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It's that time again! Over the last month, entrants have submitted minis with no overarching theme, a chance to really flex their creative muscles. And now, as always, it's time to vote for the winners.

As always, you can vote for as many entries you like, for any reason, be that the quality of the paintjob or conversion, the choice of model or the effort or ambition on show. You are also enuraged to leave some feedback for the entrants if you wish, and many of the images click through to the Dakka gallery to be voted on there as well.

Without further ado, the entrants:

ZoBo: The White Dwarf, Christmas Edition


Nevelon: Roboute Guilliman


queen_annes_revenge: Angron, The Red Angel


SirOllox: Great Unclean One



Tyranid Horde: Afrika Korps Panzer


KernelTerror: Chaos Monster


Nevelon Jr: Salamanders Reiver


Ezki: Looted Dreadnought


Deadshot: Deathwatch Kill Team


JustALittleOrkish: Cyber-armadillo


ZergSmasher: Space Wolves Characters


DV8: Old Man



Midget Gems: The Grots Stole Christmas


Captain Brown: Adeptus Sororitas Seraphim


WishWarGaming: Chaos Lord of Nurgle


Jjohnso11: Space Wolf Lieutenant


Elbows: Rogue Trader


Suzuteo: Mechanicus Priest


Modock: Hellcat and Line Kazaks



Brother Castor: Space Marine Captain


vejut: Werewolf


Paradigm: Meloda, Warrior-Queen


Jadenim: Imperial Silos


dukeofbeer: Joan of Arc


Chris56: ‘Master Blaster’ Goblin and Troll


feltmonkey: Blood Bowl Skaven


Maharg: Space Marine


Power Elephant: Infinity trooper

Some really good entries this round, I'm not saying who I voted for but it was really hard to pick them! I'll write up some comments for all later on!

I'm a sucker for clean, crisp paintwork, so Feltmonkey, Modock (your speed and consistency is astounding), and Queen_Annes_Revenge take my vote. Well done, guys.

Makes me wish I'd spent more time on mine :/

Voted for the Old Man. It's a good combination of silliness and seriousness and I like it the most.

Amazing entries. Voting was definitely not easy.

probably not going to be the last time I vote for picts of weird old men on the internet ... /sigh

Voted for Tyranid Horde, Ezki, DV8, Modock and Paradigm. I was a bit dissapointed by Chris56, you usually do much better than this imo.

I think I just voted for about half of them

Some really great entries but Modock's Hellcat and Kazaks were my favourites.

I voted for a good eight or nine I think, more than usual. And I even voted for a piece of terrain, which is a first. Some good entries all around.

Wow, so many good entries, it was hard to choose who to vote for. While I did keep it down to 5 votes as per usual for me, instead of saying who I voted for, I'll comment on everyone's entries:

ZoBo: Very thematic entry for December. You should totally turn it into a Christmas ornament and put in in your tree next year!

Nevelon: Very solid work on Bobby G. He's a tough model to make look good (I should know; I made the same attempt in 2017), but you got him to a decent standard to lead your Ultramarines into battle.

queen_annes_revenge: Angry Ron looks, well, angry! And that's exactly how he should look! The gritty, weathered style you've got going on really works for him.

SirOllox: Very nasty-looking Great Unclean One. You did a great job picking out all the detail on the model. I can almost smell him!

Tyranid Horde: Nice to see someone doing something historical in the middle of all this sci-fi and fantasy stuff. The weathering is absolutely phenomenal on this tank!

KernelTerror: This monster is certainly eye-catching, and you did pretty good picking out all the little details on it. Chaos stuff is supposed to look strange, so it's nice to see someone embrace that side of it.

Nevelon Jr.: Nice job on the Reiver! The Salamanders scheme looks great on a Primaris marine, and the little pouches and stuff on the belt are really well done.

Ezki: Ah, Orks, always looting stuff. Model looks great in those colors. The paint chipping is really well-done especially.

Deadshot: Those models are crisp and cleanly painted. They'd look even better with finished bases, though.

JustALittleOrkish: This is the kind of model I love to see in these challenges; it's quirky and offbeat, not something you see every day. Nicely painted too. I'm curious as to what game system it would be used for?

ZergSmasher: I admit, I could have probably done better. I'm pretty happy with how the Thunderwolf mounts turned out, but I kind of rushed the actual guys, and I'm still getting the hang of adding snow to bases.

DV8: The Old Man is creepy and yet awesome at the same time. Extremely well painted for sure.

Midget Gems: Wow, you knocked it out of the park yet again with another Orkmas diorama. This might be your best one yet!

