From Barks: Who ate all the pies? (Gluttony) (44 points)

I painted a yellow Nurgle marine for the Challenge a few years ago- they're wonderfully ridiculously overdetailed, and quite draining to paint. But I enjoyed it, and a few more have landed in my pile of potential. Last year I painted a lot of zombies, and some had a more orange tint that I liked. So this is a new Nurgle lord that I'm using for 'Gluttony'. He's a cheerful chap, generously handing out Grandfather's gifts. I quite like the cartoony splashes of vibrant colours.

I'm very happy with the hot pustules on his knee. Ready to burst!

His cloak is crawling with maggots.

To get to this circle, I summoned these Ynfernael Hulks from the Descent boardgame. Over a white undercoat I painted the same orange as the marine (Army Painter Speed Paint 2.0 Zealot Yellow) and drybrushed them black then grey. I'm not quite satisfied with the eyes.

That's three big boys; each is on a 50mm base. I'm claiming 8 points each, and +20 for the Glutton.

3 x monsters 24 points

Gluttony +20 points

Can opener side duel +8

From Millsy:

The title of this post made me laugh out loud and for that you have my thanks Barks! If there's anything more appropriate for the Gluttony bonus then I have no idea what it is.

He's absolutely revolting and I love him, from the tip of his hideous pestilent horns to the tips of his disgusting pus filled boots. The saturated green really gives off a vibe of something clearly not right and the yellow armour is a great choice as it really works and I'm sure I've never seen yellow Death Guard before.

Chuck in a couple of creepy lava monsters and you're earned a tidy 44 points. Nice one mate!

Cheers,
Millsy

From SimonM: Various Figures by "Papsikels Miniatures" (50 Points), Crimson Cowl by “Wizkids” (5 Points) & Lady Sarah’s Limousine (20 Points)

This 32mm Colonist Marine Cyborg Hero E-900 Exterminator is produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and was sent to me as a free STL (Standard Triangle Language) file as part of their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon". The miniature was produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and is clearly inspired by the “less-advanced, reprogrammed Terminator” played by Arnold Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 science-fiction film “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.

Pigmented using “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” paint range, the cyborg assassin was undercoated in Doom Death Black, dry-brushed using “Vallejo” Heavy Charcoal”, had his T-shirt ‘picked out’ in Cold Corpse Blue and drenched in Oblivion Black Wash. I next applied a little Sir Coates Silver and splash of (more) Oblivion Black Wash to his belt buckle and pistol, before using a combination of Glistening Gold and Battle Mud Wash on the killing machine’s cartridge belt.

The Terminator’s hair and boots were treated to some Cuirass Leather and (more) Battle Mud Wash, and his remaining skin picked out with a little Elven Flesh and watered-down “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade. His exposed exo-skeleton was given a layer of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash, before I dotted his robotic eye with a drop of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Lastly, to try and break up the all-black colour scheme, I gave his jacket a light dry-brush of more Cuirass Leather and blended this in with some additional Oblivion Black Wash.

Sticking with “Papsikels Miniatures”, I have also finished three 32mm Yurneyan Golem Exofist Mask figures using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer. Like “Arnie”, these were downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon” and were originally a quartet. However, one of the model’s arms failed to print – probably due to my overloading the build plate.

The 55mm tall sculpts are recognisably inspired by Ridley Scott’s 2012 science fiction film “Prometheus” and were predominantly painted using “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats paint” range. They were all primed with a double helping of Gravestone Blue, shaded using Oblivion Black Wash and dry-brushed with (more) Gravestone Blue. This really helped bring out all the partly organic looking details of their survival suits.

However, I thought the “Space Jockeys” looked a little bland so decided to pick out their stomachs, fingers and throats using a combination of Sir Coates Silver and Oblivion Black Wash. This somewhat tied into some of the pictures I have seen of the alien’s costumes for the movies, which appear to have a somewhat silvery/fleshy sheen to them. As a final step I applied Ivory Tusk to their heads, washed these areas with watered-down “Citadel” Carroburg Crimson, and dotted their eyes with Doom Death Black.

Alongside my (not) Terminator and (not) Engineers I have also pigmented seven more 32mm scale E-800 Exterminators by "Papsikels Miniatures". These could be downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" The Exterminator December 2022 subscription service and are clearly based upon James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd's science-fiction "Terminator" franchise.

Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, I undercoated the figures with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, then gave each killer robot a double-helping of Sir Coates Silver from “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” paint range and a generous splash of Oblivion Black Wash. Each android was then carefully dry-brushed with (more) Sir Coates Silver and had their eyes picked out with a spot of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

Lastly, due to wanting their metallic hand-weapons to stand out a little bit from the rest of the E-800 Exterminators, I applied a second shade of Oblivion Black Wash to all the firearms and any ammunition feeds they were carrying.

