From ClarenceH: Progress on the Highlanders

Made small progress on the second platoon of my Cameron Highlanders...

Sergeant McGruffing directs the lads 'thataway'. I'm going to do my best to have the rest of the platoon finished by next weekend. Then I'm going to take a short break from the Imperials to paint up a few Mahdists so I can actual get in a game. By a few, I mean something in the realm of 100...

Once I manage to accomplish that (see the optimism?) I'll be switching between the two armies:

IX Sudanese Battalion (20 models)
Two more units of Mahdists (20 models or 12 models depending on if they are foot or mounted)
20th Hussars (12 models)
Two more units of Mahdists (possibly some Nile Arabs to add more variety to the army)
British Camel Corps (12 models mounted plus 10 troopers on foot and two bases of camels 'at ease')
Two more.. you get the idea.

My initial goal is five units of Imperials and something like 200 Mahdists. That's about the limit for a game of The Sword and the Flame (and my 4x6' table). If I actually make it this far, I'll see where the collection goes from there.

More soon...

From TomM: Hootington the Barn Owl

It has been a long time, honestly to long, since I threw myself on the excellent figures of Oathsworn's Burrows and Badgers range.

But with the recent release of their campaign expansion (mine is in the post as you read this), I started working on the figures again.

And let me tell you a little secret: Guardians of Ga'Hoole is my guilty pleasure, I think after the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Aliens, that is probably the movie I saw most in the past years.

You see, I have a thing for owls, and ever since the first Kickstarter that launched the game, I have had the Barn Owl in my first order.  It just took scandalously almost 1.5 years before I painted him.

I think though I got him a nice three layer colour scheme on both an earthy brown for the feathers on the outside, and a light grey for the inside.  The armour was done in a golden colour to add some variation in the scheme.

I love this model, and it is the one figure I won`t allow Noshi to claim to put in her warband when we play this again in the future...

From TimG - Soviet Independent Tank Brigade, 1980s

A bit of a change of scale now - and the first 6mm toys I’ve completed for about 8 years!
Having taken new interest in my NATO Brigade Commander (NBC hereafter) game of late, I’ve been revisiting some drawers full of bits and pieces to see if I could assemble any complete units. There was actually more than I thought so I’m currently focussed on the Cold War units. This means that we have French and West German (remember them?) units coming soon, but for now here is a ‘quick win’ in the shape of an Independent Tank Brigade. These models have actually been painted and part based for some years so I only had to finish off the basing and do some touching in of the paint. 
In NBC, most stands represent NATO-style companies so Warpact tank battalions usually merit only two stands. The three tank battalions of the ITB, however, each have five 10-tank companies so I’ve represented them by three stands each. Other Brigade assets are companies of AA, engineers, recce and HQ.  The tanks are T-80U by GHQ, with other models by Heroics & Ros, Scotia, and ISM. The stands are 30x40mm cut from artists mounting board. The little squares  in the rear of the bases are bits of magnetic strip to allow the attachment of strength point markers if the toys are used in my Megablitz game. 

From Barks: Arco-flagellants

I needed to paint something a little different, so pulled these Arco-flagellants from lead mountain. These are from the uncomfortable darker side of 40K- mind-wiped condemned citizens fitted with melee weapons and stim-pumps who can be unleashed in combat to achieve their death.

I can use them in Blackstone Fortress as well.

JTinQT - Week Six - Swiss XBow Skirmisher

Dear All,

Pretty pathetic single figure post again this week. In this years painting challenger I did a Swiss skirmish unit for Basic Impetus. This was a two figure unit base but decided skirmishers look better with three figures so just painted and added another in - luckily it fitted nicely in the middle space so an easy job to add in.

Think this figure is from Wargames Foundry - an old Perry sculpture. Well think all Foundry are old sculpts aren't they? Anyway just a little job out of the way.

Cheers Jez. 

From GrantH: Chindit Officers and NCOs

Now that my final exams are over, I finally have time to begin working on my backlog of minis! Most recently, this has taken the form of finally starting to work through my collection of pacific theater troops from WW2. Up first are a small group of Chindits of the "Forgotten Army" from Warlord Games. I quite liked working on the character models of some of the better known officers, and they will certainly go on to add some flair to my Bolt Action or Chain of Command Games.

 Major Bernard Fergusson (left) and Lieutenant George Albert Cairns (Right)

Ferguson was an officer attached to a Black Watch unit in the Chindits and Lieutenant Cairns was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for exceptional courage in the Burma campaign. Both are individuals with exploits worth reading about.

Radio operator and Major-General Orde Wingate, the officer responsible for the creation of the Chindit forces.

Chindit NCOs

Medic and another NCO

Next up I will probably have more pacific theater troops to present or perhaps some vikings that I have been slowly working through for a change... 

AdamC: USS Congress

The Second Ship from you US Fleet Box is the USS Congress built in Portsmouth New Hampshire.  She was one of the original six and was built in New Hampshire because Washington wanted to use the six frigates as a foundation for the navy in more ways than one.  He wanted to spread the know-how and facilities to build warships thought out the country.

The Congress is one of the officially 36-gun but always latter called 38-gun frigates. She is somewhat smaller than her consort the President.  Historically the two ships sailed together often doing two cruises in company during the war of 1812.  The Congress never found an opportunity for a dramatic single ship action but captures several British Merchants and caused the Admiralty no end of anxiety.  The two ships would have been something like the Bismarck and Prince Eugene lose in the North Atlantic except without radar and air search to help out.

Her Figurehead is an American Eagle with a Star above it head and several additional stars tailing from its tail.

Here you can see her stern with her name and coat of arms.  This part is cast in metal and looks very sharp.

The Historic Congress may not have had an exciting battle career but she is off to a good start on the table as fellow AHPC member John Michael took her helm Tuesday night and used her to good effect engaging two French frigates.