From TeemuL: In the superhero lands [Superheroes][Limo] (62 points)

"Superhero movies have much in common with Tolkien's Middle-Earth, both of them are very clearly divided to good and evil. So there is lot to steal.. err... inspire from superhero movies regarding our Murin and Drar project. One of the key things is the arch-rival, I'm quite sure we need something like that to carry our story - at least if we are going the superhero way, let's see. Anyway, that is something for the script writers to worry about, we can focus on action and special effects. But since we are here at the studio, let's take a look at these superheroes here on the left before we take a taxi ride to Westerns..."

For my superhero studio I present pretty much every superhero miniature I have. These three came from a YourModelBox box some time ago and they are from Warlord Games for Strontium Dog, which says nothing to be, but I learnt that it means Judge Dredd. I don't know much about Judge Dredd either, I have seen the Stallone movie, but that's about it.

I painted these with Contrast paints, the guy on the right is most likely a judge and from the good side. The other two probably are not and I have painted them in different colours than judge. I think them as underhive people, but I don't know if such things exist in Mega City One. All the colours choices are mine, I vaguely remember Judge Dredd being in black-yellow-and-red, and those are the colours I chose for the good guy. I hope I don't offend any Judge Dredd fans with this post. :)

And then there is this thing, which I believe is at least related to the superhero worlds, if not a superhero by itself. This is Pting from Doctor Who series. It is from Warlord Games, too, and I got it from their mystery box last autumn. Doctor Who is even a bigger mystery than Judge Dredd, but based on my knowledge from this Challenge, it can be categorized as a superhero world, at least if thinking loosely.

This is plastic, while the Strontium Dogs were metal, and very small. Take a look at the top photo. I learnt from internet, that one of the colours valid for these is red, so I painted him red. And the thing it is carrying, I painted in metal and yellow, because those were the colours I saw on the mini while researching in the net. Very simple paint job. Sorry again, if I offend any Doctor Who fans. :)

Once again I need a limo to take me to a better place. I have something almost done for western, but I can't get there without help. I wonder how I always seem to corner myself this way... This lovely lady is Tughaib of the Spirits, Mithril M166, for supporting the MERP range. Not the goodest person, so I painted her in similar darkish colours as the Strontium Dogs baddies. Nice and characterful mini. And she will provide me a ride the Westerns studio.

From manufacturer: "Tughaib, or "Tughaib of the Spirits" is a handsome woman, born of the harsh highlands of the Misty Mountains. Said to have Elven blood, she was tall, strong and wily. She had a power, born perhaps of that rumoured Elven blood, but also the product of long years of training and learning at the feet of the priest Eribhen who gave her the Ghostbane Staff in heritage.
With the power of the staff, she was able to bend unquiet spirits to her will. There, in the foothills of the Misty Mountains, overlooking the barren crags of the Dunmen, she dreamed of becoming a power, a queen of ghosts.
History does not tell precisely what happened to Tughaib of the spirits, but the wise believe some brave souls slew her, and scattered her army of dark things to the spring winds in the mountains."

And then the points: 4 minis of 28mm category is 20 points.

1 mini (Pting) in 15mm category is 2 points.

2 locations (Superheros and Limo) is 40 points.

That is 62 in total, if the minion approves.

Minion Miles: I approve!

From TamsinP: Morks (Calling Orsons?) - Docherty's Dock (102 points)

In the universe of Strontium Dog, there is a need to get around on the various colony worlds. Morks were found on one planet and have successfully adapted to many other colony worlds which frequently have large Mork farms or ranches to breed them. As well as being useful as mounts and beasts of burden, they are also a good source of meat (albeit rather tough) and leather.

On such worlds, these hardy beasts are favoured as mounts by outlaws and bounty hunters, as well as by ordinary colonists.


Bubo and the Bad Boys

Bubo and the Bad Boys are Howlers (you may remember Darkus and friends from my post last year), an alien race that frequently prey on colonists.

After one raid by this gang, Johnny and Wulf were contracted to track them down, catching them in the middle of a raid on a train bound from Jobsville.

