First Painting Challenge Entry - 20mm WW2 Russians

1/72 WW2 Russians from Plastic Soldier Company

Here is my first entry for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge - a completed rifle WW2 Soviet rifle platoon.  The figures are all from Plastic Soldier Company's 1/72 range.  Some of these were painted prior to the Challenge, but the balance were whipped up over the weekend.

Officers on hex-shaped bases

I have painted a lot of WW2 stuff over the years, but 20mm is all new for me and I'm finding I quite enjoy it.  It is, as Curt and others have expressed, a great "compromise" scale between 15mm and 28mm. I don't think these PSC plastics are the best figures out there - some of the poses look a little odd, more "possible" than "natural", if that makes sense - but I was pleasantly surprised by the detail on them, and you get quite a few figures in each box.  I have enough for a rifle platoon, and I still have a bunch of extra fellows with SMGs to finish up. A good value, and a good way to get started painting a new scale.

NCO on a square base with rounded corners

There are enough figures here to represent a rifle platoon - three 10-man squads, each sporting a 2-man LMG team - and a couple of officers.  The basing will be familiar to anyone here who has followed Curt's system - 20mm rounds for the regular fellows, 20mm squares for NCOs and junior leaders, and 25mm hexes for the senior officers/commanders.  Having the different bases makes it a little easier to determine which figures represent leaders at a glance, important in gaming systems like "Chain of Command".

Ready to defend the Motherland!

My only complaint with these figures is the poses chosen for the LMG gunners - prone (and PSC is hardly the only ones doing this - it is very common).  I know lying prone is a very realistic portrayal and something that happened a lot/all the time in real fighting, but in toy soldier fighting, prone figures are lame, particularly at 20mm scale and above. Prone figures require alternate basing, often much large than others and looking out of sorts compared with the rest of the fellows in the unit.  Every time a prone figure is cast in 20mm scale or larger, I'm pretty sure a baby whale gets kicked.  The only prone figures on a table should be snipers!

PSC figures were surprising with the amount of nice detail for plastic figures; much better than their 15mm size figures

Of course, for skirmish gaming, the only worse sculpt than prone is marching - and sadly, the PSC alternative to the prone LMG team is a pair of fellows marching along like they are having a jolly time.  Again, PSC is not the only one that does this. The marching figures look even more out of place on the table, so they went into the spares bin, while the prone figures got the paint.

"Destroy the fascist invaders!"

20mm has been a lot of fun to paint so far, and I'm looking forward to adding more 20mm WW2 stuff during the Challenge and beyond.

13th Annual Winnipeg Harvest Game Day - a Day of Good Cheer

Another year, another fun charity event completed.

Here's some of the mountain of goodies baked by owner Wendy Speary.



Mike running some Warmachine action, with gingerbread steam engines (that the mechs ended up hurling at each other).



Perry running a card game.



Rick prepping for the Firefly RPG.



As discussed last week, I ran a game of Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures.

My take on the Santa Claus (aka Darth Krampus) space sleigh, "Santa's Express" (the model below is a Hallmark Christmas tree ornament).

• Captain Kagi — Lambda-Class Shuttle
• Advanced Sensors
• Ion Cannon
• Darth Vader
• Rebel Captive
• Anti-Pursuit Lasers
• ST-321

Notes:

1. Santa's Express will not attack another ship unless that ship targets it first.
2. Santa's Express will not use its Primary Weapon unless its Ion Cannon is destroyed.
3. "Darth Vader's" power simulates the pilot of the enemy ship being placed on Santa's "Naughty" list.
4. The "Rebel Captive" simulates Santa's cargo of presents that no one really wants to destroy.
5. The "Anti-Pursuit Lasers" simulate the feedback caused by colliding with Santa's sleigh.

Below, Conscript Frederick setting up some Imperial TIE Fighters.



One of the gingerbread docking bays that Wendy graciously made; Darth Krampus was heading for one of these...




First Blood to the Rebels! All the ships that got shot down re-spawned in their respective setup area.




Santa's Express running a gauntlet of X-Wing fire.




