TFL Painting Challenge: Monday Morning Update

Morning all. Didn’t have time to update the Challenge over the weekend, so you get it first thing Monday morning instead. What a great start to the week!

So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the Painting Challenge entries from the last seven days or so:

  • Mark Luther has been building trenches and pimping up tanks

  • More Saracen archers from Steve Burt

  • Yet more Conan figures from Mervyn Douglas…and it’s a trick question: he punches the camel in both Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer

  • Travis has switched to painting Celts

  • It’s good to see Stumpy back on the list: an eclectic list of basing from him

  • Three gorgeous vehicles and an amazing Arnhem bridge in 28mm from John Emmett

  • And last, but not least, a mix of sci fi, fantasy and samurai from Derek (I recognise those buildings!)

As always, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight through to their gallery (opens in a new window); and I’ll be updating the Scorecard later in the week.

Here are today’s pictures:

And as a reminder:

The 25% Off The September War Scenario Packs Sale Is Still On

To mark the 80th year after the accepted start of WW2 with the invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939, the TooFatLardies and I are pleased to offer a great discount on the two September War scenario packs for I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum! with a whopping 25% off when you buy them as a bundle.

Written by Robert Avery and Alexander Kawczynski, each September War scenario pack for I Ain’t Been Shot, Mum! provides thirty scenarios for the theatre, making sixty available in all.

Divided into eight mini-campaigns, the first pack (The September War Part One) begins with the battles at the border, then covers the fight for the Polish corridor, the Polish Thermopylae at Narew, the Siege of Warsaw, the climactic battles at Bzura and Tomaszow Lubelski, and the actions of the 10th Motorised Cavalry “Black” Brigade and the Independent Operational Group Polesie. There are attacks, counter-attacks, encounter battles, desperate defences…there’s even an armoured train or two.

Divided into six mini-campaigns, the second pack (The September War Part Two) begins with four based on specific German units: Panzerdivision Kempf, the 1st GebirgsjaegerDivision, the 4th Panzer Division, and the 1st Kavallerie Brigade. Then there are two mini-campaigns based on the Soviet invasion of Poland: the Belorussian Front and the Ukrainian Front. Finally there are details of two stand-alone battles: Westerplatte and the Hel Peninsula. As always, there are attacks, counter-attacks, encounter battles, and desperate defences, all containing a whole host of useful scenario mechanics that can be re-used elsewhere.

No need for any preparation: each scenario contains a brief background history, maps, a full game briefing, and a full briefing for each player. Simply print out the pages you need, make up the deck from the list of cards required, unpack your figures and dice, set up the table and away you go!

Click here to buy the combined bundle.

TFL Painting Challenge: Huge Post-Holiday Update

Remind me never to go on holiday again: far too many entries to the Painting Challenge to be dealt with quickly!

To start with, however, a couple of gentle requests. First, can we remember to clearly mark or list your entries please: counting legs, or heads, or spear tips to work out how big a unit is can be a real pain. Secondly, can you try and keep image size down to under 1MB please. No problem if you can’t, but just means I can down- and upload things more quickly and in multiples.

Anyhow, on to today’s entries. In no particular order, we have:

  • Travis with a whole series of WW2 figures, including the first of his Winter War Americans

  • Matt Slade with more painting than you can shake a stick at. A host of WW2 desert war Italians and Brits; a mythological Greek kickstarter, some Space Marines…it’s a cornucopia from the painting machine!

  • Mr Luther fills in some of his gaps, and adds more ‘planes and terrain

  • There are also more ‘planes from Steve Burt, along with some Romans

  • Chris Kay sends in a couple of WW2 jeeps, and a couple of very strange post-apocalypse specials

  • There are three 15mm Napoleonic units from Sapper

  • Seven buildings from Mervyn

  • More Germanic types from Joe McGinn

  • Chris Cornwell sends in some medieavals

  • Mr Helliwell is back on the Prussians, or are they Hessians…and are those chaps with them Normans?

  • Ed Bowen makes a welcome return to the Challenge with his first entry of the year

  • There’s another convert to Contrast paints: Fred Blogs and his Indians, and a few other bits and pieces

  • Chris Stoesen serves up two sloops (yes, it is a Victoria Wood reference!)

  • Carole sends in a Papal flag-bearer

  • And last, but by no means least, Mr Plowman has three sci-fi vehicles to display

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures (note that these are only a tiny fraction of everything that’s been sent in, so gallery viewing is highly recommended):

TFL Painting Challenge: June Over!

We’ve definitely passed the half-way stage now, so check your scores and if you’re lagging behind where you think you ought to be, then get painting!

To inspire you, here’s what everyone else has been doing whilst you’ve been avoiding the painting table (and you know who you are!):

  • Travis contributes his usual entry: a lovely Bison, some winter war Germans, and a fantasy bolt-thrower to finish

  • Carole is into snakemen, and also shares a couple of 28mm specials

  • There’s a hovel and some barrels from Mr Burt

  • It’s back to sci-fi for Mr Plowman: a slow start and then a bumper second entry

  • Chris Kay sends in just about an entire WW2 US infantry platoon

  • More Gaslands cars for Andy Duffell

  • Loving the Sealion specials from Mr Emmett

  • Andy Helliwell finds that retirement still gets in the way of painting figures

  • Lloyd “the hat” Bowler is still painting 6mm ACW: another 300 or so hit the battlefield

  • Skeletons from Mervyn

  • And last, but by no means least, a quick set of WW2 Soviet Naval Infantry from Mark Luther

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: A Large Update

A large update to the Painting Challenge after missing a week due to Market Larden.

To dive straight in, in no particular order we have:

  • Travis with a mix of figures: some WW2, some not

  • And the same is true for Mervyn: tanks and barbarians together

  • Stumpy is in the Ancients camp

  • Steve Burt is back in Natal

  • Carole clears some odds and ends

  • It’s off to the Western Desert with loads of Italians for Matt Slade

  • Andy Duffell is another mix of WW2 and fantasy…well, near future sci fi to be more precise

  • Loads of painted 15mm terrain from Chris Stoesen

  • Andrew Helliwell is off to the American War of Independence

  • And, again, Derek has skeletons and tanks for us. What is it about the mix of WW2 and fantasy?

  • Finally, and having obviously forgotten his fantasy, Sapper has some nice WW2 British infantry with not a hint of Dungeons & Dragons about them!

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above takes you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Today’s pictures are below:

TFL Painting Challenge: Half Year Update

Well we’re half way through the year now, and perhaps time to see how everyone is doing: the Scorecard is updated, but a few worthy mentions are due before we get onto today’s entries.

No-one has hit the 2,000 point mark yet, but we do have:

1,500 points: Lloyd “the hat” Bowler; Chris Cornwell and Matt Slade;

1,000 points: Carole Flint and Sapper

500 points: Richard Clarke; John de terre neuve; Mervyn Douglas; Andy Duffell; John Emmett; John Haines; Andrew Helliwell; Travis Hiett; Mark Luther; Joe McGinn; and Chris Stoesen

Well done to them, and well done to the rest of you too just for entering and getting some submissions in. Remember: it’s not a competition, it’s way to encourage us all to paint more and better.

Contributing to the point above, today’s entries are:

  • Andy Duffell with some WW2 figures and then some rudey-nudeys! Don’t worry, Andy, I’m sure, being Lardies, that we’ve seen it all before!

  • Some Baluchis from Steve Burt

  • Late Romans from Carole

  • Travis has some more winter-kit German WW2 Grenadiers

  • A first (and earlier than normal) entry for the year from Fred Bloggs: Epic!

