Thursday, 20 December 2012

A centimetre a day...


As I've previously mentioned, I'm painting a Ptolemaic pike phalanx for our Raphia game, at Partizan in June.  This is, I hope, going to be a very large phalanx, indeed, and I expect that it will occupy the bulk of my painting time for the next 5 months.

I'm currently painting pikemen in batches of 18.  Some almost finished miniatures are at rear left, and a big batch of primed minis are in reserve in case of bad priming weather.  I'm also incorporating a few minis from eBay purchases.

I find I can prepare, paint and base 18 miniatures in around a week; it dawned on me that my 4-deep phalanx is only growing at a rate of 1 centimetre of width each day.  :-(

I'm also a bit worried becuase I'm part way into the project, but at some point in early January a new publication is coming out on the Ptolemaic army, and there is a danger that I might find I've painted them all wrong.  Gulp. 

Friday, 14 December 2012

Xystophoroi


Xystophoroi (such a lovely word!) means cavalry armed with the xyston spear, which was slender but could be up to 4 metres long, and could be used one or two handed.  These are Egyptian xystophoroi, and will be in the left flank striking force of the Ptolemaic host for Raphia, at Partizan.  This is the first unit completed specifically for the Raphia game.

The figures were superbly painted by Gareth Lane, and I couldn't resist buying them, when he sold them recently.  I gave them longer spears and a different standard, did a tiny amount of inking, and rebased.  The riders are Polemarch (and one Aventine), and the horses Aventine; a happy combination!


Tuesday, 11 December 2012

If...


Spartans loved to provide a terse "laconic" reply to any question.  One of my favourite examples (from Wikipedia) is from the time of the invasion of Philip II of Macedon. With key Greek city-states in submission, Philip turned his attention to Sparta and sent a message: "If I win this war, you will be slaves forever." In another version, Philip proclaims: "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city." According to both accounts, the Spartan ephors sent back a one word reply: "If." Subsequently, both Philip and Alexander avoided Sparta entirely.

The above (clickable) photo is of a unit of Spartans I've just expanded and re-based.  Most of the minis were excellently painted by my friend Nick Speller.  Their previous basing (by me) never really worked; they proved very challenging to rank.  I got around this by increasing base depths, and multi-basing into 8's.  This unit includes all the miniatures in attacking poses, and will form the right hand unit of the phalanx.

-

I've now completed this mini-reorganisation of my Spartans, and now have three units of 36.  Sometime post Raphia, I'll add another unit.  Now I'll get back to the men with longer pointy sticks...

A random Greek hero

I am clearing a few odds and end of the paintint tray to make room for Raphia.

Although almost all of my minis are based in elements, I do find it useful to have some singles and diorama figures for battlefield dressing, and as markers.  This chap is a Foundry Argonaut, converted with a spare head with pilos in order to make him useful as a later-era figure.  I do love his scale cuirass...

Thursday, 6 December 2012

Mugs o'War

When painting, I like to drink my coffee (and tea) from a number of wargame-related mugs, and it occurs to me that other gamers might do this, too.  Here are mine!


Above is the "old faithful" of my mugs, which I stumbled across around 2004, whilst painting my 28mm Pictish army.  I think it came from the Museum of Scotland, via a charity shop.  I love the design, and its rugged construction has, I estimate, survived more than 3,000 washes...


Above is the 2005 Salute mug, from the George and Dragon year.  I've always loved this one, but the lettering is fading toward invisibility, after perhaps 2,500 washes.

Fianlly, below is the 2011 Salute mug.  I've always found this one a bit ugly, and the lettering is fading badly, after only a year and a half.  However, it is a whopping great mug and perfect for a bucket of afternoon tea!


So these are my mugs o'war.  If you have any similar drinking vessels, please feel free to post a link in the comments!

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

Masses more Machimoi


220 more Polemarch Egyptian phalangites arrived today, from Gripping Beast.  I now have just about enough minis for my Phalanx (528); but can I get them painted in time (even with assistance)?  Where's me brush?

Sunday, 2 December 2012

Raphia Phalanx begins...

A week since my last post; life has been interfering with art, again.  Just so that you don't think that I've gone away and left you, below are a couple of quick WIP shot of my next big project.


Above, 30 Foundry Egyptian-style phalangites, started in 2010 and finished, belatedly, this week.  Below 24 Polemarch Egyptian Machimoi, painted last week.  Both clickable.


My plan is to mix the Foundry and Polemarchs together, and paint an awful lot more to match, in order to re-fight of Raphia with mate Craig at Partizan in June.  More anon!

Sunday, 25 November 2012

Please don't try this at home


This afternoon there was a brief break in the rain, so I decided to prep some miniatures.  After washing to de-grease, I popped them in the oven to quickly dry them so I could prime; I think I may have left them in there just a few minutes too long!  :-)

Luckily the other 2 dozen survived, it could have been far, far worse. 

Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Hoplites

I’ve finished basing the hoplites in my recent post, and rebased my existing Foundry “Athenian” hoplites onto larger bases, so that most are now in 8’s.  I boosted the total numbers by repainting my old Lunar Blue Dragoons (the minis with the tall crests), and mixing them in; they scrubbed up OK.  Economical, neh?  Upgraded the tuftage, too, to my 2013 standard.  'Ave a click.


I took the opportunity to very roughly split out the later hoplites with helms with separate cheeek flaps and Pilos, from those with the earlier Corinthian and Chalcidian helmets, and put them on separate bases.  The above unit has mostly earlier, and the below mostly later helmets, although purists will quail...  Later, I’ll build distinct units with corresponding shield designs, which became simpler and more abstract over time.


In a few weeks I plan to paint up 8 more Spartans.  That’ll give me 5 units of 36 hoplites, and two of 24, which will have to do for the time being, because I urgently need to start painting minis with rather longer pointy sticks.

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Jenga Phalanx



These are a continuation of a very old project, which is to build a Ptolemaic phalanx on a grand scale, for use in a grand re-fight of Raphia at Partizan in early June next year.

The plan is to combine these beautifully sculpted Polemarch Machimoi (Egyptian Phalangites) from Gripping Beast, with their Foundry equivalents.  I absolutely love the tall crested helmets, which I assume are based on the Sidon stelae.

When I started this project (over 2 years ago!), I made the mistake of using an Army Painter primer.  This provided a convenient base colour, but created a surface textured like fine grain sandpaper, which wasn’t at all good to paint over, and which put me off the project after I’d only managed to complete 30 miniatures (one shown in the link, at centre).  This time, I’m stripping the remaining primed miniatures and using my trusty can of Halford’s white.  The Jenga blocks are mounts for ease of painting.

I need an awful lot more of these miniatures to build a phalanx of the large size I covet.  If you happen to have a bag of these Polemarch phalangites, or the similar Foundry miniatures in the link, that you always meant to paint but never quite got around to, please drop me a line.  I’d be delighted to swap for them, or buy them off you!  

Friday, 16 November 2012

Hoplites

Just so you don't think I've gone off and left you, a quick and somewhat blurry WIP shot of the 32 Foundry hoplites I've just finished (pre-varnish and basing).


I hope to get to grips with them, tonight...  because other projects beckon, of which more, anon.

Thursday, 8 November 2012

November painting table


A quick shot of the painting table.  The celts at the back are "stuck", I just can't bring myself to work on them, some hoplites have pushed in (othismos, anyone?) and I'm painting some more goths at the front.  I'm also re-painting 18 other Greek hoplites, not shown.

The 3 goths or saxons at the front right, in red, I bought painted in a bag at the Bristol warboot around 6 years ago.  They are lovely (beautiful triangles on one tunic fringe), I wonder who painted them?  

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

The very last of my vikings

Today I’ll be listing on eBay the personality figures for the Viking army I’ve recently posted.   All images can be clicked for greater detail.  They are all matt varnished and based to a high standard.  Links go to the relevant auctions, I've started them all at 99p.



28mm Foundry Viking Jarl with Standard.  The Jarl is armed with a 2 handed axe, and his standard-bearer a sword ; perfect as a CinC or army standard.  These Foundry miniatures have been painted to a very high standard and based on a 40mm diameter magnetised MDF base.



28mm Viking Looters.  Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat- oh no, the Vikings have got it!  Dixon Vikings, painted to a superb standard.



28mm Viking Drinker.  Every Viking camp needs one!   Another Dixon Viking, painted to a very high standard.



28mm Viking adventurer.  Rather reminds me of Viggo Mortensen, this chap...  swordsman with bow.  Painted to a high standard.



28mm Viking Berserk.  Enthusiastic Berserk!  Painted to a high standard.


And last but certainly not least... 28mm Viking Cart.  This is a lovely Gripping Beast handcart with two beautifully naturalistic Viking looters, again painted and based to a superb standard; my favourite of all the pieces.  Perfect in a camp, or as an objective marker.

And those are the very last miniatures in my viking army; unless you want my longhouse... which is for sale, but not going on eBay.

Update- all sold, thanks!

Sunday, 4 November 2012

Viking Rump Sale

Not an exercise in extreme butchery, but a link to the rump of miniatures from my 28mm Viking army and some Crusaders that I'm listing on eBay, today, at the low, low price of 99p per unit.  All the miniatures are mounted on magnabased card and can easily be removed, if required to be re-based for different systems (Saga, for example). 

All the images are clickable

8 Normans, or Crusaders.  Gripping Beast.  Very nicely painted and based.


Viking Jarl and Huscarls (16)- Essex with some Foundry.  Tabletop painting standard, but nice command.

Viking Huscarls (20)- mostly Essex.  Tabletop painting standard.

More Huscarls (8)- Gripping Beast.  Nicely painted and well based.

Archers (8) and Slingers (3)- Essex and Citadel.  Tabletop painting standard.

Viking Bondi (24) - Mostly Citadel, some Foundry.  Nicely painted and based (see below for closeup).


Update- all sold, thanks!

