AHPC7 - Challenge Day 42

Hmmm, not feeling that brilliant this evening but I did get some painting done although not as much as I'd planned. Pic of how far I've got:

Mind you, they're at a stage where I might be able to finish them tomorrow night which should allow me to make a start on something else which can be finished in time to get them based and submitted for next Monday.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 41 Russian Infantry WIP 3

You remember last night I said I'd get the first two regiments finished and make a start on the next two before bed, then finish them today? Well, in classic Tamsin style I failed to take a number of factors into account:

How long it would take to finish the first two regiments
Having to drybrush and flock the horse grenadier bases, take pics and do the post
The need to clean my brushes
The need to go shopping
The need to eat
The need to sleep
The need to do some washing up

So, I didn't get as far as I'd said I would. The horse grenadiers have been submitted for tomorrow; the first two infantry regiments have been finished and I have made a good start on the next two.

First two regiments finished

Second two regiments started

Given how slow the progress has been, I think I'll just get these two finished this week and then do something quick as a break before starting the next four regiments of infantry.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 40 Russian Infantry WIP 2

I've had a fairly busy and productive day so far.

At lunchtime I added gunk to the bases of the horse grenadiers. That should have cured by tomorrow morning allowing me to drybrush and flock them, then it's piccy time and post submission.

As for the first two regiments of infantry, well, excellent progress has been made today. Just the gaiters, bases, gaiter wash, highlights & touch-ups, metals and final touch-ups to do. And the flags. I should be able to get them finished tonight.

Tomorrow I'll be able to paint for much longer - I was out until lunchtime today. I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to fully paint the next two regiments by the end of the day.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 39 Russian Infantry WIP

I've done two things this evening:

1. Stuck the horse grenadiers onto bases. I'll add basing gunk tomorrow, then do the drybrushing and flocking on Sunday.

2. Made a decent start on the first two SYW Russian infantry regiments:

I may do a bit more later tonight, and they should be finished tomorrow. I might even be able to make a start on the next pair and hopefully finish those on Sunday. That's *finish painting* - they'll still need to be based, but I'll do that as a big session next weekend.

If everything goes well, I should be submitting a rather nice points bomb on Monday week.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 38 Horse Grenadiers WIP4

Yippee! I managed to finish painting the horse grenadiers this evening:

Nope, that's as close up a pic as you'll get until they're submitted! In case you're wondering, the figures in the background are for four regiments of infantry. I'll be making a start on them tomorrow night, possibly split into 2-regiment batches. I'm hoping to get all of them painted over the weekend (alongside doing the basing of the horse grenadiers), then I'll crack on with another four during the week.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 37 Horse grenadiers WIP 3

Again with the dozing off and making a late start on painting, leading to not doing as much as hoped. Still, I've managed to get past the truly fiddly stages now, so tomorrow evening should see them finished. Here's how I've just left them:

All that remains is the hair, highlighting of the blue, blanket rolls, lace, bows, metals, flesh highlights and the flags (not necessarily in that order!). And the inevitable touch-ups.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 36 Horse Grenadiers WIP 2

I've made some progress on the horse grenadiers this evening, but not as much as intended due to dozing off after dinner. Still, I should be able to finish painting them tomorrow night, especially if I get a little bit more done before going to bed.

Pic taken a few minutes ago:

Toodle-pip!

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 35

Five weeks into the Challenge and I'm 203 points ahead of schedule for my target of 2600 points. That's the result of having painted 380 points worth of figures last week, plus the 50 points from the bonus round. 224 of those points were for my Korean irregulars and I got another 156 for the Cossacks which were posted today:

Linky-link



Being so far ahead, I've decided to take things a little bit easier this week. As a result, I've started work on a small entry of 18 horse grenadiers for my SYW Russians - the final two regiments. I started on the horses yesterday and carried on for a while this evening:

I should get them finished (apart from basing) tomorrow night or Wednesday, then I'll be making a start on a big points bomb for the following week - eight 18-figure infantry regiments. And maybe a few other bits like artillery, wagons etc if I have time.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 34 East Bonus Theme Entries

Just a quick post this evening to let you know that the "East" bonus theme round entries have been posted by Curt.

All the entries - linky-link

My submission:

Linky-link



This morning I finished off the Cossacks, took pics and submitted the draft post which should go up tomorrow. So, no more pics until they're up.

I have made a small start on this week's entries but I won't do pics of those until tomorrow.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 33

I skipped posting last night because I wanted to concentrate on getting as much done on the Koreans as possible. I didn't get them even close to finished - I may have been somewhat overoptimistic given the number of figures I had to paint. That meant that I had a very long day of painting ahead of me today.

