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This month the topic was: Chaff - Little guys swarming the battle field. Peasant levies, grots, gaunts, conscripts. Disposable things to clutter up the battlefield and get in the enemy’s way. Or fighter jets deploying countermeasures. Little bits or radar reflective foil marching across the battlefield. Tyranid gaunts being thrown from the back of aircraft to intercept missiles. Due to the nature if this topic, we will lift the normal 5 model limit.

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.

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inmygravenimage - Battle of Hoth


Daia T’Nara - Rowboat Ultraman and da Grot Primarchs:


JoshInJapan – Martians


Misclicking ork - Clanrats


KidCthulhu -La Palaisian Met-At-Arms


tzurk – Ashlander Exodites


Captain Brown - HO scale crew.


Geifer - Weequay Pirates:


theCrowe - Necromunda Orlocks


Mr Nobody – Trench Sweeper


Mothsniper – Cannons


Maharg – Goblins


Pariah Press - Imperial Army / Imperial Guard / Astra Militarum


Vejut - Savannah Master Hovercraft


Turaxa - Zaku II


Gulgog TufToof - Ork Kommandos Distraction Grot


Chris56 - Grots


Pursuit Of Happiness – Squigs and Goblins


Peterhausenn - Goblins


Midget Gems -Scarcrag Snivellers Goblin Bloodbowl team


Nevelon – Tyranid Gribbles


ZergSmasher - Hobgrot Slittaz




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As always, if you notice I’ve missed something, let me know. Poll will run for 5 days

Don’t think it’s your error, but Captain Brown’s crewmen have been replaced by a “content not viewable in your region” thumbnail. I’m sure that the photos were working when they were first posted in the challenge thread?

It's visible for me. The image is being hosted on imgur.com, which I've heard is no longer accessible from the UK because of an "online safety" law.

It's been too long since I commented, so let's do something about it.

inmygravenimage - Good job on the clean and effective effort. That's a ton of models you painted there.

Daia T’Nara - I like how the models have a good balance of looted stuff compared to the original parts that tie them together as a squad.

JoshInJapan - Nice work on the Martians. Looking at them it feels like the most work went into the heads only for them to get obscured by the bubble helmets. That's a bit unfortunate.

Misclicking ork - I like the variety of cloth colors that all share a muted look and make the models work well as a group.

KidCthulhu - I like how you make good use of contrasts, both in the silver and dark bits, and the clean, striking blue/red pattern.

tzurk - I partly commented on this before in the challenge thread, but I like the grimy colors combined with the cleaner metals and the green/blue spot colors. Very striking.

Captain Brown - The crewmen look like they got an effective color scheme, though the pictures are a bit small for mine olde eyes. It's a bit hard to see any details.

theCrowe - Nice work on all the patterns spread across the models. Good effort on the composition as well, tying all those varied colors and patterns together into a cohesive group.

Mr Nobody - I like the combination of drab outfit and gear and the very expressive helmet and cloak. Nice composition and use of highlights.

Mothsniper - I like the way the colors on the cannons clearly provide definition and set them apart from the basing materials, but not so much as to really contrast. That makes each model look pretty nice as a whole.

Maharg - Nice work on keeping the red and brown parts close to help provide a unified look.

Pariah Press - Nice use of contained spot colors to add a little interest to otherwise practical uniforms.

Vejut - I like how striking the blue parts are. Nice use of spot colors to add to the blue/black color scheme.

Turaxa - I like the color distribution, but it feels like the model could have used a bit more depth in some recesses to help with definition.

Gulgog TufToof - I like the contrast of civilian-looking diving gear on an otherwise drab military model.

Chris56 - Good job on the use of colors and clean separation of the individual parts while you still manage to make it look like everything belongs together.

Pursuit Of Happiness - I like the use of fairly clean teeth to add contrast to the models. Nice to see red and pink worked into the goblins to get them closer to the squigs.

Peterhausenn - The leather and plain cloth gives these goblins a nice, feral look and works nicely with the green hue you chose for the skin.

Midget Gems - The uniforms are very striking and everything, bases included, looks well composed.

Nevelon - Nice and effective color scheme as usual. Makes for a good look when the models stand together.

