Minifigs Macedonian/Successor Elephant

An old friend, now repaired, the infeasibly long Macedonian pike became a casualty of rough handling and (eventually) got a superglue repair (see below, but the question on my mind is for "how long will it last" - I may have to re-pike it with brass wire):  

The old Minifigs figure stands up well despite being over (at least) twenty years old.  

Politics with Pointy Sticks: The Art of Diplomacy in the Peloponnesian War - pre-VCoW 2020 Tester Game

And it came to pass that the Athenians did land a force of hoplites on a beach near Amphipolis lead by the great Strategos Cleon. He incited the people of the City State of Gaton to rebel against their overarching neighbouring City State of Stoliphion, the latter being in the armed camp of Sparta. To this peril the Spartan Strategos Brasidas raised a contingent force and marched towards the sea to meet his foe in armed battle. The rights of passage to the ancient ruined shrine of Artimis being a superficial excuse for this blood shed (see below, the dots to the right are the 1/1200 scale ships of the Athenians beached on the shores):

The rocky hinterland rising up from behind the ruined shrine of Artimis is clearly visible in this picture (see below, a "Zoom special" and how the players saw most of this battle - adding beautifully to the 'Fog of War' experience):  

The two armies arrange themselves for battle (see below seen from the Spartan lines, the Athenians concentrate with a skirmish line to their front, whereas the Spartans adopt a wider horseshoe formation): 

Looking from the Athenian lines at the Spartans (see below, the Athenians hope to make a big impact against the Stoliphon hoplites, outnumbering them four phalanxes to three): 

The Athenian battlelines (see below, Xyston ancient Greeks, lovely figures - 25mm level of detail in 15mm figures, I always enjoy painting them): 

The Spartans are a mixed bunch of Irregular Miniatures and Chariot Miniatures (see below, there may be the odd Xyston Psiloi refugee hiding amongst them): 

The Athenians boldly advance forwards (see below, they clearly have a hanging flank): 

And on that flank are some Greek mercenary horses waiting their chance (see below, these are Chariot Miniatures): 

The Spartans close the Athenians, almost to combat with the Athenian Skirmishers. The Spartans swing their cavalry around to the flank of the Athenian battle-line (see below, the Athenians pepper the Spartan hoplites with stones, slingshots and various other missiles which bounce harmlessly off their Spartan armoured foes):   

A battle-royal starts with hoplite trading blows with hoplite in a grinding battle of attrition, but it is the flanking Spartan cavalry that is having a dramatic effect on the Athenian left (see below, [right hand side of the photograph] pinned to the front the Athenians were taken in the flank and crumbled - a poet would say "reaped like ripe stalks of wheat"):   

In their counterattack the Athenians dispatched the unit of Persian mercenary archers fighting with teh Spartans on their right [let hand side of the photograph below] and engaged in hand to hand combat with the Spartan Skirmishers on their right (see below, both sides hoplites in the center are approaching "breaking points"): 

And so it ends for the Athenian, a second phalanx dissipates and the Spatan phalanx under Brasidas himself destroys the Athenian skirmishers in a devastating rear attack. The last remaining (battered) Athenian phalanx faces off against the fresh unit of Greek mercenary horse in a futile battle (see below, the last remaining Athenian troops are the foolishly advised Gatonian hoplites and skirmishers who quietly "slip the field" while they can): 

Thus a forgotten episode in an ancient epic civil war ends. The ruined shrine of Artimis now resides in the Stoliphonian sphere of influence. What survivors there are of the Athenians are frantically manning their triremes, but are leaving many to the victorious Spartans who will put them to good use against their former owners. 

All-in-all a very good Zoom battle and a good run out for Neil Thomas "One Hour Wargame" rules, unashamedly simple but perfect for a remote game like this.  

