TFL Painting Challenge: Huge Update

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Demonstrating just how big the painting challenge is getting, here's a huge update that represents under a week's worth of entries...

So, in no particular order, we have:

  • Benito breaking his 2015 duck with some El Cid Moors
  • Mr Yuengling with some more 15mm WW1 infantry
  • Carole with a mixture of entries that include a rather nice scratchbuilt Normandy church and loads of Nine Years War Frenchies
  • Mr Plowman adds some beautifully painted knights for his Rampant Lion army
  • Fred Bloggs enters his usual mixture of weird figures: witches, dwarves and some figures who shall not be named for copyright reasons!
  • Joakim adds some more big Dusters
  • AJH eventually manages to submit some Dux B and TCHAE figures
  • Mr Douglas adds more Greek cavalry - hope they got their votes in before posing for the photo
  • Mr Ralls enters lots of monsters from the Shadows of Brimstone game
  • Mr Luther adds more 6mm aeroplanes and some more 20mm Japs
  • Mr Bax also appears in the lists for the first time in 2015, with some lovely Fallschirmjaegers and Dutch police
  • Mr Blankenship achieves 'fousands of 15mm Japs (well, 157) and a lot of tanks and anti-tank guns
  • Steve Burt builds an Airfix cafe
  • and finally Mr Helliwell adds more Germans to his autumn collection

That's entries from 14 people this week. Not bad going considering its only January!

Today's pictures? From two people I think. Let's have Carole's scratchbuilt church and Mr Bax's Dutch police:

More Gitungi Sluog Riders

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Finally managed to finish some painting: more Gitungi for Q13.

I already have a squad of eight Sluog riders with power lances. These are another eight and a Big Man, but this time with guns, charmingly known by Micropanzer as a Kill Team.

Time to write a scenario with an area of terrain impassable to all except Sluogs!

You can see the whole Gitungi gallery by clicking here.

TFL Painting Challenge: Big Monday

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Lots of lovely entries today: everyone's obviously been hard at work over the weekend!

In no particular order, we have:

  • Oodles of figures from Jason Ralls
  • And from Matt Slade, who also becomes the first person in 2015 to break the 500 point mark
  • Treadhead submits a platoon of US infantry for CoC
  • Mr Douglas puts in some pikemen
  • Mr Helliwell some anti-tank guns
  • New entrant Sapper submits loads of stuff
  • Mr Luther comes back for more
  • Mr Baldwin, of tractor-country fame, submits some very nice 28mm figures for Sharp Practice and Muskets & Tomahawks
  • And finally newbie Mr John Michael pops in some nice Westwind figures

There are two pictures today. One is of Mr Baldwin's Companie de la Marine; the other is Treadhead's platoon commander. Lovely work!

TFL Painting Challenge: Quick Update

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Great game of IABSM this morning, so to celebrate here's an update on the painting challenge.

Today's achievements are from:

  • New recruit Mr Eggman Glass, from Canada, with some Italians for CoC
  • Mark Luther makes his first appearance this year with some 20mm Japanese
  • Thomas starts his year strongly with a very nice, and very crashed, flying saucer terrain piece
  • Another Penguin, Joakim, submits some big figures for Dust
  • Carole's second entry of the year is large amounts of 15mm figures for the Anglo-Dutch Nine Years War
  • And Mr Slade also sends in his second entry of the year: some 25mm Austrians

Today's photo is from Mr Eggman Glass...it's not that bad a photo!

TFL Painting Challenge: Monster Update

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The first really big batch of entries for the new year as people get themselves into the swing of things.

Before I list the achievements, however, thanks to those who sympathised with my toothache. Dentist tomorrow, but the weekend has been...bad!

In fact, if you told me I could make the pain go away by rubbing my forehead with a badger coated in curry sauce, I wouldn't currently be doing this: I'd be out in the undergrowth with a piece of cheese in one hand (do badgers eat cheese?) and a korma in the other!

