'Empire' From Barks: The Emperor of Mankind (60 points)

 "He says he's the Emperor Himself, off the Golden Throne to tour His Imperium and visit His subjects. He's touched in the head, of course, but harmless and we humour him for a laugh. Throne help him if the Redemption fails to see the funny side..."

For my Guards of Traitor's Toll... in Space idea, I need a lot of citizens from all walks of life and got some Wargames Atlantic fantasy townsfolk. This box has a load of figures and heads and accessories. I liked the idea of a beggar's body and a crowned head. The Emperor of Mankind can walk about the board giving sage advice. He's tolerated by other citizens, but can get caught up in crime.

I also painted this figure, the Archivist from Colony 87 by Crooked Dice. I ran out of room to write Provocatio (Latin for The Challenge) on the front, but there is a XVI and a skull on the rear monitor.

2x 28mm figures inspired by the stagnant Imperium of 40K (10+50 points)

+1 skull

'Empire' From BillA - The King and Queen of Yaxchilan (Empire Theme, 60 pts)

When I saw "Empire" as one of the theme rounds, I realized that I already had figures primed and in my queue for the AHCP that would work well. These are very limited edition figures that my friend Chris had sculpted and cast to celebrate his Facebook group for wargaming conflicts among the ancient Maya reaching 500 members; only 100 sets were cast, and each comes with a little laminated certificate. He was kind enough to gift me set # 52, and as far as either one of us are aware, this is only the fifth painted set in the world. He still has 48 sets left if anyone reading this decides they're interested. 

These figures represent King Itzamnaaj Balaam III, "Shield Jaguar," and his aunt/wife Lady Xoc of the city-state of Yaxchilan. Shield Jaguar was born sometime in 647 CE, and assumed the throne on the 23rd of October, 681, reigning until his death on June 15th, 742 - dying at the age of 94-95, and reportedly having still led troops into battle into his 80s. His marriage to his aunt was likely done for political reasons, to cement support for his reign among the nobility. His named heir, Bird Jaguar IV, was born to his second wife, Lady Eveningstar, and a ten-year succession struggle took place following Shield Jaguar's death between the families of Lady Xoc and Lady Eveningstar before Bird Jaguar eventually took the throne.

These figures are specifically sculpted based on the image of Shield Jaguar and Lady Xoc that appears on Lintel 24, a spectacular piece of carved limestone commissioned by Lady Xoc for a building that was probably her private home; the Lintel currently resides in the British Museum, and is considered one of the best examples of Mayan art, showcasing the king and queen with minimal abstraction and a high degree of realism. 

By Michel wal (Own work), CC BY-SA 3.0

Lady Xoc is depicted kneeling in the midst of a sacred bloodletting ritual - having pierced her tongue with a stingray spine, she now draws a thorn-studded cotton rope through the opening. The rope absorbs the blood and channels it down to a box of paper sheets on the ground in front of her. The bloody paper will be burned and the will of the gods divined from their smoke. This sort of ritual was normally restricted to the king himself, so her being shown performing it shows just how much political and religious power she wielded. 

King Shield Jaguar holds high a torch, illuminating his wife as she performs this ritual. 

You'll notice they're on 40mm bases; as I'd noted in my previous post with Maya figures, I'm looking at Mana Press' game "Tribal" to use these with. King Shield Jaguar is on a 40mm base per the rules' suggestion for placing a warband's leader on a larger base, while Lady Xoc is on one for her to serve as an objective token for the game's scenario generator. I've built Shield Jaguar's base up with a few layers of cork and also added a bit of plastic foliage, tying him in to the jungle terrain I built in 2025. 

While Yaxchilan was not an empire, nor were the Maya people particularly unified at the time King Shield Jaguar reigned, he and Lady Xoc do represent a step on the road to empire, culminating in the Mayan trade empire centered on the city of Chichen Itza in the 10th century, so I feel comfortable counting them as my "Empire" bonus round entry. 

