From PeterB - From the Sabbat Worlds to Star City, via a Limo Ride - 112 Points

 Last week I finished my post at the Westerns studio with just two more lots left to visit. So, a quick nip across the road to the Books Studio for a trip into the oh so familiar 41st Millennium, but bear with...

Now, last year one of my early posts was an unexpected Christmas gift from Mrs B that I painted up of a McFarlane Toys Space Marine. I chose to paint him up as an Iron Snake Space Marine as I am a fan of Dan Abnett's books (as are a few of you lot including Curt and Barks I now know). So, this year for our book theme of course I had to paint something from the Library of Mr Abnett and who better than Warhammer 40,000's answer to Sharpe, the Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and a couple of his "Ghosts" from Tanith First and Only. 

Gaunt and "Try Again" Bragg

I cannot recommend this series of books enough to anyone who enjoys a bit of Sci-fi mixed with their military fiction. I would be the first to say that Games Workshops' Black Library press can be a bit hit and miss sometimes with some of their titles not quite Booker prize material. Dan Abnett however is an exceptional author and I think the Gaunt is his best work. I will warn you thought there are 15 books so far and no sign of Abnett stopping.

Major Elim Rawne and Colonel Colm Corbec

The First and Only are so called after their home planet Tanith was destroyed shortly after the founding of their first three regiments. Gaunt managed to evacuate enough survivors to form the one and only regiment. The Ghosts wear Cameleoline cloaks that shift colour to match their surroundings (think magical elven cloaks that Frodo and the Sam wear in Lord of the Rings) and they are specialists in scouting and infiltration.

Scout Sergeant Dan Mkoll and Master Sniper Hlaine Larkin

Mkoll as a scout makes the rest of the regiment seem like baby elephants running through the jungle (he could probably sneak up on Batman) and Larkin is the Regiments top sniper, learning his craft hunting in the forests of Tanith.

 These are GWs second attempt at a set of models to represent the Ghosts. I thought people might be interested to see a compare shot for two reasons, one to see the scale creep that GW have partaken of over the last twenty odd years and secondly, to see how badly I used to paint!

 

Our next and final studio to visit on our journey around the Analogue Hobby Challenge is Superheroes, but this final studio is not accessible from any other blue studios I hear you cry (must be a clever partnership between the studios and Sarah's Limo company to boost bookings) so I shall have to rest my feet in the plush interior of the Limo, crack open a diet coke for the journey and maybe snack on some M&Ms from the mini-bar. So to pay for this journey I present Peggy Carter (or a member of the Women's home defence from Bad Squiddo Games).

So, now we have made it to the last studio I need a Superhero. Not a problem I thought, I am a massive comic book fan/collector, I love Superheroes. One problem though, I didn't actually have a Superhero to paint. Confession time, I actually bought a model during the challenge. Yep, I added to the lead pile. I couldn't resist this character though.

I'm a big DC fan but was properly introduced to Green Arrow when Kevin Smith (yep that Kevin Smith, film director. That's twice this year I've mentioned him now?) brought the character back from the dead and started a new solo run with him. This model is from Knight Models and based on Oliver Queen from the Batman Animated series. I therefore kept the colours bright and kept the shading to a minimum.

Of course he has to have a boxing glove arrow, I'm sure he had one before Hawkeye did, but I shall leave that debate to wiser men.

So, that just leaves one Final Destination (movie pun intended) The Directors Chair. I defer to the Show-Lord if he would like to consider a task worthy of a visit.

To the points!

6 x Ghosts at 40mm. 6 x 7 = 42 pts

1 x Peggy at 28mm = 5 pts

1 X Green Arrow at 28mm = 5 pts

2 Studio visits and a Limo Ride 3 x 20 = 60 pts

Total = 112 points

Minion Miles: I'm not sure crossing the streams of the GW and DC universes is a safe thing to do (all those lawyers just chomping at the bit) but you seem to have done so without incurring any IP related legal bombardments - Must be the quality of your painting holding those hounds at bay.

From PhilH: A Witch, A Witch....a Mutant? (27 Points)

Hot on the heels of my first Witch, I'll have to take a second to skip that nasty-looking Orc's Pit. Yep, it's endgame and we're getting desperate here at my paint table. A quick hop back to a project I've been slowly adding to the past few years, Marvel X-Men superheroes, from the now long-dead Marvel Universe Miniatures Game by Knight Models. Yes, so long-dead that a Marvel minis game has been re-licensed to someone that'll actually use it effectively to shovel product: Marvel Crisis Protocol is the new hotness among such circles. Still having my now-vintage Supers in the pile of shame, I've resisted.

Running out of recognisable X-Men now, this is Emma Frost aka White Queen. Appearing in an early storyline as a member of the "Hellfire Club" and baddie, she was clearly a fan-favourite so has some total change of heart and joins our Mutant heroes, becoming the co-headmaster of Professor Xaviers School for Gifted Youngsters. Of course, much mistrust and tension ensues.

She's another telepath, and can turn her body into diamond, which is an oddly niche power, but convenient for not getting squished by the likes of Juggernaut.

I've got quite a lot of these done now, here's our heroic band together:

One 35mm model, plus a Witch travel adds 27 points to my tally. Will I make it to my target though?

From SimonM: "Knight Models" Black Manta (5 Points)

This 35mm scale metal miniature of the Black Manta is produced by "Knight Models" for their "Batman Miniature Game", and can be purchased as either part of the DC Universe/Batman Miniature Game: Secret Society of Super-villains set, along with Killer Frost and Professor Zoom, or as a single blistered figure. Sculpted to depict the "ruthless and murderous underwater-based mercenary" wearing his infamous "nigh-invulnerable battle-suit", the archenemy of Aquaman was created by Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy, and made his first appearance in the September 1967 issue of "Aquaman" by "DC Comics".

"Currently in the New Suicide Squad under the command of Amanda Waller" this four-piece model was carefully assembled and primed using a double layer of "Citadel" Abaddon Black. The "expert in mechanical engineering and military tactics" was then enthusiastically dry-brushed with "Vallejo" Heavy Charcoal before being drenched in "Citadel" Nuln Oil.

I 'picked out' Black Manta's advanced technological suit, his jet pack propulsion system, wrist-mounted speargun, diving helmet and hand-weapon with a combination of "Citadel" Ironbreaker and Nuln Oil. Later I dry-brushed both the helmet, jet pack and Death Ray with (more) "Citadel" Ironbreaker. As a final touch I layered his eye lenses with Vallejo" Heavy Red, and shaded them in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

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Black is a very hard colour to pull off and look right, but I think this one looks good.  Maybe a bit more edge shade with a grey to pull a bit of detail out, but then again maybe not as the gloss to make him look wet may just make it pop too much.

Either way, your recipie sounds pretty close to mine, so it might just be the closs covering it in the pictures.  Don't we all wish pictures were easier to take that match what the figures look like in real life???

Keep them coming Simon, I love all the Knight Models, and the game.

-ByronM

From PhilH: Antihero Curtgeld (27 points)

Sorry Curt, I ignored your instructions for this year’s Curtgeld. Instead my token of appreciation to our Challenge Custodian is a “superhero” that’s rather more up his alley.  

The titular character of DC/Vertigo's horror series John Constantine: Hellblazer is an occult detective and con-man. A deeply cynical, deadpan, chain-smoking Liverpudlian punk, he’s pretty much the epitome of an antihero. While he strives to do good, his main tools are deceit, cunning and some hedge-magic. Constantine tends to succeed only at great cost to those around him, often his closest friends, and is wracked with guilt over past mistakes. 

The sculpt really captures the character: scruffy but charismatic. Probably the best-known Hellblazer storyline is 1991's 'Dangerous Habits', having Constantine contract terminal cancer from his lifelong habit. Knowing his soul is damned, he strives to con the lords of hell out of their prize. This run also has the dubious honour of being the very loose source material for the inexecrable Keanu Reeves film adaption (if you haven't watched it, just don't)

I bought Constantine as Curtgeld for the more thematic Challenge VIII, but never got around to prepping him for painting. He might be late, but I'm chuffed with the final result here, and wish I got to keep him.

I used the supplied cobblestone base, very fitting for a working-class inner-city fella like Constantine. I was going for a rain-slicked cobbles look and added an appropriate band poster.

Contains subtle swearyness

The mini is by Knight Models. A resin cast originally sculpted for metal, he should be more like this, but the demonic fire is so flimsy it was broken on arrival. Now it just looks a bit like poor John has set fire to his hand. I fired Knight an email about it, to no response. I've been done with Knight a little while now: pricey, poor quality and shabby customer service. 

I need an adjudicator on whether I can claim another squirrel for this one? I mean, he’s DC rather than Marvel and about as different a comic book hero to the spandex-clan X-Men as it’s possible to be...