However, I did get them completed, took pics and submitted my post for the "East" bonus theme round with a few hours to spare.

This evening I've also added gunk to the Cossacks' bases:

Tomorrow they'll be drybrushed and flocked, photographed and submitted as my Monday entry. Aside form that, I plan to take the day off.


I haven't decided yet what to paint next. That's the trouble with having so many options available. It might be some more Seven Years War Russians, maybe some Korean regulars, or even some 6mm ACW or 28mm gangsters. Only time will tell.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 31 Korean Irregulars WIP Day 1

I've had rather a busy evening of painting. To start, I finished off varnishing the Cossacks. Then I made a start on some Korean irregular infantry for the "East" bonus theme round. Just a few of them - 108 foot and two mounted! I've made good progress:

So far I've done the flesh, hair, wood and black basecoat for metals. A small confession - I did start the horses last night!

I do expect to get them very close to finished tomorrow night, if not actually finished (in terms of painting - they'll still need varnishing and flocking). these plus the Cossacks should put me a bit ahead of schedule for my 2600 point target.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 30 Cossacks Painted

Phew! I've actually managed to finish painting the Cossacks tonight. They still need varnishing, basing etc, but that's not too much work left to do. It also means that I can move onto a batch of Koreans tomorrow night for the "East" bonus round.

Anyway, a quick pic of them before they're fully finished:

Toodle-oo!

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 29

I eventually got around to painting late this afternoon and have made good progress on the Cossacks. I should finish them tomorrow evening, ready for basing at the weekend. Here's a pic of where I've got to with them:

I've sorted out what I'm going to paint next - some Koreans which I hope to finish in time for submission to the "East" bonus round.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 28

I ended up not going to the Hastings refight tonight, so no report or pics of that. The reason? A truly horrendous journey to work this morning which involved standing outside two different tube stations in the cold and rain for about 40 minutes, trains held in tunnels and stations, lines getting closed...In the end it took two and a half hours for what is normally a 35 minute journey (including the walks at either end). By the time I left work I felt like crap so I came straight home. I haven't done any painting this evening. Luckily I've got the day off tomorrow, so I should be able to catch up with where I should be on the Cossacks.

My two Challenge entries are both up, links below.


Hussars!

Linky-link



WW2 Soviet Women

Linky-link



That's all for tonight folks!

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 27

No pics of figures today folks - the hussars and the Soviet women are finished and the entries submitted. To make up for it, here are some pics of the tufts I made this morning:

Tomorrow night I'll be taking a break from painting to play a game - a refight (again) of Hastings using ADLG rules. Gordon has amended the army lists and house-rules from the previous occasion. I'll try to remember to take some pics!

On Tuesday I'll resume work on the Cossacks. I need to find something else to paint to get me back on track for 2600 points. I'll have to think about that.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 26 Russian Women WIP Day 2

The Russian women are progressing nicely and I should finish painting them tomorrow. Just the belts, boots, metalwork, wood and red bits (epaulette trim, cap band and red stars) to do. Oh, and highlighting the hair and flesh. And drybrushing the bases.

WIP pic:

I also added basing gunk to the hussars this evening:

Tomorrow I'll be drybrushing that, then flocking them - I should be able to get the entry submitted sometime tomorrow.

I also need to make the tufts for the Russians tomorrow - the glue will need about 24 hours to cure enough to use them, so that entry will get submitted on Monday evening.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 25

When I got home this evening, I looked at the cossacks and realised that the only way I'd be able to complete them for Monday would be to rush them and they would end up not looking as good as I'd want. So, I had a quick think about what else I had waiting to paint that could be completed in time for a Monday submission. I settled on the WW2 Soviet women, got the figures out, checked my painting notes and made a start:

I'm going to need to make up some tufts for them this weekend.


Tomorrow I'll be adding basing gunk to the hussars and carrying on with the Soviet women. As I have no plans for getting into WW2 gaming, I may end up offering these as one of the prizes in my draw. Or maybe they will tempt me into WW2 skirmish gaming.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 24

I felt absolutely lousy when I got home this evening, so after a quick cup-a-soup I crashed out for an hour or two. When I got up I didn't feel like painting, but after a pleasant dinner I decided that I should do something, even if it's not painting. So, I popped the hussars off their painting sticks and glued them onto bases:

I'll see how I feel later - maybe I'll do some more work on the cossacks.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 23

And the hussars are finished! Apart from basing and flocking, but the painting's done:

After giving my brushes a well-deserved clean, I made a start on the cossacks. It looks as though they might be a bit more complex than I had thought (it doesn't help having so many different figure poses/clothing mixes in the pot) so there's a possibility that I might not quite manage to get them completed in time for submission on Monday.

