From TomC: Lylyth, Herald of Everblight [Sarah the Succubus] (5 points)

Hello again one and all, I hope everyone is as well as can be and very pleased to see everyone's progress to date, some great entries so far (and we're still only in January!). My entry today is a relatively simple offering to guide me between the locales of Limbo and Gluttony (like my pre-breakfast state) and is Lylyth (Lylyth1 to be exact, there are several iterations!) who was one of Privateer Press's warlocks for the Legion of Everblight faction within their Hordes / Warmachine game systems. I say was since she dates back to MkI / 1st edition and Warmachine is now up to MkIV, which involved an Age of Sigmar-esque purge of almost all their range, including this incarnation of Lylyth. Previews suggest she will be back as a sort of mecha-dragon though, so how's that for character development?

As with much of the pile of potential, I picked Lylyth up quite some time ago, around 2016 when Privateer Press were changing the starter boxes over between editions. Of course, one thing lead to another, with neither being actually getting round to painting what I'd bought! What eventually kicked me into action were these splendidly silly ice bases that Customeeple makes for the Malifaux game, I was very pleased to have an excuse to buy more things and even more pleased to actually use them... If you look closely, there are things under the ice as well, Lylyth here has some pseudo-Cthulu tentacles, but others from the set have fish, monsters, dead bodies and the other typical detritus of fantasy waterways... 10/10, if a little unusual to paint!

On the topic of painting, David Soper has been walking through his work on a wonderful piece of his with an interesting colour palette on his blog, and I was feeling motivated to try something different, so I broadly cribbed his hard work with the purple and cold NMM gold being the primary colours. I modified things a little to make my life easier, the NMM goes from VGC Heavy Black Green rather than VMC Dark Sea Blue (to VMC US Olive Drab then S75 Tenere Yellow, to white). I did use the Dark Sea Blue for the iron bow, to Citadel Stegadon Scale Green then VMC Russian Tank Crew (which I am overly fond of), although this is entirely my own invention. 

I haven't tried painting purple before, this was just the Games Workshop triad of Naggaroth Night, Xereus Purple and Genestealer Purple, all of which had been lying around unused. To try and keep a consistent tone, I used the Genestealer Purple mixed with VMC Old Rose as the basis for the skin base, aiming for a slightly unnatural look appropriate for the disciple of an evil demonic dragon...

Humble scoring for today but I owe Teemu for fixing my labels last time (thank you!), so just 5 points today for our 32mm antagonist, which will teach me to spend time on single character models! Next time should hopefully see something a little larger!

TeemuL: It is good to see someone paying attention to the Theme round, that's what Thursdays are all about? I have never really investigated the Warmachines/Hordes line, they seem so specific minis, that they don't mix nicely with others and since I don't know anyone interested in playing with them, I have mostly ignored them. But your Lylyth looks very nice and could be used in other settings, too. Your gold an purple look spot on, very royal look! The base looks interesting, too, never seen one of those before. Good luck on your venture to the Gluttony!

From RussG - If you go down to the woods today (15points)

It has been a busy time in the attic this weekend, so a few items have been painted.

This first entry for the week was going to be kept back for the 'monstrous bonus round' but I finished it earlier than planned, so here it is.

This model is the Witchwood from the Grymkin range by Privateer Press, for the game Hordes.

It is used in the game to lure enemy models to their doom.

I have wanted to paint this model ever since I bought it but the push to do so was not coming.

Thankfully the challenge has brought it back, and i am back in love with painting.

For judges decision of points the tree is 65mm tall, and the alluring witch is a standard 28mm miniature.

Thank you for looking.

Another lovely entry for today Russel. The bark on the tree as well as the base are very well executed. The lady showing off here ...erm..roots..limbs that's the word, is truly lovely too. I like how you've painted her in subdued, yet  clearly visible colours. All in all this must be a great addition to your games of Hordes. I am going to score the tree as a 54mm foot figure which will net you 10 points, resulting in 15 points being added to your total tonight.

From SeanM: A Little Bit of Everything (105 points)

Let me start with a tale of woe! Last week, on submission day, Eastern Canada was afflicted by some freezing rain. Now, Ottawa was on the edge of the system, but it was still of enough accumulation to deep six my satellite internet. So this week, it is time for some catch up.

First up, is a Blackclad Wayfarer for Hordes (28mm). This is not an overly complicated figure, but I find Privateer Press' (PP) newer figures are almost overburdened with detail. It kind of corresponds to when they adopted CAD sculpting...  Anyways, this druid with his over compensating cloak is not from that era.

