Saturday, 19 March 2011

Quattor Ballistae Magnae

Here are the rump of my Roman artillery pieces; 4 large scorpions (all pictures are clickable).

The first 2 are my favourites, 20mm scale Zvezda plastics with BTD and Foundry crew.

The bases are coffee stirrers of varied thicknesses, stuck onto thin metal plates, scribed with lines, painted and magnabased.  My concept with the planking is that I can use them in towers, or in siege fortifications.  The yellow shield is the design I've picked for my second legion.


The second pair (below) are from Black Tree Design; rather simpler, but serviceable.

I like their loaders with the long bolts (below).


I have got quite a lot more Ballistae of various sizes (mostly smaller), but I want to press on with my legion command figures, and paint a few Napoleonics.

Sunday, 13 March 2011

Onagri

I've finally completed my pair of onagers,  the heavy siege artillery for my Early Imperial Roman Army; although they currently lack opponents with a city wall!  However should the Parthian enemy* ever trouble the Eastern Frontier, they will come in very useful.

The models are Black Tree Designs, and the crewmen a mix of Black Tree and my beloved Foundry Salehs.  The first shots below are of the the catapult for my XIIIIth Gemina Martia Victix Legion, and the later shots are of the catapult for my projected second EIR legion.  All pics are clickable.

The onagers are protected against counter-battery fire, by anachronistic gabions (resin, from eBay).

Above, a tribune grimly surveys the lack of damage to the enemy's walls.

I added greenstuff and wire slings to the BTD weapons, and made some shot, too.

I'm very taken with LBMS's yellow shield design, which is just as well, as I'll eventually need to fit 240 more!

And finally the second onager, from the front.

I've almost finished the rest of the artillery crew; should be able to post them next weekend.  Then I'll get onto the senior officers for the legion.

*I do aspire to a Parthian army, and have started to buy some minis...

Saturday, 5 March 2011

"Whilst the Balance of his Mind was Disturbed"

Early this week I was scoffing painkillers like smarties, whilst browsing eBay, and I did something I would never normally consider; hit a "buy it now" for an army in a new period.


I now own 5 battalions of Victrix Napoleonic French Line and 3 regiments of Hussars.  The minis I bought are quickly painted, using army painter I'd judge, but not badly executed and good value for money.  With a little TLC they will look fine (nothing like as good as RTB's or Saxon Dog's, though!).  Mon ami Greg is also pursuing a similar project, nice painting there, too.  These are the first modern plastics I've owned; disconcertingly light.  But nice.

My plan is to round this force out with some artillery and a regiment of heavy cavalry, and use it with Command and Colors Napoleonics.  My intention is that this will only ever be a side project to my ancients...

Thursday, 3 March 2011

Assorted Ballistae

Just in case you thought I'd emigrated, I've finished the various warmachines and their bases , but not the crew and accessories which need around another week...

In other news; some very pretty miniatures just arrived from Aventine, mostly intended to join my Romans.  And I did something madly impulsive on eBay this week, that I will probably be regretting in a day or so... Simon goes plastic!

Saturday, 26 February 2011

More Ballistic Still

Latest WIP shot; bases are mostly painted, and should be finished tonight.  You can just make out the troublesome slings (still green) on the onagers.

I dreamed again, last night, of an even larger ballista; of which, more anon...

Thursday, 24 February 2011

Even More Ballistic

A quick WIP shot of my siege train.  All the catapults are now strung and primed.  The 15 or so crewmen (not shown) have had their based trimmed off and have been primed (once painted, they will be pinned into the planking on the bases).  I've built up the soil around the bases of the onagers at the back with greenstuff, and will be overcoating with BigRedBatGunk later tonight. 

This all took a surprising amount of time!  The slings on the onagers (can't be seen from this angle) took an hour or so, alone.

The Zvezda ballistae are superb models, my favourites at the moment.  I also love the anachronistic gabions.

Saturday, 19 February 2011

Going Ballistic

So there I was, getting ready to paint the command figures for my legion that I assembled last week, but instead, I've spent a week assembling 6 large ballistae, that I will probably never use in anger.

