Entry #5 to the 8th Lead Painters' League - 'Boudicca FTW!'

We're now at the midpoint of the Painters' League and for this round the theme was Ancient history. I've had these figures from Warlord Games for years and thought it a good occasion to get them out of their packaging and done up.

I decided to do something akin to the great illustration of a Briton chariot team by the greatly missed Angus McBride.

I know Warlord produces a great set which models this specific scene but I wanted something a bit different, perhaps a little more ferocious. So with that in mind I pulled a charioteer from another boxed set to depict a 'show off' charioteer. The figure was originally designed to have a sword and shield in his hands but I decided to reposition him as if we were hauling on the reins of the horse team. 

I first removed his sword and drilled out his fists so I could thread thin plastic rod through to simulate the reigns. I then slightly repositioned his arms and legs and pinned him into place. I think it worked out pretty well though I need to go back and give him some woad tattoos (I ran out of time before the submission deadline).

I really like the figures of the children running alongside the chariot team. I painted the dog in homage to our own little scamp Felix.

Felix plotting mischief...

These rather daunting Celtic ladies were fun to paint as well. Now, m'dear, that's a real close shave...

Unfortunately this entry did not win the match but it gave a good account of itself in the voting so I'm pleased.

Next week we leave on vacation and as we'll be away for the month of May I'm 'front-loading' my LPL entries and submitting the rest ahead of time. Some will be new work, while others, sadly, will be repurposed older stuff as I didn't have time to produce new figures for all the rounds. 

For this week's 6th submission, as I needed a few days to get my Indochina entry completed before we leave, I cobbled together my Winter Retreat figures with a few new additions. I know, these old chestnuts are getting a little care worn, but I really wanted to get something submitted otherwise they just randomly assign one of your previous entries for the new round which I think is even worse than digging something up from the 'lead archive'. So, I invite you to go check out this week's match and enjoy all the various entries from the 40 participants.

From AaronH: 15mm Mech & 28mm Celt Casualties (16 points)

From Aaron:

This entry is a 15mm Mech from Critical Mass Games.  It was part of their Kickstarter to expand the ZAS mercenaries.  It’s a big chunky resin walker with a nice few options.  They make two versions of this mech.   

I like the model.  It’s a good casting, no bubbles at all.  My son was playing with this and broke it.  I found the pieces hidden on the back of my desk.  It glued back together no problem, though I did have to add the base at that point to give it a bit more structural integrity.  I’ll be ordering a couple more of these.  I think it’s a good solid medium mech for any faction.

I had intended to turn this in for the vehicle bonus round but then got stuck on the paint scheme.  This camo pattern is something completely new for me.  It’s based, roughly, on something I saw Dwartist do, though no nearly as well executed as anything of his, of course.  I think of this as a savannah camo pattern.

Vehicles are not my strong point.  I’m going to be doing quite a few so I’ll have opportunity to work on weathering them.

Here is another missed opportunity on my part.  These were intended for the casualty bonus round but then I had to go out of town at the last minute and didn’t have time to finish them.  I was also delayed because these are my first Celts and I vapor locked on doing patterns.  I just couldn’t picture what I wanted.  A few hours spent going through some of the great blogs I follow finally gelled it for me and I was off to the races.  I actually enjoyed painting these, so perhaps I should knock some more out while that feeling is strong.

These are 28mm Celt casualties from Warlord Games.  They are nice castings, clean and flavorful.  You can almost see the pain in the faces of the two less supine figures.  Looking at the castings the bottom looks a little bit odd, until you put basing grit on and realize that Warlord planned it perfectly.

I built these up as casualty markers with dice holders.  These will work for Hail Caesar, my current rule set for ancients.  I’m not a fan of tokens on the table, as long as you have a less obtrusive way to show status.  I also like the modeling opportunity presented by showing status in a characterful way.

Great work Aaron! Seriously, what isn't there to like about big freaking robots, but perhaps that is just a boy thing - your son certainly has taken a shine to it! I like the Savannah camo you came up with and look forward to seeing your weathering techniques in your upcoming efforts.

The Celt casualty markers are excellent. I'm a big fan of these in my armies as well as they both help to neaten the tabletop and add some visual interest. 

This eclectic collection of figures will give Aaron 16 points as he closes in on his 600 point target. Excellent!

From AndrewS: 20mm Celtic Chariots (84 points)

 From Andrew:

Well I am back with a small entry, this time I have 3 Newline 20 mm Celtic chariots and 6 crew, that will form part of my cavalry division for Hail Caesar.

Plenty of checks and a splash of warpaint thrown in for good measure, and some free hand work on the shields.

Wonderful work Andrew. I really like the wicker panel siding on the chariots and the chequed trews on the drivers - very evocative.

These three chariots will give Andrew 84 points. Nice!

From TimB: 28mm Anglo-Saxons, Norman Foot, Greek Light Horse plus a Celt and a Greek (310 points)

Wow, the lads sure have been busy! Its been a week of multiple-period, multiple-posts ranging from Ancient Greece to present day Mogadishu, from characterful single figures to large multiple units - all of it excellent stuff! So keeping up both the theme and tempo Tim sends us a veritable cornucopia of great minis to look at. First up is an impressive unit of Anglo-Saxons arrayed in one of their formidable shieldwalls.

Tim tells me that this unit is composed of a dog's breakfast of 28mm manufacturers: Gripping Beast, Old Glory and Black Tree Design to name a few.

And really, who better to face-off with the Anglo-Saxons than those avaristic yobs with bad haircuts from the Cotentin. Yes, you guessed it, the Normans.

These are all 28mm Crusader castings. Tim did fabulous work on the shields with both of these units.

Next we have a stand of two 28mm Greek light cavalry from Black Tree Design...

...truly an ancient Greek from Warlord Games...

... and finally a sunbather from the Orkneys wearing nothing but his tattooes (and, well, a huge freakin' sword). He's from Warlord Games as well.

These fourty-nine foot and two mounted will give Tim a base of 265 points, but I'm going to award him another 45 points for the great hand-painted work on the various shields and the tattooed loon. So 310 it is. Wonderful stuff, Tim!