from RayR - The Generals (32 points)

 What more Donnybrook!!!

Yes more Donnybrook!

 And I still haven't had another game yet! 

I did plan on these Casting Room WSS pack of figures to be my entry onto

Rousell's Sandhill, but the Badger wouldn't fit under the table!

I've had this set here, for a few years now and its been undercoated since Challenge 8, but its not made it onto the Painting desk for either of the last 2 Challenges.

So it was great to finally get them done!

As these are WSS figures I needed to get rid of their tricorns, so scaple and saw in hand I went about cutting and reshaping hats.

This chap has a new ECW Warlord hat.

As does this chap!

I managed to bend down, this ones hat to a flatter version.

This figure has had his hat cut away from his hand, so I placed a new hat for him on the table.

Lastly, I did bugger all with this figures hat!

As for the points......

25 for the figures

and and another 5? for the table and chairs???

And perhaps a few points for the conversion work?

You never know your luck!

Nice work Ray, but we really need to see you post a Donnybrook  game report here. Much as it pains me to do so, I find myself awarding you a couple of points for the hat conversions.

TmsinP

For Thursday From PeterD - 28mm SYW French (60points)

No posts last week, but two in for this week.  Wife's away looking after her mum following surgery so production will be up for the next couple of weeks I hope.

Curt says he enjoys gamer bios, so here goes.  It all stated in a 5000 watt radio station... (two brownie points if you get the reference).  I started gaming as a teenage about 1975,  with Airfix Waterloo kits badly painted in Humbrols.  I paint almost exclusively historical stuff, but will play Fantasy of SciFi when someone else puts on a game.  A big part of the attraction is the research aspect of the hobby - I like ferreting out info on uniforms, OOBs and tactics from bygone ages.  Even if I was attracted to non-historical figures, picking up a "Codex" over history books would be a deal killer for me.

I grew up in Halifax NS and was a long time gaming partner of RossM of Battle Game of the Month who is likely known to many Challenge participants.  I relocated out west to Regina about 20 years ago and for a long time was a solo gamer due to lack of opponents.     Back in 2011 I followed Ross' lead and ventured into the Blogosphere with the Single Handed Admiral, a reference to the fact that I was going solo, planned to due naval gaming and that Nelson had only one hand.  Blogging got me in touch with gamers around the world, and then a year later with gamers 2kms from my doorstep as Sylvain reached out via Curt's blog having noted my email address.  The naval projects turned out to be a dead end and have been put on hold, but I've enjoyed working on Italian Wars and Seven Years Wars projects over the last few challenges.

Over the years it been a bumpy ride but I'm mostly in a good place now and enjoying my time at the painting table and on the Challenge.  I've adopted the simple philosophy voiced below.

Grenadiers in front of the structures from my first post.

OK off with the blather and on with the painting.  I've got 8 French Infantry from the Grenadiers de France from the SYW.  Figures are 28mm Front Rank and are very nice. This is the initial set of 8 from a planned battalion of 24 so I'll natter on more about the unit on later posts.

I also have a French command stand of two figures, general and trumpeter.  The general is  Casting Room figure on a Front Rank horse.  The rider had me perplexed as to his provenance for a while but then I worked out that I an extra dragoon officer (with no horse) in my Casting Room order.  Luckily, SYW uniforms are more flexible than for later periods and panting him in a blue coat laced with gold did the trick.  His trumpeter is a Front Rank figure as is his horse.  I painted him as coming from one of the myriad of cavalry regiments using the King's livery,

For the tally man, these are 8 28mm figures on foot plus two cavalry nets me 60 points on the scoreboard and on the Black Powder Challenge.
    
                                                                      

I really like your grenadiers and your command unit looks splendid with particularly nice basing. They also look great in front of your brand new black powder terrain!
60 more points to your total, lovely work!

All the best Iain

From PeterD 28mm SYW French Dragoons (40 Points)

First post of this year’s challenge for me, I think this makes it 7 for me but my numbers are often wrong.  I am firmly in the by drips and drabs camp and will be bringing units to the table piecemeal, since that’s what works to keep me motivated.  I started work on Boxing Day, and have these four Dragoons complete plus other projects in various stages of completion.  I’ll be focusing on my SYW project, one that started two years ago on the Challenge.  Originally planned as a side project for a Sharp Practice, I found I loved working in the lace wars era and have expanded it to my main horse and musket project.

These are four members of the French Orléans Dragoon Regiment.  The figures are old Foundry ones, sold under their Casting Room line.  I don’t normally spring for Foundry prices but got taken in by a deal.  Even so they’re out of my normal budget when shipping and exchange rates are factored in.  However, the figures have a lot of character and look rough and ready which suits the French Dragoons of the era.

French Dragoons were far more a Dragoony than other nations’, and were expected to fight on horse and foot.  They carry muskets not carbines, wear shoes and gaiters  instead of boots and have axes for  impromptu pioneer work.  The dragoons did were very useful in the Kleine Krieg and also appeared in the bigger battles.

