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Time to vote! This month was our open round, so people could paint whatever they wanted, had time to finish, or needed to get done by the end of the year. Quite the motley assortment!

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 or 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.

Captain Brown - Harlequins


JoshInJapan - Freya on Hildisvini


theCrowe - The Tekno-Rex!


Leopold Helveine - DISPOSESSED GYROBOMBER


KidCthulhu - The Madness


Pariah Press - Mythical Earth Orcs


Daia T'Nara - Dambo Kweltz


Nevelon – Chaplain


halfling84 - The Sprinter transport


Mr Nobody - Librarian


painting_jon - Inquisitor Greyfax


Geifer - Billboard


inmygravenimage - The Krampus Killers


Vejut - Sir Roland the grey


youwashock – Velma


Mothsniper – Holiday Cheer


Ezki - Rosa Nox


Olthannon - Geþeon


Rybrook – Manticores


Midget Gems - The Red Gobbo's Surprise.


XvArcanevX - Knight Azyros


Turaxa - Anime Anthro Adventurer


Pursuit Of Happiness – Chaplain


CancelledApocalypse - Anand Starfall


Maharg - Burrows and Badgers


DJJazzyJeff - Tabaxi Bards



Poll will run for 5 days. If I missed anyone or something needs to be fixed, let me know.

Wow. I come back from the US to find all these sweet, sweet models waiting for me to gawk at. Superlative work, everyone. I'll try to put up individual comments in the next dew days.

Damn crispy work guys! WoopWoop!
I am a fan of Free-Hand and Bases, thus Highliting the freehandier and basier of all, Geifer - Billboard! Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell would be proud!

Also
Olthannon - Geþeon,
halfling84 - The Sprinter transport, and
Leopold Helveine - DISPOSESSED GYROBOMBER,
Because Dwarfs are the best!

And, theCrowe - The Tekno-Rex!
Because when people wonder what's missing in their life, the answer is simple, Toy conversion! I know that is what my life is missing! Any day when a toy is converted is a good day!

My five votes:

JoshInJapan - Freya on Hildisvini
I'm a pagan mythology enjoyer and Freya is a personification of nature together with the personification of animal life Freyr. So what is not to like here..
The base is beautifully natural' in its own regard, the blue dress nicely vibrant and popping on the whole. Also nice nmm on the boar.

Vejut - Sir Roland the grey
I actually have a metal paladin at home myself, once bought at a market without knowing what it was. I just found this entry stand out though, I like the color combo, thats a very nice red.

XvArcanevX - Knight Azyros
Epic pallet, the agapiteish metal is superb against the bright lasery blues.
The Icy base contrasts nicely against the parchment ribbons.

CancelledApocalypse - Anand Starfall
Still busy with sisters myself (20 of them) so recognice the head emediately, I also did Dracolines and really like those sculpts, I think this combo is perfect. Should've never given the Dracolines to the Stormhost. It's like they are made for eachother.
Also love the base, so many colors put into it. The passion is noticable.
The paint and colorchoices all are ace, nice and soft with the whites. The leather straps show the effort put into them. I think this is my favorite entry this month. Imho it should win the round.

Maharg - Burrows and Badgers
I actually like the idea of a giant badger knight, the paint looks clean and spotless, its just a very neat mini to look at and having it stand in a flowery field completes it.
Maybe its the lightning but the little black marble eye of the mouse seems so real.
The "high grass" really helps bring the illusion of it being a tiny fella. Very smart.

 Mothsniper wrote:


Because Dwarfs are the best!

And the beardest!

 Mothsniper wrote:
I am a fan of Free-Hand and Bases, thus Highliting the freehandier and basier of all, Geifer - Billboard! Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell would be proud!

Thank you. Was a lot of fun learning new stuff, too. I've never really done my own composition before.

joshInJapan- the work on the blue coat and the tarnished metal plates are nicely done. You have done a great job giving those plates a rough, oxidised feel to them. The base is also rather pretty. The flowers are a nice touch.
Nevelon- the kitbashing in this piece made it a winner for me. The weapon head is long enough to double as a weapon or a staff. Very officious. The tech marine helmet is a good choice that is skull-like enough for a chaplain as well. It all really makes for a unique model.
Ezki- incredible attention to detail. Everything has this rough texture to it that’s exaggerated by the rough highlights. Purple, yellow and magenta seems to be a winning combination.
XvArcanevX- those wings are amazing. The colours just seem to glow in that picture. The armour is nicely done too. Going from the dark base to the silver highlights gives everything a burnished shine.
CancelledApocalypse- space elves on dinosaurs is always a win for me. The colours here are great. The orange creature and the white armour really pops in this photo. I think the cloak is the best part here. The dappled greens really adds some nice pattern to the cloth and is enjoyable to look at.

