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Post by carll on Aug 13, 2024 22:50:43 GMT
Well I recently refought the battle of Daras, AD531, three times using my 25mm figures, to try out some non DBA rules (called 'To the Strongest') which have missile fire as separate activity to melee combat. They were fun games. And all that Byzantine and Sassanid cavalry with bow and lance reminded me of an early ancients tabletop experience (circa 1971 at Norman Hunter’s shed! RIP Norman) commanding a couple of Roman cohorts on the exposed wing of the Roman army, (the cavalry and missile armed auxiliaries being on the other wing), as my 24 figure cohorts, got shot at by horse archers, whom I could neither catch nor pin to a tabletop edge! It was an early gaming experience of WRG Ancients (what became known as the first edition) and my troops were Airfix, and my opponent Garrison miniatures.
Well this later (a lot later) inspired me to make a second-hand purchase at a show’s ‘bring and buy’ of somebody’s unfinished Hinchliffe 25mm Hunnic army; it was mainly LC archers or javelinmen, with a small number of HC.. (I think the range when it came out was the first Hun range post the Phil Barker AEIR book by WRG with about 7 figures.) My thought was I could make a BIG DBA rules army from this lot (and a little later thought it would make a fine Armati rules army too). But two decades on it was still not started. But this has now changed. I now have enough figures repaired, de-flashed, re-armed (old wire javelins have gone!) and ready to prime for 4 HC and 40 LC DBA elements, or 2 HC units and 20 LC units for Armati or ‘To the Strongest’ (TtS) rules!!
And rashly in recent years (and months) I added Hinchliffe 25mm dismounted archers and javelinmen from another second-hand purchase, and more recently old Dixon 25mm 'one piece' Asiatic LC horse archers. The foot will have to wait for me to get the Armati bug again, but the 16 additional Asiatic LC figures will serve as subject or allied LC; they are nearly ready to prime too, just got to finish the de-flashing of the last 8 figures. There are more Hinchliffe riders who are horseless so they will wait too. Along the way I have made four standards, but more of them when they get painted, using a horse, ibex, and tiger ‘lucky charms’ in draco style, and the fourth being a conversion of a Mongol nine tails standard with suitable (resin mini) skull.
So hopefully it will get primed then painted soon as all bar those last 16 one piece castings are now mounted on painting sticks, 2 cavalry per stick.
CarlL not yet Attila or his brethren
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Post by carll on Aug 14, 2024 17:57:06 GMT
I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and lunch on this sunny if breezy day ‘up norff’ and before dinner I managed to prime the Hun figures for 4 HC and 40 LC DBA elements, with brush, and then spray primed one ‘side’ of the 16 one-piece horse archers, which I didn’t have suitable painting sticks for brush priming. I do my spraying outdoors and it proved too much of a breeze for most of the day to spray prime successfully so I have these to finish that priming another day. So pretty 'chuffed' with my progress! CarlL
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Post by carll on Aug 15, 2024 19:13:16 GMT
This morning I dry brushed my black primed LC Huns, using a grey-white paint, . This brings out the detail and provides some shadows when painted fully. I did it slightly differently for the HC as I dry brushed the metallic helmets and mail body armour as my main focus then carefully dry brushed other parts of the mounted HC (with the ‘storm-cloud’ paint) to bring out detail and create shadows on horses and cloaks. This afternoon I was able to ‘block’ paint (ie put in the base colour not applying any wash or highlights) all the LC riders’ tunics, trousers, and headgear, using a limited set of colours for each task: about six different colours for tunics, similarly a slightly different set of six for trousers, then mix of six bright or dark colours for the felt / wool cap inner ‘cone’. I even managed to block paint about a sixth of the LC horses with light (slightly orange-yellow) brown paint (a Colour Party acrylic from their horse range, slightly watered down but not runny like a wash). Most of my paints are craft paints but I did use two ‘Warhammer’ ‘base’ colours, (two different browns) and a metallic that’s a mix but part Warhammer and part craft paint! (It is a pot that has evolved!) So an enjoyable and successful day at my painting table (while making time to take out my beloved for brunch!) A few photos of the earlier dry-brushed work, the metallic dry brush looks a bit over-done but hopefully it will look better when the painting of the HC progresses!! CarlL
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Post by carll on Aug 15, 2024 19:24:12 GMT
Apologies but my post above keeps distorting despite my repeated attempts to correct it: it omits details about the grey-white paint source and then changes later text to red when it should be black. Never had this problem before so perhaps my laptop or the image provider source has a gliche? CarlL
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Post by paulisper on Aug 15, 2024 19:42:49 GMT
Work has now started on the last army in my lead pile - the IV/6 Syrian. This is the third of three armies formed from the wonderful collection of second hand Legio Heroica figures I got hold of last year. First elements can be seen here: www.facebook.com/share/p/M3QT8z6mRWtmPZUw/?P
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Post by macbeth on Aug 17, 2024 11:21:59 GMT
A big couple of days at the painting desk (although today I was drawn away until the natural light was as good as gone).
