Spring Cleaning - The post Challenge tidy up

It's been about a week and a half now since the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge came to an end. Usually, the end of the competition is followed by a long hiatus in painting where I can't motivate myself to lift a brush and I try to get some games in instead. Well, I will be playing some more solo games soon but I have managed to get some stuff painted thanks to the Monday night painting sessions myself and fellow Posties Rejects have been holding for the last year. They have been such a good motivator we will be continuing them long after lockdown is a bad memory and we can get together for games again. But in addition to doing some painting, I have been getting on with some long-overdue tidying up!

The Operations Room has been both my games room and my office for the last year and bit by bit it has been getting messier and messier. With the workload of the Challenge behind me, I have been pottering around sorting out several bags of rubbish, cleaning surfaces (so much dust!) and reorganising my depleted supplies. I have also been reorganising my tools (and adding to them, more on that in a moment) and need room so they will be close to hand. When I moved in here 18 months ago I never thought I'd be spending quite so much time in this 7ft by 8ft room and such tight dimensions mean it was always going to be a bit cramped in here. Nearly all my storage was immediately occupied and new purchases have used up what little space was left. So one of the first things I did last week was start to move some stuff out again! I have been boxing up a lot of my building materials and have found space elsewhere in the house for them. 

Understandably little actual painting has taken place although I have started a small project which should be finished for next week. I have however started making some replacement hills using my new Foam Cutter. I did a quick 'unboxing' video for my YouTube Channel and I have now christened it with hopefully the first of many terrain building projects. 

Many years ago I bought a load of TSS hills made from Polystyrene. They did the job I wanted them for but they have taken a bit of a battering and most are long past their prime. I also have a selection of hardboard hills that I bought from various shows over the years (they featured in my recent Rorkes Drift game) but I wanted a selection of larger flatter hills that could be used on the edge of the table. I had half a dozen A3 sheets of High-Density Foam that I used to make some of my Frostgrave Terrain last year and decided this was the ideal material for my hills. It's soft enough to be easily sanded and shaped but dense enough that it will be tough and last longer than the styrene ones they are replacing.  

The Foam Cutter made short work of cutting out the hills and bevelling the edges and now I need to sand them, prime them and then I can add some grass. I'll try to get them finished over the weekend because I want to have a couple of solo games later next week while I have a few days off work. 

AHPC XI - Week 13 - This is the End

The 11th Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge finished in the early hours of Sunday (for those of us on GMT) and my-oh-my what an incredible week it has been. I cranked out four entries this week, completed the Chambers of Challenge side quest and even revisited my Anglo-Zulu War project and painted some figures that have been taunting me from my Lead Mountain for at least three years! 

The Snowlords Treasury - Different Treasures

Two adventurers have found a pile of unguarded treasure and each feels their hearts skip a beat. Treasure! But while one gathers up the spellbooks and tomes of ancient knowledge for the other it is the glint of gold that mesmerises him. Each to their own, and at least they aren't fighting over the treasure this way! 

I had several models I could use for this room but in the end, I decided to use two of them and make a special base to hold them. As before I based the figures separately so they can be used in games and modelled the base from Milliput on a large round MDF base. 

Both figures are from Midlam Miniatures, so they are about 25mm rather than 28mm, but the quality of the sculpting is wonderful. They were fun to paint up and I'm sure I can find plenty of use for them in my games. 

Witch Teleport - Shieldmaiden

The postman finally delivered my long-awaited parcel with my figures for the Laboratory chamber... but too late. I'd already nearly completed this offering to the Witch of this level for a second teleport, and I have started work on my figure for the next chamber The Hall of Heroes. I'm not too upset though because I will have a couple of extra female figures for my Frostgrave games and my Hero for the next room is a wonderful model that I have been wanting to paint for some time. 

This is another figure from Bad Squiddo Games and once again is a wonderfully sculpted figure of a Shieldmaiden. When I got this model it has a round shield with it but try as I might I couldn't find it, so I found an alternative from my bitz-box. The shield is clearly influenced by Celtic designs but with a suitably 'fantastic flourish idea for a fantasy setting like Frostgrave. 