Jek "I've got a problem here" Porkins bites the dust.




Darth Krampus kept colliding into TIE Fighters; it was only a matter of time before the Rebel X-Wings disabled his ship.




Below, the players, from L-R: Matt, Paul, Graham, Bruce, and Frederick.



Thanks again to Wendy and Pedro, and all the staff at Imagine for hosting the event. Thanks to everyone who came out to play!

For a list of the most-needed food items at Winnipeg Harvest, please see their website.

13th Annual Winnipeg Harvest Game Day - Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014

From their site:

"It’s time for our annual Winnipeg Harvest Game Day! This will be our 13th year! Come on down Saturday, December 6 to play some games, and donate non-perishable food items to Winnipeg Harvest. Every $5 of food you give gets you a ticket for cheating! (which can then be used in the games you play, you cheaters you).

Plus we’ll have prizes! Baked goods! Candy!

Hope to see you out to do some gaming for a good cause."

Just a quick plug, I am running a Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game scenario at 11:30AM:

"Santa is bringing good cheer to the Death Star v.3.0. The Imperials are escorting him to a docking bay. The Rebels, in a perhaps misguided attempt to control the narrative, are trying to stop him!

Will Life Day be spoiled?

All miniatures, materials, templates, and dice supplied. Players will fly either Imperial TIE Fighters or Rebel X-Wings."

I remember helping plan the original event, back in the day. It was a Warhammer 40K mega-game, IIRC. Good times.

Contact info:
Imagine Games
246 Mc Dermot Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(204) 452-8711
http://www.imaginegames.ca/

Armies on Parade - 40K Chaos Renegades

Hobby projects have a funny way of coming together. A few weeks ago I made a deal to acquire an amazing set of trench terrain boards. I'd intended for the inaugural game on the boards to be a Great War trench battle, but I'd loaned much of my Great War collection to Conscript Hugh for display at the Millennium Library.

This caused me to turn to the unpainted lead stack for inspiration. It was easily obtained - I resolved to finish enough of my Chaos Renegades to have a game on the new terrain. I'd previously painted a section of Renegades (10 models), a penal squad (also 10 models) and two Leman Russ tanks to join a bunch of converted WHFB Zombies with guns (20) that I'd done in the early 2000's for a painting challenge at the local GW.

That just left the real donkey work - painting the rest of the Renegades platoon, two more sections plus platoon command, company command and attached heavy stubber teams. Oh and a force commander, and maybe finishing up the six Rough Riders/Chaos Death Guard cavalry that had been sitting in primer for over three years...

Here's the overall commander - you'll recognize him as an Astra Militarum "Regimental Advisor" with a gasmask head swap from MaxMini.

He's accompanied by another of the advisors, also with an MM swapped head. Both of these models are metal (yay!) but that meant the conversions were a bit trickier than they would be with plastic or resin.

The third member of the triumvirate is a Commissar, of course - a lovely sculpt too. I just added the breather to him. He represents an "Enforcer" character in the Renegades and Heretics/Lost and the Damned army list.

The platoon command element is lead by this rather frightening chap. He and his mates are from Forgeworld - the Renegade Command Squad. It's a nice pack that also contains a plasma gunner and autogunner (shown) as well as a standard bearer and vox.

Curiously, the platoon commander is the only fellow in the army (except for the mutants) who doesn't feel the need for breathing apparatus :-)

 

I have two of these Forgeworld Heavy Stubber Teams and they are fantastic models. The only minor niggle on them is a bendy stubber and the fact that once assembled, they don't sit level. You just need to shim under the left foot of the assistant and Robert's you mother's brother.

Here's the rest of the command squad, it accompanies the force commander. Standard bearer and vox from the Forgeword set and another heavy stubber team.

There are three ten-man sections in the platoon. All are armed with lasguns except one trooper with a flamer or grenade launcher. These models all have Forgeworld Renegade torsos with Cadian legs, arms, weapons, and kit. I did carve off the shoulder pads though as I like the look better without.

Here's a big fella - a metal Ogryn I converted and painted. I'd like to get a couple more, they are superb models.

