AHPC13 - High Adventure - Menelaus

 

Its time for another Challenge Studio adventure, I've already visited The Trojan War earlier in the Challenge with my Ajax figure and I'm going back there again in this post.

High Adventure: Whether it’s battling mummies in a pyramid, or scaling the Himalayas in search of a Yeti, the entries for this studio all remind us of the spirit of High Adventure, daring and risk-taking. All that, and fighting a giant Gorilla on the Empire State Building.

I think you could definitely call Menelaus a High Adventurer, he and the Greek armies of the day set off to Troy to reclaim Helen, who had ran off with Paris. Luckily for us, all the adventures were written down by Homer fro us to read.

Menelaus was a king of Mycenaean (pre- Dorian) Sparta. According to the Iliad, Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of the Greek army, under his elder brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Prominent in both the Iliad and Odyssey, Menelaus was also popular in Greek vase painting and Greek tragedy, the latter more as a hero of the Trojan War than as a member of the doomed House of Atreus.

Homer's Iliad is the most comprehensive source for Menelaus's exploits during the Trojan War. In Book 3, Menelaus challenges Paris to a duel for Helen's return. Menelaus soundly beats Paris, but before he can kill him and claim victory, Aphrodite spirits Paris away inside the walls of Troy. In Book 4, while the Greeks and Trojans squabble over the duel's winner, Athena inspires the Trojan Pandarus to shoot Menelaus with his bow and arrow. However, Athena never intended for Menelaus to die and she protects him from the arrow of Pandarus. Menelaus is wounded in the abdomen, and the fighting resumes. Later, in Book 17, Homer gives Menelaus an extended aristeia as the hero retrieves the corpse of Patroclus from the battlefield.

According to Hyginus, Menelaus killed eight men in the war, and was one of the Greeks hidden inside the Trojan Horse. During the sack of Troy, Menelaus killed Deiphobus, who had married Helen after the death of Paris.

So there we have my 4th entry into the Challenge and Menelaus will be joining Ajax on my Dad's shelf as he's part of my Dad's birthday present on the 27th Jan.

1 x 25mm figure 5 pts

Bonus round 20pts

Total 25 pts!

This gives me a total of 106 points

AHPC 13 - 25mm Ajax the Great - 25pts

 

This post was originally posted on 29th December on the AHPC Blog

I'm late posting my first entry into this years challenge, this is the first chance I've had to get my laptop out and do the post, its pretty short and sweet though, but at least I've got some points up.

Every Christmas I paint my Dad up a figure for his display collection, last year he had Achilles and Odysseus, so I thought I'd carry on with the Trojan War hero theme. Here we have Ajax or Ajax the Great or Greater Ajax , whichever name you want to call him.

Ajax was the son of King Telamon of Aegina and the Grandson of Zeus.

As the Iliad comes to a close, Ajax and the majority of other Greek warriors are alive and well. When Achilles dies, killed by Paris (with help from Apollo), Ajax and Odysseus are the heroes who fight against the Trojans to get the body and bury it with his companion, Patroclus. Ajax, with his great shield and spear, manages to recover the body and carry it to the ships, while Odysseus fights off the Trojans. After the burial, each claims Achilles' magical armor, which had been forged on Mount Olympus by the smith-god Hephaestus, for himself as recognition for his heroic efforts. A competition is held to determine who deserves the armor. Ajax argues that because of his strength and the fighting he has done for the Greeks, including saving the ships from Hector, and driving him off with a massive rock, he deserves the armor. However, Odysseus proves to be more eloquent, and with the aid of Athena, the council gives him the armor. Ajax, distraught by this result and "conquered by his own grief", plunges his sword into his own chest, killing himself. In the Little Iliad, Ajax goes mad with rage at Odysseus' victory and slaughters the cattle of the Greeks. After returning to his senses, he kills himself out of shame

So my small start will give me a massive 5 points!

There's a new bonas round in the Challenge this year, The Gift Store, as Ajax was a gift for my Dad, Curt very graciously added another 20 points to my total! 

