From RobH - All Things Greek (165 points)

 My local club has a focus this year of sharing the Saga Age of Magic night with Saga Ages of Hannibal/Alexander. I have been trying to finish some Greeks I purchased in order to play both these books as well as have another faction for Clash of Spears. Since my first posting for this years challenge I have been work on all things Greek, well almost.

1) First up is a 28mm figure of the Goddess Athena. I am not sure of the source of the figure.

2) The second offering are 12 Companian Cavalry. I had another 24 figures of the same pose based to WRG/DBX standards as part of my Ancient Greeks and that was the same fate that awaited them until I started playing SAGA. 

3) I believe that this was the old Aventine Hellenistic/Carthaginian elephant before they made the switch to resin. I finished painting the elephant and howdah early last year when I first received the Greek Warband. However the 4 crewmen have sat around gathering dust. Since I put on the push for the Greeks I went to work on these 4 figures.

4) My final offering this post was a set of ruins I received last year. This is not Greek. Not sure where I ordered them from but they were a filler to help make sense to me for the shipping expense. Hard to quantify the points. Total footprint is roughly 5 inch x 3 inch x 2 inch. One figure include to show scale only.

A set of ruins for Pillage/SAGA.

12 X 25mm Campanian Cavalry @ 10 points each is 120 Points

1 Goddess. Not sure of the points but she towers above the 25mm figures. 7 points

4 x 25mm crewmen @ 5 points each for 20 points.

A set of ruins ??

Total 150?? points

Rob, excellent stuff here. Athena is cool and will be a nice deus ex machina for a magical Saga game. The Companions are quite colourful and should be great on the table. I always liked the idea of war elephants and I love that you've finished the crew. 

The ruins look to me like the equivalent of three 28mm figures and I'll allow 15 points for those. Rounding up we get 165 points for your tally.

Dallas 

From RobH -28mm Gallic Warband (100 Points)

My first entry for the 2026 Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge are twenty Gallic Warriors. This is a unit purchase from Black Tree Design that has been sitting in my pile of lead for somehere between 15 and 20 years. The unit deals, and even the Gauls are no longer available on the BTD website. 

20 Gaulic Warriors - 28mm

They are an easy addition to my SAGA Gallic Warband but are displayed here on prototype movement trays for a concept test for Infamy, Infamy. A fellow gamer here in Montreal did a 3D print of the trays for use for a Sharpe's Practice game later this month. 

On New Year's Eve I discovered I had no shields for these figures, which I imagine are lost in the mists of time. I placed an order to Warlord Games for shields that I hope will work with these figures. Howvever I wanted them posted for the Challenge as I am still awaiting an order that was mailed on Dec 5th, departed the country on Dec 16th and still has not arrived in Canada.

I feel your pain on the shipping times Rob, I do. But your Gauls look great, they're very colourful and I quite like the groundwork too. Black Tree models are suitably chunky and fun to paint as well. I'd like to see the movement trays when they're done.

Looks to me like you've painted 20 28mm infantry models here which at 5 points each, equals 100 points for your tally. This one was easy for me to figure out but in future could you please indulge me and list the number and type of models, scale, and points claimed at the end of your post? Thanks!

Dallas

From RobH (HerrRobert/RobertH): Señor Oliverios' Retainers (50 points)

Señor Oliveros crouched down in the scrub, waiting. El Borracho sat nearby, drinking straight from a green bottle with one hand, checking the cylinder of his revolver with the other. In all the years he'd known El Borracho, Oliverios had never seen the man without either whiskey or weapons to hand. His pet iguana, El Guapo, crouched on his shoulder. Men from his hacienda dotted the rough ground nearby, ready for the signal.

Señor Oliverios' Retainers

So begins my second entry into the 15th Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Señor Teodoro Oliveros leads the men from around his hacienda to confront someone, be they the French, the Yankees, banditos, Villistas, Federales or perhaps even Spaniards or Cuban revolutionaries:

• Teodoro Guerra, Raúl Luna, Luis Aguirre and Loco Sanchez (remember him?) have armed themselves with machetes
• Martin Reyes carries a large scattergun or blunderbuss
• Octavio Montoya and Luciano Peña have muskets
• Javier Solis carries a repeating rifle, perhaps a Winchester
• El Borracho and El Guapo have a six gun

Señor Oliverios leads from the front

Eight of the ten figures (all but Solis and El Borracho) are Wargames Foundry figures from the Old West pack OW161 - Mexican Peons. I'd bought them years ago off ebay, and they'd been sitting cleaned, washed and ready to paint for at least two years now. After our last Legends of the Old West game of the exchange, they called out to paint.

El Borracho is a Reaper Chronoscape figure marketed as Lobo Sanchez, Bandito. My figure's package came with a smudged label which read more "Loco Sanchez." Since I already had Loco Sanchez, I needed a new name. Given that the figure is carrying a hefty bottle of something alcoholic, El Borracho, The Drunkard, seemed appropriate.

The figures weren't too bad to paint up, although the sandals and El Borracho's serape and inner thigh had some trouble spots, as did his hair and Señor Oliverios' cummerbund - the red kept bleeing onto his white shirt.

