From FrederickC - Western Lumber Camp Buildings and Log Piles for 'What a Cowboy' (25 Points)

 Woohoo! A third submission already. 

Last summer my wife and I spent a week at Wasagaming in Riding Mountain National Park. While dropping into the local Dollar Store to get a jug of water, I happened to spot two dYI log cabins that looked like they had some potential for scenarios of 'What A Cowboy'.

They did need a bit of extra work, as there was a gap under the bottom log onthe sides of the building, an artifact due the the nature of the assembly. This was filled with a piece cut from a chopstick to ensure the wall came all the way down to the ground, 

I also decided that the roof would look better with shingles, rather than just a thin piece of wood. So strips of cardboard shingles were cut ad glued into place. That is as about as fancy as it got. Having assessed what would be needed to actually cut the doors and windows through the logs, I decided that is wasn't worth the effort, I did however cut a base on which to mount the cabins to give greater stability, and to make sure the structure would sit flat on the table.

"I'm in pieces, bits and pieces."

Assembled cabins (still without pases.)

Showing the 'lift off' roof.

 The dimensions for the two cabins/bunk houses/lumber camp office are 5" x 6" x 3.5" 

These were painted with water base latex paint from the 'Oops' section at Home Depot.

Pop Up Roof to show interior

 

 

The final group of items are five log piles which would be handy cover from bullets. Here I painted some doweling different shades of brown, and using a jig, sawed them into standard lengths. They were then glued on a base until I thought it looked like the right height. Eventually I produced 5 log piles, each 1" x 2.25" x 1.75". 

All the bases got a thin layer of sand glued on them, with some sporadic bits of greenery scattered here and there. Once again, what Byron says it's worth. 

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What a great little find Frederick.  I agree they needed something with the roof and the shingles make a big difference and look great.  As a suggestion to fit even more into that really rustic look, you might want to try gluing some flock onto the roof in patches as well, as a lot of old cabins get that moss growth on them and it could look good, but if your thinking of these as a new build then I wouldn't.  

Overall, the colour choices overall are really good as well, the cabins look suitably aged and the logs being different colours look great as well.  I might even be stealing the idea for some of my own western terrain.  Points wise I am going to say about 10 points a building as they are pretty simple, and then a few more points for the logs piles.  I would say about 5, but am going to go to a total of 30 between the buildings and the log piles.  Keep it coming Frederick.

- Byron

From PeteB: Weston Toy Company - Mexican Villagers - 54 mm (65 points)

As promised some weeks ago with the Mexican fury, are here the other Mexican villagers of the Weston Toy Company. They painted very well and for those who want to know, I've painted the white clothings with Revell 17 Africa Brown as base and a drybrush with Revell 05 White. this means I have painted all the figures of the good side of "The Magnificent Seven!". I love that movie! Now I have to paint the bandits (8 foot and 8 mounted) to make it complete but that isn't for this challenge.

Together with the lady!

Just to show the other figures.
The Magnificent Seven!

Points:

- 6,5 x 54 mm Foot figure = 65 Points

That means that I reached my target of 300 points. My new target is 500 points now. With 4 weeks to go it must be possible to do that.

Thanks for watching!

TeemuL: Always a good feeling to complete a project, or at least half of the project. And reach the AHPC target at the same time. Good work, Pete! White is such a difficult colour to paint, but you have nailed it nicely. So, what are you going to paint next to achieve your adjusted target?

From PeteB - Weston Toy Company - Mexican fury - 54 mm (10 Points)

This lady is a 54 mm figure from the Weston Toy Company made for the Magnificent Seven figures range.  I'm planning to paint more of these village people (7) for this challenge. Hopefully I can show them in the next few weeks. 

Oh she looks so angry!
You don't want to be hit by that broom!

I hope you like her.

Points: 1 x 54 mm Foot figure = 10 Points

TeemuL: I believe this an addition to your last week's Dulcop Napoleon French Infantry project, right? This can't be any new project, it doesn't sound like Thursday? Napoleonic French in Mexico.

