#McrBattleOfTheBrush

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity you may recall [pre-COVID] my local* Manchester Warhammer store had a monthly painting challenge. In fact this was my plan in February 2020... best laid plans and all:

February - Big Model - Dark Angel Redemptor Dreadnought

March - Character - Blood Bowl Ogre

April - Squad - Blood Bowl Team

May - Big Model - Land Raider? 

June - Character - ?

July - Squad - Deathwing Knights

Of course the pandemic scotched that, but in August they decided to create their #McrBattleOfTheBrush challenge online. Since then I've been entering my efforts but hadn't really kept track of what I entered so thought I'd keep a record here:

August 2020

My Blood bowl Ogre in the Single Figure category.

September 2020

My Old Skool Middenheim Marauders Team [minus the Ogre, but I like this picture more] in the Squad category.

October 2020

Oops, somehow I totally missed the entry post for this and didn't share an entry. So much for #HobbyStreak

November 2020

Deathwing Knights in the Squad category. This won one of the three 'Best in Show' awards for the category.

December 2020

Galvanic Servo-haulers in the Squad category. This won one of the three 'Most inspiring' awards for how the judges would paint their version if they got that model.

January 2021

Tyranid Tyrannofex in the Large Model category. This won one of the three 'Best in Show' awards for the category.

February 2021

Nurgle Blood Bowl Team in the Squad category. This won one of the three 'Best in Show' awards for the category.

March 2021

Adeptus Titanicus Cerastus Knight Lancer in the Single Figure category.

So, you can see I've been a tad successful in my efforts, despite the quality of the entries being exceptional. Not just super-high quality but entrants with significant quantity - dozens of miniatures over all categories. I'll say it again though - I don't participate for the awards. I paint my figures, I had always tried to meet the criteria of the entries - 4 of each category. If I had something I was painting and meet a deadline then that was in, if I couldn't meet the deadline I entered something they'd never seen or I'd submitted before. It was all about motivation, joining in and sharing with my local hobbyists. Gutted I missed that October one but I've got plenty more to share - my Tyranid VSG, Rippers etc. Maybe I'll even finish these bloomin' Aberrants, or EVEN the Land Raider...! Check out if your own local GW/Warhammer store is doing a similar challenge and join in.

*local - as in that's where I work, I'm also joining in a lot of WiP posts at Warhammer Liverpool, which is actually my nearest store to where I live. This is also great motivation, even if I'm not being particularly productive at the moment.

GW Manchester Battle of the Brush - September - Characters

Following on from August's Battle of the Brush [or 'Tale of our Warlords', as it's also known], September's category was Characters. I entered my Space Hulk Deathwing Librarian . My goal is just to achieve the 12 entries over the course of the year and as you can see the standard is exceptional each month so the competitive aspect will be tough, hence why I'm just along for the ride.

1st place was this elf.

2nd to the Slaughterpriest.

3rd to the Nighthaunt

And the staff pic for colour scheme they would do - Gotrek

I did manage to pick up the 'Warlords' award - the miniature chose by all the other entrants who last year completed the 12 month challenge, I was actually really chuffed with this, moreso than I felt with the Land Speeder Dark Shroud - this felt like a big deal to be honoured so.

I took these pics in the old store, not sure if they were also entered into the challenge.

Some more random pics

And an Orruk in Orange.

The obligatory Chaos/Necron/Tau

A rather pallid looking dragon

Some Ork bombers from Aeronautica

And their new home in the new shop.

A Squat display in the window.

With fab Red Planet BASE!

And the old Squats in Exo Armour, I used to have these...

 Lastly a fantastic Renegade Knight - makes the Imperial kind so dull 😞

Next month is squads and I'll be putting in my Genestealer Neophytes but I seem to have misplaced my entry form which isn't a problem but is annoying, ...

GW Manchester Battle of the Brush - August - Big Models

Following on from July's Battle of the Brush [or 'Tale of our Warlords', as it's also known], August's category was Squads. I entered my [still wet] Ravenwing Dark Shroud - a model in the category completed in that month! My goal is just to achieve the 12 entries over the course of the year and as you can see the standard is exceptional each month so the competitive aspect will be tough, hence why I'm just along for the ride.

I've had a number of technical issues, hence why it has taken so long to get these pics sorted. Hopefully that's all fixed now and the winner for August was this fantastic Renegade Knight

2nd was this Repulsor tank.

3rd was yours truly with my Land Speeder Dark Shroud. I must admit to being honoured but a little 'unmoved' by the accolade. As much as I anticipate the reveal of the awards each month it would be disingenuous after my assertion I'm only in it to take part and then jump for joy when I win something. It's difficult to reconcile, I hope I'm explaining it enough, emotionally there's a lot of baggage. Anyway, the Slaaneshi Greater Daemon got the most inspiring award.

I'd taken these pics on another occasion because I was so impressed.

The creative use of sprue on the base was also a nice touch, and if you check out the new terrain elements for Warhammer Underworld's - Beastgrave you will see a definite similarity!

Other entries included this Invictus suit.

A couple of Deff Dreads.

Kastellan Robots and their 'handler'.

Venerable Dread and Abbaddon.

Another Venerable Dread and Mortarion.

Greater Daemon of Khorne.

Shadowsword.

With LOTS of weathering.

Magnus [who did a number of things wrong].

Giant [Mangler?] Squig?

Greater Daemon of Nurgle and the Night Haunt gibbet guy.

Arch-Lord Discordant.

And another pic of my own entry.

Once again I was compelled to take pictures of the store armies. I may well have taken the same pics previously but never mind enjoy once more Ork Speed Freeeks

And the crazy insane, Chaos Necron Tau conversions, which I have more pics next time.