From SanderS: "A Romance of sorts" (30 points)

 Hoi,

So there's a surprise, I didn't plan on painting this vignette at all anytime soon, specially not today, but I found myself with some spare time and while rummaging through the unpainted leadpile I stumbled along this pair. 

On First sight this might not look very romantic, usually when we think about romance we imagine handsome young(ish) people having steaming romantic adventures of all sorts. But if I really think about what real love is, that's not it. I feel that real love is about commitment, acceptance and giving and taking. Personally I have had the enormous good fortune to marry a girl that is tolerating, perhaps even supportive of all my hobby endeavours and quirks, and I cannot say how happy this makes me. Granted it does mean I have to be supportive about 1000m2 meters of backyard and hedges, 5 chickens, 2 rabbits and a dog (yes since 5 months we have a Paint-Support-Puppy too!). That said I found this couple of Indian people from the Indian Mutiny range I have still waiting completion. 

I imagine this woman supporting her man in his fight to rid the country of the foreign oppressors, even in defeat. That my friends is true love! Not gallavanting off in search of treasure and jewels (Romancing the Stone or  Jewel of the Nile anyone?), no; real life persons sticking by each other through the bad times as well as the good! I also included a picture of the pup, officially named Spot by his breeder, but more commonly known as Fluffy MacFluffson by us. He's an Australian Shepperd if someone is wondering. 

So I gather these two 28mm figures as well as the location bonus should be worth another 30 points. Now I am off to paint some more GW stuff.

Cheers Sander

Sylvain: Ah, love... You prove with your post that French do not have the monopoly on this noble sentiment. Your vignette is simple yet powerful. A well deserve location bonus for you. And congratulations on your new furry companion!

DougM - Last Minute Terra, Altair IV & Lune (177 points)

Final effort - it's been fun and I have made my points target.. My final planetfalls will be Terra, Altair with old robots, and a quick Zoom back to Lune.

Old Robots..  well folk will be quick to point out that these aren't actually robots..   demented pepperpots only... And printed and painted as the classic movie Daleks from 1966 and the Dalek invasion of Earth (Terra)

But these are definitely robots, and the wreck on the left s very much the ancient version... more 3d prints, of Bender, for a bit of fun.

Then the final troops for my Sepoy forces...  and changing tides was very much the experience of John Company in India in 1856, these are 3rd Bengal Cavalry, among the earliest of the mutineers at Meerut, qualifying these guys for Lune.

Unfortunately, I have run out of bases for these, so can't claim the full 10 points each, 8 perhaps?

So that's me done..  for points 

7 x 28mm Daleks = 35 (and  Squirrel Point!) even I'm not cheeky enough to claim these as 28mm vehicles for 20 points each...  

2 x 28mm Benders = 10

9 x 28mm Cavalry @ 8? = 72

3 planet bonus = 60 

A total of 177 for the last submission..  

Final squirrel points = 14

1/200 WW2 Japanese Aircraft

1/200 WW2 US Aircraft

1/200 WW2 British Aircraft

1/200 WW2 German Aircraft

1/144 WW1 British Aircraft

1/144 WW1 German Aircraft

28mm German Armour

28mm Japanese Armour

28mm 12th SS Panzer infantry

28mm Indian Mutiny Sepoys

28mm Dr Who

28mm Daleks

28mm Austrian Napoleonic

28mm (and larger!) Fantasy

phewwww....it's been a blast.

___________________________

Haha! A great final dash within the home system. Well done Doug.

- Curt

 

 

From DougM - Lightning Elephants- Corsucant (sic) - (76 Points)

Not exactly a points bomb, and I am sure no surprise after my 1/200 Japanese WW2 aircraft...  this very versatile hex mat is no longer Kent, it is in fact, paddy fields on Asian islands. 

So first some Army Lightnings. The hard part was finding ways to make a very dull colour scheme a little bit interesting. 

And the Navy is here... F4F Wildcats. As usual, I didn't make them for a particular squadron, but kept them generic. 

Finally, you know when you think an 'army' is finished, and you spot something? Well, it doesn't come much more 'Imperial' conflict than the Indian Mutiny, and who could resist a splendid (and very well priced) AW Miniatures Elephant drawn limber? I think this will be my Deployment Point for Sharp Practice.

That's my 'Imperial' for Coruscant planet bonus, making a total of:

12 x 10mm 'vehicles' @3 each = 36

1 x 28mm 'vehicle' @20 = 20

Planet Bonus = 20 for a total of 76 points. 

Hopefully more to come this week... 

And Squirrels..  now up to 10 I think.

