TFL Painting Challenge: Huge Birthday Update

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Whose birthday, I hear you ask? Mine, of course!

I'll gloss over just how many birthday's this is, but you know you have to start worrying when the year's you've been alive approach the calibre of a (fortunately light!) mortar!

Anyhow, enough of the birthday celebrations: a huge painting challenge update today. In no particular order, we have:

  • Matt Slade with some more LOTR figures and some druids
  • Carole and some archers
  • It's off to the 17th Century for Mark Luther
  • Ralph Plowman has been sent to the Eastern Front
  • Chris Cornwell joins him there, but also has some terrain boards to display
  • It's modern Brits for Mr Davenport
  • More redcoats from Travis
  • The Hat is back! Two examples of using model kits for wargaming and some ancient Spaniards from Mr Bowler
  • There's a lot of basing from Stumpy
  • And last, but by no means least, more Assyrians from Mr Burt

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).  The Scorecard is now up to date as well.

Here are today's pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: A Rainy Day Update

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Well the weather has finally once and truly broken: very wet outside, so ideal painting weather!

Some people who have already been painting are below...

  • Stumpy's basing factory continues to churn out figures
  • Two entries from Ralph: orcs and ghosts
  • Matt Slade is still painting Rohirm
  • Travis has finished his first box of AWI infantry from Warlord Games
  • There are more little boats from Mark Luther
  • Some Prussian Cuirassiers from Sapper
  • And last, but by no means least, Blue Moose Ken pops in some lovely Chindits.

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:

TFL Painting Challenge: A Very Hot Update

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Yesterday was supposedly the hottest day of the year so far, and residents of the UK have been warned not to go out in the "mid day sun". Sounds like an excuse to stay in the shade and paint!

Here, in no particular order, are today's entries into this year's Painting Challenge:

  • Matt Slade has been visiting the Mark, producing just some of the Muster of Rohan
  • There are more Assyrians from Steve Burt
  • Chris Stoesen has built some very small ships
  • Blue Moose Ken has painted some Germans and some Saracens
  • It's a tidy bit of Sharp Practice for Mervyn with his French Carabiniers
  • Some Redcoats for Travis
  • And last, but by no means least, some more Romanians from Ralph Plowman

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).

Keep those entries coming in!

Today's pictures:

Taxi for Mr Assyrian!

Mervyn's Carabiniers

Redcoats from Travis

No new painting, but here are some more shots of Mark Luther's little 'planes

TFL Painting Challenge: Tuesday Update

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Morning all, on such a lovely sunny day. Must be time for a Painting Challenge update...so, today, in no particular order, we have:

  • Mr Hodge with some Badlands terrain
  • A plethora of kit from Matt Slade:  barbarian hovels and lots of 28mm WW2 vehicles
  • Mark Luther makes a welcome return with a multitude of little 'planes
  • There are more Winter War Germans from Travis
  • Some Napoleonic riflemen from Mervyn
  • And last, but by no means least, Ed Bowen sends in three 28mm buildings

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

Today's pictures:

Rather a nice camo job from Vlad, with Matt Slade doing the weathering

Winter War Germans from Travis...

...great characterisation

Charlie Foxtrot's blacksmith's from Ed Bowen

TFL Painting Challenge: Quick Update

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I've finally found the time to do this week's update to the painting challenge. Quite quiet at the moment:  must be the heat!

So, in no particular order, today we have:

  • Sapper with a regiment of 28mm ECW infantry
  • Travis with a rather nice French armoured car and the first of his "winter" German grenadiers
  • Carole's gone all 28mm Napoleonic on us:  British Rifles and Portuguese Cacadores
  • There the usual variety of figures and terrain from Andrew Helliwell
  • Mr Stoesen is building a fort
  • Three tanks from Matt Slade
  • And last, but by no means least, Mr Hodge makes a welcome return with both some painting and some re-basing.

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:

Rather cold Germans from Travis

Pike and Shot from Sapper

95th Rifles from Carole

Matt's Crusaders

TFL Painting Challenge: Big Wednesday Update

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Lots of lovely entries to report this week:

  • Carole changes scale and paints an army's worth of 10mm Undead
  • Staying at the left hand side of the Scorecard, Mark Luther make a welcome return with sixteen small scale aeroplanes
  • Andy Duffell has built a Euro Church: let's hope it gets onto the tabletop faster than the Eurofighter!
  • Travis has more WW2 French infantry to submit, and a very nice 75mm howitzer set
  • Joining Travis in the 28mm WW2 French club, Lloyd 'The Hat' Bowler smashes in a couple of infantry platoons, some transport vehicles and a handful of guns
  • Chris Stoesen has painted some palisades
  • There's a cornucopia of fantasy figures from Blue Moose Ken
  • Mervyn pops in some British Napoleonics and a lady of easy virtue
  • And last, but by no means least, Steve Burt sends in some more Assyrians...arriving just as I was putting the finishing touches to this post.

