More Midianite Camel Riders

 

Here are some more Midianite Camel riders in 28mm rather than 15mm this time. They are very detailed resin figures by Blitzkrieg Miniatures. It took a while to get these, about a month before they were posted down under. I think they were a bit swamped by orders at the time. I had a few breakages in the mail, the finer resin parts are fairly brittle. These were a bow, a bow case, the ear of one camel and a few toes on some of camel the riders but I was able to fix these with super glue and/or green stuff. There was a bit of cleaning up to do with the figures, especially around the hair and beard of the riders. The riders and camels are all one piece and I glued their feet directly on to mdf bases with super glue. I already have some other 28mm camel riders by Castaway and Warlord but these are much nicer figures.

First Battle of Mantinea ADLG Game

 

Argives & allies deployed with Spartans &
allies in front of Pelagos wood

View from the Athenian, Argive & Mantinean side

Armies advance

Skiritai & Brasidas’ Veteran Spartan hoplites

Aegis' Spartan hoplites and allied
Arcadian hoplites in the centre

Spartan & Athenian cavalry fight
on the Spartan right flank

Armies close

Last Thursday afternoon Craig, Garry and Rick came over and we played an ADLG game of the First Battle of Mantinea which was fought in 418 BC. Craig and Garry commanded the Argive, Athenian and Mantinean allies and Rick and I commanded the Spartan, Arcadian and Tegean allies. 

Thucydides has a nice description of the armies advancing to battle:

'...the Argives and allies advancing with haste and fury, the Spartans slowly and to the music of many flute players - a standing institution in their army, that has nothing to do with religion but is meant to make them advance evenly, stepping in time, without breaking their order, as large armies are apt to do in the moment of engaging.'

Thucydides, 5.70 Landmark Thucydides, p.343. translated by Richard Crawley, edited by Robert B. Strassler, Free Press, New York, 1996.

In our game, the Spartan and allies were a bit more ragged than that in their advance, but before long most of the left, centre and right flanks of both armies was engaged in combat. The Spartan cavalry broke on the Spartan right flank and the Athenians were able to roll up the flank of the Tegean hoplites. On the Spartan left flank and centre it was hard fought for many turns with the Mantineans and Argives. A few successful rally orders prolonged the combat but in the end the Spartans and allies were demoralised first and broke.

Spartan centre

Spartan right flank

Tegeans charge the Athenians,
Spartan cavalry is about to break

Left, centre and right flanks engaged

Argive hoplites in the centre slog it out
with Spartans & Arcadians

Side view with gaps appearing

Spartan cavalry blocked by skirmishers
and Mantinean hoplites

More Carthaginian Elephants

 

1st Corps Miniatures

Gripping Beast and Wargames Foundry

Here's another post from the archives of various Carthaginian elephants. I think my favourite with howdah and crew is the Gripping Beast model and of the untrained elephants for Zama, the Agema Miniatures model. The 1st Corps ellies are massive by comparison.

Relic Miniatures and Gripping Beast

Agema Miniatures

Spartan and Theban Hoplites

 

Spartan command stands

Victrix Spartan hoplites

Foundry Spartan hoplites

Warlord Spartan hoplites

Here are some Spartan hoplites, command stands, cavalry and Theban hoplites that I painted some time ago. I had photos of these on my old blog Satrap Miniatures but haven't been able to track them down, so I've taken new photos. I still have quite a few Victrix and Foundry figures to paint for both Spartan and Theban armies.

Foundry Spartan cavalry

Victrix Theban hoplites

Greek Peltasts, Psiloi and Slingers

 

Here are a few photos from the archives of Greek peltasts, psiloi and slingers. The peltasts and psiloi are mainly Foundry figures with a few Gorgon Studios' Spartan light infantry. The slingers are all Victrix figures. I've been trying to track down some old photos of my Victrix Spartan and Theban hoplites with out much luck, so may just take new photos of these figures.

Below are a few photos of a fun trip we did this week around Pockets and Oldfields Huts up in the Kosciuszko National Park.

Pockets Saddle Road with Mt Bimberi in the background

Pockets Hut

A little waterfall above the Goodrabigbee River

Fishing on the Goodrabigbee River
near the Leura Gap trail

A copperhead snake
interested in the tarp!

Morning at Pockets Hut

Oldfields Hut

Goodrabigbee River on the Murrays Gap trail

Fishing on the Gurrangorambla Creek

Currango Station

Daisy Cottage, Currango Station

Sheds at Currango Station