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Showing posts with label Hellenistics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hellenistics. Show all posts

Sunday, 2 June 2013

Raphia - the game

Just a few quick and dirty shots to give an idea of how the game looked.


The Seleucid line


The Ptolemaic line


Initial deployment.


Close up of the Seleucid right flank, where much of the early action took place.


The wings close.


Crunch time!


Oops! Two dead elephants - the Africans certainly can't stand up to the bigger, stronger Indians.


The last Nellie doesn't last too much longer (apologies for the dodgy lighting!)


Action on the Seleucid left


An over enthusiastic Seleucid elephant crashes into the Ptolemaic Agema...


But doesn't last long!


Action on the other wing, with similar results in the elephant on elephant combats.


The phalanxes close in the centre with an almighty crunch!


On the right, a unit of Seleucid Agema manoeuvre into position as combat erupts along the whole line...


From the other side of the lines, the Ptolemaic Agema take their tole on the Greek mercenary phalanx unit.


The Agema beat the Greeks and advance in pursuit, revealing the flank of the next unit in line, who are charged frontally by the Argyraspides and in the flank by the Seleucid guard cavalry accompanied by Antiochus, with predictable results... A couple of other units also go down, leading to the demoralisation of the whole Ptolemaic army and a history changing Seleucid victory.

All the above pictures were taken with a iPhone; lots of other pics were taken with much more professional kit, so I'm sure better pics will be forthcoming... 

Rules were Simon's "To The Strongest!", named after Alexander's supposed answer on his deathbed when asked who would inherit his throne. They're still in development, but gave a good account of themselves in what was a large, complex game.

Monday, 27 May 2013

A Bit More Raphia WIP

Line cavalry virtually completed, just need to finish off the bases (there's another four bases to go with these, so four units of nine in total). All Aventine, with a high proportion of head swaps.


Last of the Arabs assembled and stuck on bases, just the ground work to do. They'll then be added to the other five bases to represent the 10,000 required. Perry Ansar figures, a couple of Victrix and Warlord heads, Aventine shields.


Finally for today, a unit of Asiatic archers, about 40% done. Crusader figures

Thursday, 16 May 2013

Last of the Arabs for Raphia


Phew! Glad these are done!

I've now completed enough figures to represent the 10,000 Arabs who turned up (I hesitate to use the term "fought") for the Seleucids at Raphia.

I've used a 60x60 base to mount these on. In theory, I should have put eight figures on each base, but due to the dynamic posing of the figures, I've generally been able to get away with six or seven.





Next up, more cavalry.

Wednesday, 1 May 2013

More pike for Raphia & what's left to do

These represent 16 of the 32 extra pike I need to make up a unit of 48.

I originally built two units of 32 of these chaps, but Simon's OOB has pike in 48's, hence the extras. The other 32 are primed and ready to go.

Still to complete in time for Partizan are:

16 more pike
5 more bases of Arabs (nominally with 8 to a base, but I intend to cheat...)
15 heavy cavalry (horses already done)
8 Cretan archers (to make 16 up to two lots of 24)
12 javelin skirmishers
12 Asiatic archers
96 shields to equip my Argyraspides (not sure on quite where to go with that one)

Might be a challenge, but I'll give it my best shot.

Also have the small matter of a playing surface 4.2m x 1.8m to game on, of which more anon...


Monday, 22 April 2013

Cavalry for Raphia - more WIP

Here are the expanded Agema cavalry for our Partizan Raphia game.

I originally had one unit of twelve, but Simon's OOB called for two units of nine, so here they are.

Also visible in the rear rank are three command bases to expand out the line cavalry. Again, I initially had one unit of twelve, needing four units of nine. Just another eighteen to go then...



Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Mount up!

First batch of extra mounted - six extra Agema to make my current unit of twelve up to two units of nine.

Next up, possibly more cavalry, or I may diverge and do a unit of Thracians....

All above for the Raphia project.





Monday, 18 February 2013

Over the finish line...

Continuing the horse metaphor, finally completed this batch of horses. Only needed about 45 minutes to get there, but I've got so hacked off with the tedious process of doing so many at the same time I've struggled to pick up a brush...at least I can intersperse some different stuff with the riders to keep things interesting!