As always, 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:

I will update the Scorecard in due course.

TFL Painting Challenge: Scorecard Updated

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Yes, I've finally found time to update the Painting Challenge Scorecard.

Plenty of points being racked up and, although it's not a competition, worth congratulating the following people on hitting 1,000 points already:

Some of Matt Slade's work (he's currently got the highest score with 2072 points)

I am languishing on 415 points, so need to get my brushes into action if I'm to hit my target of 1,000 points before the year's end.

Painting Challenge: Quick Wednesday Update

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It's been a week and a day since the last Challenge update, so plenty of entries to get through. Still the core entrants providing most of the content, so come on the rest of you: pick up your brushes and get to work! Even I have managed to finish a unit, but more on that later in the week.

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

  • Carole with some barbarian cavalry
  • Sapper with quelque Napoleonics
  • A rather nice blockhouse from Chris Stoesen
  • Travis with some more French
  • Some more Assyrians from Steve Burt
  • Yet more pike and renaissance types from Mr Helliwell
  • There's basing galore from Stumpy
  • Jason Ralls sends in some lovely Dark Ages figures 
  • And last, but by no means least, Mr Slade has been painting cars for the Apocolypse, presumably caused by the Daleks and Cyberman he also sent in

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

Here are today's pictures:

Painting Challenge: Quick Tuesday Update

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It's quite quiet on the Challenge-front...must be something to do with the weather.

Today, in no particular order, we have:

  • Carole with some more Ancients
  • More LOTR figures from Mervyn
  • Plenty of variety from Matt Slade
  • More French from Travis Hiett
  • Andrew Helliwell has a hill and some Germans
  • Mr Hodge smashes through his painting block with some AK-47 figures, both newly-painted and freshly-rebased
  • And last, but by no means least, Treadhead has a horde of tiny Soviets for us to enjoy

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

And come on the rest of you: the year is ticking by and that lead mountain ain't getting any smaller!

Here are today's pics:

TFL Painting Challenge: Quick Update

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Must be time to do a quick Painting Challenge update. So, in no particular order, this time we have:

  • Mark Luther makes a welcome return with many, many little ships
  • It's "The Dark Ages": a big entry from Jason Ralls
  • Joe McGin is still in the Congo
  • Carole has some more later Romans
  • A return of his mojo gives Sapper enough of a boost to send in some SYW and Napoleonics
  • There's more lovely Frenchmen from Travis
  • And more lovely eastern front buildings from Chris Cornwell
  • Last, but not least, Mr Helliwell is painting up his winter Germans on the hottest day of the year so far!

As 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: Sunday Morning Update

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A lovely day outside after last night's thunder and lightning (very, very frightening, oh, Galileo...).

What better time, therefore, to do a quick Painting Challenge update.

So, today, in no particular order, with some shameless advertising, we have:

  • Mr Helliwell with some WW2 stuff in 15mm
  • Lloyd "The Hat" Bowler with some rather tasty Numidians and some 1940s British tanks.  I do hope he's bought my Blitzkrieg in the West: The BEF handbook!
  • More barbarians in 15mm from Carole, plus some 28mm later Roman cavlry
  • Mervyn pops in his second entry in as many weeks: Irish javelinmen
  • Ed Bowen returns to the fold with his first entry of the year: lots of AWI goodness
  • And last, but by no means least, Mr Hiett starts a new project: 1940s French this time. I do hope he's bought my Blitzkrieg in the West: France handbook!

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.

Today's pictures are below:

TFL Painting Challenge: Royal Wedding Weekend Update

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No, I didn't watch it!

I spent the day hitting people with big sticks: much more satisfying.

Some of you, however, were more productive, and sent in entries to the Painting Challenge. In no particular order, we have:

  • Stumpy with a tank and some dead Napoleonics
  • There's a few WW2 15mm odds and ends from Chris Stoesen
  • Mr Duffell has got his lazy ass in gear (if he'll excuse the expression) and painted some Soviets
  • Blue Moose Ken has lots for us to look at
  • Some scenery and some tanks from Mervyn
  • and last, but by no means least, Travis finishes off his early war German platoon

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will send you through to their gallery (opens in a new window) and, shock - horror, I've updated the Scorecard too.

Here are today's pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: a catch-up before the Bank Holiday

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After a couple of quiet days, the entries have suddenly come pouring in...so it's time for a quick catch-up before the bank holiday weekend.

