Bactrians and (?) Medes

First two units of the Warrior figures painted. As these figures are in 10s I've used Garrison officers and standard bearers with them - you can easily see how well the two ranges fit together.

The first unit is a Bactrian unit so I've decorated the tunics.  Quite nice figures but the spears won't behave themselves!

Next figure doesn't match any figure from the book and I'll just be using as generic hill tribes or something. As such I've given them plain, rather dowdy, costumes. Both units seem to have come out OK.

Warrior Greek and Persian Wars

 Although I'm getting on with other things - currently ploughing my way through all those 6mm Leven  buildings - I still keep an eye out for other things. Hinds had a couple of lots of Warrior Greek and Persian War figures on ebay, put in an offer (a lot less than the listed price!) and got them.

Might even paint some of them straight up rather than going  on to my 'to do' list.

OK,top up of what I know (not much) about this range.

It's based on 'Armies of the Greek and Persian Wars' book by Richard Nelson, published in 1978. I found out about them from Ian Beck who bought some - apart from Pony Wars and Huns Ian also had an early Achaemenid Persian army. Anyway, ordered and got some Persians and Scythians, liked them, put in another order and they were out of production. I doubt they were in production for a year! Problem, I think, was size - too small for then current 25mm, too big for 20mm. Pity, they included some nice figures though probably several years obsolete in design. They matched early Garrison figures perfectly.

Go forward a few years and I thought about them as I was running Garrison. Phoned Warrior (think it was still Ray Seaton - not sure if John had take over by then?) Anyway, asked about buying the range or getting some kind of production licence, told in no uncertain terms 'Range gone, moulds destroyed, masters destroyed, not interested in selling the range' end of conversation.

And that, basically, is my total knowledge of that range. I'd have to look, but think I've even got a catalogue with them in!

I should add that it's the only Warrior range that I've even really liked.

The Hyperion

Another quick paint job. Comes over as a really nice spacecraft.

Should probably tidy up the front view ports, probably won't. I keep doing these 'conversions' but so far I haven't used any of the actual Garrison range!

Turn the Hyperion over and it becomes... The only thing I've done is turned it upside down and painted a few viewports and the name on it - it's still in the original scheme!

 

If you go down to the woods tonight...

 

A big surprise is quite likely. This lot were basically lying around as bycatch from casting other figures - seemed a shame not to let them go to waste. Figures were all just sprayed brown a few times then drybrushed with lots of different earthy colours in no particular pattern or order. Then red bits painted on.

Admins AD220 Wise Old Treeman. Under HoTT Behometh!

Admins AD79, Tree Ent (60mm high). Another Behometh.

AD58 Large Evil Tree. If I did a HoTT army I would only be able to use 1 of these - only 3 4 point Behomeths would be allowed in the army. Of course, if not doing HoTT...

This lot are from the S&S Range - SS70, Tree Spirit (Ent). If I loosely based the army on the HoTT Giants list they would be Hordes. Personally I would go for Beasts - at 2 points each I could use 6 in a Tree Army.

OK, bases 'wrong' for HoTT, but then I use HoTT as a base, not scripture. It might be fun to try doing more 'HoTT' armies using my (getting large) collection of single based figures... not realistic armies but it's fantasy... I mean, using army soldiers as shooters against trees as beasts...

Early Persian Army Review

Probably one of my smaller Garrison 20/25mm Ancient Reviews and not a lot different to the last one I did. One the other hand, it's been quite a while since my last Review, so...

Two different general's chariots. Not down as any particular general, I assume one of them is Cyrus the Great.

Right wing cavalry, front being a Guard unit. Not sure when the Guard cavalry or Immortals were actually raised but quite happy to have them in my early army.

Sparabara Immortal unit backed by a camel unit loosely based on the camel in Funken! Also not sure when the Sparabara system was invented...

Scythed chariots as per Xenophon even if his scythed chariots were an anachronism.

Left wing cavalry - this lot are the two units I've just completed. Light horses dressed like the ones at the front exist on a wall painting that included robed infantry and cavalry.  Uniform colours different though.

Different types of robed infantry - again, actual organisation that would have been used unknown. The war wagon is my version of the ones supposedly used by Cyrus against Lydia - except they were actually pulled by 80 oxen each!

View across the back of the army. Worth noting that all the figures apart from officers, standard bearers horses and camels are conversions from 'standard' Garrison figures. Conversions are always based on what I feel Greenwood and Ball should have made for the Garrison range.

A spaceship and shuttle

 

I've been trying to work out what to do about reasonable looking spacecraft when my eyes lit on a couple of 'dead' mice. Just the simple act of removing the mouse wheel and replacing it with a fin made a good shuttle craft...

We also had to replace our kitchen scales. Here it has a different mouse stuck on top of it to make a canopy.

I kept this one 'clean' but the design would appreciate some spaceshippy detailing...

The back few shows the tops of a couple of used superglue lids to hide the worn out buttons on the mouse. The 'probably needs more detail' shows up on this view...

The shuttle was a very successful change of use. Don't think I could really call it a conversion! Originally I was thinking about painting it red and black to match thecrew figures but decided on plain grey so it would also be useful for other races.

Daleks, for instance. The shuttle is a bit small for Daleks - too low - but I'm not going to let that put me off!

 

Last early Persian cavalry unit

The last of my three line early Persian cavalry completed. At some stage I must do a minor Review of the early army - far too long since I've had a good Review.