Cyrus repaired

Ages ago I posted about dropping my 'original' 1975 Hinchliffe/Lamming 'Cyrus in a chariot.'  Can't find find the post now, or the pictures of the damaged chariot - think they must have been lost back when all my pictures started randomly vanishing from the blog.

However... I have finally gotten round to fixing it...

This is a picture of Cyrus before he was broken. Old and even then showing some signs of wear - the whip held by the charioteer was already broken. Actually Cyrus is virtually out of view behind the charioteer - too busy reviewing troops to be bothered about photos.

Repaired version - new whip, new reins, though vestige of the old reins still there - just looks like extra harness.

Front view shows deliberate armour differences. I've given Cyrus larger, flashy Nouveau-rich armour plates while the Mede charioteer has a more sophisticated armour using smaller plates.

And another view. In deference to the original the base has simply been flocked.

It's one of those times when I've got lots of stuff to post. Just bought some more unpainted figures from Harry, plus some interesting painted chariots - so 2 posts there - plus finished the second Athenian hoplite unit, plus more Garrison Persian cavalry... so hopefully I'll be putting out a post a day for several days! The future is also a bit crowded. I think I'll do a Thermopylae scenario, and I've got 2 firm and 2 ideas for Newhaven. Should be a crowded Spring, especially as I also hope to do more Army Review type pieces.

General's chariot finished.

Mostly.

Couple of bits need touching up, needs to be varnished (I ran out of varnish, hence posting now) and based.

Not sure how happy I am with it - chariot scheme not as good as I had hoped plus might have overpainted the general!

Warwagons finished

All three - original plus the two new ones - now finished and based.

This just leaves the general's chariot and I'll be free to work on the 1897 project.

Actually, to tell you the truth I've already started on them...

Cyrus the Great army update

Lot's of individual units so far, seems about time to do an update on the army.

Most units have been seen before. These archers are from Harry's collection and haven't been altered by me other than rebasing.

These are one of my conversions - PE4 with the bowcase removed and shield replaced by a Rose violin shaped one. One of the nicer aspects of these armies is the sheer number of conversions in them - seems to add to the satisfaction somehow.

One day finding myself sitting in a room in a community centre for 3 hours (waiting for a student I assumed wasn't coming  in advance) I spent part of the time drawing up and cutting out cabs for a few chariots and a couple of war wagons. One General's chariot and two warwagons well on the way to completion, couple more scythed chariots will follow. That should then just about complete this army. Probably.

Cyrus the Great's Guard

Trouble with this time of year, distractions...

So, done some Immortals but can't really call them that because it might be a bit early. 'Guard' should fit the bill.

I've gone for the 'blue' look - lots of my various Immortal units, both Garrison and Minifigs, seem to be blue. The colour just seems to suite them. I've also paid a bit more attention to the quivers - decorated rather than plain.

Cyrus the Great's Medes

Continuing the build of units specifically for the Cyrus the Great army, these being the Medes.

This shot shows the current setup with one of the 'later' 8Bw elements acting as a marker for the Guard.

And this is the Mede Regiment.

I've left the bowcase plain - not sure if that's a good thing or not.

DBA I/60(b) The army of Cyrus the Great

An unexpected 'free' day meant being able to finish the warwagon. So, seemed churlish to hold back on the army photos.

For the photos I've just used units from my main Persian rather than painted 'new' units. The only new ones are the scythed chariot and warwagon, though 3 of the sparabara elements are from the 'base' I/60 army.

Finished warwagon. Think I'll do 2 others.

In theory the camels should be 3Cm but I could only get 2 on a base... and somehow this figure seems to fit the army better than my standard 3Cm units.

Nearly finished

The first warwagon that is.

Crude design but looking quite good.

Making the warwagon

Well, started on the warwagon, could possibly make 2 or even 3? - not sure yet.

The 'original' Cyrus version should be drawn by oxen, but Garrison don't make oxen so I'm using cataphract horses instead. Also, not as many animals - the thing has to fit on a 25mm DBX base.

