From NoelW: No painting, no points

My painting over the last ten days has stalled somewhat. I have to report that, effectively, I've completed nothing. I'm not sure this is the first time that someone has posted no painting to an Analogue Challenge - why would they? - but I'm still going to be able to write quite a bit about it! Try and stop me.

Firstly, I've been doing a fair bit of writing, which means a fair bit of research, too, hence a fair bit of time. I'm writing something for Black Seas (ssh! secret - can't say more) including another scenario for one of the magazines - but to illustrate it, I need a couple of painted merchant ships. Which I didn't have. So, that's one new priority on the painting desk.

Secondly, I've been stalled by that curse of the wargamer: too many distracting projects. When I set my personal targets for this Challenge, I knew there were a lot, but my hope was that I'd be able to make small advances on each, and the variety each week would keep me going.

In fact, that's worked too well. Having strayed towards the Afghans, which I hadn't planned on doing, I was lured further into the Second Afghan War, which wasn't in my list, unearthed the Perrys Brits-for-the-Sudan box, and, hey presto! yet another task was added to the list.

Then, rebasing my wife's Union army reminded me I'd Berdan's sharpshooters in the drawer, and these are irresistible figures. They just had to be undercoated. Then base colour...and so on

At the same time, my good friend Jon emailed to say that his therapy for lockdown has been to compile a Perrys' World War 2 order, to be fired off as soon as they re-open - so have I finished his Afrika Korps or Italians yet? I haven't, of course, so that's new priority three.

The upshot: I've started four unplanned pieces of work, each interfering with the other and with my original plans, and finished none of them.

But, thirdly and lastly, the killer. Although at least it's an excuse for a little eye-candy: having been really pleased with rebasing the Union army last week, I realised that my Zulu collection needed similar treatment. My zulus are a mix of all sorts of manufacturers gathered over maybe as many as 100 years: Redoubt, Minifigs, some ranges which no longer exist, Warlord and, mainly, Foundry and Perry, and based in at least five different ways. The smallest zulu in the collection is a Minifig, 22mm high. The tallest is a Redoubt figure at 35mm. Yes, they look daft next to each other. But, in the mass of zulus, now I've taken the time to base them in the same style, you really don't notice.

So, as a small reward for reading a post quite literally about nothing, here's my Isandlwana-In-Progress - not too accurate yet, but still beginning to look pretty good:

The unsuspecting camp:

The oncoming tide:

Overwhelmed:

I promise some actual painting next week!

Iain W 28mm Ancient citadel legionarys and a Newline legionary unit (120 points)

Here we have a unit of (mostly)Citadel Roman Legionarys bought at Games Day 1980 (a games day organised by Games Workshop but mostly other peoples games!) and painted in enamels that year.  The start of an army that never happened as I lacked opponents and couldn't work out WRG ancients on my own!
I've added a little lighter skin tone to some of them but otherwise they are as finished last century, the same is true of the three minifigs that make up their numbers in this unit,I have had to paint their shields, that's about it.
They've been based on 120mm wide mdf bases for  TtS!
Next up is a unit of Newline legionarys that came primed in white. I've gone for undyed tunics and I've invented a shield design that is close enough and good enough!

This gives me 120 points to add to my running total which brings me up to 465 and 60 points towards the Infamy Infamy side challenge (finally!)

All the best Iain 

From JamesM: 10mm Fantasy Camels

Forgive me oh great blue mountain top dweller, for I have sinned.

It has been 6 weeks since I last lifted a hairy stick, and I have taken a place in this challenge and contributed nothing.

I offer up, in penance, some teeny weeny camels.

These are 10mm Pendraken Mhadists, bought for a AHPC Challenge Island entry and sadly left unloved. I have painted them as part of my 'For Joshua' 10mm fantasy project. These chaps will be joining my human knight force. One base armed with sword and shield, while another with lance/spear.

A minor honouring of Dave D and Martin C (Dave because they are camels, Martin because of the smell).

The plan for the project is still that it tour some of the UK shows and be used to generate money for the charities which supported us following the loss of our son Joshua. However, the world going mental in the last few months have forced me to rethink the schedule on all of that for a bit!

Shall I repeat my sin, now I am back on the wagon?

I have reviewed my workspace and cleared the clutter to a few bits I want to get done, thus removing some of the forbidding weight of the lead mountain which was crushing my will to continue. I have even ordered some new hairy sticks. Further production is (almost) guaranteed.

I have not been totally idle, instead turning my hobby time to prep. As such, I have the below models almost ready to go...

Some may even be done before July.

From GregB: Reaver Battle Titan & Weapon Assortment

Reaver titan model, together with weapon assortment - plastic model (with some resin weapons) from GW/Forge World.

