AHPC XII 5th & 6th Entries - Mongols & Georgians; Crashed Starship

 Both of my entries got posted yesterday.

15mm Mongol and Georgian Cavalry:

The post can be found here: linky-link

28mm Crashed Starship:

The post can be found here: linky-link

Both posts include continuations of "The Adventures of Oscar" and "Extract from the journal of TamsinP" for your entertainment.

I've started work on the next batch of figures. I'm alternating weeks - one week will be a chunk of WW2 Japanese; the next week will be something else.

I'm currently well ahead of schedule for achieving my 1300 points target, so if I finish a batch early, I can use the "spare" days to work on things for my final few entries.

Paint Table Saturday 29 January 2022

 

I finished the crashed starship terrain yesterday afternoon, and took photos of it for my Challenge submission this morning. The 15mm cavalry was completely finished and photographed on Thursday. Both entries have been submitted and should get posted sometime tomorrow.

As you can see, if I have got a few bits on the workbench right now. This afternoon I have given my "dirty work" airbrush a thorough clean - it's drying out right now.

At the back, you have this lot:

I did some priming yesterday of the Japanese reinforcements which arrived last week. Last night I assembled the Type 97 Chi-Ha tank. The kit also allows you to make the Shinhoto variant; as I had the top-deck and most of the turret parts for that one left over I decided to make it up as well, to use as a dug-in (pretty much buried) anti-tank emplacement. I got those primed today.

I've also dulled down some more aquarium plants with brown ink wash and varnished them. They're for adding to larger bases.

Some shinies for my "secret project" arrived a couple of days ago, and another item for it has been dispatched. No photos, or my plans may be revealed!

Wednesday Workbench 26 January 2022

 

I've got a couple of things on the go at the moment. I've finished painting the 15mm cavalry, varnished them, popped them off their painting sticks and glued them onto bases. 

I'll be adding basing texture tomorrow, but they'll need time to dry so that probably means it'll be Friday that I get to add static grass to finish them.

I've also part-filled the two "planters" from the MDF Plaza kit with a bit of 10mm blue foam in the bottom and then some texture paste over it.

At the back you can see something that I've been working on for the past week or so. It's some of the "Crashed Starship" terrain from Blotz. Over the next couple of days I will be airbrushing and weathering it.

AHPC XII 4th Entry - WW2 Japanese Pt. 2

 

My 4th entry got posted yesterday: linky-link

It consists of the second rifle squad for my Japanese core platoon:

A FOO Team:

and a Type 92 70mm Infantry Gun Team:

The post also includes two silly tales - the next installment of Oscar's time-traveling adventures and a return of "Extract of the journal of TamsinP: Time Traveler, Society Girl and Adventuress".

Work on my next two entries is progressing well; I'm hoping that both will be ready for Sunday.

Paint Table Saturday 22 January 2022

 

I finished the Japanese last night, took photos today and have submitted the post in good time for publication tomorrow.

With that out of the way, what's on the workbench now?

Some 15mm cavalry is what! So far I've done the base colours on the horses; later tonight I'll apply the wash and should finish detailing them tomorrow. Then it will be on to the riders. If all goes well, these will be finished by Thursday.

But what's in those bags? Ahhh, that's something I started work on a couple of days ago, but you'll just have to wait until they're done to see.

During the week I placed a couple of orders and they both arrived this afternoon:

Some paints from SnM Stuff and some goodies from Warlord.

Another pack for Mega City One and some reinforcements for my Japanese. The other pack above the tank? Errmmm, well, that's for a secret project.

While I was taking photos of the Japanese earlier today, I also took the opportunity to take photos ofthe MDF terrain I'd assembled in something resembling a layout:

That's a very cramped 80cm x 60cm. I had thought I might want to order some extra pre-fab buildings, but it looks as though I might not need them.

Wednesday Workbench 19 January 2022

 

I've done very little painting since the weekend. All I've done on that front is to basecoat and wash the next batch of WW2 Japanese:

That doesn't mean that I've been idle. Oh, no, sirree - I've been busy de-spruing, cleaning up and assembling a load of MDF terrain. This is what I've assembled so far:

That's everything that was in the "white box bundle" I bought from TT Combat at last year's SELWG show.

I've also de-sprued some MDF scatter terrain:

The bits in the bags are from Blotz, the rest is from TT Combat. I'll be cleaning the bits up (at least, those that need them) and getting them assembled tomorrow.

As a result, I have quite a stack of sprues to snip up for use with damaged buildings:

Of course, tomorrow I will also be painting those Japanese in between bouts of MDF work.

I'm not sure when I'll get round to working on the terrain. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get them primed and painted during the Challenge.

AHPC XII 3rd Entry - 15mm Ancient Germans

 

I managed to finish the basing on the ancient Germans in plenty of time to submit them yesterday. They got posted last night: linky-link.

In terms of scoring, these have put me back on track for my target of 1300 points, making up for the lack of work done over the holiday period.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to finish the Japanese in time to submit them yesterday - I was waiting for the basing to dry before matte varnishing them, but it didn't happen in time so I did the varnishing this morning.

Paint Table Saturday 15 January 2022

 

As you can see, there's quite a bit going on on my workbench at the moment. My Warbases order arrived yesterday afternoon, so I set about cutting magnetic sheet to size and sticking it onto the bases I need. 