Front left are 2 beautifully detailed plastic models from Zvezda; to the right two heavy scorpions from BTD, and at the rear 2 whopping great onagers, also from BTD.   Some of the metal models had missing parts which I've replaced with matchsticks and greenstuff.  I've also mounted them all on coffee-stirrer planks, which should work for the field, or in towers.

The onagers are quite possibly later than my EIRs, but what the hell; I've added to the anachronism by placing them behind c17th gabions.  I mean, the Romans could have built gabions, couldn't they?  I'd imagine gabions would provide useful cover agaisnt counter-battery fire.  And they are lovely little resin castings which I have been itching to use.

Looking though my bits boxes, I have at least 12 more small scorpions and 6 small onagers.  I also have an old plastic 54mm Britains catapult that I intend to rebuild into a whopping great 28mm stonethrower.  Clearly I will need to work up some siege rules!

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Cohors IX et X, Leg. XIV Gemina Martia Victrix

This weekend I've managed to finish the last 2 cohorts of my EIR Legion, the XIIII Gemina.  Above is the IXth...

  ...and here is the Xth.  All photos are clickable.  

Both units are largely built of the same 3 poses of my favourite Saleh Foundry minis.  I painted half from scratch, and repainted the other half from an ebay purchase (I  notice that I still have a bit of snagging to do on a couple of faces).

...and now both together.   

I am really delighted to have painted all the 240 legionaries; next I need to paint a few personality figures, some more artillery and the legionary cavalry, and then I'll have the legion complete and can take a photo.  

Then I'll start another one.  ;-)

Saturday, 12 February 2011

Primus Pilus

This is a lovely miniature that was generously sent to me by Hank of Gorgon Miniatures.  He is now Primus Pilus (senior centurion) of my almost-finished legion. 


I'm very chuffed with him. Thanks, Hank!

Conscripted Aventines

I was casting the lead-mountain around for some personality figures for my legion, and I came across some lovely figures from Aventine's Republican range.  Luckily, Roman centurion and the standard-bearer gear didn't change much into the early Imperial era.   I've lightly converted these for what I need, by giving them Foundry standards and green-stuff lion skins, and replaced the centurion's leaf-shaped sword with a pilum.

These are very classy figures which I'm looking forward to painting!

Thursday, 10 February 2011

Praetorian Prototype

Whilst my final 2 EIR cohorts grind grimly onwards towards completion, I've started to think about the next unit I'll paint, a cohort (maybe two) of Praetorian guards.

Most of the unit will be the Foundry Saleh Praetorian in the above pose, with a few other minis mixed in for variety; some surprises, I hope.  I've decided to paint coloured bands on the pila, as one sees bands on carvings of praetorians (I hope this is a wargaming first), and give him a white horsehair plume.  I'm a big fan of the LBMS shield design.

Here's the back; nothing controversial there.  I will go for red, as I think it is a suitably military colour.  I can see Praetorians wearing brilliant white for parades in Rome, but not out in the field.

If anyone has 8-12 of the above figures spare, I'd love to buy them or swap for them, as I'd really like to be able to paint 2 cohorts.

Saturday, 5 February 2011

WIP shot

The last 18 minis are almost finished.  Above, I'm in the process of painting the black-primed shields white, ready to take the LBMS transfers.  I'll put a coat of varnish over the white, tonight, which will help the transfers to adhere.

I've been surprised how much more quickly I can paint the legionaries, relative to the command figures.  It's easy to get a production-line going with them.  They are lovely figures to paint.

I don't suppose anyone has a spare Foundry Praetorian standard bearer I could swap for,  please (for another project)?

Saturday, 29 January 2011

Tirones

The final 18 new recruits (or Tirones) have arrived for the last 2 cohorts of my legion, and are spray primed and ready to go.  I've almost finished the 8 command figures at the front; I estimate it'll take 2-3 weeks to finish the unit.  