I finished 2x3Ax, 1xPs for the Early Libyan 2x3Ax for the Sea Peoples - making this army now Battle Ready - ie I can now field my preferred 12 Elements. 1xHCh, 1xSp for the Kyrenean Greeks - which completes this army (No. 187 in my stable)
and for variation
6 Khurasan SciFi figures - Lhurrgs - that I plan to use in Mars Code Aurora or Stargrave
Cheers
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Post by claudermilk on Aug 17, 2024 14:35:14 GMT
Well, the images and some text cam through, Carl. Looks good--that's my first step in painting my miniatures. The difference from there is I splash out for the Army Painter Speed Paints which IMHO is worth it--the results look great.
My core army pack for II/56 Earl Imperial Romans arrived unexpectedly, so I can get a start on that--after next week (off camping with the family). There are a couple of figures AWOL, and the gladiators are running late but I'm sure that will be resolved with no trouble.
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Post by carll on Aug 18, 2024 19:23:45 GMT
My BIG DBA (plus) Hunnic army progress has slowed. But today I completed the horse base colours for my 40 LC (DBA) elements, and the horses and riders for my 4 HC (DBA) elements, so just finer details and any highlighting to do, (before basing)!! CarlL
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Post by Haardrada on Aug 18, 2024 23:18:20 GMT
My BIG DBA (plus) Hunnic army progress has slowed. But today I completed the horse base colours for my 40 LC (DBA) elements, and the horses and riders for my 4 HC (DBA) elements, so just finer details and any highlighting to do, (before basing)!! CarlL You'll get there Carll, I'm in the same boat so to speak as Grandchildren on summer holiday and tiling a bathroom are slowing my progress with my Sea People.🙂
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Post by macbeth on Aug 18, 2024 23:55:42 GMT
I snuck in a few more hours on Sunday and finished off 2xSp for the Lusignan Cypriot 1xLCh for the Early Libyan
Cheers
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Post by Haardrada on Aug 21, 2024 11:52:24 GMT
The final batch of Sea Peoples are painted and ready for the bases to be finished....job just about done.🙂
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Post by carll on Aug 22, 2024 21:17:25 GMT
My 25mm Huns are progressing! Finished 12 HC riders and horses and 36 LC riders and horses, so 4 DBA Cv elements and 18 LH elements; got details to complete on another 15 LH elements for my BIG DBA army; but in process of blocking in main colours, I added in another 7 LH elements (so large part of another generic DBA army (of 1 Cv and 11 LH elements); idea being the extra numbers would work for other rules like DBMM, or Armati, or To The Strongest (TtS); or a bigger BIG DBA army!! I have figures in other 25mm armies that would work for Goths and Vandals or Germanic (in what Rome saw as Germanic / Germania) for other DBA types for likes of Attila's armies in Western Europe. Hoping to complete before end of August!! CarlL
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Post by jim1973 on Aug 23, 2024 12:19:24 GMT
Alarm through the Hittite Empire. The Gasgans are finished! Pictures to follow.
Jim
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Post by carll on Aug 24, 2024 18:01:41 GMT
Today, Hooray, I finished painting and stuck to bases 4 Cavalry elements (12 figures) and 33 Light Horse elements (66 figures) to give me my basic BIG DBA Hunnic army, and I have painted a LH General element and stuck to bases. I have also finished painting another 12 x 25mm figures of Hunnic javelin armed Light Horse, to mix with another make, (Dixons I believe) of old 25mm Asiatic horse archer to give me a fourth DBA army and options for other rules (like DBMM, Armati, To The Strongest) where allies or subject LH are present. I have 16 of the old style Dixon’s one piece horse archer primed and on painting sticks.
My next problem is to decide on a basing ‘terrain’ scheme. I am favouring a ‘green’ grassy plains look like the modern Mongol nomad homeland. Anyone got any suggestions or photos of their own Hunnic or Asiatic horse army basing to inspire me?
I am going to try and avoid using a gravel like basing texture as my start point and I am trying to think out how to achieve a carpet of varying colour grass!? I do use static grass but not any fancy means to stand it on end other than gravity and a tap on the upside down base after applying static grass to PVA. I may use some big tufts first then static grass but I am stuck for a foundation to hide thick bases of horses. All ideas welcomed.
CarlL
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Post by Haardrada on Aug 24, 2024 22:48:49 GMT
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