We interrupt coverage of Huzzah for Challenge Swag!

Well my prize form the Analog Hobbies winter painting challenge arrived today.  These are Chaco Wars miniatures from Orinoco Miniatures .

 I have sixteen Paraguayans and sixteen Bolivians

 On the left is a loading Bolivian and to the right is an advancing Paraguayan.

I have not settled on what to do with these yet but I opted to forgo the British legion from the earlier wars of Libertation in order to have enough troops to make a respectable squad or two from both armies so I can use them for something.

Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge: Thank you.

I would like to take a moment to thank all of my readers who cast votes for me in the People's Choice portion of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.  I received a very flattering and humbling Honorable mention in the voting.  Its gratifying to know so many of you took the time to cast a vote.

Napoleonic Guard D'Argent one of my entries in the challenge

I also received a prize for the 2000 point level draw: "...one pack of each code in the Chaco Wars range, plus each pack of the British Legion in the Liberation Wars range.." I believe these are from the Orinoco Miniatures line and relate to wars in South America a topic I have little knowledge of but this will motivate some exploration.  I have some ideas about how to use these already but will keep that to myself for now.

Please drop by the challenge one last time to see all the very worthy winner: http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.ca/2015/04/5th-analogue-hobbies-painting-challenge.html

Vote for the People's Choice award in The Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge

OK fans so I told you I would be looking for your votes when this came along and now its time for you to do your part for me and the other contestants you followed in the challenge

From Curt:
Our final poll of the Challenge is for the People's Choice. The voting for this award is open to all those who visited the Challenge (yes, participants can join in as well) and were particularly impressed with what they saw. 

Using the poll on the right sidebar please feel free to vote for your top three entries. The vote is free form, meaning you can vote for an individual figure, a participant's body of work, a theme entry, etc.

Note that right side bar is on the link above and may take a moment to appear.  You can take a look at every thing I painted by following this link: AdamC

AdamC is my official challenge name so make sure you use it when you vote.

The Last Challenge Entry: One last anti-hero?

First of all thank you again to Curt for running the challenge and thank you to all of you who commented on my posts for your praise, critiques and suggestions I feel I have grown some as a painter over the last 100+ days as a results. My final subject is Robert E. Lee.

The moment I am portraying actually happened two to three times with variations in 1864-65. Robert E Lee ceased a regiments colors to rally troops who were falling back and on the verge of routing. The reaction of the troops was more or less the same on all three occasions. They rallied, angrily told Lee that they would hold (or counter attack) but only if he got to the rear.

On at least one of these occasions brigade or division officers also took part in persuading Lee to get out of harms way. On all three occasions Lee's intervention "saved the day" and the Army of Norther Virginia managed to hang on just a little longer. So that is my vignette Lee is reaching for the retreating soldiers flag while an officer tries to persuade him that this is not were an army commander should be.

Is Lee and Anti-hero? I myself am some what torn. Its hard to find much in his person that is not the model of 19th century masculinity. His resignation for the US army was just that and predated Virginia's succession. I for one can't really blame a man for thinking it his duty to defend his family and neighbours. He fought skilfully, honourably and never spared himself any hardship in the field. In the end he didn't try to prolong a war with needless guerrilla fighting that would have done nothing but add to the body count. Indeed after the Civil War he did nothing but encourage reconciliation. Yet there is the cause he defended which was slavery, it may not have been his personal motive but if Virginia had not had slaves his home state would never have seceded and would never have needed his defense. Ultimately I think Lee is an anti-hero a good man defending a wicked cause.

The figures are all Blue Moon 18mm figures. There are two mounted and one on foot. The Flag is a generic flag from War Flag.com.

Challenge Entry Bergepanther Recovery Vehicle

This is the tough and Ugly Berbpanther a German tow truck for tanks. I picked it up for use with my German armor in Flames of War

Mine didn't have crew included but I has lots left over so I added two I also added the tow cable though I am not 100% sure that is were it should hook up.

In addition to helping you armor get out of sticky situations in ditches, hedgerows and swamps this fellow actually has better armor than the StuGs and Panzer IVs I usually use so it might bounce a hit saving a tank that way form time to time.

Its a 15mm model with two passengers so another 8 points.

Challenge Entry: Confederate Command Stands

This week I am posting my final entries for the Painting Challenge.

These are some extra command stands for my Confederate Army for Longstreet.

Regiments come and go in Longstreet but you always get troops back but I like to have new regiments so I don't recycle the same regiments.


This is a Flag of the 21st Mississippi and a Mississippi state flag I the commander sort of reminds me on an illustration (probably highly imaginative) of Barksdale who commanded a Mississippi Brigade.

Here we have the 37th Alabama I like having higher numbered regiments as the campaign progresses give the sense that they are newly raised.

I thought the flag was quite sharp looking and I like having Confederate flags that are not the traditional St. Andrews cross most people imagine.

A South Carolina regiment the flag struck my fancy but I have not information regarding the regiment.

The Flags are all from an Issue 31 of Charge! its available at the War Gamer's vault.

Finally the 16th Tennessee Regiment. Tennessee contributed some 50 regiments to the Confederacy probably because it lay right in the path of invasion.

Since I didn't have any Tennessee regiments I figured I should add one to my mix.

ITS OVER!

Well the The Winter Challenge is over and I managed to finish 7th in a field that started with 72 participants. My final Score based on production with some small adjustment for quality was 2122 points.  Interesting point the DaveD who took the top spot was only 100 points or so shy of doubling my score!

Before looking at some number I wanted to share Curt's comment on my final entry :

It has been a delight having you part of the Challenge Adam. You completely embraced the event and have been one of its most enthusiastic participants - thank you for your participation and camaraderie. 

I swear I was blushing when I read that, had it been said in person I probably would have made a fool of myself.   The challenge has been a great experience and I cannot thank Curt enough for putting it together.

Now those stats for figures Painted (with representative picture)

ACE 160 (a mix of 15 and 18mm figures with the latter dominating)

Flames of war 172 figures

and 24 Vehicles (15mm)

Napoleonic War 68 Figures (28mm) and they are all GONE!

18th Century   57 figures (a mix of 15 and 18mm figures)

Fantasy 13 (mostly 28mm but one 32mm figure)

Dark Ages/Myth 39 (all 28mm figures)

Ships 12 (1/2400 scale)

That is a lot of painting for 100 or say days and it might have been even more the weather in February hadn't been so brutal.  There are some prizes including one you dear readers may vote on so stay tuned and hope I get lucky on the draws.

The Last Day

All good things come to and end an the Challenge wraps up today about 1 AM.

Its been great fun!  I got several new units painted for Flames of war.  Finished my Napoleonic troops! Painted up a whole new army of Dark age Warriors. I also have painted a bunch of ACW figures left over from when my Longstreet campaign wrapped up.  I have one more post pending and I am in 7th over all with 2107 points the last most should give me at least 12-15 more points.  I am very happy with were things are but I will be calling on you dear readers when the peoples choice voting opens up.  Some highlights form the Challenge: