Showing posts with label Aventines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aventines. Show all posts

Saturday, 16 June 2012

Gordon Bennett!

This week people keep sending me pictures of their minis, which are invariably far better painted than my own;  it's becoming a positive curse.  ;-)

Today's minis are beautifully painted by Gordon Smith, and are from the new Aventine EIR Range for the Marcomannic wars.   Gordon took the pictures, too.  The shield designs are LBMS (specially re-sized by Steve from the ones for the A&A range).  All pictures are clickable.


Below is the full unit.  Gordon has wisely gone for 60mm deep bases as the Aventine's are in particularly animated poses.


I love the mini below with the crested helmet.  There are a very large number of helmet variations in this range.


Gordon deliberately went with a very grubby "or campaign" style, a good call!


The below pic shows how animated the minis are.  I usually go with very static poses, but the below looks brilliant!


And now, all together.


I also have bought enough minis for a couple of units of these, but they are resting in a box whlst I finish up basing all the BTD minis that have been painted, and rest in storage.  And yet, these minis are several orders of magnitude better sculpted than the BTDs; I really should get on with them! 

Monday, 28 May 2012

Pyrrhic Victory

I went to Partizan yesterday, full of resolutions about shooting all the games, but only really managed to shoot the game we played, Heraclea.  Harry (eldest son below) and I arrived a full 15 minutes before any other punters (or the door staff!) and formed an elite queue of 2.


Here are some shots (all clickable) of Aventine Keith's, Adam and Craig Davey's splendid armies re-fighting the battle of Heraclea, 280 BC.  The armies were pretty well set up when we arrived, Pyrrhus and his allies below:-



...and the Romans, above.  Almost all of the miniatures are from Aventine's range, and painted by Keith, Adam and Craig.  Craig built the beautiful table.


Above is the view across the (very realistic) river towards the Pyrrhic skirmihsers opposite the Roman left.  I commanded the Roman left, and Harry, eldest scion of the Miller family, the Roman right; Keith the centre.  Craig and James (Wargame Insomniac) commanded the Greeks.

Below the Roman centre is advancing (both wings repeatedly and miserably failed command rolls):-



Above, on the Roman right, Harry had a lot of trouble but did gradually gain an ascendancy.

Below is a shot from behind the (very scary) phalanx.


Below, battle is joined along the line.  In general, the phalanx pushed the Romans back...

 
...and further back into the river.  Unfortunately my dice rolling was execrable and I just couldn't stop them!


Everything went wrong... Pyrrhus himself is in that unit of lancers on the left.

 
He killed my general, below (unhorsed), in hand-to-hand combat.

We decided that Pyrrhus had won, but his army took a beating, in a classic "Pyrrhic Victory".


It was a great game but Harry and I were somewhat frustrated by the numerous failed command rolls, which really slowed it down.  I'm still not entirely happy with Hail Caesar.  Aventine Keith had a really great grasp of the rules, though, which helped.  It was very kind of Keith to patiently explain the rules, and of Keith and Craig to let us play.

Below is the one other game I managed to get a picture of, the very photogenic "Warwick at Sea" laid on by the fine fellows at Wargames Soldiers and Strategy, fine fellows.  It was a stunning game and looked to be great fun.


I also managed to meet David Imrie, Phil Steele of the SOA, RTB plus one, Dug "Gimli" Page-Croft and Dr Phil Hendry (I bought the first set he has sold of his new "Augustus to Aurelian" rules) and a whole bunch of the WSS crew, amongst others.  It was very sociable.  Harry and I really enjoyed our first Partizan, and shall certainly be back in September!

Sunday, 20 May 2012

Imbellis Populus...

...or "Un-warlike (i.e. untrained) civilians"

 

Today I completed my Roman Rioters project, huzzah! I now have 4 “units” of rioters: two of javelin/ brick chucking skirmishers (rear, above), and two of poorly armed plebeians medium infantry (front, above).  The concept is that these are poorly-armed civilians and vigiles, perhaps raised to defend their city as by Vitellius in 69AD, or rioters from some racing faction, depicted in the act of rioting through a marketplace.  All the photos are clickable.





