Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XV

Winter has arrived and the prep for this year's Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is underway. Having joined the lists again I am needing to find 500 points of 2, 10, 15 and 28mm miniatures to paint between December 21st and March 21st. 

Decisions are not always the easiest of things to make and can often change how the challenge runs. The initial running list includes: 

• 2mm Punic Wars
• 10mm DAK for O Group
• 15mm Romano Brits for ADLG
• 15mm Samurai 
• 28mm Romano Brits for SAGA
• 28mm Dwarves for Kings of War
• 28mm Hundred Years War for SAGA
• 28mm Christian Spanish 

There are more options, however, I'm looking to finalise a set list and point values from the above with a schedule to ensure that there is time to complete sections across the Challenge and to keep things interesting throughout.

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 395

A little update on the Romano British javelin men. 

The front two stands of Psiloi are ready for varnishing and basing and the larger stands to the rear aren't that far behind. 

At this point there are no immediate plans for the shields beyond the yellow ochre already used. This colour fits in well with the muted bieges and greens used for the and unifies the figures in the stand. In reality, there would probably be less unification in the Dark Ages however at this scale it suits purposes well. 

Next up in this project will be the start of the ponies. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 394

A bit more progress on the Thracian cavalry, well the horses to be precise.

The infantry stand will be for the General 4Ax

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 393

The dreaded wire spears have been ordered from A&M Miniatures along with a solitary pack of Thracian Nobles for the Knights element in DBA. 

So to fill the time waiting on the order coming through have started a few other stands of Thracian cavalry:

Including Getic horse archers in fully shiny base metal at the rear; who are fronted by the partially painted horses of the General's cavalry stand for the DBA list.

Have never been a fan of painting horses, but it's something that I have managed ways if dealing with. 

For 15mm figures this involves, blocking base colours for the horse flesh and tack then washing with a suitable dark colour - Army Painter Strong tone. Varying the colour of the horses leads to a visually pleasing finish when several stands are side by side. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 392

Painting restarts and continues on Xyston Thracian peltasts, psiloi and light cavalry.

A versatile range of figures that can be used as an army in their own right or allies for a range of different armies across the Mediterranean. 

Shields and wire spears are taking time to add on and in hindsight wishing had done this prior to priming. Have enough spears to do what's shown here but will need to order more for the next batch which will include the 4Ax bases for DBA. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 391

Wire spears have pros and cons but Jesus they can be jaggy little sods when gluing in place. 

The third horse is in the sidelines, waiting on it's trapping getting painted before joining in. 

When finished this will be the last stand of Spartan cavalry from Xyston Miniatures. A few more spearmen will see them finally finished leaving time for allied troops including auxiliaries and a few more phalanxes. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 390

 Sometimes you paint something because you want to

Frostgrave Cultist Barbarian

And some times because you've too bloody many half painted figures lying about

Xyston Thracians

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 389

 A bit more painting done the other day, this time some Dark Ages skirmishers from Forged in Battle. 

Part of a larger project these Romano Brits will also be of use in several different DBA forces. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 388

A few more stands from Minifigs Ancient Greek and Macedonian ranges.

The front stand are for use as Hypaspists and the rear stand will be Argyraspides and the first of five pike blocks.

Will be adding to these in the near future. 

Cheers for now

Dance of Bronze 30

Recently finished these for a friend's growing collection of Minifigs Ancient Greeks. 

Generic Psiloi and light cavalry bases that will fit in to most armies of the period easily. 

Contrary to the normal rules of engagement they performed well in their first game and destroyed the Spartan general's unit caught in bad terrain.

There are more figures from this period on the painting table at present. 

Cheers for now. 

Back to the Brushes 387

First post in a while; 15mm War and Empire Romano-Brits for ADLG and DBA.

Slingers and stick chuckers to follow them spears, hedges of them...

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 386

It's been far from quiet here at Bases and Brushes; holidays, birthdays, shows and the daily humdrum of modern life has meant that there just hasn't been a moment to sit in peace and paint a wee man or two. 

Can't comment for others but painting, gaming and the hobby in general is often a release from the constant stream of distractions this digital age offers. Ironic, considering this post is a part of this digital age.

A place to sit for a while, to calm the mind and silence the barking black dogs and insidious whispering voices in your mind. A place to focus and draw on your creativity to summon peace and still your mind and do some colouring in.

Under coat, base coat, under painting, toning, layering, shading, stippling, dry brushing, washes, and glazes are all parts of the process, parts that when brought together make a whole and worthwhile past time.  

Given that space and time it's possible to do this

Gripping Beast Carthaginian Libyan spearmen veterans for SAGA.

A few more hearth guards added in.

Shield transfers from Little Big Men.

The start of a bigger unit of Hannibal's veteran spearmen. Figures again from Gripping Beast.

Base coat on for the flesh colour. 

The next point of hearth guard are on the painting table as well. 

Peace and time well spent. 

Cheers for now.

All Hell Let Loose 20

 Final submission for this year's AHPC below: 

Marder IIs and Sd Kfz 10/4 with 20mm AA all from Pendraken Miniatures. 

There are decals in the post for identification purposes however if being honest at 10mm scale not sure the need is really there. 

