It's bin a while and I hate cancer!

Bloody cancer no wonder I have slowed down. I have not painted much at all this year, on the one hand whats the point the other hand said that maintaining your hobbies is good for you emotional well being. So I undercoated some Sea Peoples yesterday which may get to production stage 7 boxes of Caesar figures, 2 Hat and some newline. My last completed army was my Neo Babylonian

Neo Babylonian (mainly newline)

Newline and Hat industrie with Caesar in background

More Neo Babylonians (newline cav, Caesar Chariots, Hat allied Assyrian in foreground

So I am trying to force myself to paint, I have started Sea Peoples, Scythians, Republican Rome. I will try and sell my Napoleonics (none painted) so I won't get into them just concentrate on ancients.

VERY QUICK UPDATE

VERY QUICK UPDATE

Well the battle of Aradus went to the Seleucid Greeks, the Ptolemies withdrew to Egypt. The Seleucids followed and fought a second battle (another win). Just as it seemed the Seleucids would take Egypt two things happened, a revolt by jewish troops meant a short fight (another Seleucid win). Then Indian forces had started to expand west into the east of the Seleucid Empire. Antiochus sent his son, Seleucus with a small holding force (Most of the phalanx, heavy cavalry, eastern satrap units) to Persis to meet and get the force ready. Antiochus would follow once he had organised Palestine.

Meanwhile I am painting a neo Babylonian army with lots of Hat Industrie and Newline figures-I wish Caesar would release box 048 I think it was

Any photos to follow

Battle of Aradus (265 BCE) 

As the die were rolled to work out random events a very large Seleucid Army under Antiochus III headed south along the coast of present day Syria and Lebanon. The Ptolemies under Ptolemy III marched north, they did not want to loose their hard won lands.

The armies chose a flat bit of land with a slight rise (due to slight differences in table heights!). 

All ready to go Seleucids on left (c60,000 troops) with Ptolemaics on the right (c.55,000) with Field of Glory (FOG) rule book and soft drink

As usual with many of the battles in this area of this time, the light troops pushed and prodded wit assorted cavalry trying to make the break through whilst the phalangists hold back.

The Ptolemaic left flanks moves forward under command of Ptolemy III meanwhile in the distance the Seleucid left flank are blessed by a zap of sunlight from the gods, this is enough to spur them onto amazing things

(Below) On the left wing Antiochus had ordered his general, Seleucus (and son) to attack the Ptolemaic right flank near "Zebra Rock". Here Tarentine Light Horse, Parthian, Horse Archers, Nisian Cavalry, two divisions of Satrapal Persian Style Cavalry(still been blessed by their sun god)  charge backed up by Arab guards in foreground, in the distance the Ptolemies await the clash

Many die were rolled and the Ptolemaic left flank fell apart as their limited cavalry (1,000 Nubian, 1,000 light Greek) were obliterated. The Seleucids followed up with wave after wave of horse, Ptolemy committed Thracians, Nubian and some some Thorakik to stem the flow all to no avail. 

The above photo shows the right flank of the Ptolemies just before inmpact. 

The above shot shows the Seleucids about to break through

So after several months painting, a month setting up and a few weekends rolling die it looks like the Ptolemies maybe in some trouble meanwhile on their left flank, Seleucid initial charges had been halted really by the dynamic leadership of Ptolemy III as he lead his Agema into the Seleucid Cataphracts. (See below) 

So with the flanks tense Ptolmey orders his Egyptian Phlanx (mind you to be honest not much faith can be put into these buit shall see) 

Above the day is saced the redoubtable Egyptin phalanx moves into the battle..........

More details to follow

SELEUCIDS ready!

Seleucid Elephants with Thracians and lighter troops behind

Well it has taken a while and the last troops have been called up for the Seleucid army. The Seleucids of course were one of the three larger kingdoms that emerged out of the collapse of Alexander's short lived empire. By about 280 BCE there were three kingdoms dominant, the Macedonian kingdom based at Pella in northern Greece, the Ptolemaic Lagid dynasty based in Egypt and the largest the Seleucid based in modern day Syria, Iraq, Iran.
This army like the Ptolemies has a range of figures from various cultures. They include Greeks, Macedonians, Persians, Syrians, Arabs just to name a few.

This force I have built is equal to 50 Elephants, 50 Chariots, 51,000 Infantry (Of which 16,000 were heavy phalangists-take for ever to make) and some 13,000 Cavalry and 1,000 Camelry. This is a total force of 64,000 which we know various Seleucid kings could muster. Below are some shots of the army been put together:

Some Seleucid Pikes backed up by city militia and arab levies

The Pikes army mainly newline designs, there are lots of HaT and Caesar miniatures in this army as well as few Zvezda.

Half off Seleucid army including the 11,000 Pike in the centre guarded on their wings by Thoraki, Antiochus is in Cavalry at far end of left wing.

