TFL Painting Challenge: Another Biggie!

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Which is what happens when you leave it for a week and a half!

Some great looking entries this week, so recommended you take a look.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Mark Luther continues with his Sugar Islands painting in 15mm

  • Carole does a few more Gendarmes, and paints the Bad Squiddo female Soviets. Great looking figures, if only Annie did them in 15mm!

  • There’s Ken’s usual mix of figures: Gauls, fantasy, Ancients and Native Americans

  • And talking of usual, Andrew Helliwell sends in some more Prussians, some more WoR and some more home-made terrain

  • But Travis, on the other hand, branches out: yes, there’s a German howitzer, but there’s also a whole load of 28mm fantasy figures as well

  • Jon Yuengling pops in a bridge and some FJ machine gunners

  • Chris Cornwell sends in a very impressive looking unit of forty-eight 28mm Sarmation cataphracts

  • Some of you may remember I told Sapper to remember that there’s no such thing as a finished army…I rest my case!

  • Steve Burt grips the beast with four Mongols

  • Mervyn is still back in Middle Earth with what must now be just about a one-to-one recreation of the Riders of Rohan

  • There’s a big entry from big Matt Slade (I got the shirt BTW, thanks)

  • Mr Plowman can’t decide if he’s painting terrain or aircraft…or is it both?

  • And last, but by no means least, Stumpy makes his first appearance of the year

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window). Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Enormous Update

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Another week flies by, meaning it’s time for another update to the TooFatLardies Painting Challenge.

It’s somewhat ironic that this year’s challenge is proving so immensely popular, with loads of entries every week, at a time when I haven’t picked up a brush for a fortnight: family matters, martial arts and a new job keeping me incredibly busy.

I went into the wargaming room last night to find figures on the table set up for photography from a month ago. But, then, that’s this hobby for you: it ebbs and flows like the tides (in the few months before Christmas I was gaming twice a week) but, like the wine-dark sea, is always there, washing in and out as a background to daily life.

So, for the moment, I will have to live vicariously through the Challenge, so here are this week’s entries:

  • Chris Kay has painted an awful lot of 15mm tanks

  • Travis fills in some more holes in his 28mm WW2 collection

  • Jon Yuengling is still in Blitzkrieg mode: some Dutch, some Germans, some Home Guard

  • It’s more sugar plantation madness from Mark Luther

  • The first of today’s first entries of the year: Doug Melville is back with some lovely 28mm WW2 figures

  • Andy Duffell is still in fantasy land

  • It’s more Seven Years War from Andrew Helliwell

  • Mervyn is still in Rohan

  • And Lloyd is still sailing on the Cruel Seas

  • Carole sends in some more Condottieri

  • Our second first entry of the year, Chris Stoesen, has some rather nice houses for us to enjoy

  • And last, but by no means least, John Emmett sends in a little collage of a ruined house

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Large Update

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Another large update this week, so let’s waste no more time and just jump right on in:

  • Mr Clarke makes a welcome return with a huge 800-point submission from Malaya and Singapore

  • Travis has some more Brits for France 1940 for us to admire

  • John Emmett had a host of tastily painted Germans to fight Travis’ Brits

  • It’s a bit of a mixture from Mervyn: 15’s re-basing and 28’s painting

  • Carole alliterates some Condotteri

  • Finally a non-Star Wars entry from Chris Kay

  • The Hat, Mr Lloyd Bowler, has truly huge numbers of 6mm ACW figures to submit, plus some very nice modern patrol boats

  • There’s more SYW Caribbean painting from Mr Luther

  • Steve Burt starts a new project: Saracens

  • John Yuengling paints some more German tanks in 15mm

  • Sapper claims to have finished his Normans…although there’ s obviously no such thing as a finished army!

  • And last, but by no means least, there’s Mr Helliwell: with his usual SYW and WoR submission

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window). Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Enormous Update

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So that’s what happens to your mailbox when you leave the Challenge for two weeks rather than the usual one!

Enormous update today: with, as implied above, two weeks’ worth of entries rather than the usual one.

Let’s not waste any more time…in no particular order, we have:

  • John Emmett pops in another two absolutely, stonkingly lovely 28mm vehicles, along with a few bits of battlefield clutter for them to navigate around

  • Mr Luther is still populating his Sugar Island campaign: can’t wait to see the results!

