Painting Challenge Report #3

A spell of extremely and abnormal warm and sunny weather last week in Madrid, facilitated undusting my airbrush to work outdoors on a couple of 28mm 2WW Allied vehicles for the challenge.

First, a late war British 4-wheeled Humber Mk IV  used in the recon sections of the British and Commonwealth divisions. Over 6,000 were produced during the war (of the different versions) and saw post-war action up to the 60s: the latest in record, an obscure colonial conflict  in Asia between Portugal and India for the control of Goa, where the Humber featured among the recon squadrons of the Portuguese forces.

This kitl has been painted in the olive green and "Mickey Mouse" cammo scheme widely used in the Western Europe campaigns of 1944-45

This is an old Warlord resin model with metal fittings, which incidentally has been recently replaced with  (in my view) a more nicely designed plastic model. 

The second contribution to the Challenge last week is a US  M3 halftrack, the real workhorse of the Allied mechanized units in Europe (including several thousands supplied to the Soviet Union).

A solid and reliable APC, it saw action in Asia, Middle East and Latin America well into the 80s. It was also the main APC vehicle of the Spanish army, until being replaced by the M113 in the early 80s. Actually, you can see it featuring both on the Allied and  Axis sides in classical war movies films like Patton or the Battle of the Ardennes, filmed both in Spain with the support of our army.

This kit was acquired assembled second hand to one of my local club friends, and I'm unsure whether it is a Rubicon or a Warlord model. 

These two vehicles plus an extra bonus earned in one the Challenge Library rooms themes, added 60 points to muy personal scoring. I'm now at 200 points accumulated, or 50% of my 400 points target for the year.

 

Painting Challenge report #1

A late start this year in the Annual Painting Challenge, Christmas holidays have been particularly busy with different family and friends gatherings.  In any case, my first post is already live (published on December 31st) and will eventually be the initial  part of a series dedicated to 2WW recce vehicles.

This is a German "Luchs" (or Lynx in Englsih) an evolution of the Panzer II that saw action from mid '43 in the recon units of the German divisions both in the Eastern and Western front. The production was limited to a total of 100 units (according to Wikipedia), which made sense cutting when Germany went into a defensive stance and shifter efforts to the large "cats".

This is a resin 3D printed model from the French company Eskice; this model in particular has a good design but the truth is that the brand is pretty irregular in the quality of their designs (the German Fallschirmjager for example are terrible) 

It was painted in a 2-colour (dark yellow + green) cammo scheme with a faded touch.

 

The model scored for the "New Acquisitions" section of this year's Challenge bonus pool (developed around the sections of a Public Library) and merited a total of 40 points (or 10% of my 400 points Challenge target in 2024).

Have a great 2024! 

Painting Challenge Report: The Last Salvo

On midnight Sunday, the 13th edition of the Painting Challenge closed. The two days over the last weekend were declared "free fire zone", in other words, challengers could post freely at any time. Because coinciding with Father's Day in Spain on Sunday, family engagements and celebrations limited my availability to paint.

Nonetheless I could finished painting both, an LMG team for my Early War German Fallschirmjager project and an individual ammo carrier model.

The LMG is 3D printed model sold by Eskice Miniatures and it comes in one block (including the tree trunk). Eskice designs are somewhat irregular, and as commented in previous posts, the German paratroopers are probably among the lowest quality in the range: uniforms are not 100% historical  (the jumping boots for example, they look more American than German), the gear pieces are inaccurate (they never jumped with the gas mask canisters or the trench tools) or created out of the designer's imagination.

In any case, I like this specific piece due to the poses and sense of action, and that's why I decided to print and paint.

At the conclusion of the Challenge, my accumulated points scoring reached 709 points, which exceeds by 9 points my 700 points goal. Very happy with the output this year, I think it's the first time in eight editions that I have hit the target.

It's been a great edition this year, lots of high quality submissions and I encourage my readers to take a look to the Challenge's blog and get some inspiration for your own painting projects. I hope to participate again next December, but I'm planning now to take a more or less long break from the brushes, and focus my hobby time in playing both boardgames  and miniature games.

 

Painting Challenge Report #12

All good things must end, and the Painting Challenge too. The last three months went away incredibly fast, an coinciding with the start of Spring the Challenge concludes. My latest Tuesday submission is a second German motorbike with sidecar (an Eskice brand 3d printed model) and a few German Fallschirmjager from Warlord in the early war jump suit.

 

The veteran wargamers looking at the photos may have realised a terrible and unforgivable historical mistake in one of the German paratroopers models: one is carrying a MG42 LMG model!!!  These only went into service from mid to late 1943, unlikely any jumped into France or Crete 

 The Warlord plastic German paratroopers box mixes both early and late war models. When I assembled the models, I classified in two different trays,  but it seems that I mistakenly put this mini in the wrong tray, only realizing only when finished painting and basing the model. 