The model is 28mm and as with my previous purchased from Bad Squiddo, it was nice and clean with no flash or moulding needing to be removed before prepping. 

The Hall of Heroes - Northern Barbarian Hero

As someone who grew up reading the works of Robert E Howard, it's probably not surprising that when someone mentions a Hero I naturally think of a windswept northern barbarian striding across the tundra of Hyboria. And this figure is very inch the heroic archetype. The sculpting of the furs, in particular, is exceptional and far better than one would typically get on a 28mm model I think. Although it has to be said he's about 32mm to the eye so he's a big fella!

This metal figure is suitably chunky and has a real heft to it when held in the hand. Call me old school but it feels much more satisfying than an equivalent resin or plastic miniature. 

From here I am heading towards the final chamber the Lair of the Spider before braving the Snowlords Challenge. I can hear ominous scuttling from the darkness ahead...did someone way the spider wasn't there any more, because I'm not so sure...

Lair of the Spider - Spider Scorpion

The description for this penultimate chamber in the Chambers of Challenge says that the aforementioned spider has been scared off by something worse. Well, I think a Spider Scorpion can definitely be described as worse! This fearsome critter is as creepy as a spider but with an added reason to be wary. Both insects give me the creeps at the best of times, but combined this model was a challenge just painting it.

This is a Ral-Partha figure that I picked up on eBay some time ago. It has been sitting - no, Lurking - in my lead pile ever since just waiting for a chance to pounce. The tail is cast separately and I had to do a bit of work to make the joint fit properly before glueing it together with a strong Epoxy glue to give it some resilience. 

I have a confession to make though, this wasn't my first choice for this room. I have a large Beholder model that I was going to use here and I got as far as priming the figure but I couldn't face it (no pun intended). Despite looking forward to painting it for the last thirteen weeks, when it's time came Eye just couldn't find the motivation (pun definitely intended). Thankfully the Spider Scorpion was waiting in my lead pile to replace it. So there it is, I have battled my way through the Chambers of Challenge and now I stand before the Snowlords alter awaiting instructions. What devilish tribute will be demanded of me I wonder? 

The Snowlords Alter - 17th Lancers in Zululand

With my recent shenanigans with the Royal Mail, I wasn't sure I was even going to finish the Chambers of Challenge, let alone have time to work on the Snowlords final challenge. But a change of plan and a sudden burst of productivity (that surprised even me) meant I completed the chambers a couple of days ago and I was able to get started on my final Challenge. Curts instructions were as follows 

"For the SnowLord’s Altar let’s look into your collection of unpainted minis (Notice how I just assume that you, like me, have a pile of shame sitting in the wings!) and see if there is anything that you’ve been neglecting or avoiding to do. Maybe it’s because it’s intimidating, or you’ve lost steam on the project, but let’s see if we can use the Altar to create a challenge for you."

In previous challenges, I have painted a lot of 6mm stuff ranging from Alexanders invasion of India, the Pyrrhic and Punic wars and the Anglo Zulu War. This year I haven't painted any 6mm miniatures (apart from some buildings)  so I thought it was time I revisited one of my older projects. So I hereby present the 17th Lancers as they were in the latter half of the Anglo Zulu War. Their white plastron tunic front has been turned around to show the darker blue reverse side although they couldn't do the same for the white cuffs on the sleeves. Their helmets have been dyed tan like the infantry to make them less conspicuous. The trousers were dark blue with a double white stripe down the outside and while I didn't do a double line my hand was steady enough to paint in a single stripe... they are 6mm after all! At this scale, the OR's uniform looks very similar to the officers except for the white belts and pouches. On the officers, I have used gold to highlight the pouch belt which crosses the chest and is distinctive from the OR's pouch belt which would have been white. 