Captain Brown: Very cool idea to convert your own Geminae Superia from metal Seraphim models. They turned out pretty good!

WishWarGaming: I love the conversion work; the Lord of Contagion head is perfect on this model, and the scratchbuilt (I assume?) pipe things on his back are well done too. The base is probably the best thing though; looks nasty as befitting a follower of the Father of Plagues.

Jjohnso11: I love that you did this model after I did him last month, especially since you went with the helmet where I went with the bare head. Yours turned out really well!

Elbows: Janus Draik looks great, but I kind of wish there were more photos showing other angles on the model.

Suzuteo: Nice conversion, with good choices for what parts to use. I think some of the photos must be malfunctioning, because only one is displayed.

Modock: Yet more great Infinity stuff! I am envious of your ability to pick out such small detail. I haven't even started trying to paint my own Infinity models yet; I'm not sure my skills are up to it yet.

Brother Castor: Crisp, clean paintjob. Only minor quibble would be that the cloak should be a different color from the armor to help make both parts pop more.

Vejut: Pretty solid work on the Werewolf. Some closer photos would have been nice, but I can still see that the skin is pretty well done.

Paradigm: That girl looks like she belongs in Braveheart or something! Seriously awesome work!

Jadenim: I never thought pieces of terrain would ever really impress me, but I'm happy to be proven wrong. The weathering is absolutely amazing on those; they'll look great on a gaming table, especially if the other terrain looks this good.

dukeofbeer: Wow, that turned out really amazing. Especially the face; it almost looks like a real person!

Chris56: This is a pretty cool-looking model. I love the colors on the troll!

feltmonkey: Skaven are the team I'd probably run if I was to play Blood Bowl, and yours look really good! The lines in the grass on the bases are a nice touch.

Maharg: Purple and pink are interesting colors for a Space Marine, and you managed to make them look good!

Power Elephant: I love the color scheme you used for this Tiger Soldier. That might be my favorite model from the Red Veil starter, so now I have some inspiration for when I get around to painting mine.

Everyone did pretty good on their entries; there weren't any that were totally bleh. Shout out to Paradigm as always for running these challenges; I know it must take a lot of effort, so I think I speak for everyone here when I say we appreciate it. See you all in the January challenge!

Very nice to see such a diverse set of entries. Good job guys.

Thanks for the comments and votes!

I voted for.

ZoBo
Nevelon
queen_annes_revenge
Tyranid Horde
Ezki
DV8
Midget Gems
WishWarGaming
Paradigm
Jadenim
Chris56
feltmonkey
Maharg
Power Elephant

Thanks for all the nice comments guys, I'm really pleased with how those tanks turned out.

I voted for 8-9, but the award for "model I would never have expected to vote for" is Maharg's pink and purple space marine; I've seen those colours use for Slaneeshi marines, etc. before, but it's normally really stark, garish and, well, goofy looking. This has got some really nice subtle shading and highlighting that really makes it pop, but without looking totally OTT.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also, is it weird that after two years of entering, two terrain pieces may end up being my highest rated entry in this competition?!

I voted for like 10 entries - really tough choice again For me best this month is Midget Gems - great idea, total conversion, nice paintjob, theme that fits december perfect and a lot of work in this diorama!

 ZergSmasher wrote:
WishWarGaming: I love the conversion work; the Lord of Contagion head is perfect on this model, and the scratchbuilt (I assume?) pipe things on his back are well done too. The base is probably the best thing though; looks nasty as befitting a follower of the Father of Plagues.

Yup its modelled using green stuff

Got some time to sit down and write up some comments for all. I think I got everyone. A disclaimer again that I generally know nothing other than geology so hopefully the comments are well received!
Thanks very much for the comments and to those who voted for me! I didn't expect the Panzer to go down so well!

ZoBo: Brilliant looking scene and suitably themed for December. Is that a nerf gun in there?

Nevelon: I know you found Girlyman a struggle to paint but you've done him justice! The snow on the base really adds a lot coupled with the blue.

queen_annes_revenge: Brilliant paint job on Angron, he's not my favourite Primarch but damn is it a great model! The face is really well done, as are the different colours of armour.

SirOllox: Excellent GUO! The gore and skin are so well done, it just screams decay!

KernelTerror: Great to see this monster finished and it feels like it's just been pulled from the Warp!

Nevelon Jr: Great job Nev Jr.! Crisply painted green, something I struggle to do without loads of layering! The brown pouches are nicely shaded too.

Ezki: I've complimented your dread on your P&M blog but I'll reiterate by saying it's a great entry and it's an excellent conversion!