  • Chris Stoesen sends in a mixture, including a very nice gaming mat for which he received lots of points

  • More Sugar from Mr Luther

  • Sapper has been watching Eurovision with Edward III

  • The Hat has a huge entry: almost 600 6mm figures and some rather nice 1/300 landing craft and loads

  • A variety of lovely WW2 figures from John Emmett

  • There are some nice Italian Wars troops from Mr Cornwell

  • And last, but by no means least, some Indian Mutiny Highlanders from Joe McGinn

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

A Late Entry today: Belgians from John Emmett

Bank Holiday Painting Challenge Update

It’s the second of the British summer bank holidays (not that the weather seems to accept the “summer” bit) so I’ve plenty of time to update the TooFatLardies Painting Challenge.

Not just an update, but I’ve also had a chance to load last update’s points totals as well: so we should be totally and absolutely up to date now.

In no particular order, in today’s challenge entry we have:

  • Mr Plowman with some nice looking sci-fi vehicles

  • A mixed bag from Chris Stoesen

  • Joe McGinn sends in some Brunswickers

  • After a long gap, Steve Burt return with some Saracens and Pygmies.

  • Travis deploys some rather good skeleton knights and some sailors (apparently painted for a friend, don’t yer know)

  • The Hat is still sailing the ocean’s blue: this week’s entry is a somewhat anonymous tanker

  • Carole pops in some armoured knights for her Condottieri

  • It’s a mixture of samurai and fantasy for John Haines (sounds like my perfect movie)

  • Mervyn’s been ill, but sends in some houses anyway: brave lad!

  • There’s a HummVee and partisans from Mr Duffell

  • And, in a circular fashion, a mixed bag from Mr Helliwell

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Today’s pictures are below:

TFL Painting Challenge: a Post Paris Update

Regulars will have noted another two week gap between the last Painting Challenge update and today. I went to Paris for a week, and was regrettably too busy climbing the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre & Orsay galleries, and wondering why my new yellow jacket brought me so much attention to have time for the usual weekly update.

No matter: means today’s update is nice and big, or grand as us Francophiles say. In no particular order we have:

  • Chris Stoesen sends in a large and varied collection of entries, particularly featuring fences

  • Andy Duffell’s been painting the Po-Po

  • A few undead from Travis

  • The long and winding road, 108 inches of it, from Jon Yuengling

  • I may have been to Paris, but Caroles returned to renaissance Italy

  • Planes, Indians and Ancients from Ken

  • The Hodgemeister has been at the WW2 6mm again

  • John Haines has split his time between Portugal and Japan

  • How appropriate: trenches from Sapper

  • Lloyd continues to add to his already sizeable ACW collection

  • Mr Helliwell joins me at Versailles, and then whizzes off to the American War of Independence

  • Mark Luther fills in many of his pictorial gaps, and adds a whole load of Sugar Island terrain

  • And last, but certainly not least, in any sense of the words, is Mr Slade, with some fighters, some civilians and a doggy!

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

I’ll update the scoreboard this weekend.

Here are today’s pictures:

Colossal Painting Challenge Update!

What with Salute and work and training and all that, I didn’t get a chance to update the Challenge last week: a minor disaster as everyone suddenly got very active with their brushes!

As a result, we have a colossal update this week, with three-figure scores from lots of people.

So, in no particular order, we have:

  • Matt Slade warms up with some Gnolls and archers, and then moves into overdrive with an entire 8th Army platoon. A huge update from the master!

  • Carole takes a break from the Renaissance to rush a Sharp Practice company into action

  • Mervyn has forgotten the way to his painting table, but manages seven cowboys and some siege equipment

  • There’s a bit of a mix from Travis: WW2 Pioneers, scorpions and a necromancer, and the last of the orcs…and, to quote Boromir himself (assume Sheffield accent) “they have a cave troll”

  • A marvelous collection of WW2 canal terrain from John Emmett

  • Andy Duffell has gone sci-fi

  • Chris Stoesen builds and paints some more 15mm houses

  • More Sugar Island campaign figures from Mr Luther (there are now some pictures in the gallery as well)

  • A huge 10mm DAK entry from Sapper

  • Chris Cornwell has had a good month: Dacians et al.