I'm cooking up two more entries for the final straight - but will I be able to hit a nice round 500?

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And more not French! 

Curtgeld can always be paid in arrears, much like Army pay. So this can always be applied retroactively to Painting Challenge VIII. After all, I am shipping Curt a figure from Challenge VII!

And while I understand the frustration of both a broken figure and poor customer service, I'd say it looks better as you've painted it. Very much a lemons from lemonade there. In fact, your rendering is very much better than the Knight Models promotion.

Let's see, a 40mm figure is 7 points, and Curtgeld gets you another 20, for a total of 27. And yes, DC and Marvel will NEVER mix, so you meet Squirrel point criteria there. So, I'll allow it.

HerrRobert, Friday Follies Phantasmical, Over

From DaveS: I'm Batman (110 points)

So, I recently got a demo of the Batman miniatures game and fell in love.  I've painted some of the models before, both for fun, and as commissions, but I've never played the game very much.  I was put off by the huge number of keywords, and the pricey rulebooks.  Second edition seems to be better written, with a more reasonably priced rulebook, and so I've taken the plunge.

First model I painted, as befits the games was Batman.

He's been painted in the colour scheme from the box, which means he has the classic blue and grey with the yellow belt.  I worked quite hard on the cape, and I'm pleased with the result.

I then proceeded to paint the Arkham Guards that came with him.  These are the cheapest and most disposable models in a Batman crew, and so they got a quick and dirty paint job, but they look OK to me.

One of the "quirks" of the Batman rules, is that all of the Arkham guards are able to arrest enemy models.  The Arkham police, who I painted next however, apparently aren't.

Finally, you need some way to actually see the enemy in the dark back streets of Gotham.  So some lamp posts.

And something to see, in the TTCombat Apartment A, with added extension level.  That makes it about 10"x6"x10".  It really is huge looking, and I've included a previously painted Harley Quinn for scale.

So thats 7x35mm models (and I just noticed that the photos were taken before I put the final black on all of the base edges), plus whatever the Lamps and building are worth.

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As I luxure with a rather cheeky little Spanish red (always drink Spanish reds, the whites are ok, and save the beer for when you have to torture the terrorists to find the location of the nukes and/or the kidnapped Robin), DaveS presents BATMAN!

And, while the cape prevents the gratuitous butt shot we've come to expect from many a Batman film, Dave's Batman and Arkham guards are quite gritty. 

The apartment block is spectacular, and HUGE. It's something you'd expect to see in a Lardy special. Very fab.

So, let's see. We don't have 35mm figures in Millsy's spreadsheet of DOOM, but 35 is closer by a hair to 40mm than 28mm, so we'll go with that. 7 40mm figures gives you 49 points. Now, the apartment building is 600 cubic inches; normalizing that into 216 cubic inch increments gives us 2.7 repeating. Punching that into the Spreadsheet of DOOM gives 55.5 repeating points. We'll be kind to the poor souls who don't run statistical models for a living and round that to 2.8 and 56, respectively. Throw in another 5 points for the lampposts, and call it an even 110. 

HerrRobert, Friday Follies Phantasmical, Over

From PhilH: Final AHPCVIII Entry, an X-(Wo)man and Bookish Cultist (17 Points)

Like many of us, there's just time to sneak one last entry in under the wire. I haven't submitted much in the final third of AHPC VIII, but I've a couple of bits to share before the deadline. Continuing with a focus of my challenge, I've added a fifth X-Men to my collection. This time Jean Grey aka 'Phoenix' and 'Dark Phoenix' in various incarnations/plotlines. She has extremely potent telepathic and telekinetic powers and is one of the most powerful mutants in the Marvel universe.

Jean Grey is an major character and plays a key role in many of the most popular X-Men storylines, variously becoming the entities Phoenix/Dark Phoenix, which amplify her powers to unprecedented and impossible levels. She marries X-Men leader Scott Summers/Cyclops, has a long-running unrequited mutual love interest with Wolverine and is a mentee of fellow telepath Professor X, and dies at various points to much angst among the team (before being reborn, being ah, Phoenix and all).

Warning: Dorky Super-Suit Alert

All that yellow was grueling to paint, frankly. Happy with my recipe, but careful work keeping it smooth. I've noticed a few bits I could do with changing: the blue needs a couple more highlights to hit the same colour as Cyclops (it really isn't as punchy as the photos make it look), and the hair was rushed to finish her in time, needs to be a richer red, I'll try dropping a wash on it in the coming days.  

