'Empire' From DaveD - Beyond the reach of “Empire” (90pts )

This one sees a return of an old project . Of course what better than to see a return to a camel and the Mahdi ! Oh and a few mates. 

Those astute amongst you may recognise I have created this lad before . Whether he is an antagonist or a protagonist depends I guess on your point of view . However in 1884/5 he was definitely the nemesis of General Gordon and despite the greatest Empires  best efforts - well Wolesley could have tried harder - in 1884/5 the  Mahdi was successful in being beyond the reach of the British Empire and creating his own Khalifate empire across the Soudan that despite his own early death after the fall of Khartoum lasted until 1898 , until the British returned under Kitchener with Maxim guns and breechloaders . 

 

And with a little AI imagination 

I have  done all that I wanted to and much more with my own Sudan collection and most of it has been sold off , and some repurposed to the Back of Beyond . So why this new Mahdi?  Funny  there always seems to be a new leader emerging to make trouble / liberate a people or land and this new lad is part of a year long commission project for another mad friend SteveL . More of his followers will be around later in the challenge ( lots more… 😆) . He will be leading his forces once more in a great summer campaign - where he will get to destroy the French at Fashoda . 

Believe it or not it’s a few years since I have painted a camel and I enjoyed this one. A first stand of Ansar in Jibbah  for a while too , just to get my eye back in for them . 

Points :-

6 infantry = 30

1 mounted = 10 

Bonus round 50 

Total 90pts 

'Empire' From DaveV - 28mm Weyland-Yutani Starship Crew = 20 pts plus Bonus

For my second post of Challenge XVI, I finished four more figures for my ongoing Sedition Wars project; we have also played some skirmish games pitting Colonial Marines against Aliens and Predators.These figs are also useful for other sci-fi games such as Stargrave, Rogue Stars, or Galactic Heroes. (Note: I also highly recommend John Lamshead's Sci-fi Skirmish Scenarios as a source of fun gaming material.) These are figures wearing space suits from the fictional Weyland-Yutani Corporation, as seen in the movie ALIEN (1979). These are all 3D prints from Modest Minis Studio. One is armed with an M-41 pulse rifle, not standard issue for civilian spaceship crew in that cinematic universe. For painting references, I watched the movie and looked at photos of the costume worn by John Hurt.

Weyland-Yutani Corporation

In the various Alien vs. Predator properties, Weyland-Yutani had numerous non-manufacturing interests; it possessed extensive assets in interplanetary shipping and transport, and operated human colonies outside the solar system through the Extrasolar Colonization Administration. Weyland-Yutani was the only non-state entity to have a seat in the Three World Empire’s parliament. I suppose, similar to the historical East India Company, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation was shown to be willing to sacrifice human life in its pursuit of monetary profits, including the exploitation of indigenous species. These figures illustrate suits contemporaneous with the Corporation initiating human contact with the Xenomorphs, the Aliens in AvP.

Painting

After priming with GW Chaos Black, I used GW Corax White for quick zenithal highlights. For the main suit components I used various GW shades and contrast paints (including 4 different yellows, LOL!). The knee and elbow pads were sketched in using GW Seraphim Sepia. The verdigris-stained brass helmet, chest, and shoulder pieces were rendered in GW Agrax Earthsade and Coelia Greensade. I added further detailing (e.g. straps, lights, and knobs), highlights, and shadows with a few tube oil paints. I weathered the toolbox and the bases with a selection of GW, Secret Weapon, Army Painter, and Vallejo washes and powders.

Below, in an alternative timeline, four hapless crew investigate a Strain-infested space station, at the instigation of the evil corporation.

Scoring: Four 28mm figures = 20 points, plus any bonus points

'Empire' From GeoffT: Fifty shades of brown (490 points)

Hello Challengers.

Normally I paint small numbers of brightly coloured figures for skirmish games.  This year with change of bonus format, I’m taking the opportunity to bulk paint some figures.  Most seem to be brown.  Here we have a massive pile of brown figures, I got them second hand in a box labelled 1914 British.  They are 28mm in a variety of brands.  There seems to be gas mask wearing cavalry, trench raiders, lots of officers, dismounted cavalry and some guys with different hats.  Not being a button counter, I’m not sure I can validate they are all 1914, but also not being a button counter I’ll happily use them right through and into the interwar period anyway.

