TFL Painting Challenge: Another Batch of Last Minute Entries

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There’s still time to get your last painting of the year done: as usual, I’ll be taking entries right up to midnight tomorrow and, maybe if you’re lucky and can convince me that you finished them within 2020, late entries as well.

Meanwhile, Derek, Chris and Sapper have sent in their last entries of the year. I recommend visiting their individual galleries, but here’s a selection of their latest work:

I’m sure you’ll also all be pleased to know that I will be running the challenge again next year, so clean up those painting stations, buy some new brushes, and get ready to rock in 2021!

Classical Indians: The Elephants

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An important part of any Classical Indian army are the elephants. They can form the spearhead of your attack: stomping any enemy units into submission. They are particularly useful against cavalry-based armies who haven’t encountered pachyderms before.

As with the rest of my Classical Indians , my elephants are from Museum Miniatures’ 15mm CAD-designed “Z” range, and very pretty they are too:

They were also very easy to paint: time-consuming, in that there’s a lot of elephant and crew to produce, but much easier to turn out than I had anticipated.

The elephants themselves are painted with a single coat of GW Contrast Basilicum Grey. Then each under-blanket is painted a dark colour, with the over-blanket a contrasting lighter colour. The rather natty designs on the over-blanket are actually WW2 tank decals (Soviet IIRC), and have turned out even better than I expected.

I painted the crew in situ but, if I have to paint any more, may consider painting them separately then mounting them. It’s 50/50: it’s fiddly to paint them in place, but quite difficult to get them mounted well, so you could ruin a paint job messing around trying to get completed crew figures in place.

TFL Painting Challenge: More Entries In Before The 31st December Deadline

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Here’s another batch of last-minute entries into the 2020 TooFatLardies Painting Challenge. As usual, I recommend visiting the individual galleries, but here’s a selection to look at for a bit of instant gratification:

Still plenty of time to get your last entries in!

Classical Indian Heroes

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Regular visitors will know that I am currently painting up a 15mm Classical Indian army using Museum Miniatures excellent “Z” range of CAD designed figures.

I had said that the next element to be worked on were the elephants: a massive task involving a mix of the elephants themselves (six of them) and their escorts (a load of light infantry types). I mounted the crew figures on their steeds, fixed them all to painting bases (a mixture of lolly sticks for the foot and bits of card for the nellies), sprayed them, and then wondered what I would do whilst I waited for them to dry. Gone are the days of sitting there with a hair dryer: with Tier 4 in full swing, I didn’t have any opponents anyway! I needed a quick painting fix, so decided to paint up the five “Heroes” that had sitting on the sidelines awaiting some attention.

Heroes need, in my opinion, to stand out from the crowd a bit, so what better figures to use than a selection from the “Indian or Arab Hordes” pack that Museum do. These are both striking and unusual, and suited what I wanted down to the ground:

I am loving these poses, and the way the figures are sculpted really allows the Contrast paint to do its work as well. The first two heroics - the chap kneeling down with a spear and the chap holding the two rocks - are some of my favourite casts ever. The close up shots reveal the sloppiness in my painting style, but they look really, really good when viewed at wargaming distance.

Highly recommended.

TFL 2020 Painting Challenge: The Final Stretch

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Well I’ve finished work for Christmas, so that must mean that it’s also the final stretch in this year’s TooFatLardies Painting Challenge.

As you gird your loins to paint, photograph and send in your final entries, the latest batch of other’s people’s work has now been posted. Make sure you check out the individual galleries and Scorecard, but here’s a taster:

Lard Magazine 2020

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Just a note that the 2020 Lard Magazine in now on sale. Highly recommended: packed full of Lard goodness.

Get your copy by clicking here.

Lard Magazine 2020 brings you a fabulous feast of Lard, and at 180 pages is a Bullseye when it comes to wargaming fun. 

Scenarios, complete campaigns, rules amendments, fresh periods to game, previews of future rule sets, build projects unveiled and a whole host of other wargaming fun, written by wargamers for wargamers. 

