From Mike W - My last post of the Challenge or Odds & ends on my Workbench (45 Points)

Well this is my last post for this challenge, as ever it had been fun and as the name implies - challenging!

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank everyone involved in running the challenge, great work! And let's all join the two wee guys below and raise a glass to all our beloved minions...

As the title of this post suggests  I have literally looked to clear all those stray items on my workbench that have stalled and hit a backwater in the last few months.

First off are two Warlord Games ECW Highlanders who along with their compatriots are being readied for a potential future game. These two seemed to have been waylaid at the pub and were missed when I completed their friends last summer.

Two Highlanders celebrating the end of this year's challenge!

Although the figures give a sense of wearing tartan, actually bottled out trying to pait full tartan on these guys. instaed after doing a base colour of green or blue, I used marker pens to draw lines in a chequered pattern over the base colour. I tried to make the lines follow the flow of eth cloth but didn't worry too much about making them too acurate.

A couple of spots in contrasting colors before applying a varnish - the imporatnat thing here being it was an oil based varnish as the markers were water soluable and using water based varnish literally wipes teh lines out! Once the varnish was dry (overnight) I was then able to apply Army Painter washes & Inks to add shading to the cloth and it turned a dodgey child like tartan into something that is in my opinion tabletop passable!

The reverse view

Below is a test figure I did based upon a sprue of figures on the front of a magazine some time ago, I forget now if it was a Perrys or a Wargames Atlantic product....

Later War MP34 infantryman

Finally painted and based!

Another view

At my Wargames Club we are gearing up for a campaign set in the Marion Wars (Mary Queen of Scots) period of Scottish history. The crossbowman below us another figure that got separated and lost from his parent unit on my workbench...

.... yes, my workbench can get quite chaoticat times and usually only gets sorted and cleaned when my wife puts her foot down!

Completed Crossboman

He could be on either side of teh conflict

These Zombicide Invader Survivors have finally been completed, I started these when I was doing my Xenos earlier in the challenge.

Five more Zombicide Survivors

For some reason, I always struggle with doing the survivor figures in these post Apocalyptic games - the monsters always seem more fun to paint. That said I'm almost decided to use North Star figures to provide the Survivors for scenarios I put on as I will develop stats cards for them to be Mining Corporation Marines, providing security for the Corporations mining sites - I like the figures better and I find them more fun to paint!

In case you wondered, Commander Amadi in the Yellow Power Suit
and Madame Singleton to his right

Left to Right: Cloud, Emma & Val

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So there it is  another year and another challenge. Until next year  happy painting everyone!

POINTS

5 x 28mm Zombicide Invader Survivors @ 5Pts ea                25 Points

2 x 28mm Highland DRinkers @ 5Pts ea                                10 Points

1 x 28mm German WW2 Infantryman                                      5 Points

1 x 28mm Border Riever Crossbowman                                   5 Points

TOTAL                                                                                       45 Points

_____________________________________

Great work for your final volley, Mike! Though I like all of these minis, I must say the two Jocks with their ale are my favourites (but being a Campbell, I'm a bit biased). 

Thanks for joining us this year, Mike, and I look forward to having you with us for the next Challenge!

- Curt

From AlanD - Reivers and Goths (65 points)

It's been a bit of an eclectic painting week as I finished off a couple of things I started too long ago.

Firstly, as a proof of concept, I finished a deep unit of Goths for To the Strongest! They aren't the points bomb they might appear to be, unfortunately. All but 6 of the figures were painted over a year ago, and have been lying around waiting for a few reinforcements and basing. The majority are Wargames Atlantic Goths, with six newly painted figures from Footsore. They are the 5 figures with helmets in the front rank, and another hairier chap up the back somewhere. 

I like the guy who seems to have noticed the camera.

During the Challenge last year I enjoyed painting some lovely reivers from Flags of War. I assembled six broken men on foot, stuck them to their bases....and got sidetracked on to other things. It was a pleasure finally painting them this week. Who knows? At this rate I might finally have a game of Border Wars around AHPC XX.

12 figures for 60 points please Millsy! 

From DaveD - aka Millsy . Ooh Alan they are cracking.i really like the mob look , the close packed tension of it all . I live in Reivers territory  it’s always great to see these re-created . I’m making this up,to 65 my friend .

From JP - Wot, already a plateful of spurs?! (40 points)

Wot, already a plateful of spurs?! 

As ever, I moan about lessons learned the hard way, even at my age... I turned my brush back to my Border Reivers. Last year I painted a batch of foot figures and realised some days ago that I hadn't painted the mounted versions yet. So, out they came.

Problem is, remembering the colours I used on the dismounted versions so I could use it again on the mounted. This is almost as bad as my lesson to myself about painting kilts (avoid them...).

So, here are 4 Border Reiver raiders on horse (and the foot versions from last year). As I prepare to post these, I notice I left some flock residues on one horseman... less haste more care, sigh!

With their dismounted versions:

Side and rear:

Four 28mm cavalry x 10 points = 40 points.

