Tuesday 26 January 2010

Finally, the weather has broken















Sun came out today so I dashed into the grounds for some picture taking. Here are the results.

The command element for the levy infantry; the second unit of light cavalry and the first unit of Byz cavalry. (See what I mean about the colour combo?)

Hope you like 'em.

Mick   

PS If you are into the number crunching aspect of wargaming, since early October last year when I bought this lot, the running total of painted figures now stands at 31 infantry and 46 cavalry  -1 infantry and four cavalry units. Yeah, yeah, I know it's not exactly speed painting but so what, I'm doing it for my own enjoyment and there isn't really any rush on; not yet anyway. I set myself a target of next October to 'finish' both armies and it still looks good...even including the Hunnic Mongols.

PPS The 'rocks' I use on my bases were appropriated from a garden up the road. It's the ornamental bits of slate that people use because they are too posh to use wood chippings like me. All I do is give them a couple of increasing lighter grey dry-brushes and then a thin wash of Vallejo Smoke just to take the starkness off of the grey.

PPPS The first 7 Hunnic Mongols are nearly done. Obviously no pics of them yet because I have to paint another 56 of them first!

Thursday 21 January 2010

Diversification (already)

In the last post I just happened to mention that the next unit for the Byz army was going to be some Mongols disguised as Huns.

Now, in 15mm I have the equivalent of 4 x 15 Mongol heavy cavalry, 7 x 9 light cavalry and 1.5 infantry archer units. All have been de-based, stripped of old paint -I wasn't overly happy with the paint scheme anyway- and are ready for re-painting. There are at least 4 different manufacturers represented -Irregular, Museum, Mikes Models (pre Essex) and another couple who I can't remember the names of. But...the problem is that I have decided on a different painting approach to these; for unit variety, by painting one figure from each of the 7 light cavalry units the same, each unit will all be different. The downside to this is that I can't base them until all 63 are painted. So, at any given time on the painting table there will be  a unit of either Sass or Byz plus 7 Mongols. Of course, after that there is the heavy cavalry and the keshig  -that reminds me, I haven't got them yet.

Piece of P*ss, course it is. 

Still no piccys, weather has been sh*te. Had a nice sunny day on Monday but had to work so that killed that. No peace for the wicked. Been overcast in the Midlands ever since, clouds look like they are full of snow but luckily, they've hung on to it...so far. (And they can keep it as far as I'm concerned.)


Keep em clean 


Mick

Friday 15 January 2010

Swinea*sing Weather

Can't believe the wossnaming white stuff everywhere...pretty at first but annoying now. Had enough, want it to go away. Looks good on postcards...of Canada or the Alps or somewhere else but not here where I am! 

Kills photography stone dead. I've no doubt that somewhere within both the Sassanid and Byzantine Empires there must have been snow, but I bet no-one tried to take any photos at the time. I feel their pain.

All I can do is give you a quick verbal update.

The first unit of Maurikian Byzantine  Kavallarioi Lancers and archers (Irregular) are done in a nice red, green and orange combo -works, trust me, wait till you see the pics. I know that according to the Ancients Bible -Arms and Enemas of Imperial Mints and Rome- Byz cavalry had a single uniform colour but hey ho, the reissue of shields got mixed up with another unit, didnt it? Logistics eh, who'd have em?

Second unit of Sassanid light cavalry (Irregular) -8 cav and 2 infantry skirmishers (Lancs Games) is nigh on completely painted.

Next I think I will do some Huns for the Byzantines. (In actual fact they are going to be the start of my resurrected 15mm Mongol Army which has all been stripped and ready to rock & roll.)