I've been avoiding them because they are tricky to paint at 6mm. The dark uniform and crisp white kit doesn't leave a lot of room for mistakes. To make these look good I would need my steadiest hand and smallest brushes. Now that they are done I'm pretty happy with how they have turned out. I have arranged these in groups of four with a dice holder on the back of the base. I've been playing a lot of solo AZW lately and I'm in the process of altering my older bases to include these dice holders. I have been using TMWWBKs but being flexible with how many figures are in a unit (the rules suggest 8). So these bases could represent three companies of lancers, or I could change the unit sizes to 16 or 24 figures that can take eight casualties before breaking. It depends on the size of the engagement I want to play. I've used TMWWBK's like this for big battles and small skirmishes alike with a lot of success. 

So that's it, my passage through the Chambers of Challenge is complete, and this will also be my last entry for Challenge XI. Its been huge fun as always and well done to all the Challengers that have taken part this year, its an honour to be included in such hallowed company. Congratulations and thanks must of course also go to Curt for running this madness every year and well done also to the minions who help keep this brilliant enterprise going. 

AHPC XI Week 12 - Airborne Tank, Onion Johhnies, Angry Nuns and an Oracle

The end of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is fast approaching and the pace of my painting has picked up as I try to get all my little projects concluded in time. This week has been particularly productive with an eclectic selection of miniatures finished and ready to play with. 

AHPC XI - Week 11 - Civilians

This week I have been working on several side projects, only one of which actually got finished on time. The others will be out during this week and I'll show those here next Wednesday. So the pace will appear to pick up as the Painting Challenge comes to an end but in fact, it's just that I have been working on multiple models at the same time. There are now just two weeks left in the Challenge and although I have hit my Target points I still have several things I want to get done by the end. Once the Challenge is over I'll probably reduce my painting output a bit so I can focus on playing more solo games and working on some new film for my youtube channel. 

French Civilians for WWII

I recently purchased several sets of French Civilians from Peter Pig for use in various 15mm WWII games. I wanted a collection of refugees, farmers, and other non-combat figures to use as 'set dressing' in my games. I may yet devise some simple in-game rules for their use, such as roads being clogged with refugees (restricting traffic) or to represent resistance fighters. 

As with all the Peter Pig stuff the figures are wonderful little sculps that rarely need much cleaning before the primer goes on. These were no exception with minimal flash and mould lines and any that were found were removed in a matter of seconds. 

I have bought a few more packs of other civilians that I missed the first time around on the website, so hopefully, I'll have a few more ready by next week.

The Chambers of Challenge

I haven't made much progress with the side quest bonus rounds, otherwise known as The Chambers of Challenge, due to an unexpected holdup in production. In short, the Postman hasn't delivered my parcel. The next chamber is something to do with a Laboratory. I ordered myself a nice set of mad scientist and assistants from Sally4th but nearly three weeks later and they still haven't arrived. Hats off to Allen at Sally4th because he's resending a replacement parcel, but time is ticking and I'm a bit stuck until they arrive. Postal deliveries where I live have been 'erratic' to say the least since before Christmas so I have no idea when they will turn up. My solution is to jump the blockage and paint the two chambers that follow, and just hold off submitting them until I have my Mad Scientist in hand and painted. So as stated earlier, expect a rush of entries in the last few days of the competition. 

AHPC XI - Week Ten - More Para's and a Pack of Gnolls

The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is continuing apace and true to its purpose it is keeping me on task. Week Ten is traditionally the time when I start closing in on my target and start thinking about what comes next. So it's no surprise that I have hit my target and can now look at what comes next. In the past, I have submitted an upwardly revised target to Curt, but this year I'm just going to enjoy being ahead. I have completed most of the projects I set out for myself at the start of the Challenge and I'm quite content to meander towards the end of the event in three weeks time. I'm still working on entires for the side event, The Chambers of Challenge, and hope to complete the entire quest within the next few weeks. 

AHPC XI - Week Nine - Printed PAK's to a Mouse that Roared

Its been a mixed but productive week for me, with several painting projects coming to fruition and a series of videos on my Channel queued up and ready (after a LOT of editing). I've been making an effort to focus my painting on miniatures that have sat neglected for a long time. Often these are models that were primed and ready for challenge XIII or IX two or three years ago! I really ought to do a video on procrastination!

