Grahame clinches AHPC XII Title!

The AHPC XIII competition is over and our very own Grahame has taken the prestigious title by a country mile!

Mike W, came in with a creditable 5th place out of 81 global entrants.

This year's Top Ten competitors in the AHPC XIII competition

Whilst we still wait for the official statistics to be released, Grahame's points total of 5,500 ranks near the all time high, if not highest score ever recorded. Well done Grahame, next challenge is to get these figures in action on the Wargames table!

To check-out Grahame & Mike's work in this year's challenge, click <here>.

AHPC XIII: Mike W - 28mm Dutch 17th Century Cavalry and whatever I can get done in the next three days!

How time flies, the end of the challenge looms and I have so much to do that I did not get around to even starting! So this is likely the last post that I can make this challenge and this is really a series of items that I have been scrambling to complete over the next few days as the deadline looms.

This weekend I am on Grand parent duty and this unlikely to get time to do anything else. I'd like to take this chance to thank Teemu for his tireless efforts dealing with my posts and also to Curt & all the minions for again making this an enjoyable experience.

So here are my odds and ends and I bid all farewell until next year's challenge?

First of a group of 5 x 28mm Late 17th Century Dutch Cavalry representing Filips Emminghuysen van Eppe's Regiment of Horse, first raised in 1672 and served at the Battle of Seneffe in 1674. Apart from having an extraordinarily long name, they worn grey jackets and trousers, sky Blue cuffs and Horse furniture. I have still to get the officer completed but this is unlikely to be done by the end of the challenge!

Front on view of five troopers,
officer is still being painted at the time the challenge comes to an end!

Side view, I don't usually do casualty figures but the occasional one adds flavour to a unit

And the other side

Next I have managed to complete one of the two remaining 40K Ork Kill Koptas, again it has a scratch built rota blade set but the build and construct are much the same as last week's submission.

Second Kill Kopta completed, with one more to go...

The other side! Extra guns added on the Kopta's front bonnet.

Another view again!

Here are a couple of 15mm project that have been floundering over the last few months, first up is some long overdue American Civil War Coastal Batteries and secondly we have some Russian supplied equipment for the Spanish Civil War Republicans, in the form of tanks and artillery.

On the ACW front we have 7 x Coastal / Siege Batteries, these are in the traditional grey finish with blackened barrels (to protect them form the sea salt). Each is on a fairly elaborate chassis and typically these would be found in long term forts / emplacements. I'm also throwing in 4 x Smoothbore Field guns that I have just completed.

The completed 15mm ACW Coastal Guns

I've had these models for ages, stored in the garage waiting for me to get around to painting and basing them. A potential future game set in the Petersburg Siege lines has prompted me to actually dig them out and get them ready for use.

And four completed ACW Field Guns

These little Field Guns were found along wit the big guns above, so I decided to get them completed at the same time as well. I gave these plain wooden frames, assuming that they would be used as Confederate batteries, I believe these are 6lb Smoothbores. I now need to source crews for each gun.

Close-up on a 8" Columbiad Gun. I have tried to weather the carriage to
represent harsh sea salt air in coastal areas

Another view

This is a close-up of the 10" Columbiad Gun

Again another view

A comparison shot showing just how big these Coastal / Siege
guns were compared to regular Field Artillery

Next we have 3 x T26 tanks and 4 x Artillery pieces all supplied during the Spanish conflict to the Republican army. The equipment is all in traditional Russian Green drab but on the tanks I have added the Republican Tricolour of Nationalist Spanish Flag as these vehicles were prized by both sides.

Three completed T26 tanks, centre & left are Republican vehicles,
right is a captured tank pressed into Nationalist service

I have quite a large SCW Republican Army and a smattering of Nationalists to oppose them, as a club we were heavily into the SCW some time ago and these models were sourced then to 'beef-up' my mostly infantry based forces, they are metal models and I'm afraid I don't remember which company made them.

Another angle on the tanks

I decided to paint one in Nationalist colours, as I saw a nice picture of a Nationalist T26 online recently, I have a fourth T26 model that I'll add to the Republican ranks in due course but at present the model has a missing gun barrel and I have to source one from somewhere.

