Thutmose III and more Mitanni

 

Here's Thutmose III in his chariot and two more Mitanni Maryannu that I've just finished painting, all heading to the Battle of Megiddo! The Thutmose III figure is by Cutting Edge/Warlord and the Mitanni Maryannu by Magister Militum. These figures are great value, a pack of five for 27 pounds! There are some comparison shots below with two Foundry Mitanni chariots I painted a few years ago. All of these chariots are great figures but the Foundry chariots are now 22 pounds each...

I've just finished reading Richard Gabriel's military biography of Thutmose III, a fascinating read. The logistics and planning that went in to his campaigns in Syria, particularly crossing the Euphrates, are just staggering. He even found time on the return journey to go elephant hunting in Niya, Syria, like his grandfather Thutmose I, who had also crossed the Euphrates on campaign. Definitely recommended reading if you're interested in New Kingdom Egyptian history.

Mitannian Maryannu 2

 

Here are some 15mm Mitannian Maryannu that I've just finished painting. The figures are by Gladiator Miniatures and Old Glory 15s. The Old Glory 15s two horse chariots don't come with a yoke for the horses so I had to make some out of wire and glue them on. The Gladiator Miniatures crew are a very tight fit in the chariot and I swapped some of the unarmoured horses, for horses with barding when I made the order. These will be opponents for my 15mm Hittites and New Kingdom Egyptians. 

I painted some 28mm Wargames Foundry Mitanni a few years ago, see this post:

https://bucellarii.blogspot.com/2018/07/mitannian-maryannu.html

I do prefer the bigger figures with my worsening eyesight but the price of Foundry chariots are 18 to 22 pounds each now! Fortunately I already have quite a few Foundry and Warlord/Cutting Edge chariots and recently bought some of the excellent Magister Militum Mitanni chariots, great value with a pack of five chariots for about 27 pounds! Eventually I'd like to refight the Battle of Megiddo.

Parthians

Here are some Parthian horse archers, cataphracts and baggage camels with guard. They're a real mix of ranges most of them painted years ago. I've just finished some more horse archers and cataphracts for some solo games I have planned, to bring the units up to strength.

I've been reading Warwick Kinrade's Soldiers of Rome rules which have just been released and I'm keen to try them out in a game. These are similar to his Soldiers of God rules which covers the Crusades. They're card driven for movement and actions but use normal dice for shooting, combat and morale.

They cover from the Gallic Wars through to the Marcomannic Wars with three basic lists - Romans, Barbarians and Parthians. The Barbarians actually include seperate lists for Britons, Gauls, Germans, Dacians and Cantabrians. I want to try a Cantabrian War (29-19 BC) game first with my Spanish and Celtiberians so will see how that goes.

Hittites

Hittite and Allied three crew and two crew chariots

Here are some 15mm Hittites that I'll use for a DBA army amongst other things. The figures are by Essex Miniatures, Magister Militum and Black Hat Miniatures. The back drop photo is of the reconstructed walls at Hattusa, the ancient Hittite capital, (modern Bogazkale, formerly Bogazkoy). I'll post some photos of Hattusa and other Hittite sites soon. I also have a 28mm Hittite army and will post photos of that as well.

Canaanite Javelinmen and Hittite Archers

Hittite Guardsmen and Command

Anatolian Spearmen and Command

Hittite Army arrayed inside the walls of Hatusa