ZergSmasher - That's a neat and clear use of colors. Nice to see subtle grime on models like this.

So, that's enough comments on wretched goblins and their ilk to last me a lifetime. Where's my flamer? I think we've got an infestation this month...

Captain Brown's images say "content not viewable in your region" for me...

I see them just fine, but like Turaxa said above it might be a UK region thing.

Sounds likely; the wonderfully thought out and highly effective “Online Safety” bill has been having all sorts of successes like that.

/s

To be fair, he did paint a bunch of little HO’s…

 Nevelon wrote:
To be fair, he did paint a bunch of little HO’s…

Oh no, not the dad jokes!

 Geifer wrote:


JoshInJapan - Nice work on the Martians. Looking at them it feels like the most work went into the heads only for them to get obscured by the bubble helmets. That's a bit unfortunate.

Almost no work went into the heads. The faces are Army Painter monster brown, the brains are Army Painter necrotic flesh, with a sepia wash over the whole thing. I agree that the helmets kind of obscure their features, but said helmets are pretty much indispensable for the model.

inmygravenimage: That's a whole lotta off-white. From the photos, the individual models aren't actually sculpted that well, but in aggregate, they look good. I admire you ability to tolerate painting so many identical dudes.

Daia T’Nara: What a great idea! Your approach to gretchin skin is quite nice.

me: Despite each model having a unique pose, the whole unit is essentially identical. Doing these guys reminded my why I don't paint armies anymore-- batch painting bores me.

Misclicking ork: Drab colors work great for Skaven, but I feel like they would benefit from more contrast in the hightlights to pick out the details.

KidCthulhu: I like the vivid reds and blues, and the bi-colored shields add a lot of visual interest.

tzurk: You have some very creative kitbashes, and the RT Eldar Raider is a nice addition. Where are the helmeted heads from-- I don't recognize them.

Captain Brown: You put a lot of work into these teeny-tiny dudes. Are they crew for the big boat from the summer challenge?

Geifer: Your entries always remind me of how big the Star Wars universe really is. Great work on the stripey pants!

theCrowe: Those eye-popping colors take me back to the garish 80's.

Mr Nobody: Great weathering on the armor-- it pops against the red without being overdone. I really like your attention to detail on the boots.

Mothsniper: Your approach to the woodgrain is quite effective.

Maharg: I was never a big fan of Bob Olley's models for Citadel, but he did good work on gobbos. I like your olive drab skin tone.

Pariah Press: This is a great, multi-generation unit. I would have loved to collect an Imperial Army (from before the IG plastics), but my local store didn't stock them in the same numbers as their contemporaries.

Vejut: That's a lot of little tanks. Great work picking out the details, especially the canopies.

Turaxa: I was going to comment on the cables, hoping that you could find some time to finish them, but a quick GIS revealed them to be anime-accurate. So, good job!

Gulgog TufToof : This is the third grot entry in the list, and this one also has unique skin tones. That's one of the many things to love about Orks-- there is no one correct approach to painting them!

Chris56: I like your judicious use of rust effects-- just enough to imply a lack of maintenance, but not so much as to make them seem less dangerous.

Pursuit Of Happiness: The purple around the mouths is a nice effect-- it draws the eye without clashing with the red.

Peterhausenn: Lot's of gobbos this month! The earthtones go nicely with the vivid green skin.

Midget Gems: The subtheme for the month seems to be goblins. Their bright yellow uniforms go really well with their green skin, and the field markings on the bases are a nice touch.

Nevelon: That is a lot of little bugs. You mentioned in your P&M blog that you don't enjoy painting the swarms, but they do look good when finished.

ZergSmasher: Hobgoblins have been an on-again-off-again unit for Orcs for as long as I've been familiar with WHFB and its descendants. I like your approach to their skin-- not traditional green, but also not true yellow.

Great work, everyone!

My grot is wearing a wetsuit; no skin visible. I must not have conveyed that very well with the paint job.

 Gulgog TufToof wrote:
My grot is wearing a wetsuit; no skin visible. I must not have conveyed that very well with the paint job.

No, that's on me. Looking again, I can see the delineation. I suppose the mask, snorkel, and flippers should have clued me in.