Lard Magazine is in PDF format and designed to be viewed on a table such as an iPad or android for easy reading.

Here’s a full list of the contents.

FORCES OF THE 100 DAYS:  A guide to the troops of the campaign of Waterloo for Sharp Practice.  British, French, Hanoverians, KGL, Dutch-Belgians, Brunswickers, Prussians and more with full army lists and support options along with new troop characteristics.  From the pen of Sharp Practice aficionado Joe McGinn. WACHT AM SAMBRE:  The Prussians take on the French Armee du Nord as they advance into Belgium

RESUPPLY HOUGOUMONT:  A scenario to accompany the 100 Days guide sees action. on the British right at Waterloo.

PUNCH UP AT PLANCENOIT:  A classic action to the East of La Belle Alliance sees the French attempt to stop the Prussian juggernaut.  

MICRO MAP MAKING:  Sidney Roundwood is released from a high security institution to show us how he makes some stunning campaign maps

ALL THE KINGS MEN VERSUS DRACULA:  The Price of Darkness takes on the House of Stuart in a blood curdling scenario set in Whitby.  A creepy classic from the pen of David Hiscocks.

SOLO CHAIN OF COMMAND:  From the Welsh valleys comes an Artificial Intelligence called Bond.  Geoff Bond.

INCH HIGH ROVING EYE:  Mike Whittaker presents some technological insight for gaming IABSM over Zoom from a soldier’s eye viewpoint.

FILIBUSTERS!  Colin Murray introduces some Manifest Destiny for Sharp Practice from the 1840’s and 1850’s down Mexico Way…and a bit of Canada.

EX ADIPIS SUILLAE:  No thanks, I had one earlier! David Hunter presents an epic of the ancient world as he campaigns through Britannia in the 1st Century AD with Infamy, Infamy!

GLIDERS, CROSS THE MERSEY:  Kevin Pierce calls out the Home Guard as Fallschirmjäger land in Liverpool.

BOMBS AWAY:  It’s Squadron Leader Johnny Danger taking to the skies again as he offers some tips on bombing in Bag the Hun.

TO THE VOLGA!:  International YouTube Superstar, Alex Sotheran attacks into Stalingrad with some ideas for Solo IABSM during Lockdown

BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS AND THE SEA:  Always one for a large Falx, Yorkshire’s own John Savage presents some 100% unofficial lists for Dacians in Infamy, Infamy!

HOME FRONT:  Who do you think you’re kidding Mr ‘Itler?  Britain prepares to stand alone and sticks two fingers up to the enemy across the Channel.  Yes, it is (of course!) 1940 and a bumper handbook for Britain’s Home Front and Chain of Command.   

24 HOURS FROM ROMFORD:  “This is not a drill…”  German landings in East Anglia threaten to wrong foot Britain’s high command, only the Home Guard stand between the capital and the rampaging Jerries.  A Pint-Size Campaign for Operation Sea Lion.

A LOOK AT ‘O’GROUP:  Sidney Roundwood interviews Housewife’s favourite Dave Brown about what we can expect from the forthcoming WWII Battalion size rules.

SMALL FOOTPRINT TERRAIN:  Oddcast host and wargaming Glitterati, Sidney, proves what they say about small footprints with this fabulous terrain building article.

SCRAMBLING FOR SUPPLIES:  Olve Kroknes straps on  on his skis as he heads for Narvik to refight a Chain of Command action in the (snow) shoes of his grandfather.

SHE WAS ONLY THE MAGISTRATE’S DAUGHTER…  An AWI scenario for Sharp Practice tells a heart rending tale of  woe.  Can our heroes escape to victory?

Enter the Heavy Chariots!

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No gaming at the moment as COVID restrictions are still in force, so it’s on with the painting: specifically adding units to my 15mm Classical Indian army.

The last week or so has been spent putting together and painting a couple of heavy chariot units:

These are figures from Museum Miniatures’ CAD designed “Z” range painted using mostly GW Contrast paints.

