Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge - Part VII

And we're back! Note - poster by S. Cawthorne and C. Campbell

As winter closes in once again here on the Canadian prairies, it is time for another installment of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge! This will be the seventh consecutive winter our friend Curt has convened the Challenge. The painting challenges adds a nice little jolt of motivation to attack the various piles of unpainted lead, plastic and resin the various participants have in their hoards.  Getting stuff painted is great, but over time the camaraderie engendered by the Challenge has also helped it to grow into a little online community. We all look forward to Challenge time to see what the participants will tackle this year...I'm looking forward to reconnecting with some good online paint friends.  But more important, I'm out for some side duel REVENGE!

One feature encouraged in the Challenge are side duels, an extra bolster to motivation to paint specific figures or specific periods or both...prizes vary, but generally involve painting a figure for the winner. Last year I wanted to focus on some specific things - moderns, 30k and sci-fi generally, so I entered three side duels with those themes - and was trounced in every one of them!  Jamie M whipped me in the 30k duel, and although it took some time, his prize was duly dispatched overseas.

Many of the participants seem to demonstrate a near scientific approach to their Challenge preparations. Some even prepare spreadsheets, plans and other mathematical silliness! Witchcraft!  That precise stuff never works for me...but I have been actually doing some preparations, and I do sort-of have a broad objective of stuff I want to paint. Here are my challenge "goals"...

1 - More 30k Stuff

Alpha Legion test models...trying to figure out a way to get a cool-looking blue/green they seem to sport

This would be, I would say, THE main goal for me - more 30k stuff, enough to win the side duel and REVENGE! I'm a junky for the setting and the figures, and I'm always wanting to add more stuff to my collection in both 28mm and 6mm. I need more 30k stuff like I need more holes in my head.  But holes will lower wind resistance, right? To that end, another side-duel has been launched, pitting myself, Jamie M from the UK (a regular contributor at this link), fellow Epic 30k traveller Iannick M from Eastern Canada and Alex Sengir from Russia. You can track our progress here.

Alpha test paints...Mark VI armour in the foreground, Mark IV armour at the back

What 30k stuff by on the table exactly? In 28mm, I'm hoping to add units here and there to my established collections, but also add stuff from new Legions, namely the Alpha Legion and Imperial Fists.  I have attached some photos in this post of my experimental attempts to get find a paint mix for the Alpha Legion, who often sport a super-cool metallic-ish blend of blue and green.  I can't seem to find a recipe for the metallic look, but the blue-green part, I have kind-of figured out, maybe...

I also have some Solar Auxilia stuff that I am looking forward to getting started on.

For Epic 30k, I want to add some new units to the Sons of Horus and Imperial Fists, but also bring some new Legions to the Epic 30k table, including the Death Guard, World Eaters and Raven Guard.

Enough test models for now...just waiting for the Challenge to start...

2 - Random WW2 Stuff

My 15mm and 20mm WW2 collection is large volume-wise, but not terribly focused.  So even though I have a lot of "stuff", I often run into limitations for a "Chain of Command" game, for example...it's a bit, here, a bit there, from different periods or seasons, generally on the Eastern Front.  As a whole, it's a substantial pile, but within context, it often runs short.  So I'll try and round out things like whole platoons for Chain of Command and Battlegroup. In particular, I want to get more winter-looking stuff complete.  I'm hoping the "Theme Submission" rounds will help in this regard.  Two in particular - "armour" and "east" will fit nicely, I think, while "west" might offer an excuse to start a US platoon for some Battle for the Bulge gaming in 15mm...

3 - Modern Stuff

"Modern" is getting to be a pretty broad period, so I should specify here that I mean Cold-War-Gone-Hot in the late 80s/early 90s. There is always more "Team Yankee" to do (West Germans, East Germans, Brits!).  I am also looking to paint some 15mm infantry units for modern "Chain of Command" games, and maybe some 6mm models for smaller scale "Team Yankee" as Byron has done, and add some "Modern Spearhead" too.

Note to Byron - I still owe you a victory model(s) from the modern duel last year - let me know what you might like to see...

4 - Napoleonics

I haven't painted Napoleonic figures in a big way in quite a while, but the opportunity to play some "Sharp Practice" in a visit to Regina a couple weeks ago rekindled the fires a bit.  I don't have a ton of Napoleonic figures ready to go, but if I could manage another big unit of Austrians during the Challenge, I think that would be marvellous.

Will I stick to any of this? Who knows? Stay tuned for more! If I'm doing a self-pitying post in three months time about how I lost the side duel again, but am meanwhile pleased to have made a great start on a force of 28mm cyber-teddy bears, don't be particularly surprised...it will be a slow start for me this year as I will be on the road for Christmas, but the Challenge period is three months long, and I hope to catch up.

There is a great contingent from Winnipeg this year. Byron is back and it looks like fellow Winnipeg gamer/painters Steve B and Mike A are also joining the mayhem, which is great to see.  Be sure to check out the Painting Challenge page once the race begins, and pop back here for more updates. Cheers, and good luck to all participants!