Preparing for the Big One!

Hoi,

Jump for joy! I have finally managed to enter the Fifth Annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Finally I say, because I have watched it being announced several times these past years and never had the courage to apply myself. I guess I was always afraid of committing myself to painting a certain amount of figures up to a value of points, and failing miserably IN PUBLIC! Now the die is cast and I'll have to live up to it. The Challenge is being run by Curt at his blog and a great happening it will promise to be.

So what are my plans? To start off I have committed to painting the minimum amount of points possible which is 500. This may sound chicken, and I'm sure it is, but never having participated this far and mainly painting 20mm figures (which don't really give you large amounts of points anyway) I thought I'd take the safer side of things. Besides up-scaling is possible during the event, or so I have understood.

To do this I have set myself the goal of painting up all the regiments I have either already based and/ or basecoated which now reside in my showcases unpainted. Those include:
-  a regiment of Bengal Lancers
- a 7YW Prussian and an Austrian Infantry Regiment
- a 7YW Scottish Regiment of Foot
- a 7YW British Regiment of Dragoons
- a Napoleonic French Regiment of Infantry
- a Napoleonic Bavarian Regiment of Infantry

Besides these there are the themed Bonus Rounds which I hope to participate in. The following ideas are playing in my mind:

1st Bonus Round: Cold (14th December): I am thinking of doing some 28mm figures for these, won't tell you what make or period though!

2nd Bonus Round: Mounts and Riders (28th December): I have a Wargames Illustrated figure of Lady Godiva still lying around which I think of painting up for this round.

3rd Bonus Round: Victorian (11th January):  As you might have read in my Crisis post, I have obtained rather a large amount of Victorian figures so won't have any trouble filling this post with some nice 28mm figures.

4th Bonus Round: Myth (25th January): Now if you look around the blogosphere you'll see quite a lot of posts of people entering this round with "true" Mythological subjects but I will be taking up the word "myth" a bit less literal... again I will not reveal too much but preparations for this bonus entry are already on their way!

6th Bonus Round: Comedic (22nd February): For these I really have no clue what to do so I'll have to keep you informed along the way. The only "humorous" figures I have currently in stock are Hasslefree's Mystery Inc gang regular style.

7th Bonus Round: Anti-Hero (8th March): The final bonus round has me desperately searching for a decent Anti-hero, I have a Discworld Rincewind mini and some Flashman mini's lying around here but can't decide which to paint up for this since they're all brilliant!

The biggest challenge I set myself is the strangest; last Analogue Challenge had some sidebar challenges by competitors going on and in a good natured way I threw down the gauntlet at the delectable feet of one of those Grand Dames of our community in order to both paint a Femme Fatale to our best abilities and let the audience decide who wins. The winner receiving the losers miniature. I will not disclose more at this time but will tell you all that I settled on a Freebooter miniature for my entry.

For now that's all and I wish all the competitors in this Great Challenge all the best for attaining their goals!

My the brushes be ever in your favour!

Cheers Sander

Listening to: "Sing Loud, Sing Proud" by the Dropkick Murphy's