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Apologies for the delay on this one, folks! Welcome to the voting for February's round of the painting challenge. Last month, the theme waws Howling Banshees... no, wait, it was Age before Beauty, tasking entrants with painting up their most aged and time-worn miniatures, whether in the fiction of their setting or just in real life (many of this minis are possibly older than many of the entrants!), and so we've got some classic lead sitting alongside some more modern pieces reflecting themes of age or ugliness.

As always, you're free to hand out as many votes as you like, and for any entry you feel deserves recognition, based on anything from technical proficiency ro model choice, a neat conversion or a cool take on the theme, or anything else! You're also very welcome to leave some feedback here for the entrants, and many of the images click through to the Dakka gallery if you'd like to give out a vote or two there as well.

Without further ado, the Howling Bansh- damn it, the entrants!


Mothsniper: Dwarf King and Tomb


angrygriffin: Classic Ultramarine


queen_annes_revenge: Numenorian warrior and Jakob Bugmannson


ShadowsAndDust: Abbadon The Despoiler


DV8: Emperor's Champion


theCrowe: Ashen Eagles Terminator Squad


JoshinJapan: Howling Banshees


KidCthulhu: Howling Banshees


Nevelon: Howling Banshees


Captain Brown: Howling Banshees


Spyro_: Grandmother


Freya: Warrior


SergeantSilver: classic Guardsmen


Viterbi: Gollum


pinkLight: Ork Boy


Flinty: M-35 Mako


Vejut: Lizardmen


PeterHausenn: Death Guard Terminators


ZergSmasher: Galadriel and Celeborn


the_balloon_dog: Samurai Demon


ChaosDad: Howling Banshees


Jamie Shred: Hancock and Nick Valentine


MobileSuitRandom: Orc Boys


Maharg: Snotling


Midget Gems: Kharn The Betrayer


Pariah Press: Man-orc and Goblin


Paradigm: Old Troll


Rybrook: Blood Angels Statue

Interesting that there are so many banshees given that there are lots of old eldar models to choose from.

You needed to be there at the start of the month really to get a decent explanation... It all got a bit out of hand

A great cavalcade of Banshees to be sure! Well done all.

Unofficial (or even official?) bonus points for the highest voted banshee entry?

I’ll not influence the vote at this early stage but I know who my fav banshee entry is.

Some seriously great entries this time around too. Not just voting for nostalgia. (Though I sometimes did) isn’t that half the point of this theme?

As always, there are a lot of really great models, although I'm a little disappointed at how few of you entered Banshees

And now to channel my inner Oprah: "You get a comment, you get a comment, everyone gets a comment!"

Mothsniper: Nice stonework on the crypt, and the corpse looks suitably ancient. The ghost could do with some deeper shadow, though, to emphasize its ethereal nature.

angrygriffin: I like how you applied 21st century techniques to this late 20th century model. The red casing on the heavy bolter's casing is a nice callback to those hallowed days.

queen_annes_revenge: I'm impressed at how much variation you got between all the gold/bronze metal bits using what seem to be the same colors.

ShadowsAndDust: I like how Abbadon's face is so pale-- it stands out really well against the black and bronze.

DV8: You did a fine job on a model that you said you didn't really enjoy. Nostalgia glasses really do mask a lot of flaws, don't they? Still, I'd be happy to face that model in a game.

theCrowe: The grey and white is a great scheme for marines, and the green spot colors add just the right amount of interest. Are the shoulder pads freehand or transfers?

me: I used the traditional off-white of Howling Banshees to play a bit with lighting, and for the most part I'm pleased with the results.

KidCthulhu: The rune on the Exarch's helmet is a nice touch-- to tell the truth, I've never been very good with those, which is why none of my Eldar have them. Also, kudos for the conversion work. I can't seem to muster the courage to modify any model this old, as they are (for me) essentially irreplacable.

Nevelon: Your bright green gems and lenses stand out nicely against the darker bone of the armor. Also, I like the traditional red hair.

Captain Brown: I like really clean white you use for your Eldar. It must take forever to get so smooth. Also, red helmets are a nice variation.

Syro: This is one of my favorites this month. You really captured the look of Yubaba without the menace, making a really adorable little grandma.

More comments to follow-- it's time for me to get my booster shot. Great work, everyone!

I think it's really funny that there are 4 original Banshee sculpts but none of us have all four. We all have at least one double

Seriously, great job all around folks.

Thanks for the feedback JoshinJapan. I think I should have done more highlights with Fenrisian Grey instead of just using it as a spot highlight, as the Thunderhawk Blue isn't showing up that well against the black.

KidCthulhu wrote:I think it's really funny that there are 4 original Banshee sculpts but none of us have all four. We all have at least one double

Seriously, great job all around folks.

I don't think I've ever seen the one on double tip-toes in real life. The repeated pose irks me a bit, but not enough to go hunting on eBay for the one I'm missing, though.

ShadowsAndDust wrote:Thanks for the feedback JoshinJapan. I think I should have done more highlights with Fenrisian Grey instead of just using it as a spot highlight, as the Thunderhawk Blue isn't showing up that well against the black.