So, in no particular order, we have:

  • Travis with some more wonderful 28mm Soviets
  • More barbarians from Carole
  • More tanks from Matt Slade
  • Some Frenchies and a KV-1 from Chris Cornwell
  • A couple of little bits and bobs from Chris Stoesen
  • More medievals and P&S from Andrew Helliwell
  • There's a bank from Mervyn (let's hope it's not an early branch of the TSB!)
  • And a tank from Ralph Plowman
  • And last, but by no means least, a whole of of basing from Stumpy: all Zulu wars in preparation for OML 2018

As always, clicking on the name of the person in the above list will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window), and here are today's pictures:

More Copplestone Barbarians from Carole

Soviet Anti-Tank Gun from Travis

And an SU-122 from Travis as well

A Sherman tank from Matt Slade

The bank of Mervyn

A cast of 'fousands' from Stumpy

TFL Painting Challenge: Mid-Week Update

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Entries continue to flood in for this year's challenge. Not so many taking part, but those who are are hugely active...I can't believe how much some of you manage to get painted!

So, in no particular order, here's the latest batch:

  • Andy Duffell pops in a quick German armoured car in 28mm
  • Lloyd "The Hat" Bowler has been very busy this week: not only are there the usual finely painted 28mm Ancients, but a whole street full of 6mm card buildings, including a Vauban Fort!
  • More Ancients: this time from Matt Slade. Camels and Celts.
  • A terrific entry from Chris Cornwell: six 28mm Russian village building vignettes. Almost made me want to switch to 28mm. They are apparently for sale as well, so if you're interested, get in touch.
  • Travis sends in some farm animals
  • The Hodge-Meister is back with some more Gaslands 20mm vehicles. I bet you don't get cars that colour where he's from!
  • Carole Flint has some rather nice 15mm WW2 figures for us to look at: Panzergrenadiers and British recce elements
  • And last, but by no means least, Jonathan Davenport has a couple of 28mm German AFVs to submit

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

One quick thing: could I ask people to specify how many figures are in the photos they send in. All very well saying to me "Some Napoleonic Austrians", or similar, accompanied by several pictures of densely packed 15mm figures, but counting the bayonets, or the feet, or anything else that gives me a clue to how many there are, is a real pain in the backside!

Now as for today's pictures...well, they were all so good that I could almost post up everything sent in. Here's a selection:

Just one of Mr Cornwell's vignettes

A 6mm paper terrain Vauban Fort from the Hat & co.

15mm British WW2 carriers from PSC from Carole

28mm SdKfz 221 from Andy Duffell

Painting Challenge: Pre-Weekend Update

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As I actually have a game tomorrow, Saturday, I thought I'd better clear this week's Painting Challenge entries today...and what a lot of lovely entries they are.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Mervyn with a few more skeletons
  • Some good looking vehicles from Travis: support for his Soviets
  • Mr Duffell gets his act together and sends in some Bretons
  • More Soviets, but this time from Ralph
  • That painting machine known as Mr Slade has more Ancient Britons to offer, and this time they've brought their dogs with them
  • Sapper finishes off his Ghaznavid army
  • There are some more Gripping Beast Romans from Carole
  • And last, but by no means least, Egg continues along the road to madness with some more farmyard "scenery": ploughs and everything!

As always, clicking on the name of the gallery owner in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window), and here are today's pictures:

I'll update the Scorecard tonight.

TFL Painting Challenge: Big Bank Holiday Update

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Vast numbers of entries into the 2018 Painting Challenge coming in. I really must try and do two updates a week rather than the current one!

Still, it gives me the chance to post a Big Bank Holiday Update so, in no particular order, we have:

  • Egg with some Bundeswehr, billboards and, yes, farmyard equipment
  • Andrew Helliwell, fresh from Paris, with some French
  • A truly enormous entry from Matt Slade:  hordes of Ancient British followed by large numbers of dwarves and trolls and the like
  • An almost-equally-enormous entry from Stumpy:  German Fallschirmjaeger guns and such accompanied by some US Cavalry and French Marines
  • Travis has been building fences: lots and lots of fences!
  • A bumper entry from Carole:  Gripping Beast 28mm Late Roman plastics
  • Chris Cornwall sends in a platoon or two of WW2 French infantry along with two BT-5 tanks. I'm tempted to give him double points as he mentions how much he liked my Blitzkrieg in the West; The BEF theatre handbook for IABSM in his e-mail!
  • And last, but by no means least, Mr Burt pops in some Minifigs Malburians

As always, clicking on the name of the gallery owner in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window), and here are today's pictures:

And don't forget that the next in the series of my Blitzkrieg in the West theatre handbooks for I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! should be available tomorrow.

This time it's the Low Countries:  Belgium and the Netherlands.

TFL Painting Challenge: Thursday Update

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Hello all. Despite the rigours of real life, there always time for a quick update to the Painting Challenge...and what an update it is. Lots of inspirational paint jobs to admire and emulate, and a volume of work that's nothing but impressive.