Yup, it's a really dorky and impractical suit for a lady

Again, sculpt is by Knight Models for the now-discontinued Marvel Universe Miniatures Game. Another with dangerously fine ankles, and separate arms! Knight really need some more practicality for these to be suitable as gaming miniatures, I'm amazed I've not broken the arms off while painting. I may have pinned them on, actually, I forget.

 As I've posted before, a shot of the growing team.

Switching projects, I've added another cultist to my Cthulhu Mythos/Pulp collection.

Straightforward functional black robes. The slimming effect of black and doesn't show up the blood or ichor.

What's that he's trying to summon...

The  lectern can be decorative or serve as a 'plot point' in games of Pulp Alley - small tokens or areas that intrepid heroes should investigate to progress the scenario. It came in the pack with these Pulp Figures cultists. Bob Murch sculpts, so really characterful.

Here he is with his grey associates from AHPCVII VI (two years ago, really?! Time flies). If I remember rightly, I rushed these to get the four of them finished for my final entry then, and this year I actually dropped a couple more highlights on them and tidied up a couple of chips while I had them on the paint desk. Not new work, but worthwhile.

With that, I'll just close with a big thank you to my fellow Challengers, good fellows and ladies all and offer a nod to my fellow new parent Challengers. My deepest appreciation and thanks for the very hard work of our upstanding Challenge Minions, statistical guru and Paint Duel administrator, who do a huge amount of work to keep things going. Finally a massive thanks to Curt for leading us all through this madness with such humour for an eighth time, while knocking out some staggeringly good work of his own. Oh, and to Sarah and the hounds, for putting up with all this nonsense. 

Until next time!


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Beautiful brushwork once again Mr. Hawkins. As you know I've never thought much superheroes in silly suits, but seeing yours, along with the detailed backgrounds you provide, actually makes me want to game with them. I also have to give it to you Phil, you've kept on task and on target with this project. Something I definitely can't say for myself.

I also really like the new addition to your cultist family. And look, this fella's reading a storytime book to the kids. Awww. What a guy. 'Okay boys and girls, this chapter of the Necronomicon is over, so it's time for sleepy bo bos. Now, dream of Shoggoths and Night Gaunts and maybe you'll get a tentacle when you grow up.' 

Always a delight Phil. 
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From PhilH: Another Week, Another Mutant - Nightcrawler (7 Points)

Gooood evening Challengers. It's Monday, 2145: time for me to squeeze in my quick entry for the week.

Yup, we're back at Superheroes Mutants again. Sorry, I know, it's not you guys' bag. But they do let me get all my favourite colours out for the same model, and go crazy with my high-contrast, bright colour-y painting.

This week's Mutant is another of the X-Men: Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler.

Quite a few of the X-Men look pretty much normal, dorky attire aside. Less so this guy. Dark-coloured fur to help him hide in the shadows*, two-toed feet and three-fingered hands, yellow eyes, pointy ears and a prehensile tail.

*The bright red bodysuit and white gloves/socks, not so much....

Oh, and for good measure, he has superhuman agility, adhesive hands and feet to climb walls and the ability to teleport, passing through another dimension. This is often illustrated with the delightfully onomatopeic sound "bamf".

Normal, he ain't. I like him.

What's a bit odd, is that where some guys bring a nice chunky tactical rock to give them a few inches on the next guy, Nightcrawler was sculpted with a tactical....kerbstone? Tiny set of steps to nowhere? Nope, I've no idea what Knight were thinking here, particularly as it doesn't fill the base. Probably just "whatever will get him in a cool menacing-hunched-but-vaguely-realistic pose".

Knight Models 35mm from the discontinued Marvel Universe Miniatures Game. Really nice sculpt, the pose and definition are much better than many of the other MUMG sculpts and totally capture the character.

And then there were three...

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Sometimes its just wonderful to let loose with a paintbrush, some bright colours (and some contrasting ones) and a wicked imagination.  And, Phil, you are absolutely the right Challenger to do just that!  Nightcrawler is just brilliant!  I think that your contrasting colours (and the rich, wonderful baroque style with which you've used them) are fantastic.  The deep red, the unearthly bleached grey hands and feet and that wonderful, shifting deep grey-blue skin show just how much you can do with a single model.

Really wonderful work, Phil - and had you not mentioned the kerbstone (yes, that is odd!), I would never have noticed.

A richly well deserved 7 points for the figure and a strong request from me, to you, for many more mutants in Challenge VIII !  Bravo!!