Anyway, enough of my complaining, onto the achievements:

  • new entrant AJH (who's actual name is so splendid I'm tempted to break his anonymity anyway!) has submitted a large 6mm ACW Union army to get himself going for the year
  • Mr Plowman returns triumphantly with a very nice unit of crossbowmen
  • WillieB also returns, with a massive entry of resting Napoleonic Frenchmen (but not unfortunately featuring the regimental crest of two dead Frenchmen crossed over a pile of dead Frenchmen)
  • Mr Naylor enters his second achievement of the year (already) with some WW2 US infantry
  • Paul Blankenship breaks his duck both this year and in the challenge as a whole with a massive entry of 6mm Cold War British, Americans and Soviets.
  • Treadhead got religion over the holidays and pops back with a beautiful 28mm chapel
  • Another newbie submits his second entry: Andrew Helliwell with more autumnal Germans 
  • Carole Flint smashes in a very nice late WW2 British anti-tank gun unit and Big Man
  • Mr Ralls survives Christmas and submits 28mm Napoelonics and 15mm WW2 figures
  • Newbie Tony Stapells sends in his first entry: a Welsh DBA army with Murat in command (must have taken a wrong turn in the Alps (or was that Napoleon)
  • And finally Mr Hodge submits his second entry for the year: a scratch built roof that merits being counted as a building in its own right, and two "Diddums Trucks" - don't ask!

That's not bad going for two weeks in!

Today's pictures are one of the shots of WillieB's Frenchmen and a pic of Carole's anti-tank guns:

Q13 AAR: Marauders Squashed!

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My first game of the year was an epic 15mm sci-fi clash between my newly painted Gitungi army, using figures mostly from Micropanzer’s Gitungi range, and an ‘evil vegetable’ army comprising figures from a number of different manufacturers but principally Khurasan’s Vornid plant-men and Ravenstar’s Horrids.

Click here or on the picture to see how the action unfolded...

TFL Painting Challenge: the Toothache Update

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I'm up suffering from acute toothache (a traumatised nerve apparently) so thought I might as well update the painting challenge whilst I wait for the painkillers to kick in!

Today's entries are from:

  • New entrant Andy Duffell with all sorts of bits and pieces
  • New entrant Andy Helliwell with a 15mm mortar unit that is forever autumn
  • Mr Hodge with a couple of Churchills and a nice ruined building
  • Mr Yuengling with some British and Ottomans for the Great War
  • Mr Burt with some Makedonians
  • and Mr Douglas with some Illyrians

I'm going to feature both of Mr Hodge's entries as today's pictures: two Battlefront Churchills in 15mm and a ruined house from Goldfinger:

Peter Pig Soviet "Dancing Group"

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One of my purchases at Warfare this year was Peter Pig's new 'Soviet Dancing Group': eight figures, two with accordions, two with balalaikas, and four doing the stereotypical Russian male dancing thing.

Now those of you who have read my previous post about the Gebirgsjaeger heavy mortars, and the unlikelihood that I will ever get them on the table (minimum range 76"!), must now be concluding that I have finally flipped my lid and decided not to paint anything that I will actually use ever again. I mean, when will I ever need to field musicians and dancing soldiers?

Well I'll tell you when: every time I field any Soviet MMGs.

You see, under IABSMv2, MMG teams were almost always crewed by three men; but under IABSMv3, they are almost always crewed by five men. It's a better fit with the durability of MMG teams, but does cause pain for those of us who have all their MMG teams crewed by three figures not five.

Well not any more!

Now my Soviet MMG teams will appear with their existing three crew members, but each will be accompanied by a couple of music-playing/dancing soldiers. Representation of correct crew numbers problem solved!

Here they are: both as a group and so you can see the (nicely sculpted) figures:

IABSM AAR: Arnhem Game

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Not really a full battle report, but more displaying the pictures of a recent IABSM game that tiger1arnhem posted in the Photos section of the TFL Yahoo Group.

Apparently he had written a full AAR, but lost it all due to technology issues. I feel his pain, and can only repeat the mantra "CTRL+S, CTRL+S"!

Click on the picture to see more:

Those of you who do wish to submit full AARs, whatever size or quality, for IABSM, CDS or Q13, can do so by e-mailing me at the same address as for the painting challenge: adminATvislardicaDOTcom.

Gebirgsjaeger Heavy Mortars

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I think I'm going to need a bigger table.

With a minimum range of 76", I shall need to put my new unit of German Gebirgsjaeger (mountain troops) Heavy Mortars somewhere out in the garden in order to be able to actually use them in a game!

So why did I bother to buy and paint them up?

Don't know: except for the fact that they are some of the really good Gebirgsjaeger figures from Battlefront - those of you who have read my review of the range (click here) will know that for some reason the Battlefront 15mm Gebirgsjaeger range is neatly divided into two halves: one half being some of the nicest 15mm figures I have ever seen, the other half being one of the worst!

Well, of course I do know why I bothered: it's because they're on the list.