Next up is a unit from the sister system, a minimum unit of Idrian Skirmishers. Fluff wise, this is a confused unit; they are like a group of Bedouin converts working as irregular troops for a Counter-Reformation Catholic Church. Oh, well. PP allows you to put either a minimum or maximum size unit on the table, there is no longer the granularity of their 1st ed. rules. The figures are pretty clean to paint, and they took to the "magic wash" much better than my earlier Celts did. I will hopefully have a command attachment painted by the end of the challenge.

This guy is my favourite of the bunch. A much more sensibly dressed chap than the rest, I think I'll order up some more of him when I expand the unit at some later date.

Here is a chestnut from the olden days, BattleTech (6mm). I see in the Armour entries I wasn't the firstest, but maybe I can have the mostest! What I've done here is a combined arms company, using 'mechs, armour and battle armour infantry. To delve into the fluff, there are a unit of the Capellan March Militia from the Federated Suns. This faction was widely regarded as BattleTech's Mary Sue. But this unit, is from a time period when it all started to go wrong for them, the end of the Fed-Com Civil War. This is one of my favourite parts of BattleTech, for the past 30 years, they have advanced the timeline over 120 years, and all of the factions have waxed and waned.

The 'mechs below are lighter, second line forces at this stage of the timeline. From left to right, these are the Jenner, Centurion, Clint and Javelin. The three on the left are from the latest plastic sculpts, and they have crisp details and very light mold lines. The Javelin is from a metal set, and is of very good quality. The biggest difference you can see in the finished product is the thickness of the cast on bases, with the plastic being much thicker than the metal.

Here are the vehicles, two scout cars and two Drillson hover tanks. The Drillsons are IMW metal sculpts, while the scout cars are from the MechWarrior Dark Age clicky set. They scale nicely, and give off the old "Mad Max scavenger economy" setting from the early '80s BattleTech.

The Battle Armour is all from the clicky-tech set. You might notice the bases are round rather than the traditional B-Tech hexes. Two reasons; first off infantry has 360 arcs, second, I was running out of hex bases. Rules + desperation = success! The larger of the sculpts, the Cavaliers, are actually smaller than the Hauberk assault suits in the game, but the vagaries of the sculpts lead one to use what is available. I was one Cavalier short, so you'll notice an on base victim to fill in the dead space.

Finally, I've been tempted to tip my toe back into 40K with a local gaming group. The Royal Table Top Regiment (RTTR) is holding a Kill-Team league, so I've stepped up and finished another long standing project - Adpetus Arbites.

So I'll admit from the start, four of these guys are not total new paints, but are partial repaints to conform to the weapon options. These guys below had their shotguns swapped out for riot shields and mauls, plus a melta gun for the fourth. They are just there to show the group scheme in full.

Next are the full paint jobs, painted to match the scheme from the guys above. This is a dog's breakfast of GW's models line. There are Rogue Trader Arbites from the 80's, 2nd ed Arbites from the '90s, Necromunda Enforcers from the '00s and the sniper is a converted Space Marine Scout. The first figure on the second picture is an attempt to make a female Arbites using an Eldar Guardian as a base, but I'll have to go back and fix the gorilla arms.

Overall, that is 15 28mm figures, 28 6mm infantry and eight 6mm vehicles. And here is a preview of what I've been working on for the East Challenge...

TTFN,
Sean.

Alan and Paul: Bedouin converts for a counter-Reformation Catholic Church?? The mind boggles! Nice work Sean - this is certainly an eclectic bunch. I like the Idrians, and particularly the kneeling sniper, but my favourites are your Arbites. The ones with riot shields look great, and you have matched their look with your latest painting really well. This little lot earns you 105 points.

WEDNESDAY From DavidL - A Lady-Centric Miscellany (22 points)

Greetings all!

I am back for my third Challenge, and, as is the custom, I'm kicking things off with a sort of "odd sock drawer" of projects that have been sitting on my table for far too long.

First up is a "35mm" Wonder Woman from Knight Models. I put the scale in scare quotes because she's really no bigger than your usual "heroic scale" 28mm. Unlike other figures of that scale, however, she's very realistically proportioned, which made for a fun change.

I painted her up last week as part of a birthday gift for my wife (who has nutured a lifelong love of Wonder Woman). She was most appreciative of my efforts—the figure now graces her desk at work—but I managed to snap a couple pictures before she disappeared!

Going from good to evil, next up we have Archdomina Makeda for Hordes' Skorne faction. Like most Skorne Warlocks, she is a holy terror in close combat. I love the powerful, dynamic pose of this figure and am looking forward to finally getting her onto the table!

"Chop chop!"