I am dolefully looking at the Irish opponents for these fellows as I extend the skirmish to Ireland, hope I can figure out how to do good yellow colours for the Kern...

Thanks for looking!

JP

JP, these reivers look really good and I think you succeeded in getting the colours quite close to last years dismounted versions as far as I am concerned. I also like your basing a lot, they are really reminiscind of the highlands or Ireland. 

Go on do get yourself some of those Irishmen to combat these reivers. We would l9ve to s3e those too!

Cheers Sander 

From AlanD: The Grahams! (100 points)

The start of this year has been even busier than expected, so it has taken me about 4 weeks to finally get this entry finished. I was starting to think the figures were cursed - every time I sat down to paint something there was some sort of interruption, including a power failure when I was looking forward to two solid hours of painting.

Anyway, here they are at last. I've continued working through my lovely Kickstarter stash of Border Reivers From Flags of War. The mounted figures are the Grahams, off to pillage sheep or burn something. The family vignette is particularly charming, I think, with mum and dad looking a bit Northumbrian Gothic. I particularly love the kids, riding their hobby horses with sticks in their hands and a cooking pot on the head, with not a mobile device or Minecraft game to be seen.

8 mounted and 4 foot should earn me 100 points. Thanks Millsy!

From Millsy:

Alan! I was starting to wonder if you'd fallen off the face of the earth and yet here you are mate.

Great to see another addition to your growing Border Reivers collection. They are such a unique looking bunch with their mix of Spanish style equipment and Scots bonnets. I think you've nailed the grey for the bonnets BTW.

The civilians are a nice touch and in skirmish games where so much of the focus can be on scenarios and interacting with NPCs these really add to the fun. Lovely brushwork too!

100 more points it is!

Cheers,
Millsy

From JP: Border Reivers Continued and a touch of Heresy (80 points)

Happy Friday folks,

Pushing on with my Border Reivers, I present a dozen figures which includes a Sarah to get me to Heresy. My Heresy figure is a dour Preacher who believes in forceful conversion by the sword.

As ever, the figures are the lovely castings from Battle Flags and the angry mule (I am very partial to painting mules for some reason) is an Otherworld Miniatures.

I am therefore requesting:

12 x 28mm  figs   = 60

1 x Heresy            = 20

Total                     = 80

As ever - thanks for having a squiz and any comments/advice are welcome!!

Your border reivers look great, JP! I also like the angry priest, a great figure carrying a compelling argument for his beliefs. The children on their stick horses are quite delightful, as is the peddler with his backpack showing his wares. Another 80 points for you!

Martijn

From AlanD: Continuing the Reiver Theme... (60 points)

This week I have been enjoying painting more of the lovely Border Reivers from Flags of War. Thank you to those of you who commented on the colours I used in my first lot last week - I took that as validation to stick with a similar palette. I'm trying to keep a few splashes of the most obvious and more saturated colours for clothing of the heidmen and the richer sorts, toning it down for their poorer followers.

So first up, this is the heidman of the Kerr family and a couple of richer sorts.

These two are also from the Kerr family set, and can't quite afford the same level of nice clothing and armour (or haven't stolen any yet).

Since I was minding my girlfriend's dogs this week, I was inspired to paint up a dog handler (on foot and mounted) with his mastiffs. My girlfriend's mini Schnauzer and Maltese were no help at all with choosing the colours, but did curl up at my feet while I was painting.

And finally, I revisited my Presbyterian youth with this dour man of the cloth, bringing his own version of muscular Christianity to the borders.

So all up, that's seven foot figures, one mounted, and three dogs (I suppose at half points?), for a stellar total of 52.5, thanks Millsy!

From Millsy:

Another lovely addition to your growing collection of Reivers Alan. Like the last batch these are a wonderfully subtle paint job that suits the subject so well. You Presbiterian cleric is a gem, such a dynamic pose and your nailed the highlights on the black.

Just because they have four legs doesn't make a woofer any less of a 28mm mini so that's 60 more points added to your total. Even more please! 

Cheers,
Millsy

From AlanD: Border Reivers from Flags of War (40 points)

Happy New Year everyone!

After finishing my big Palmyran army, I need a nice, achievable little project to get stuck into. The perfect solution is to paint up my Border Reivers from Flags of War.

When Ian from Flags of War ran his Kickstarter over a year ago, I couldn't resist backing it to the hilt. This group is a foot reiver family from the starter set (although I now realise I was sent two of these accidentally instead of their mounted versions). They are lovely figures - slightly smaller and more realistically proportioned than other ranges of reivers, and with loads of character and animation. 

Eight Reivers on foot should score me 40 points thanks Millsy! (And thank you for Minioning Magnificently again this year.)

From Millsy:

These are absolutely gorgeous Alan. The title alone had me interested, it's a period I've long been interested in and the FOW minis are amazing. You're doing nothing whatsoever to help my resistance!

There's so much to like about these but I think the thing that stands out for me is the palette. Just the right mix on interest and muted tones to really make them feel like they belong on the borders. I hope you have more planned mate!

40 points added to your total.

Cheers.
Millsy