They are all painted up from a panzer grey undercoat to build up layers from dark to light. Takes a bit longer and won't necessarily use this style for all the models in this group but its rewarding. Oil washes would/will be much quicker and are a likely option for the next batch. 

The Pz IV is digitally printed model from last year and no idea who the files are from, probably on the internet of everything...

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 385

Continuing to paint these tin cans for the Wars of the Roses retinue that may be for ADLG or may be for Never Mind the Billhooks in 28mm. 

At this point the latter is more likely as a game system however the basing will be on 60mm fronts so not to rule out other games such as DBA, Hail Caesar and ADLG.

In terms of painting, these have been primed with Army Painter Platemail, washed in Nuln Oil and then worked back up with Army Painter Platemail and Shining Silver. 

Planning another session in these shortly with a view to getting some,if not all completed for basing. 

The figures are all from Perry Miniatures and the pair on the rectangular base are plastic the rest are from the metal range. 

Cheers for now.

Back to the Brushes 384

It has been a busy month with a variety other commitments interfering with hobby time. Such is life as the old folks say. 

On the subject of old folks, here are a couple of classic Citadel Hobgoblins from circa 1984.

Using Foundry's Oriental Flesh triad for these Hobgoblins after looking at some classic Japanese artwork for Oni and deciding that brownish reds weren't the colour scheme looked for.

Along side the Hobgoblins are the crew for a canon to be used in Wars of the Roses gaming. The figures are from Perry Miniatures and have their usual detail and excellent sculpting. 

At this stage, haven't decided on retinue colors for them and might go more free flow look to depict a mercenary unit. 

More to follow on these and a few other items shortly. 

Have a good one.

Back to the Brushes 383

Made some progress last night on the first Men at Arms for the Lancastrian's in 28mm.

The figure at the back sporting the red and black colours of the Percy retinue has been added to previously painted figure in the colours of Roos. 

 Another man at arms was added to the motley crew below, the new figure again in retinue colours, although memory fails me at present in who's colours they are. 

Have another three figures nearing completion in the sidelines for these two stands; which leaves seven still to do. 

All the figures shown are metals from Perry Miniatures. 

Cheers for now

Hannibal antes Portas 4

This is an entirely new scale for me;  2mm something that at one stage I wouldn't have even entertained painting. Well painting isn't entirely the correct phrase, its more like dabbing with colour.

The miniatures are from Irregular Miniatures and were an idea my friend and fellow gamer. His idea was that I paint a Carthaginian and Republican Roman army and pick one, he would supply the figures. 

There are six stands of figures here, four skirmishers and two cavalry, with the furthest away cavalry being started the week before the Challenge so they are not included. All are based on 60mm front and the depths will vary as below: 

Skirmishers: 60 x 15mm

Medium and Heavy Infantry: 60 x 30mm

Cavalry: 60 x 30mm

Elephants: 60 x 40mm

Above the cavalry from the rear and then below from the front. 

These were entered into the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge as a Front Desk and New Acquisitions entry (902.2)

Looking forward to posting more work in progress pics and finished entries soon. 

Cheers for now

Sunne in Splendour 6

The first completed figures of 2024 and recent entry into the AHPC XIV. 

Two bases of Scurrours for my growing ADLG Lancastrian force. The figures are from Museum Miniatures and fit in well enough with the bulk of the army that are from Gladiator Miniatures. 

The red in the pictures isn't that far away from the red on the miniatures and now realising that it is a step too far and into the realms of garishly bright. It will help me remember that they are on the gaming table in ADLG and other games. 

The red and dark grey (Black) are to represent the colours of the Percy's; although in the Wars of the Roses fiction that I am currently reading, the Percy's are described as wearing blue and yellow, not red and black. I am not a scholar of this period so any thoughts or info on this would be appreciated. 

These were entered into the AHPC XIV as a Historical entry (941.2)  

 

Looking forward to posting more from this period sooner rather than later. 

Cheers for now

Back to the Brushes 381

The first completed figures for 2024 will be coming shortly after appearing in AHPC IV this weekend. 

This has created a small space on the painting table to allow the D.A.K. for 'O' Group to be started. 

All of the miniatures in this project are from Pendraken Miniatures 10mm range and have incredible detail for small figures. Too much detail but that's another story for another day. 

For no reason other than they were there, the first group of models is a pair of Marder IIIs.

After the first session, already looking at ways to speed up the painting of these figures as they started using a painting scheme for 1/56 scale models. Way, way too much depth in painting. The main thing is that the models have enough character to distinguish them from Allied models on the table, the RAL colour reference isn't the driving force here. 

The second pair, still in their basic Pz Grey primer will Match slightly later colour schemes for Sicilian and Italian campaigns. Again, working to table top distances. 

Will be posting more work in progress pics from the ongoing Wars of the Roses project ongoing just now in the next few days as well. 

Cheers for now. 

Back to the Brushes 380

 

Work in progress on Warwick above and Percy Scurrours below. There is still a lot to do on Warwick and not happy with the horse so it may be repainted or at least washed with black to settle the tones down. 

Daylight will tell...

Hoping to finish off the Scurrours at the next painting session then move on to the foot knights and retinue and Welsh archers. 

Cheers for now.

Happy New Year for 2024

Wishing you all the very best, peace and good health for 2024