'Reconnaissance' from AdamC: Invisible Adventuring Party

Welcome to my more or less blatant point grab for 50 points.  A crew of 5 invisible adventures, this would be a typical game scenario back in the day. King such and such is worried about a "situation" you guys go check it out.  So the Party would memorize spells or grab potions of Invisibility and off we would got to do some recon on said situation.

The figures are form Bones III and are done in clear resin.  I didn't really like this look so I tried to you a blue ink wash to give them some definition (and so I could say I had "painted" them)

IN some cases it work out nicely like the wizard here who has exactly the sort of look I wanted.

You can see the details fo the figure but it still looks mostly clear.

Other just look... messy I've tried cleaning and redoing these but got the same results (more or less). Any way I present them to you.  At lese the Wizard figure looks nice. I'll take what ever points Curt wants to give for the figures (I would give myself 1 or 0 for the lot) and just take my 50 Bonus points.  Suggestions on how to fix these guys are welcome.

'Reconnaissance' from AndrewE: Rebel Commando Team

I've recently started collecting the awesome range of Star Wars Legion models but not quite getting around to painting them.  What better way to start my first ever painting challenge entry off with than a reconnaissance patrol of rebel commandos for the bonus as well.

Originally I was going to work on the imperial Scout Trooper models for the recon challenge, but then the Wookies came out and I knew I had to work on a rebel force instead.  As a start I've put together a small sniper team, with a couple of full units of commandos and Wookies to follow.

It took a bit of playing around to get a nice camo pattern going that wasn't just "everything is green" for the contrast.  In the end I went for two shades of green (uniform and then cloak) with sponged patches of colour on the cloak to bring the disruptive camo pattern to the model.

Overall they have turned out quite nicely I think.  The Mon Calamari skin was a bit of a challenge to get the right shades so they didn't look too lobster pink or fluro orange, but I think they have turned out nicely.

'Reconnaisance' from AlanD: Soviet Scouts

For the Recce Bonus Round, I present a unit of Soviet Scouts from 1945 in 15mm.

The six-man squad is riding in a captured and repainted German Sdkfz 251, one of the nice plastic kits from Battlefront. I painted this German Dunkelgelb, then resprayed it in Russian green and chipped off a little of the paint so the Dunkelgelb shows through. There are also a few traces left of the winter whitewash showing - this veteran crew has been in action since winter 1944-5.

The figures are mainly Skytrex, although there is a Battlefront figure in amoeba-pattern camouflage overalls manning the DP machine gun behind the gun shield at the front. There is also a PSC driver, but you can't see him, which is annoying, because I converted a German driver so that he is wearing a Soviet tanker helmet. I had a lot of fun posing all the figures and fitting them in. The slogan reads 'Death to Fascism'.

Scouts of course need something to scout, so I've completed this entry with a terrain base for my continuing projects of urban ruins. Painting the chequerboard tiling in one of the buildings did my head in.

As for points, 6 infantry (ignoring the invisible driver!) and a 15mm vehicle gives me 20 points. The terrain measures 11 x 8 inches so maybe another 20? I bow to Curt's wisdom.

Many thanks to Paul O'G for the sepia snapshot of the unit in action!

'Reconnaissance' from AlexK: Recon

Hi everyone,

  This is my first post for this years challenge and I've doubled up by getting an early bonus round post in. Now on to the figures, these are two of my favourite AFVs (Only wargamers will have a favourite tank, just try and drop that question into casual conversation at work and see the looks you get!) a Sd.Kfz 231 8-rad and a Sd.Kfz 222 both in 15mm. These will be part of my recon platoon when playing Battlegroup Overlord and Chain of Command.

I went for the ambush camo pattern which turned out to be quite laborious, but if any unit would need it most I guess it'd be these guys.



I tried not to go overboard with the weathering, just a touch of mud on the wheels and skirts.

The 8-rad is from the plastic soldier company whilst the 222 is a Zvezda kit, both kits when together really easily and were a nice and easy paint job.