3D printed 8.8cm Pak 43/41

A couple of weeks ago I panted up some trenches from Ironclad Miniatures but the gun emplacements were missing their ordinance. I'd ordered some 3D printed models but they hadn't arrived so I finished the trenches knowing I'd be revisiting them in due course. The printed guns arrived last week and here they are. Two 8.8cm Pak 43/41 guns from Butlers Printed Miniatures. I've never bought any 3D prints before so I was interested to give these a go and I'm pretty impressed with them. The printing layers can still be seen in some areas and the models needed a lot of cleaning up when they arrived, but they were half the price of a plastic or metal equivalent. I bought these primarily as 'terrain', simply to put them into the trenches so my British Para's could attempt to knock them out. So while the quality isn't as good as a metal model, I'm pretty pleased with them as terrain, especially at the price I paid.

When you read accounts of the battle in Northern Franch and tankers describe being attacked by 88's, these are probably the weapon they are talking about. Krupp designed this weapon in direct competition with the Rheinmetall Flak41, and they produced a very successful weapon indeed. The Krupp gun was the most powerful anti-tank gun in service with the Wehrmacht and a modified version (the KwK 43) became the main gun of the Tiger II tank.

Its relatively low profile meant it was ideal as an ambush weapon and the wheeled version (the original had a cruciform mount) meant it could be moved quickly from location to location. I once talked to a British veteran who served in Normandy as the driver of a Cromwell tank, and he described a hit from a Pak43 which split the engine block of his tank clean in two. Fortunately, he and all his crew were able to escape, but the tank had to be abandoned.

Kights Solar - Paladin with Elemental Sword

At least I have reached the Third Level of the Chambers of Challenge. It's taken a while to reach it but every stage has been interesting and fun so I'm not complaining. Now we get to the most challenging rooms and I'm starting off with my entry for the Kights Solar. The brief says "A chamber for painting Kights of all kinds, and their knightly deeds, love's, pastimes and quests". Hmm, the ultimate expression of Kightly piety in the fantasy world is the Paladin and I had the perfect model for that. This warrior venutred into the frozen city of Felstad in search of a fabled elemental sword. He has been searching for it in lost scolls and ancient tombes for many years and now he has found it. His Quest is over...but first he must make it out of the city alive.

This is a 28mm Ral Partha Figure from their Pathfinder range and looks particularly heroic. The casting is wonderfully clean and the face was so well sculpted it was a joy to paint. Once again I have based it for use in my Frostgrave games (really must venture back there soon).

The Mouse that Roared - Panzer VIII 'Maus'

I'm aware that I have painted a lot of fantasy figures this Challenge, so I thought I would paint something historical for a change...well sort of. The Panzer VIII was only at the design and trials phase in late 1944 when the Soviets overrun the German testing grounds and of the five ordered, only two hulls and one turret were completed. Had it been completed it would have been the largest tank in service.

At 33 ft long, and 188 metric tons the 'Maus' was absolutely huge, dwarfing all other German and allied tanks. Its main armament was the Krupp-designed 128 mm KwK 44 L/55 gun with a coaxial 75 mm KwK 44 L/36.5 gun. The main gun was powerful enough to destroy all Allied armoured fighting vehicles then in service, some at ranges exceeding 11,500 ft. But like all grandiouse vanity projects, it was plagued with practical problems, not least finding an engine powerful enough to drive the tank. At a time when the Wermacht was desperately short of regular tanks, this hugely resources heavy development project could only have been dreamed up in the minds of a political system that couldn't comprehend defeat, let alone appreciate the practical needs of fighting a war on two fronts.

Of the two hulls built, only one survived the war and was married up with the surviving Turret and taken back to Russian for evaluation. After testing it was taken to the Kubinka Tank Museum for storage, where it remains on display.

Nearly There

Progress towards my target is steady and I should hit it next week if all goes to plan. My points trajectory isn't going to blow anyone's socks off but its been the right pace for me at a very busy time of the year and I'm enjoying it immensely.

Next week I hope to have some more British Para's finished and a few more odds and ends that will take me to my target.

AHPC XI - Week Eight - Last Survivour

Time is speeding by in that slow-motion rapid blur timewarp that is the UK's covid Lockdown, and before I know it we are two-thirds of the way through the painting challenge. I'm still plugging away at the Chambers of Challenge bonus rounds, working through a pile of old lead miniatures and revisiting my youth with some old school fantasy figures. I have some historical stuff to work on this week but for the time being here are my entries for week eight of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. 

The Oubliette - Undead Standard Bearer

This old figure is the last survivor of a lost army. The first wargame I played was Warhammer Fantasy Battle, back in the early '90s. It was a logical choice for my group of friends because we were all committed D&D players so trying out a Fantasy wargame wasn't as big a step as it would seem. The first (and only) army I build for this rule system was an Undead Hord which included masses of zombies, skeleton warriors in rusted armour, undead horsemen ready to sweep across the battlefield and even a Zombie Dragon that set me back a lot of money. The thing that made my army stand out was that of my group of 8 friends, I was the only one who fielded a fully painted army. Indeed most of the time I played against entire forces of grey unpainted miniatures (the horror!).

As a group, we only played this system for a couple of years and eventually, we moved on to other games and one by one we sold off our armies, mine included. I regret not keeping a few pieces of this army even if, looking back, the panting was shockingly poor. Then I recently found this model and realised he had somehow missed the cull, and survived in my collection long after his comrades had gone to another home. When I saw the Chamber of Challenge entitled Oubliette, I knew instantly what I was going to paint. 

I actually had four of the same model (no idea why I bought four) so this Grenadier figure from 1991 will go on display with his unpainted companions. Because he's the last survivor, and a reminder of my earliest days of wargaming, I also made a small terrain base for it using some spare resin scenery I bought and didn't use in the last challenge. 

The Tomb - Gothic Vault and a Restless Resident

I can imagine the conversation had by the family of the occupant... "If we build him a really outlandish gothic tomb maybe he'll stay dead this time". 

I bought this excellent resin crypt from Debris of War before the last Challenge but didn't have time to finish it. It is such a nice model that it couldn't stay unpainted any longer. I really like the resin terrain by this company as it flawless and paints up really well. The model is pretty small at 3.5"x3"x4" so it is barely a 5th of a terrain cube...but it looks marvellous so it had to be my entry for this round. 

The figure is a 1984 Grenadier Zombie which I bought on eBay a few months ago. I couldn't let the poor fella go unpainted any more, and while his torn shirt may once have been expensive and fancy, his tattered appearance now made me feel sorry for him. 

AHPC XI - Week Seven - Trenches

I didn't get a lot finished last week and only submitted one entry to the Painting Challenge. This is partly because I am ahead of my target for this point, but also because I allowed myself to get sidetracked planning a big Solo Game. The game took place the weekend just gone and I have started to edit several hours worth of film! Cutting it down to a reasonable length (in maybe two or three videos) will take a bit of time but I hope to have them available to view in a couple of weeks. 

Trenches

I have a growing collection of terrain suitable for 15mm WWII, which now has a sizable gap filled. Painting these Trenches by Ironclad Miniatures has taken a lot longer than expected. They are such good models, with so much detail, they deserved my time and attention to make them look as good as I could get them. 

A with all my terrain and miniatures I gave them several coats of varnish (4 in fact) to ensure they will survive rough handling and keep looking good for years to come. 

I also have a couple of German PAK anti-Tank guns on order to use with this terrain, but I'm still waiting for these to arrive so they will have to be entered to the painting challenge at a later date. 

AHPC XI - Week Six - Guardians of Felstad

Week Six of the Painting Challenge and we are almost at the halfway mark. My painting output has slowed a little because I have diverted some time to prepare a couple of Solo games for the coming weeks. The rules I am using required a bit of tweaking for the game I want to play (top-secret for the time being!) and I needed to relabel some bases to match the historical units...all time consuming but enjoyable work that has distracted me from the painting table. Another reason for the reduced painting is that I have ordered some resin terrain and 3D printed models and was still waiting for them to arrive. The Terrain has now been delivered and I have started work on it, and if the models arrive I should have the whole thing completed by next week. Fingers crossed! 