FleaBay Greeks



Following my recent game against Wabby George’s Greeks, I decided to refurbish and slightly expand my own, smallish, hoplite collection.  I plan to expand and reorganise to 6 units of 36 warriors, formed in 3 ranks.  Three of these will be Spartans, one Tegean allies, and two of other Greeks.


This particular unit originally consisted of 16 Greek hoplites in attacking poses, most of whom are repaints of a cheap but tatty eBay purchase.  The helmet styles are an eclectic mix of Corinthian, Chalcidian and Attic.  I’ve painted 8 more to match, tarted up some of the shields and rebased them into 3 double-elements of 8.  When time permits, I’ll add a rear rank of 12 and they will be done!

Saturday, 3 November 2012

Mountain of Shame

Legatus Hedlius has bravely shown his mountain of unpainted metal miniatures, and I felt that, in the interest of disclosure, I should respond by showing (most) of my own.  The below are my unpainted metal miniatures storage areas.


Above is the core of the lead mountain; Foundry boxes, full of Foundry miniatures (mostly Copplestone and Saleh), on top of a bookcase.  I once suffered an avalanche, when a box at the bottom gave way under the weight; the aftermath wasn't pretty.  Perhaps 2000 28mm metal miniatures.

Below is the one of the foothills, on top of another bookcase, this time including quite a few Perrys, some lovely Foundry Saleh Persians, and a generous force of Aventines.  Perhaps 800 unpainted miniatures.


I almost forgot this next heap, on the right- here are more Aventines, A&A miniatures MIR Romans, and others, including some Native Americans (never going to get painted, those!).  Also in this pile are quite a few painted but un-based miniatures (oh the horror!).  At least 500 unpainted miniatures.

Finally there are the miniatures stored in the loft; I reckon that there are at least 1000 up there, that I can't fit in downstairs.  These include fantasy figures, a couple hundred more Foundry Romans, Perry metal Napoleonics and such forth.

In total I estimate that I have 4300+ unpainted 28mm metals (and perhaps 1000 unpainted Perry and Victrix plastics).  My unpainted miniatures actually outnumber my painted!

Oh the shame...

Friday, 2 November 2012

Striking Gold

...so I suspected that I had a few Foundry Spartans left, lurking somewhere deep in the lead mountain.  A major excavation discovered no less than 100 Spartans!  Moreover, one of the test pits struck gold; I came across no less than 5 of the recent Foundry Celtic chariots,hidden at the very core of the mountain.  This completely forgotten purchase will be directly useful in the big chariot project that I have slowly burning away in the background.

Life has been interfering with art, recently.  My mother-in-law is moving nearer to us and I'm doing a lot of the organising, which means I'm not going to have much time to game over the next month.  I'm still getting plenty of painting time, though, and have several projects inching toward completion, of which more, anon.

Sunday, 28 October 2012

Chariots- Pole to pole


This week I was lucky enough to pick up my first Warlord chariots, and I thought I'd post a couple of shots.  The Warlord is on the right, next to the best chariot I've found, from Relik, on the left. 

The Warlord is noticeably longer in the body, and very much longer in the pole.  A charioteer would get knackered running up and down that!  I'll be cutting mine down to the same length as the Relik model. I like the wicker bodywork of the chariot, the pole is nice and slender, and the yoke has great detail.  The wheels are nicely proportioned- almost as nice as Relik's (just feeling a tiny tad too small, perhaps because the chariot body is larger?).


Like Relik's, the Warlord horses are well proportioned and nicely animated.  As with many chariot horse models, I cannot help but wish that they be a bit more pony-like, but I'll certainly be very pleased to use them.  I've not photographed the crew, but they are well animated, too.

All in all I'm very pleased with my Warlords.  Someone clearly did some research before sculpting them.  They will form a valuable addition to my force; I may even pick up a few more!


Saturday, 27 October 2012

Either with this or on this


We played another Greek on Greek hoplite game this week, using the grid-based rules I'm developing.  My Spartans are on the right, and this time George fielded a Theban force, on the left.


Again the Spartiates were deployed on the extreme right.  That's King Agis and his panel of advisers, in the front.


The Spartans attacked on the right, but one of the Theban units unexpectedly drove forward in the centre, pushing back the opposing unit of Spartan allies.


Above, on their left, the Spartan skirmishers pushed forward, past some Cretans hiding in the vineyard.  Epaminondas failed a lot of activation roles, and the Thebans weren't able to execute their planned flank attack.  In particular, their elite unit, the particularly deep unit in their centre, remained stubbornly stationary.  Bad omens?


King Agis was slain by a lucky javelin throw; there was an animated discussion about reducing the mortality rates amongst generals...  His body was carried away on his shield.


...but the Spartan right smashed the opposing Theban allies and then successfully turned to flank the Thebans.

The Thebans struggled to make activation rolls (partly due to atrocious luck and partly due to out of command distance); I'll be giving some thought to the activation system, prior to the next play test in a few week's time.

Friday, 26 October 2012

Bucolic Interlude


... slaves bring in the grape harvest, during a lull in Civil War campaigning.



('ave a click; Foundry slaves, scratch-built vine stakes.  Now, where can I find Cincinnatus and his plough?)