Two 28mm miniatures plus the 50 bonus points for a bonus round comes to 60 points. No additional Squirrel points added to my total at this time.

Squirrel Points: 2 (Modern Horror, Maya) 

'Empire' From ByronM - Fallen Roman Temple

For this first theme round of the challenge I kept trying to come up with a model for the rise or fall of an empire. In the end I found a piece of terrain that I have had kicking around for 5 plus years, left unpainted in a tub in the garage, a Roman temple that came with the Gangs of Rome game.  I figure this temple could either be in a state of construction or a state of dis-repair during the fall of the Roman Empire, and would therefore be perfect for either possibility for the Theme week.

This is a simple MDF kit that came with the base game kit.  It is a nice kit with quite a bit of detail.  I chose to paint it up to look a little more in a state of repair that new and shiny and being built.

 Overall it was a very simple model to paint as I airbrushed it grey, then shaded with the airbrush as well.  After that I did some quick drybrushing and edge highlighting, and painted the inside with a run down plaster look.

While simple, I think it works well.

As for points, that's up to you Curt.  While fairly big at 7 1/2" across and 6" tall (and therefore under the old system for terrain scoring would have scored almost 20 points) it took only a few quick hours, so if I was to score it in the new terrain system I would probably give it between 8 and 10 points depending how I felt that day, but you score it as you feel is appropriate. 

 

'Empire' From ChrisW: Miscellaneous figures & empire theme (210 points)

 

My first post of AHPC XVI

I am happy to be back in the challenge and happy to finally post up something. This year I have the same goal as I did in my first challenge, to paint up all of my Back of Beyond stuff. Well in that first challenge I painted up two figures and a few vehicles. So three years later I am starting off with 12 Chinese Warlord figures, a massive increase in production, who knows maybe this will be the year! 😏 

Now this years challenge has started with a personal challenge as my back has been giving me some trouble, especially when sitting and painting. So while I am keen to paint stuff, I look at my painting area with rather mixed emotions, that whole pleasure/pain battle. 

At any rate I have gone through the first season, and 6 episodes of  season two, of  Babylon 5 (my usual background noise to start any major painting project) and I have emerged with a mix of items.

 First up I have 6 Foundry gladiators. [30 points] 

In an earlier AHPC I did quite a few of these and thought myself done with this genre, but these were at a really low price at a bring and buy (along with two chariots) and well I could not refuse. Now these are relatively recent acquisition, maybe only a year or two ago, unlike so much else that I hope to paint this year.

Five male gladiators and one female gladiator in the back row.

Next some Epic 40K Orc vehicles and Squigoths. [42]

So these are, of course, very old models. I picked most of these up during the 'the great sell off' of Epic miniatures back when GW decided to terminate the line. Many of them have sat in a box or up on a shelf still wrapped in their blister packs. A buddy of mine kept looking at them and rattling off what money they would bring in such mint condition. None of that for me it is only mon-nn-yyy, who needs that...No, I would rather have the 'joy' of trying to paint such small things at the age of 65.  

It seems to me that all these figures were just waiting for contrast/speed (etc) paints to come along. While these types of paints certainly help a lot I have not found them to be the one coat solution. But they get one started!

Some of the Imperial guard vehicles had been painted before (a pair of old Bane Blades & the 6 Gorgons) but I completely redid them for this challenge.

Eight Squigoths

The big guys, Battlewagons!

Epic 40K Imperial Guard [28]

These are some of the oldest minis that I have

Baneblades, original (blue and yellow) & later fancier models

 Now we journey to the Back of beyond for some Chinese Warlord troops [60]

So, that is it for this post. I have decided to take a little more of a relaxed approach to this years challenge. In the past I have been a little crazed, trying to get as much as I could get done each week, staying up far to late to try and max out on production, but not this year. I may not even have stuff ready to post every week, who knows? 

