Friday, 1 January 2016

A metre of pike and a Happy New Year!


Above is the extension to my existing phalanx that I have been working on in November and December. I had planned 70cm worth of phalanx but as you can see I already have just over one metre completed and now hope to end with nearer two. Most of the minis were painted by Craig Davey or Shaun McTague and finished by me. All photos are clickable.

Argyraspides
Antigonid Agema

Note the shiny new Relik shields on the units above and below.


Antigonid Peltastoi
Ptolemaic Leukaspides
Antigonid Leukaspides
Proper photos will follow next year when I have finished the basing.  The new phalanx will be united with the existing 2 metres for a mammoth Raphia game in April.

2016 planned events

Q1 and Q2 are looking really busy and exciting:-

  • The “To the Strongest Worlds” in Chalgrove on February 13th, 20 players will contend for the title of World Champion. I am praying for odd numbers so I have a valid excuse to enter the fray, muwhahaha.
  • The Society of Ancients Battle Day April 2nd- I’ll be putting on an exceptionally large battle of Pharsalus 48BC with some wargaming buddies. Legionaries, sir- thousands of them!
  • Salute- it looks like I left it too late to get a table, but you never know…  
  • April 22nd to 24th The Wargames Holiday Centre. I’m really looking forward to this one- I plan to put on a huge Raphia game plus Cremona, Leuctra, the Sabis and Ruspina. All at the same time.  This will be the ultimate test of the BigRedBatmobile’s suspension!
  • May 22nd- Partizan with Phil Hendry’s Sassanians and Romans, Harry Sidebottom and Ballista.

Resolutions for 2016
  • Finish my Ptolemaic army- this is going very well with the assistance of two painter-mates (both called Shaun).
  • Stamp my feet to rise a couple more legions for Caesar.  And Pompey.
  • New Theban and Wars of the Roses armies.
  • Rattle out a TtS! army list each week
  • Co-write the first TtS! “campaign” book and then get going on the fantasy version.
  • Finish sculpting those bl**dy War Llamas!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my fellow bloggistas and To the Strongest! chums a Very Happy New Year, and...

may none of your cards be Aces!

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...