On the workbench: 15mm Macedonian Phalanx (WIP #1)

Once the flash was removed and the figures washed, Airfix Acrylic Primer was applied (see below, six boys, two new Phalanxes):  

Next step apply a Vallejo "brown wash" (see below, a muddy brown "campaigning look"): 

Vallejo Game Colour "Dark Flesh" (see below, small change - a darker brown on a brown background):  

An even darker Vallejo Game Colour, Charcoal/Burnt Brown for the wood bits (see below, everything is getting blurry now - help I need colour):  

 

I decided these boys would have a Vallejo Game Colour Imperial Blue as a "blue" tunic (see below, not too sure how this will work out, but let's see): 

The linen tunic armour gets a Vallejo Plague Yellow as a shade colour (see below, slow progress but getting there): 

Finally the armour, a dark bronze is needed, time to use Vallejo Model Colour  Bronze mixed [50:50] with Vallejo Model Smoke to get a lovely dimmed bronze shade colour (see below, looking sinister): 

Exhausting but I am going to push on. looking forward to the lighter base shades ;) 

15mm Essex Hoplite Refurbishment (WIP)

Once upon a time, when my wargaming interests finally expanded outside the Twentieth Century World Wars, it came to pass I had to [just had to] try and paint an ancient Greek DBA(ish) army - knowing not quite what even a hoplite was. As it was in those days I picked up a few random packets of Essex miniatures at a wargames show and "experimented" (see below, please note how unashamedly naively I mixed up my Ancient Greek and Macedonian painting schemes - I owned not one Osprey at this point [don't tell the wife that as she would say "happy days"]):  

 

Note !the horrid stylised throwing posture of the spear", in fact the spear is an infeasibly large trunk of a spear (yuk), the inadvertent 'bendiness" of the spear after the first handling of it on a wargames table (it was never ever straight again) was hated and then there was small matter of the shield - you either had basic hand painted symbol or simple decal shield designs [no Little Big Man works of art here]]. I cursed these figures as I superglued the spears onto their tiny little hands (and off they came and on they were put again ... etc ... )! I also made the classic rookie mistake of basing them first, undercoated them and then tried to paint them - awkward .. but eventually they were finished and even flocked. But I hated them and only used them as matters of last resort as I moved onto other figure ranges .. I think it was the chunky spears I hated. About a dozen times I think I came close to throwing them out (see below, some twenty years later I decided a quick change of spear to the wire, like I had used for the Xyston boys may, just may, rejuvenate them - with little sense of expectation I started the renovation): 

Instantly they "felt" (or rather 'looked') better. The eye was not drawn to the horrific spear, The un-Greek blue and green colour schemes and ugly shield decals were over-painted with Airfix Acrylic primer and with old hands but better skills new Vallejo paint licked their surfaces (see above and below, they suddenly looked half decent - so "washes" were applied and highlights made):   

Although a little touching up is still required - I think the shields will get a free-hand basic symbol - they are "wargames table passable" to my eyes (see below, they will certainly do as "filler" hoplites for me .. in service of Greek .. Macedonian .. Persian "overlords" [delete as applicable]):  

In total I have nine stands of Essex hoplites and the throwing out of the old Essex spear for new brass wire IMHO has given them all a new least of life!

Back to basics: Removing Flash from 15mm Irregular Macedonian Pikemen

If nothing else (see below, a small mound [16 x15mm Irregular Miniatures - Macedonian Pikemen ] of the "lead mountain" is tackled): 

It is good for the soul! Prepping for painting!

I Think The Time Has Come For Another Ancients Game (OHW)

Inspired by the review of the Persians, I think it is time to revisit their Greek cousins and "go forth" with another One Hour "Ancients" Wargame. I am thinking a small City State feud with some Greeks at play (see below, I am sure access rights ancient well of Artemis is once again being disputed): 

Time to look through the book of scenarios for an interesting one to play and see if I can interest my eldest into playing - and perhaps bribe him with an offer of the Disney Plus TV Channel Subscription id he plays ;) 