Just over half of the minis were very nicely painted by my mate Greg Privat, and I painted most of the remainder.  The figures are mostly Foundry, but include quite a few Aventine, a couple each of Gorgon and Gripping Beast and some odd old minis from the bits box (spot the caetrati).  The pottery is from Baeuda and the foodstuffs GB, and the cart is from Irregular.  Most of the tables are scratch built.  The potsherds are painted eggshell (very cheap!), and I'm going to highlight them tonight to match the completed pots.  The flat Roman bricks are plastic strip. 

So next... I want to make some tenement buildings for them to riot past, and this will be the subject of a future post.  I'm also planning a post for GregPrivat's big parade event on July 14th.  Last year I posted my Roman Legion, http://bigredbat.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/simons-big-parade.html , and this year I want to post their associated auxiliaries, who will be rather more numerous, and just possibly even the legionary fortress.  Luckily I have quite a lot of painted Black Tree Roman Auxiliaries who just need finishing and basing, and who I'll try to get on the table during the next few weeks. 

Thursday, 3 May 2012

Pwodigy II; I predict a riot!

This is a second WIP shot of my Roman rioters.  I've added another 20 miniatures, some of whom are shown at the front, partially blocked in (a mixture of Aventine, a senator from Foundry and Steve Saleh's Caesar).  You might be able to make out some furniture at the back- I now have some promising ideas for base dressing.


I'm now planning to build 3 (or just possibly 4) units with a total of around 48 minis.  I'm trying to copy the style that Greg used (a big brush, and lots of Devlan Mud), this is proving very much quicker than my usual way of working.  And I now appreciate that ancients are a helluvalot quicker to paint than Naps!

Wednesday, 25 January 2012

Wargames Drought Continues

I have been worked far too hard by my employers, and fear that it is now rather more than 3 months since my last wargame...   However I have had time for modelling and have bought more than a few minis (especially Napoleonics), and painted quite a few too.

I have been very taken by some pics that Keith at Aventine sent me this evening; really great-looking Praetorians; I'll be having some of these!  I've nicked a picture off their site, below.  Lovely minis, and the officers are even better. They are in the shop, here.


Normal service on this Blog will be resumed in due course...

Tuesday, 19 July 2011

Big Men

Here are some of the command figures from my recently completed XIIIIth Gemina Martia Victrix legion; the Aquilifer, Primus Pilus Centurion and Imagifer.


The Aquilfer (below) carries the legion's Aquila, or eagle.  He is a heavily converted Aventine figure (some of the Aventine Republican figures are very suitable for later periods); the eagle is Foundry and I added the mane on the lionskin, not bad, eh?


The Primus Pilus Centurion (or first spear centurion, for "Rome" fans), below, is an unconverted Gorgon Studios figure by Steve Saleh, one of his nicest, I think.  He has featured here before, but this is a marginally better photo than my last effort.


And finally, the Imagifer (below) carries the image of the reigning Emperor; in this case, Nero.  Another Aventine conversion with a Foundry Imago kindly donated by Mr Allen Curtis.


I've still got to finish the mounted legate and tribunes, and have various lictors and other supernumaries to paint.  But first I need to finish the effing French on my other blog... they really are doing my head in.

Tomorrow, I'll post a pic of the legionary cavalry....

Sunday, 12 June 2011

Not my Pink Pikemen

My friend Craig Davies (who was one of the principle collaborators of last year's Zama project), has sent me some photos of some of the beautiful new Aventine pikemen that he has painted.

He says that the shield transfers he has used are LBMS, designed for Crusader, so are a little bit big, but they do go right to the edge of the Aventine shield with a bit of careful trimming.


He has based the colour scheme on this picture from the Vergina tombs:-


I think he has done a superb job!  Lovely basing, too.

Monday, 12 April 2010

Yet more generals...


Here are some of the figures that Greg Privat painted for me, and I based.  These are Aventine Etruscans, and will be commanding one half of the Roman centre.  I'm still busy trying to finish off basing the Bruttians Greg painted for me; I'll get there!   I very much like the standard, which I think depicts Hercules.

Saturday, 27 February 2010

Completed Republican Roman Triarii


Craig Davey has completed the command stand for his Triarii; I think they are absolutely splendid!  The figures are all from the new Aventine Republican Roman range.  I particularly like what he has done with the standards and plumes.  The detail is beautiful, have a click!  Jealous, I am!  

Thursday, 4 February 2010

Not my Romans!