• 1/200 WW2 Japanese Aircraft
• 1/200 WW2 US Aircraft
• 1/200 WW2 British Aircraft
• 1/200 WW2 German Aircraft
• 1/144 WW1 British Aircraft (not quite enough for WW1 German Aircraft (doh!))
• 28mm German Armour
• 28mm 12th SS Panzer infantry
• 28mm Indian Mutiny Sepoys
• 28mm Dr Who
• 28mm Austrian Napoleonics

I was curious about the content of this post based on the title.  I was kind of expecting Incendiary Pigs or some other Anti-elephant ploy that used to exist on the WRG army lists.  However I am well satisfied with what you've presented Doug.  Love the aircraft and that Elephant is just the bees' knees.  Really good work on the saddle blanket and mahout. 

From DougM: Arrakis - a Dry and Dusty place, enlivened by restless Natives (415 points)

I have had my Arrakis submission ready for a week or so, I was just hoping my 'Arid' mat would arrive from Tiny Wargames in time to provide the groundwork...  but sadly, not yet, so here they are. I am also waiting for a flag to arrive... so a bare staff in the meantime I'm afraid.

A contingent of mutinous Sepoys, Badmashes and Wallahs, all based (in my usual style) for Sharp Practice 2 on one penny coins, magnets and Warbases MDF sabots.  

The figures themselves are from AW Miniatures, who just before Christmas were running a very generous 30% off sale, and so I picked myself up this lot. Arguably they are not as finely detailed as some other manufacturers, but when you are painting en masse, they have a ton of character. And this is my first experiment with Contrast Paints, and I have to say this have worked really well. 

I actually said to myself that this was the force finished...  ha!  Then of course realised I fancied adding some Bengal Light Cavalry and an Elephant to tow the artillery...  so hopefully I get them finished before the Challenge ends.

I'm claiming Arrakis as this basing says dry and dusty to me.. !  Next cab off the rank, their British opponents. Now, who makes a good Flashman figure? 

Points = 

77 x 28mm figures @ 5 = 385

1 x 28mm Artillery @10 = 10

Planet Bonus = 20

Total = 415...  and definitely another Squirrel...

From DaveD

AAAh a Friday kaboom - very nice . Finished ... finished .. oh yeah ... lets see those Nellies... cracking work Doug love em . You can find "Flash" Harry in the Giants in Miniature range 

From SanderS: Humpday at Docherty's Docks (110 pts)

Hoi,

The dust clouds willow above Cook's Crevasse as a small caravan leaves this landmark on it's way to Docherty's Docks. It is accompanied by the braying of... camels!

"Corr Williams, how's Lord Campell doing?" the redcoated soldier supports his comrade who's looking a bit the worse for wear, as he takes a peak into the doolie carried by two carriers. His browncoated fellow raises his weary head and looks at the carrying bed as well: "well dear Millsy, he's going off his rocker for sure. He's babbling about climbing up Peaks in search for treasure, paragliding - whatever that may be-, arranging his garden and something with balloons and champaign." Williams raises his brow and shakes his head: "I can't stand balloons, awfull things really." Corporal Millsy nods symphatically and shrugs "I think Lord Campbell is groing a lot of white hairs lately and to be honest he seems a tinge blue to me too."

-

Their intellectual discussion is interrupted by some loud Bactrian noises and curses coming from the back of the caravan. "SODDIT! Millenium-hand-and-shrimp!" the sounds are coming from one of two rotan baskets hanging off the sides of a ship of the desert. From the other one a rather more coherent voice speaks up "Private Roussel mind the language you horrible little badger!" more whining emerges from the other basket "But Sergeant-Major Docherty, I got my arse stuck in this infernal contraption, I was only trying to get into a different pose, my budgie smuglers keep riding up!" The sergeant-major bristles with silent outrage at this un-soldierly behaviour. "You really are a disgrace you sorry excuse for a soldier, stop pretending to be a sandbag and stand to you daft..." more camel braying and dust clouds prevent us from hearing the sergeant's opinion of poor private Roussel.

In a crop of palmtrees a couple of locals anxiously watch the proceedings. "Da? Do you think the British have noticed us?" a young lad, he just could be 8 years old is carrying his father's sword and shield while the latter is pouring a tanker of arrack from a skin. "Well I think they're rather busy feeling sorry for themselves so no I don't think they did." His son doesn't seem to be put at ease. "Yeah, but dad, we did nick these camels from the British army, won't they be mad when they find out?" His dad smiles "Son, the real British army is hard as nails and would surely have our hides off our backs for taking these poor beasties, but that lad over there would be better off at home in their own cold lands, sitting in some dingy dark room painting toy soldiers..."

Off course DaveD would ask us to do something with camels and having loads of Indian Mutiny figures still in cue, I jumped at this opportunity. The two prone camels (nicked by Indian Arthur and Sander) are actually camels gifted to me by the great man himself during our Camel-duel last year, or was that two years ago Dave? Time flies when you're painting camels for sure.

Now as to scoring these, since none of the camels is actually mounted by just one figure I am going to score them all as single 28mm foot figures, including Curt in his doolie carrying bed. That amounts to:
- 11 figures + 3 camels = 14 x 5 =  70 points, which together with the 30 points of the Docks is a nice round 100 points for the total!

