From MartinN: Sigurd - Fáfnir's Bane (17 Points)

Continuing on from last years theme I'm back, or better still painting away on my Middle Imperial Roman project for Midgard. My Romans are more or less done, so I've to do the opposition now it seems.

Last year I painted Brynhild, so I thought it only sensible to now paint Sigurd (Siegfried for us Germans). While the whole epic cycle around Sigurd probably refers to a later period than what I'm going for with my 3rd Century Romans, we don't really know and that's excuse enough for me.

The figures used are from Footsore Miniatures, Victrix and Armorum & Aquila Miniatures and go together quite well. Converting the chap mockingly holding up the severed head, was fun and indeed the reason to paint this whole little vignette. Sigurd and his banner bearer were collecting dust in my stash for over a decade already, but I couldn't think of a way to tell an interesting story with any of the figures I found. I love the defiant pose of the sculpt, so it had to be something special. And when I happened upon the Dark Age Archers set from Victrix I instantly knew I was on to something. Good thing I'll need archers anyway for this project, eh?

Points wise this will see me enter the roster with 17 points for 3 standing and a prone figure in addition to whatever points our Maximo Lider sees fit to throw in for the hand painted shields.

Cost of Entry

Since the beginning of the full scale invasion of Ukraine, I'm donating monthly to Ukrainian charity Come Back Alive Foundation who provide both lethal and non-lethal aid to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Also US based Renegade Relief Runners Foundation, who deliver aid to settlements as close and sometimes closer to the frontline as is safe(-ish), gets a monthly donation. Both do sterling work, so go and check them out.

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First, welcome back to the Challenge, Nick!

I love that you've completed the book-end to your Brynhild with this fabulous Siegfried vignette. As usual your brushwork continues to amaze, only to be outdone by your subtle conversions and additions. I find your fleshtones, fabrics and painted shields are simply incredible - a tour de force to be admired. Well done, Nick (and another 5 points I think is warranted for the work)!

Also to be credited is your donations to the two Ukrainian charities you mentioned. Those folks need all the help they can get. Very worthwhile.

- Curt

From MartinN: Middle Imperial Roman Lanciarii & the joys of rebasing [30pts]

The challenge is drawing to a close and neither have I been as productive as I had planned -not that I was expecting much, mind- nor have I been as active on here as I had intended. While I'm sitting here at my desk I can gaze upon all the figures that I set out to paint this year and it's a bit of a sobering sight. But you're not here to see me dwell on my failures, are you?

Over the last three weeks I managed to convert and paint 5 more Middle Imperial Romans for my fledgling Midgard force. This time it wasn't the heavy infantry type Legionary, but my interpretation of the somewhat enigmatic Lanciarii. We're not really certain as to how these troops fought, or indeed how they were equipped. Rather than regurgitate arguments of men far more knowledgeable as I, I simply present you with my representation of these enigmatic troops, as I’m sure you can use google just as well as I if you’re curious. I for one settled on elite light infantry, armed with short throwing spears for harrassing enemy troops, as well as large oval shields and the Spatha, making them capapble of facing an enemy head on if need be. I was undecided if I should give them helmets, but in the end decided against for no other reason than the rule of cool.

The figures are a mix of A&A and converted Victrix and again I'm rather pleased how they work together. I also used parts of the different Victrix sets to convert some of the A&A figures as frankly I find them a little dated by now. To reinforce the elite status they were all painted wearing the same clothes, very much opposed to my usual view on uniformity in the pre-modern era, with purple ornamental stripes. Rather eye catching I think. Shields are again painted by hand.

So, why then do I just claim 5 figures when clearly there are 10 on the photos? Well, I had already painted a brace of 5 figures a while ago and having had to rebase them anyway for use with Midgard, I decided to intermix them with their newer counterparts. Seems like not much has changed in my painting approach over the last couple of years.

Anyway, 5 figures á 5 points each is 25 points in total. Hurrah!

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What a treat these are Martin! I would be looking at the untouched minis as a "pile of potential" if these are anything to go by!