Anyway, nice mini and well painted, looking forward to see the other village people.  Excellent shading on the white clothes and the broom looks very real. What material is this mini, plastic or resin? Probably not metal or she would fall...?

From ByronM - Western Town from Northern Lights Terrain (220 Points)

It's really been a bit of a slow year for me this painting challenge, and I am sorry about that.  With the end of the challenge coming up oh so quickly, I really wanted to get a project done that I have needed to complete for the better part of a decade!!  When I started laser cutting terrain it was 2014 and one of the first sets I launched was a line of western buildings which was finished and for sale by early 2015.  Since then, they have sat unpainted in a bin, getting pulled out to play with (unpainted) but otherwise untouched.

The biggest issue was that I didn't really know what I wanted to do with them.  I thought about just painting the signs and leaving the rest wood, or painting them all but not really sure how to go about doing an aged wood look, so they just sat.

Well, I resolved to get them done this year, and since I had such a slow painting year, I decided I needed to bang out something big for the end of the challenge, and this happened to be it.  You can find my whole line of western buildings for sale over at Northern Lights Terrain.

I ended up deciding on a worn wood look, but wasn't sure how to pull it off without spending a ton of time.  I figured going with a brown base, dry brushing grey and then various washes over it would work but wasn't 100% sure.  So I used a lifeline and called Curt to discuss options.  He had pretty much the same idea / colours in mind but suggested that I start with grey to skip the brown undercoat and then proceed to washes of browns, greys and maybe some greens.

I wasn't too sure, so tried it out on the outhouse first, and was really happy with the results.  I think it looks great and was relatively fast as well!  I used a medium grey as a base, washed generously with a dark brown (burnt umber ink from Liquitex, but you could use Agrax Earthshade), then dry brushed back a bit of the medium grey, then a light grey, both trying to be rough dry brushes and following / creating what would be the grain of the wood.  I then went back over it with a thin brush randomly creating darker runs of the ink and then with a lighter brown ink, and then lastly added some green for rot or moss in the corners and the odd area.

I then went about painting the fronts of the buildings in some various bright colours, and cut some lettering for the signs.  I kept all the trim on the buildings a bright white to make it pop.

The gallows was painted the same as all the building just without any bright coloured details, as were all the boardwalk sections that tie the town together so that the "ladies" don't have to walk in the muddy roads.

Last up was the church, which I painted in a traditional white and black colour scheme.

While I am unhappy that I had a slow painting year this year (due to way to many various reasons over the winter), I am thrilled to have these buildings painted and we have already fought several games of "What a Cowboy" over them. The only building in the line that I did not get done as I couldn't find the assembled one I have (having just moved in the fall) was the barn.  Now I have a few more buildings to design though!!!  As we felt we need some old sheds for non town fights, a Bank as an objective building, a stable and blacksmith, and maybe even a train station!  So maybe I will be back next year with some more western buildings.

As for points, each of the regular buildings are about 7" x 5" x 5.5" so I am going to call each one a 20 point cube of terrain as I feel it's close enough.  There are 6 of those, so 120 points so far.  The gallows is slightly smaller, but if I add the board walk sections and outhouse to it, that should be another cube, so up to 140.  Then the church is bigger at about 1.5 cubes and the saloon is a massive building at 9x8.5x8.5 so over 2.5 cubes, so adding these together should be 4 cubes or 80 points for a grand total of 220 points.  I am ok with more or less as the judges decide. I am just happy they are all done!  I might be back with a few more odds and ends before the end of the challenge, but if not, awesome work everyone!

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Well, our "free fire" submission period will not commence until Saturday, technically speaking, but Byron is a friend and so I am abusing my powers as a minion to welcome his post into our final round of Wednesday submissions. Welcome Byron!