 My score after this submission is 689 points, or just an inch away from the 700 points target set for this year's Challenge. Luckily, this weekend will have a  "free fire" slot, in which challengers shall be allowed to post at any time until Sunday at midnight in Canada. Already working on some late minute contrbutions to be posted over the weekend.    

Painting Challenge Report # 11

This week my paint work slowed drmatically for many different reasons, and I could only finish one motorbike with sidecar model for my motorized early war German unit.

My initial plan was to have the three Eskice models painted this week, but it was derailed because I procrastinated for too lomng and also because I forgot to print the third model (unfortunately, the printer is stored in my parents summer house, that will remain shut down until Spring)

 

I could only add 20 points to the scoring this week. The accumulated figure now is 654 points. I have  exactly two week to hit the 700 points target mark. Except for some unexpected event, I hope to reach it in time. 

Painting Challenge Report #10

As commented last week, I'm taking a few weeks of the Challenge now to break away from my core Saga projects and capture some bonus points from the Challenge Studios, painting some minis on the side. Last week it was all fantasy and the Lord of the Rings, this week is Second World War.

I have an old German early war project for Chain of Command half finished. It was initially planned for the 2019 Challenge but other projects stepped in the way (ah! the wargame butterfly inside of me). Having in 2022 jumped into the 3D printing activity, the project was rekindled last summer after printing a set of German motorbike riders from Eskice Miniatures.

These are going to work as a motorized infantry squad support unit or as part of a recon group. I still have pending a couple of motorbikes with sidecars that will provide the LMG tgeams to the squads. 

 

Painting filed grey and panzaerr grey is not very exciting but it is fast; and despite being very dull colours, I'm noy unhappy with the final results.

 

After this week submission, my accumulated scoring has reached 634 points or 91% of my 700 points target. With a little bit of effort I may reach the finish line next week, let's now pray that any unexpected professional o personal committments don't come in the way.  

 

Painting Challenge Report #9

We are entering the last lap of The Painting Challenge, and decided to takea break from my Saga projects to explore some of the Blue Pass Studios sites and earn some bonus points on the way. For this purpose. I dug the deepest layers of my lead mountain and found these jewels in the 1980's layers (still wrapped in the original blisters)

 

Galadriel and her mirror plus the four most famous hobbits of The Shire

These were designed and sold by Mithril miniatures in the early 1980s, heavily based in the descriptions provided by Tolkien in the Lord of the Rings. Nothing to do with thee most familiar images emerging from the Peter Jackson's films (and the Warlord miniatores ranges)

 

 

 

 

After this week's submission my current Challenge score has reached 549 points, representing 78% of my Challenge's 700 points  target for this year. Veery much on track to reach the target.

  

 

Painting Challenge Report #8

A milestone achieved in my Saga project, as last week I finished the last two units of guards for my Dark Ages warband

 

Guards units have 4 men, representing 1 point  in terms of the Saga point system. Together with the previously painted models, I have now a total of 6 points (1 levy. 2 warriors, 2 guards and the warband leader)  to deploy a warband on the table. 

 

Given the generic design of most of these models, they can be used for any army list between the period of the Late Roman Empire to the beginning of the first Millenium. So any list with the terms "Anglo", "Saxon", Danish", even Vikings can be used with the mdels al ready painted.

My plan now is to start painting some cavalry units which a re featured in many of the Age of Invasion lists like the different "Goths" (Otrogoths, Visigoths,etc), Franks and other horse mounted peoples beyond the Rhine and the Danube rivers.

As of today, my total points score on the Challenge has reached  482 points or 69% of my 700 points target.

Painting Challenge Report #7

 Unfortunately, nothing to report this week  :-(

I had a spike of workload at the office last week; and coupled with some family commitments over the weekend, made it impossible to have anything material ready to submitt to the Painting Challenge on Tuesday (my allocated day of the week).

Several half finished projects are currently on the table, all related to my Saga warbands. I hope to recoup part of the lost time next weekend and exceed the average weekly points achieved so far. Stay tuned.    

Painting Challenge Report #6

 January is gone and I'm happy with my progress so far in the Painting Challenge. Usually, by this time in the competition my painting mojo suffers; but not this year. I think the Saga project is keeping me engaged and committed.

The past week I finished a second unit of 8 warriors (1 Saga Warband point equivalent). The minis are from the Gripping Beast plastic Dark Age Warriors box, straight from the sprues. Shileds as usual from the superb Little Big Men Studios range.

 

The unit is generic enough to play a rol in any Dark Age warband and even later periods, like for example acting as light infantry for an El Cid/Reconquista army. I'm now close to conclude a 4-point starter warband: I already painted one levies (1 point) and the two warriors (2 points) units. I only need now to paint the Guards, which hopefully should be ready next week.