Just in case you’re after a bit of inspiration, here are a couple of notes:

  • The dark brown horses are painted using Cygor Brown diluted 50/50 with the Contrast thinner, then black manes, tails and lower legs.

  • The dun horses use Agresso Dunes as the skin colour, with black manes, tails and lower legs.

  • The grey coloured horses (a shade probably unknown to nature but looks good on a model!) are Space Marines grey with Basilicum grey manes, tails and lower legs.

  • The black horses are Templar Black Contrast for the skin, then a standard acrylic black for the mane and tail.

  • The crew skintone comes from a 50/50 mix of Cygor Brown and Fyreslayer Flesh

  • The chariot sides were painted Skeleton Horde, the black blobs in an approximate cow hide pattern, dark grey infill on the blobs, then stippled white in between.

  • The bases are Warbases large vehicle bases with GW basing material on top with a sprinkling of talus before it dried. That was then drybrushed in a bone colour and the edge painted as well. Then three types of shrubbery brush in clumps placed randomly. Then a sprinkle of mixed dark green and dark yellow basing fluff.

  • The whole lot then varnished in a matt anti-shine finish.

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  • The bright coloured shields are a bit fantastic (simple alternating stripes) but provide a nice contrast to the other colours

  • I decided to paint the chariot wheels and structure in the darker Contrast red for the same reason.

  • Finally, I didn’t touch up the figures after basing, especially the horses and lower parts of the chariots, as I felt that the models looked better with a bit of dirt and dust on the undercarriage!

Next up are the escorted elephants. That’s quite a big project, with each (deep) base containing two elephants-and-crew and eight escorts on foot. Three bases worth to do, so might take me a bit of time! Wish me luck…

Classical Indians: Some Cavalry

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Here’s the latest Classical Indian unit to roll (or rather gallop) off the production line: a base’s worth of cavalry.

As with the rest of my Classical Indians, these are 15mm Museum Miniatures figures from their CAD designed ”Z” range. They are painted with GW Contrast paints and mounted on a large vehicle base from Warbases.

The chaps chucking a javelin and the cataphract commander are lovely figures. I’m less sure about the swordsmen: they look like uncomfortably poor riders to me…but then, on the To The Strongest army list, the Classical Indian cavalry are all very poor quality, so maybe they suit!

TFL Painting Challenge: It's December Already!

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Who would have thought that it is December already, with only a few weeks to Lockdown Christmas 2020.

I know some people who have realised that the year is almost over: the people who have sent in another weighty set of entries for this year’s TooFatLardies Painting Challenge.

Make sure you visit the galleries to see the full cornucopia of submissions, but here’s a taster:

IABSM AAR: Barbarossa 1941 Solo

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Here’s another excellent I Ain’t Been Shot Mum AAR and video AAR from Alex Sotheran, this time set in 1941 as Operation Barbarossa gets under way. The game is taken from Alex’s very readable Storm of Steel blog.

Unusually, it’s not the Germans that are facing off against the Soviets, but the Roumanians: some nice-looking infantry supported by R-2 tanks.

Click on the picture below to see all:

Classical Indians: The Maiden Guard

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More Classical Indians rolling off the production line!

This time it’s the Maiden Guard:

As usual, these are from Museum Miniatures’ 15mm “Z” range of CAD designed figures painted mainly with GW Contrast Paints.

I know that the idea of the Maiden Guard in terms of being a battlefield fighting unit is somewhat, er, fictional, but the way I have constructed my TTS Classical Indian 130 point army list means that I only need one unit of Javelinmen, who can be Veteran, so I thought I’d just go for it and paint a unit of figures different from anything else I’m going to need. After five longbowmen units in a row, a change is as good as a rest!

And these figures are lovely. Rather than being your typical 15mm female warrior figures (basically men with two lumps of green stuff on the chest) these really are significantly different from the male figures in the range. They are slighter overall, with slightly emphasized hips, and breasts that actually look like the sort of breasts you might get on an athletic young lady rather than a couple of stray footballs!