  • Huge entry from Matt Slade: some great-looking 28mm WW2 kit

  • Carole’s also focusing on WW2, but at 15mm scale

  • But it’s back up to 28mm for Andy Duffell’s WW2 entry, except for his last two vehicles which creep in at 15mm. How do you chaps manage with multiple scales?

  • Travis is also WW2 painting at the moment, also in 28mm. More lovely kit!

  • Jon Yuengling has gone Dutch

  • Mervyn is Goblin!

  • There’s a mixture of stuff from Chris Cornwell. I do like those Dacians…

  • Sapper has some 14th Century bowmen and three lots of Norman Knights for us to admire

  • More SYW Prussian Fusiliers from Mr Helliwell, who can surely replay the whole conflict in 1:1 scale by now!

  • More Star Wars from Chris Kay: loving the Repulser Tank

  • And last, but by no means least, Blue Moose Ken submits the dogs of war…

That is a lot of entries! As per usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

Keep them coming!

Painting Challenge: Another Week Flies By!

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I don’t know where the time goes. It’s February already, and will doubtless be Christmas again soon. It’s lucky we have the constant presence that is the Painting Challenge to root us into the here and now!

Here are this week’s submissions:

  • Mr Helliwell adds some more Prussians and medieval types to his already impressive collection

  • It’s a first entry of the year from Mr Slade: lots of 28mm figures and five most impressive houses

  • Carole pops in four Renaissance women with swords

  • Mark Luther is still hooked on Sugar

  • The Hat is back: Lloyd sends in almost entire ACW Union army in 6mm

  • It’s assorted WW2 figures and vehicles from Chris Cornwell

  • Sapper is still amongst the medieval spearmen

  • More Prussians from Joe McGinn

  • And last, but most certainly not least, it’s a first entry of the year from my old mucker Mr Hodge

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight through to their gallery. Here are today’s pictures:

Painting Challenge: This Week's Update

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So another week flies by, and my inbox bulges with entries for the Painting Challenge!

Very frustrating: as I’m now back at work, I have no time to paint, so have to live vicariously through your efforts. Bit of a come down after the immense amount that I painted whilst on gardening leave, but such is life!

Here are today’s entries:

  • Joe McGinn sends in loads more Silesian types

  • There’s a huge 15mm “airborne” entry from Jon Yuengling: Fallschirmjaegers from 1940 and British Paras from later on.

  • John Emmett sends in another beautiful 28mm vehicle

  • Travis finishes off his Winter War Germans, and adds a few more Americans as well

  • It’s a first entry for this year’s challenge from Blue Moose Ken: his usual eclectic cornucopia of periods and scales

  • It’s also a first entry from Mark Luther: but no pics yet, so call back later!

  • More Star Wars from Chris Kay

  • Carole also sends in a mix of stuff, but it’s mostly later Romans

  • Kev, our favourite Fat Wally, has even more Confederates for us to look at. No time to paint my Ancient Britons, eh? LOL!

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you through to their gallery page: and some of these galleries are already starting to fill with inspirational paint jobs.

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Weekly Update

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A nice big update this week, as those of you who have entered this year’s Challenge have obviously decided to start the year with a bang!

Today we have:

  • Kev piles in some more 15mm American Civil War figures

  • There are some 7YW Prussian Fusiliers from Sapper

  • Chris Kay dips his toe in the water: sending in seven figures from Star Wars

  • Meanwhile Travis is painting so fast that he has run out of BEF (for the moment!) and had to also submit some Winter War chappies as well.

  • Joe McGinn is watching Last of the Mohicans, and is painting figures to match. Where, however, is the Last himself: Chingachgook?

  • I’m not sure how big Steve Burt’s draws are, but he’s been rummaging around in them for weeks now. Here’s more of what he found.