For those that have not already counted, there is 

70 x 28mm infantry = 350 points and 8 cavalry in 28mm for 80 points and 10 points for the MG.  With fifty points for an Empire theme should bring that to 490 points, just shy of half way to may annual target.

Now I need a palate cleanser, something not brown.

Kind Regards

'Empire' From GregB - Imperial Pike and Shotte for 30YW (170 points)

Pike and shotte infantry unit from Warlord Games' "Epic" 30YW range.

The "theme rounds" return, and this first theme round is one that worked well with my hobby interests. Too well, in fact, as I suddenly found myself starting a bunch of projects "because they would work great with the Empire theme round" and then, by diffusing my efforts, ensured I would hardly make any progress...sigh...anyway, I did get something done, albeit with a crutch that a number of the figures had been painted prior to the Challenge. Nonetheless, for the "Empire" theme I present a block of Imperial pike and shotte for the Thirty Years War - these are plastic figures from Warlord Games' "Epic" range. Hard to get more "Empire" than Hapsburg troops, ready to crush those absurd pre-Marxist protestants. 

One of the musket "sleeves". 

This period a "slow burn" project for me - sort of the hobby equivalent of a slow burning match cord, appropriate for the setting! I started in late 2023, experimenting with the "Epic" figures, and through the last edition of the Challenge I added another couple units and some artillery. 

View of the pike block. 

Pikes at the ready!

Some rear detail on the command group. Man...the flags are still a pain.

The "Epic" range from Warlord is a mixed bag overall - I find the ACW stuff to be pretty awful, while the Napoleonic stuff is interesting, but also frustrating because of where they opted to locate the command elements. But these 30 Years War guys...I think they pretty much nailed it! They have a nice mix of detail on the sculpts, and I really like how it looks - the pike units look really cool in particular. 

The other "sleeve".

Many people painting these models are able to make huge progress with speed paints etc. I am not one of them...I get hung up on the details. I want to make sure there are a few "exceptions" in every rank, that not every single hat or pair of gloves matches tc...it slows me down, but I like how it looks in the end. Oh well. 

"White Mountain, here we come!"

For scoring, there are 80 figures here. But as I noted at the outset, a number were painted prior to the Challenge getting under way, so only 60 of them will count for points. Add in the "theme round" bonus and this should work out to 170 points - a nice kick in the pants!

Now, what are the odds that a permanent 12-year-old like me would have anything for the "Toy Story" theme? Surely this would not cause further delay...

'Empire' From Iain W 28mm Black Tree Design Late Roman Infantry 100 points

First post and nice to be back having missed the last challenge, for the Empire round I have ten Late Roman Armoured infantry from Black Tree design that I picked up second hand at either Colours or Salute a while ago with lots of dark age figures, I bought some at Colours, had buyers regret at not buying more, so when the chap turned up at Salute I was able to buy the rest and move on! Nice figures to paint, individualy mounted on 1p pieces and then in a 120mm sabot tray, originaly for Dux Bellorum but probably for Midgard or maybe To the Strongest! although I still have a soft spot for Impetus that they would work well for too.

Primed black as I find that works well for armoured figures, chunky chaps, easy to paint with hand painted shields as per Dux Homunculorum of this parish who largely provided inspiration for this project, bit of a slow burner as his last blog post on it was 2015, how time flies!

Late Roman Empire troops to fulfil the Empire theme.

10 x 5 x 28mm is 50 plus the bonus round of 50 total 100

All the best

Iain 

'Empire' From JP - More Germans - Empire... or how to try and plunder it before it becomes one... (100 points)

 (READY  Saturday)    From JP:      More Germans - Empire... or how to try and plunder it before it becomes one...  (100 points)

My Cimbrians continue their steady procession down the northern boot of Italy. I am actually also working on early Saxon raiders as an end of Empire project, but wasn't sure of the deadline...

View out our back window on Wednesday... This is Belgium?!  At this rate it'll feel like I'm living back in Winterpeg :-)

So, another unit of angry, blue eyed barbarians, looking for trouble:

Points:

10 x 28mm Foot    = 50 points

Empire                   = 50 points

                                100 points

As ever, all comments and advice more than welcome!

Cheers!

JP

'Empire' From John B - Theme - Empire - falling Hungarians on both sides! 1/72 scale (48pts total)

Happy New Year to you all, I have been busy reading lots of interesting AHPC16 posts and managed at least to get off the mark over Christmas.Today is my first bonus theme entry - EMPIRE.