Another week, another "hobby task" from the world of GW's Adeptus Titanicus. This is a Reaver class battle titan painted in the colours of Legio Mortis, along with a full assortment of weapons. The titan model itself and nearly all of the weapons are multi-part plastic kits from GW - a couple of the weapon choices for the carapace points are resin bits from Forge World.

A "classic" loadout - lasers on the left, gatling cannon on the right, and a big "Apocalypse" missile launcher up top.

The Reaver is a "medium" class (!) battle titan - "medium" insofar as it is bigger and slower than the "scout" class Warhound titans, but still smaller and faster than the massive Warlord class titans. The Reaver is a frontline battle titan, with scary heavy weapons that can level entire city blocks in one blast, and commonly found among all of the Titan Legions in the Adeptus Titanicus game. Good times!

Laser blaster option for the carapace.

Another carapace option - Vulcan Mega Bolter.

Perhaps the whackiest carapace option - the "Warp Missile Rack".

GW's plastic models for the revamped "Adeptus Titanicus" game are just wonderful, beautiful kits. But not all of them were designed with small magnets in mind - some were - but the Reavers were not, or at least not completely. I don't think there was any sinister motive there...the Reaver's design has a rounded joint in the "shoulder" and in the mounts for the arm weapons themselves. The folks who created the plastic model kits for the Reavers were true to this design - the carapace weapon mount has a feature that easily fits a small magnet, but the arm weapons do not. So you cannot magnetize the weapons mounts for the arms and swap out the weapons - not without a bit of hobby engineering.

A particularly "angry" configuration? Two close combat weapons? Not sure this would work out in the game, but I know there are members of the group who would want to try :)

I chickened out at the prospect of magnetizing the first Reaver titans that I built for my collection. My Legio Mortis Reavers had all of the weapons, even the carapace mounts, glued down. The Reavers for my Legio Gryphonicus collection have the arm weapons glued down, although I did magnetize the weapon mounts on the carapace - some choice, but not much.

The "Volcano Cannon" on the right arm - good times!

The "Melta Cannon".

But my friends have inspired me to try to build a Reaver with all weapon points magnetized. To build up my courage, I practised first on some Warhounds. That worked for me - yay! I then opened up a new Reaver model, got out the magnets and...it worked! Here we are, a new God-engine for the rebel forces hoping to topple the unjust tyranny of the so-called "Emperor".

"Let's go for a walk!"

Growing collection of spare weapons for the different titans...

I am pretty pumped to have a Reaver model that can mount a whole variety of weapons. And it can share arm weapons with the Nemesis Warbringer Titan I painted earlier this spring, so the variety works all around.

Updated "family photo" for my Legio Mortis detachment....

You can see from the photos throughout this post there is a fine assortment of terrifying weapons for any Princeps to choose from, including the bonkers "close combat" weapons, which are hilarious and great fun. You might be ten stories tall...but there are STILL some things that MUST be punched...or sawed! That is one aspect of the crazy 30k/40k setting that I never get tired of...

Thanks for reading - have a great day everyone!

GregB

From DaveD - Panthers .15mm . 165 points

For my 1944 project it’s time for the classic German armour to make an appearance. So it’s big cats time . A mix of Battlefront and Plastic Soldier 15mm. 11 of them altogether.

I did enjoy getting the airbrush out for these

From ClarenceH: Cameron Highlanders, 1st Platoon, Company A

I finished the first unit for my project set in the Sudan 1885. Although these are being organized for The Sword and the Flame set, they will work perfectly for Donnybrook as well!

Leader (Hero d12) Henry Hatwaver
Unit of 8 models (Regulars d8) Special Character: Sergeant Charger
Unit of 8 models (Regulars d8) Special Character: Piper McDonald

For those who don't know, the origin of Donnybrook was a one-page set I wrote for playing games with my Darkest Africa collection.

More soon.. starting on the second platoon this week!

From StuartL - A Band of Brothers

Continuing with my efforts to get some older armies painted up, and projects done, I have spent the past week working on some American Airborne for the Overlord/Normandy campaign. I bought the majority of these figures 6 or 7 years ago I think. Since that time, they have largely been left untouched and stowed away in a box. Thanks to the quarantine challenge I have managed to get the bulk of my infantry done along with a couple of support weapons.

I still have a group of command figures, mortar teams and machine gun teams to do, but they will probably turn up around the end of the challenge as most of them still need cleaning up and assembling.

These minis took quite a while to paint as they are pretty busy in terms of webbing, camo and combat gear. That said, I am really happy with how they have turned out. Of course, now I'll need some Fallschirmjäger to oppose them and then some of the US Airborne in their later uniforms for Market Garden.

So that's 35 minis and a gun to add to my tally. My math puts that at 185 points, bringing my unofficial score up to 679.5 and my side duel total up to 527.5. This also puts me over my score for painted minis (not including the location bonuses) for the winter challenge, so I am very happy with my output thus far.