Squad: March! Painting Challenge 2018

With a week left of February and (at least) three paint challenges running concurrently (Fembruary, Squaduary, and Neglected Model February), I thought it time to flag my paint challenge plans for next month. I’m calling it “Squad: March!” in the fine tradition of NCOs and officers bellowing at their charges on the parade ground.

The objective, fine reader, is simply to complete a squad or unit. Now, I’m being a little more specific than on some previous challenges – we’re looking at troops of some kind here. Not 40k’s narrow and specific definition of troops versus elites versus fast attach, etc – but a unit containing at least three members. So no Dreadnoughts or Heroes or Greater Daemons or Tanks this time.

Of course, I’ll happily allow exceptions, so if you’re the sort that thinks big, and you want to complete a Zug of Panzers, or a Maniple of Battle-Automata, or a Contemptor Talon, then sure – go for it!

Probably the biggest distinction between this challenge and ones like Squaduary are that I only care about you completing these units. It’s not a “start-to-finish” challenge set during a single month, so regardless of whether you just missed out on finishing that squad during Squaduary, or you’ve got stuff that you’ve been chipping away at for six months, or if you’ve got units that have been shelved for months or even years, feel free to dig them out and join in.

Similarly, if you want to go start-to-finish, then feel free to go right ahead. If you have a squad of five figures and two are complete while the other three are bare plastic or metal, that’s fine too. It’s about completing units. The challenge is designed to easily fit into your (and my) painting schedule and be flexible enough to encompass quite a lot, and hopefully just act as a bit of an impetus or inspiration for people.

Since this March Painting challenge is a “minor” one, like February’s – I won’t be posting updates over the month on it. I’ll likely do a round-up of all the participants I’m aware of just after the end of the month, though. If anyone is wondering why this comes on the heels of Squaduary, it’s because I had planned on doing squads in March before I knew Squaduary was a thing, and I ain’t changing my plans.

That’s pretty much it. If you might be interested, you’ve got a week for thinking about it before the challenge starts – though if you’re keen there’s also no reason you can’t be working on your models. Because it’s only about completing models in March! 😉

 

Realm of Chaos – Nurgle’s Children 2018 #8: More 3rd Wave Plaguebearers (2001) 3rd Wave Plaguebearer Command (2007). #Squaduary Painting Challenge Success (Again). #Fembruary Painting Challenge Success (Again).

 

2nd Wave Plaguebearers of Nurgle 1995/6, 3rd Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle 2001, 3.5 Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle Command 2007

Okay. We’ve had the Green Plaguebearers and the Tan Plaguebearers, it’s time for the Brown Plaguebearers. As with the last Plaguebearer post last week, the batch is made up of a mixture of the 3rd wave metals, with a couple of 2nd wave metals, and the shitty 2007 3.5 wave command trio.

3.5 Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle Command 2007

3.5 Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle Command 2007

I already shared my opinion on these in the last Plaguebearer post. Suffice to say, if you think these look okay, then I’ve managed to successfully slightly polish a trio of turds. That and we’re looking at them from their most favourable angles here. The pointing finger was missing from the Champion/Plagueridden, so I used a “bone axe” hand from a Shieldwolf Mountain Orc as a replacement.

3rd Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle 2001, Aly Morrison

3rd Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle 2001, Aly Morrison

Since posting up the previous batch of Plaguebearers, I’ve found that not only did Aly Morrison sculpt these 3rd Wave models (which are a mixed bag – my favourite three are above) and those embarrassingly awful abominations of a command group, but he also sculpted the original Great Unclean One, which stands as a timeless classic (to me, anyway). Talk about an uneven resume.

2nd Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle 1996, Aly Morrison/Colin Dixon

2nd Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle 1996, Aly Morrison/Colin Dixon

Here’s a pair of 2nd Wave Plaguebearers. I never liked these compared to the originals, or even the 3rd wave models. They always struck me as a series of unnecessary resculpts. In that they looked quite close to the originals, while still being noticeably inferior. I always assumed their main reason for existence was because Kev Adams had moved on (or been moved on?) from GW. Not sure if that’s true or not, but this range still seems to me to be one of the more redundant series of models ever released. Sculpts are by either Aly Morrison, Colin Dixon, or both, depending on where you look, as I’ve found them both individually credited for this range as well as “and-credited” for this range.

3rd Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle 2001, Aly Morrison

3rd Wave Warhammer Plaguebearers of Nurgle 2001, Aly Morrison

I ended up with an awful lot of that hunched-over Plaguebearer, so here’s a pair in brown along with a friend. The overall palette and techniques for these guys was pretty much identical to the tan and the green, just with a different base colour, hightlight and shade for the core flesh. The discolourations, tentacles, horns, bone, wounds, etc were all done in the exact same way, which will unify them nicely with their fellows I think.

As with the last set of Plaguebearers I painted, I’ll call this another completed submission for Alex’ Fembruary Painting Challenge 2018 as well as the Squaduary Painting Challenge. I’ve still got a few more Plaguebearers to show (I finished them concurrently with these ones), so now I can shift painting gears a little and try to finish some other models before the month ticks out. I’ve still got that pack of 9 wolves that I’d like to complete for Squaduary, as well as the Dark Elf Sorceress and the Escher to complete for a more traditional set of models for Fembruary.

And then there’s the two Ork Nobs that are all I need to complete their two Mobs.

Of course, the “to paint” list is endless, but it’s good to have the next few targets decided on…