Deadshot: Clean and crisp paint jobs on all of your models. Wrapping up those bases will really tie them in so much more!

JustALittleOrkish: Never expected to see an armadillo model or a cyber armadillo, but it's a cool little model and you've done a good job on it!

ZergSmasher: Not a fan of wolf riders but you've executed them well and the paintjob is sweet! Cool shoulderpads too!

DV8: For a piece you said was quick, it looks excellent! The cloak is the standout element for me but it's great overall!

Midget Gems: So much flavour in this piece! Great paint job and full of brilliant details.

Captain Brown: Lovely pair of seraphim, I always find it hard to paint black and the blues you used to highlight them were a great choice!

WishWarGaming: Love the cartoonish Nurgle colour scheme, and I really like the grey base and the contrast it has with the green and the pink!

Jjohnso11: I don't think I've seen that model with a helmet but you've done a great job on it!

Elbows: Great paint job on Janus, the monocle is a nice spot of colour. More angles would have been great!

Suzuteo: Only one photo is shown but it's still a great looking model, the subtle Martian dust weathering is great!

Modock: I saw another one of your images featured on the Dakka homepage and without seeing the name I know who it is. Great set of models and I'm in awe of your work rate and the standard you paint to!

Brother Castor: Well painted and detailed, and the drybrushing on the cloak gives a nice textured effect that makes it look like cloth. Only thing I'll say is drill yer barrels!

vejut: Nicely painted model, the touches of pink breaks up the greys well. Some close ups would really do this model justice!

Paradigm: Great character and a great paint job, the war paint and the skin tones really give off such a cold vibe and coupled with the base really made this a great piece!

Jadenim: The graffiti does it for me on top of all the great weathering! I didn't expect a piece of terrain but it's a great entry nonetheless!

dukeofbeer: Cool bust and very crisp painting! I realise this isn't 28mm but what scale is this?

Chris56: Love the shades of blue used on the troll and the resin looks so cool!

feltmonkey: Clean and crisp looking Skaven with great attention to detail. The pitch lines on the base seal the deal for me, great trio!

Maharg: Love the colour scheme and the brown rim of the base really compliments the colours of the model. The only bad thing I can say is to drill the barrel!

Power Elephant: With the infinity I'm seeing from these challenges, they really make me want to delve into infinity again and yours is no exception, love the yellow!

ZergSmasher wrote:Brother Castor: Crisp, clean paintjob. Only minor quibble would be that the cloak should be a different color from the armor to help make both parts pop more.

Tyranid Horde wrote:Brother Castor: Well painted and detailed, and the drybrushing on the cloak gives a nice textured effect that makes it look like cloth. Only thing I'll say is drill yer barrels!

Thank's for the feedback!

I've never actually drilled any barrels so perhaps its something I should have a go at. Same with the cloak, my captain has a blue cloak too but perhaps it's time to stop playing it safe?

Thank you very much for the comments ZergSmasher, WarWishgaming, Tyranid Horde and for the vote Modock. I do like to have fun with my Christmas Orks

Right time I did a month where I comment on everyone's entry, its been fun looking at all the different entries this month.

ZoBo: Yay another Christmas Entry. Well done a very nice piece, the beard looks great

Nevelon: Congrats on getting this impressive model finished, its sounds like a bit of a chore but you did it. The sword looks great, you have done the flames really well.

queen_annes_revenge: Your skin is always fabulous and a very nice tone to the armour

SirOllox: It looks suitably disgusting, the open wounds look very realistic

Tyranid Horde: A nice overall piece and good weathering on the tank

KernelTerror: Once more I've no idea what it is but looks very chaosy, no way I'd want to go up against that thing

Nevelon Jr: good clean painting job, strangely I like the pouches the best, they really look like leather.

Ezki: A very well done conversion with loads of nice detail and Orky touches. Great model

Deadshot: You have posed them in a very dynamic way which I like, The 1 silver arm ties them all together well so they look like a squad.

JustALittleOrkish: A cool little Cyber-armadillo, I like that you carried on the Danger strips from the base to the model.

ZergSmasher: Nice little detail with the skulls on the jump pack and the wolves look very cool

DV8: Lovely Painting on a cool old man, cloak is pretty awesome but I also like the subtle purple-ish shade to the bottom of the beard.

Midget Gems: Feels like its missing something, anyone care to suggest what? Was fun to do another Christmas scene, got 4 of them now sat in the display cabinet

Captain Brown: Very interesting how the blue background brings on the tones in the armour, they looks really good.

WishWarGaming: I've really liked the greens on your last 2 entries, and you add little extra details to the model and base which is a nice touch.