Hi all

Thought I'd do a full comment set since I haven't been able to be on much over the last month. Will do a double update to the league table when this voting is concluded. Sry for the delay.

I always look forward to Decembers mix of entries.

Captain Brown - Lovely Old School Models with a classic theme.
JoshInJapan - Great highlights on the armour and cloth,
theCrowe - wow that's a crazy and very unique invention.
Leopold Helveine - A nice Ice blue for the body thats matches the cool Ice base nicely.
KidCthulhu - Well I was not expecting that, a very fun entry.
Pariah Press - Those models seem small, a good distinction between the 2 types.
Daia T'Nara - great work on his face, has real character.
Nevelon - Cool model choice and I always like how you blend the base into he model.
halfling84 - Very nice weathering effects, well done
Mr Nobody - The force axe looks good and he's got a cool pose.
painting_jon - Nice muted theme contrasted by the bright red on the cloak and other spot bits
Geifer - Rather impressive art you have done there Geifer
inmygravenimage - I'm sure I've got that wizard somewhere, very good looking paint job and dynamic models
Vejut - Veryone likes a giant hat, I like how you changed the tone of the blue from light to dark.
youwashock - Exceptional painting and attention to detail. great work on the eyes and skin tone.
Mothsniper - whoo the first Christmassy one, nice work on getting the rosy cheeks
Ezki - lots of really well done leather and cloth edge highlights there. looks like cloth too.
Olthannon - The cockpit is very well done and good solid colours for the rest of the vehicle.
Rybrook - for such tiny models you have got some very good details on the model
Midget Gems - a bit rushed and reds should have had more highlights on the brickwork and coat but happy I got something done.
XvArcanevX - Those wings look great, very cool effect on the base as well.
Turaxa - Very cool model nicely painted well done.
Pursuit Of Happiness - The blues areas are good and add a sense on unity to all the different elements of the model.
CancelledApocalypse - Very nice detail on the face and cloak, lots of nice little details. overall rather impressive model, congrats.
Maharg - Really like the bright colours you got on this entry.
DJJazzyJeff - a model I could never have imagined exisiting until now. Thanks for showing it to us.

 Midget Gems wrote:
Hi all

Thought I'd do a full comment set since I haven't been able to be on much over the last month. Will do a double update to the league table when this voting is concluded. Sry for the delay.

I always look forward to Decembers mix of entries.

Spoiler:

Captain Brown - Lovely Old School Models with a classic theme.
JoshInJapan - Great highlights on the armour and cloth,
theCrowe - wow that's a crazy and very unique invention.
Leopold Helveine - A nice Ice blue for the body thats matches the cool Ice base nicely.
KidCthulhu - Well I was not expecting that, a very fun entry.
Pariah Press - Those models seem small, a good distinction between the 2 types.
Daia T'Nara - great work on his face, has real character.
Nevelon - Cool model choice and I always like how you blend the base into he model.
halfling84 - Very nice weathering effects, well done
Mr Nobody - The force axe looks good and he's got a cool pose.
painting_jon - Nice muted theme contrasted by the bright red on the cloak and other spot bits
Geifer - Rather impressive art you have done there Geifer
inmygravenimage - I'm sure I've got that wizard somewhere, very good looking paint job and dynamic models
Vejut - Veryone likes a giant hat, I like how you changed the tone of the blue from light to dark.
youwashock - Exceptional painting and attention to detail. great work on the eyes and skin tone.
Mothsniper - whoo the first Christmassy one, nice work on getting the rosy cheeks
Ezki - lots of really well done leather and cloth edge highlights there. looks like cloth too.
Olthannon - The cockpit is very well done and good solid colours for the rest of the vehicle.
Rybrook - for such tiny models you have got some very good details on the model
Midget Gems - a bit rushed and reds should have had more highlights on the brickwork and coat but happy I got something done.
XvArcanevX - Those wings look great, very cool effect on the base as well.
Turaxa - Very cool model nicely painted well done.
Pursuit Of Happiness - The blues areas are good and add a sense on unity to all the different elements of the model.
CancelledApocalypse - Very nice detail on the face and cloak, lots of nice little details. overall rather impressive model, congrats.
Maharg - Really like the bright colours you got on this entry.
DJJazzyJeff - a model I could never have imagined exisiting until now. Thanks for showing it to us.