Good job guys!
Glad to be able to participate.

 JoshInJapan wrote:

 Geifer wrote:
JoshInJapan - Nice work on the Martians. Looking at them it feels like the most work went into the heads only for them to get obscured by the bubble helmets. That's a bit unfortunate.

Almost no work went into the heads. The faces are Army Painter monster brown, the brains are Army Painter necrotic flesh, with a sepia wash over the whole thing. I agree that the helmets kind of obscure their features, but said helmets are pretty much indispensable for the model.

Huh, I guess I got it the wrong way around and the helmets may help with the look. But you are of course right. They need the helmets to look the part.

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Geifer: Your entries always remind me of how big the Star Wars universe really is. Great work on the stripey pants!

Thank you. I'm pretty happy with the way the pants turned out. I can't say I've had much luck with striped clothing in the past. But this one works for me.

And really, what's the point of piracy if you can't even score a pair of fancy pants for yourself?

 Geifer wrote:

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Geifer: Your entries always remind me of how big the Star Wars universe really is. Great work on the stripey pants!

Thank you. I'm pretty happy with the way the pants turned out. I can't say I've had much luck with striped clothing in the past. But this one works for me.

And really, what's the point of piracy if you can't even score a pair of fancy pants for yourself?

As a hobbyist Of A Certain Age, I remember a time when stripey pants were de rigueur for a whole range of models. I have always struggled with stripes, especially where they cross the folds in the cloth, around the knees and elbows, for example. It's delightful to see them done well.

It’s that time!

We have a tie for 3rd, with 13 votes each.
First is Maharg’s goblins. Delightfully old school and ready to get stabbing...





...assuming they can avoid being eaten by the Squigs (and Goblins) from Pursuit Of Happiness.







But if they are lucky, they can be united with their gene sires, as shown by Daia T’Nara with Rowboat Ultraman and da Grot Primarchs. Who takes silver with 15 votes.








And putting an end to the goblinpalooza silliness with 16 votes and the iron boot of the Empire, inmygravenimage bring us the Battle of Hoth







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Another amazing month from everyone. Solid work all around. This was another month I was wondering if I was going to need to do podium blurbs for over a half dozen entries. It was pretty close down to the wire. Grats to the winners, and for everyone who entered. A lot of models got their paint last month. Good work!

Well done, everyone. Kudos!

Oh. Oh my. I am totally taken aback - I'm not sure I've even placed before. Thanks all, what a great round!

Great work, everyone! Lots of high-quality painting, which is doubly impressive given the number of models in everyone's entries!

Congrats everyone! I feel like I kind of snuck though on the strength of the joke there, even though they're not big minis I did take more than a few shortcuts on the low-impact details like cloth and belts to get all ten done on time.

 Geifer wrote:
Daia T’Nara - I like how the models have a good balance of looted stuff compared to the original parts that tie them together as a squad.

I guess I should admit that 'balance' came about just as a matter of which parts I had available - given that they're all primarchs I would've had them all festooned with purity seals, but I don't have that many to spare and didn't want to completely deplete my supply for actual marines. You can also tell by looking at them which of the upgrades sprues I've got, and which had to make to do with generic parts and the paint job.

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Daia T’Nara: What a great idea! Your approach to gretchin skin is quite nice.

I wanted a real old-school cartoony look, so I went big on the highlights with very lush greens. I've had this idea rattling around ever since the old days, when it came to me while I was wondering if I'd ever do anything with the 40 gretchin from the 2nd edition box, but I never got very far into it since there's only so much you can do sticking shoulder pads onto the same monopose scrulpt.

Next up, I've been given a bunch of Custodes leftover parts, so I'll be assembling the Runtherd covered in mismatched gold armour, as Da Emprah. Not because he believes it, but it's the only way the little zoggers will do what he tells them now...

The idea that the Primarchs did what the Emperor told them is…interesting.

Coming soon, the Grotmas Heresy!

Congratulations to the winners and as always good job on getting something painted, folks.

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to Geifer and JoshinJapan for your comments.

Great and fun entries this month with well deserved winners

Sorry its taken awhile but the League table has been updated for anyone interested is seeing how they are doing

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/732117.page#9481149