  • Lots of lovely SP figures from Joe McGinn

  • The first entry of the year from John Haines: Victorians miscreants, lots of them

  • The usual humungus entry from The Hat. Lloyd has sent in a huge 6mm ACW army plus more Cruel Seas boats.

  • And last, but by no means least, Andrew Helliwell has some more 15mm SYW Prussians for us to admire.

The Scorecard is updated (including last update’s update)…and, as usual, clicking on the name of the people above takes you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window). Highly recommended, as there are some great paint jobs to see.

Here’s a selection to whet the whistle:

Keep the entries coming!

TFL Painting Challenge: A Normal Update!

As it’s only been a week since the last update, the number of entries to be processed since week remained with the “normal” bracket, even given a huge first entry of the year from John de Terre Neuve.

So, in no particular order, we have:

  • Andrew Helliwell makes his usual weekly deposit: more SYW figures and a couple of WoR biggies

  • There’s a lovely 28mm garage from John Emmett

  • Travis rocks up with some orcs and some skeletons

  • Massive entry from Matt Slade: the start of a Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais platoon and more AWI

  • Another massive entry, this time in 10mm from Sapper with his Western Desert forces

  • And then it’s time for the truly massive first entry of the year from John de Terre Neuve. A mixture of 28mm fantasy and 1/72nd scale WW2

  • Carole has some more Condotteri

  • The Hat is back with more ships: the rest of the Japanese Fleet box…well worth a look

  • More Star Wars from Chris Kay

  • And last but not least, some Saracens from Steve Burt

Actually that was a pretty big set of entries this week after all!

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Biggie!

Which is what happens when you leave it for a week and a half!

Some great looking entries this week, so recommended you take a look.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Mark Luther continues with his Sugar Islands painting in 15mm

  • Carole does a few more Gendarmes, and paints the Bad Squiddo female Soviets. Great looking figures, if only Annie did them in 15mm!

  • There’s Ken’s usual mix of figures: Gauls, fantasy, Ancients and Native Americans

  • And talking of usual, Andrew Helliwell sends in some more Prussians, some more WoR and some more home-made terrain

  • But Travis, on the other hand, branches out: yes, there’s a German howitzer, but there’s also a whole load of 28mm fantasy figures as well

  • Jon Yuengling pops in a bridge and some FJ machine gunners

  • Chris Cornwell sends in a very impressive looking unit of forty-eight 28mm Sarmation cataphracts

  • Some of you may remember I told Sapper to remember that there’s no such thing as a finished army…I rest my case!

  • Steve Burt grips the beast with four Mongols

  • Mervyn is still back in Middle Earth with what must now be just about a one-to-one recreation of the Riders of Rohan

  • There’s a big entry from big Matt Slade (I got the shirt BTW, thanks)

  • Mr Plowman can’t decide if he’s painting terrain or aircraft…or is it both?

  • And last, but by no means least, Stumpy makes his first appearance of the year

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window). Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Enormous Update

Another week flies by, meaning it’s time for another update to the TooFatLardies Painting Challenge.

It’s somewhat ironic that this year’s challenge is proving so immensely popular, with loads of entries every week, at a time when I haven’t picked up a brush for a fortnight: family matters, martial arts and a new job keeping me incredibly busy.

I went into the wargaming room last night to find figures on the table set up for photography from a month ago. But, then, that’s this hobby for you: it ebbs and flows like the tides (in the few months before Christmas I was gaming twice a week) but, like the wine-dark sea, is always there, washing in and out as a background to daily life.