Thank you sir, rosy cheeks are my specialty!
Had to go Christmas, because stupid Halloween gets a whole month, felt dat the most important holiday is a bit underrepresented. Also, First Christmassy theme this year was by Pariah Press - Da Red Gobbo and Bounca on the November 2023 Wrecking Ball

 Midget Gems wrote:

youwashock - Exceptional painting and attention to detail. great work on the eyes and skin tone.

Thank you, Midget Gems! Glad you like her!

You get a comment! You get a comment! Everybody gets a comment!

Captain Brown: It wouldn't be a Dakka Challenge without a CB Eldar entry. Your wild paint scheme on these Harlequins keeps the colorful Murder Clown aesthetic while giving the whole unit a coherent feel.

me: This model is resin, which is not my favorite medium to work with. I think I managed to conceal all the mold lines I couldn't scrape clean. The boar's armor was a real challenge, as it's lumpy and uneven, like roughly hammered metal, and it took a long time to get the NMM as good as it is-- which is not all that good, really.

theCrowe: all of your Tonks are delightful, but this one really captures the fun, toy-like feel. I especially like the bright green pattern on the armor-- it takes me back to the glory days of the 1990's, when civilization peaked.

Leopold Helveine: It's strange to see a non-Ork entry from you. You did a great job picking out the scrollwork on the fuselage, and the base looks great as well.

KidCthulhu: What a fun little sculpt! I like the swirly eyes.

Pariah Press: You continue to amaze me with the depth of your collection. There isn't a lot of detail to work with on these models, but they make up for it with sheer funk value.

Daia T'Nara: It's kind of refreshing to see a SFW model from you this month. The wood grain is a subtle but quite effective detail, especially surrounded by all that debris.

Nevelon: Another solid UM model. I like the very businesslike brown against the deep blue armor.

halfling84: I don't paint vehicles very often, so I enjoy seeing one done to this level of quality. I like all the chipping, and the shading around the various panels is quite well done.

Mr Nobody: Nice work picking out the bright blue Tron lines. I would have liked to see more photos of the model from different angles, though.

painting_jon: I love the palette you chose for this model-- she could have stepped right out of a John Blanche painting.

Geifer: You really went all-in on that billboard. It will be a fun centerpiece on the tabletop.

inmygravenimage: Classic red-and-brass FTW! I'm not a big fan of BB as a game, but the models are always delightful to look at.

Vejut: I like your work on the robes-- blue highlights on black have always been difficult for me, so it's nice to see it done well. +1 for leaving him on the puddle base.

youwashock: I like your painterly approach to highlighting the hair. It's a shame you didn't get the glasses with the model, as they would really sell the character. That said, she's a well-done model all around.

Mothsniper: Good on you for keeping visible brush lines-- they add a lot of visual interest to an already fun model. It looks like it could be on a Christmas card!

Ezki: Your linework on the highlights really sell the textures on the model. Everything looks worn and lived-in.

Olthannon: The yellow pipes really stand out against the burgundy body of this very cool vehicle.

Rybrook: You managed to make all the details pop on those tiny, tiny tanks. My eyes ache just thinking about painting something that small.

Midget Gems: Twas the night before Christmas, indeed! The candy cane dynamite and the decorations in the snow are delightful little touches.

XvArcanevX: The bright wings really shine against the dark bronze armor. The phoenix is also well done, especially the blending on the wings and tail.

Turaxa: Your painting really brought this little toy to life.

Pursuit Of Happiness: Your blue light effects around the helmet and the hammer contrast quite nicely against the black and red on the rest of the model.

CancelledApocalypse: There sure is a lot to look at on this model. The gems are nicely done, but I think I'm ｍost impressed by the black-to-brown transitions on the mount's limbs.

Maharg: At first glance, these are simple paint jobs, but the shading-to-highlighting is very, very smooth. Thumbs up!

DJJazzyJeff: Nice work on this fun model. They look like they could be in a Disney movie-- which is big compliment!

The winners for this month look pretty clear, but as far as I'm concerned pretty much everyone should be on the podium. Good work, all!

 Midget Gems wrote:
Geifer - Rather impressive art you have done there Geifer

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Geifer: You really went all-in on that billboard. It will be a fun centerpiece on the tabletop.

Thanks, guys.

 JoshInJapan wrote:

youwashock: I like your painterly approach to highlighting the hair. It's a shame you didn't get the glasses with the model, as they would really sell the character. That said, she's a well-done model

Thank you! Maybe I should try to get glasses...

Thanks for all the nice comments, guys! For those interested, repairs to the damage caused by dropping her after taking these pics have gone surprisingly well and fortunately the damage to the spear haft is barely noticeable, which I'm very glad about. I still have to do some touch ups to the paintwork, but it's almost indistinguishable from the model in these photos. Now if I can just avoid dropping her again...