Four completed Artillery pieces all of Russian origin

Along with the 'lost' tanks, was found some generic Republican Artillery pieces, I believe these are all Russian supplied guns. again I can't remember the manufacturer's name.

Again another view

Following on from the SCW I now switch (almost seamlessly) back to Warhammer 40K and a test Space Marine figure. Last post Iain picked up on a throw away remark that I made about wanting to raise a new 'blue' Space Marine Force but that I was reluctant to commit to Ultra Marines. I just happened to have a marine figure ready build, so I undercoated it in white and decided to use Speed paints to see what type of quick paint job I could do!

So here it is, a Crimson Fist Space Marine with a Heavy Plasma gun, I used Army Painter 'Magic Blue' for the armour with 'Slaughter Red' for the fists. I painted the gun and it's umbilical cord silver and then used 'Graveyard Grey' over the silver to give a rich metallic shading.

The chest eagle was painted with 'Sand Golem' and the various cables were painted in black, or red as I felt appropriate.

The plasma rings on the gun were painted by covering with white paint then putting down a yellow coat alont the spine of the rings before applying a watered down coat of light green paint.

Now 40K purists will note that the figure does not have the correct iconography for a Crimson Fist, but as this is a test figure, I'm not too bothered. That said I'll no doubt be damned as a heretic and sent to some Penal Colony for the rest of my years,...

Next, I managed to finish the Commanding Officer that I had partially painted (and then got distracted from) for the Dutch Regiment Slangenburg - that I posted for this challenge back on the 9th Feb. Fredrik Johan van Baer, Heer van Slangenburg wears a heavily decorated scarlet coat, a cuirass and is mounted upon a sturdy brown horse as he waves his feathered hat!

Fredrik Johan van Baer, Heer van Slangenburg

Another view

The figure is a Front Rank one from their Late 17th Century range and it paints-up really very nicely, in my opinion.

My only regret is not having time to complete a 40k Ork Gargantuan! Well, a McFarlane model substitute for a Gargantuan!

Imagine the size of the finished Ork given the epic scale of his gun next to a regular Ork!

AHPC XIII: Grahame H - Lord of the Rings and even more Napoleonics

The second and final post contains some Games Workshop Lord of the Rings (LOTR) figures and even more Napoleonic cavalry and artillery. Hopefully, there is a little more colour than the last entry, well apart from the Gondor troops.

LOTR - Gondor

The LOTR are again Gondor figures, although this time I have put some grass on the bases which I think I like better than just a lonely tuft, as show on the figures in a previous post. These figures were a cheap purchased, years ago, from Ebay. 

Numenor Warriors (12 Figures = 60pts)

Gondor Archers (31 figures = 155pts)

Gondor Swordsmen (2 Figures = 10pts) - Photo bombed by a couple of Gondor spearmen

Gondor Spearmen (13 Figures = 65pts)

Total for Gondor Figures = 290pts

MORE NAPOLEONICS "HURRAH"

Love Napoleonics, and some of you may have noticed I love painting Napoleonic Cavalry 

Spanish Cavalry (AB Figures - Unit of 24 Cavalry = 96pts)

This was the only Spanish Cavalry I had left to paint and I can't now remember which regiment I painted it as, and I can't find the Reference Book at the moment. Anyhow they are done. 

Russian Napoleonics (AB Figures)

Some of the Cavalry Units are not shown here in full, as I had already painted part of the unit before the challenge. However, all the Cavalry would usually be 30 figures strong. 

The Lithuania Uhlans (27 Figures = 108pts)

Pavlograd Hussars (27 figures = 108pts). Front rank with lances.

Irhoutz Hussars (30 Figures = 120pts)

These don't have the lances in the front rank, this is because they were Dragoons converted to Hussars in 1812 so I don't know if they received lances. Some Hussars Regts didn't get their lances until 1813. Really, I forgot to order hussars with lancers and only ordered normal hussars 😫

Mitau Dragoons (30 Figures = 120pts)

Kharkov Dragons (30 Figures = 120pts)

Mounted Guard Regt (30 Figures = 120pts)

Empress' Cuirassiers (18 Figures = 72pts) because you have got to have troops with pink facings in your army

Don Cossack (20 Figures - 80pts) One of the many small Cossack units in my army. Don Cossack were apparently known for their red lances.