During the fight, Bubo jammed the train's throttle open, causing it to derail while going over a bridge. Johnny was trapped inside, but Wulf saved him and took him to the nearest settlement for medical attention.

With Johnny being taken care of, Wulf set off on his own to exact vengeance on Bubo's gang.

Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer

But what if you need to cover long distances fast? Morks are no good for that, which is where hoverbikes come in:

For this trip, Johnny and Wulf have been joined by The Gronk, their alien friend who has medical expertise (but multiple poor, weak heartsies).

And that completes my Strontium Dog collection - I have now painted every miniature in the range (twice for the Stix).

I did check with Dave and he was quite happy for the Morks to be classed as camel equivalents. However, just in case someone objects, here is a camel for you:

And finally a pic with all eight miniatures:

The Strontium Dog figures are from Warlord Games, the 15mm camel is (I think) from Donnington.

These were in fact the last of my planned figures for this year's Challenge. With another 5 and a bit days to go (as I write this on Sunday) I guess I might have to start on another project. The question is which one?

For Scoring:
7 x 28mm mounted* @ 10 = 70 points
1 x 15mm camel @ 2 = 2 points
Docherty's Dock = 30 points

Total = 102 points

* It would be rude to try to claim these as being 40mm figures - they were from Wave 1 where the figures were generally smaller than those of the later waves.

***
Nice work Tamsin, as always.  During the Painting Challenge we always get the chance to see figures for settings and periods I had never heard of and would not consider myself. "Strontium Dog" is not quite my thing, but wow these posts with the figures from the range have been a lot of fun to read and to enjoy - neat, creative back stories and, of course, great painting.  Well done!

As for scoring, if you say 102 points, well, then that's 102 points for you. 

GregB

From TamsinP: Mutant Army Generals (35 points)

The devastating nuclear wars of the 22nd century resulted in many people being born with mutations. In New Britain, the bigoted politician Nelson Bunker Kreelman (secretly the father of the mutant Johnny Alpha, whom he despised) came to power on a wave of anti-mutant bias. On becoming a Government Minister he enacted laws preventing mutants from being employed or owning businesses, buying food for themselves and forcing them to live in ghettoes, Milton Keynes being one of he largest.

At the age of 12, having been locked away in isolation by his father, Johnny Alpha escaped and made his way to join the Mutant Liberation Army. He quickly rose through the ranks and was made second in command of the South West Division when he was only 16.

In the mid-2160s, when mutants began being forced into labour camps, many fled and joined the ranks of the Mutant Liberation Army.

In 2167 there was a mutant uprising, which saw Johnny and several other leading mutants invading Upminster (the floating governmental city). The mutants' leaders were forced to surrender in the face of  mass executions of mutants. Kreelman used the uprising as an excuse to enact a law which would see all mutants exterminated.

Aided by Johnny's mother and sister, the leaders escaped and led a second uprising to prevent the genocide. This time they were successful and resulted in King Clarkie and the Prime Minister drafting a new law which gave mutants a better deal. The price for this was that the surviving leaders had to go into exile off Earth and never return. They also found out from his sister, Ruth, that Johnny was Kreelman's son and blackmailed him into resigning. His "Kreelers" were dissolved and a new police force to uphold the mutant laws was established (same people, different uniforms).


During last year's Challenge you met two of the Mutant Liberation Army's generals - Johnny Alpha and Middenface McNulty. Now you get to meet some more of them


General Armz

Armz was the leader of the Mutant Liberation Army's South West Division. He became a father figure to Johnny Alpha and died in his arms after being shot in the back several times during the assault on Westminster Abbey.

Studs Boyce

William James "Studs" Boyce was the leader of the Midlands Division of the Mutant Liberation Army.  He died during the prison break after the Westminster Abbey assault.

 The Torso

George "The Torso from Newcastle" Moore was leader of the Tyne and Weirdies. Lacking a larynx, he can't speak and his many pearls of wisdom are lost. He communicates with sign language and became a skilled pilot. After the second mutant uprising, he joined the other surviving leaders in exile and became a bounty hunter with the Search/Destroy Agency.

