From Millsy: Star Wars Legion Empire (225 points)

G'day All,

Another batch of Star Wars Legion hot off the painting desk - this time it's the Imps.

Scout Bikes, Scout Troopers and a Skiff

That sounds like the start of some sort of weird Star Wars joke - Scout Bikes, Scout Troopers and a Skiff walk into a Mos Eisley cantina.... I've already got some scouts in my collection so I've added a red unit insignia to help me distinguish the two sets of units on the table. I'm bulking out a lot of my existing stuff so I can play larger games using a community mod of Bolt Action.

The Scouts are time consuming to paint, navigating around the white to paint the black under suit, but they look pretty sharp when done. 

Stormtroopers and Transport

These fellas were picked up super cheap at MOAB to also bulk out my forces. I have something like 40 of the buggers now so there's plenty of chaff to get mowed down in various futile endeavours. Such is the life of a faceless, nameless mook in the service of the Empire! At least these guys get to ride to their inevitable demise courtesy of a 3D printed troop transport.

Inferno Squad

I really enjoyed painting these guys. Several different treatments for black to give them some variation isn't as obvious in the photos as I'd like but they look cool enough IRL so I'm happy with that.

Points total

• 2 x 32mm Scout bikes + riders = 50 points
• 6 x 32mm Scouts + Skiff = 50 points
• 14 x 32mm Stormtroopers + Transport = 90 points
• 7 x 32mm Inferno Squad = 35 points

Total = 225 points.

I think that'll be it for the Star Wars Legion for a while, although I do have a pile of Rebels to do and also a collection of 3D printed characters from The Mandalorian which I am saving as a special treat to reward myself at some point.

Thanks for looking!

Cheers,

Millsy

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'Pew! Pew! Pew!!'

'Hey, I hit him!!' 

Said no Stormtrooper. Ever.

:)

Terrific work on these Imperials, Millsy! Even though the bikes may be a bit of a challenge, you've certainly made then look spiffy under your deft brush. They look keen and ready to fly into the side of a cantina or Bantha. Of course, the Inferno Squad looks much more efficient, ominous and chilling with their black uniform and gear (lovely contrast on the blacks btw). I also like the printed troop transport, though I wonder if they draw straws to be the poor buggers slung outside. Such is the life of an Imperial Trooper, I suppose!

Lovely work! I look forward to seeing what you shift gears to.

- Curt

AaronH - Imperial Storm Troopers (60 Points)

This year I'm going to try to get through my nemesis, Storm Troopers. I've been collecting Star Wars Legion since it came out, six or seven years ago. I've painted a fair few models for it but I've always been intimidated by the Storm Troopers (and Scouts and Snows). As an aside, I only play this game with painted models. It forces me to paint up models I want to use. So no Empire up to now.

The tray of potential, waiting for the Challenge start. This is approximately 135 war dollies.

I assembled and primed everything and laid it out to be ready for the Challenge. I've found other bits since this picture and added them to the tray.

Storm Trooper wash on the left. Fresh off the factory on the right.

I started with a flat white prime. I then cleaned up the spots I did a bad job of priming with more white. I then hit these guys in a batch manner. 12 models. 12 sets of lenses, then 12 lines above the lenses, then 12 mouth snouts, then 12 weapons. I had to do the black undersuits one at a time since every model is different. I then dry brushed gun metal on the guns and put some sombre grey on the high points of the black. I touched up everything with another bit if white and then everyone got washed in storm trooper wash. As you can see in the picture above it knocks back the white, emphasizes the details and makes the armor look more lived in. I really like the affect.

The 12 man unit. I have 3 heavy weapons in here, as well as the optional five man upgrade.

The back shot. 

And now the closer ones in focus.

In Star Wars Legion you get a base unit of four dudes that you can then add on weapons and specialists to, getting you up to a potential unit size of 10. There's one more heavy weapon that I don't have a model of, so is not included.

This is 12 x 32mm infantry models = 60 points.

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Welcome back to the Challenge, Aaron!

