Battle for the Bridge

From an ancient scroll found in the library at Alexandria

I've been promising myself a game for the past couple of weeks to get my head around the rules I intend to use.

What better scenario then than the trusty old battle of Blasthof Heath. I'm thinking Greeks versus Persians, 32 Phalanx and 16 light infantry against 40 Medes and a dozen lights. We'll forget about the artillery for now.

Hm, all I need is a farm-house.

Minoan Madness



Improbably well-hung Libyan javelineers in man-kinis

Yet more Rose Presitge figures. The shield I gave the leader has a cow-hide pattern to try and tie him in with the Minoans he is nominally supporting.

More or less how I want the Phalanx to look

This is more or less how I'm expecting my Mycenean/Minoan Phalanxes to look. Eureka did a very limited range of four spearmen and a chariot, but i always like a challenge and I'm going to have a go at producing viable and visually fairly unified armied fromthis and a couple of other compatible ranges.


More Eurekas - bits and bobs

Rospak Hoplites

In Reserve

Always ready to do their bit are the Rospak hoplite brigade.

Advance!

I was very pleased to acquire these; they are simply delightful figures and as far as I am concerned would give any of the modern plastics a good run for their money. I love the paint-jobs Ross gave them and they will always form the core of my Greek forces.

I've done little to these except re-glue the odd shield onto those to whom the postal service was unkind on their long voyage from Canada and add new spears to those in the time-honoured "in reserve" position. A gentle wash in clean water with an old stiff paint brush to take away the dust of ages was followed by a blast of gloss varnish from the spray can after they'd dried off. You'd not believe it, but they were as bright and shiny as you could possibly hope for.

If anyone some more anywhere (no, really, anywhere), my wallet is always open.

A Blast from (my) the Past

Eureka! Phalangites!

Quite some time ago I painted up a mass of Eureka Macedonian Phalangites, all based on the 20mm square GW plastic bases. Then I decided i didn't like them and so they gathered dust for three or four years or even more.

Fast forward to about a year back to when I got interested in ancients again and I got them out, re-based them and thought... you know... they're not so bad after all... They are led by the mighty Diplodocus, resplendent on his half-armoured horse.

I may have to crack the whip and get the rest of 2nd Battalion done.

Medes, Medes, Medes



The Mede Horde



I have in my brief career as an Ancients wargamer done little other than buy up other people's collections of toy soldiers. Apart from knowing exactly how things are going to turn out, you are pretty well ready to go in quite a short space of time, which helps keep the enthusiasm for a project high.

This is I think a good thing, but it has not stopped me from applying paint to toy soldiers here and there. So, here and for your delectation I present a small horde of Medes. Currently forty-strong, I built them when I was expecting to be doing this size of unit for all of my Persians (in contrast to 24-strong Greek units). Now I'm looking more at 24-figures in general, so I've bought another eight so I can split the unit in two.

Twenty-four figures per unit strikes me more and more as the "Goldilocks" size for a unit in the kind of game I am envisioning. Not so big it takes a lifetime to create, not so small on the table as to be derisory.

Besides, I can always build the buggers up to 40 figures each at some time in the future.

Phrygian Javelins

Which ones did I paint again?

Today's offering are 24 Phrygians. All are 20mm Garrison and they do look a bit "youthful" next to the 25-30mm bretheren. Ok, so I won't be mixing them into any other units...

That said, I painted a dozen myself to beef up the dozen I bought from The Mysterious Canadian Gentleman, trying to match his painting style. How well did I do? Well, lets just say that mine are in the rear ranks.

Another eight are on the go at the moment.

The Scythians*



Fire? No... Shoot..? Loose..?

 So what did they say when it was time for everyone to let go of their bow-strings all at once?

Rose Prestige figures from Garrison. Just for a change, they are elegant, well-proportioned 30mm figures. Who could want for more?

Well, I suppose I ought to base them.

* Oh someone help me - a Russian chap wrote a poem once.

UPDATE - That's the one.