So now I am off painting stuff to hitch a ride in a Balloon: in real life I REALLY hate balloons, sorry dear lady Sarah. Oh and guess what I hate as well? Yup, champagne...

From DaveD - ah Sander that’s an excellent tale of camel skulduggery - and I am not not just talking  about Ray there. Very nicely executed camels there to. So a classic Docherty’s Dock entry on Hump day I reckon earns 110 points

From NoelW: Gone but not frogotten : Millsy’s Millpond: (10 points)

Last time we were here, we came across a rather rude frog. And here he is again!

“Ribbit!”

“What do you mean ‘kiss me’?”

I look at my corporal quizzically: “You speak amphibian?”

My men are a continual surprise.

“I had a somewhat misspent youth.”

“With frogs?”

His face reddens: “Don’t jump to any conclusions. Mainly just leapfrog.”

“And this one wants you to kiss him? Her? It?”

“It’s a well-known fact. Well, motif. Well, cliché of the lazy writer. If you kiss a frog, it’ll be restored to its original human self and shower the kisser with treasure.”

“Or warts?” I suggest. But his last word strangely interests me. It’s certainly worth a try, if treasure is involved.

“Ok, Corporal. Or, let’s say, Sergeant, shall we? Give the amorous amphibian what it desires.”

With an unexpected lack of reluctance my newly elevated sergeant leans down to the frog and, well, surprise, surprise, there’s a flash of absolutely no light at all, no sound of thunder, not even a whisper of wind, and where there was a frog and a sergeant suddenly I’ve no frogs and two sergeants. Frankly, given the way things have been going with sergeants lately, I’d confidently expected to have two frogs.

“Good to have you back,” I say to the newly reintegrated sergeant, as he's escorted shakily back into line.

“Ribbit,” he says.

I interpret this to mean “It’s surely time to put all this behind us and be on our way to Benito’s Brook.”

---

This was a difficult one, finding a vignette of early figures for Millsy's delight, so a slight compromise. The figures are definitely from pre-2000, but I don’t know exactly when, acquired from a miscellaneous collection at a Bring and Buy. They’re Wargames Foundry Indian Mutiny figures. I’ve no plans for a British 1850s army in India, but they’ll be fine as part of my Cape Wars collection. The Brits in these wars, against Xhose, Boer and various other groups, wore various motley uniforms on campaign (which was most of the time) and as the wars cover pretty much 100 years (1779-1879) most variants of uniform over the first three quarters of the nineteenth century are acceptable.

Score: 2 x 28mm figs: 10 points

MilesR: An excellent story to match two excellent figures.  Your pointology is a bit off as you forgot your 30 bonus points.  Never fear, that's what minions are for.  Well that and lots of menial tasks Curt assigns us which were hidden in the contract and are - well, perhaps I digress here.  40 points for you!



Edited by TamsinP - the location bonus points were added by mistake (this is Noel's 2nd visit to the location) and have now been removed.

From SanderS - Indian Mutiny (233 points)

Hoi,

Just like the lad, I am feverishly painting stuff to reach my points target. Today's entry will be as close as I will get to a "points-bomb" this Challenge I think. Anyway, I was honoured to be chosen as a Minion last year and I learned that if you want to gain points fast you need to paint 28mm figures in regiments or more clearly in uniforms you can batch paint. Now I still have loads of projects on the unpainted pile that suite that bill like my Indian Mutiny figures. So I got at it and here's the result.

Let me explain that I started this project with Sharpe Practice as rule-set in mind hence the basing on sabbot bases with small units of 8 men each. It wasn't till much later that I realized I could use these for Black Powder as well at a pinch. So here are two British regiments of Foot and an artillery piece, most of them are Mutineer Miniatures with some Wargames Foundry stuff thrown in for diversity's sake.

The 32nd Regiment of Foot:

The 90th Light Infantry

I really like the 3 figures below:

A RFA piece with crew. These are Foundry figures which are basically for their China Expedition range but in time not too far off the mark.

Next up are 3 units for the Mutineers:

You will have noticed there are no tufts on the bases and no banner on the Indian standard pole, well I simply ran out of suitably coloured tufts and foolishly only ordered British banners from Iron Duke miniatures... dang will have to rectify that soon.

Pointswise these 44 foot figures (at 5 points each) and a gun (10 points) should be worth 230 points, but I could be wrong.

Cheers Sander

---

Good to hear there's a little child/parent rivalry going on in your household. If it keeps entries like these coming, I'm all for it! I need to read a little more as my knowledge of the Indian Mutiny is sorely lacking. Having said that I still love these minis and the colour palette you have used on them. As you may have noticed I have a thing for Artillery and I really like this gun team. 

As for running out of basic supplies, like the right colour tufts, that's something of an occupational hazard during the Challenge. I've had to make several panicked restock orders myself this year (thank crunchie for the Internet!). I'm awarding some extra points for these for the overall quality of the entry. 

Lee