Well it seems as if I am not the only one taking full advantage of lockdown to paint little soldiers: a huge number of entries into the Challenge since the last update a week or so ago.
I encourage you all to visit the galleries to see what people are producing, but here’s a sample from everyone who sent something in:
Well it seems as if many of you are getting into your lockdown painting stride, with loads of entries into the Painting Challenge.
In today’s batch we have the following:
There are many more photos to see in the individual galleries, so make sure you take a peak there as well.
Right: off to the painting table myself now!
Good to see that the entries are still coming n for this year’s Painting Challenge despite the problems of lockdown: hard to replenish your painting supplies when you’re not allowed out!
Here’s a selection of today’s entries: make sure you visit everyone’s galleries as there’s a lot to see:
Hello All
Yes, I am still alive!
It’s just that the coronavirus situation now has me working from home and, this week at any rate, I have been busier than ever with no time to post anything.
That, however, is if there was anything to post. The fairly regular flow of AARs has now dried up: presumably either because of the closure of most of the places where people meet to play, or people avoiding playing in case they get a case of CORVIDs across the tabletop.
So a huge annoyance really: no commute, so technically plenty of extra time…but that extra time taken up with extra work to get the business done remotely…so no painting done…and no gaming either because of social contact restrictions.
But let us not despair: there’s still the Painting Challenge to enter.
Here’s a sample of the latest batch to hit my inbox, and a very impressive latest batch it is too. Check out the individual galleries too.
Another great week for the Painting Challenge, with loads of submissions coming in, including one from long-time participant, Stumpy.
Stumpy has taken the Challenge every year since it first started, meaning that this is his seventh year of entries, and with an average annual points score of just over 2,000. Impressive.
Here’s his first entry of the year: an LRDG Jeep and an M8 Armoured Car:
Lots of other entries as well. Here’s a little pictorial summary, but I do recommend that you visit people’s individual galleries as well:
Scorecard will be updated in due course.
Keep ‘em coming!
Another set of magnificent entries into this year’s Painting Challenge.
Here’s today’s album:
Some lovely entries to the Challenge this week.
Here’s a pictorial summary:
Don’t forget that there are plenty more to see in the individual galleries!
Tanks for the entry, David!
A big welcome back to David Scott, who sends in his first TFL Painting Challenge entry of the year. This is David’s fourth year, and he opens the batting with some rather nice 15mm Soviet armour.
This week, we also have more from Carole, Mr Luther, Joe McGinn, Chris Kay and, of course, Travis.
Scorecard is updated and more pics appear below. Can you match them to the painter? Have a go and then check out their gallery to find out if you are right.
Another six year veteran returns for his seventh outing on the Painting Challenge: Andy Duffell. His first submission of the year is goblins, ghosties and a couple of menacing looking statues. Featured here is the Goblin Ninja, if that is a thing!
Andy’s first entry of the year is accompanied by lots of second, third and even fourth submissions from other participants. Today we feature entries from Carole, Chris Cornwall, Joe McGinn, Mark Luther, Steve Burt, Bluemoose Ken, John Emmett, Lloyd “Aztec Hat” Bowler, and Mervyn Douglas.
Something from each is featured below, but I’d recommend visiting their galleries for the full portfolio.
Doug Melville is back! Another long-term veteran with entries in every one of the six years since the Challenge began.
Doug has been building jungle, enormous amounts of jungle. To be exact (in inches) 20 x 12 x 6 (in 3 full & 1 ¾ full box so 3.75 boxes) = 5,400 cubic inches. In metres, about 8.43 cubic metres.
I have scored this as fifteen pieces of terrain, so lots of points: but worth every one as I know how much time and effort goes in to creating this stuff!
We also have new entries from Melvyn, Ralph, Travis, Mark and John, some examples of which appear below..but I’d encourage to visit the individual galleries to see everything that’s been done.
Scorecard will be updated at the weekend.
Sapper makes a welcome return to this year’s Painting Challenge. This is his sixth year of participation (he missed out on year one) but with an average score of 2,129 per year, I think we can forgive him for that.
Sapper’s first offering of 2020 includes a rather smashing unit of 28mm pikemen:
Also adding to their scores today are Carole, Travis and John. By now you should be able to recognise their painting styles, but I’ll caption the photos just in case!
Incidentally, this post means that I have posted something every day in January. That may not sound like much but, given that I’ve never been able to do a whole month complete before in the six years that this website has been going, that, to me, is quite an impressive achievement.
I’m fairly sure that I can’t keep it up, but do promise to bring you as much great new content as I can manage, so keep checking back on a regular basis. I’m also very happy to receive AAR from any company-sized Lardy games (IABSM, CDS, Q13) or anything else that fits in with our general theme. Submissions to the website address on the right.
PS Actually I’ve managed to post every day since December 20th!
Three more entrants for the Painting Challenge today.
First up we have Bluemoose Ken (Ken Eckhardt) returning for his third consecutive year. Ken always has a wide variety in his offerings, and today is no exception: we have some Spanish men and a donkey.
Next we have Fred Bloggs, returning for his sixth year (he skipped 2017). Fred’s entries are always an eclectic mix, but here are some pretty normal pikemen from Newline Design.
Finally in newbie-ville we have Mervyn Douglas, who is only a newbie to this year’s challenge as he has actually entered every year since we began. That makes this his seventh year and, with an average points total of 2,198, six good years under his belt so far as well.