I know all too well the 'fun' of rebasing having done it last year with my Caesarian Romans, but if it brings a new lease of life for them then its worth it. They look wonderfully dynamic like that too.

...and take a few bonus points to the crisp details and lovely hand painted shields!

- Paul

From MartinN: 3rd Century AD Roman Legionaries/ Limbo (70 points)

This week too I'm running with the Middle Imperial/ Late Roman theme from last week. This time I've brought with me a base of Legionaries, which can clearly be dated to the first half of the 3rd century by their old style semi-cylindrical shield. Also the broad leather balteus, from which the Spatha was suspended, which had by then superseded the earlier Gladius short sword. Most of the Legionaries are sporting the -in my humble opinion- rather fashionable Niederbieber type helmet, also dating to the 2nd to 3rd century. As for armour they're wearing a hodgepodge of Lorica Squamata (scales), Lorica Hamata (chainmail) and the rather famous Lorica Segmental (banded metal strips), that is featured in so many Hollywood movies.

The figures themselves are a mix of Armorum & Aquila Miniatures, which by now are rather dated but almost the only commercially available figures for the 3rd century. Then there's a single Wargames Atlantic miniature from their Late Roman Legionaries set. The set fits the 3rd century almost perfectly with the inclusion of the Niederbieber helmet, but I find the details on the plastic rather soft and the Spathae much too large. That said they paint up OK. Also included are three heavily converted figures from Victrix Limited' Late Romans. To make them suitable I gave them heads from Aventine Miniatures, sculpted on the broader Balteus and designed and 3D printed  Spathae/ appropriate scabbards and Pugiones, the famous Roman daggers. Despite being noticeably larger than the other figures I do think they work together rather well. Shields are a mix of Aventine and A&A.

Painting wise I tried to give them a somewhat uniform appearance by using broadly the same colours, without painting them all the same. Personally I find it highly doubtful that Roman Legionaries ever wore anything approaching a uniform. For the shields I went with free hands and frankly, I had a blast. While at first I found it a rather daunting undertaking, I quickly realized I quite liked the look. So much so that by now I have more of those shields already painted than Legionaries waiting in the painting queue. First world problems I guess.

As some of the figures were already started before the challenge, in fact they had lain partly painted in my cupboard for a few years already, I'm claiming the Limbo bonus for this bunch.

So what do we have here?

Eight 28mm infantry plus the Limbo Bonus should give me 60 points plus whatever our dear minion is prepared to throw in for the hand painted shields and conversions.

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Well Nick, I have no doubt that I speak for all Challengers when I say "holy crap, this looks f**king amazing!" Your brushwork is, as ever, top shelf stuff. The conversions are amazing - and you know this because, absent you telling me/us about the conversions, we would not realize they were present, so seamless and smooth does everything look. 

In particular I am impressed that you managed to squeeze Victrix models in there. While I appreciate the quality of the Victrix sculpts, their giant size has turned me away from making purchases as they seem to loom of every other type of sculpt out there. 

Seeing your Romans always inspires me to say "one, day, I'll paint some Romans!". One day...

I award 10 bonus points for hand painting shields (!!), conversions and general amazing-ness. 

70 points for you in total!

GregB

From AlanD - Final Shots for AHPC XIV (40 Points)

My final entry for this year is another unit for my growing Palmyran army for To the Strongest! 8 figures for 40 points gets me over the line for 1000 points, and I'm happy with that. 

Thanks to everyone for another wonderful year of focused hobby madness, and particularly to Curt for the vision and continuing enthusiasm for making all this possible. Many thanks also to the minions, and particularly to 'our' antipodean minion Millsy for all his hard work and good humour. A highlight this year has been the Tuesday night paint chats, which I have thoroughly enjoyed whenever I've been able to get along to them. Best wishes to you all, and may your brushes stay pointy.

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Wow, beautiful brushwork once again Alan. I'm in awe of your patience in doing all the detailed work on the textiles - gorgeous. I've very much enjoyed watching your Palmyran project unfold. It's going to be a very impressive force when it's all completed. 