I'd finished the Germans during the day, including all the varnishing. With the bases sorted, I popped the figures off the sticks (and was pleasantly surprised when none of them broke at the ankles), sorted them out by pose and then into groups for basing, then finally glued them onto their bases.

This morning I added sand to the bases, then left them on top of a radiator to dry and harden. This evening I've applied a sealing coat of 10% matte medium and returned them to the top of the radiator. they should be ready for drybrushing and adding static grass tomorrow.

Rather than sit around idle while the basing was drying, I decided to start on the next squad of Japanese infantry:

There isn't much left to do on them, but I don't think they will quite be finished in time to submit this week.

While the various washes were drying on them, I decided to assemble and prime a couple of MDF buildings which I had previously popped off their sprues. 

One of them will be part of a submission later in the Challenge, but getting them done to this point now will save me rushing later on.

Wednesday Workbench 12 January 2022

 

In my post on Monday I did mention that I'd just started work on quite a lot of 15mm figures. In fact, 139 of them (although as they are from Lancashire Games older ranges, I expect a few casualties before they are based - weak ankles and hand/weapon joins).

This lot are ancient Germans to beef up my army to ADLG size.

I'm very nearly finished with the painting - just leather details, flesh highlights and metallic details to go before a final wash and then varnishing. 

There is a hitch that might see them not submitted for Sunday - I forgot that I was out of the size of bases that I need for them. As Tiny Tin Troops are no longer selling pre-magnetised bases, I placed an order with Warbases. I then realised I am also out of self-adhesive magnetic sheet, so I ordered a pack of that along with a pack of self-adhesive flexo-metal to line storage boxes.

The magnetic sheet and flexo-metal have arrived. I'm hopeful that the Warbases order will arrive before the weekend.

AHPC XII 2nd Entry - WW2 Japanese

 

 

My 2nd entry in this year's Challenge was posted last night - linky-link. As well as the tanks, jump off points and officers I had managed to paint up a platoon sergeant and the first 13-man rifle squad for my Japanese. 

I decided back before Christmas that I would start all of my submissions with "The Adventures Of Oscar: Time Traveler, Slayer of Squirrels and Very, very Good Boy". Mostly for my own amusement, but the story seems to have amused other people.

I've started work on my next submission. It's quite a lot of 15mm figures so it will be a push to get them finished in time to submit them for next Sunday.

Paint Table Saturday 08 January 2022

 

No close-up photos today as everything on the bench is very close to being finished. I just need to do a little bit more work on the jump off points, varnish them, take photos, write the post and submit it.

You might think that you can see something a little more than the tanks and jump off points. And you would be right. I have painted some more figures since Wednesday, but you'll just have to wait to see what they are.

Wednesday Workbench 05 January 2022

 

I've been making very good progress over the past few days, even with the interruption yesterday to fulfill my "minion" duties for the Challenge (Tuesday is my duty day).

The FOO team have been primed and given zenithal highlights with white ink. I've finished painting the tanks - I applied an oil paint pin-wash yesterday and need to leave that a day or so more to ensure it is fully dry before I varnish them and add mud effects.

At the back of the photo you can see three bases with trees - they will be for jump off points for my Japanese platoon, using the excess officer figures from my TAG order. The little blue bits are 5mm foam that I've shaped into small mounds to make anchor points for jungle vegetation - I'll be gluing those in place once I've worked out where the figures will go on the bases.

Speaking of the excess officers:

I started painting them yesterday, then realised late last night that I really should have done the two for the platoon at the same time, so I got those to the same state this morning then finished them all off together. I'll be varnishing them tomorrow, working out figure positions on the jump off point bases, then starting work on those.

Blog Post Plans

As this year's Challenge has assigned posting days, that will allow me to schedule a regular post of my submissions. Sunday is my submission day, so I'll do a post here on Monday of finished stuff.

I'll also (try to) keep up the Wednesday Workbench and Paint Table Saturday posts throughout.

Paint Table Saturday 01 January 2022

 I'm sure there's something I'm meant to say, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is.

"Perhaps if you look at the post title, you dimwit!"

Hmmm, oh yes, it's been a little while, but I've decided to restart my Paint Table Saturday posts.

"You really are a dimwit! Look at the date!"

Nah, can't see it. I'm sure it will come to me later.

In the meantime, I guess I'd better talk about what's on the workbench right now. First of all the tanks:

You might recall that I'd painted one tank with the three-colour-plus-yellow-stripes pattern. I've since ascertained that the two Ha-Go tanks used during the Milne Bay campaign had what appears to be two-tone camo, most likely khaki and green. So, the first tank was re-primed when I primed the second tank. 

Today I've been using the airbrush to do the camo scheme on them, followed by a very light dry-brush to highlight the sharp edges.Since taking the photo above I have started on the non-airbrush work. I should have them just about finished tomorrow.

"Oh, come on! Surely you've figured it out by now?"

Nah, still not go it.

I've also based and primed all the Warlord and Eureka additions, but forgot to take photos.

Yesterday, the FOO pack from warlord arrived. I got them prepped this morning, stuck them on the base and added texture gunk:

The orange-ish bits you can see on the figures are just an odd reflection from something - I checked when I saw the photo and they are clean.

And I've finally remembered what it is I was meant to say...

"Thank heavens for that! Took you long enough, you dimwit!"

Happy New Year everyone! May your 2022 not be 2020 II.