I dunno, it works pretty well, at least to my eyes.

More comments:

Freya: A very colorful model, but it seems a lot less crisp than your normal work. Are you trying something new?

SergeantSilver: Nice work on these old mono-pose models. One doesn't often see purple uniforms on Imperial Guard.

Viterbi: The blood on the fish is a nice touch that's easy to miss at first glance. Gollum looks tiny and pitiful against the terrain pieces you placed him in.

pinkLight: A solid, no-frills paint job, fitting for an Ork. The lavender hair is an interesting choice-- it might benefit from some deeper shading.

Flinty: A nice, utilitarian vehicle. Not as flashy as that Kodiak you entered a while back, but that's appropriate for the model. Are the tires supposed to be the same color as the rest of the model?

Vejut: As I wrote on your P&M Blog, I really like the pale blue and purple you chose for these guys. Decidedly unnatural.

PeterHausenn: The rusty spots stand out nicely against the white armor, and the blobs of green snot on the bases are delightful.

ZergSmasher: The blue and gold you used on Celeborn really make him seem regal. Nice color choices.

the_balloon_dog: Wow, there is a lot going on with this model. You showed great restraint on the spot colors, so that they stand out without making the model too busy.

ChaosDad: Your limited palette of three main colors works well on these models. I like the choice of dark red for the helmets and loincloths.

Jamie Shred: The multi-colored sash and the grime on the trenchcoat are both great little details.

MobileSuitRandom: My gaming group in high school went in on like five boxes of Fantasy Warriors. They were a good, cheap way to start a WHFB army, but painting fifty of the same models got old real quick. I like the way you personalized these dudes, especially the sack.

Maharg: I have a bunch of snotlings, but I don't think I've ever seen this one before. You put a whole lot more work into this little guy than I ever have for any single model this size.

Midget Gems: Nice work on this very busy model. The light blue "tassels" on the helmet make me imagine that Kharne just decided he needed a little splash of color to complete his outfit.

Pariah Press: Well, you are officially older than me. Are these guys as tiny as they look in these photos?

Paradigm: Another impressive model. I really like the mottling on the back and shoulders.

Rybrook: I think this model works better as a statue than as a member of an army. The amount of verdigris is just about perfect-- visible without overwhelming the model.

A big thumbs up to everyone who entered this month. Let's keep reducing the backlog!

Thanks Josh. It’s was trying to more closely replicate the games colour scheme for the machine, hence its rather less blue than my recent vehicles

The tires are black with a touch of grey highlight, but the I hit the whole bottom of the model with a light tan weathering powder, so I think the dust is rather reducing the contrast between tire and hull.

Voted Freya.

Cheers Josh!

@JoshInJapan, They're mounted on 25mm and 20mm bases, respectively. The crudity of the sculpts makes them look a bit smaller than they are, I think.

(And, just to be clear, these models are older than I am!)

 JoshInJapan wrote:


theCrowe: The grey and white is a great scheme for marines, and the green spot colors add just the right amount of interest. Are the shoulder pads freehand or transfers?

Cheers Josh, it’s actually a half grey half grey scheme. More ashy than flashy. But the white helmets and the green bits help to sharpen them up. The eagles on the shoulder pads are just freehand in black ink. I was going to do them on the little shields too but they weren’t coming out very neatly and it was looking rubbish so I just opted for a flash of green.

 JoshInJapan wrote:


SergeantSilver: Nice work on these old mono-pose models. One doesn't often see purple uniforms on Imperial Guard.

Hey thanks! I love the classic models and have managed to collect quite a number, but I've only just started to paint them. It was really fun finding all the little details added, forgotten, or even malformed as I painted. Really brings character to the models as well giving some insight into the sculpting and casting of the day. I think I was most surprised by the parts they seem to have forgotten on some models than any missed details I discovered, though I will admit I noticed some cool details on models I considered painting for the challenge.

As for the colors, I played with and chose my color scheme way back in Dark Crusade. No matter what I was playing as, I somehow always ended up gravitating towards a purple on black with grey color scheme in the custom painter. Maybe they fight a lot of Orks and want to sneak up on them?

 JoshInJapan wrote:


Freya: A very colorful model, but it seems a lot less crisp than your normal work. Are you trying something new?

I tore my rotator cuff and my left hand has gone numb so holding anything to paint is nearly impossible. So I guess you could call it new... I did the backdrop before the shoulder got all bent out of shape. That's why it looks okay...

Ouch! Hope you can get that fixed soon.

Flinty wrote:Thanks Josh. It’s was trying to more closely replicate the games colour scheme for the machine, hence its rather less blue than my recent vehicles

The tires are black with a touch of grey highlight, but the I hit the whole bottom of the model with a light tan weathering powder, so I think the dust is rather reducing the contrast between tire and hull.

Ah, I get it. I don't paint a lot of vehicles, so the intricacies of weathering are still mysterious and strange to me.

Pariah Press wrote:@JoshInJapan, They're mounted on 25mm and 20mm bases, respectively. The crudity of the sculpts makes them look a bit smaller than they are, I think.

(And, just to be clear, these models are older than I am!)

