Round 4 - Another Loss

Here is the entry I made for Round 4 of the Lead Painter's League, finished two weeks ago. We are currently in Week 6, and Week 7 is due Thursday night - I gotta get painting!

The figures are Khurasan 15mm, called "Control Battalion" by the manufacturer. I painted them up as an elite troop for one human faction. They are known as "Redcaps" for a rather nasty and murderous mythical figure.

I lost 343 - 117.

Here's the winner:

  I think in this case it was a matter of style and subject rather than quality of paint job which won the round. That is, I think my paint job was pretty well as good as his, for the subject painted. Although the pattern on the pants of the peasant fellow carrying the rice bundle is quite well done. The painter, "Drachenklinge," has offered a variety of samurai in the course of the competition. Nice work, and a gracious winner.

Cigar Box Battle Mats

  Ever since first seeing them offered, I have liked the look of the terrain mats manufactured by Cigar Box Battle Mats. However, I was apprehensive about the material used. Described as "High quality durable fleece" on their website, I wasn't sure exactly what that meant.Mental visions of the fluffy fleece blankets that my sons enjoy danced - unappealingly - in my head. I imagined the same difficulties with felt - the clinging nap of the cloth causing figures and bases to snag as they are moved, pilling of the surface, etc.

   This past weekend I had the opportunity to see one of the mats in person at our monthly get-together. One of the good fellows, Jim Johnson, late of the US Army and currently a great guy and a salesman of things which I don't exactly understand, brought along a Europe mat. I'm not sure which one, precisely, but pretty certain it was the 28mm scale version. Certainly 4'x6' in size. And I was very pleasantly surprised by the material. It's quite thin, and drapes well over bare hills placed underneath. It's soft, doesn't seem to hold creases badly, and lightweight. Best of all, the material used lacks the dreaded stick-catching nappy fibers of felts!

   The scene of the action - somewhere in a rather wet part of the North African desert. Coastal Cyrenaica, perhaps? A patrol of LRDG chaps must rescue a downed pilot from advancing Afrika Korps troops. In the end, they would have succeeded had we not run out of time. Played using Bolt Action rules.

   I'm not precisely in the market for a new mat. I made a few heavy duty canvas ones a couple of years ago which are still serving me well. But, I am very attracted to the pattern printed on these. I might prefer the "All Fields" rather than the road-printed versions, just for a bit more flexibility, but I am Quite Impressed. Might just pick one up at Historicon in July...

Happy Mexican Beer Day

Hellboy here seems to like the Tecate.

This may have something to do with his preference:

But I think this tastes better:

And almost anything is better than...

May the Fourth Be With You

Rounds 1, 2, and 3

Round 1: 15mm Chuhuac troops. That's an APC in the back. Oh, and a Firefly-class ship for a dropship. I won this round.

 Round 2: The 17th Lancers (Aerocavalry) - the "bug boys". I finished out a unit of ten. Victoria Miniatures Rough Riders mounted on Mage Knight Mechanical Dragonflies. I won this round.

Round 3: Federated States aerial forces. I lost this round. The bad focus on the picture didn't help - you can't see the individual planks picked out on the upper decks, for example.

The Daleks which Exterminated me in Round 3.

Nicely done!