Chambers of Challenge - The Orcs Pit - Orc Hero

I bought this model three years ago and its been looking at me accusingly ever since. At first glance, he looked quite simple to paint but as I worked on him I found all sorts of little details that demanded to be painted, such as a tiny gold ring in his lip or the various charms and amulets hanging from his belt. I went for a deliberately dark theme as it seems appropriate and matches the dark look in his eyes... I certainly wouldn't want to encounter him while exploring the ruins of Felstead. 

The model is mostly cast in a yellow resin that must be unique to this manufacturer. The axe hand and shield hand (and their contents) are cast in metal. Combining the parts was trickier than I had hoped, not because they were ill-fitting but simply because they needed to be pinned and supported while the Epoxy I used to join the set. Then both of the legs broke at the ankle! This required yet more pinning and repair work before I could even prime the figure. The sculpting is wonderful, but the choice of material lets this particular figure down. 

Standing at 35mm tall this guy is very imposing and will make a significant presence on the games table. The implied threat in his expression will also leave little to the imagination for any that face him!  

Chambers of Challenge - The Shrine - Cult Priest

Paint something religious said the brief, so I rummaged through my lead mountain and ended up buying two figures from Ebay instead. But the postal service being what it is (or more specifically Royal Mail being what it is) the models still hadn't arrived when it came time to start on this chamber. So I had another rummage in the lead mountain and found this guy/thing. "He looks fairly religious" I thought, so I give you a cult priest raising the dead. 

The not so sharped eyed will notice that the pages of the book are completely blank. Somehow I managed to overlook that until right now when adding the pictures to this post! I'm going to plead tiredness and the fact I allowed myself to be sidetracked by work projects (something I never normally do). I guess it is one of the hazards of working from home... those lines between work and home life become very blurred. I will add a few arcane letters and symbols at a later date. 

The model is from Grenadier I think, although I'd happily be corrected if I'm wrong. The tab on the base had been filed flat and this is usually where the manufacturer and date are located. I decided to go with a simple but bold red and green colour scheme and I'm happy with the result. 

AHPC XI - Week Five - Lone Goblin and some Recce Jeeps

Week five of the Painting Challenge and I managed to complete two projects that I had been looking forward to doing for a while. As last week I have a mix of Fantasy and Historical figures to show off, in two different scales. The big news of the week, however, has nothing to do with miniatures as I spent part of Saturday morning getting my first dose of the Phizer Vaccine. Because of my job, I'm classed as a key worker and, along with my colleagues, was able to get my 'jab' a little earlier than I otherwise would have. Hopefully, my wife will have hers soon as well, and then we can breathe a little easier knowing we have at least some protection. One small step back to normality and an important antidote to the January blues! 

The Guardroom - Gobbo Treasure Guard

My entry for this room in the Chambers of Challenge is a modest homage to all those brave Goblin treasure guards that countless adventurers have encountered in dungeons from the earliest days of D&D right up to the present. Every dungeon seems to have a lone Goblin guarding a treasure chest in a 10x10 room, seemingly just waiting for a bunch of 'hero's' to come along and slaughter him and steal the treasure. These brave keyholders have too long gone unsung, unrespected & unrecognised! 

This little guy is from Midlam Miniatures, which if you don't know them, do a wonderfully eclectic mix of fantasy figures suitable for dungeon crawling. Many of their figures are quirky and unique...making them ideal fodder for the bonus rounds! I've got quite a few Midlam figures stashed away for future Challenges. Mind you they are such fun figures to paint its hard to say of they'll last that long in my lead mountain. 

I wanted to add a Treasure Chest to the base but I painted up all the ones I had last year. So, in the end, I decided to make a chest myself using Milliput. Not the greatest looking bit of sculpting, but it sets off the resin base nicely. This guy will also be my 'Entry Fee' figure for the Challenge, so it'll net a few extra points on top of the CoC Bonus...seems appropriate that I should get some extra 'treasure' by painting him! 