  • Carole is also heading out to the Great Lakes, with some French-Indian Wars figures of her own

  • Mr Plowman has a brace of VTOLs to display

  • And last, but by no means least, Andrew Helliwell returns in force

As always, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new page). Here are today’s piccies:

Painting Challenge 2019: More First Entries of the Year

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People’s first entries for the 2019 Painting Challenge are flooding in now, including a first-timer as well. Without further ado, let’s see what’s been submitted:

  • Carole sends in some scenery, and a lovely spaceship army for Hordes of Things

  • Sapper’s second entry of the year is some nice C14th English longbowmen

  • We have something from a first-timer next: John Emmett’s 28mm German Panzer III Flamm

  • Joe McGinn pops up ag’in: settlers from a Kickstarter and some FIW British Lights

  • It’s a second and third entry of the year from Travis Hiett: supports for his BEF

  • A huge first entry from Chris Cornwell: terrain boards and hordes of figures

  • Ralph Plowman has some 15mm sci-fi vehicles to share with us

  • And last but certainly not least, Owen is back with a bang: over a century of 15mm fantasy figures

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Plenty of room still for entrants this year, so pick up those brushes, scale the lead mountain, and join your fellow Lardies in the Challenge!

Today’s pictures are below:

First Painting Challenge Update of 2019

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Morning all!

The TooFatLardies Painting Challenge 2019 is up and running, with many of you starting the year’s entries with a bang. Let’s waste no more time and get straight on to today’s submissions.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Mervyn kicks things off with a host of aliens…and a few humans to battle them

  • He’s joined by Mr Helliwell: more SYW figures, a barn…and a few fantasy humans

  • Travis sends in his first BEF squad: lovely

  • Steve Burt is still rooting around at the base of his lead mountain

  • Some British Paras from Jon Yuengling drop in to the Challenge

  • Mr Davenport has taken advantage of the Christmas festivities and produced a double handful of 28mm vehicles

  • And last, but by no means least, Kev sends in more 15mm ACW figures

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery, which will open in a new window.

Here are today’s pictures

TFL Painting Challenge 2018 Now Closed, 2019 Now Open

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So the 2018 TooFatLardies Painting Challenge is now closed…and it has been a very quiet year.

Only thirty-four Lardies have participated, as opposed to forty-seven in 2017. On top of this, of those that had competed before, twenty scored less than last year’s total and only ten scored more.

On the plus side, however, eighteen people have now participated for all of the five years that the Challenge has run, with four more only missing the first year i.e. completing four years in a row.

The good news is, as I mentioned in yesterday’s New Year’s Day post, that I will run the Challenge again in 2019, and declare the competition officially open as from…now! Details are up on the site as usual but, as a quick reminder, send your entries to the usual address (with the photos clearly labelled please!) and I’ll open your gallery with your first entry.

We did have a few last minute entries, listed below:

  • Mr Hodge took a break from painting from early September to mid-December, but finished the year with a 238-point bang

  • Sapper popped in a quick unit of 7YW Carabiniers

  • Some last minute re-basing from Mervyn

  • And finally Ken admits that he’s been dragging his painting heels for a bit, but also ends the year of a high: a 90-point high to be exact

Clicking on the names highlighted above will take you straight to their individual 2018 Galleries (opens in a new window).

Good luck with 2019…and here’s a couple of picks from the above to encourage you to begin your new year at your painting table rather than in front of the TV!

Spearmen from Ken

The rather magnificently named Schaumburg-Lippe Carabiniers from Sapper

Some of Derek’s final entry for 2018

TFL Painting Challenge: Penultimate Post!

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Today is the last day for submissions to the TooFatLardies 2018 Painting Challenge, and to encourage you all to pop that last entry through, we have an enormous penultimate update.

So, in no particular order, today we have:

  • Kev sends in a host of American Civil War figures in 15mm

  • There are some Hessians from Ed Bowen

  • Hardy perennial Andrew Helliwell submits his usual assortment of 7YW and medieval figures

  • John de Terre Neuve has been reading his early war theatre handbooks: sending in a very nice Belgian force along with a few Napoleonics and buildings

  • There are some nice modern African militia and their compound HQ from Andy Duffell

  • The Hat is back with a huge submission comprising a full company of WW2 US infantry and supports

  • Steve Burt is still working his way through his Salute freebies!

  • Another huge submission from Fred Bloggs. An ironic statement as they are all 6mm figures.

  • And last, but by no means least, there are four WW2 vehicles from Travis.

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the above list will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Today’s pictures are below:

Painting Challenge 2019

The good news is that I have decided to run the Challenge for its sixth year i.e. Jan-Dec 2019.

Details will be posted in due course, but the format will effectively be the same as the last five years…unless anyone has any ideas that they think I should implement to make it better.

No need for a formal e-mail letting me know you’re entering: just send in your first submissions in the new year to the usual e-mail address (admin@vislardica.com), clearing stating what you’ve sent me in a way that means I don’t have to spend time working out which unit are the grenadiers, which are the line etc!