Jjohnso11: good solid paintjob and nice positioning of the model.

Elbows: Nice to see the new model up close, I like the almost tarnished affect you have been able to get the the sword handle and breastplate.

Suzuteo: Slightly reminds me of the film "Mars Attacks" The colours go together well.

Modock: Pretty epic from you again, I really like the tones of the Line Kazaks, faces and clothing are a joy to see.

Brother Castor: Interesting effect from the armour and cloak, As other have said I would paint them differently (even if you wanted to stick with blue a different shade and technical to make it seem a separate material) so they don't just blend into 1 piece.

vejut: I Like the pink highlights, they really brighten up the model.

Paradigm: You find some very interesting models Para, this one looks very cool.

Jadenim: Really like that terrain piece it looks great, wonderful weathering

dukeofbeer: A lot of respsect for anyone that paints a bust, you have done it to a done level and also done the eyes well (even easy to make them look weird)

Chris56: Lovely vivid colours on the troll, very interesting effect you've done on the base as well

feltmonkey: I think I like the white one the best because its got very subtle tone changes on the hands and tail, nice idea to put a line on the grass

Maharg: I wasn't sure I was going to like this one but I do, its very well highlighted

Power Elephant: Very dynamic model, I like the blue jean effect compared to the clean yellow of the armour on the legs.

A lot of great entries again this month.
Thanks to those who voted and said nice things.
@Powerelephant - yeah, I know it is not my best work. December and January are always my weakest months 'cos I'm just flat out...I have almost no time to paint so I was glad to get it finished at all. January is likely to be the same...so don't expect much!

I voted for:
Zobo - love this model and you have done a fantastic job on it;

DV8 - an effective painterly style for this cool and characterful model;

MidgetGems - modelling is always such a strength for you and this diorama just suits the season so well. I even took my kids to see the Grinch a few weeks ago;

Modock - as always...I'm pretty sure I say the same thing every time, but the blending on the Hellcat is especially smooth. Your Nomad force must be looking pretty bloody fantastic by now!;

dukeofbeer - points for doing something different and this is a really clean paint job that makes the model shine;

feltmonkey - I always like yours and Modock's great paintwork and these skaven are no exception. I really like the different colour skin/fur on each; and

Maharg - there is something about this model that I really like beyond the great colours and smooth highlighting. I look forward to seeing you enter 'Space Marine' month in March.

Great work everyone.
As always, kudos to Paradigm for all of your hard work running this challenge - I know it always inspires me. Thanks.

Tyranid Horde wrote:ZergSmasher: Not a fan of wolf riders but you've executed them well and the paintjob is sweet! Cool shoulderpads too!

Thanks, I like to think I'm finally getting the hang of freehand markings. Good to know at least somebody likes them!

Midget Gems wrote:ZergSmasher: Nice little detail with the skulls on the jump pack and the wolves look very cool

Thanks! I wanted to add something to the jump pack that would be appropriate for a Rune Priest, and wolf skulls seemed appropriate. I had an absolute blast doing the wolves; they were the best part of this whole mini-project!

6 votes for me and counting. Better than I sometimes do for sure, so I must have done something right!

It's looking like a close one for third place this month!

Also cheers Midget Gems for the comment!

Thanks for the votes, everyone who has voted for my ratmen, and thanks to DV8, Zergsmasher, Modock, Tyranid Horde, Midget Gems, and Chris56 for the comments.

On to my comments -

ZoBo - Different to your usual style, but just as good. Great work on the red armour, and the presents are wonderfully bright and colourful.

Nevelon - That's going to be a great centrepiece for your humungous Ultramarines army. The flaming sword is nicely done.

queen_annes_revenge - Another big centrepiece. You've clearly put a lot of work into the face, and the fine detail work is very good.

SirOllox - A very good Great Unclean One. The intestines turned out really well. As I said in your thread, looking at them makes me feel a bit ill!

Tyranid Horde - A beautifully-done little diorama. Great realism in every aspect of it.

KernelTerror - Christ. I toyed with leaving my comment to just that, but to expand on my initial reaction, it is a completely mad-looking bit of body horror. You've done a few of these, haven't you? I'd love to see a full army shot.

Nevelon Jr - Great work, Nev Jr! Good clean crisp painting. I really like the pouches, for some reason.

Ezki - A classic ork looted model. Great conversion, great checkerboard patterns, great weathering.

Deadshot - Good tabletop Deathwatch guys. The little details you've painted like the different shoulderpads add a lot. Shame you haven't based them though.

JustALittleOrkish - That's a pretty mad-looking thing. I like the repeated use of yellow and black around the model, and painting the stripes on the rim of the base is a great idea.

