a future post.

The tower was painted up in the usual way. The upright wooden superstructure and outer structure of the pieces were painted using a craft paint that is more or less the equivalent of Vallejo Model Colour German Cammo Black Brown (perhaps a little lighter) and highlighted up using craft paint creams and finally with Vallejo Model Colour Ivory. This time I tried having a darker tone on the thatch as I wanted some contrast between the 'painted' wattle and daub and the actual thatch. The wattle and daub is just Miniature Paints Earth (I don't know if they are still around[?]) and highlighted up with Ivory. The spikey bits on the parapets are Vallejo Model Colour Beige highlighted up again with Vallejo Model Colour Ivory.

Hopefully I will have a terrain tile ready at some point to sit these pieces of terrain up in a decent setting.

That's a great looking watchtower and definitely makes a change from all those wall sections. I think scoring it as 4 terrain cubes is about right.

TamsinP

From DarrelH: Battle of Shrewsbury 1069; Interior Buildings I (20 Points)

Due to having to the time constraints of having take extra care of the "oldies" in the family the Shrewsbury game has been cancelled for Partizan in May this year. Instead it will be featured at Partizan II on October 11th later in the year.

Anyway, I have found time to continue work on painting some of the buildings that will act as either the suburbs of Shrewsbury or stand stand inside the Motte and Bailey.

This building was scratch built by me many a moon ago and a resin castings were made that was made by Stronghold Miniatures with the agreement that for a number of castings I would agree for the model to become part of their catalogue which I was more than happy to do. To be honest I am not even sure if they are still in business. I've still got half a dozen resin castings that need to be painted.

I have included a pic of the painted scratch built model as well but please be aware that this is only for a comparison shot; I'm not after extra points :>)

The Resin Casting:

Resin Interior:

Scratch Built Interior:

____________________________________

Wow, Darrell, this is very impressive. Having your building 'master' made into resin copies is such a great (and enviable) approach to doing a large town setup like Shrewsbury. The structure looks great and has wonderful texture to it, which I think would be excellent for mass assembly and quick drybrushing. 

This looks to be around a 6 x 6 structure, so let's go with 20 points.

Well done Darrell, and good luck with your upcoming medieval urban planning project for Partizan II.

Curt

From DarrellH - Battle of Shrewsbury 1096; Curved Norman Outer Wall III (20 Points)

Yes, the excitement is now tangible as I present to you a section of a Curved Norman Motte and Bailey Outer Wall! I know! It's so exciting! :>)

Seriously though, I've actually had great fun painting up these resins thus far and have some village type buildings ready cleaned and undercoated ready for some action with the brush.

I'm going to start working on the terrain tiles that I have ordered from Panel Systems which I will talk about a little in a future post. To start with I am just going to go for a tile that is very plain; the theory being to build up your skills slowly. Not to jump in feet first as I have been known to do. These will make a nice surface in which to position the buildings on for photography as opposed to my workbench which is kind of, well, a work bench.....

And of course, the now ubiquitous attention to detail!

***

If there is one thing I like better than well painted miniatures, it is well painted terrain!  Great job here Darrell, this is really great looking!  The base work is great as are the walls themselves, super clean looking work here.  And yes, that shield is a really nice added touch, and hand painted patters to boot!

I for one can not wait to see some pictures of your completed terrain project here!

- ByronM

Battle of Shrewsbury 1069: Norman Outer Wall II (20 points)

Darrell H

20 Points 6" terrain piece

The tension mounts as yet another terrain piece is finished and ready to be put into the field! This time it is yet another part of what will represent the Motte and Bailey outer wall at the Battle of Shrewsbury 1069.

Again, the large part of the painting was  done with hobby paints from a craft store as they are decent enough if you give the terrain a gloss then matt varnish is stops the paint from shipping about 99% of the time. From the dark craft paint, which I described last time as like Vallejo model Colour German Black Grey, when I meant to say German Cammo Black Brown! If you're painting up terrain for the fist time (you might be; there's a first time for everything) then please don't waste your money and paint on using paints that you would use on your miniatures unless you cannot get the paint you want and you really have to. The browns were painted and dry brushed up using various light creams and light greys to hopefully achieve the effect of weathered wood and a grey-ish soil. I have put some static grass on the models and I will be adding some grass tufts but that will have to wait as I'm saving all that I now possess for the bases of the miniatures.

Yet again, I got a little carried away with adding the fine details. The crossbow, quiver and shield could easily have been dry brushed a brown with a little colour added to the shield perhaps but I think that it's the details on a wargames table that make all the difference. Or at least I am trying to convince myself that this is so!

I'm currently working on a corner piece for Shrewsburys walls and I have a few buildings that I bought and one that I scratch built a while back that a mate cast in resin for me. I still have the original which is nice!

Another fine and well detailed section of wall Darrell - I'm sure there will be many more posts like this over the coming days/weeks.

TamsinP

From DarrellH Battle of Shrewsbury 1069 Norman Outer Wall

By DarrellH

20 points- (maybe a wee bit more for the painted detail?) ;>)

EDIT: Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge folks- I've taken stock of my painted miniature collection for the suitability of said collection for Hereford and changed the game to that of the Battle of Shrewsbury 1069.

My Reconquista project has stalled a little as I await some miniatures from the USA which are taking far too long to get to me for my liking as the deadline is Partizan on May 16th! Not that I'm complaining....... OK, maybe a bit but we all want everything yesterday these days :>)

In the meantime I've been working on plan B which is the Battle of Shrewsbury 1069 as I at least have a lot of Normans and some Anglo Saxons painted up from years ago! The battle took place in front of the Norman Motte and Bailey in Shrewsbury as Edric the Wild leading an army of Anglo Danes and Welsh besieged the Norman occupants of the town.

More on the history in a separate post very soon.


I've got various pieces of terrain, which I have painted up in no logical order at all! I've had the pieces for over fifteen years and they have not seen a lick of paint in all that time. Shameful really :>)

The piece below is by Grand Manner and is one section of the Norman Motte and Bailey Outer Wall, which will serve as the town walls of Shrewsbury. Grand Manner is simply the best terrain that money can buy IMHO. No one else comes close for historical resin. Oh, Dave Bodley who runs the company apart from being very nice chap he has a real passion for his subject which shows in both the depth of research and detail.

So, without further ado, a wall section! The bases started out mainly with the hobby paint equivalent of Vallejo Model Colour German Black Grey and were highlighted up with various creams etc to replicate the look of old wood and soil etc. Greens were then added ans were the greys for the rocks as I wanted them to look cold and wet to suit the climate.

I've become a little obsessive about the details such as the shields, crossbows and quivers lying around on the battlements. Given the time I have to prepare the game this is probably a little too much but I cannot seem to help myself!

Details:

This is a lovely piece of work. I have fought a large scale version of Battle of Hereford. The Normans won, not me, mainly because some ropely Saxon cavalry proved to be indestructable and held the line for far too long. Good luck with both / either Partizan battles. This is worth a bit of a bonus

Martin