Mervyn starts this year’s challenge with some figures for Mortal Gods:
It’s also been a busy week for two other people. Joe McGinn has sent in some more of his lovely Napoleonics; and Travis has been painting naked Celts…
Keep them coming!
A welcome return to Steve Burt, with his first entry of the year: some 1879 Zulu War British infantry. Steve has entered the Challenge every year since it started, making this his seventh year of entries.
There have also been lots of additional entries from those already registered for this year. Some lovely work here:
Celebrity Wargamer!
And last, but by no means least, an HG Wells character figure from John Haines.
I’ll be updating the Scorecard at the weekend.
Keep them coming!
I’m quite enjoying these shorter but more frequent updates to the Painting Challenge, timed for each time someone sends in their first entry of the year.
Today it’s the turn of Joe McGinn to return, with a very fine set of 28mm King’s German legion for Sharp Practice:
Also today we have entries from three Lardies already signed up for this year. First we have more 6mm Roman buildings from Lloyd: the big building is apparently a trireme shed!
Also Roman, but bigger, is a terrific 28mm scale watchtower from Travis:
Mind the Step!
Finally, today, Andrew Helliwell sends in two more entries from the Helliwell Home for Distressed Gentle-Figures. Here’s one of them: some Norman cavalry rescued “for a song” from a local flea market. Some very nice work on the horses.
More soon!
Another three first entries for this year’s Painting Challenge.
The first of today’s returnees is Carole Flint. Carole has entered the Challenge every year since its inception, and thus starts her seventh gallery with some lovely Portuguese Napoleonics:
Another six year veteran of the Challenge is Mark Luther, king of the 6mm IABSM After Action Reports. He starts his seventh year with a mass of 6mm tanks and aeroplanes:
Our third returnees is Chris Cornwell, just beginning his third year of Challenge entries. He’s into the Italian Wars at the moment, and here’s one his pike blocks:
Finally today we have a second entry of the year from John Haines. Some Samurai and, as shown below, a very familiar set of 28mm Napoleonic British Riflemen:
Keep them coming!
Two more “first entries of the year” today.
First up we have the return of the Hat, Lloyd Bowler, for his sixth year running. Lloyd starts the year with a bang with two entries: the first some more of his magnificent Aztecs; the second some 6mm paper buildings that look very fiddly indeed to me! Here are the Aztecs:
The second is Ralph Plowman, extraordinarily fine painter of 15mm sci-fi figures. Ralph has entered the Challenge every year since its inception in 2014, so starts (for those of you who have had too many scalpel-related accidents whilst prepping figures) his seventh season. Ralph’s first entry of 2020 is a very nice planetary exploration team:
Finally today another honourable mention for Travis who has already submitted his third and fourth entries of the year: more dwarves and a team of, er, contractors, shown below:
All entries are available to view in the individual galleries, which can be found in the 2020 TFL Painting Challenge folder in the navbar at the top of the page.
Two more of the regulars to the Painting Challenge are back for another year!
First up, we have John Haines, just starting his fourth year of entries. He opens the batting with a nice selection of Samurai figures:
Next we have veteran Challenge-r Andrew Helliwell with the first of his entries for his sixth year of submissions:
Andrew pops in some more ACW figures in 15mm and this rather nice MDF ruined factory from Warbases.
Chris Kay slams back into the Painting Challenge with a huge first entry for 2020: clearing the stash of 28mm vehicles that have been hanging around on his painting table for some time.
That’s 108 points for six 28mm vehicles:
It’s John Emmett’s turn to make his first contribution to the TFL Painting Challenge 2020, with a rather magnificent 1/48th scale model of a Citroen motor car.
And, not to be outdone by anyone, Travis has already submitted his second entry of the year: dwarven command and the aptly named Gandalf the Field-Grey!
So the 2019 TooFatLardies Painting Challenge is now closed, with thirty-three Lardies participating: about the same as last year.
Those of you who follow the Challenge will know that it is not a competition between the entrants, but a competition where the entrants try and improve on their year-on-year performance, either in terms of quality of painting or points scored. In 2019, we had twenty out of thirty-two, or 62.5%, of people improving their scores, with one new entrant: a most impressive performance by all concerned.
We also now have sixteen people have now participated for all of the six years that the Challenge has run, with four more only missing the first year i.e. completing five years in a row.
I’m quite happy as well, as I managed to hit 2,000 points for the first time ever, scraping over that particular benchmark with some intensive painting over the Christmas break to hit a grand total of 2,004 points.
The good news is, as I mentioned in previous posts, that I will run the Challenge again in 2020, 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, preferably, with the points totals already worked out) and I’ll open your gallery with your first entry. New or returning participants are welcome.
And what better way to start off the year than with a first entry from regular participant Travis Hiatt. Travis is an accomplished painter whose galleries are always worth a browse. Here’s his first entry of the year: six dwarven archers:
Ladies and gentlemen: pick up your brushes!
Vis Lardica is a website devoted to wargaming and military history, with a special emphasis on the company-sized rulesets produced by the TooFatLardies: I Ain't Been Shot Mum (WW2); Charlie Don't Surf (Vietnam); and Quadrant 13 (science fiction)
Welcome to Vis Lardica, a not-for-profit website mostly dedicated to the company-sized wargaming rules produced by the TooFatLardies, but encompassing my other gaming interests as well.
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