From PeteB - Jean Hoefler Cowboys - 30 Points

 I was painting one of these figures for my confederate soldiers collection when a friend from Germany mentioned this figure as his favorite Jean Hoefler figure, and he called him "Fuzzy". Not knowing who was "Fuzzy" I started painting the same figure as a gift for him. So that is why you see two identical figures. The one with the sand color base is a gift for him.

Pity of his damaged nose.

 But that isn't the end of the story. I was to curious so I wanted to know, who is "Fuzzy". So i asked him and he sended me this picture. Ladies and gentlemen, meet "Fuzzy". Never heard or seen this guy but I like this funny guy already! 

So with this mystery solved, and as this is a painting challenge, I wanted to paint another one just like on the picture and now you can see the final result here. This one will also go to my friend in germany as a mystery gift. 

Thanks for watching!

Points: 3 x 54 mm foot figure = 30 Points

PS: I raise my target points to 500 Points!

From ByronM - Old West Lawmen and Cowboy [History Section, Overdue and Returns] (80 points)

Now that the Christmas season is over, I can actually get down to painting....  One of the projects I really wanted to work on this year is getting in some Old West gaming.  I designed a pile of Old West buildings over 5 years ago for my laser cutting business and sell a ton of them, but have never actually gotten them painted to play with since I never actually had many old west miniatures.  This year both issues have to be resolved...  I aim to paint up a selection of terrain and miniatures.

With that in mind, first up is a group of Old West Lawmen that I 3D printed.  The files are amazingly detailed and come from 3DBreed.com and are from their Join or Die: Wanted collection.

I have still been having issues with my eyes and focusing, making painting detail a real issue.  Just part of getting older, or so I am told.  So while I really wanted them in pin stripe suits and vests, I could hardly make out faces, let alone doing clean stripes, so I kept them extremely simple.

In fact, these were super fast to paint, as I primed grey, then white from above, and then used Vallejo Xpress paints for the most part.  Guns, buttons, badges, belts, and holsters were painted after.  Over all though while very simple and basic, I really like the effect.  

Also included is one other foundry old west cowboy that I painted up to match the one small gang I painted over a decade ago when thinking of playing old west games (but never getting around to it).  He is painted very roughly, with a lot of dry brushing and brush marks, all done on purpose to match the old figures and not my newer painting style.  I don't especially like him, but he does match the other characters I have painted from that era, so that is as much as I could have hoped for.

I am submitting the Lawmen as a historical entry, and the single cowboy as an overdue and return.  I know Curt would prefer separate entries, but I really don't think and entry with one figure (unless amazingly painted, which this one is most definitely NOT) is a great idea either, so this post covers 2 spots in the library.  Points should be 40 points for 8x 28mm figures and then another 40 points for the two theme bonuses, for a total of 80 points.

Ah well, we'll overlook the combining of locations just this once then ;-). It is an amazing entry, Byron. I have printed and painted some of the Join or Die figure myself, and I agree they are great. So is your painting, even if you yourself consider it a simple job. I can't really fault the conspicuous absence of pin stripes, as they look very well as they are! And they are lawmen and cowboys, no East Coast dandies, are they not? A fine job you have done on them, well worth the 80 points!

Martijn

From ScottC: Western Sheriffs [History] (110 points)

My first post of the new challenge, it was a very productive year off!

My first submission is a band of Sheriffs for an upcoming Legends of the Old West or What A Cowboy this winter.

Foot models: The Good Guys faction pack by Gunfighter's Ball - Knuckleduster. The mounted files are 3d prints by 3D Breed. All 28mm.

Elly

Chester

Arkansas

The Duke

Ol' Peg Leg 

Jimmie

And a Murder of obligatory crows!

Points:

Infantry  x6 = 30

Cavalry x 4 = 40

Crows I'm counting as 15mm infantry, 10 @2 points each =  20 points

Bonus Challenge points (history) = 20 points

Total = 110

TeemuL: Very nice cowboys, some of thdm look quite familiar. A productive start indeed!

Edit: I noticed an error on points and fixed it.

From PeterB Barbarians, Greeks and Cowboys - 322 points

 

 My journey last week stopped off at my first blue studio, Arthouse. This week, a swift journey around three more blue studios bringing me closer to a full house.

Up until now I have mostly been painting individual models to match the studios, now the groups begin. These have been in progress since the beginning of the challenge, my inability to paint large groups of models without getting bored means I was using the age old method of awarding myself with a character to paint if I made progress on a group project.

So, first stop Fantasy. During lockdown, I went a bit hobby crazy and went all out with the Frostgrave box sets. I built a human fantasy army for Dragon Rampant with the Soldiers 1 and 2 and the Wizards plastic sets. I also bought two boxes of Barbarians and combined them for the beginnings of a Barbarian army. So, when they released a Female Barbarian plastic box set, I had to get them. Dragon Rampant uses unit sizes of 6 and 12 and there are 20 Barbarians in the box. Luckily I had already 4 Bad Squiddo Shield Maiden Archers painted up which match up pretty well, so from the box I made up 8 Archers and 12 Barbarians with two handed weapons.

The Archers

Barbarians with two handed weapons

I kept them all to the same limited palette of colours and then just mixed up where the colours went. They are all then covered in Coat D'arms dark brown Super Shader to give them that grimy unwashed look to match the rest of the army.

Next on our whistle stop tour, over to studio Swords and Sandals.  One of my other hobby addictions of late has been buying the blue book range of Osprey War game rules (including the aforementioned Dragon Rampant.) Another one of the books being Of Gods and Mortals. A game system where the various gods from history and mythology skirmish battle accompanied by their worshipers. A long time ago after being inspired by the film 300 (Yep, that long ago) I had bought some Spartan warriors from the War-gods of Aegyptus range but painted them up and did nothing with them. Now I could use them for a Greek warband.

So, I needed a God and few more Greeks. At the end of the last challenge I painted up the Greek archers from a Victrix plastics box-set. I have finally got around to continuing the project.

Zeus, from the North Star, Of Gods and Mortals range

Not including his wild hair, Zeus is actually about 50mm tall, so that he towers of mere mortals.

Unarmoured Hoplites

Yes, the shields are transfers, but I couldn't resist them. They look so good.

And finally for this week our last stop, the Westerns Studio. Well, I have been meaning to finish off the rest of my plastic cowboys from Great Escape Games.

Yes the guy on the far right has the same head as Dum Dum Duggan from the other week.

I promise that's it for this week. So, to the points.

20 x Barbarians @ 28mm. 20 x 5 = 100pts

1 x Zeus @ 40mm. = 7pts

24 x Hoplites @ 28mm. 24 x 5 = 120pts

7 x cowboys @ 28mm. 7 x 5 = 35pts

3 studio visits. 3 x 20 = 60pts

Total = 322 points.

You are whizzing about the studios on this post Peter.  I am loving the barbarians (does any one else sing the Beach Boys Barbara Ann when they say that word?). Using the limited palette but switching combinations works well.

I also really like Zeus with his wild hair -  but you got expect some static zaps when you chuck lightning bolts?  Nice work on the Hoplites and your shield transfers look awesome.  Plus a nice collection of Cowboys.