AHPC- Third Post

Its more Germans for me this week.   Thanks for all the advice you guys gave my on my first group.  To answer a few questions that came up.  I am planning on using these guys for Bolt Action and Chain of Command.  The main reason for the foray in to WWII is to try to pull some of the local Warhammer 40K gamers to the true faith, historical wargaming. My guess is the dice mechanic for activating troops would appeal to them.    But before I can give it a shot I need to get some more troops done.

Originally I had planned to paint American and Germans for Italy but it looks like the Germans I have may be too late war for that.  I may come back to the Italy campaign since its so diverse and interesting but for now I am going to forge ahead with generic troops.

This week I was able to complete 4 large squads, some support weapons and an officer with radio operator.

The first two squads are from Artisan.  Nice figures with good detail and easy to paint.  There are some small proportion issues but nothing major.

The next two squads are from Warlord games.   I should start by saying I am not a fan of plastics but these are really pretty nice.  There were some assembly issues, but I'm sure that was user error.  Its been a long time since I have put together plastic models.

The last subgroup are some two man support groups of LMG and a Panzerschreck..  All of these figures are by Artisan.

Last but not least is the Hauptmann and his radio operator. These are also by Artisan

Here is a group photo for the week.  Next week moving on to the GI's

60-28mm Germans should be 300 points.

AHPC Post 2

This week I am moving into uncharted territory for me.   I know World War 2 is one of the most popular periods to war game but I have really never been pulled in.   Well now that's going to change.
I decided to kick things off with some Germans.  They fight just about everyone and they all wear gray... right?   Well no, in the last week or so I have discovered there is a bewildering array of  troops and uniforms.

This week I was able to complete 30-28mm mid-late war Germans.   I believe the figures are Artisan, but I am not positive.

Here is the group photo.   Below I have broken out the squads.

This squad has a mix of camo smocks .  Based on my research they would most likely be SS or possibly Panzer Grenadier.  Please correct me if I am wrong.

I really enjoyed painting these figures.  There were a few small issues in the sculpts where the body proportions seem off a bit.   For next week I will be painting more Germans and possibly moving on to my US troops. 

If anyone has a suggestion for a website with good uniform information please let me know. 

AHPC-First Entry

Happy New Year!   I'm really excited to be back as a part of the painting challenge.  Like usual I have bitten off way more than I can chew, but what gamer hasn't.  In past years I have tried to focus on a specific period and army this year is more of a potpourri.   I am going to try to keep the majority of may painting to a War of Spanish Succession project but I can already feel the pull from other projects. 

So far I have completed one 24 figure unit of French Infantry (the Narvrre Regiment).  In total I will have 3 battalions of the Navarre

The figures are all Front Rank.  Lovely figures but so much detail it slows the process down.  I really struggled trying to come up with a uniform look I liked.  I was aiming for a grayish white but after highlighting they are a little closer to white than I would like. 

Here is a close up of the command stand.  I am not a big fan of the all white Colonels color the french used. 

Sorry for the work table photography but the holidays have put additional demands on my time.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Just a few more hours until the kick off off of the 8th annual Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge!  What was I thinking? 

I really struggled coming up with a big project to paint for the challenge.  Its such a great way to stay motivated and complete a large army (or two).   I settled on painting some War of Spanish Succession troops and finishing up a few units for my Ponts from last year.

As usual time got away from me.  My priming and prep work is not as far a long as I would like.  I was able to paint two WSS test units which was a bit more of a struggle than I was hoping. But I think they look ok.    I just hope I will be able to paint the rest much more quickly and with less second guessing. 

Here is a look at the mostly primed units ready to go. As you can see the cavalry is not primed yet.   Hope to get to that  over the holiday.

I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew this time.

Its that Time of Year Again!

The Catch Up Post

Since I missed posting last week and rather than posting a single massive update I decided to break this weeks posting into two more manageable updates.   The works shown here was actually completed in the prior week 

Last week I worked on finishing up the last of the Romans.   Once I got the the hang of the shields I was able to really burn through the cohorts.

The first cohort is 24 figures.  Most figures are Wargames Foundry but they are led by an outstanding centurion from Warlord Games.

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I had to pull him out to show him off.  I really like the dynamic pose.

The second cohort is 18 figures

All the figures are Wargames Foundry

The third cohort

I believe the Centurion leading this unit is from First Corps but I may be wrong.   I really like him so I pulled him out to show him off.  



Here is the fourth and final cohort of Romans.

 

Finishing the last of the Romans was a real milestone for me.    As part of the challenge I was able to complete 3 "legions" of 5 cohorts each.   Pictures of the full units will follow next week.  I am really looking forward to pulling them out.

The total for last week was 78- 28mm foot

The Catch Up Post Part Deux

With the legionnaire infantry complete, I was able to move on to some fun command figures this week. 

I was able to complete 5 command figures for my Caesarian Romans.  They are from a mix of manufactures.  The mounted standard bearer is from first corps.  

The Imperator figure on the white horse is from Warlord Games.   I really enjoy the figure although his right arm in the 'hailing" position did  give me trouble when trying to glue it.   I may be re-basing him on a larger base to resist the temptation of picking him up by his arm.
Since I am complaining,  the mounted standard bearer's standard is about 2 millimeters too tall to fit in the box I have set aside for them!

The portly Legate on the right is perhaps of of my favorite figures of all time. Not only have he had a few too many door mice he also has a bald spot.  I love it when miniatures manufactures add these type of "real" characters.    Not every roman general looked like Russell Crowe.

Finally a close up of the third Legate.   

With the Roman leadership taken care of I decided to push on and add some Numidian Light horse allies. The Numidians are a mix of Wargames Foundry, Warlord Games and Navigator.  I think they mix fairly well although the Navigator horses are not very attractive they do add character to the unit.
 

Here are some close ups.  The skin tone was a challenge and I am not completely happy with the results.   I have another 10 or so Numidian light horse to paint so I may try a different process.
 

This week I was able to complete 25-28mm cavalry.