From TimP -Challenge XVI wrap up and Thank you!

A hearty thanks once again to everyone involved especially

Curt, Sarah, DaveD and the minions for other days.

Really enjoyed it, and not wanting to repeat too much from my last post, it's helped get me back painting. It's amazing how the pressure of a totally voluntary target and posting day deadlines can ensure figures are produced and finished. Normally I'm surrounded by projects that are 95-99% done.

Didn't manage a Squirrel or any side duel - maybe I'll manage that next time.

All the figures.

Lower angle shot showing the SOCO at the front.

Next steps, get the Saxon standard bearer finished, and finish the buildings I didn't get done in time for his time. 

Here's looking forward to next year.  

TimP

EdwardG: Sprint finish points bomb (376pts)

Hej hej all,

Thank you all for the kind comments on my previous post. Having been languishing in the doldrums for this Challenge I resolved to at least have a go at attacking my points target in the final week and a bit. 

Thanks to some long work meetings and a kind wife who indulged a few later nights of me painting. I think, if my maths is correct, that I've made it, and a little over. Be that as it may I'm slightly sad I wasn't on this kind of form for more of the challenge! The dent into the 28mm lead/plastic pile is noticeable, but there are still nearly 5x really useful boxes full to go! 😀 

But, enough waffle. I concentrated on first getting my basic English Saga force painted and then branched out to the Scots, via some mercenary troops. I managed the English and a fair number of Scots (32 remaining for the full schilitron!)

First up on the photos is Sir Thomas Grey, English Captain and all around sold soldiery chap (with a nice and simple heraldry, and a flag from Flags of War!). The Grey family had a handy run of about 4 generations of solid soldiers, fighting in all the wars versus Scots and Frenchmen in the period. They eventually made it to the ranks of the Earls under Henry V, with a large number of French estates, but seem to have lost it all in the 1450s and 60s.

Supported by his tried and true men-at-arms, and household knights.

And supporting him are his band of merry Archers. All of whom are wearing an unnatural uniform coat...but give me a chance, I painted them all in about 6hrs! 

His opponent from over the Wall, a place they call Scotland... is a deer stalking highlander with a mixture of close combat clansmen and pike armed yeomen. All energised into a combat frenzy by the sweet melody of the pipes! 

And then supporting whomever has just promised the larger pay packet, a bunch of axe happy Irish mercenaries. They began the challenge being painted yellow, but I lost the will to continue after base coating them. Coming back to them a few months later I went to recover the paint job and "start" with a black undercoat. I liked the under coat much more than the original paint scheme, so they became black coated Irish, rather than the "traditional" mustard yellow that is shown in the pictures of Irish of the period. 

A final addition were finished at lunchtime today. I found these chaps, undercoated from a previous Challenge, in a misc minis box and felt inspired having painted their 28mm Irish cousins. I belive they are Essex minis of a generic axemen/halbardier type. 

All of this effort equals points...at least that's the hope! 

English = 42 x 28mm foot = 42 x 5pts = 210pts

Scottish = 22 x 28mm foot = 22 x 5pts = 110pts

Irish = 8 x 28mm foot = 8 x 5pts = 40pts

15mm axemen = 8 x 15mm foot = 8 x 2pts = 16pts

Total = 376pts

Grand total = 74 + 376 = 450pts!! Phew! 

So long all and thanks for all the fish! Looking forward to seeing you all next year! 

Best, 

Ed 😀

What a paint bomb Edward, loving this.  Lord Grey is wonderful and I live his huge retinue of archers in their red livery.  It may not be strictly historical but it works and gives unit cohesion.  But most of all I love those Scots with their wild Irish merch.  Well done all around.

PeterD 

From RobH: A walk in the Sun (190 points)

Time flies. The month of February is the busiest month of the year for me at the office. It actually begins in mid January and ended last week. As a result I get next to nothing gaming related completed. But here goes.

1) This was a project I began on Thursday after I signed off work. Twelve Late Roman slingers, or a Saga Levy. This was 15 stages of work, completed at all hours of the day or night. From the first application of paint applied to the trousers (AV Game Color 72.037 Filthy Brown to the final stage of a coat of Mod Podge applied to provide a sealant for the Meadows of Purity Krautcover Scenics. I just wanted to see if I could push it throught in about 60 hours.

2) The second project was the completion of 10 Late Roman Cavalry.  This would be a Warlord and bannerman and a Saga Warrior Unit. This was the project that was start and go in the middle of the night during the long winter season.

3) Finally we have a walk in the sun. This was a freebie from Warlord Games showing off their French Line Infantry. I have some plastics but I prefer my mins to be metal. It had just the right amount of model work that appealed to me. Glue on a head, attach the backpack and roll. No fuss, no muss. I have never got into painting Napoleonics and I don't have a lot of knowledge of the period. This was an easy project simply because I thought, six figures and my Spanish Guerrillas needed someone to ambush. I went for a ragtag look. The greatcoat makes it an easy project.

18 25mm Infantry X 5 points = 90 points

10 25mm Cavalry x 10 points = 100 points

Total 190 Points. 

Very nice work here Rob and a nice variety of historical subjects! I have a large amount of 28mm Napoleonic British and French in a box, waiting for the right moment... I suspect they will be a retirement project. Your ragtag Frenchmen do look the part though!

One-ninety for you!

Dallas

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 

EdwardG - First post 4 Scots in a field (20pts)

Hej everybody,

I've been very slow off the ground this year. It's been a busy time at home and the painting mojo is low.

I've managed to get 4 minis painted!! They're the start of my Scots army for SAGA. 

The minis are from Antediluvian Miniatures. They're excellent to paint and wonderfully full of character. Sadly, my painting is rather rushed and needs a bit more to get the most out of these minis. But still, hopefully have made it before the cut off! 

Points:

4x 28mm foot = 4x5pts =20pts

Hope to catch you all soon! 

Best,

Ed

Hoi there Ed, well we all have experienced our Mojo being affected by all kinds of daily troubles... so how incredibly good to see you join us nevertheless with such excellently painted Scots. The pikes seem especially menacing and I for one would not like to have to face them. 

Enjoy the Challenge, cheers Sander