Airborne Jeeps

Last week I posted pictures of my Airborne Platoon for use with Chain of Command and this week I have a few jeeps to add to the mix. These would be delivered to the landing zone in specially adapted gliders which could be broken in two to release the heavy load inside. I have been looking forward to painting these, and while some of the detailing on the figures wasn't as good as on the infantry I did last week, I'm still happy with them. 

I've modelled three vehicles, one with Bren Team, one with a small rifle team and the last one empty, to be used when a jeep has delivered its passengers. 

These models are from Skytrex and came with a selection of crew to put in them. On their website, it shows the vehicles with its passengers sat with their legs inside the vehicles, but I've seen several pictures with then sat the other way around, legs over the sides, presumably ready to leap off at a moments notice. I was in a real quandary about how to assemble these but in the end, I found enough period photo's showing them as Skytrex had them set so I went with "arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times". I actually had some feedback on the Challenge blog from some of the challenges that have ridden a jeep exactly like this, confirming it is the safest way to stay inside the vehicle! 

AHPC XI - Week Four - British Airborne and the Defenders of Felstead

Four weeks into the Painting Challenge and I'm keeping up a steady pace and starting to get comfortable with my weekly routine. I'm never going to be in the top ten (not by the end at least) but maintaining a position in the top third is quite good so I'm more than happy with that. It has to be said that I have picked up a lot of bonus points by participating in the Chambers of Challenge bonus rounds and I intend to continue in this vein until the end. 

British Airborne 

It's taken a while, but I finally have something Historical to post in this year's Challenge! My big 'lockdown project' last year was learning how to play Chain of Command and adapting my existing 15mm figures for that game. Thanks to a bit of judicious re-basing I was able to get some troops on the table really quickly (ie a few months rather than a few years!). Learning the rules and playing games solo was a great experience and I decided very quickly that I wanted to expand my collection. British Airborne was at the top of my list of candidates. 

Chain of Command is a Platoon plus sized game so I have painted up an Airborne Platoon and a range of support units to back them up. The core platoon consists of an HQ Section with a Lieutenant and Platoon Sergeant, A Piat Team, a 2" Mortar Team and a Sniper. Then there are three sections, two of which have a Seargeant, five men with rifles and one with a Sten, and a Bren team of three. The final section has two Bren teams each with an additional Sten. A total of 37 men. 

The support units include a couple of additional PIAT teams, a 2" Mortar team, A Bren Team, a Flamethrower Team and a full additional Airborne Section. 

The figures are a mixture of Peter Pig and Skytrex and they work so well together, now that they are painted, I can't tell which figures came from which company. All I can say is they are excellent figures and the two ranges complement each other perfectly. 

Gallery of Ancestors - The Brothers Grim

History tells of three Brothers who lived and fought for the City of Felstead before the Cataclysm. Stalwart defenders of the magical metropolis, their reputation was widely known and rightly so. The secret of their success, however, was not what the legend implied because the three warriors rarely spoke with each other and it was their bitter rivalry, not a sibling bond that drove them to outdo each other's deeds. Time marched on, the brothers aged, their bones ached from years of tough living and one fateful day all three found themselves fighting the same fell construct - summoned by a foolish wizard in the city. They were victorious, but at a great price because all three succumbed to their injuries. Despite their rivalry in life, in death, they would be laid to rest together in the ancestral vault, and for a few years, they had peace. Then the magical cataclysm that buried Felstead in ice for a thousand years came and the city faded into memory and then into legend. A thousand years of cold evil magic has permeated their crypt and given their bones new purpose. Now that the city is being revealed from the ice, and new invaders have come to steal its treasures, the brothers have risen again to defend the city of their birth. 

I have a varied assortment of Skeletons in my collection but not all of them are suitable for conversion and use in Frostgrave, so I decided I needed to paint some more. You can never have enough skellies in my opinion. 

The figures are from Red Dragon Miniatures and came as a set. I really liked the simplicity of the skulpts because they reminded me of some old Games Workshop plastic skeletons I had 'back in the day'.