What year are we talking about here? I still have a few models from my childhood, but nothing from before I was born.

theCrowe wrote:

 JoshInJapan wrote:


theCrowe: The grey and white is a great scheme for marines, and the green spot colors add just the right amount of interest. Are the shoulder pads freehand or transfers?

Cheers Josh, it’s actually a half grey half grey scheme. More ashy than flashy. But the white helmets and the green bits help to sharpen them up. The eagles on the shoulder pads are just freehand in black ink. I was going to do them on the little shields too but they weren’t coming out very neatly and it was looking rubbish so I just opted for a flash of green.

SergentSilver wrote:

 JoshInJapan wrote:


My favorite Space Marine colors are halved or quartered. Howling Griffons were my go to before I burnt out on Marines and 40K in general. Your freehand on the shoulder insignias are insane-- I don't think I could be that precise over so many models.

SergeantSilver: Nice work on these old mono-pose models. One doesn't often see purple uniforms on Imperial Guard.

Hey thanks! I love the classic models and have managed to collect quite a number, but I've only just started to paint them. It was really fun finding all the little details added, forgotten, or even malformed as I painted. Really brings character to the models as well giving some insight into the sculpting and casting of the day. I think I was most surprised by the parts they seem to have forgotten on some models than any missed details I discovered, though I will admit I noticed some cool details on models I considered painting for the challenge.

As for the colors, I played with and chose my color scheme way back in Dark Crusade. No matter what I was playing as, I somehow always ended up gravitating towards a purple on black with grey color scheme in the custom painter. Maybe they fight a lot of Orks and want to sneak up on them?

I love to revisit old models from time to time. They can be frustrating as heck, but so "characterful" at the same time.

Freya wrote:I tore my rotator cuff and my left hand has gone numb so holding anything to paint is nearly impossible. So I guess you could call it new... I did the backdrop before the shoulder got all bent out of shape. That's why it looks okay...

Whoa! You get the Special Perseverance Award for the month!

 JoshInJapan wrote:

Pariah Press wrote:@JoshInJapan, They're mounted on 25mm and 20mm bases, respectively. The crudity of the sculpts makes them look a bit smaller than they are, I think.

(And, just to be clear, these models are older than I am!)

What year are we talking about here? I still have a few models from my childhood, but nothing from before I was born.

They're from 1974. Minifigs' Mythical Earth line, among the first commercially available fantasy miniatures. (I was born in 1976.)

 Pariah Press wrote:

 JoshInJapan wrote:

Pariah Press wrote:@JoshInJapan, They're mounted on 25mm and 20mm bases, respectively. The crudity of the sculpts makes them look a bit smaller than they are, I think.

(And, just to be clear, these models are older than I am!)

What year are we talking about here? I still have a few models from my childhood, but nothing from before I was born.

They're from 1974. Minifigs' Mythical Earth line, among the first commercially available fantasy miniatures. (I was born in 1976.)

Well, I've got four years on those models, so I win?

Heh! Sounds like it!

 JoshInJapan wrote:
ZergSmasher: The blue and gold you used on Celeborn really make him seem regal. Nice color choices.

Thank you very much! I used the pics from GW's website as a guide, but I'm pretty happy with how Celeborn came out. I definitely think he turned out better than Galadriel did, although I'm satisfied with both.

I don't remember who I voted for, and unfortunately I don't have time at the moment to comment on everyone. I did enjoy seeing everyone's take on the old-school Howling Banshees. Always interesting to see how different people paint the same models. Shout out as always to Paradigm for running this thing in the middle of his busy RL schedule, and I look forward to seeing what happens in the March challenge!

Thanks as always for taking the time to comment on everything Josh! And yeah, Gollum looks pretty lost in his LotR scale (and then halfling size) against the AoS terrain backdrop

My Bret sorceress didn't make it on the list? Did I do something wrong with my entry?

Ah, really sorry about that, I saw your last post of it where you said it wasn't quite finished so I took that (wrongly) to mean you weren't officially entering it at that stage. I should have probably checked with you, but I was short on time to get the poll sorted, so I can only apologise.

I'm happy to give you 3 League points for the round if that makes up for it at all, that being the average score for the month. I appreciate it might have done better than that, but at this stage it's a little late to speculate on that.

Again, really sorry and I take full responsibility for the mistake, it was a genuine oversight on my part rather than you doing anything wrong with the entry.

No worries, the fun was in painting her up after sitting on my shelf for 20 odd years.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:
No worries, the fun was in painting her up after sitting on my shelf for 20 odd years.

You did an amazing job on her and would have gotten one of my votes. Well done.

A little late, but here's the winning three! Only a vote separating each of our top placements this month!

In third place, DV8's Emperor's Champion:




And in second, just a vote ahead, JoshinJapan with a screaming squad of old-school Eldar, and the highest-scoring in the cavalcade of Howling Banshees:









And taking the win, queen_annes_revenge with a warrior from Numenor and a venerable Dwarf brewer:









Well done, everyone!

Well done, winners!

Good stuff everyone, and congrats QAR and JoshInJapan! Really solid entries

Congratulations to the winners! Glad to see that some of the Banshees made it to the top!