It looks like you have a veritable battalion of Stormtroopers ahead of you, and what better way to work through them than the Challenge! I quite like the final result that you've achieved, with these looking like hard campaigners with little time to keep their armour white and shiny. Question: What do you use for your 'Stormtrooper Wash'? I'm sure there are a few of us that would be keen to compare notes. :)

This large squad of 12 will give you 60 points for your climb up the points ladder. Well done!

- Curt

From DavidB: Aquatic mine in Venice (475 points) maritime

        lunatic fringe- red rider     

I will apologize for the mass that follows. while I have not been on the challenge site to comment much because of work and military.   My 20 year letter hit for 25 years of service. That means of all the time devoted to all military years, five did not achieve enough points for a qualifying year. I will still enjoy the benefits of those years of service in pay though. I had 120 days to get my packet in and that is a lot of records to go through and meetings, additional classes, and more time devoted but all making sure every achievement, school, deployment, and awards are documented and represented. Lunatic fringe was the breakaway song my ship the USS Halsey CG-23 used for underway replenishments back in the 80's the Navy had 6 years in those 25. Since 120 is the days for the packet, my battalion decided 90 days is better. I have been on the road for work, school, and military and then straight to the brushes when at home. The last photos are a project that I started the first day of the challenge and has been in bare foam since summer. The following are not so much for that particular project but every maritime themed alternate I have been painting on the desk and not submitted...I may get a smaller post out before midnight. I got back from drill Sunday night, but averaging three hours of sleep there meant I barely built the post and placed photos Sunday night.  

So the Carnevale Lady Doc leads the Cart to the Maritime section.

The Scarif shore troopers are a favorite version of storm troopers from an excellent Star Wars movie.

I used contrast to block in the color then used triads air color from army painter to clean them up. I am finding that I now am using the contrast paints and air color almost exclusive as I work and this season the airbrush and paints have been used a lot. I have been painting the air color with airbrush and also from my wet pallet as I do not need to worry about color matching.

 

I have two squads as i read a card description where they can summon more troopers and after facing tyranid and undead armies so many times, I now have a unit that can bring more troops to the table for a change!

Also the Elucidian Starstriders were also an alternate for the section. I quite like them and am looking forward to battle with them now that they are painted. They also make a great command squad for the imperial navy boarding troops too hence the color alterations.

Every purple and gold I could scrounge up went to the boss. She has one blue feather to tie her in to her gun minions.

The goodest Boy ever and the true leader of my imperial navy troops. He is sporting the snazzy ceramite plate doggo tacti-cool vest.

a death cult assasin with hair matching her blade

the command section of my Navy troops

a hospitalar from the sisters and a tech priest trainee round out the crew

possibly the most fun was painting the next kill team the geller pox. I have won one and lost one with this bunch. They should triumph now they are properly colored.

I threw every color at this kill team and they also got a lot of washes, spot washes and drybrushes

I wanted them to look as nasty as their lore and also plan to use them in a myriad of games besides the Games workshop ones.

giant mutant fleas!

geller pox nurglings up to antics

geller pox weirdos but a delight to paint!

I noticed more details to tackle later on Nurgle is like messy Napoleonics

A hulking monstrosity leaning in the ship's cook role. I kept his skin pasty white with a few washes and spot washes and lots of sickly white dry brushes of pale skin tones.

The blotches of red, purple, and green really make him look icky. I need a tetanus shot after moving him

the hulking lord of the flies

another ick spotlight with fly larva on his shoulder

I like this mutant a lot and gave him a purple bruised flesh to mach the squid arm

he has fish hooks and barnacles everywhere

The boss of the crew with warpfire in his belly....really there is warp fire there!

normal flesh tones to have dead white flesh near the metal protrusions and purple icky boils and pustules. I oxidized all the metal bits and rusted them for more ickiness.

The whole putrid lot of geller pox.

I am getting another set or three of these for boarding actions in 40k.

my favorite one of the lot complete with scars on his bare head. and power fist with a chain cutter for cutting through doors.