'Reconnaissance' from Barks: Rein and Raus

One of my goals for this Challenge is to get through my shiny new Blackstone Fortress set. It is a a bit of a struggle as all the figures are hyperdetailed.

Here's two of the characters, the deserter ratling sniper twins Rein and Raus. I painted them like classic 'Eavy Metal/ 95th Rifles, which was fun. Fittingly, they're festooned with food including an apple, loaf of bread, sausages, and a small fridge!

'Reconnaissance' from BenF: 6mm Cold War Recce Troops

So for the Recce bonus I'm keeping in line with my theme so far in the challenge of 1984 Cold War Gone Hot. These are various reconnaissance troops for my 6mm forces.


First off it's a soviet Recce (or Razvedchiki) bonanza. This is a BRDM-2 RKh NBC reconnaissance vehicle. The coloured bits at the rear are flags used to mark out contaminated areas - Yellow for chemical, red for radioactive. This vehicle is a Heroics and Ros sculpt.

Next, it's a regular BRDM-2, a PT-76, and a UAZ-469, all for the elite Morskaya Pekhota (or Naval Infantry). These guys, with their black dress uniforms worn over iconic blue and white sailors shirts, and with their history of bravery and ferocity in the Great Patriotic War were the elite of the soviet armed forces. I've almost finished a load of them for a regular entry, but rushed out the recce vehicles for the bonus round. The PT-76, UAZ, and naval infantryman are Heroics and Ros, the BRDM is GHQ.

Finally for the Russkies, it's a dinky little Mi-2 Hoplite reconnaissance helo. While unarmed, this little fella can be used as an airborne forward observer. Again, this is Heroics and Ros, with rotor disc from Hurlbat.

Next up, some of the NATO troops. This is a West German Spähpanzer Luchs, the 8 wheeled armoured reconnaissance car and eyes and ears of the german Panzers. It's a GHQ sculpt with homemade camo using the 'foam and superglue' method.

Finally, another dinky little helo, this is a Bo 105 VBH observation helo. The 105 is made by Messerschmitt, and was used primarily as an Anti-Tank helo in the Bundeswehr, though some were fielded as airborne observers and general utility vehicles - which is what this little guy represents. Again, the vehicle is Heroics and Ros with a Hurlbat rotor, and a iron cross decal by Flight Deck Decals.

That's it for my first bonus entry, going by usual scoring this is 7 vehicles (14 points) and one infantry man (.5 points), that's outside of the bonus points.

'Reconnaissance' from BenitoM: British Armour Leading Forward

My project for this Bonus Round will have a very British flavour and of course related to my WW2 British Airborne project this year. Let me introduce you my trio for this round.

The first is a Humber Car, widely used by the armoured divisions in the roles of command vehicle and also for scout purposes. In this case, the model is representing the vehicle of  Brigadier J.O.E. Vandeleur (aka Michael Cane), who led the spearhead of the XXX Corps across the infamous Hell’s Highway in Holland September 1944.

The model has the marks of the 3^rd Battalion Irish Guards (32^nd Guards Division) who together with the 2^nd Armoured Battalion Irish Guards were the leading elements of advance towards Eindhoven, Nijmegen and finally (failed) Arnhem.

 

This model is a resin + metal kit from Warlord Games and will be part of my support elements of the British Airborne platoon.

The second model for the bonus round is this Cromwell tank.

The tank has the markings of the Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment of the 11^th Armoured Division (Black Bulls) and the white cirlce in the turret indicates that it belongs to the C Squadron. 

This is the Warlord plastic kit (the resin has been discontinued) and although presenting good detail, generally I still prefer the Rubicon models (sadly no Cromwells yet in their catalogue).

The Cromwell will also represent my first entry (not the last!) for the What a Tanker! contest (hi Rich, hi Nick).