Yes, of course the main reason I have got them is because the IABSM army lists for late war Gebirgsjaeger say that they have heavy mortars as support at Battalion and Regimental level...I've just chosen to ignore the comment that follows stating that they should always be considered as off-table and be actually represented by an FOO unit!

Maybe one day I will get a chance to field them...once the extension is finished!

Here they are:

TFL Painting Challenge: First Update of 2015

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Here is the first painting challenge update of 2015. I wasn't expecting to post one so soon, but some of you have been so quick off the mark that it seemed churlish to wait.

  • First off the blocks was Richard Naylor, with a cheeky 4Ground house. Still waiting for a picture, but logged at 5pm on 1st January: an impressively quick start to the year.
  • Next up we have Richard Danziger, with three 15mm tanks.
  • Finally we have the first of what I am sure will be many entries from Matt Slade. Obviously working like a demon over Xmas, he has already finished over 200 points worth of achievements for 2015. Looks like he's out to break that 5,000 point barrier whilst us mere mortals can only wonder at how he does it!

Today's pictures are from Mr Slade. One of his dwarf pics, and a couple of bug pics. Wish mine looked as good as that!

TFL Painting Challenge: The Last Day - Fourth and Final Update!

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Well that's the end of the 2014 TooFatLardies Painting Challenge!

Fifty-five people entered, and have produced fifty-five galleries full of inspirational miniatures.

I'm not going to list who scored the most points, or who painted more of this type of figure than anyone else: that wasn't the point.

The point was to encourage us all to paint a bit more and, hopefully, improve our painting and photography skills along the way...and it seems to have worked. Lots of you have posted on the TFL Yahoo group about how much this has indeed got you painting more, and the sheer number of last-minute entries proves the point. Thanks, by the way, for all your kind words re me running the challenge: much appreciated.

On a personal note, I managed 898 points...missing out on my target of 1,000. That does, however, give me two numbers to aim for in 2015: beating my score for 2014 and reaching the elusive 'Grand'.

The 2015 TFL Painting Challenge starts now. I'll post the empty scorecard as soon as I have time, and you get a gallery once you've entered something! I have a zug of Gebirgsjaeger heavy mortars on the way, so I'll hopefully lead the way!

Finally, there were a few last minute entries that snuck in just before deadline:

  • Mr Ralls with some Austrians and WW2 British
  • Mr Hodge with a large Normandy church and some Paras
  • and Mr Douglas, with eight minutes to spare, with eight 15mm  horse archers

Here are Mervyn's last minute horse archers:


TFL Painting Challenge: The Last Day - Update 03

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More achievements being submitted in a desperate attempt to beat the midnight GMT deadline!

What's good about this lot is that they represent people who have really pushed hard to get their entries in on time...and we even have yet another newcomer.

So, the list...

  • Mr Bloggs attempts to catch Thomas with a mixture of fantasy figures
  • But Thomas is having none of it with an equally mixed bag of figures seemingly taken from the very bottom of the lead mountain, but giving him a respectable score for the year of just over 300 points
  • Mr Plowman sends in his second entry of the day: I think the paint is still wet on these ones
  • Stumpy with more re-basing: this time over 250 Soviets (would drive me potty doing all that re-basing)
  • Leif with some big figs
  • Mr Bax just manages to get himself over the 1,000 point mark with some more of those lovely arctic figures and some CoC jump-off points
  • And, literally last but by no means least, Jim Murray pots some beautiful 1/144 aeroplanes and (a man after my own heart) some big 15mm tank units

And to show we have no bad feelings towards Mr Murray for spurning the painting competition until the very last minute, here are his BE-2s:

TFL Painting Challenge: The Last Day - Update 02

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Second batch of today's last-minute entries.

In addition to another huge batch from JdTN, we even have a new entrant: Andy Duffell and his Fantasy/CoC figures.

Don't read that last bit aloud! 

So, in this update we have:

  • Alexandros and three 28mm vehicles
  • Joakim and some Dust-ers
  • the aforementioned John de Terre Neuve with another bucketload: taking him up to an impressive 1,300 points or so
  • and the tardy Mr Duffell, with 800 points or so's worth of fantasy and Chain of Command figures.

For everyone else, there's still time to get your entries in!

This update's picture is from Alexandros, an internal shot of an SU-76M:

Oh...okay then...and here's shot from one of new-kid-on-the-block Mr Duffell's entries, a rather lovely StuG: