Some Greek peltasts

Another unit that has been lying around for quite a while - long enough, in fact, that my painting skills have gone seriously downhill since I first started them! 

I originally started with two units years ago - part finished and only a few of each to check out a paint scheme. The project basically stopped because the figures I got from Harry also included a unit.

So seemed reasonable to cover several individual schemes instead of doing them all the same.

Should provide a useful extra unit to the Greek/Macedonian armies.

A few more Thracians

Unit upgraded to 6 elements...

So now the 'Corps' looks like this.

The 'new' figures are the ones at the front.

Corps XXIV - Bithynian Thracians.

Based on G15, Peltast with leather armour and shield with javelin and shield - same as the Milyae figures though final product looks a lot different.

Foxskin cap and black tunic. I did make a basic mistake with this unit - thinking 12 figure/24 figure rather than elements - I should have made 18 of them.

Decorated cloaks belted in. I did a mix of plain colour/striped/checkered cloaks to give variety. The cowhide pattern on the shields looks good - haven't got it right for cloaks (see attempts at goatskin cloaks on Lycians to date!)

Figure, simply filed down any armour then built up the cloak and cap from green stuff - I feel I should have textured the foxskin cap, at the moment it does look a bit 'blobby'.

The original G15 - from a time when my painting skills were better.

Temptation... Prussan Landwehr

The temptation came from here.

Freely admit it, mine aren't painted as well!

Figures still need to be touched up a bit and varnished.

The infantry figure is one I painted several years ago for the  online catalogue.

Officer and standard bearer both made from the marching infantryman.

Small example of the finishing needed - officer's cap.

Peltasts 2 - the Mercenaries

The standard wargames LTS,J,Sh peltast of the 70s...

This lot started life as 8  psiloi back in the 70's. With a few exceptions, most of my Hellenistic troops wore red tunics.

These ones are ex Harry. Nice shield patterns. I'll probably use these in my Successor armies rather than Alexandrian ones as they carry the thureos. Poor logic as the PB Thracians also carry the thureos.

 

As these ones have pelta rather than thureos, these will find themselves fighting for Alexander.

 

Charles Grant peltasts and cavalry

When I bought the Charles Grant figures that I call 'the Grant Collection' - which I would love to develop (ie, find and acquire ones like the Assyrians) - I originally decided to leave them well alone.

As time has gone on I've moderated that view. The figures themselves have been rebased and used since Charles Grant owned them anyway, plus some of them need to be refurbished a bit.

Currently I'm working on peltasts, and the collection included 110 Garrison G11. It seemed reasonable to rebase 24 of these as peltasts to give me a second unit. I'll probably rebase another peltast unit, not sure about some nice looking 10 man units as psiloi?

 After that, I'm looking at the cavalry.

 I've already got quite a few of these in my armies but it's a figure I really like - it would be nice to see this unit rebased and in action.

Another candidate is this mob. Some of the spears need a bit of attention, but the shields are superb. They'll be rebased as mediums/heavies rather than their current light bases.

One large group of figures are the Garrison Persian cavalry. I haven't started rebasing the 'S' Range Persians yet so might wait until then before I consider my options with the Grant figures.

Peltasts and Psiloi

It's one thing to have masses of people with very long pointy sticks, but the phalangites need support.  As a result, I've been spending the time since the last post sorting and basing some of these.

Garrison only did two javelin armed Greek light infantry, so they are going to have to cover all the jobs. Actually, that's not strictly true, but I'll come to that later.

At the moment I've based 2 units of 'Regular' peltasts' 1 unit of 'Irregular' peltasts and a unit of 'Irregular' psiloi.

All of these figures are ones bought painted apart from the command figures. I admit I've rushed the paint jobs on these a bit.

 This is partly because the figures themselves are quite basic.

At the moment these act as my Thracians. This particular figure was originally a bit of a problem - I didn't have a master to use when trying to resurrect the range. Happily, I did have figures in my own army and these did the job quite well. Since then, I seem to have acquired hundreds of the things!

The Pantodapoi Phalangites weren't the only figures that 'stopped' when the deluge occurred. I was also looking at building up a force of peltasts and had reached the stage of producing test paint jobs. I prefer 'mine' to the ones I've just based and may later upgrade the units with ones I do myself. It is in a very long 'to do' list.

The Psiloi element did already have quite a few finished figures - these are a few I had finished earlier...

That Regular Peltast is, at the moment, going to have to cover as Alexandrian Hypaspists. However, I had produced an infantry version of this figure by the simple expedient of bending the feet forward and sticking it on a base. A mould was made, some have been produced and I think that the to do list will include a unit of these as Hypaspists. I think I've got enough hoplites already.

Also, one of the never-issued-by-Greenwood-and-Ball was this Dacian. I did actually release it but don't remember selling any...  anyway, by the simple expedient of painting the legs flesh they make decent Thracians with Rhompia.

I suppose the next thing I have to do is sort the archers and slingers.