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| 20mm WW2 Soviets from Elhiem |
For my final entry to the Painting Challenge I just tried to finish clearing off the painting desk with some leftover bits from the projects that got me up and moving in the first place - 20mm. I started painting some miniatures in this scale last fall, and finished quite a few more of them during the Challenge and I have been really enjoying working in this scale.
Up first are some 20mm WW2 Soviets. These are spare riflemen from a pack of Elhiem figures. As always, the sculpting can be a bit uneven, but the proportions are somehow still great, even compelling. The tricks of the sculptor...fascinating!
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| More defenders of the Rodina |
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| Ready to battle the fascist invaders |
Up next is a more modern set - this is supposed to be a TV news team. Once again, these are Elhiem figures. I like having media figures as a "gaming garnish" on modern tables, but I find these sculpts are perhaps too ultramodern - I know cameras are smaller these days, but I still think most TV news people have shoulder mounted cameras. Maybe that is just here in Canada...
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| "Reporting live from 20mm game..." |
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| I tried to write "PRESS" on their helmets...that didn't really work... |
One more Elhiem tidbit - this is a downed pilot. It is supposed to be from a modern range, but could work in WW2 in a pinch. Downed pilots always make for great objectives in skirmish games, as the ground pounders resentfully put their lives on the line to bail out some pampered flyboy...
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| Long walk back to base... |
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| Great objective for games |
And one more vehicle! During the challenge I painted a few T-34s for my WW2 Soviets, so I thought I would finish at least one Panzer for the Germans. This is a 1/72 scale model kit from Plastic Soldier Company. I can't say enough about how much I enjoy their 1/72 scale vehicle models - they are excellent.
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| 1/72 Mark IV from Plastic Soldier Company |
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| I HATE modeling the schurzen plates...as you can see at the back of the turret, I can never get them to sit quite right... |
This is a late model Panzer IV, sporting the long 75mm gun and the schurzen plates, which from a hobby perspective make me !@#!@#!@ing bannanas as I hate painting them, then glueing them, etc. But full credit to PSC - they make the process pretty easy/idiot proof, even for an idiot like me...
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| Very basic paint job |
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| Ready for action in the eastern front |
So that concludes another Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. In total I netted 1233 points of painting. I easily exceeded my (low) initial target of 300 points, but in the end I did not achieve my (much more ambitious) revised target of 1500 points. I finished in 18th place (just pipped by Byron - damn you!), which gives you an idea of just how much painting was going on out there around the world during the Challenge. Byron and Kevin participated as well, with several excellent entries. I encourage folks to go check out all of the entries (set aside some time - it will take a while!). We'll see if Curt does another Challenge next year.
On a related note, I was sorting through some long-neglected storage bins and found a couple packs of 20mm WWII figures from back when I was collecting in that scale. One is a bunch of Fantassin Russians, the other is an Italian mortar team. Interested in either or both? They're yours for the cost of shipping. Drop me an email and we can make arrangements. dlarkins78 [at] gmail.
ReplyDeleteGreat job dude! And congrats on completing the challenge!
ReplyDeleteNice finish, Greg!
ReplyDeleteHope my life is less hectic by next year's Challenge...
" Downed pilots always make for great objectives in skirmish games, as the ground pounders resentfully put their lives on the line to bail out some pampered flyboy..."
ReplyDeleteFYI the "pampered flyboy" is someone who puts his life on the line every time he climbs into that cockpit, regardless of if it is a training mission or full fledged combat. He or she undergoes hundreds of hours of grueling testing and training and preparation for his mission then risks his life and his aircraft and the lives of his crew for the people on the ground. The only "pampering he gets is making sure that he is well rested before his mission so that the person flying the multi-million dollar machine is not so fatigued he drops a bomb in the wrong place or crashes with passengers on board.