Another card superstructure, this time on an upside down Assyrian chariot body. For wheels I'm going with Assyrian chariot wheels - had thought about using crude plank-style wagon wheels but think the Assyrian ones will look better.

More chariots - Cyrus v Lydia

Cyrus the Great founded the Persian Empire by conquering the Medes, the Lydians and the Babylonians. During his war with the Lydians he is supposed to have mounted his cavalry on camels to beat the superior Lydian cavalry, used large mobile war wagons as stroingpoints and also had scythed chariots. I've already got Garrison camels, intend to have a go at the war wagons, and this lot are the scythed chariots.

The chariots have a Garrison 25mm Persian chariot chassis with a card cabin. To sort the 'yoke' a length of thin dowel was placed over the backs of the horses, blob of glue in the centre and chariot pole simply dropped on top of it. Chariot horses are my 20mm ones, wheels are from the Assyrian chariot.

Finished models made with different crews - one Persian, one Mede.  Figures are robed spearmen conversions from the Persian officer, the Persian also having a head swap from Persian Guard cavalry figure.

Those Chinese trees look quite good in the background.

One Persian chariot...

One Mede...  which must have picked up some of the base material on the cab - have to clean that off!

Next, the war wagon and Cyrus's chariot...

Clearchus and his friends

Well, finished the direct cavalry conversions.

Nothing else to say, just that it seems to have worked OK with one proviso. I should have used thicker card - a couple of them had a tendency to fall over a bit. Think it worked out in the end though.

Cyrus and the Greeks, DBA II/7

The March of the 10,000 has always been one of my favourite stories, the Battle of Cunaxa one of my favourite battles. Even did a series of 3 articles on it for Slingshot sometime in the 90's (gave it it's more correct name of Kounaxa then.) Plus a version of it in the 2012 Garrison Journal.

So it's hardly a surprise that I'm including a Late Achaemenid Persian army in my current DBA army building programme.

Only troops missing are Ps and/or scythed chariot. For a standard army I would include the chariot, for Cyrus I'll miss it out.

This is Cyrus and his bodyguard. Greek GC4 on the cataphract horse. Cyrus himself is the Greek general figure. Greeks to Persians proved a diffficult conversion - I painted trousers on them. The unit itself was painted a few years ago then put to one side. The standard bearer had an accident so isn't here, likewise a few of the others - actually, 11 survivors out of the original 15.

 

For the Greek infantry component I have converted GC5 to an infantry figure by twisting the feet forward and putting them on a base. The figure casts quite well and the intention was to initially produce 2 units of 24 - one to have red tunics as part of Cyrus's army, the other in white to act in every other late Persian army. Didn't quite work out, so Cyrus is stuck with figures wearing the colours of his brother. (Xenophon said that these were the colours given to each army)

Hoplites tend to get colourful shields so I thought I'd show them in more detail. 

 

 The front cavalry figures are some early conversions I made before I got Garrison - removed shields and javelins, replaced weapons.  The Scythians were painted to allow the ones that had been transferred from the 'main' army to go back to their unit. In use with Cyrus they will be replaced by more Western cavalry.

The Ps elements will vary depending on the army depicted. For Artaxerxes, these would be archers, for Cyrus javelins. Likewise, the 4 x 4Sp or 3Ax are Greek hoplite 4Sp for Cyrus, Artaxerxes probably gets 2 x 4Sp (Carian, Egyptian) and 2 x 3Ax (infantry brought by Tissaphernes to the battle.)

Now, reason why I haven't sorted that second unit of hoplites for Cyrus.

When I first set up I acquired 2 second hand melting pots. The first one gave up the ghost a few years ago, the second one has also 'died'. So I'm stuck with repairs or renewal. Repairs don't seem to be an effective answer. Let's face, between them they gave 10 years service and were second hand then...  So... new? but bit shy of £600?... could do it. Might. Certainly not worth it though...