My top three this month were:

youwashock - Far and away my fave this month, the work on the skin is great, so natural looking, but the play of light and shade on the woven fabrics is particularly impressive to me. Top work and should win this month imo.
Maharg - Extremely solid work from you, as always. Your painting style is perfect for these models, the colours striking and well balanced and the overall character you've managed to portray in each model is lovely!
Ezki - A super model and some super work on it. A few patches which could have used some more refinement, but the leather and cloth in particular look great.

Other favourites include Nevelon, halfling84, JoshInJapan, Midget Gems, Olthannon and XvArcanevX - but there was so much more great stuff besides. Super work, everyone!

That's great news, and thank you very much!

Funnily enough, I believe your model to be the top mini this month. Not only is it technically superb, but Eldar and Exodites are high up on my list of loves.

Wonderful work everyone. Thanks Nevelon for hosting and everybody who left comments and kudos.

Cheers,

CB

Midget Gems wrote:Hi all


Leopold Helveine - A nice Ice blue for the body thats matches the cool Ice base nicely.

Thanks, had to paint it twice because I tried it a bit darker light-blue with blueish purple instead of the oxblood red first, so up close its a bit bubbly but ok.

JoshInJapan wrote:You get a comment! You get a comment! Everybody gets a comment!

Leopold Helveine: It's strange to see a non-Ork entry from you. You did a great job picking out the scrollwork on the fuselage, and the base looks great as well.

Wait.. this wasn't an Ork?

I enjoyed doing the tubing in the xmassy white and red striped style, There's a lot of detail to this entry that isn't as visible but I said before I wanted to do smaller pictures because I personally don't really like super-zoom-inned photographs, I think my current entry (the biovore) to this months challenge has a better balance though, both up close and from a distance (and it helps its a bigger piece).

I think the limits of photography really ruin my entries anyway, when held in my hand they look like white-dwarf submissions.

 Leopold Helveine wrote:
There's a lot of detail to this entry that isn't as visible but I said before I wanted to do smaller pictures because I personally don't really like super-zoom-inned photographs...

There's definitely a sweet spot for photo sizes... I think I've definitely gone too big this month. Probably because I didn't do a collage of images like I normally do. That said, I think your photos are a tad too small, Leo. I could barely make out the details on your gyrobomber - and I think I've got pretty good eyes for my age! That base looks ace, though.

 youwashock wrote:
Funnily enough, I believe your model to be the top mini this month. Not only is it technically superb, but Eldar and Exodites are high up on my list of loves.

Gotta love Exodites... I've got more conversions incoming

And thanks for the kind words, but in terms of technique and overall impact, I think your Velma knocks my Anand into a cocked hat. I'm kinda stunned you're not way ahead of me, tbh.

OK, we’ve had our 5 days of voting (and a little extra time waiting). Time for some winners!

In third with 23 votes, some fuzzy adventurers ready to go out into the world from Maharg.








Jinkies! Looks like Velma lost her glasses again. Probably left them with the rest of her clothes... Second place goes to youwashock with 26 votes.












And with 27 votes, CancelledApocalypse takes gold in the open round with Anand Starfall, Queen of the Exodites.














--

As always, amazing work from everyone involved. Great collection of stuff to gaze upon. Grats to the winners, and to everyone who participated. Real high standard this month form all who entered.

Thanks for all your hard work, Nevelon! Not sure how you do it all AND get a great looking mini painted!

Not sure how I came top this month, there was so much good stuff on display. Well done youwashock and Maharg, and well done everyone!

Huzzah!

Thanks for the votes and congrats to the other winners! Another solid month. Good on all the participants and appreciation for the showrunners.

congrats CancelledApocalypse, youwashockand Maharg.

League Table updated here

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/732117.page

And thanks for all your hard work too, MG! You and Nev are very much appreciated!

 CancelledApocalypse wrote:
And thanks for all your hard work too, MG! You and Nev are very much appreciated!

No worries though I have made a mistake on this update and got someone's score wrong and missed someone out entirely (will correct it on the next update) sry

Good Job on the win CA

Congratulations to the winners.

Congratulations to all the winners…very well deserved. No comments from me this month but suffice to say there was a super high standard on display and I really enjoyed all the submissions.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to those who commented or sent votes my way. Sorry I don't have time to write comments for everyone, but there were many excellent entries this month - well done!

Thank you Midget Gems. For all that work to put the tables together.

Cheers,

CB

In late (again), but I got my votes in (many, as usual) - congrats to the winners, and thanks Midget Gems and JoshInJapan for the comments