I do like that the Foundry sculpts are carrying full sized muskets.

Dragoon regiments had drummers instead of trumpeters as befit their origins as mounted infantry.  Many regiments also had mounted oboists (hautebois), but sadly no one makes such a figure.  As my daughter both plays oboe and did horse riding, it would be great to have one.  But having seen both oboes and horses close up, I have to say that playing oboe on horseback took balls - it looks like a recipe for having a sharp reed embedded in your upper palette.

I fudged the lace work here to keep myself sane.  The picture of the regiment's lace from kronoskaf (the go-to online SYW site) is shown below.  This appears on a shoulder strap, the saddlecloths and the drummer's coat.

Once the whole regiment is complete, I will add unit labels along the back edge of each base - I've left an un-sculpted strip to hold these tables.  You can see the axes with covers on the horse tack on the right shoulders.

I have two picture references in uniform books showing a shoulder straps with a simplified version with blue and white stripes, which could well be the effect from a distance.  However looking at things again I misinterpreted the direction of the striping and should probably redo it (or not depending).

The drummer figure looks grumpy, I wonder if he's dealing with a sore head after a night carousing!



Well these are tough looking chaps as befits their position between the cavalry and infantry and no doubt very busy stealing, I mean liberating all kinds of kit!
 Admirable dedication to Lace finish, and I particularily like the white socks etc on their mounts.
This gives you your first 40 points of the challenge,well done!

All the best Iain

From EvanH - Doctor de Bruse - 28mm Plague Apothecary (5 points)

One more for this week - while nowhere near as imposing as the Orc Chieftain, and nowhere near as much work, this little fig from Casting Room Miniatures is a gruesome delight.

I present, for your edification and enjoyment, Doctor Lividus de Bruse, late court physician to Duke Delius of Marchmont (deceased).

I've always had a liking for the more lurid aspects of history, and plague 'doctors' like this chap, their beaked masks filled with dried flowers and sweet-smelling herbs to prevent infection (because everybody knows that bad odours, or miasmas, cause disease, right?) roamed the affected neighbourhoods of European cities during the various plague outbreaks of the 16th and 17th centuries.

I'm pressing him into service as an Apothecary for Frostgrave, since I need some more specialists for when I bulk up the warband.

I've given him a colour scheme redolent of disease and injury, with yellows, greens and purples to heighten his already odd appearance, and I've added a belt pouch and dagger from the Frostgrave Cultists box.

He's ready to roll, or will be when the PVA/Bicarb snow mix dries (I had to get this done before the heatwave tomorrow!).

So one 28mm figure is a princely 5 points towards my total, and another contribution towards my Frostgrave Duel with the estimable Mr Mills. Yay!

I really should be working on the next Bonus Round, but I ran out of some crucial materials which will need to be chased up asap, which is why this guy got pushed up the list. Will I be able to get my terrain entry finished in time? Who can say?

Stay tuned, viewers...

Ev

By Paul and Alan: great fig which has induced flashbacks to Dan Brown's "Inferno".  Combined with the bright colours on the robes, that mask is pretty creepy!

Monday From PatG 28mm VSF Civilians - 40 points

Well this week was a bit of a train wreck.  It started off alright but when I went to look for non-sand basing material today, I found the tub had completely dried up. I made a couple of substitutions which were acceptable by my standards. After basing was dry, I went to photograph them - the results below are the best of three attempts - over-exposed, washing out detail and very much emphasizing the need for a matte overspray (come on spring!).   While not up to the standards of much of the work here they are fit for purpose and are the first single figures as opposed to units I have painted in years.

The Gentleman Front

The Gentleman Back

The Lady Front

The Lady Back

The Rake Front

The Rake Back

The Gravedigger Front

The Gravedigger Back

The Gent Front

The Preacher Front (Not Preston Manning)

The Preacher Back

The Assassin Front

The Assassin Back

The Other Gent Front 

The Other Gent Back

Well not my best work but at 40 points, this group puts me over my personal goal line - and isn't that the point  of the competition? ;)

Onward and upward and bring on the matte spray!

I hear you on the matte spray and the photography issues Pat.  My figures never look like I want them to do on JPEG, no matter how happy I am with them in person.  There's some nice movement to these figures especially "the other gent" who looks like he's just seen a young lady with whom he's broken an "understanding".    There is also some fire and brimstone in "Not Preston Manning" (a former Canadian grassroots style politician) and some serious attitude on the Gentleman.  Photography issues or not, there's some nice detailing and shading going on here.  Well done.  

I have also just noticed that these figures put PatG over his target of 500 points.  And he did this while recovering from dental surgery.  I suspect that the drugs might help put one in a VSF mood personally. Neither snow, nor lack of mammoths nor surgery will stop the Monday crew.

Well done Pat!  I believe Curt normally asks if you'd like to reap your target after such a milestone, but I'll jump the gun on him.  Care to up the target Pat?