The Gift Store


Are you looking for something to commemorate your visit to the AHPC Studios GmbH, or maybe a souvenir for those friends and family unable to make the trip? Come along to the AHPC Gift Store and see what we have to offer. Snow Lord (tm) snow globes, Replica flight attendant uniforms, delicious AHPC Studio crayons, we have it all.


Models entered as a Gift Store Special must be figures that you are going to give to someone else as a gift. Entries should explain why you chose the model as a gift for its recipient along with the usual photographs of the mini itself. Challengers can visit the gift store from any other point on the map without needing to use the Yellow Brick Road or Lady Sarah's Limousine (though you can if you wish). A gift submission will award 20 bonus points. Like Lady Sarah's Limousine and the Yellow Brick Road, the Gift Store bonus can be collected multiple times.

15mm Trojans

Back to ancient times once more for today's post, here we have one unit of Trojans and three units of their allies. All are made by Essex miniatures and painted by my good self many moons ago. Essex don't make actual figures for the Trojans, these figures were included in the original battle pack I bought from them and as I said in a previous post,  The Trojans were said to be allies of The Hittites, so they're slighty different figures that I used for the Greeks, hope you all like them!!

Trojan warriors of Zelia led by Pandaros

Pelasgian warriors from Larisa led by Hippothoos

Warriors from Perkote led by Asios

The Kikones from North West Thrace led by Euphemos

15mm Trojan Wars - Acheans

After reading The Iliad, I decided to name some of the units I'd painted and needed to paint, just to give them their own personality and because I'm quite sad!! I went through the book again taking notes on who's who and what. The figures are a mixture of Essex, Chariot and Museum.  I've taken loads more photos so come back again if you like what you see!!!

Warriors from Mykene, led by their King Agamemnon, Chariot Minis.

A second group of warriors from Mykene, who were the largest contingent of the
 Greek army, arriving on 100 ships. Essex minis.

The men of Sparta, led by Menelaos brother to Agamemnon. Chariot minis.

Nestor led these brave men from Pylos

Warriors from Argos led by Diomedes, son of King Tydeus of Argos. Museum minis.

The Dendra armoured Athenians led by Menestheus, son of Peteos.
Museum minis

15mm Trojan Wars Chariots

Some more of my underused Trojan Wars figures. In this post we have some of the many chariots for both sides. The first four photos are the Achaean chariots, which are Essex figures and unfortunately not painted by me, I bought them on ebay several years ago for a bargin price 12 chariots for £38, the seller was rather gutted at the small price I paid for them, I on the other hand was quite chuffed.

The next four photo's are some of the many Trojan chariots in my collection. Some are my work and some are once again from ebay. The figures are a mixed bag of Essex and Chariot miniatures. For the Trojan army as a whole of used many different makes of figures to try and differentiate them from the Greeks. I did read that it's believed the city of Troy was closely allied to and possibly a part of the Hittite Empire, so I've used lots of Hittite figures for Trojans as well as the Mycenaean Greek figures. Some of these can be seen in the pictures below.

15mm Trojan Wars - Myrmidons

Another army in my vast underused collection, are for the Trojan Wars. The Achaians and the Trojans. For today's post I'll just concentrate on one unit. Achilles' Myrmidons. I bought these several years ago and they as well as the rest of the figures have joined the, "Why don't you ever play with me!" club. The figures are from Old Glory's ancient range and very nice figures they are too. Out at the front is Achilles leading the heroic charge toward the Trojan lines. After watching the Brad Pitt, Troy film, I decided to paint them rather dark and mimic their look in the film, which was a little fantasy based but hey, this period must be the original Fantasy Period, this is where GW got all their ideas from, one book is the god and its the only book you can use, in this case that book is The Iliad. I've read and reread the book several times, if your going to game the period, its the only resource needed. It was written supposedly in the second half of the 8th century BC by Homer, it tells the story of the events in the last year of the Trojan War, which led to Achilles' (Achilleus'), killing Hektor and determine the fate of Troy, (Illios).