Lastly, a rather unusual dual-figure "character" for Malifaux. Back during my first Challenge, I painted up the Viktorias, a pair of dimension-hopping Outcasts. In the current version of the game's campaign rules, your leaders can eventually "manifest" in their Avatar form—essentially the core essence of what they represent. The Viktorias seem to represent teamwork and, well, bloody murder, so they manifest as the Avatar of Slaughter on a single base, functioning as a single character.

I'm really happy with how the gore effects turned out on the blades. I was a little miffed that the figures don't really match their non-Avatar counterparts, the scale being noticeably different as well as there being quite a few differences in their outfits. No matter. They'll look great on the table, though I doubt I'll have much opportunity to field them! (Avatars don't manifest every day, y'know.) Certainly a centerpiece for my display shelves, though.

And there you have it! Four figures to start the Challenge, and all of them ladies. Am I grubbing for a Sarah's Choice pick? Well, just wait and see what I'm posting next...

ByronM: Wow, three very different entries all in one post!  So much to comment on that I really like, but I will try and keep it semi-brief...

I love the work on the Wonder Woman and the sculpt, and I think your right, while she certainly has some nice curves up top, she is not the normal waif down below.  That must be one of the newer Knight Models as well as the detail looks good, some of their original stuff was a bit soft on detail.  It could also be your really nice painting skills and attention to detail.  So did the wife give you any hassle about all the attention paid to her tiny bikini bottoms, I know my wife would (in a fun way).

The Skorne figure is painted completely differently but equally as well, I really like the dark red armour and gold effects.  Lastly the Malifaux figures are great as well, and I really like the gore effect, is it the GW technical or the Tamiya clear red?  I suspect the later but am unsure, either way I really like it.

You had this down as 4 x 28mm figures for 20 points, but I know that Skorne figure is much larger and with the back banner added I am going count it as a 35mm and bump the total up to 22 points.  Well done, keep up the excellent work.

From DavidL - A Miscellaneous Retrospective (44 Points)

For this, my final entry in the Challenge, I present a miscellany of figures that, quite coincidentally, touch on some of my very first entries...

First up, we have what will be my third (and hopefully final) version of Malifaux's Taelor. Way back when I posted my "Hired Guns" crew, I talked about how dissatisfied I was with the "official" versions of this character - neither the plastic or metal sculpts did much for me. I found a suitable substitute in MicroArt's "Alice Tinkerly" but...I still wasn't completely satisfied. Her laid-back pose didn't match Taelor's fearsome combat abilities.

Then I spotted this excellent figure, part of a special edition boxed set from Bombshell Miniatures. The animation of the pose combined with the ludicrously huge industrial wrench told me at once that I'd found my version of Taelor:

The crazy eyes were a bit of a happy accident...

One of Taelor's signature moves is "Weclome to Malifaux!" Indeed.

This next piece is one that I don't plan on seeing featured in many games, but it was too cool not to pick up when I placed an order for my Ikko-Ikki from Kingsford: a giant taiko drum and a horagai player blowing on his conch shell.

This painted up in an evening and will make a fine centerpiece on display with my Ronin factions.

Lastly, we have the final figures for my 25-point Skorne army for Hordes. More Titans! First, the fearsome Bronzeback Titan.

In keeping with his name, I gave his central ridge of spiky hair a greenish cast, evoking a verdigris patina on bronze.

I believe this is the largest model for this base size in the whole WarmaHordes line. I could be wrong, but all I know is: you wouldn't want to see this guy bearing down on you in the middle of a battle!

"I heard they shaved a gorilla."

And here's another Titan, a Defender, to act as bodyguard for my caster.

Although not as large as the Bronzeback, he is at least as equally impressive, with his ornate armor and shield.

As before, I've left his back banner blank pending a decision on what sort of custom sigil to put on it.

Finally, we have the reason why everybody loves to hate the Skorne: the Agonizer. Not only are these guys a pain for any Skorne opponent mechanically, they're the living embodiment of the true depths of Skorne evil. It's a baby Titan (read: baby elephant!) kept in a state of perpetual pain and agony, which in turn is used to fuel the magic of nearby warcasters.

This is my second Agonizer in the list, and painting them never gets any easier. It's kind of funny to feel so ambivalent about one's own army. Everyone has to play the bad guy from time to time, I suppose...

All those hooks! Poor baby...

Inspired by a co-worker who is out sick this week with conjunctivitis, I gave this Agonizer infected eyes oozing with pus. Ewww!

The trio together.