Russian Limbers (4 Limbers (3 Foot and 1 Horse). Gun 4pts, Limber 4pts and crew and horses 18pts = 26pts per Limber.

Total 4 Limbers = 104 pts 

Russian Heavy Battery (6 Guns and 24 crew = 72pts)

Russian Batteries were large units and so are represents in General de Brigade with 4 Guns and two howitzers. Being a heavy battery these are modelled with  4 X 12pdrs and 2 Licorne. 

And that is it.

Total for this post 

Gondor 290pts

Spanish 96pts 

Russian 904pts

=1290pts 

I can now take down the table that I have had set up in the living room for painting for the last three months. Thank everyone running and taking part in this year challenge, especially Curt and my long suffering "Friday Minion" PhilH, who has had to re-total every entry I have submitted. REALLY SORRY PHIL 😳 

So Overall Result

Tennis elbow, a sore neck, a stiff back and a very small bit of the lead mountain painted, which I dare say will be replaced by new lead in the near future. My name is Grahame and I have a problem....

But best of all, loads of fun.

Again thank you to every one involved in this years challenge, can't wait for next year. Might have to buy some more Napoleonic Cavalry though.

AHPC XIII: From MikeW - 28mm WoR, Specialist 40k Grechin and More (145 Points)

 Last week's posting was a bit of a rushed job, painting 60 odd figures didn't leave me time for much else and I got to Wednesday evening thinking I still have to put a posting together! This week I'm starting early and although I'm not doing so many figures now that I have reached my target - hopefully the variety will continue to interest people...

... This week and next I have to travel for work so my postings will be somewhat limited, so I will post what I can for this Thursday and see what I can do in time for next Thursday before hopefully resuming normal output

Today, I have just completed a number of generic War of Roses figures, 5 x Mounted, plus 12 x Foot. The Mounted figures are all Officer / Character types, whilst the foot are three armoured guy with a poleaxe, spear and warhammer plus a number of figures to be used as markers' such as Heralds and Standard Bearers.

Five mounted War of the Roses figures, all will be officer or aide types
to help with Command Control in these mob on mob engagements!

A non specific aide for a commander on the field

This guy will also be used as an advisor to a commander,
giving him additional command points

Ditto to the above!

Officer figure to command units of horse -
once I get around to painting these!

Again ditto to above - another Officer figure to command units of horse.

A selection of marker figures to help with unit status,
plus four armoured footmen to help fill the ranks

Standard Bearers will be used as a market to indicate the unit is moving to contact, number of addition standards with a unit will indicate how keen they are to get engaged

Another view, concentrating on the Standard Bearers

As a quick interlude, I also completed a Viking Jarl figure! The figure was acquired from eBay and came undercoated but missing his axe, which I was able to quickly add this back from the spares box. See below..

View One

This little guy came with a base that had already had and and small rocks added to it and then undercoated, not what I usually do. So I adapted and having given the base a brown wash I then dry brushed it with 'Desert Sand' to give a nice finish before then adding electrostatic grass - a little different to my usual method but the figure looks fine with other figures in the collection.

View Two

Next up are six 40k Grechin, now I know I said that I'd completed my last batch, last week but the extra figures I'll be doing now are to add flavour to the army and  or to provide some mechanical support! Included in this group is the main man - 'Red Robbo', the rebellious Grot who heads-up the whole army!

A small group of classic/ vintage Grechin this week

I have also included three classic Grechin / Grots from the first ever 40K boxed set era, again these have been given the 'Red Star' treatment and have hopefully been integrated into the army as a whole, these are Robbo's personal bodyguard.

2nd Edition Grechin Bodyguard for Red Robbo

In addition there are two Grechin Mechaniks, both old metal figures from eth spares box, one with a large spanner, the other with a remote control unit. I'm planning to create a Grechin Drone - made form an old Orc Killa Kopta dating back to the 90s.

Two Grechin Mechaiks

Finally we have Red Robbo himself, in a black greatcoat, lined red, carrying a Hand Blasta and a skull busting mace. This is another venerable metal figure that I have had kicking around my spares box for what has to be 20+ years...

Red Robbo

Another view..

Final view