Sunday, 10 February 2013

Plodding on...

Nearly there with my batch of 30 horses. Don't think I'll attempt this again; I've found the slow progress has really messed with my motivation. Just got iron bits to paint and bronze ornaments to highlight, and not forgetting the animal skins.

I've also taken a quick shot of the first batch of riders to go with these horses. These will allow me to expand my current unit of 12 Agema to the two units of 9 needed for Raphia.









Monday, 21 January 2013

Mercenary Phalanx & Asiatics Completed

Here's a couple more units finished for Raphia.

The Greek mercenary pike represent the 5,000 who fought for the Seleucids at Raphia, "armed in the Macedonian fashion".

Figures are by Foundry, originally painted about 18 months ago and parked. I've finished the basing and added some extra shields for the chaps that didn't get them first time around. Shields are from Crusader (I HATE Foundry bottle tops!), with home made transfers. The design is based on one of the frescos in the Aghios Athenasios tomb. I drew the image in MS Paint and used a sheet of transfer material bought from eBay.







Secondly, we have the second unit of Asiatic troops to add to err... the first. Basically the same paint job, with a different coloured hat (yes, I know it's called a tiara!). Sometimes a simple paint job works a treat.





Sunday, 6 January 2013

A Few More Asiatics

The element to the left has just been finished today to bring the unit up to full strength.

The second photo is the new arrivals from my last post prepped and reddy (get it?). I've used red oxide primer on these as red I'd the predominant colour on these figures. I realised that the first thing I'd done with the other batches was to apply copious amounts of burnt cadmium as a shade for the final red, so thought I'd try and short cut this process.

I'll probably change the head dress colour on the second unit to a) differentiate and b) stave off boredom! Let's see how that works out.





Saturday, 5 January 2013

New Arrival

Another unit of Asiatics for the Raphia game arrived this morning. These were ordered on Christmas Day off the back of some money I was given on the day :-)

The figures are from Crusader Miniatures. Shields will be switched out make them more obviously Hellenistic as these here

I'm currently finishing off a small batch of eight figures to expand the initial unit to the full twenty four required for our scenario. Once completed, the two blocks of 24 figures will represent the 5,000 men present at the battle in 217BCE.



Sunday, 30 December 2012

More Pink Pike WIP

Finished the painting added pikes and shields and stuck to bases. Just the groundwork and pike tips to do.

I'd also like to give Simon Miller (AKA BigRedBat) a big thanks for the LBMS transfers that he generously donated from his stock - saved me buying them!

I'd originally intended to use a transfer on the banners but realised they wouldn't fit! Only option was to paint something by hand.

Hopefully get them finished tomorrow and if I have time I'll take a few shots of all 96 together; that's two out of seven blocks needed for Raphia...





Saturday, 29 December 2012

Second batch of Pink Pike

Last batch nearly done. Still need to add shields and pikes and finish off the standards. I've decided to play around with some surplus shield transfers instead of doing my usual freehand, hence the big white splodges!







Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Arab Tribal Allies for Raphia

These are Perry plastic Ansars that I'm pressing into service as the above.

The Seleucids had 10,000 of these at Raphia. Detail is scarce for what Arabs looked like at this period, but these figures fit what little I've been able to turn up. For shields, I'm going to use thureoi, based on the logic that they've been part paid by being equipped from Seleucid arsenals. Bit of a cop out, but if appearance is difficult to identify, the type of shields used by Arabs at this time is impossible.

I've played around a bit to get a decent flesh colour and I'm quite happy with how this has turned out.



Sunday, 9 December 2012

Seleucid Levy for Raphia

These are Crusader Miniatures Sparabara figures that I will give thureoi shields to for the Raphia game BigRedBat and I are planning for Partizan in June next year.

This particular lot are a third of those I'll need, as there were 5,000 Medes, Cadusians and Carmanians. Identification of quite what they were is problematic, so I'm going with a Median look, perhaps from an earlier period, with modern weaponry supplied from Seleucid armouries. That's my excuse, anyway.