Challenge update - the one where we get all the toys out

It is customary to post a group shot of all that you have painted during the challenge.

I appear to have painted quite a lot of figures and despite my belief that they weren't as good as last year they are actually pretty good. It's funny isn't it how we remember the few duffers and not the many good 'uns.

So the tally is
28mm infantry 463
28mm cavalry 80
28mm guns 9 plus 7 limbers
28mm vehicles 6
28mm animals 9
10mm infantry 66
10mm cavalry 1

or 683 figures

which looks like this

Everything - although I've missed a few off (16 VBCW figures I think)

Random stuff

Colonial types - Mahdists, Brits, French, Afghans, Boers

More Randoms - Saxons, Normans and my Napoleonic Persians that I cast plus some 10mm Prussians

It's been a great winter and not only have I done more painting than ever but I have also done more gaming than ever. Thanks to all of those in the Challenge for giving me an inspirational winter and to all those that have let me blunder around various battle fields. My general tactic is either to sit tight or to charge forward until I get scared.

This sums up my philosophy

Final Challenge Update - ish

So now that it's all over I should post the last 2 submissions. If you want to to see all I did then go here but it will take a while.
 On to the figs and the penultimate post

Angel Gang - End of range sale from Warlord

Perry Bengal Lancers - Maybe useful in Back of Beyond

Bengal Lancer officer painted as a Natal Carabinier

Pack Camel

Northstar Greek Light Cavalry

My final post, which I thought would be enough but Miles was too competitive and dropped a massive bomb in the form of a 28mm Bolt Action German Army - I mean really.

Capt Bentine - 7th Cav, Foundry

Tintin and Snowy - my Curtgeld form Copplestone

Warbaes Pierce Arrow Truck with LMG deck gun from Pulp. Flat bed is magnetic paper. Completes my Royalist flying column

Persian spearmen - ebay, unknown manufacturer

1st Corps Sparabara - these are really beautiful figures

The Persians will complement my Ancient Greek/Persian  army for Matt's Greek campaign

And finally I ended big with some 10mm Pendraken 1864 Prussians and Danes to complete both armies. 

Prussian Regiment. I like 10mm because I can fight really huge battles with many regiments that fit on a 6x4 table. I plan to use my modification of the Days of Iron rules by Adam Stone. They are designed for regiments with more bases and you roll 1D6 per 4 stands. I put 4 figs on a stand and roll 1D6 per stand. Plan to fight my 1st battle in a couple of weeks

Prussian skirmishers or dismounted cavalry

Danish skirmishers

Prussian officer

Prussian Jaegers

This is how I feel

Challenge Completed

The VII Analogue Hobbies Challenge is complete. 3 months of frantic painting and I came 2nd, again, on the last day, again, pipped by Miles Reidy, again. It like deja vu all over again.


The Points Standings - FINAL VII Challenge

Rank	Name	ID	Points	Target
1	MilesR	62	4,125	2,000
2	MartinC	53	4,051	2,500
3	GrahameH	27	3,611	1,000
4	DaveD	20	3,586	2,500
5	EricM	24	3,291	2,500
6	AlexS	6	2,521	1,500
7	SteveM	91	2,130	1,000
8	TamsinP	93	2,090	2,600
9	AnthonyO	8	2,038	500
10	AlanD	3	1,803	2,000

Last year the top 2 in the VI Challenge were


1          MilesR                    3306
2          Martin C                 3292


Overall it's been a blast.
It's not really a race to see who can paint the most. The aim of the challenge is to push yourself to paint. Generally I find that the quality I paint does not increase the longer I spend on it. I'm very much a production line painter. However maybe next year I'll paint fewer things to a higher standard. This year I painted the equivalent of 810 28mm infantry figures, it's actually a little less with bonus rounds etc. Compared to last year where I painted the equivalent of 658 infantry. The difference is that last years were generally better. I went through the doldrums for about 4 weeks in Feb and early March and the painting quality dipped, but not the output. I ran out of things I wanted to paint, had loads of figures ready, the ones that have been ready for years. There is a reason for that.
No pictures at the moment, at work having my lunch, but will post what I did tonight probably.
Chuck Berry on Top of the Pops is one of my earliest musical memories, unfortunately it was My Ding-a-Ling. Well I'm not playing that so this is a better one

Albanich 2017

Just got back from Albanich, the Dumfries wargames show. It's a tiny affair with about 10 traders and a few of hundred visitors but It's a nice day out. Today was better than normal because Matt Crump was putting on a display battle and had asked me to play a side. Last year Matt won the best game in the show. His tables are like  we imagined wargaming as a little boy - totally immersive with lots of little details. The theme for the show this year was ancients but Matt was putting on an Operation Sealion game so to get in the swing of things the pub was called "The Alexander the Great", the shop was Hannibal Barca and Son and the billboards advertised Caesar and Cleopatra staring Janel Leigh. Understand his brain yet.
The aim of the battle was for the Germans to capture Lymne airfield and the crossroads in fornt of it. I was the Brits and Steve, another of Matt's minions was the Germans

The opening shot, Brits and the bottom and Germans at the top.How did it go, well go over to Matt's site and check it out - may not be up yet

 I didn't spend a lot - too busy playing but I did get these

Thatched barn - MBM games I think

Warbases truck - for my Anglican League attack column

Bought some bases also, however when I got home this was on the mat

Pendraken 10mm Union Army - The Old Guard Club are building an ACW campaign in 10mm and this is my contribution. I also have loads of Danes who have the same uniform so  I have a significant army.

Tomorrow the Old Guard are having a games day, huge Impetus game, so more pictures

Challenge Update and some new air support

Challenge moves into its last 2 weeks and I will move into 1st place tomorrow with a massive 400pt+ sumission (equivalent to 80x28mm figs in a week.
Last year a won a raffle on Ray Rousell's blog and received approx 30 old school Saxon Warriors. I really like the figs, they have personality, and they were free

Faces didn't work well on these

In 1986 I bought some Saxons from Essex Miniatures. Last week I painted them

Finally on the Saxon front I painted the Saxon types I've acquired from NorthStar lucky bags

Last year I bought some NWF figures from Foundry but when they arrived they were Normans. I spoke to Foundry and they resupplied the missing figures and allowed me to keep the figs, which was nice

Last weekend I had my 50th birthday party and the Friday overnight guests went down to the flea market and I bought this for £8.

I'll stick a Lewis gun on it and I have some more VBCW air support

Next weekend its Albanich in Dumfries and I'm helping Matt Crump with his Sealion Game. Then on Sunday it's off down for a games day with the Old Guard, including a massive Impetus game. However my car failed its MOT on  Friday and it may throw a spanner in the works. Shouldn't be a problem as it's getting fixed on Wednesday but I may be skint as it electrical and between £70 and £800 depending on the problem.

It would be better it I had one of these