Pics so far:

That's all for tonight folks!

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 22

I felt a bit sleepy when I got home this evening, so after dinner I decided to have a nap. Two hours later...

Yes, it did throw a bit of a spanner in the works for my plan to finish the hussars this evening. I've got very close though - just the gold and some silver highlights on sabre blades to do, then varnishing.

Pics as they are now:

That means that tomorrow I should finish them quite quickly and then I can start on the Cossacks.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 21

I was a touch over-optimistic about how far I'd get with the hussars today. In my defence, that could be because this is double the number that I've painted in one go previously and there is a lot of fiddly detail to paint.

However, I did get them very close to completion and should be able to finish them tomorrow night. Here's a pic of them as they are now:

All that's left are lacing on the Novoserbskiy (blue/red) guys, straps on the blanket rolls, edging on the shabraques, flesh highlights some minor touch-ups and the metals.


In other news, my Nubians got posted today, earning me 453 points which puts me in 8th place for now, but I expect people to bump me back down as the week goes on.

Preview pic (click to go to the post on the Challenge blog):

AHPC7 - Armour Bonus Theme Posts Published

The first bonus theme round - "Armour" - has been posted. An astounding fifty people have submitted entries for this one.

You can view all the posts here:  linky-link


My own entry is here: linky-link

Preview pic:

Don't forget to vote for your favourites!

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 20

I didn't make as much progress on the hussars today as planned, but that's because I decided to make a start on 39 Cossacks as well this morning. I've painted all the horses:

This evening I've been painting the first of the uniform colours - blue for the Novoserbskiy (shabraque, pelisse and sabretache) and green for the Slavianoserbskiy (shabraque, pelise, dolman and sabretache):

The base colours might look a bit bright, but the colour should darken after I've washed them. Then it's onto the red - dolmans for the Novoserbskiy and breeches for both, followed by a wash.

The London Underground strike is on tomorrow, so I'll be taking the day as annual leave - if I really puch things, I should get these chappies finished by the end of the day. Once they're complete I'll be able to work on the Cossacks. If I get them all done in time, that will be a nice points bomb for Monday!

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 19

Last night I did the washes and started the detailing on the grav vehicles, as well as sealing the sand/grit on the bases of the Nubians with PVA.

This morning I finished off painting the details on the grav vehicles, then sprayed them with matt varnish (I did the Nubians at the same time) then went over the lights with satin varnish. I also went over some details of the Nubians with satin and gloss varnish.

The holding rods were then slipped off the vehicles and turrets, and the turrets glued onto the tank hulls. I then put them onto their bases for a quick photography session, edited the pics and drafted the post for the "Armour" bonus round. They should get posted on the Challenge Bonus Theme blog tomorrow.

After that I set about adding tufts to the Nubians' bases (I've got a few left over). then I photographed the army, edited the pics and wrote the draft submission which should be posted on the Challenge blog on Monday.

With those out of the way, I had to decide what to work on next. I want at least one more entry on the main Challenge blog before starting work on my entry for the "East" bonus round. I also wanted to get some points on the board for one of my side duels, so out came some 7YW hussars. I made a start on the horses earlier this evening:

These will be the Novoserbskiy and Slavianoserbskiy regiments. Both were double strength regiments (10 squadrons) compared to the rest of the Russian cavalry (5 squadrons), and each had a 1st and 2nd regiment as well.

I might do a bit more work on them this evening, and will carry on tomorrow - I should be able to get them very near to finished if everything goes well.

On Monday there is likely to be a strike on London Underground - I've already agreed with my manager to take the day as leave if it goes ahead - that should help me get them finished quickly and make a start on something else.

AHPC7 - Challenge Day 17

I've had quite a busy evening. First off (well, after a coffee) I had a session with the FlockBox. I added static grass to the bases for the grave vehicles:

And then I made some tufts for the Nubians (and maybe the Sea Peoples if I have any left over).:

2mm static grass

Mix of 2 and 4mm static grass

Close-up of the mixed length tufts

Unfortunately I had a clumsy moment as I was picking up one of the tuft sheets to move it elsewhere to dry:

The squidged tufts should still be usable though.


After a quick break I cracked on with adding grit and sand to the Nubians' bases:

They'll need to dry out overnight, then tomorrow evening I'll seal them with diluted PVA. Tufts and maybe some other foliage will be added on Saturday after I've sprayed them with matt varnish. These will be the last pics until after they've been submitted.

Tomorrow evening I'll also be putting the finishing touches to the grav vehicles - washes and detailing.