Here's the fourth section in the platoon - the penal section. These models have torsos, arms and weapons from Victoria Lamb, heads from Lamb and MaxMini, and Catachan legs from GW. I also gave them minimal equipment from GW - just the odd ammo pouch and canteen. They are penal troopers after all!

A disgraced junior officer can lead the penal section.

There is a 20-model strong unit of workers/mutant rabble. These are GW Zombies outfitted with random guns and the very off bit of other kit.

Leman Russ Demolisher. The main gun and sponsons are magnetised for easy swaps.

Lastly, the Chaos Death Riders. These guys were fun to paint once I got my head back into "cavalry mode". Horses are GW from the WHFB Empire range. Torsos Forgeworld of course, legs are from WHFB Chaos Marauder cavalry. Some arms are Cadian; the explosive lances and other arms are from Victoria Lamb.

Here's the "musician" with voxcaster ;-)

Well, that's the crew for now. As with everything there's still a bit of an expansion plan. I have enough Forgeworld torsos left to do a heavy weapons section of three weapons and crews, finish out the Death Riders to 10 models, and do a couple vehicle crewmen for a third Leman Russ. There's also 10 more primed penal troopers ready to go. I'll keep chipping away at them but I'm rather pleased with the progress of late. It's always satisfying to get stuff done that's been sitting.

Oh, and they've already seen some action!

Byron's Mad Plan for Curt's 5th Annual Painting Challenge

So after all the fun and shenanigans last year with the painting challenge hosted by Curt I figured what the hell, let’s give it another go.  It was a lot of fun and helped me get a ton or metal and plastic painted over the winter.  So, once again I am entering into Curt’s now 5th Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.

One thing that kept me going and on track was setting out a plan from the start and trying to stick to it and move forward all the time.  The way I work though is heavily influenced by gamer ADHD so I tend to bounce around a lot between things.  To allow for this and to still have a plan, I am not setting an order in which things will get done, as I fully expect to have at least ? of what I list here in different stages of paint on the table throughout the challenge.  I also expect to get distracted by new shiny items at least a few times.

The monstrous number of figures I finished last year. 
To give a sense of scale, the block in the center bottom is 32x 28mm French Napoleonic figures.

First Goal – Great War in 28mm

I started this project last year and got several units done, just not all of my units.  I finished up close to 80 28mm Canadians and Germans for the early war period.  I however still have roughly 50 more to get done over the course of this challenge to have my forces complete.  This is my primary goal this time around, get these done. As with last year these are primarily infantry sections for each of the 10th and 16th Battalion of the CEF from WW1.  To oppose I am aiming to finish at least 2 more infantry sections and an HMG section for the Germans. 

As part of this as well, I have some 28mm WW1 tanks coming in, if they arrive in time I plan on getting at least 2 of them done, I know they are late war and the rest of my figures are early war, but…. Oh well :)

Just one of the units I finished last year

Second Goal – French Napoleonic

Last year I promised Curt to actually try some Napoleonic figures and got a full unit of 32 28mm French done.  It was a pain in the….  However, being a glutton for punishment I am going to go back to this, and paint up another full unit.  I even have them cleaned up and ready to get going on them.

While I am quite happy with how the first batch came out, I question the lunacy of the French and their fiddly uniforms.... Maybe as much as I question the lunacy of anyone trying to paint an army of them in miniatures...

Third Goal – Gamer ADD Cleanup

Once again, I have collected far too many models that don’t have paint on them.  Over the course of this challenge I will be trying to clean up the following:

• 25 Death Guard models for Warhammer 30k (tacticals, breachers, and terminators)
• 5 Mailfaux Ten Thunder Clan so that I have a painted clan to play with
• 50+ 15mm WWII Russian’s for some Stalingrad gaming
• 30+ more black and white zombies for zombicide
• 10+ zombicide survivors
• 6+ Relic Knight figures (so I have a force to game with)
• French Dystopian fleet (I have about a dozen ships waiting for paint to expand my fleet)
• 10+ Nomad figures from the Infinity Operation:Icestorm box set
• 5+ Tau Crisis suits and Riptide for a tournament in April
• 20+ 15mm British WWII figures to flesh out my Chain of Command army