15mm Achaemenid Persians DBA++ (BBDBA)Army Review

Started way back in the day when I was but first reading about Marathon, Greeks in Peril, Salamis and Plataea (circa 1997) I realised with uncanny foresight that I needed to paint Persians as well as Greeks .. to my horror I also chose the largest DBA army project in the sense of number of figures (with all the options) to paint, Early Achaemenid Persians - maybe I should have started with Libyans (as in they are mostly 2Ps). The figures I sourced at shows seemed to come from all manner of manufacturers which seemed fitting of the Persian army (see below, the old school Xth Legion Spara Bara (middle row), supported by a front line of Xth Legion Taka Bara (front row), with the newer Xyston miniatures (back row) along with a unit from Chariot Miniatures): 

The respect opponents give the Persians is not from their infantry though, it is their cavalry arm that is feared, excluding the novelty Scythed Chariots (as I have never seen them work on a tabletop). Cavalry is one thing but Cavalry (3Cv) with Light Horse (2LH) is a horrible proposition for spears (4Sp) to face (see below, a Xyston Scuthed Chariot (front row), Xth Legion Cavalry (middle row) and Xth Legion Scythian Light Horse (back row)): 

I am quite proud of my Xyston paint jobs, 28mm detail on 15mm figures, beautiful figures which deserve a good paint job (see below, Xyston (2Ps) slingers (front row), Xyston (3Cv) Cavalry (middle row) and Xyston (2LH) Scythian light Horse (rear row)):   

Next to my Xyston Darius III and his Apple Bearers the (4Sp) Xyston spear who are tasked to guard his life with their own. To be honest my heresy is that I make little distinction between Early and Later Achaemenid Persian (it is just that I do not have many, as in one DBA Army of Macedonians to field against them for now), the only fact being that there is not much call for (8Bw) Spara Bara in later times (see below, going left to right (all Xystn) Light Chariot, Apple Bearer Spears and the start of a Hoard - shield designs all hand painted): 

Chariot Miniatures still hold their own as shown by this rear block of (3Cv) Cavalry to the rear left and the small (but perfectly formed) Spear (4Sp) on the "other side" of Darius (see below, the Persians sure bulked up the body count in their armies):   

Xyston Taka Bara (3Ax) looking much more fierce than their Xth Legion counterparts (see below, note that Xth Legion were passed onto Gladiator Games, who in turn passed the molds onto Magister Militum as per my last recollection): 

Not quite the DBM mass of an order of battle but filling out a BBDBA game, aka three sets of DBA Achaemenid Armies .. left, middle and right (see below, still more "silver legions" to fill out the ranks, particularly overdue are some Xyston Thracians and Egyptian Spearmen to join the ranks of the Persians): 

But of course now there is also now a War Tower to add! But I still need to paint my unit of "Combat Camels". These boys need a little TLC to be expanded in 2021 and who knows Alexander may too be reinforced so that they can "rumble" together. 

An Ancient Persian Monster - Cyrus War Tower: Fixing the Tower to the Base Securely (Part 4 of 4) Complete

I was so close to finishing this project - but I sensed disaster was also near at hand. Every time the war tower unit was moved I could see there was no way that simple "glue" (even super-super glue) would hold the tower in place. It would become a saga of crumbling sand departing the base and many a wargaming tear split over a toppling tower (see below, for a sense of the problem - where was the center of gravity lay? Too far up in the tower):

'

I pondered and pondered and pondered for an answer and decided I would have to have an industrial grade DIY solution for this .. a household screw through the plasti-card base, up through the sand covering and into the chunky metal floor of the war tower, then on into the interior (see below, I classify this as a major piece of surgery that could easily "undo a lot of good work" if I were too heavy handed): 

Before the major surgery I decided to affix the "three archer amigos" to a mini-base so the war tower could be shown in either a combat of transport mode (see below, note this has no effect at all in DBA, DBM or whatever rules, but rather it was done for pure aesthetic purposes): 

Behold after my successful "screw" an empty Persian War Tower awaits orders (see below, tip of the operation was "to start with a small drilled hole in the plasti-card base to give the screw its start through the plasti-card", then 2drill a smaller dimension hole [than the thread of the screw] in the bottom of the metal war tower base so you get a bit of bite but don't have to force it to hard" - the join is then solid): 