 

I have also started looking for a suitable warband leader.For a cavalry-free army, I have already prepared this chief standing on a boulder. Happy with the final work but I may add in the future a stardard bearer. I'm planning in any case to paint some other warband leaders, and at least one riding a horse.

 

Following this week's submission my accumulated scoring has reached 442 points, representing 63% of my 700 points target for this year's Challenge.

 

Painting Challenge Report #5

 Time flies, I can't believe that 5 weeks are already gone since the beginning of the Challenge (and the winter period)

Very satisfactory progress this week. Despite having less time available for painting, I managed to finish another 8-men Warrior unit for my Saga warband. These were initially to be part of an Anglo-Danish warband, bu the models are so generic that can be part of any Saxon, Viking, etc unit in the Dark Age period.

 

 

The second part of the entry are Saruman and the Palanthir. These were painted to win some bonus points by visiting the 80s Studio site of the Challenge Studios. The model is from an (very) old Mithril range bought in the 80s literally (it was even in the sealed original blister pack!)

 

Quite happy with the painting work, depicting Saruman in the act of conjuring Sauron's Eye in the Palanthir.

This week I scored 67 points, taking my Challenge's accumulated to 377 points. I have already covered 54% of my March 21st deadline target of 700 points, so not bad at all. Now I need to keep the momentum.

Painting Challenge Report #4

As expected, the end of the Christmas holidays has reduced my total paint time and slowed the output. In any case I have been able to produce one new 12-men levy unit for my Saga Late Roman Army warband.

Being levies I wanted the unit to lack uniformity. So instead of using the Gripping Beast Late Roman Infantry box, I decided to scavange different pieces from the Dark Age Warriors box and spare heads with helmets from other different boxes.

My idea was that likely they were supplied with helmets,  Roman army tunics and shields when called for service. But being conscripted, some may be have been arriving late or the army's depot may have been depleted, and therefore they had to provide their own clothing and weapons.

 

Another example of the flexibility allowed by the Gripping Beast plastic boxes, many of whose parts can be interchanged, providing endless configuration options. The shields are transfers from Little Big Men studios. I went for a similar pattern to give the unit some uniformity.

With this entry, my scoring stands now at 310 points, representing 44% of my Challenge's 700 points target this year. 

 

Painting Challenge Report #3

 Third week of the Annual Painting Challenge concluded and my progress is good. Clearly having been on holidays for a couple of weeks helped, as I consider myself a slow painter. Now that I'm back in the office, I'm afraid that some momentum will be lost, and the weekly scorings will decrease.

This week I went back to the Saga related projects and finished an archers unit. These are rated "Levy" in the Saga rules and the unit must have at least 12 minis. The models are 28mm plastic straight from the Dark Ages Archers box.

You may remember from three weeks ago, the Arab archers unit also included some minis from the same bow. I only needed to swap heads from the Araba Spearmen box. This is one of the great advantages of the Gripping Beast boxes, the pieces are fully interchnageable between boxes, enabling an infinite number of poses.

 

The second part of this week's entry is a Darth Vader model. It is 3D printed and was given to me by one of my club pals, pushing me to enter into the Star Wars period. The model also scorer 20 bonus points in the SciFi studio of the Challenge. 

 

I'm still resisting to jump into that wagon... but who know if this might be the project for the next winter Challenge XD 

 With the points scored this week I'm now at 250 points or 36% of my 700 points target for this Challenge

   

 

Painting Challenge Report #2

Concluding the second week of the Challenge with good progress in my painting plans, thanks mainly to being on holidays for a couple of weeks. After 9th January I'll be back in the office and it's unlikely I'd be able to mantain the momentum.

Two main entries in the Challenge blog. The first is a scenery project only half-finished, that's been standing in a corner on my painting table for many (too many) months: a stone house to play with 28mm minis, part of a bulk purchase of my gaming club in Madrid... as was designated by the club's Junta as a "volunteer" to paint it. Finally concluded thanks to the Challenge.

 

The second post in the Challenge blog was a collection of different pieces: a Panzer IV of an early model- featuring in the supports list of my Chain of Command's German Early War infantry platoon project

 

The second are a German Fallschirmjager sniper team and officer, also for the early war period. These are painted with the jump suit uniform in the greenish/field grey colors of that time. The models are 3D printed files from Eskice Miniatures.

 These are two funny models, specially the team member with the decoy watermellon head. I couldn't resist adding them to my unit

These will be part of another club project to play a Crete 41 invasion campaign, to take place later in 2023.

Finally and as part of the Challenge bonus points scheme, I needed to paint a mini using the  greyscale. My happy idea was to repaint a very old Ral Partha troll form the early 80s as it was caught outdoors at dawn and therefore turned into stone.

 

Following this week's contributions, my current accumulated score is 163 points or 23% of the 700 points target. Not bad for a couple of weeks