My last figure for this week’s submission was pigmented simply to let me take Lady Sarah’s Limousine from the Super-Heroes studio to the Books studio. It is a 28mm scale pre-painted plastic model of the Crimson Cowl which was produced by “Wizkids” and is miniature number 091 from their old Marvel “Heroclix” Ultimates range. “The mysterious boss of the Masters of Evil” Justine Hammer’s alter-ego was created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley for the April 1997 issue of "Thunderbolts" by "Marvel Comics".

Removed from the figure's flying 'clicky' base and super-glued upon a plastic 25mm circular base, the super-villain was treated to a double-coat of “Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats” Sanguine Scarlet and shaded in "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. She was then heavily dry-brushed with (more) Sanguine Scarlet, before having her eye slits spotted with a smidgeon of Skulker Yellow and “Citadel” Reikland Fleshshade.

Nine x 32mm scale foot figure = 45 Points

One x 28mm scale foot figure = 5 Points

Two x 32mm scale half foot figure = 5 Points

Lady Sarah’s Limousine = 20 Points

Total = 75 Points

From SimonM: Proto Keelers + E-800 Exterminators by "Papsikels Miniatures" (40 Points)

These two 32mm scale Proto Keelers are produced by "Papsikels Miniatures" and were sent to me as a free STL (Standard Triangle Language) file as part of their PAPSIPACK Welcome Models subscription set on "Patreon". The miniatures were produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer and are clearly inspired by the fledgling xenomorphs seen in Ridley Scott's 2017 science fiction action horror film "Alien: Covenant".

Unfortunately, one of the sculpts' hind legs repeatedly misprinted due to the area's pre-built supports failing, so I decided to strengthen the offending limbs by placing a couple of skulls produced by "Encounter Terrain" directly behind them. Both models were then super-glued onto a pair of "Citadel" plastic 40mm circular bases, primed using a couple of layers of "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey, and shaded with "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson.

I next gave the two figures a light dry-brush of (more) "Vallejo" Heavy Warm Grey followed by a lighter dusting of plain White. Disappointingly, disaster struck at this stage with one of the aliens' arms snapping completely off. Luckily, the Water Washable Resin really takes super-glue well, so I was able to reattach the offending limb and continue on my merry way with only a night's delay. In addition, the elbow joint is arguably stronger now than it was before breaking.

In order to try and blend the dry-brushing together a bit better I swamped each miniature with a watered-down wash of (more) "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson and subsequently picked out the softly-detailed mouths with a combination of "Vallejo" White and "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Lastly, I decided to bloody the xenomorphs up a bit, as seen in the motion picture, so repeatedly dipped a torn piece of sponge into some diluted "Citadel" Flesh Tearers Red, and sporadically dabbed each model with the Contrast Paint. This technique seemed to work rather well, and also allowed me to 'cover over' any mistakes, as well as the aforementioned broken joint.

Alongside my two Proto Keelers I have also pigmented seven 32mm scale E-800 Exterminators by "Papsikels Miniatures". These could be downloaded for free as part of a set of STL (Standard Triangle Language) files from their "Patreon" The Exterminator December 2022 subscription service, and are clearly based upon James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd's science-fiction "Terminator" franchise.

Produced using "Elegoo" Water Washable Resin on a Mars 3 Pro 3D Printer, I thought these figures would be a good subject with which to try out some more of Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats paint range. So having primed the figures with some "Citadel" Abaddon Black, I gave each killer robot a double-helping of Sir Coates Silver and a generous splash of Oblivion Black Wash.

Each android was then carefully dry-brushed with (more) Sir Coates Silver and had their eyes picked out with a spot of Demon Red and a dab of "Citadel" Carroburg Crimson. Finally, due to wanting their metallic hand-weapons to stand out a little bit from the rest of the E-800 Exterminators, I applied a second shade of Oblivion Black Wash to all the firearms and any ammunition feeds they were carrying.

Two x 32mm scale foot figure = 10 Points

Five x 32mm scale foot figure = 25 Points

Two x 32mm scale half foot figure = 5 Points

Total = 40 Points

Minion Miles: very sci-fi, very scary - nice!

From StuartL - Challenge Island Safari Journal - 3rd March (47 Points)

Long time, no see intrepid C.I.S.T.ers. Today the Challenge Island Safari Tour is on the move again, this time to the area known as Millsy's Millpond. Unlike some of the more rambunctious areas of the island, the millpond is a sedate place and very popular with our more venerable visitors.

As a case in point, a fellow tourist is already at the millpond. This ancient veteran of the Imperium dates back to the halcyon days of 1989, when men were men and xenos died to a quick jet of burning promethium.