So, for today's update, in no particular order, we have:

  • Travis with some more 28mm WW2 Japanese...now joined by some 28mm late war German vehicles as well
  • Matt Slade & Ralph Plowman have, between them, produced some lovely Celtic Champions
  • The first of two "first entries of the year" : Kev "Fat Wally" Lowth is back with some more SYW Hussars
  • And the second "first entry of the year" award goes to Jason Ralls, with a host of WW2 kit in two different scales
  • Stumpy has been basing like crazy
  • Mervyn has an assortment of fantasy figures for us
  • The Hat, Lloyd Bowler, has sent in a lovely unit of Iberian cavalry
  • And last, but never least, there some Sharp Practice markers from Carole.

As always, clicking on the name of the gallery owner in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window), and here are today's pictures:

Iberian Cavalry from the Hat

A Sturmtiger from Travis Hiett. Note the "thrown track" marker that ca be used to indicate the vehicle is disabled

SYW Hussars from everyone's favourite Fat Wally

Shock markers for Sharp Practice/The Zulu Years from Stumpy

A rather nice R-35 from Jason Ralls

Some of Matt and Ralph's Celtic Champions

TFL Painting Challenge: A Monday Update? Ridic!

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Yes, it's a Monday update to the Challenge: occasioned by heavy traffic over the weekend!

In no particular order we have:

  • Chris Cornwell, painting early war Germans for the Wargames Holiday Centre
  • Mr Helliwell with the last of his medievals (didn't he say that last time?) and some ECW
  • A bit of WW1 with some lovely figures from Blue Moose Ken
  • Egg bangs in the support for his Bundeswehr
  • It's Caeser adsum iam forte* from the Hat: Romans galore
  • Travis sends in his final Japanese squad, and some houses
  • And last, but by no means least, Mr Plowman has some WW2 Romanians for us to see. Very nice.

As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I'll update the Scorecard tonight.

Today's pictures:

Bundeswehr support from Egg

Blue Moose Ken's WW1 British. The thing about uniform is that it isn't!

WW2 Romanians from Ralph Plowman

Romans from Lloyd Bowler

ECW horse from Andrew Helliwell

*Translation:  Caesar had some jam for tea

TFL Painting Challenge: A Quick Thursday Update

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The sun is shining and it looks like being a glorious day, despite the fact that four inches of snow are apparently on the way.

But we don't care: not whilst there are figures to paint. Being snowed in has its advantages...

Today's entries into this year's TooFatLardies Painting Challenge are as follows:

  • Matt Slade with some wonderful 7TV robots, Avians and aliens, and Napoleonic casualty markers
  • John Haines attempts to keep Mrs May happy with three new houses...and some British AWI Dragoons!
  • More pyrates from Mr Burt
  • A teeny tiny entry from Mr Stoesen: stacked muskets
  • Treadhead has been a very naughty boy: the Monty Python Spanish Inquisition set and some Undead
  • It's Star Wars time for Chris Kay
  • Sapper strikes back with some French Dragoons
  • Travis Hiett adds to his WW2 Japanese force for Chain of Command in 28mm with some support weapons
  • Mervyn has been preparing for a 20mm imaginations campaign, and recycling old skirting boards into flight stands
  • And last but by no means least, Sapper has a jumbo entry: eight Ghaznavid elephants

As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I'll update the Scorecard tonight.

Today's pictures:

Just some of Matt Slade's robot women

"Nellie the elephant packed her trunk and said goodbye to the painting table"

Japanese 20mm AA gun from Travis

Mr Haines:  somewhere for the above to live!

Painting Challenge: Major Update (and Captain Impressive!)

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Seems like ages since I updated the Painting Challenge, but it's only been about a week. Must be all the work for the publication of the BEF handbook for IABSM yesterday that makes it seem longer. Anyway, to business: in today's update, in no particular order, we have:

  • Matt Slade with a cornucopia of colourful creatures
  • More 1/72 medievals from Andrew Helliwell
  • Some more terrain from Mr Stoesen
  • A big entry from Stumpy: Napoleonics and ACW
  • Blue Moose Ken has some lovely 28s to show us
  • There's a whole bunch of Modern vehicles from Chris Kay
  • Sapper strikes back with some French Dragoons
  • There's a cracking first entry from Travis Hiett: Lieutenant Tanaka's WW2 Japanese platoon in 28mm
  • And last, but not least, Derek is still at the Mad Max 20mm vehicles

As always, clicking on the name above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window) and I'll update the Scorecard tonight.

Today's pictures:

A cracking first entry from Mr Hiett

Mongol types from Blue Moose Ken

French Dragoons from Sapper

More modern cavalry:  Chieftains from Chris Kay

Would these stop the Chieftains? Some rather nice anti-tank guns from Mr Hodge.

Frenchies from Stumpy