Three of the figures were painted to test a khaki color combination for the Spanish-American War: Delta Ceramcoat Terretorial Beige for shadow, Khaki for main, and then a wash down with Army Painter Soft Tone. It works for rough cloth, but is too dark for a khaki. I will probably try using a pale gray wash next time, and see if that is lighter.

Rear view of the party

The rest of the figures had the same white I did for Loco Sanchez as a prisoner in my previous entry. Señor Oliverios' pants and hat, along with El Borracho's hat and serape, were both done with Territorial Beige as main and Vallejo Cork Brown as a highlight, then washed down with Strong Tone. It makes for a good medium brown. I switched up my straw hat mixture, highlighting with Reaper Buckskin Pale after the Soft Tone wash, instead of before. It worked much better than doing the Soft Tone wash last, so I went back and touched up the prisoner's straw hat from my last entry.

Before and after capture, showing the touchup on the hat

I label all of my 19th Century colonial figures on the bases, with the yellow, green, blue, red or black of the label indicating skill. It's something I picked up playing a homebrew set of rules for gaming the Indian Wars in my teens/early twenties, and since I started basing my figures for that rule set, it has persisted. Figure names are written in with either white gel pen (0.3mm tip, brand new for the challenge) or 0.005mm artist marker.

The band from overhead, showing the labels

I'm a little more satisfied with the photos this go around. I got a slightly better camera app for my phone, which allows me to control the focus point, exposure and light balance better than the usual point and click of an iPhone. I also bought an attachment for my tripod, so I can use it with the phone. They're not as crisp as the black background photos Curt shoots, but they look better. I may switch to a white background though.

Springing the ambush on some French invaders (the French I bought at a con and need to rebase)

Scoring this entry is:

• 10 28mm foot figures @ 5 points per figure = 50 points.

That's also my first Squirrel Point, and 50 more points in the Colonials duel.

 

 

Sylvain: Not only are your miniatures very colorful, the characters you depict are also very colorful. I like how you add stories to your post,as it makes looking at your figurines a lot more interesting. I also find inspiring the way you coded your bases. All in all a great entry. Excellent work!

 

 

From Rob H (HerrRobert): The Border Exchange (5 points)

April 1898: The Trans-Pecos of Texas is a land of extremes, hot days, cold nights, desolate terrain, sparse population and barely suppressed lawlessness far from everywhere. American and Mexican garrisons soak in the beaching sun, attempting to maintain order as bandidos and Comanches cross the border as suits their own nefarious purposes. Those caught on the wrong, side of the border may yet still face what passed for justice in these parts - or be used as coin to trade for those caught on the other side. 

The prisoner waiting to be exchanged

So begins the setting for today's game of (heavily) modified Legends of the Old West. When I first began wargaming, about thirty years ago in the late 1990s, blogging was the province of self-created websites. Ian Croxhall's The Amazing Adventures of the Red Shadow was one of the sites I had bookmarked and routinely read through for new games featuring the Algerian Goumiere scout and the various misadventures of the French, Germans and Italians across the North African littoral. One of my favorite scenarios was The Red Shadow and the Salami Exchange, which featured the French and Italians attempting to exchange prisoners and the Mujahidine crash the party. Hilarity ensues, naturally.

Side profile, perhaps as a mug shot?

I've always wanted to adapt that to a setting that suits my collections, and the US/Mexico border was the best fit. However, the setting required an unarmed figure to serve as one of the prisoners being exchanged. Fortunately, I had just the figure, already mounted on the base and just needing primed, flocked and painted.

He's a 28mm Wargames Foundry figure from the Old West pack OW166 - Mexican Villagers (2nd from the right above), painted in about 2 hours Friday night after work. I went a bit lighter for his clothes, using Delta Ceramcoat Antique White and then Reaper Linen White, washed with grey and then rehighlighted. His straw hat was a Reaper triad (Chestnut Gold, Palomino Gold and Buckskin Pale), which I washed with Army Painter Soft Tone to bring out the details. He was the first figure I had painted since the last Challenge, and having caught Bargain Bob's Basement Bunker version of the various diseases circulating around California for Christmas and New Years, getting started painting anything was a real effort. It's not efficient by any means, but it was fun just working on a single figure.

I love how sullen his expression came out

Despite lint-rolling my photobooth to remove all stray flock and static grass and making sure my miniatures were well lit, the photos turned out rather disappointing, especially compared to shots from today's game. They have a yellow tone and colors are washed out, which does not usually happen when taking gaming photos using the exact same iPhone. The edge of the base in the photo above should be jet black, and so should his hair. Upon reflection, I suspect the problem may be that the black background and high lighting overwhelm the iPhone camera at standard settings and wash things out. 

F Troop, 7th Cavalry escorting the prisoner to the exchange on the bridge over the Rio Grande

For those interested in his fate, Loco Sanchez was duly handed over to the Mexicans, put in the prisoner wagon, and taken to the jail in El Paso del Norte. However, when negotiating the narrow streets, the wagon bucked dodging a small child. Gunfire from the Mexican garrison killed the wagon driver guarding the prisoner, probably by mistake. Sanchez jumped down from the wagon, made a run for it, and was then shot while attempting escape, bleeding out in a dark alley. 

He's making a run for it!

Life is cheap in the Trans-Pecos.

Scoring:

• 1 28mm foot figure @ 5 points per figure = 5 points

And 5 points on my side for the Colonials duel with DaveD! Yes, Mexico and the Old West counts as colonial, especially Mexico because of the Maximillian Adventure.

On the plus side, this is probably the earliest I've posted anything for the Challenge, so every modest bit helps. And we had a wild, freewheeling 6-player, 5-sided game, which is always good!

Sylvain: Great figurine! White clothes are always tricky to paint and you nailed it. The background story adds a lot of character to a humble model, he's not just a villager, he's "Loco Sanchez who was shot during a prisoner exchange". Thanks for the pictures of your game, it looks great with the scenery and people typical of the old Far West.

From RobH - 3rd Post - Double Feature, Fantasy (40 Points)

My annual contribution for my LOTR collection. I present Shadowfax with some wizard hanging onto his mane.

Early in January I purchased a Briton/Romano-British Warband locally. It came with the following Character figures (Merlin, Guinevere, Bishop, Arthur, Nimue). 

The seller wrote that the warband consisted mostly of Footsore and Gripping Beast miniatures. I have not been able to identify the figure on their websites. 

I think this is Guinevere in disguise. Guinevere stands waiting within some ruins.

The ruins were a plastic bombed out building by Italeri Plastic Models. I filled in the wall with putty and texture paint for the interior, and added the secondary stone wall, all on a 60mm x 80mm base. (3.1" L  x 2.3" W x 2.3" H = 16.4 cubic inches)

Guinevere will allow Shadowfax a trip upon Lady Sarah's Star Yacht to the planet Arda: Fantasy; Tolkienesque 

Scoring -  38 Points

1 - 28mm mounted figure @ 10 points = 10 Points

1 - 28mm Figures @ 5 points each = 5 Points

1 - Terrain Piece @ 3 Points (I figure it is worth a 1/6 of a cube)

1 way ticket aboard Lady Sarah's Star Yacht to Arda @ 20 points

***

Nice work on your double feature here Rob. I love that Gandalf Shadowfax figured - I actually need to track one of those down for my own collection! In terms of scoring, when I work up the spreadsheet magic, it actually comes up to 40 points - so a couple of extra bonus for you :)

GregB

From RobH - 2nd Post - Double Feature, Science Fiction (65 Points)

I have a quick follow-up with some more Pulp Figures by Bob Murch. The first is Dr. Promethius & his Death Ray (PWM -13) as part of his Weird Menace line. 

Next are a group of figures I have dubbed, the Yellow Venom Society, who will be making an appearance in a Daredevils RPG (FGU) game I am running. 

They are listed as Evil Hooded Minions 1 (PWM-4) and Evil Hooded Minions 2 (PWM-5). As Bob writes in his catalogue, "Nefarious members of a criminal cult, the hooded minion was a staple of Pulp Era fiction." So are mad scientists with their death rays. 

As the leader of this nefarious I have chosen the Crimson Scorpion from Weird Villains 1 (PWM - 1). I however was inspired by Lord Byron and The Destruction of Sennacherib and painted him, gleaming in purple and gold.

Scoring - 65 Points

11 - 28mm Figures @ 5 points each = 55 Points

1 - 28mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon @ 10 points = 10 Points

***

Well done Rob. Looking out at the Park across the street this morning, things seem nice and clear. But that said, a Death Ray might be a useful way to keep things quiet around here. At least the Yellow Venom Society have the decency to pay for the proper permits and clean up after their events. 

GregB

From RobH - First Post - Double Feature, Science Fiction (75 Points)

Do you remember the Republic Picture serials such as Zombies of the Stratosphere? 

 

Before cable TV they were a staple of  the local 5:30 children's TV show in the mid 1960s on CTV in Halifax. Those images have been brought to life by the Pulp Figures creations of  Robert Murch.

My first submission to this season's edition of the challenge is a homage to those childhood memories. Late last year I placed an order from both his Weird Menace and Mystery and Horror lines. I hope to get them all painted this challenge.

 

 

First up is a female Martian crew member (I cannot find a film credit) in charge of a phalanx of Robots (I don't remember what film these are from, if any).  I do find them somewhat reminiscent of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Better late then never, I included the street Santa that was a bonus figure from Bob, for orders placed in December. I didn't get it painted in time to go with the Christmas tableau in my living room. 

Happy New Year to all

Scoring

11 - 28mm Figures @ 5 points each

A trip in the Outer Ring to Skaro: Strange Doctors; Weird Robots - 20 Points

 

***

Hi Rob - a happy 2022 to you as well. Thank you for this science fiction double-post. I know the Bob Murch sculpts have captured the imagination and heart of many Challengers, and seeing these will no doubt inspire further admiration and painting efforts. 75 points for you. 

Greg