And what a fine submission it is! I will always make cracks about painting terrain, mainly as a weak way deflect from the fact that I am just dreadful at ever getting it painted. But this submission is a clear demonstration of the value that excellent terrain designers such as Northern Lights bring to our hobby. The kits are great, and they are fabulous once painted up! I think your approach to painting the wood has absolutely achieved the right "look".  This is totally a wonderful table set up, and I can already picture a variety of Hatfield-and-McCoy disputes being settled with pistols and rifles! 220 points well earned!

GregB  

From TomL: Travel with the Cart, 65 points

 

 

Taking us to the Travel section via the library cart is Calamity Jean - another Bob Murch Pulp figure from the Dangerous Dames 2 set.
 

 

Looking through all my primed miniatures earlier for that still missing fantasy sorceress, I saw some long forgotten western miniatures. Suddenly the Travel section of the library had an entry as I remembered the family vacation we took back in 2007. We flew out for a family wedding in Las Vegas, drove through the Hualapai reservation (home of the terror inducing Skywalk) and took a train to the grand canyon with our kids. There were cowboys singing & performing magic tricks along the way but the big event was the train robbery.  Mounted bandits stopped the train and boarded our car - almost as if it was planned.  They came through telling really bad jokes and asking for coins from the kids. They of course posed for pictures (and more tips) while doing it. All while waving authentic replica guns (solid cylinders) in the air.  Lawmen chased them away and ’arrested’ them outside. They then rode off while we continued on. It was a fun and scenic train ride.

Wait. You really liked my jokes?

In memory of that trip I present several figures from Brigade Games Western line (plus a random figure stored with them) bought after that vacation.  These were painted using Two Thin Coat and Foundry acrylic paints.

Points - 65.
5 28 MM figures @5 = 25.
Library Travel section -  20.
Sarah’s cart - 20 points.

From Millsy: You can never have enough gunfighters Tom, especially female ones which remain quite scarce in current ranges. Bob Murch does a good line in female characters and you've done a great job on this one, breaking the mold by painting her up in a much more vibrant scheme than you'd expect. The others are equally cool but I do especially like that bright red hat! Lovely work mate.

From TomC: A Fistful of Morphine [Western] (25 points)

The Day of Reckoning approaches, the end is nigh, but fear not, for salvation is at hand and this will be my last post. For my swan song, at the Western studio, there was but one choice available to me (without gratuitous use of the shoehorn).

 This is Doc Amos from Great Escape Games's Dead Man's Hand range, which they kindly gave me at the first Salute I went to (2015?) when I purchased some Dullcote from their stand (there's nothing special about me, I'm sure it was a promotion). Needless to say, eight years later, Amos was still unpainted and the gangs of the Wild West were still without due medical care and attention from a licensed professional...

 When I was initially thinking of colour schemes, the miniature reminded me of Javier Bardem's character from No Country For Old Men, but on double checking, the relentless hitman just wears all black. This wasn't quite what I was in the mood for, but Javier Bardem's character in Skyfall however has a bit more going on (although I passed on the heinous patterned shirt). Raoul Silva doesn't carry a doctor's bag, but a quick google for inspiration turned up a pony-skin bag and, once I spotted this, that was the picture complete, it just screamed Wild West (to me at least, historical accuracy be damned!).  

 The sculpt wasn't completely clean, so having checked their website, I don't think what I took to be a monocle was actually meant to have been there...

I've never played Dead Man's Hand, I assume you whack him behind your favourite bush-plate armoured maniac and make friends?

 Scoring should be super simple, one 28mm miniature for 5 points and 20 points for the Western studio, at which point I'm sincerely hoping that my maths has served me well enough that that (25 points) is enough to see my over my Challenge total?

 If so, then I would just like to say thank you to Curt for arranging the challenge, Sidney for the wonderful studio destinations and the various people who have had kind things to say about my posts (so far!), thank you all so much!

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Lovely brushwork on this doc, Tom. I like the juxtaposition of his light grey coat against the green of his waistcoat and trousers.  You know, a monocle would kinda work for this guy... Anyway, yes, this entry will put you past your points target for the Challenge, so well done on both doing it in style AND in the nick of time. :)

- Curt