My breakfast mug for those really hard working days

My third and last entry for the bonus round is the eponymous Willys jeep of the famous 1^st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron led by Major Gough. This was the first unit to engage in combat with the Germans defenders a few hours after glider-landing, failing to achieve its key objective, the bridge at Arnhem over the Rhine river.

The jeep depicts the well-known “Mickey Mouse” camouflage pattern used by the British and shown in many contemporary photos of the Market Garden   operation.

The model is a superb resin and metal kit made by Warlord, which include the four-man crew as presented here and a nice decal sheet of the 1^st Airborne.

In addition to painting, the most challenging aspect of this entry for me has been untangling and understanding how the British war-era vehicles marking systems worked, especially for the lighter vehicles.

After much researching and gazing in Internet I found a couple of interesting sites that I share now you.

The first is a real and amazing trove of information called “Arnhem Jim”, curated by a  retired US Naval officer. In 2012 he posted a very detailed and well research report on how the Bren Carriers and the Jeeps brought by the British Airlanding Division were marked. Lots of original sources and contemporary photos, quite inspiring to provide authenticity for a project like mine.

The second source is this short but very clarifying video in YouTube made by Fog of War called Understanding British Vehicle Markings.

Finally, the Flames of War website  has extensive documentation about the different British Armour units like for example the post on the 11th Armoured Division linked here.

All models have been painted using my recently acquired skills with the airbrush, a fantastic tool to reach a new painting level; I know airbrushing can be fearsome for many but I can assure you that it is easier than you may think and, if I regret something, is not to have tried it before. 

These models also have been my first attempt to use AK pigments for the weathering phase. I may have gone too far is some cases but I found the final result to be more "natural" than my previous attempts with piants using the dry-brushing technique. As with the airbrush, I strongly advise wargame painters to test and experiment with the pigments, don't be afraid. 

Finally, my score for this entry would be calculated as follows:

Bonus round 50 points

Humber 20 points

Cromwell  20 points

Airborne Jeep 20 points + 4 x 5 points crew = 40

Total: 130 points

I don't know if the trailer and the tank and Humber crews will also merit addditional points, so I'll leave this to the discretion of Lord Campbell of the Snow.

I hope you enjoy the work presented today and find the references useful for some of your projects.

'Reconnaissance' from BillA: The Liche's Bloodhounds

The region known as the Barrowmoors is best avoided by honest travelers.  Low, rolling hills hide dangerous bogs and marshes in the hollows between them, invisible until you step into one and find yourself sinking.  The constant fog makes travel even more dangerous.  Worse still, the ancient cairns that dot the Barrowmoors don't always remain sealed and quiet; the preserved remains of a long-dead wizard, known simply as the Liche, rules over the Barrowmoors.  In his bony hands, it is a kingdom of the dead, defended by soldiers who fell in battle centuries ago, risen up by the Liche's sorcery. 

Often the first sign that one is nearing the Barrowmoors is the echoing howls of the Bloodhounds - undead dogs that can run tirelessly forever, driven on by their skeletal handlers.  Packs of these hounds patrol the Barrowmoors, and it is said that they can sniff out a living victim more readily than any live dog could. 

For the "Reconaissance" bonus round I was honestly stumped for a bit as to what to do.  I'd originally considered submitting my Bidowers, but decided that wouldn't be fair after initiating the Rampant challenge.  Digging into my project pile I found two blisters from Reaper Miniatures: #02079 "Komray, Dogs of War" and #03432 "DHL Classics: Undead Hounds," which reissued just the dogs from the earlier blister.  So now I had a handler and six dogs. 

I have an Undead army that I use for Dragon Rampant (or would, if anybody around here played), and the backstory of that army is that they defend the foggy, dangerous moorland that their master the Liche has claimed for his own.  It immediately clicked for me that the Liche would use these zombie dogs to patrol his land in search of foreign (living) interlopers, and their howls could serve to alert the rest of the army that enemies had been discovered.  Perfect for "Reconaissance"!

first trio of dogs

second trio of dogs