My second favorite armsman with combat shield

when power axe and power fist won't do call in the demo specialist with his padded vest

the drone pilots with their charges. the bases are clay with secret war deck plate roller texturing them and then painted to look like ancient ship decks. I use supper glue to adhere them to the bases after they dry and clay is way cheaper than green stuff! a small ball flattened on the base then left to dry over night. the clay won't adhere to the bases so I remove them then glue them back and they are ready for priming.

the only other bare head on the team, but she has her helmet in hand. lots of blue layers you can see as well as the many layers of paint on the bases

9 rats of a large size....you always need rodents of unusual size in games and i bought them for a couple bucks at adepticon...Maybe Wryd maybe another maker.

a zombie dog...i like dogs and even this one needs a boop on the nose!

he could use a bath...and I say he as he does have the tackle in the rear. perhaps the Lady doc has him as a faithful companion, unknown maker like the rats and bought cheaply for a wide range of game uses.

The lady doc has finally made it to her home as indicated by the Pali di Casada, also bricole, or palina.

I painted these in white and red but after reading about them, future one will indicate the different factions of Carnevale.

You can't have a skirmish in Venice without gondola pilots replete with iron shod oars!

The bases are cobble stone rolled from a secret weapon roller

a small businessman and dock workers

the barber and butcher

fishermen from the docks

a few ladies of Venice

the pickpocket and Capodecina. 

The pick pocket steals action points!....she is also hard to be struck

you also need gondolas, a black passenger cruiser with a green cargo hauler.

It seems black is the color of choice, but I want to have fun with them.

the starter game gomes in two flavors one is an under $50 with small gangs and the other is an $80 kit with larger gangs. I bought both to get the goodies and learn the game which is a lot of fun. The terrain is nice, but it is flat and uninspiring.

So I bought a picture frame of roughly 3X4 feet and gathered insulation sheet remains from my garage and laid out a board of Venice canals. I will be using it for a lot of games besides Carnevale...even with the bricole stuck in the board.It is perfect in size for lots of skirmish games and besides terrain, the first game board I have made.

It took five pours of resin over blues and greens used to add depth to the canals. a resin gel of mediteranian blue sadded waves and was used to fix spots between pours. 

It was fully painted before christmas with craft paints and gloss modge podge was used to dampen the sides and make puddles on the cobble stones.

I want to make another pour to bring the canal water up. I used the gel to also make eddys and ripples on the water.

plenty of flotsam in the water with green and brown washes adding weathering to canals

now the game looks a bit better and more immersive. The final resin pour wouldnt be dry for Adeptican this week and its maiden game will be there. Expect some MDF veinitian buildings next year to replace the cardstock. 

There is this teleport homer of the white scars that was found when I removed the horde above from the painting desk....probably going to mean trouble for this board soon!

So totals for this aquatic mine

Scarif stormtroopers- 12 troops and 2 crewed mortars for 80 points

Geller pox infected for 95 points including 13 skulls

( hulks counted as cavalry and the mini minions at 2.5)

Star striders- 50 points and 18 skulls.

naval armsmen- 55 points and 20 skulls

rats and zombie dog- 25 points

10 points for the loose Carnevale bollards

Carnevale Guild- 80 points

gondolas- for 20

and the big skirmish board for 40 plus another 20 for the maritime theme

legion duel no change, some one gets the White Scar Comms officer.

Big Stompy Robots of Death stands at lucky number 13

skulls get a few more another 54 for a new total of 272

I am going to make some coffee and see if  I can at least finish some more stormtroopers before midnight! I am sorry I couldn't get enough time to comment more in the challenge as work and military have prevented all sorts of social media in areas I am. Although I think some of it is silly, I also know that cyber security is serious important for nuclear plants and military operations. Blogspot just happened to get caught up in the lockdown....and I am unusually busy this outing!

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Wow! You have A LOT going on in your life Dave! Still, it's great to see that you've managed more than a little time for your hobby. Your Scarif Shore Troopers look like they're on a great holiday (not), and your Elucidian Starstriders are the absolute business. I absolutely love your Carnevale and Venice board. Wow. Beautiful, painstaking work. Well done!

- Curt