I'll have nothing to show for a few days, so I thought I'd show some pictures from one of the collaborators on the Zama Project.  These are all Aventine minis being painted by Craig Davey, who has given me permission to post these photos.  He is clearly an exceptional painter!  He's almost finished his Allied legion, and has a second Roman legion to go...

 
Allied Legion Hastati and Principes

  

  
Allied Legion Triarii


Allied Legion Cavalry

  
 Command Stand

 
Velites Work in Progress

I'm very much looking forward to meeting Craig, and also Keith and Adam from Aventine, shortly before the Bletchley game in April.

Wednesday, 27 January 2010

Dead Nellie 1 Done

Here's the first dead nellie (I hope to paint 8 or so for our Zama game by April).  You may recall that I myself sculpted dead nellie, a recently deceased African Forest elephant, and Keith at Aventine very kindly cast it up for me.  The victorious Roman is also from Aventine. 


Shield design LBMS.


The arrows are plastic broom bristle, with the end crimped with pliers.  Very easy...


I'm very pleased with the way it came out.  It was a very simple paint job.  I have a second model almost completed, photo to follow tomorrow, I hope.

If you would like a dead nellie, youreself, Aventine are selling them and very kindly donating the profits to "Help for Heroes".

Friday, 15 January 2010

Brute Squad

In parallel with yesterday's Dead Nellies, I'm making a start on the 48 Bruttians Gloarmy Greg painted for me before Xmas.  You may recall from earlier posts, that these southern Italians form part of the Carthaginian 3rd line at Zama.



Greg has done a fine job with these.  They just need the odd highlight, spears, shields, varnishing and basing.  I've pre-painted the spears and shields so I reckon they represent around 2-3 weeks work.

The minis are a mixture of Crusader Oscans and Aventine Etruscans.  The Aventines are somewhat larger, but I think they'll work together.

Thursday, 14 January 2010

Bring out yer Dead!

I've started work on the casualty figures for the Zama game.  I'm going to paint the elephants (except for the ones I've sent to friends to paint), and later, when I have enough of the infantry casualties prepped, I'll send them to Greg to paint.

Each elephant will be a bit different; the first has a victorious Aventine Italian on it:




The second is really gutted..
Below are two from Gripping Beast.


...and here are the first (of many) infantry casualties, mostly Etruscans kindly donated by Keith at Aventine, and lightly converted.

The first dead elephants (but not the GB ones) are available from Aventine, and profits will be donated to "Help for Heroes":

http://www.aventineminiatures.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=128&osCsid=f598b15086bef29d4dd842caabf32a84


Friday, 11 December 2009

Nellie Fever

I'm very frustrated that I have picked up no less than 6 elephants in the last few months, and don't have the time to paint any of them because of my preparations to the Zama game!  To ease the pain, I've treated myself to a couple of nights off Zama to at least stick a few together, even though I know I won't be able to paint them until May.


First (above) is the excellent Aventine Pyrrhic Indian elephant. This is a fine beast; very expressive with his raised trunk.  It went together very cleanly, with just a little greenstuff at the seams.  As with other Aventine minis, there was no flash or mould lines.  I was very impressed with the two part Howdah; so impressed in fact...
                                     

...that I used a spare Aventine howdah on the female Indian elephant from TimeLine, shown above .  I will be using Aventine crewmen, too.  Aventine sell howdahs and crewmen seperately, which is a valuable facility.  I still need to add some ropes in greenstuff to this model.  I wanted at least one female elephant in my elephant "brigade".

        

Finally, above I have a most unusual beast (above).  Mario of Empire Models very kindly sent me one of his African elephants.  I felt it was rather too large a model for an African beast, but couldn't resist the magnificently sculpted armour and so have given it an Indian head donated by Barry at Timeline.  I should say Keith of Aventine also very kindly sent me a spare head (thanks!), but the Timeline head was slightly larger and more closely fitted the large, broader frame of the Empire torso.  I've had to trim the neck of the torso to get the head to look OK; in due course I'll add a crest so that it matches the other Empire elephants I own.  I damaged the crenellations on the howdah, and took them off.  Again, it'll probably have Aventine crewmen.

Other elephants I have not shown here include one each Aventine Sassanind Royal, Pyrrhic and Seleucid.  I'll try to put the Seleucid together next week.

Finally here are the three together; they match surprisingly well in size.  The Empire in the centre is larger, but not unbearably so. 

                

Roll on May...