One question. The website is creaking at the seams a bit with the number of pages. Before I started using Blogs properly, each AAR had its own page, so I’m quite close to the maximum 1,000 pages allowed. Each person’s Gallery uses one page: so for 2019, I’m either going to need to transfer previous AAR-on-a-page content to AAR-on-a-blog, which is not difficult but a bit tedious, or delete the 2014 Painting Challenge galleries. What do you want me to do? Not sure anyone ever looks at the past galleries (well the page stats say they don’t do it very often) but then it is nice to have an archive of entries if one ever does want to look back at what one has achieved. I don’t really mind either way: your thoughts by Comment please.

TFL Painting Challenge: Christmas Eve Update

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The wheels of the Painting Challenge turn even on Christmas Eve!

A good septet of entries into the Challenge today, although three of you claim that this will be your last entry for the year. Errrr…do you not realise that the Xmas and New Year period is suppose to be when you paint more miniatures than normal. It’s either that or spend time with the family or watch Die Hard for the 45th time!

Anyway, in no particular order, today’s entries are:

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery, which will open in a new window. Highly recommended: as there are some lovely paint-jobs on show.

In the meantime, keep painting: plenty of time before the New Year’s Eve deadline.

Today’s pictures are below:

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Big Update

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The entries are still flooding in as people try to beat the midnight on 31st December deadline.

And if you think I’m joking about how keen people are to get their scores as high as possible, two years ago, I had the final entry at 11.58pm…and the first entry into the next year’s challenge at 12.01am!

Here, in no particular order, are today’s entries:

  • Joe McGinn gets the rest of his WW2 US infantry platoon completed

  • David Scott, still on his second wind, sends in loads of WW2 Italians and the some Soviet armour

  • There’s more LOTR from Mervyn, along with some 20mm buildings and some 15mm re-basing

  • Travis has the last of his Colonial Militia. Travis will learn that we never say “the Last” on Vis Lardica: there’s always more figures to buy!

  • More 7YW figures from Mr Helliwell, who never knows when to stop

  • Mark Luther is continuing to paint up figures for his 15mm Spice Islands campaign

  • There’s a welcome return for the Fat Wally, who finally manages to leave his professional painting alone for long enough to paint up some ACW figures for himself

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window). Still plenty of time to get your entries in this year: I’m certainly still painting like mad!

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Biggest Update Ever!

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Well that will teach me to remind everyone that the Painting Challenge is entering its final phase!

A vast number of entries crashing into my Inbox, even including a first entry or two.

Excellent work, keep it up: still three weeks to go.

So, in no particular order, we have:

  • Lloyd with more 6mm goodies

  • Mark Luther has started a new F&I project based in the Sugar Islands (the project, not mark)

  • A fantastic Russian house and a mass of figures from Chris Cornwell

  • After taking a year off, Fred Bloggs returns with a vast number of very colourful 6mm Eldar

  • Carole sends in some rather nice ruined buildings and a couple more tanks

  • More Mr C from Ralph (I don’t know what they are either. Best not to ask: I don’t want to have to take a San. Check!)

  • Sapper fills out his SYW collection

  • Ed Bowen submits some bunnies, doggies and duckies…and some other things too

  • Mervyn is marching with the, er, Riders of Rohan

  • The most vastest, hugest entry from Steve Lampon: 28mm Gates of Antares, 28mm Gangs of Rome, lots of 6mm Yom Kippur figures, and some 28mm Byzantines I would sell my grandmother for

  • Jason Ralls returns with some French and German early war kit

  • And last, but by no means least, Joe McGinn slips in some US 15’s

As always, clicking on the name of the person will take you directly to their gallery (opens in a new window). I would highly recommend taking a look: there is some fantastic work on display.

Here’s a taster: today’s pictures…

TFL Painting Challenge: Start of the Final Stretch

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How can it be December already? It seems only yesterday that this year’s TooFatLardies Painting Challenge began! But December it is, so we enter the final stretch of this year’s affair.

Today we have entries from:

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

There’s still plenty of time to join the thirty-three Lardies who are active in this year’s challenge, particularly if you signed up but haven’t had a chance to submit anything yet.

Get your entries in now!

TFL Painting Challenge: Big Update

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Lots of people sending their entries in now as we come up to the final few weeks of this year’s challenge.