A fully manned and ready for all-comers Persian War Tower (see below, also note the subtle bit of flocking on the base was also applied right at the end): 

Hopefully my description makes sense when you see below the naked screw poking up inside the model - I still marvel as to how I actually did it (see below, I cannot express the sheer relief I felt for not "screwing" this up and as far as I am concerned, I am happy particularly as this was a pure "once off - no squadron of war towers for me):  

I would have loved to be able to call it my "Archimedes Screw" but seeing as it is for the Royal Persian Army it seems a tad inappropriate, although the Persians did employ many an ostracised Greek in a technical capacity (see below, normally I am terrible at any form of DIY but this one seems to have been the one exception that worked OK):  

The End (followed by a heavy sigh)! The job is a good one. 

Next Up: I think Cyrus also needs some "combat camels" painting up. Standard basing techniques apply there!

An Ancient Persian Monster - Cyrus War Tower: Sorting Out the Basing (Part 3 of 4)

Everything looks quite pretty, just not on a base (see below, the question is how is that going to get on a 40mm wide and 80mm deep DBA base): 

From the rear (see below, with 'notation' rear entrance - but still no way of connecting the bullocks to the tower from means of propulsion, so some crafty wargamer may well rightly claim it is a static defensive position): 

A close up of the deadly Persian archers (see below, they look fairly secure from their nemesis the ancient Greek Hoplite): 

OK testing it out space wise on the plasti-card base, it can work in the 40x80 rectangle (see below, it seems a retrograde step as it now looks as if it is making its way through a snow storm):  

Now superglue is applied to the bullocks and spear-man shepherding the train (see below, the war tower itself is more of a challenge as it is so large and heavy by comparison to the rest of the kit):   

Watered down PVA and sand/grit is applied, then after drying out a light shade of brown (watered down Anita's Acrylic Chocolate Brown) takes the basic "desert hue" (see below, again the war tower is just sitting in the groves of the terrain .. all attempts to PVA or superglue would be futile .. something more "hard-core" is required): 

The base gets a medium shade "wet-brush" of brown picking out the raised areas and leaving the depressions in shadow (see below, as ever [or rather my stocks last] my favourite Anita Acrylics volume craft paint is once again used used [Coffee]): 

Adding a touch of Vallejo Foundation White to the Coffee gives a subtle highlight sparingly applied (see below, the overall effect is quite pleasing to the eye, the bullocks in particular are just the grimy hard working beasts of burden I wanted, courtesy of some Vallejo earth shades and a brown wash. I was also glad of my choice to make two of them "dirty cream"): 

Next: Heavy engineering required to affix the War tower firmly to the base. 

An Ancient Persian Monster - Cyrus War Tower: Painting the War Tower (Part 2 of 4)

The model received a covering of Airfix Grey Acrylic Primer, then a layering process of Vallejo Game Colour - Charred Brown, Beasty Brown and Leather Brown (see below, the grey crossbeams will be painted "something different"): 

But first "black" while I think about a suitable colour, I resisted anything metallic as I was thinking that would have made the structure crazily heavy - not that this thing was going to look sensible (see below, the browns are taking shape):   

I was not rushing it - you should see a progression in the "browns" from photograph to photograph as I was sticking to multiple thin coats principle (see below, the crew and bullocks are getting impatient in the background): 

The "browns" are done - even the wheels (see below, and the mental decision of "what" the crossbeam colour will be had been made, by the very scientific process of staring at the colour paints I had to hand): 

"Blue" was decided on - the classic Vallejo Games Colour Imperial Blue, Magic Blue and a highlight of Electric Blue (see below, it had 'contrast' and 'gaudiness' going for it, the Achaemenid Persians were certainly not understated in their colour schemes so "go for it"): 

With that the bullocks and crew start to take shape (see below, one crewman shepherding the bullocks and three archers in the tower itself): 

Next Stage: Time to start thinking about the basing and how to stop the tower embarrassingly falling over!