So, for the moment, I will have to live vicariously through the Challenge, so here are this week’s entries:

  • Chris Kay has painted an awful lot of 15mm tanks

  • Travis fills in some more holes in his 28mm WW2 collection

  • Jon Yuengling is still in Blitzkrieg mode: some Dutch, some Germans, some Home Guard

  • It’s more sugar plantation madness from Mark Luther

  • The first of today’s first entries of the year: Doug Melville is back with some lovely 28mm WW2 figures

  • Andy Duffell is still in fantasy land

  • It’s more Seven Years War from Andrew Helliwell

  • Mervyn is still in Rohan

  • And Lloyd is still sailing on the Cruel Seas

  • Carole sends in some more Condottieri

  • Our second first entry of the year, Chris Stoesen, has some rather nice houses for us to enjoy

  • And last, but by no means least, John Emmett sends in a little collage of a ruined house

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Another Large Update

Another large update this week, so let’s waste no more time and just jump right on in:

  • Mr Clarke makes a welcome return with a huge 800-point submission from Malaya and Singapore

  • Travis has some more Brits for France 1940 for us to admire

  • John Emmett had a host of tastily painted Germans to fight Travis’ Brits

  • It’s a bit of a mixture from Mervyn: 15’s re-basing and 28’s painting

  • Carole alliterates some Condotteri

  • Finally a non-Star Wars entry from Chris Kay

  • The Hat, Mr Lloyd Bowler, has truly huge numbers of 6mm ACW figures to submit, plus some very nice modern patrol boats

  • There’s more SYW Caribbean painting from Mr Luther

  • Steve Burt starts a new project: Saracens

  • John Yuengling paints some more German tanks in 15mm

  • Sapper claims to have finished his Normans…although there’ s obviously no such thing as a finished army!

  • And last, but by no means least, there’s Mr Helliwell: with his usual SYW and WoR submission

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window). Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Enormous Update

So that’s what happens to your mailbox when you leave the Challenge for two weeks rather than the usual one!

Enormous update today: with, as implied above, two weeks’ worth of entries rather than the usual one.

Let’s not waste any more time…in no particular order, we have:

  • John Emmett pops in another two absolutely, stonkingly lovely 28mm vehicles, along with a few bits of battlefield clutter for them to navigate around

  • Mr Luther is still populating his Sugar Island campaign: can’t wait to see the results!

  • Huge entry from Matt Slade: some great-looking 28mm WW2 kit

  • Carole’s also focusing on WW2, but at 15mm scale

  • But it’s back up to 28mm for Andy Duffell’s WW2 entry, except for his last two vehicles which creep in at 15mm. How do you chaps manage with multiple scales?

  • Travis is also WW2 painting at the moment, also in 28mm. More lovely kit!

  • Jon Yuengling has gone Dutch

  • Mervyn is Goblin!

  • There’s a mixture of stuff from Chris Cornwell. I do like those Dacians…

  • Sapper has some 14th Century bowmen and three lots of Norman Knights for us to admire

  • More SYW Prussian Fusiliers from Mr Helliwell, who can surely replay the whole conflict in 1:1 scale by now!

  • More Star Wars from Chris Kay: loving the Repulser Tank

  • And last, but by no means least, Blue Moose Ken submits the dogs of war…

That is a lot of entries! As per usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Here are today’s pictures:

Keep them coming!

Painting Challenge: Another Week Flies By!

I don’t know where the time goes. It’s February already, and will doubtless be Christmas again soon. It’s lucky we have the constant presence that is the Painting Challenge to root us into the here and now!

Here are this week’s submissions:

  • Mr Helliwell adds some more Prussians and medieval types to his already impressive collection

  • It’s a first entry of the year from Mr Slade: lots of 28mm figures and five most impressive houses

  • Carole pops in four Renaissance women with swords

  • Mark Luther is still hooked on Sugar

  • The Hat is back: Lloyd sends in almost entire ACW Union army in 6mm

  • It’s assorted WW2 figures and vehicles from Chris Cornwell

  • Sapper is still amongst the medieval spearmen

  • More Prussians from Joe McGinn

  • And last, but most certainly not least, it’s a first entry of the year from my old mucker Mr Hodge

As per usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight through to their gallery. Here are today’s pictures:

Painting Challenge: This Week's Update

So another week flies by, and my inbox bulges with entries for the Painting Challenge!