WHERE TO NOW:

The year is 280 BCE and the random event generator I have made means that the Seleucids are sending a huge force against Ptolemy. So over 60,000 Seleucids are going to taken on a Ptolemaic army (which is nearly read just about 3,000 more Pike to complete-the right of the above pictures has some completed Ptolemies). There were seven wars between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies. In the east meanwhile Chandrugupta is moving with a large Indian force, (Over 60,000 plus 2,000 Elephants), maybe he will give elephants to the Seleucids instead of using force to gain some land. Note The kings are true but picked randomly.

New update : it has been a while

Sorry for not reporting an update at all in June, it has been hectic at the office is my only (lame) excuse. 

I have been painting, mainly completing (Almost) my Ptolemaic army. I have 100 phalangists from newline I am working on plus some HaT and Caesar nubian warriors. I have completed 4 bases of Polybian Roman Citizen Cavalry (newline) and will start on the rest of the Republican Romans soon. These ones are Newline Designs, Strelets and HaT. Photo time...

Early attempt at Macedonian army HAt ALexander's light infantry in foreground these are Agrianes. Behind them HaT Hypaspists then some Zvezda, HaT and Caesar miniatures. 

And as the sun goes down in west, The Persian horde ride forth, Mainly HaT but also some Zvezda, Caesar and so on

Han Dynasty Chinese (Newline and Caesar)

 Well thats all for now, new update when Ptolemies are completed hopefully mid July

New Figures have arrived from Newline

New figures from Newline

Not even the rigours of outback Australian roads could stop this lot getting through. They marched all the way from Britain to Australia.The first lot got caught in a flaming postage trailer but this second lot got through, a Republican Roman army, some greek light cavalry and 100 phalangists for my Ptolemaic army.

A slightly out of focus bunch of New Line  Design figures

Here are the Phalangists and Greek light cavalry

And here was a small project of repaired Persians I worked on (mainly HaT but some Zvezda too)
ABOVE LEGS before wicket (LBW) below more troopers.

Plan for this week end, paint Greek Light Cavalry base them, and start on Phalangists, after this Republican Romans probably start them next weekend.

My way of painting figures..

There are many ways of painting. My first soldiers were very rough! But thats OK I was learning and I live in a remote place (my nearest big city is 800 kms away!) and my town is small only about 1,500 people. So I taught myself at first painting straight onto plastic-not advised. 

I buy plastic for the economy but have recently started to get into metal from mainly newline designs in the UK. They do a lot of 20mm stuff whereas most companies do 28mm or 15mm. 

For me the fun part is the research, which often opens up more questions! Sometimes when I don't know I make a guess. Some figures are painting in a way which reflects colours used in some board wargames such as GMT's Great battles of the ancient world, some of my Ptolemaic have a light green colour. 

I wash the figures, then I undercoat with a matt black spray. That seems to make a big difference when I first started using an undercoat I did white. I Then paint the flesh and slowly do the clothing. I might do 100 phalangists, all flesh first, then the dress, then the helmets, armour and so on normally do spears etc last. 

This photo is my work area. Water bottle top left, old M&M container with pens, scissors, tweezers etc, fly spray for flies, mossies and centipedes! The plastic tray on the foreground are troops that are nearly completed in this case, HaT Persian Takabara, (couple of newline mixed in as well) and some HaT phalangists which are glued onto card. Centre back is some Army Painter which is used towards the end, the stain collects in armpits and other areas to highlight the figure nicely. Right hand side at back is a jar full of OOO brushes which are cheap and take a beating. I have an excellent supplier here in town where I pruchase these. Next to this softdrink, and container of toothpicks, for fine work with paint. 

I use any type of acrylic paint. Here is some cheap brown paint which I used for the cardboard bases of the figures. I apply a liberal amount and then go to the flocking (below) where I add the grass effect.

These four HaT figures are phalangists getting ready for paint on the base and then dipped into my flock container (an old Ice Cream container does well).

Before and after paint now on base into container where they sink or swim for a while, obviously the group of troops are dry apart from base. My daughters when they were 3 and 4 did flocking for me! I came home to a bunch of Aqua and Black archers perfectly flocked. Lock up your stuff.

Above here are some Persian Takabara troops having their bases done, next they will be stuck on cupboard and then back into contained for cardboard base flocking. And here they are below all HaT figures except for one Zvezda. One day I want to give each figure a name.

Here are completed Takabara

I paint outside in a garage, in summer it is very hot so normally do it at night in winter cold so normally during the day. I have a great view and can watch the world go by. Well not really not much is happening outside of my garage except the night the centipede attacked, thats another tale for another day. I listen to the radio and paint nice and relaxing.

The view out my garage door, taken in May about noon or soon after judging by the shadows from the tree! (not tree singular this is a desert after all).

I decided to base all my units on grass even those from desert environments so when on the game map they have same bases.