I have just remembered why I like to get others to paint my minis for me.  ;-)


Sunday, 23 January 2011

Legionary Cohorts IX & X, WIP

These are roughly half of the legionaries for the final 2 cohorts of my first EIR legion; they are a substantial repaint of an eBay purchase.  Tonight I start on the second, harder half of the job, the 25 legionaries that I need to paint from scratch.  Roughly 3 weeks work, I reckon.  

I just love that LBMS shield design....     

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Equites Singulares Praetoriae Command

This week, I've finished the command stand for my Praetorian cavalry.  All pics are clickable.


The riders are BlackTree, shields trimmed down from Warlord Games, horses A&A, and transfers VVV.  I'd like to thank Steve from the WAB Forum for sending me the Wargames Factory standard (I'm not 100% sure it is historic, but it looks great!).  Allan Curtis is sending me an imago, which I'm going to use with another, cavalry Ala that I intend to start in a month or so.  A full cavalry Ala in 1:20 would have 24 figures and would look very fine, indeed, on the table.

The A&A horses, which I think were sculpted by Adam (now of Aventine) are superb.

Here are all the Praetorian cavalry, deployed together; a fine sight!  I'm very enthused with the Black Tree cavalry riders and have ordered an awful lot more of them.

Monday, 17 January 2011

Romans are Red

A quick in-progress shot of the figures that I bought on eBay, and which I amcurrently retouching.  It takes a fair bit of time to tart up two dozen even quite respectably painted figures!  It'll take a lot longer to paint up the other 2 dozen figures from scratch.  Happlily, the original painter, like 90% of all others that paint Romans, went for red tunics. 

In the backgroung are the 3 figures for the command stand of the Praetorian Equites.  Steve Marshall from the WAB forum has kindly sent me some nice Wargames Factory standards (perhaps of dubious archaeological provenance, but very pretty).  If I can find a suitable imago I may stick this on top of the same pole.  Allen Curtis is sending me one, but I want to use that with the next cavalry unit I'm planning...

Sunday, 16 January 2011

Tin Soldier vs Black Tree Design Romans

Someone was asking on TMP whether BTD Romans fit with Tin Soldier's.  I have a few Tin Soldiers and have shot a couple above (2&4) next to some BTDs (1&3). 

I think one could just about get away with it, although I find the Tin Soldiers crude by comparison with the BTDs (big heads and stocky legs; something of the dwarf about them.  And that horn!).  Having said that, I have 6, they are painted and I might just base them up.

Friday, 14 January 2011

Equites Singulares Praetoriae

I've finally finished my Praetorian cavalry (except the command stand, which I hope to start this weekend).  The riders are Black Tree and the steeds A&A; shields from Warlord Games, spears North Star and transfers VVV.

I'm really pleased with them.  I think the BTD rider figures are very nice (especially the helmets, have a click), and I plan to paint an awful lot more, especially as the proportion of cavalrymen in a Roman army was rather high.  Most of the others will be scruffier equites cohortales, though.

Thursday, 13 January 2011

Viet Minh Heavy Weapons

I've finished the heavy weapons company for my Viet Minh battalion, some others of which can be seen here.  It is now around 100 men strong.  I had better write some rules, soon!  All pics clickable.

Here are the four maxim guns, from Liberation Miniatures, and very nice they are, too.

Here's a closeup.  Happily they are very similar in size and style to my Platoon20s.

...and here are their two 81mm mortars (one captured American, and one ex-Russian supplied).  Mostly Platoon20 minis, with some light conversions and one Liberation figure.  I'm rather taken with the signaller.  Who needs radios, anyhow?

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Mystery Solved

I came across my 30 missing BTD cavalry, tonight, hidden in the back of a box.  Embarrassingly, the command figures I thought BTD had failed to send me in September were with them, so I've bunged BTD an apology, and an order for another 21 cavalry which should give me plenty to be going on with...

Tonight I played a second game of Command and Colors Napoleonics, which was even more enjoyable than the first.  We played the second Rolica scenario, which has just about the roughest terrain I've ever seen in a C&C game.  I managed to win, playing the heavily outnumbered French, which was very pleasing!  Some lucky rolling was involved... top game.