Very frustrating: as I’m now back at work, I have no time to paint, so have to live vicariously through your efforts. Bit of a come down after the immense amount that I painted whilst on gardening leave, but such is life!

Here are today’s entries:

  • Joe McGinn sends in loads more Silesian types

  • There’s a huge 15mm “airborne” entry from Jon Yuengling: Fallschirmjaegers from 1940 and British Paras from later on.

  • John Emmett sends in another beautiful 28mm vehicle

  • Travis finishes off his Winter War Germans, and adds a few more Americans as well

  • It’s a first entry for this year’s challenge from Blue Moose Ken: his usual eclectic cornucopia of periods and scales

  • It’s also a first entry from Mark Luther: but no pics yet, so call back later!

  • More Star Wars from Chris Kay

  • Carole also sends in a mix of stuff, but it’s mostly later Romans

  • Kev, our favourite Fat Wally, has even more Confederates for us to look at. No time to paint my Ancient Britons, eh? LOL!

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you through to their gallery page: and some of these galleries are already starting to fill with inspirational paint jobs.

Here are today’s pictures:

TFL Painting Challenge: Weekly Update

A nice big update this week, as those of you who have entered this year’s Challenge have obviously decided to start the year with a bang!

Today we have:

  • Kev piles in some more 15mm American Civil War figures

  • There are some 7YW Prussian Fusiliers from Sapper

  • Chris Kay dips his toe in the water: sending in seven figures from Star Wars

  • Meanwhile Travis is painting so fast that he has run out of BEF (for the moment!) and had to also submit some Winter War chappies as well.

  • Joe McGinn is watching Last of the Mohicans, and is painting figures to match. Where, however, is the Last himself: Chingachgook?

  • I’m not sure how big Steve Burt’s draws are, but he’s been rummaging around in them for weeks now. Here’s more of what he found.

  • Carole is also heading out to the Great Lakes, with some French-Indian Wars figures of her own

  • Mr Plowman has a brace of VTOLs to display

  • And last, but by no means least, Andrew Helliwell returns in force

As always, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new page). Here are today’s piccies:

Painting Challenge 2019: More First Entries of the Year

People’s first entries for the 2019 Painting Challenge are flooding in now, including a first-timer as well. Without further ado, let’s see what’s been submitted:

  • Carole sends in some scenery, and a lovely spaceship army for Hordes of Things

  • Sapper’s second entry of the year is some nice C14th English longbowmen

  • We have something from a first-timer next: John Emmett’s 28mm German Panzer III Flamm

  • Joe McGinn pops up ag’in: settlers from a Kickstarter and some FIW British Lights

  • It’s a second and third entry of the year from Travis Hiett: supports for his BEF

  • A huge first entry from Chris Cornwell: terrain boards and hordes of figures

  • Ralph Plowman has some 15mm sci-fi vehicles to share with us

  • And last but certainly not least, Owen is back with a bang: over a century of 15mm fantasy figures

As usual, clicking on the name of the person above will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Plenty of room still for entrants this year, so pick up those brushes, scale the lead mountain, and join your fellow Lardies in the Challenge!

Today’s pictures are below:

First Painting Challenge Update of 2019

Morning all!

The TooFatLardies Painting Challenge 2019 is up and running, with many of you starting the year’s entries with a bang. Let’s waste no more time and get straight on to today’s submissions.

In no particular order, we have:

  • Mervyn kicks things off with a host of aliens…and a few humans to battle them

  • He’s joined by Mr Helliwell: more SYW figures, a barn…and a few fantasy humans

  • Travis sends in his first BEF squad: lovely

  • Steve Burt is still rooting around at the base of his lead mountain

  • Some British Paras from Jon Yuengling drop in to the Challenge

  • Mr Davenport has taken advantage of the Christmas festivities and produced a double handful of 28mm vehicles

  • And last, but by no means least, Kev sends in more 15mm ACW figures

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the list above will take you straight to their gallery, which will open in a new window.