Evans The Fist

Huw Rees Evans "The Fist" was leader of the Welsh Division. His very powerful right arm grows out of his head. As with the other surviving leaders, he became a S/D agent when exiled, participating in the capture of the mutant terrorist William Blood Moon. He was also one of the leaders in the Second Mutant War.

Clacton Fuzz

Covered all over in thick, dark hair Claude "Clacton Fuzz" Ince was leader of the South East Division. He died when an incendiary round set for to his hair., uttering his last words "Muties forever!".

His son, Frinton Fuzz, went on to become a S/D agent.

These figures are from Warlord Games and stand just shy of 40mm. I'll leave it up to whichever minion looks after this post to decide whether to score them as 40mm or somewhere between 28mm and 40mm.


From DaveD - more 40mm goodness - cracking stuff - 35 pts it is. 

From TamsinP: Scum and Villainy (25 points)

What? You thought this was going to be a Star Wars themed submission? Oh well, never mind.

These three nasties are from the "Scum of the Universe" pack for the Strontium Dog game



Kansyr

Kansyr was an alien criminal, from the planet Laz, who had killed one of Johnny Alpha's earlier partners - Johnny severed Kansyr's right hand with a shot in that incident.

Kansyr was the villain in a very early storyline in Starlord (issues 6 & 7). He had stolen the Halugin device (which causes targets to suffer controlled hallucinations) during the incident on Laz and used it to establish himself as a crime boss on the planet Metastis.


Billy-Joe

A deadly mutant criminal, Billy-Joe is a two-faced murdering git. In case you are wondering Billy has the beard, Joe has the 'tache. He had been the Spice System las-whip champ for 16 years, when Johnny and Wulf were set after him by the corrupt chief of police on the planet Paprika.

Left for dead after their initial encounter, Johnny trains with the las-whip in a travelling alien circus*, eventually drawing Billy-Joe out to fight him. Johnny is outmatching him, so his gang try to intervene, in the ensuing chaos Billy-Joe tries to slip away but is spotted and followed by Johnny. Facing each other atop some animal cages, Johnny uses his whip to sever the bars under Billy-Joe's feet, dropping him into the cage of a hungry Smiling Chukwalla.


* It is in this story that Johnny and Wulf meet the Gronk (disguised as a Gypsy fortune teller, healer) who goes on to accompany them on many of their adventures.


Steelkreeg

On the planet Zdwhkkrswrld (Zed for short), an ancient death-rite "The Killing" is held annually where up to 100 combatants enter the arena (a cleared city quadrant) and fight until only one remains alive. The survivor wins a reward of one billion Zeddies (should the Despots of Zed permit them to survive...)

One year, knowing that most entrants are criminals with termination warrants on their heads, Johnny and Wulf enter with the intention of collecting bounties. One of their last opponents is Steelkreeg, the android murderer who has ensconced himself in the bell tower of a temple, hiding out until almost all the other combatants are dead. Despite all Steelkreeg's tricks, he is destroyed, leaving Johnny and Wulf to face their final opponents, the Osmongs.

As the last two survivors, Johnny and Wulf are expected to fight each other to the death, but slip away using a time bomb pre-set to deposit them on a different planet.

Even after his destruction , Steelkreeg manages more kills - when the Despots of Zed ascend the temple's bell tower, they set off a landmine he had placed in one of the steps.

These were another quick paint job during a long wait period on my Snowlord's Peak piece (which should be my next submission - it's almost there now!). As for points, these are actually bigger than the Stix from yesterday - Warlord seem to suffer scale creep between waves of releases for their games, especially weird when they are using the same sculptors and the waves were at most two months apart. I'd suggest that it's fair to score them as 40mm foot.

***

Great work Tamsin! I have to say, when I saw "Scum and Villainy" in the title I just assumed it was yet ANOTHER post for Rousell's Sandhill...

These look great.  Kansyr in particular strikes me a blend of terrorist, monster and Sesame Street puppet character.  What a great combo, and what great colours.  Some fine brushwork all around here - in particular that las-whip looks super nice. 

I shall score these scale-creeping creeps as 40mm foot - BUT will toss in a few extra points for the coolness value.  So that's 25 points for you. 

And now we are all pumped to see your answer to the Snow Lord's Challenge!

GregB