ZergSmasher - I think this is some of your best work. Very clean and crisp, and the faces are really good.

DV8 - Excellent work. I really like the slightly loose style you've used here. I like how you can see the brushstrokes. It's a fallacy that persists around miniature painting that everything must be perfectly blended. It's not true - look at the painting of the likes of Sergio Calvo, Jeroni Carmona and others. I also really like your use of colours.

Midget Gems - I think the white balance might be slightly off on your photos, but this doesn't detract from a classic hilarious MG diorama. Santa Ork with a sleigh full of half-inched boltguns and a Christmas tree! I love the wanted poster.

Captain Brown - Very nice painting on these. Highlighting black with blue is always a good idea. You've picked out the details really well also.

WishWarGaming - Really good, clean, and eyecatching work. Your edge highlighting is very good. I do think the bright green of the goo clashes a bit with the bright green of the armour. It gets a bit lost.

Jjohnso11 - Good, neat, detailed work. The added details such as the kneepad, and the little symbol on the left shoulderpad add interest.

Elbows - Nice and neat, with great details, and the gold has a cool antique look. You've got some of the problems you get with the basecoat and dip method - the colours have been dulled down a fair bit, and there is the odd area where the dip has pooled. Looks good overall though!

Suzuteo - I like that electric blue you use on your Admech, and the way it contrasts with the grimy metal. Nice conversion, too.

Modock - Incredible. The firey red armour is mind-blowing. I like the other three models you added even more! The character you've put into the faces is fantastic, as are the little details such as the way you've done the visor on the female soldier's head. Also the bases are super-realistic. What do you use to make them?

Brother Castor - Nice neat tabletop stuff. Great pose too. I think you could have painted the cloak another colour to create a bit more contrast and interest.

vejut - The is really nice. I like how the details like the pink ears, paws, and tongue help define the miniature. Deserves more in the voting, to be honest.

Paradigm - Really nice, characterful work. The warpaint is a lovely touch, but the cloak is my favorite part.

Jadenim - This came out great! It's nice to see a bit of scenery in this competition, and particularly one that is so well done. Love the weathering, really love the graffiti.

dukeofbeer - Lovely clean painting. Good blending on the blue armour, and the face looks good.

Chris56 - I disagree that this is a drop in quality from you - it looks great! So colourful and eyecatching! I really like the base, too.

feltmonkey - This however is a drop in quality from my usual stuff, which is not to say my painting is usually amazing or anything. I never learn my lesson with painting red. I tried to really boost the contrast, but the way we photograph minis means the red gets flattened quite a lot. It goes from near black to near white, but it looks like I just painted it flat red with some dark shadows and vague edge highlights. Ho-hum. There are some scruffy areas, and they're just not particularly interesting to look at. I do find it amusing how much flock fell off them during photography though.

Maharg - A purple and pink marine. Super clean and neat painting. Great edge highlighting.

Power Elephant - I think this is really nicely done. Yellow is tough, obviously, but you've done an excellent job on it. The nmm on the jumppack (or whatever it is) on her back is very good too. Another one that deserves more in the votes.

Hell of a month, to be honest. Several people have commented that they ended up voting for about half the entries, and I think I voted for more than half myself. Loads and loads of great entries. Congratulations, everyone!

Whoops, lost track of the date and forgot to announce the winners. Here they are!

In third, Ezki's mean Looted Dreadnought:















In second, DV8's manic Old Man:






And taking the win by some margin, Modock's Helcat and Kazaks:








Congratulations to everyone!

Congrats to the rostrum! Really great round for December and thanks to Paradigm for organising things once again!

Congrats Ezki, DV8 and Madock a lot of great entries this month

Table will be update over the weekend

Congratulations to the winners! All very well deserved. And congratulations to everyone who finished an entry.

Woohoo!

I'm extremely happy with the results.. thanks guys for the votes and comments. Also congrats to other winners and to everyone for finishing their entries.

Thanks again to Paradigm for the awesome work.

 feltmonkey wrote:

Also the bases are super-realistic. What do you use to make them?

I used 4 different flock types from GaleForce Nine and mixed them into one blend of flock, then selected the smallest flocks and just glued
onto the base. Everything is fixed with very diluted PVA glue.

Congratulations to everyone.

We all got something from our unpainted pile over to the painted category.

Cheers,

CB

Wow, did not expect to get the third place! Thank you for the votes.
Also congrats to Modock, DV8 and everybody else! Really great entries this time around.

Also huge thank you to the fpeople keeping the painting challenge engine running.