Here are today’s pictures

TFL Painting Challenge 2018 Now Closed, 2019 Now Open

So the 2018 TooFatLardies Painting Challenge is now closed…and it has been a very quiet year.

Only thirty-four Lardies have participated, as opposed to forty-seven in 2017. On top of this, of those that had competed before, twenty scored less than last year’s total and only ten scored more.

On the plus side, however, eighteen people have now participated for all of the five years that the Challenge has run, with four more only missing the first year i.e. completing four years in a row.

The good news is, as I mentioned in yesterday’s New Year’s Day post, that I will run the Challenge again in 2019, and declare the competition officially open as from…now! Details are up on the site as usual but, as a quick reminder, send your entries to the usual address (with the photos clearly labelled please!) and I’ll open your gallery with your first entry.

We did have a few last minute entries, listed below:

  • Mr Hodge took a break from painting from early September to mid-December, but finished the year with a 238-point bang

  • Sapper popped in a quick unit of 7YW Carabiniers

  • Some last minute re-basing from Mervyn

  • And finally Ken admits that he’s been dragging his painting heels for a bit, but also ends the year of a high: a 90-point high to be exact

Clicking on the names highlighted above will take you straight to their individual 2018 Galleries (opens in a new window).

Good luck with 2019…and here’s a couple of picks from the above to encourage you to begin your new year at your painting table rather than in front of the TV!

Spearmen from Ken

The rather magnificently named Schaumburg-Lippe Carabiniers from Sapper

Some of Derek’s final entry for 2018

TFL Painting Challenge: Penultimate Post!

Today is the last day for submissions to the TooFatLardies 2018 Painting Challenge, and to encourage you all to pop that last entry through, we have an enormous penultimate update.

So, in no particular order, today we have:

  • Kev sends in a host of American Civil War figures in 15mm

  • There are some Hessians from Ed Bowen

  • Hardy perennial Andrew Helliwell submits his usual assortment of 7YW and medieval figures

  • John de Terre Neuve has been reading his early war theatre handbooks: sending in a very nice Belgian force along with a few Napoleonics and buildings

  • There are some nice modern African militia and their compound HQ from Andy Duffell

  • The Hat is back with a huge submission comprising a full company of WW2 US infantry and supports

  • Steve Burt is still working his way through his Salute freebies!

  • Another huge submission from Fred Bloggs. An ironic statement as they are all 6mm figures.

  • And last, but by no means least, there are four WW2 vehicles from Travis.

As usual, clicking on the name of the person in the above list will take you straight to their gallery (opens in a new window).

Today’s pictures are below:

Painting Challenge 2019

The good news is that I have decided to run the Challenge for its sixth year i.e. Jan-Dec 2019.

Details will be posted in due course, but the format will effectively be the same as the last five years…unless anyone has any ideas that they think I should implement to make it better.

No need for a formal e-mail letting me know you’re entering: just send in your first submissions in the new year to the usual e-mail address (admin@vislardica.com), clearing stating what you’ve sent me in a way that means I don’t have to spend time working out which unit are the grenadiers, which are the line etc!

One question. The website is creaking at the seams a bit with the number of pages. Before I started using Blogs properly, each AAR had its own page, so I’m quite close to the maximum 1,000 pages allowed. Each person’s Gallery uses one page: so for 2019, I’m either going to need to transfer previous AAR-on-a-page content to AAR-on-a-blog, which is not difficult but a bit tedious, or delete the 2014 Painting Challenge galleries. What do you want me to do? Not sure anyone ever looks at the past galleries (well the page stats say they don’t do it very often) but then it is nice to have an archive of entries if one ever does want to look back at what one has achieved. I don’t really mind either way: your thoughts by Comment please.