I'll leave scoring for the taiko set up to Curt, but assuming I get 12 points each for the two Titans as was scored for my first Titan entry, this tally should put me just over my points goal, which is fantastic - I arrived at my target via the age old, time-tested method of pulling it out of thin air, so I'll be glad if my estimate worked out.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Curt for hosting this carnival yet again, and to extend a big thanks all the other participants for sharing their amazing projects and paint jobs. I entered into this contest with the intent of simply finishing off my existing collection of unpainted figures (a goal I succeeded in!), but through the course of following the other entries in the challenge, I've been inspired to start three new projects!

I intend to keep working away at the new projects over the course of the year, but I'd be surprised if I'm done with all of them by the time the next Challenge rolls around (should Curt so choose to favor us), and in that case I'll see you all again next year! It's been a wild ride and I can't wait to do it again...

From Curt:

Lovely figures David! Those two Titans are gorgeous (and a bit intimidating) and that Agonizer looks like it would work very nicely in a Cthulhu setting, but I must say my heart is taken with your taiko set - lovely character there.  

And yes! You've hit your target quite handily with this entry David - well done young man!!

It has been a pleasure Mr. L - I hope you join us the next time the Challenge rolls out.

From DavidL - Hordes, Malifaux, and Curtgeld (37 Points)

My painting has slowed a bit over the last couple weeks as I begin to gather focus and energy to start dropping some points bombs. In the meantime, please enjoy this modest potpourri that really runs the gamut of small, medium, and large offerings in the 28mm scale...

First up, we have a figure for Hordes, a Titan Gladiator from the Skorne faction. I just got into Warmachine/Hordes last year due to its popularity around my local gaming scene, and I went with the Skorne despite their rather grim and despicable "fluff" because I just couldn't say no to these elephantine Titans.

This is the second such Titan in my collection, and I intend to pick up a couple more this year.

"Here comes trouble."

The banner has been left blank while I decide what sort of sigil to put on it. As my primary caster is Dominar Rasheth, I'm thinking of designing a symbol evocative of Hedonismbot ("I apologize for nothing!"), but that's a project for after the Challenge...

For the armor, I wanted to evoke a scarab beetle's shell, and did some layering with purple, gold, and gloss varnish, achieving a result I'm quite pleased with.

Next up is a throwback to my first entry in the Challenge; it's a new-old figure for my Latigo Posse crew for Malifaux. I mentioned in that initial post that I was having trouble sourcing the original Perdita Ortega (and so had used a proxy from Warmachine). Well, I finally tracked down the coveted figure (and for a really good price, no less!), and so I've painted her up.

I know from a couple games played with the proxy figure that Perdita is a pretty formidable foe on the field, and I'm looking forward to seeing this "authentic" figure take her bow soon.

I was tempted to try and add a cigarillo dangling from her lips, but my sculpting skills aren't quite up to snuff to pull off something as tiny as that.

The angle on this shot makes it look like the figure is leaning forward. Weird.

Finally, we have my entry fee for this year's challenge. As the theme is Antiheroes, Rogues, & Ruffians, I knew I'd found my fee figure when I stumbled across "Warfare Wombat" (not to be confused with "Rocket Raccoon," I'm sure) from Bombshell Miniatures.

"I'm an original creation, like Rickey Rouse, or Monald Muck."

I'll cop to being one of those johnny-come-latelys who was unaware of the roguish charms of everyone's favorite talking procyonid until I saw the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but as this sculpt is clearly based on the comic book version of the character, I painted him accordingly. As this was the entry fee, I made sure to tart him up a bit by popping him onto a custom sci-fi-themed base (courtesy of Secret Weapon), the thickness of which threatens to dwarf the tiny little guy!

The only downside to working on this excellent figure was that I had The Beatles' "Rocky Raccoon" running through my head on a constant loop the whole time I was painting him. (Even now, as I'm writing these words, the tune has burbled back up in my brain!) I used to like that song, but now if I don't hear it again, it'll be too soon...

As I mentioned at the top of the post, I couldn't help but note that the three figures here really run the gamut in terms of size within what is nominally the same scale. Points-wise, I'll leave it up to Curt how to score the Titan (artillery piece...vehicle...?) and little Warfare Wombat (who's about the same size as a 20mm figure).

From Curt:

Well, it seems to be a day for Titans which provides a treat for all of us! These are three great figures David. I really like how you've done the tusks on the Titan and the mottled purple on its carapace is fantastic. I'm happy you managed to find Perdita (and at a reasonable cost no less) - you've done a great job on her. Her sweat-stained hat is spot on and so is her weathered chaps. 

Finally, I love what you've done for your Curtgeld.  Rocket Racoon with his trusty BFG is a brilliant antihero. You've really nailed the texture of his fur and I like that you went old school with the comic book version of his spacesuit.  Thanks very much David!

I'll score the Titan as a 54mm figure plus a pip for each tusk. :)