While not officially on my painting table yet (as some are not here yet) I also want to get at least some of these done over the challenge:

• 10+ Robotech figures (when they show) as test figures
• More All Quiet on the Martian Front figures
• 28mm Romans (have had these around way too long, and would like to at least do a few test pieces)
• 54mm something…. Want to play around with a larger scale
• 6mm Baccus – have a game box with 2 armies and it is just sitting…

Fourth Goal – Complete figures for at least 5 of the 7 Bonus Themes

The same as last year, Curt added several theme weeks and bonuses.  These were a lot of fun and are the only things that I set in stone for painting in time.  However, as I am still unsure on what I want to do for some of them, I just want to make sure I get 5 of the 7 done.

Here is a listing of the bonus themes along with their submission deadlines and my initial thoughts on submissions:

• December 14: Cold – Tau Crisis suit in a winter camo pattern
• December 28: Mount(s) & Rider(s) – Girl surfing
• January 11: Victorian – Steampunk Tinkerbell
• January 25: Myth – a Troll
• February 8: Hot - Satan
• February 22: Comedic – Zombicide diorama
• March 8: Anti-Hero – Punk Girl with Dog

  

  A Challenge piece I did last year and still one of the figs I am most happy about.

Overall

That list of items should let me get to my 1000 point goal and maybe beyond.  However, with trying to turn out new laser cut terrain, and an insane oncall schedule things may falter.  I hope not, and will try to stick to getting at least the 1000 points done, but only time will tell.

Challenge

I know there are a few other members of the Fawcett Ave crew participating either officially or unofficially by just following along and painting throughout the winter.  So I challenge you guys to make up a list and give us all an idea of what you are going to work on and what your overall goal is.  Even if you’re not really in the official challenge, post up what you plan to do over the winter so that we can either encourage or heckle (your choice) each other along to meet our goals!

Come on guys, I know there are a bunch of you lurkers out there (Looks at Mike and Steve, but also any other Fawcett crew not in on the challenge), join in and sign up to paint a set number of points regardless of being in the "official" challenge.  Post your points goal here and then just send in images throughout the winter as you paint.  It will keep this blog full of cool new content, and your painting tables moving. 

Trench Warfare - 40K Style!

Two weeks back, Conscript Greg came over for a game of 40K on the new Fawcett acquisition - some amazing trench terrain boards. I picked these up a few weeks ago off eBay from a fellow in Quebec and ever since they arrived, I've been plotting the first game with them... the obvious choice would've been a Great War game but since I'd loaned a bunch of figures to the Millennium Library for a window display, I figured a 40K game with hapless Guardsmen Astra Militarum would be just the thing to break them in.

Greg brought over 1200 points of his gorgeous Vostroyans and Veterans to man the trenches against 1500 points of my Chaos Renegades. This gave me some impetus to paint something (anything!) as I don't think I'd picked up a brush all summer. The Renegades had mostly been sitting in pieces in a Plano box after I'd bought them from Forgeworld oh, about five years ago. I'd assembled and painted one squad of ten, assembled and painted two Leman Russ tanks, then done up some Beagle-Boys-style penal legion troops, but there they sat, mocking me in their bare plastic and resin sadness...

Anyway, the new terrain got me cracking again and in the last two weeks I finished the Company command squad, a Commissar/Enforcer, two squads of ten Renegade troopers, and two heavy stubber teams! Cool! I reinforced the Renegade list with some Nurgle stiffening: two Blight Drones (one a recent pickup and repaint off local kijiji) and a squad of Plague Marines. The list was constructed based on the "Renegades and Heretics" list in Imperial Armour Vol. 6 - Siege of Vraks Part 2. We set up "the Big Push" - the Renegades got VPs for getting into the Guard's support trenches or exiting the table behind the Guard lines. The Guard scored for preventing this and for destroying Renegade units.

Greg brought along a Basilisk, a platoon of Vostroyan Guardsmen, a squad of Veterans with fancy guns, a Hellhound/Banewolf with chemcannon, 5 Sentinels with autocannons/lascannons, a squad of Crimson Fist Marines, three Ogryns, and a funky command squad with some attached advisors.