"Nowadays, kids are twice as big and have no respect for first company veterans," grumbles the terminator, "All these Primary Marines and their bigly scales, they wouldn't have lasted 10 seconds in Space Hulk or Rogue Trader."

For the more detail oriented among you, this terminator's iconography and heraldry mark him out as a member of the Angels of Redemption, a 2nd Founding chapter of the Dark Angels. Also note the hazard stripes on his power fist, a requisite of the island's health and safety policy.

This doughty warrior was originally recruited through the ancient rites of eBay, back when individuals used it and it wasn't just a market tool for companies selling everything through the 'Buy It Now' option. Along with several others of his generation, our lone terminator here has remained in storage for a long time until called forth by the drumbeat of war (or the painting challenge in this case).

"Everything is digitally sculpted these days, no rough edges or wobbly lines," he sniffs disparagingly. "Where's the character, hmm? Disgraceful what they call grimdark, ruddy kids."

And it appears that this old geezer has settled down for a bit of a nap, so let's be on our way quietly and try not to wake him up.

----------

As I mentioned above, this model was bought a long time ago through eBay. I had plans to build up an all terminator army for 40K, but got distracted with one thing or another for 15 or so years. Sadly to say, that's probably not the longest that I have had something sitting around unpainted for. I chose this colour scheme as it was one that I had used around the time the model was purchased and figured I'd like to try it out again. I also tried to hand paint the chapter logo on the shoulder pad. It has reminded me of the two golden rules of painting split colour schemes like this.
Rule 1 for painting a split colour scheme is: Paint the lighter half first, you can tidy up any overlap with the darker colour.
Rule 2 for painting a split colour scheme is: Don't. (It's a right chew on if the model has no easily definable lines on it).

Anyway, that should net me 5 points for the mini, 30 for the location and a 10 point bonus as it is pre-1990. I don't think "I got it on eBay" is enough to count for a back story, so I'll settle for 45 points, which is generous enough for a single mini.

MilesR: Love the paint scheme - reminds me the late actor Frank Gorshin from an original Star Trek episode.  I score 40 fgures as 40mm so 7 points there rather than 5

From TomG - The Cleansing of Millsy's Millpond - 35 points

"Night closed in to the sounds of the wind finding it's melodious path through the reeds and rushes, frogs croaked and crickets chirped. All of a sudden, silence draped itself over the Millpond, as if darkness weighed heavily on the water. With the faintest breath of sound, a hooded figure stepped out of the water, leaving no ripples in their wake. As one, every creature exploded in to a cacophony of calls and shrieks, and yet nothing moved. What ever had arisen from the pond was old... Very old and very evil."

"With an explosion of static and bright light, the screaming stopped, replaced with the faint hum and whir of powered armour. Surrounded by rising steam stood a behemoth of death, a destroyer, a Terminator. Clad in yellow he was old, but he had a task to complete, he was here to cleanse the Millpond of evil once and for all!"

Well here he is, a 1990 Terminator Captain, which appears to be the oldest model in my house, however he was originally given to me by my father-in-law to use in games of Space Hulk with him and my wife. 8 years ago my wife and I visited the in-laws, on a small holding in Wales, this was the first time we had spent extended time with them. 

After a few games of this and that, I was given two terminator figures for my wife and I to paint up and ready for more games of Space Hulk, however one thing led to another and we didn't get to play it for a long time. Now when I received this mini he had been primed yellow, so to honour that colour scheme I resurrected the theme. For those in to 40k you'll recognise it as an Imperial Fist, however I had no chapter icon transfer, so instead used a generic skull, and yet it was the first transfer I had applied in nearly 20 years! Owing to this model only being 3 years younger than me (yup I'm still only turning 33 this year haha), it was fun to enjoy hobby nearly as old as me, but I'm pretty sure he's weathered that time better than me. Happy 30th birthday Terminator Captain! 

This model was a joy to paint and allowed me to try a new technique for painting yellow, which failed, but by trying something new in 2020 ticked one of my hobby goals for the year. Turning back to tried and tested techniques, I finished him off with a new resin base and some slime effect, possibly even some of the wasted waters from the millpond itself! My favourite part of this painting session was the chest piece; another new technique tried, but luckily this one worked, leaving a vibrant finish for very little effort. My favourite kind of effort. 

So I am going to be more confident with working out my score this time... 

28mm mini +5

Challenge Entry +30

Challenge Bonus +0 

Total = 35

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.

MilesR: wow a figure all the way back from 1990 - the veritable stone ages of gaming.  I do think cleansing the millpond of heresy will be an Augean task, but this chap seems to be up to the challenge.  Even more impressive is the fact your math is correct - nicely done!