Macedonian and Successor Elephants

 

Here are four 15mm Macedonian and Successor Elephants that I've just finished painting. In the photos above of early ellies with pikemen astride, the middle one is Xyston which I just painted, while the other two, by Gladiator Miniatures and Essex Miniatures, were done some time ago. In the photos below the later armoured Seleucid elephant in the middle is by Xyston while the other two are Forged in Battle. To finish there's a shot of my Seleucid Successor infantry and cavalry.

New Kingdom Egyptians

 

Ramses II and an Egyptian Commander

Archers

Archers

Archers

Archers

Archers

Marines

 Mace/Axemen

Spearmen

Here are some old photos from the archives of my New Kingdom Egyptian army. These pics were taken twelve years ago and are a real mix of ranges. I painted all units, they have varied skin tones but some are HCH/Tin Soldier figures. The army has only expanded since then, but of course is still not finished! Ultimately I would like to have four divisions - Amun, Re, Ptah and Set to fight Kadesh and have many more figures, particularly chariots, to paint.

Spearmen

Spearmen

Sherden Guardsmen

Chariot runners

Chariot runners

Egyptian scouts

Medjay Nubian skirmishers

Medjay Nubian skirmishers

Chariots

Antigonus One-Eyed

 

Here's Antigonus One-Eyed trying to rally the troops at the Battle of Ipsus. The Antigonus figure is from the Gripping Beast Polemarch Successors range and the phalangite command are by Warlord Games with a LBM banner.

Plutarch (c.46-c.119 AD) in his life of Demetrius describes Antigonus shortly before his death at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC:

Antigonus was almost eighty years old and by this time it was his corpulence and weight even more than his age which incapacitated him for an active part in military operations. He therefore made more and more use of his son, for Demetrius with the help of experience combined with good luck was now conducting the greatest enterprises with some success, and neither his luxury nor his extravagance nor his drinking habits troubled his father.

Plutarch Demetrius 19, The Age of Alexander, translated by Ian-Scott Kilvert, Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1973, p.350.

Xyston Miniatures make an excellent corpulent Antigonus on a palanquin with bearers in 15mm:

Antigonus on a Pallanquin

Plutarch describes his end at the battle:

Then as great numbers of the enemy bore down Antigonus, one of his attendants cried out, 'They are making for you, sire,' to which the king replied,'Yes, what other object could they have? But Demetrius will come to our rescue.' In this hope he persisted to the last and kept looking on every side, until the enemy overwhelmed him with a cloud of javelins and he fell. The rest of his friends and attendants abandoned him, and only Thorax of Larissa remained by his body.

Plutarch Demetrius 29, The Age of Alexander, translated by Ian-Scott Kilvert, Penguin, Harmondsworth, 1973, p.360.

Carthaginian Command

 

Here's a Carthaginian command stand that I've just finished painting. The Hannibal figure with folded arms is by Xyston and the other command figures are by A&A. The A&A command figure pack includes a Hannibal figure and comes with two identical mounted (see photo below) and foot figures. I have at least five Hannibal figures, one on an elephant (Relic), one mounted with a standard bearer (1st Corps) and these three here!

Cappadocians

 

Here are some 15mm Ariathid Cappadocians that I've just finished painting, the start of another army for MeG. The figures are all by Xyston Miniatures. The back drop photo was taken near the town of Goreme in Cappadocia, on our trip to Turkey in 2011. It's an amazing looking landscape, there are dwellings carved in the rock everywhere there.

Carthaginian Elephant and Libyan Javelinmen

Happy 2020 to everyone!

Here are a Carthaginian elephant and crew by Xyston Miniatures and some Libyan javelinmen by Corvus Belli, that I've just finished painting. These are the start of a Later Carthaginian DBA army.

It has been a grim start to the New Year here with catastrophic bush fires along the coast of NSW and Victoria. There has has been significant loss of life and property and there has been almost constant smoke from the fires here in Canberra over the last four weeks with many roads and areas closed. Here's hoping for better and cooler weather over the summer!

Galatians

Galatian chariots (3 x LCh)

Galatian cavalry (2 x Cav)

Here are some 15mm Celts that I will use as a Galatian DBA army to fight my Early Seleucids. The figures are a mix of Xyston, Essex, Minifigs and Corvus Belli. Some of the shields have LBM and VVV transfers and the rest are hand painted. The stone huts and enclosure are by Blue Moon. Some of the photos I took didn't past muster, there are three warband elements missing, but you can see them in the back rank of the cropped group photo at the bottom.

The back drop photo was taken at Hattusa (modern Bogazkoy), the old Hittite capital, on our visit there in 2011. The Galatians settled in Central Anatolia in the first half of the third century BC, actually at this site. According to Jurgen Seeher in his guidebook, Hattusha Guide: A Day in the Hittite Capital (p.175.):

The site of Tavium near the village Buyuk Nefeskoy some 20km south of Bogazkoy became the seat of the Trokmer clan, who took the land around Hattusha/Bogazkoy under their control. Buyukkale once again became a fortified citadel, and a small village occupied part of what had been the Lower City. The painted pottery characteristic of the Galatians was recovered here, as well as vessels imported from the Hellenistic cities along the west coast.

Galatian warriors (6 x Wb)

Galatian archers and slingers (2 x Psiloi)

Galatian DBA army with options (16 elements)