From MartinC: Unexpected Missing Weeks [Literature] (160 points)

So I've missed 2 weeks of submissions and this one isn't a bomb. There is no horrible reason for this, but stuff has been happening. Basically in the last 2 weeks I've applied for early retirement, yay, but have to wait until May to find out if I'm going to be successful, boo. If I am then I will retire but end August, maybe earlier. This is at least 12 months earlier than I was planning, double yay. My retirement plans include me moving down South to be closer to my family and my wargaming confederates. It's not very far South, only an hour. So I put my house on the market and started to look for another one. Putting your house on the market means tidying up and doing little bits of decorating to hide stuff. I've spent much of the last 2 weeks doing that. 

Good news is someone has put an offer in at market value, the 1st viewer. Looked at houses last weekend and looking at one again on Saturday before playing a game with Dave. 

So excuses over, time to show you some painting. 

The Russians are progressing, another grenadier battalion, the 2nd battalion Little Russia regiment

These are a mix of Perry bodies with some Warlord heads - you don't get enough grenadier heads for a full battalion. The Warlord heads have collars attached, whereas the Perry ones don't so trimming was needed.

But you can't tell. One more battalion to go and I've completed my planned russian infantry. However I do need another 4 battations to complete the division (or maybe 8). But at the moment I have a 10ft table full, so that should be enough.

Next up a trip to the literature section and the Green Knight. Sir Gawain and the Green knight is a 14th C English story. Basically the Green knight challenges Gawain. if he can stike him then the Green Knight will return in a year and a day to return the blow. Gawain beheads the Green Knight, who promptly picks up his head and wanders off, to return a year and a day later......

The figure is a resin one from Sundered Studios and is a lovely model

But it is very fragile. The sword has been replaced with a mace, one of the antlers is broken and the whole thing has far too many pins holding it together and to the stand

I do love the figure though

Finally a single warrior monk by an unknown manufacturer. i have no clue how I got it or how long I've had it

So I think that completes my tour around the library and the Snowload can present me with my task. I have thoughts on this.

Scores on the doors

28mm Russian Grenadier Battalion = 22x5 = 110

Couple flags = 2x1 = 2

28mm Mtd Russian Officer = 1x10 = 10

28mm Green Knight = 1x10 = 10

Literature Section bonus = 20

28mm crusader monk = 1x5 = 5

Total = 157pts

TeemuL: Congratulations on your plans, let's hope they are successful! You have been successful in the Library at least and your Russian project is almost done (it will never get better than "almost done", I assure you). I really like the simple and humble monk, I'm sure he feels like home with the Russians or the Green Knight, I'd say a very versatile model. The Green Knight is excellent and steals the show! Very nice green colours and highlights, I'll give you couple of more bonus points for the heraldy, base and awesomeness in general. Excellent miniature!

From MartinC: Sing When you are Winning (570 points)

Evening all. Tonight's match is brought to you by D Hudson Dry Stone Walling and Centre Barks Kennels. As previously mentioned, and posted, by brother in law has taken a shine for the game subbuteo, so as it's his birthday next week and I built him a grandstand

The Martin Adams Stand will house all 87 of his fans and is scratch built by me for the DIY section

The fans were originally unpainted model train passengers, which explains the 1950s dress code and the lack of enthusiasm, although that could be due to the match.

There were some seated figures, so I made subs benches

I've also painted a few other things

This is a resin fawn, or maybe a centaur. 

He is from sundered studios

Finally a box of Gripping Beast plastic Arab light cavalry

These have nice horses and fairly dull figures

But they will do fine as light cavalry

There are also some mtd archers

Scores on the doors

1 football stand = 3.5x12x5 = 20pts

DIY section = 20pts

87 x 20mm fans = 348pts

2 subs benchs = 2pts

12 subs = 48pts

28mm fawn = 10 pts

12 x 28mm arab cavalry = 120

total = 568

TeemuL: What a gift! Naturally I'd like to know more about the construction process, is that mainly foamcore, mdf, plastic etc? I painted some railway model passangers some time ago, and they are quite simple, but I guess they are more realistic in their poses, details and propotonions than some fantasy minis or even historicals. Anyway, that's lots of painted minis, 99 football related in total. Did you paint all you got from boxes or did you a cunning plan to paint exactly 99? The fawn looks good, too, may be a bit blurred, but good. I'll add couple of points for the scratch building for a nice round value.

From MartinC: Tour of the Studios (227 points)

 Like most of us, I amass a few figures that I have started during the challenge but not got round to posting. These are some of these

1st up a 75mm barbarian from Mr Lee's. I loved Kyle's figures and tried to buy some every year to test myself. This one is a belter and will take me through Sword and Sandals and my 1st blue tour stop

I really enjoyed painting him and gave him an obsidian sword

The tattoos are in fine tipped permanent marker

On to Fantasy next and there are several entries here. 1st up is Coatl Guard General eating the heart of his victim, nice

He's a big unit, approx 54mm, holding the lifeless body of his lunch

The feathers were a pain, never undercoat in white, it makes them more colourful but it is impossible to remove the visible white.

Always on the look out for cool looking figures I picked this up at a bring and buy. It's from Reaper Bones and I hate it. I have several Reaper bones figs and I don't like any of them. But he's painted now

He's a 40mm figure

and will add beef to my lizardman army

Finally for the fantasy studio so African tribeswomen

8 warriors in masks with spears of blowpipes. The bases are very boring because..

they are crew for these elephants. the elephants are from a previous challenge and will join my Kings of War African army

I need to take a trip to Books next, no clue what to do for Arthouse. So it is a ride in Lady Sarah's Limo. Actually it will be a party limo as I have lots of ladies and enough champers

This murderous geisha is from Hasslefree and was a joy. Love how I did the pattern

She has brought the girls with her. This deadly bunch are also Hasslefree and I love these type of figures

The brunette with the teddy rucksack and 2 pistols is particularly ironic I think

So here I am a books with almost infinite variety to choose from. I a picked Biggles - who wouldn't

This figure is from Northstar and came with the Pulp rules, which not properly played yet

Biggles will need some allies / enemies and these South Sea Islanders will do nicely, Copplestone I think or Pulp

Probably good guys, i think

Finally me, Dave and James are off to Hammerhead in a month to run a gangster participation game. This will be Feds against moonshiners, and so we needed a still, picked this up on Etsy

Scores on the doors - hold tight

20 x 28mm infantry = 100

1 x 75mm chap = 15

1 x 54mm chap = 10

1x 40mm chap = 7

3 x terrain markers = 5pts each = 15

3 locations and a limo ride = 80

total = 227pts

I need a rest

ITMA*, with another points bomb. What a terrific bunch of figures to whizz you around the Blue Zone. There isn't a 75mm category in the SSOD**(TM, MilesR) so I've entered the score for that barbarian in the bonus points. Now, go and have that rest!

Just one little thing - please can you include a progress map with your studio entries?

Tamsin

* It's That Man Again

**SpreadSheet Of Doom

From MartinC: Swamp Queen (20pts)

 Just a random post. This  figure is the Swamp Queen, a 3D print from Sundered Studios, my favourite 3D supplier now that Kyle has moved on

This a a beautiful 54mm figure and painted really well, but photographed terribly

54mm cavalry = 20pts

That's a great model, Martin! 20 points whizzing your way.

Tamsin

MartinC - Heroes in a Half Shell (175pts)

 I've finished my Lizardman army and it's very big. I will show it all at some point, but will have to do much more tidying up before then. I know that everyone will say I'm lying and I will make it bigger. But for now it is made of complete regiments and I've bought all the figures I wanted.

All great Lizardmen armies need Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. These are the Aztec cousins

Raphaelapetl

Donatellopetl

Leonardopetl

Michaelangelopetl

Cousin Bobopetl

No Wait. There are only 4 TMNT but there are 5 in the pack. Who thought it needed 5 and then designed one. The sculpts are awesome, you can feel them jumping of the bases, full of dynamism. They were great to paint. They move me into the inner ring

Next up the Lizard Queen. She's a big girl (54mm) and have a massive axe and spear.

and skirt and headress with about 100 feathers.

A small unit a lizardmen to complete a regiment.

All lizardmen armies need dinosaurs. This is cheap toy T-Rex with a platform for lizardmen. Don't need much to hold onto, my lizardmen have sticky feet.

This is a big lizard.

But not a big as this Triceratops with a ballista on the howdah, which decorated with severed heads

Does look cool doesn't it

Points

5 x 40mm turtles + Krypton = 55

1x lizard queen = 10

7 x lizardmen = 35

2 dinosaurs = 20mm vehicles = 40

6 dino crew = 30

Ballista = 5 (it's only little)

total = 175

Yes, well, I'm sure that your lizardmen army is complete and that you won't be adding any more regiments to it. At least in the next four weeks.

I'm assuming you meant 28mm vehicles for the dinosaurs, not 20mm.

Lovely stuff, Martin!

Tamsin

From MartinC - Even More Lizardmen (312pts)

 So this is the last of my lizardmen from now (I've painted all the ones I have and time for change of direction). They have been a joy to paint.

First up another regiment of 16 skinks with spears. The whole army has a very Aztec feel and so most of the weapons in the army are not steel but bronze, stone or wooden

These guys have the standard green and yellow colour scheme with bightly coloured shields

Next another 13 skinks to complete a regiment. Same deal as the previous

Next up are 2 skinks on microtyrannosaurs. The skinks are converted from the Sundereded Studio figures and the dinosaurs from the Honourable Lead Boiler Suit Company (although they have now stopped selling them).

I say converted, I found figures that would fit on the back of the dinos and removed their loin cloths

Next up another species of lizard with red and orange crests.

These guys have tortoise shell shields and I really like them

Next up are 12 huge lizard men. These are 40mm figures and look exactly like Godzilla. I gave them a brown colour scheme with bronze shields and weapons. Using KoW these would be 4 regiments and are equivalent to Ogres or Trolls 

I have acquired a couple of Frostgrave Cobramen and these will join the army as heros and wizards

Finally the whole army so far. Almost all were painted during the challenge

These 4 weren't, the turtle wizard is from Mr Lees, the Albertosaurus with the Howdah is from the Honourable Lead Boiler Suit Co. and the orange Microtyrannosaur was prepainted by Mark Copplestone and bought via North Star, it's very cool.

Looking at the army there are some gaps with the number of figures not really matching the number of regiments. Within my group there is a legendary box of unpainted lizardmen from Warhammer V2. These have now been found and have fallen to me and I will paint them up later in the challenge when I get them.

So the scores on the doors

41 x 25mm infantry = 205

2 x 25mm cav = 20

12 x 40mm infantry = 84

3 standards = 3

total = 312pts.

Next up I think Sci Fi

Martin

Well, I hadn't even looked at this post when I made the joke about Martin "kicking up a skink". Fantastic work on these and it's great to see the army (so far) on parade. I'm sure we'll all look forward to seeing the WH V2 ones painted up later on in the Challenge.

Tamsin