The Fifth Annual Painting Challenge

Visitors to the small corner of the blogosphere populated by wargaming and painting blogs may already have noticed that Blogging Supremo, Impressario and all round Grand Chap, Mr Curt Campbell, has announced the arrival shortly of the Fifth Annual Worldwide Painting Challenge.

This year's focus seems to be on anti-heroes, which gives a wonderfully dark and dramatic tone to the Challenge, with some great scope for modelling and ... who knows ... perhaps a little "alternative history" (cue evil laughter).

Announced yesterday, and impressively entitled “V” (with the panache of a Soho marketing executive, announcing on the 5th November), the Challenge is something I’ve been looking forward to since the last one ended.  Sometimes its difficult to keep motivated painting wargames figures. It can feel like a solitary pastime. Far better, therefore, to have the camaraderie of painters throughout the world over the winter months, complete with all the banter, encouragement and general mayhem which goes with each of the Challenges.

Curt has put together a detailed post on his blog, complete with scheduled “themed entries” which were a huge hit in last year’s competition. I’m already planning my contribution to these, along with thinking about what I need to ensure that the preparation work is finished on the various miniatures I want to enter for the challenge.

First up will be trying to paint the Tirailleurs Sénégalais, which (perhaps fortunately) are still in Head Swap-ville. When I last looked, I had about 30 converted. Luckily (for me), Curt lets Challenge participants undertake their conversion work before the Challenge commences, allowing me a window to finish the conversions before the fun starts on December 5th.

I should probably, therefore, expect more scratched and worn fingers with pre-Challenge conversion work before my fingers get really worn painting like a demon for three months. But the rewards are worth it, and there’s nothing quite like the Challenge as a group activity and for bringing the Blogging community together.   I've pitched for a (for me) difficult 750 points, but I'm really focused on trying to improve my score last year, which was in the low 500s.   Anything over 600 points would feel like a great result.

So, all I need to do is to do some more head swaps and I'm ready.  I wonder where I left that hack-saw....