There’s still plenty of time to send your entries in, even if you haven’t submitted anything for ages.

Today’s Heroes of Painting are:

  • Sapper sends in some lovely 14th century Englishmen, some with bows, some without

  • Carole is back with the distaff Vikings

  • It’s tank destroyers in 20mm for the Hat

  • And more Soviets from Ralph, along with a trio of female footballers

  • It’s midnight at the oases for Mervyn (and, yes, I did have to look up how to spell the plural of oasis)

  • Steve Burt takes to the skies

  • More AWI from Travis

  • And finally, last but not least and better late than never, David Scott sends in his first entry of the year: some Roumanians

As always, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery, which will open in a new window. A great set of entries this week, so come the rest of you: brushes and cameras at the ready please!

Here are today’s pics:

TFL Painting Challenge: A Quiet Update

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All a bit quiet on the Painting Challenge front. I’m going to assume that you are all too busy painting to send anything in! Only a few weeks to go, mind, so don’t delay too long: the Challenge waits for no-one!

Here are today’s entries:

As always, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery, which will open in a new window. I do recommend the odd visit: some very inspiring work on display.

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Big Update

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Two months to go before the end of this year’s challenge, and I can see that activity is really hotting up.

In no particular order, today we have:

  • Travis Hiett with some AWI civilians

  • Joe McGinn with some more Napoleonics

  • More Shieldmaidens and supporting Norse-types from Carole

  • La Haye Sainte in 15mm from Sapper

  • Andy Duffell sends in a mixed bag of Nazis, Soviets and ancient French

  • Mervyn is still in Middle Earth

  • Stumpy with a mix of Napoleonics and WW2 BEF vehicles

  • And last, but by no means least, Steve Burt with (allegedly) the last of his Assyrians

As always, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

A Lovely 15mm La Haye Sainte from Sapper

Joe’s Dismounted Dragoons

BEF Carriers from Stumpy

Half-track crew from Andy Duffell

TFL Painting Challenge: Big Update

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It looks as if we have all been very busy over the last week or so: there have certainly been lots of entries for the Painting Challenge.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Carole with some fantastic dungeon scatter terrain pieces

  • Travis with some more AWI figures

  • More Gladiators from Lloyd

  • Mr Helliwell starts a new SYW force

  • There are Star Wars and Zombies from Chris Kay (now there’s an idea…)

  • Ken sends in a mixture of figures and scales, including two slightly naughty pieces (shock, horror!)

  • Despite swearing never to paint another Napoleonic, Mervyn sends in some more…plus a few Middle Earth types

  • World War II Soviets and Nazis from Chris Cornwall

  • And last, but by no means least, more Soviets from Ralph Plowman

As always, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight through to their gallery.

Keep them coming: we’re in the final quarter of this year’s challenge now.

Also, don’t worry if you’ve submitted nothing so far this year (Geoff, Cabey Cabey, Jim, Mr Clarke, Keith, Koen, Garrett, Chris, Dave, Craig, the Mad Padre, Andrew, Richard, Thomas, Old Pivot, Ashley, David, Brian and Willie B): there’s still plenty of time to get painting and photographing and join the thirty-two of your fellow Lardies who have registered some points.

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Update

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Seems ages since I last did one of these, but it’s probably only about a week or so. Entries from the regulars are a constant with, pleasingly, more of the more infrequent contributors also coming out of the woodwork.

In no particular order, today we have:

  • Joe McGinn with a group of Light Dragoons

  • All for one and one for all from Sapper: Mousquetaires de la Garde and some Swedes from Sapper

  • Matt Slade has more WOR

  • Steve Burt sends in more Assyrians: archers and another chariot

  • The first of two Andrews: Andy Duffell is in the dark (ages).

  • Andy Helliwell has a submission in three different scales

  • Mervyn is sick of Napoleonics, so tries some pilgrims instead

  • There’s a similar entry from John de Terre-Neuve: all sorts of periods and scales

  • The Hat is back: Lloyd Bowler has some tiny forts to display

  • And last, but by no means least, Mr Plowman has zombies

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to that person’s gallery (opens in a new window).

We’re into the final quarter now, so I expect to see you all grabbing brush and camera and submitting away. Still plenty of no-shows so far this year: come on, you can manage at least one before now and Christmas!

To inspire you, here are today’s pictures: