From NoelW: Spanish and cricketers: (90 points)

As this is my second ever post to the challenge, I thought I'd briefly introduce myself.

I'm a retired academic living in Sheffield, UK. Like many wargamers, I began with Airfix figures in childhood, and still have the same passion for new figures that I had in 1960 when I'd run to the local toyshop with 2 shillings in hand (that's 10p, for you youngsters). S0 I’ve amassed a large amount of unpainted lead and plastic, which seems to grow every year, despite my best efforts with the paintbrush.

I'm interested in most periods up to WW2 - anything more recent unsettles me somewhat - but the battlefields I keep coming back to are Napoleonic. I like the spectacle of uniforms and flags, so tend to go for smaller units so I can get more variety on the tabletop. I’m also a writer (poet and occasional fiction) so I write the odd piece for the wargames press, too. Luckily, all my family are gamers, so we’ve a dedicated wargames room, and figures of various kinds scattered around the house. I used to be a very good painter – won some prizes etc – but these days various infirmities, particularly eyesight, make it more difficult to get a decent job done. The Challenge is a great incentive for me, and I’m hoping to get many more figures done than the 500 points I set as my target.

My aim in taking part in the challenge is to add figures to as many stalled projects as possible to prompt some new games. The list of incomplete projects is a long one!

But here are two I’m now keener to get going. My go-to period is Napoleonics. I’ve a decent Waterloo setup, but the Peninsular conflict has been sorely neglected. However, the Perry's recent release of Spanish, to be followed by Portuguese, has excited me. And here is my first foray.

A second long term but rather incoherent project is Sealion/ Walmington. Effectively, this is WW2 fantasy, so anything goes. My seaside town sits somewhere between TV’s Walmington on Sea (on the South Coast) and Scarborough (300 miles away on the North East coast). Scarborough houses one of Yorkshire’s cricket grounds, so it seemed logical to arm local cricketers as a further arm of defence. Sloppy Jalopy seem to be the only firm making suitable figures, intended for the Very British Civil War. They’re lovely figures, but the castings left something to be desired – lots of flash and very pronounced mould lines which were difficult to remove without also removing detail (you’ll see from the photos I’ve not fully managed to succeed in doing this). Even so, the designs are great and they paint up really well.

The blazer and jumper colours are Yorkshire’s (my county, and that of all right-thinking cricketers), apparently made up of gold, Cambridge blue and Oxford blue. As both these cities are significant for me, too, that makes these a powerfully symbolic unit. Which almost certainly means they’ll run from the battlefield at the first opportunity.

I’ve six more of these to paint, but they’ll have to wait till I’ve enough patience for scraping and filing. Meanwhile, I’ve already undercoated the next Spanish – but they’ve been elbowed back in the queue by a French general and some ECW. Which of them will make it to the next post?  

(Submitted: 12 * 28mm Spanish Napoleonic and 6*28mm cricketers)

Welcome Noel, to the Hallowed Halls that are this Challenge! What a nice bunch of figures you've shown us today. Those Spanish really look the part and must have been at Bailen where they thoroughly trounced the French. For me the cricketers must be the crème of the lot, what a characterful team they are. I cannot see your poor eyesight having any effect on your painting for these are very well done! The basing is also very  good and it almost looks as if they are standing on the White Cliffs in order to strike out the invading Huns.

90 points well and truly deserved! Now if you're taking votes on what to paint next, Spanish, Frebch general or ECW, I vote for the latter! But whatever you decide to paint please keep them coming!

Cheers Sander