Renaissance Commanders

Renaissance Commanders

Russian Traditional - Ottoman Turk - Free Cossacks

After acquiring some round MDF bases at Triples I have been painting up 'assistants' to bulk out the command bases for my DBA-RRR armies.  As far as I can remember these are all Zvezda figures.

The Cossack flag-bearer is a conversion - the flag and right arm come from a mounted Cossack.

Next to come off the production line are Swedish & French Thirty Years War commanders.

A Dour Affair

A Dour Affair

This Monday's scrap was a bit of a non-event.  Ayyubid Egyptian v Late Crusader (DBM) was never going to be that stirring.

Skillful use of CvS and LhS by my subordinate bottled up 2/3 of the enemy troops.  I attacked down the right wing slaughtering Sp(I).  Unfortunately it wasn't enough to break the command - I needed 2 more elements and couldn't reach them.  Still it did mean that a block of Knights now couldn't risk a fight.

Not surprisingly a 5:5 draw.


On another note I recently ordered 3 boxes of plastics from www.modelhobbies.co.uk
                                     Caesar H028 Aztec Warriors
                                     Caesar H025 Conquistadores
                                     Mars 72041 Imperial Heavy Cavalry (Thirty Years War)

I'm now trying to work out what I can field for "DBA in the New World" or DBA-RRR..  Hopefully the Conquistadores can be added to some Revell figures to make up either a Spanish or Portuguese Colonial army.  The Aztec figures will supply native allies.

Still need some more Maya and Inca figures so its either a 60 mile round trip to Halifax or flexing the plastic.  Weighing up the cost of petrol versus postage I think I will rely on model hobbies' good service again.

 

Tamil Indian

Tamil Indian v Early Imperial Roman

Another Monday night DBM scrap - somehow the Romans found themselves in India (no compasses maybe!).  We went down 4:6 to the invaders.  They managed to break one of our small commands before time was called.  The Romans were one point off loosing two commands (half a point each - then the army break point would have been reached).

Of small note - the enemy cataphracts (Kn(X)) actually managed to catch an isolated Wb(F) and kill him.  Still an awful lot of points [(5 x 11) + (1 x 21)] to achieve very little.  Should we all be calling for a reduction in cost of this troop type?

Again my major contribution was to throw a number of ones during vital melees.  6 elements lost in one round but still the command was hanging on.

My movement dice throws have definitely improved. However this has not been enough to get me out of the 'handicap section' of our club.  Should somebody be getting too cocky, with too many wins, either Tim or myself  are allocated to them as 'assistants'.

Isn't it  good to be valued!

Back From Triples

Back from Triples

I wonder how many other bloggers have used this title today?

It was a brilliantly sunny day so I headed for the inside of a hanger deck!  Or at least that's what the venue feels like - well not as echoing perhaps.  Still there were plenty of traders but I didn't spend too much:

24 - BAB15 Hillmen (Magister Militum) - destined for my Lydian army
2 - PIG 1 Flaming Pigs & Handlers (Bauda - carried by MM) - wanted these ever since I saw them on the
     Bauda website)
2 - packs round MDF bases (Bring & Buy) - for Renaissance & Colonial generals
1 - 360 "The Thracians" 700 bc - ad 46 (Osprey) - for research purposes

Not exactly a big haul.

Talked to a few traders including a chap who used to run Asgard Miniatures in Nottingham.  He started the shop, near the canal, in the late 70s.  I must have visited it (from nearby Derby) in 82 or 83.  He was a young man then - and so was I.

Looked in on the competitions - mainly FOG but two tables were using Impetus.  They were quite keen on talking to observers and trying to recruit them.  As I really don't like FOG or DBMM (and have recently gone off Armati) I am looking for another system.

Trouble is Impetus is yet another set of rules that 'hooks' its customers with a reasonably priced base set then piles on the agony.  So far 5  "Impetus Extra" magazines have been issued - at around £17 each.  Yes they are full of useful stuff like army lists, errata and even some scenarios but also padded out with peripheral colour photographs.  I might play a few (free) 'Basic Impetus' games just to see if I like the flavour .... and wait for Impetus v2 to come out.

Last of the Hellenistics

Last of the Hellenistics

For the time being anyway!  Still have a number of early Thracians to be done plus a few oddments.  Need to read through the Osprey book before putting paint to metal.  Finished 4 x Spartiate hoplites (Asgard) plus:

7 x Tarantine Lh(O) - (6 Minifigs, 1 unknown)

4 x Seleucid Companion Cavalry (Tin Soldier)

Now on to the mass of Zulus.....and maybe a few other colonials just for variety.

Back to Colonials

Back to Colonials

With only 4 elements of hoplites to finish the Zulus have come back onto the painting board.  There are a lot of them to do...........and they are so boring!  I wonder why I stopped before.  Oh Well!

Not content with that much self-flagellation I purchased 2 new boxes at the Halifax shop:

HaT 8299 - Zulu War command - horrible red coloured plastic, have to be very careful when cutting figures  off the sprue as it's not clear what is wanted and what's not.

Strelets M051 - Highlanders 1898-1902 - a really tough sprue to carve your way through, figures seem a bit squashed or crouched.  Not certain how many Scots regiments fought in kilts at this time, nor the conflicts of such a short time-period.  Needs some research methinks!

Stuck in a Rut

Stuck in a Rut

Seems I can't stop painting Hellenistics / Greeks.

14 - 'Old' Hoplites - Tin Soldier (left), Minifigs (right)

11 - 'New Hoplites - Asgard

I have deliberately left the shields blank.  Unfortunately this means a large order for Veni, Vidi Vici transfers to cover all my hoplites and pikemen.  

Still on my board are 4 x Spartan hoplites, 6 x Tarantines and 4 x Seleucid Companions.  I will get back to those zulus......I hope!