I have chosen some 1848 Hungarians who started the year as loyal subjects of the Austrian Empire before the year of revolutions pitched Hungarians against Austrians and their allies while at the same time some loyal Hungarian units were busy subduing the 1st Italian Unification War rebels in the Piedmont and Venetia regions.

The figures are Hat 1/72 scale and in fact are their first NEW sets in quite a long time for this period. They came out in 2025. So the first theme of the challenge was a very convenient excuse to paint some up. I chose the marching box figures. You can get another set entitled "action". Now these figures are unusual in that the back packs, bottle and scabbard etc. come separately moulded. And the quick witted will have noticed one guy has let the side down with his gear halfway down his back! How did I miss that I wonder!

I normally stick my figures in the dishwasher (top shelf) to clean them, if its about to run and then prime using Vallejo white in this case. Mostly VJ paints used this time although citadel sometimes pop in - but no contrasts used here. I did mix a couple of blue and blue greys together to get the blue trouser colour.

My standard basing is from the now venerable Warhammer Battles rulebook which came complete with figure painting guide and suggested use of bird grit for a textured surface. (I have one litre of the stuff and its still going ten years on!) Then I use craft paints - burnt sienna base, dry brush any ochre and finally yellow white (both of these colours are house paint samples (again they last a long time so good value). I use gamers grass tufts - 6mm green here.

My rules preferences for mid 19th Century warfare are Field of Battle, Neil Thomas, Fire and Fury etc. So 4 bases each 40mm square do the job. I started these minor projects as cheap as possible so opted for only three figures a base. They work for me.

My points calculation is therefore 12 figures 20mm rated at 4 points each = 48 TOTAL POINTS My final offering on this submission is a flag. I knocked it up quickly but it does the job and as its a rebel flag they can be rough :). Now for the quandry - I actually painted the unit as the 19th Regiment Carl Schwarzenburg (white buttons and light blue facings). Trouble is no regiments in blue facings rebelled so these are a fraud!

They served in the Italian campaign under the redoubtable Marshal Radetsky. My blog - the wargaming erratic has a nice post including some suitable martial music. So there you go An Empire in decline, yet with excellent music. Of course it gets better with the blue danube also by strauss celebrating defeat by the Prussians in 1866!!!

'Empire' From Kerry T- Is the bow mightier than the sword (290 points plus terrain)

Morning, afternoon & evening all

I'm not sure if its my inherent Western bias but initially I felt I was struggling to find a theme for Empire until I remembered my Arab armies. 

I suppose when I think of historical empires then the words Roman, British & Napoleon seem to spring to mind. To paraphrase an osprey " the dramatic eruption of Arab peoples from Arabia after their adoption of the Muslim faith in the 7th Century remains one of the most extraordinary events in world history. By the end of the century they ruled a state that stretched from the Atlantic to India, from Southern Arabia to Central Asia covering an area far greater than that of the Roman Empire"

The Reconquista (1050 to 1492) was the struggle to rest control of Spain from the remnant of that Arab empire.

The figures I've painted are all 3D prints from Reconquer designs with the background walls from the Printable Scenery Port Winterdale Ramparts and Ruins range. I bought these and printed them off more than a year ago. My intention in getting these was to have some terrain/ city walls suitable for Southern France, Spain & Italy so being very different in appearance from the more classic castles of the Western European/Norman era 

The figures are Berber horse archers and Military order nights from Reconquista. The horses in this range are a joy to paint. The knights are painted to represent the Knights of the Order of Santiago whose initial function was to provide safety for pilgrims visiting holy cites in Spain . The bows on the Berbers are pretty fragile and 2 broke during basing so I decided to use wire spears for the knights lances rather than risk more breakages.

I painted the walls late this afternoon and am typing and taking photos as quickly as I can to meet the deadline. 

Fortification dimensions are 120 cms long, 8cms wide with the walls being 11cms wide. 2 towers are 24 cms high and 2 are 21cms high. I've not painted the inside of the towers only giving them a basic initial coat. I'm not sure but at some stage I may give this a wash but I was afraid to do this today in case I ruined them 

  

So in summary

12 Berber Archers @ 10 points = 120 points

12 Knights of Santiago @ 10 points = 120 points

Theme Bonus = 50 points

Not sure how much the terrain is worth and would value Byron's advice

2 squirrels I think

Many thanks

Valleyboy