Painted figure points are: 160

• 90 points for 18x 28mm figures 
• 70 points for 35x 6mm vehicles

Then there is the Empire theme round bonus of 50 points

So a total of 210 points.

Also, this week I count 3 squirrels.

Gladiators base figures, then three others...

1. Epic Orcs
2. Epic Imperial
3. Warlord Chinese

Then one female figure (not certain if we are tracking that this year)

'Empire' From DallasE: Sisters of Battle Predator/Castigator (Empire) (70 points)

                                      

OK here's the second Challenge entry from me, and there's a bit of a backstory...  

                                      

Many years ago (2012 to be exact) I was working hard on a Rogue-Trader-style Howling Griffons Space Marine project. I used a bunch of MKI Rhinos for transports, and I'd done one up as a Predator. Unfortunately I didn't have sponsons to put on that model and although Predators needn't necessarily have sponson-mounted weapons... they just don't look quite right without them.

Sometime later I lucked into two Rhino track units and sponson-mounted heavy bolters. Although I did have some other spare Rhino bits like hatches and a rear panel, unfortunately I was missing a very important component - the hull itself. "No problem, I'll scratchbuild that out of plasticard" I thought, and so I did. And there it sat in my cupboard, unpainted and unloved.

While looking for something else the other day (does ANYONE know where my unpainted metal Daemonhost, last seen in 2013, went??) I came across the model and had an idea - "I should paint this!" (radical, I know). I have lots of Howling Griffons Rhinos and none of my other Space Marine armies are in desperate need of a MKI Predator... but it occurred to me that this model would go great in my classic Sisters of Battle army. While the Sisters of Battle army list from the edition we play (5th) never included a Predator per se, our group is pretty relaxed about this kind of thing, especially since it's generally me that sets up and hosts the games. And the current list includes a vehicle called a "Castigator" that is also built on a Rhino hull and is armed with an autocannon, sponson heavy bolters, and a pintle storm bolter/heavy bolter, which is exactly what we have here. "Close enough for Adeptus Ministorum work," as they say.

So with the decision made to paint this as a Sisters tank, I noticed that the hull I'd built years before was a bit wonky, so I tore it apart and made a new one for it that passes much better for the original. I found a few bits to stick on the hull top, fitted a storm bolter, a Sisters of Battle front hull emblem and the last of my purity seals from Chaostemple.cz and GW, and the vehicle was ready for paint! I painted it in my typical Sisters style of course: black undercoat, panel highlights in Dark Rubber, edge highlights Celestra Grey, metal parts and tracks Leadbelcher washed with Nuln Oil, and dirt weathering with Rhinox Hide/AK Dark Brown/Steel Legion Drab. I also handpainted the fleur-de-lys insignia on the rear hull.

The Chaostemple purity seals are great, they're cast metal so you can mold them how you like, unlike plastic or resin ones. Decals are from the GW Adepta Sororitas and Imperial Tank sheets. 

You might notice a bit of greenstuff work on the turret. This is a GW turret but there were parts missing, including the turret floor and hatch... so some scratchbuilding was done to fix that too, back in 2012 or so.

 

I almost forgot one of the most important additions here! That's the Wargames Exclusive gothic headlights - they are great aren't they? I have 'em on all of my Sisters vehicles.

Storm bolter mount needed a bit of carving up to fit.

Here's three Sisters with the Predator. My plan in getting this done was to use it in the New Year's Day game I host for our group, the game this year being a 40K 5th edition matchup between the Sisters and Orks - pretty much all vintage GW models in both armies. We had a great time playing the game (Orks won, 5vp to 3 - the battle report is now up on our blog) and enjoyed some delicious Red Swan pizza and beer afterwards. That's how a New Year's Day should be spent!

As for the theme, well the Sisters of Battle are part of the Adeptus Ministorum, the "religious" arm of the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, so I reckon that suits "Empire" pretty much exactly.

Points: 28mm vehicle, 20 points

Empire bonus: 50 points

Total: 70 points