The Veterans deployed in a frontline trench on the Guard left.

The scary chemical tank deployed nearby.

Vostroyan squad in the middle, backed up by Sentinels and the Basilisk.

Shifting a bit to the left, more Vostroyans and Sentinels with Crimson Fists in the support trench.

The battlefield. Guard command is in the ruined church at lower left. The Renegades army is deployed across the top of the picture, left to right: Leman Russ, workers rabble squad, Plague Marines, Blight Drones, penal troopers, Leman Russ, Renegade Militia platoon command and platoon.

Here's some of the Renegades.

The red dice by each squad indicates the squad Leadership - Renegades determine their Ld randomly at the start of the game by rolling a d6 and adding 4. The guys at top left are rock-hard with Ld10 but their colleagues behind and to their left are not quite so steady with Ld5 and 6 respectively...

The Renegads took first turn and while much of the army ran forward, the Drones, penal troopers and Plague Marines took aim at the Ogryns in the forward sap, wounding but not killing them.

The rabble rabbled themselves along across no-man's-land.

A surge of Renegades flowed towards the Guard trenches. Surely a bowel-loosening moment for the good old Astra Militarum...

Guardsmen deployed well in the frontline.

Accurate fire (as well as a couple of large templates) took a toll on the renegades. Ouch!

The Penitents managed to hose off the Ogryns and take the sap.

On the Renegade right flank the Leman Russ multi-melta'd the Hellhound as the rabble is decimated by lasgun fire.

Loins are girded...

Leaving a trail of dead in their wake, the Renegades reach the frontline trenches.

Plague Marines advance, minus one of their number felled by his own plasma gun :-(

Renegade champion reaches the wire, followed by the survivors of his platoon. There will be a reckoning...!

Almost there...!

Leman Russ reaches the frontline trenches and roasts some Vostroyans.

The Vostroyans manage to win the close combat against the Renegades and moments after this picture was taken, wipe them out in a Sweeping Advance! (below)

On the Renegade left, troops pile into an unoccupied trench.

The penal troopers advance down the sap.

Command squad and Vostroyans make a lateral move to cut off the Renegades. Seconds later the models in the foreground are killed by a Blight Drone.

Renegades continue their advance.

Renegades are caught up by the surviving Vostroyan commander and advisors. He died in a hail of bullets as the Renegades gunned him down. Hail Eris, all hail Discordia!! :-)

Hapless Sentinels before the mechanized onslaught.

Basilisk crew pretty nervous as all potential targets are over open sights :-(

Anyhow, we called the battle shortly after this as the Renegades had penetrated the front line trenches and despite taking heavy losses, looked able to seal the victory.

Last evening, we set up a rematch with the forces slightly re-jigged. Greg had ditched the Hellhound and Basilisk and added two Leman Russes (!) while I had reinforced the Renegades with a new commander model (a conversion of a very nice metal Imperial Guard Regimental Advisor) and a troop of five mounted Renegades.

Conscripts Keegan, Frederick and Kevin came over to participate in the mayhem that ensued. Here are pictures!

Vostroyan squad with heavy bolter mans the frontline trench 

Ogryns backed up by Leman Russ tank

The gorgeous new Tempestus Militarum Scions

Vostroyan command squad

 

Crimson Fist Marines stiffen the Imperial resistance

Initial dispositions - Renegades attack from the top right

Renegade Blight Drones

Renegade squad with heavy stubber

Renegade Death Riders!!

Renegade Leman Russ. Rabble advancing

Imperial Sentinels

Plague Marines vs Sentinels!

"When I get older I will be stronger
They'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag"

Renegades press on past knocked out Leman Russ

"On Vostroya, lasgun shoot YOU!!"

 

Another fun game with great figures and terrain, but quite a different result. Keegan hot-rolled his way into the Astra Militarum Hall of Fame with that one, and I got a taste of what it's like to face two AV14 tanks with no lascannons. The Big Push was definitely halted.