Thursday, 24 December 2015

Merry Christmas Everybody!



Here in the BigRedBatCave, the presents are under the tree (all of mine would block radiation), the stockings are up and I'm about to tuck into a festive cocktail. Can I take this opportunity to wish all my readers and fellow bloggistas a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

Best, Simon

Tuesday, 22 December 2015

White (shield) Christmas


The "Leukaspides" (white shields) from a previous post are now on their bases. The Leukaspides were the less well trained element of the phalanx and presumably included the youngest and oldest men of the levy. To indicate this I have given some of them pikes of various lengths, held awkwardly. Very few of them have armour and only around half have helmets. I'll do a close-up when they are finished, in the New Year.

Most of the above are ex-Craig Davey's collection, with replacement pikes and shields.  I painted 24 more to join them. The above, along with two elements left over from Raphia, give me four new phalanx blocks putting me 80% of the way towards my one metre of phalanx target. I hope to close this remaining gap before New Year.

Thursday, 17 December 2015

Pike Fever II

I'm afraid that I have been too busy painting pikes for much posting. However, here are some WIP shots of some of the units.


Above are the better part of two phalanx blocks, a mix of my painting and Craig Davey's. These just need shields, snagging and basing. These will be scruffy leukaspides with white shields.


Above is a new unit of argyraspides silver shields painted by Shaun McTague. These need pikes attaching, varnish and basing. 
Shaun is currently painting another 125 leukaspides and chalkaspides bronze shields for me, to go with the 30 or so finished minis below. All of these will need to be varnished and based.


Finally (below) are the two blocks from my last post.


In theory, if I can find time to finish and base all of these minis, this would give me another 1.6 metres of phalanx to join the 2 metres that I already own. This would make for a most satisfactory Raphia at the WHC in April!

Monday, 7 December 2015

Pike Fever


It's been almost 2 weeks since my last post and this is because in the meanwhile I been modelling like a madman. Above are 2/3 of the minis that I recently bought from Craig Davey, now re-piked, re-shielded and mostly re-based. The blue helmets are Ptolemaic Agema, and the red Peltastoi. I'll take a proper photo when the bases are finished.

I have decided to use the remaining weeks of 2015 by basing up more phalangites- I intend to add a whole metre of pikemen (240) to my phalanx for my big Raphia game at the Wargames Holiday Centre in April. I am just about 2/5 of the way there! I will be able to carry the phalanx to Basingstoke in the bags under my eyes.  ;-)

Tuesday, 24 November 2015

Pikes, pikes, pikes.

At the Wargames Holiday Centre I was running four games at the same time and briefly ran out of both pikemen and Hellenistic cavalry. I've therefore decided to invest in some more miniatures, below are some Foundry pikemen that I've bought from chum Craig Davey. 


I've removed the previous shields and am going to give them some snazzy new shields that I've bought from Mike at Relik. These have a Medusa head and are perfect for Ptolemaic shields, being identical to the ones in Soldat Lagide. I need to paint twice as many again.


Below are 48 odd pikes; I need to do twice as many again.


Finally I've based up a wedge of companions painted by Nick Speller (left below) and rebased my Thessalians into rhomboid (centre below). These still need to be flocked. I am in the process of recruiting several new regiments to join them; I hope to end up with 8 or 9, enough for 2 cavalry wings each for two large armies.


I shall need them all; I plan to run Raphia again in the spring at the Wargames Holiday centre over the weekend 22nd to 24th April.

Wednesday, 18 November 2015

Norfolk bows


Here are the archer counterparts to the earlier billmen, again beautifully painted by Patrick Connor and based by me on one of my new Bat bases. Those Perry plastics are really lovely. :-)


A pleasant surprise is that they are fairly rugged- not at all brittle. Now I just need another 22 elements and I'll have the pair of armies that I need for a game. I had better consult my army list...

Monday, 16 November 2015

Norfolk billmen

I mentioned a while back that I have bitten the bullet and started to collect my first medieval army. These stunning minis were painted by Patrick Connor and I've unit based them on one of my new MDF "bat bases", of which more anon.


I really like the Perry plastics (and metals) and I am certainly going to need a lot more of them!

In other news, there are a couple of places left for the second To the Strongest World Championships on Saturday February 13th 2016. If you are available please drop me a line via my email address on the left and I'll put you in touch with the organiser. Loan armies are available.

Lastly, yesterday I posted a new Mongol Conquest list in the Later Medieval booklet, which was written by Peter Ryding with a little assistance from me. Looks like a fast "shooty" army with an interesting twist...