As I hope you can see, they paint up very well too, and I would highly recommend them for anyone who needs Amazons or the like.

I’m moving on to the Classical Indian cavalry now, but here’s a couple of pics of the last on the longbowmen.

IABSM AAR: Kursk 1943 Solo

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Here’s a great After Action Report from Alex Sotheran, taken from the IABSM Facebook Group and Alex’s equally excellent Storm of Steel blog.

It’s Kursk 1943, and Alex plays through a solo game with the Germans attacking a Soviet-held village. There are plenty of “big cats” out to play, and there’s even a link to the YouTube video of the game.

Click on the picture below to see all. Highly recommended.

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Enormous Update!

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I see you all took me at my word and have done your best to paint as much as possible over this second lockdown period.

Make sure you visit the individual galleries listed in the NavBar above, but here’s a selection from the entries from the last two weeks:

More Classical Indians

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I’ve had a chance to paint up another couple of longbow bases for the Classical Indians.

These are 15mm figures from Museum Miniatures “Z” range, and very nice they are too. I’ve painted them with GW Contrast Paints, and mounted them as elements of vehicle bases from Warbases. Most of the basing materials come from Boontown.

The fleshtone comes from a 50:50 mix of Cygor Brown and Fyreslayer Flesh. I’m getting more confident with mixing the Contrast paints now.

One more base of longbowmen to go, and then on to the Maiden Guard.

IABSM AAR: Poland 1944

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Over the last couple of weeks, Des Darkin has been playing out an excellent looking game of I Ain’t Been Shot Mum on the IABSM Facebook Group.

I say IABSM, but Des has actually been playing using his variant I Ain’t Been CoC’d Mum Yet, which uses dice rather than card activation. That variant is available in the Lard 2019 Magazine.

Click on the picture below to a full AAR, combining the four posts that Des made as he played through the game…

TTS AAR: Romans vs Sumerians

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With lockdown back upon us and Daughter #1’s boyfriend back at University, my only potential opponent for a battle was Daughter #2. A little bit of gentle arm-twisting persuaded her to abandon the questionable delights of K-Pop YouTube videos and join me in the wargaming room for a game of To The Strongest.

I wanted to use two of my newest armies: the Sumerians and the Marian Romans. I politely gave her the choice, thinking she was bound to go for the Sumerians with their exciting four-onager chariots, axemen etc, but instead she chose the more space-invader like Romans. I felt a little disappointed here, as I’d wanted to play them, especially as I know hoe good they are. Competitive Dad? Well, you have to take your victories where you can!

Both sides deployed. The Sumerians looked their usual impressive selves: the blocks of citizen spearmen supported by light infantry; the aforementioned chariots; and three units of axemen or archers.

The Romans, under the so-called Beardless Pro-Consul, looked a little ragged by comparison, which just shows that appearances can be deceptive:

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The Game

Both sides opened the battle by advancing forward smartly.

In the centre, my heavy chariots headed straight for the oncoming Romans, hoping to hit them whilst they were deployed with gaps in their battle line. Apparently not all my chariot units were equally keen on getting stuck in, so there were holes in my line too, but I didn’t think this was a problem as I reckoned that being mounted meant that any stragglers would catch up fast.

On my right flank, some equites saggiarii tried to sneak past my flank, but were blocked and eventually destroyed by my lights:

On my left, however, two units of Gallic Cavalry had a bit more room to play with, getting past my flank, and causing me (along with some Cretan archers) huge problems for the rest of the battle.

Note the Gallic horse right out on the right of the picture. They have got past my flank and forced me to deploy my reserve to face them.

Back to the centre, and the two lines came together with a mighty crash. Unfortunately, the mighty crash mostly involved smashing chariots as, using their excellent manoeuvrability, the Roman legionaries snapped into an unbroken and pilum-toting line of heavy infantry. Who new Daughter #2 knew what she was doing!

I pulled back in an attempt to re-organise but, of course, this just gave the Romans a chance to reorganise themselves and to then slam forward once more, again using their quality and agility to always be in the right place at the right time with the right units. I tell you, if you can’t get round the flank of the Romans (which I had singularly failed to do) then you are in big trouble: the Roman mincing machine makes, er, mincemeat out of anything it faces!

Here’s a series of pictures showing what happened in the centre:

I did have a couple of light units pushing past the Roman left flank but all that happened was that one double cohort of legionaries swung neatly sideways to face them, and without the help of the other light unit (who had been previously occupied in finishing off the horse archers) I was not going to get anywhere anytime soon.

But it was on my left flank that I was most in trouble.

I had managed to get my reserve into play in order to head off one lot of Gauls from rolling me up but, just at the critical moment, luck deserted me, and two of my brigades drew consecutive Aces at the start of their activations.

This left me unable to get anything done, and the Gauls closed in, hitting my blocking force from both front and back:

And that, really, was that: my left collapsed, my centre crumpled and I haemorrhaged coins faster than you can say “bloody Romans”!

Aftermath

A great game of To The Strongest despite my somewhat embarrassing defeat! Showcased how good the Romans can be in a straight up fight where their flanks are safe.

First of the Classical Indians

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Regular visitors will know that I consoled myself for the pain of the new lockdown (no training, no wargaming) with the purchase of new 15mm Ancients army to be used with To The Strongest.

The army I chose was Museum Miniatures relatively new “Z” range of Classical Indians: the “Z” means that they were CAD designed rather than being sculpted. I’ve been really happy with my “Z” Sumerians, really happy with the “Z” Greeks, so after painting a Baueda Marian Roman army, I was very much looking forward to the “Z” Indians.

And I was right to do so.

They are a dream to paint. The detail is excellent, and they take the paint really easily. These first two units, both of longbowmen, were each completed in a day (one Saturday, one Sunday) and I could have fitted a third in if I’d really tried.

I decided to break away from the way all my other Ancients armies are based (to the old Vis Bellica basing) and go with what had worked really well for my English Civil War armies: one element per unit on a nice big base.

I also decided to go a bit mad with the basing. I usually shove a layer of GW basing material on then dry brush a light shade on top, with flock or a tuft or two for decoration. Here, however, I went for it in a big way: same basing material and dry brush, but with patches of little stones pushed into the basing material before its dry (with watered down PVC on top to hold the stones in place). Then I added three different types of tuft, and two different type of flock roughly mixed together. I think it looks quite good.

To give you everything, these are 15mm Museum Miniatures Classical Indian longbowmen with infantry command. They are painted with GW Contrast Paints, with the excellent fleshtone achieved by with a 50/50 mix of Fyreslayer Flesh and Cygor Brown. The base is from Warbases (a vehicle base) with the flock etc from a variety of suppliers.

I’m quite happy with these, and looking forward to doing the rest.

Painting Challenge Update & More Deliveries

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Time for a Painting Challenge update, and some of you have been using the new lockdown wisely!

Check out the individual galleries for a complete look at what’s been submitted over the last couple of weeks, but here’s some highlights:

Keep them coming: only a few weeks until the end of the year and thus the end of this year’s Challenge.

More Deliveries

Those of you who are regular readers will know that I ordered a whole load of lockdown supplies on the first Sunday of the new restrictions, and we’ve been keeping tabs on how the eight or so people I ordered from have been doing.

Wayland Games were the next supplier to deliver, coming in in sixth place with an envelope containing basing materials and flock. It’s all still pretty impressive stuff as I can remember the time when it was “allow 28 days for delivery” and you were lucky if it arrived then!

So far, therefore, we have:

1. Boontown (3 days)

2. Warbases (4 days)

3. Magister Militum (5 days)

4= Games Workshop (6 days)

4= Museum Miniatures (6 days)

6. Wayland Games (10 days)