I'm delighted that you had a good Challenge and hope to see you with us when the call goes out late November.

 

- Curt

From AlanD - Palmyran Hump Day (20 points)

 I have never painted a camel before this week. They were quite fun, and easier than horses, I think.

These two join my Palmyran army, acting as scouts.They look pretty Romanised, but I guess that wouldn't have been too unusual in third-century Palmyra. 

Apologies for the quality of the photos! And good luck to everyone as we enter the last few days of the challenge. I'm hoping to beat 1000 points, but it is going to be tight.

From Millsy: I'm sure your camels have made DaveD's say just that little bit brighter Alan. I know from experience he gets the hump when nobody paints camels. You've nailed the coat colours and done some lovely work on the basing too mate. Nice work!

From AlanD - Palmyran Infantry (105 points)

Production in the Paining Challenge has slowed a bit recently as the term gets busier. However, this week I manged to get a couple of bases of Palmyran infantry finished for my To The Strongest! army. 

The figures are from A&A, and at the risk of repeating what I say in every post: I really love painting them! The hand painted banner depicts Baalshamin, one of the main gods of Palmyra. 20 figures in total, so 100 points please Millsy!

From Millsy: Every unit you add to this army is a treat to see Alan. There's so much to like about these from the basing, to the palette, to the hand painted shields and banner once again. I'm really keen to see a photo of the force at the end of the Challenge so we can see it in all it's glory. Cracking work!

From AlanD - Roman Allies for Palmyra (125 points)

This week I have finished the Romans who will form a tough little allied contingent in my Palmyran army for To the Strongest! These are called auxiliaries in the TTS army list, although by the mid-3rd century AD it is fairly unclear what distinguished legionary from auxiliary units. I've painted these up as unarmoured infantry, to contrast them with the armoured legionaries from my last entry.

I've also painted a little command group for the Roman allies, hand painting Sol Invictus on the general's shield and Victoria on the vexillum. This design is based on the only known surviving Roman vexillum, discovered in Egypt and now in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. It amuses me that I seem to have painted her to resemble Princess Leia.

As with all this army, the figures are from A&A Miniatures, a range that is firmly within my top three figure ranges of all time. 23 of them this week, so adding 115 points to my total. Thanks Millsy!

From Millsy: Another wonderful set of Romans to add to your collection mate! Every unit seems to be showcasing more detailed hand painting which I cannot help but be impressed by, so much so I'm awarding more bonus points. One thing I am curious about is some of the auxiliaries seem to be looking backwards whilst about to throw their javelins. Is that sneaky Roman look away tactics in operation?

From AlanD - The Start of a New Project (255 points)

Of all the ranges of figures I have ever painted, the Middle Imperial Romans by A&A Miniatures are certainly in my top 5. They aren't everybody's cup of conditum, but painting them gives me great joy.

Back in the 2020 lockdown, I spent many a lonely night painting a third-century Roman army from A&A. Recently, it has been an absolute joy to get it out on the table in several terrific games of To the Strongest! As a result, I have inevitably tinkered with the army, adding the Gripping Beast cataphracts from my last post. Then John from The War Library happened to mention that he had some A&A Romans in stock, which was really like him shooting fish in a barrel. Consequently, I added a unit of armoured archers, which I hadn't quite finished in time for last week's entry. And I may have bought a bunch of other Roman legionaries, cavalry and auxiliaries.

And then, the perfect storm of work anxiety, having lovely A&A Miniatures in my hand and the enjoyment of playing To The Strongest! led to me buying a Palmyran army from A&A. And here we are.

In a sort of homage to the viral days of 2020, I have been quite ill with Covid over the past week. I have been sleeping A LOT, but when I have had the energy, I have made a nice start to the Palmyran army of King Odaenathus. The history and culture of Palmyra is so fascinating. In the decade after the defeat of the Roman emperor Valerian in 260, Palmyra became a major power between Rome and Sassanian Persia, influenced by both but utterly distinct. Ostensibly governing the east on behalf of Rome, King Odaenathus and then his widow Zenobia ended up ruling the region from eastern Turkey through Syria and all the way to Egypt, until Aurelian's 'reconquest?' of Palmyran territory culminated with the destruction of Palmyra in AD273.

For a period in the late 260s Odaenathus commanded Roman troops, so I have started my army with a vexillation of the Legio IIII Scythica and some cavalry. For playing To the Strongest, I've added a hero figure (the clubman) and a casualty marker. I've imagined that the Romans are under the influence of the Palmyrenes, and quite likely largely recruited from them, so have given them (hand painted) shields showing the Palmyrene moon god Aglibol, who is depicted in some surviving reliefs with a crescent and rays. 

In something of a points bomb for me, this week's output comes to 39 foot figures (two of them are prone if you want to halve the points) and 12 cavalry. 

From Millsy: Alan, these are absolutely stunning! If ever the saying "Start as you mean to go on" is applicable this is it. I recall you talking about these shields on a paint and chat and have been keen to see them ever since, and clearly the wait was worth it. Utterly gorgeous mate and worth an extra 10 bonus points for me. More please!

(From RossM) The Last Post - 28mm Macedonians (60 or 71 points)

 The final post from me this year and its been great to be a part of this. This is my tenth year running and I have enjoyed each one. The camaraderie shown here is what this hobby of ours is all about. Looking forward to joining you all later this year to do it all again, granted I'll not leave everything to the last minute next time.

Now on to the post and the beginnings of a Macedonian army in 28mm. 

Foundry Skirmishers

Have opted for brighter colours on the skirmishers than I would normally use although I did use some dun colours across the stands to reflect the nature of the unit.

A & A Miniatures Prodromoi

Another brightly coloured unit and the colours are based on the description of the prodromoi in Heath's Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars. 

Only the riders were started and finished in this year's challenge, the horses have been sitting painted for some time now.

This stand of Greek Light cavalry is a generic unit that will be able to be used in the Macedonia and Greek armies as needed. 

Foundry Greek Cavalry

The last picture is of the horses for the Thessalian cavalry although their riders languish next to the unfinished Spartans, Hypaspists and mercenary hoplites all started for this project during the Challenge. 

Thessalian Cavalry sans riders

 This brings me to the final scores and there are two possibilities for this:

The first is a sub total of 71 based on

2 x 28mm Cavalry - 20 points 

4 x 28mm cavalry riders only - 20 points

4 x 28mm skirmishers - 20 points

3 x 28mm horses only - 11 points

This completes the challenge at 600 points, the threshold set 

or the second being 60 points

2 x 28mm Cavalry - 20 points 

4 x 28mm cavalry riders only - 20 points

4 x 28mm skirmishers - 20 points

This complete the challenge at 589 points. 

The decision lies with the Snow Lord himself. 

Stay safe and thanks for looking

Christopher Sliter: Roman Auxiliary Archers (80pts.)

 My next addition for my growing 3rd Century Roman army for Infamy! Infamy' from TFL are a couple of Roman Auxiliary Archers. These guys will come in handy to thin out the Barbarians before they hit the Legionaries lines. 

The figures are from A&A miniatures and were quite enjoyable to paint although there was a little bit of extra clean up in a few places but nothing very troubling. The paints I used were mostly Foundry and Vallejo with some P3 as well.

The project is slowly coming along but is beginning to take shape which always helps with the motivation to push on through to completion or should I say a point of playability. I'm trying to resist moving on to other projects before I reach my goal on this one but it's not easy!

I'm looking forward to things opening up again for in person gaming as it sometimes feels like your painting things just to put them on shelf which can put a damper on the enthusiasm a bit. While I of course enjoy watching the collection grow on the shelf  it really makes you wish you could use it. Anyhow it will be fun to put them on the table.

More Romans on the way.... probably.

That's 16 x 28mm miniatures for 80pts.

Thanks for viewing!

Miniature Company- A&A Miniatures