RE12 Roman slingers

 

Started painting these before I got sidetracked by the Gauls!

For the paint scheme I've painted them in a Spanish Carthaginian scheme - purple edged white tunics and black cloak. I wanted to see how well they would look as Balearic slingers with the possibilty of producing them with the shield detail sanded down. Probably won't bother, this lot does the job OK anyway. I did think about the sword being on the right, but then I spotted the fact that a lot of the Gauls had their scabbards on the right as well. So I'm just writing it off as a Garrison thing :)

Gallic (Hykranian?) cavalry

Based on GAC4, Cavalry standard bearer, this lot would make nice fantasy cavalry! 

 

The cavalry are simple conversions - officer is the standard bearer with the standard cut down and hammered into a sword, the other ranks just had the top of the standard cut away and the end hammered and cut into a spear point.

The standard bearer can also be simply converted into infantry giving useful variations for the infantry with 'horned head dress'

Tanks everywhere

Latest update from Steven...

'Quick update. Decided to get some intensive practice with the air brush by doing the colour modulation on my German tanks... all 77 of them. Even though they are a long way from finished, they are still quite a sight. I like how the Maus' turret is larger than some of the smaller tanks in their entirety.'

Last Gallic warband based

 

Or, at least the figures I got from Harry. 

It was short a few figures including a standard bearer - about six figures all together.

I'm currently going through the cavalry - one unit nearly finished, another cast but hasn't been undercoated yet. Realistically about five cavalry units needed, plus perhaps another unit of light javelins and 150 or so warband infantry - half Gallic, half Galation!

Quick photo of Gallic swordsman conversion...

 

Fom GA4, GAC1 would be another good alternative but wearing a cloak.

Mollie Tuttle - early cds

 

Big fan of Molly Tuttle so when these very early and totally unavailable cds came up on ebay... sniped the auction and got them for just over a tenner each! I bid well over twice that but didn't expect to win - so I'm happy. On the other hand her band Golden Highway has broken up so no more Bronwyn or Shelby...

The Galations

 

When I was going through the figures some of the GA4 spearmen were painted slightly differently to the rest. Naturally, I thought 'OK, make them medium rather that light medium infantry and call them mercenary spearmen from beyond the Alps'.

Then I thought 'why not do all the spearmen on MI bases and call them Galations?' 

So I now have 80 Galation spearmen... which really means I don't have enough of either the LMI or MI for full armies, which means I probably need a load more figure...

Incidentally, the lack of swordsmen in the range bothers me. I've looked at the various figures and this figure looks like the one that works best as a swordsman. So need to do some of them as well...

Gallic light javelins

 First, quick reminder of what day it is. We owe a lot of servicemen and it's only right to make a big thing of it. Thank you.

Simple conversion of GAC2 - Cavalryman with javelin and shield, unarmoured. Left foot bent forwards and stuck on a base... I can live with the thin legs.

I'll probably 'need' a couple more of these units as well as a couple of units of them as light cavalry. Paint pens are a major boon when it comes to doing the cloaks and shields!

Going a bit overboard on Gallic conversions...

 

Might get back to the Romans eventually.. original figure in the centre, officer and spear/shield cavalryman conversions - gives all the figures for an interesting cavalry unit...

The cavalry figure mounted on bases as infantry (just pointed the left foot forward for the standard bearer, cut down standard and hammered flat for officer. Two other standard bearer conversions in centre. 

Lousy picture - spear/shield cavalryman given a standard.

This lot, together with other Gallic conversions, make an army more viable. Meanwhile, all the figures with bison headresses give an interesting option - a fantasy army of Northern Barbarians...

More 'Christmas dividend' stuff...

A bought item... money box acting as a biscuit tin but really an interesting balloon... love this, don't intend to paint over it, just pretend it's different things...

 

Sorting out old cake decorations yielded quite an eclectic mix... 40-50mm tall models so fit in with some of my 42mm stuff (?).

Already got a load of stock cars, really must make a race track (A3 3mm MDF boards!)

And a few odd bits - Santa is 40mm tall. Probably dates back to the 1950s or 60s!

So, quite a lot of stuff being added to the wargames heap.

The Night Before Christmas

 

As you've probably realised, I'm always on the look out for potential wargames figures and objects. Came across these in B&M in Wisbech... About 67p per figure.

Figures range in size from 30mm to 50mm. Lots of uses... At least, that's what I intend....

Slings and Arrows...

GA8, Infantry with bow unarmoured (plus GA3 officer!). A few of these were mixed in with the warband units so I've painted up some extras and made a unit of them.

I did convert this figure into Scythians, then decided it was just as good using them as is and letting paint mask the differences!. Seems to work OK.

Next lot are an unintended conversion. GA4, Infantry spear and shield. Except on a lot of them the tops of the spears kept breaking...

As the result reminded me of a sling, and as there wasn't a slinger in the range, bit of green stuff to bulk out the bottom of the spear shaft... I now have two 12 strong units of slingers...

Comparison between the original and the conversion. It works well and, if used for Ancient Brits, one I'll probably finish up making more of...

Garrison Gauls 2 - current!

 

I've finished basing a load of Gauls for the Carthaginian army. This lot are the standard run of the mill Gallic infantry. At some stage might do some more of these.

This lot with the buffalo head dresses could act as an elite unit or a bunch of fanatics.

I've also cast and painted the rest of the range. This one is GA1, Mounted general/noble/officer.

GA2, Armoured standard bearer.

GAC1, Cavalryman with spear and shield and cloak, unarmoured.

GAC2, Cavalryman with javelin and shield, unarmoured. May convert this to a light infantry figure by turning the left foot forward and putting it on an infantry base...

GAC4 Cavalry standard bearer. I did do one of these as an infantry standard bearer for the buffalo horned head dress figures!

It looks like this!

Another horned head dress standard bearer - in this case by giving GA7  a standard. Prefer the  GAC4 version!

Still painting a few archers to give a light infantry archer unit, plus will probably base some  GA4 as MI  and call them mercenaries from beyond the Alps! Could do a cavalry unit or two.

Though... I am still working on Romans and possible Spanish 'conversions'.

Garrison Gauls

 

So all the work on the Romans has got me thinking about the Carthaginians. One component of a Carthaginian army was the Gauls, so I've finally got an incentive to start sorting some of the Garrison Gauls I got from Harry... current state they have been taken off their bases and washed ready to get a coat of varnish and based. They'll be based 3 to a base as early army lists list then as irregular LMI.

One thing it gives me a chance to do is start getting some photos of the range.

GA3 Officer. 

GA4 Infantry, spear and shield. These I might base four to a base as mercenary spearmen.

GA5 Trumpeter

GA6 Infantry with spear/axe and shield. The figure was designed with a spear point at one end, axe head the head - cut off the one you don't want!

GA6 - The axe version.

GA7 Infantry with spear/axe and shield, animal head dress. Another dual purpose weapon.

GA7, The axe version...

GA8 Infantry with bow unarmoured. Good basis for Scythians - I sometimes 'convert' them to Scythians with just paint.

Still to do standard bearers and cavalry.

RE14A Auxiliary light javelinman with shield, unarmoured (Velite)

 

For light infantry I'm just doing 12 figures per unit - a 24 strong cohort is just too much!

Admit to liking the figure even allowing for the historical inaccuracies!

Obviously a velite and so should be part of a legion - except legions in 60AD aren't supposed to have integral light infantry.

Well, they're my toys so I've painted the tunics red anyway!

From their armament I'm not sure they should be based as light infantry. Later on I might do a full 24 figure auxiliary unit of them as 4Ax. They're already historically inaccurate, might as well take it a step further.