Gladiators we salute you Dust and Shadows part 6

 Gladiators we salute you Part 6!

Another 3 gladiators completed all black tree again, with a few shield swaps to suit the personality. and now a few animals plus my chariots and my collection will be ready for the arena! I have enjoyed painting these, especially the atlantean. 

The Arena build is still coming along with a few changes from my original idea. When I return from Holidays in Australia in Feburary I will crack on!

looks like the emperor! 

looks like Minimus rather than Maximus!

Atlantean is ready!

cheers

Matt

Gladiators Dust and Shadows part 5

 Dust and Shadows part 5

Another 3 completed, really happy with these chaps , again Black Tree Design miniatures. I hopefully will get close to completing the amphitheatre this weekend!

Gladiator Numidian 

Galdiator

Gladiator

 Cheers

Matt

Gladiators Dust and Shadows part 4

 Dust and Shadows part 4

Another 3 completed gladiators done for the collection, again Black tree design figures. Really happy how it is progressing, still have 16 to complete plus the spectators. I think I will complete the four on the table then switch to some other historical as I need a change. 

Galdiator, dust and shadows

cheers

Matt 

Gladiators Dust and Shadows Terrain Tuesday Arena build part two

 Gladiator Arena 

Terrain Tuesday 

Commenced work on my Gladiator arena tonight, as part of terran Tuesday builds. First I cut out a 600x 600 plywood tile, cut my supporting sides sides, then glued and stapled into place. 

My standard terrain boards are 600 x 600

I then worked out my arena size so I could duplicate it at the other end, plus a central piece can be added for chariot racing, and that way it will fit on my table neatly at one end for chariot games. 

Ruler as compass

I then drilled points into a plastic ruler, one end in screwed into a central point and the other points are worked out to make the circles which increase at 2cm steps . 

The Arena Base 40 x 45 oblong

Lower arena, sand will be used to level out the ground 

Upper arean piece, this will form the walls

I moved the edge in so I could add shops against the wall

The stairs and seating is laid out

Glueing and setting overnight on the first two levels 

I plan to add cardboard to the interior walls and steps , then the exterior walls, place rendered  decoration and possibly graffiti and some market stalls. Until next week!

cheers

Matt

Gladiators Dust and shadows part 3

 We are but dust and shadows

Another 3 completed, again from the Black tree design range of Gladiators, again no names as yet. I have found some suitable styrene  and card to make the steps and walls. Not decided if I will paint the exterior walls yet or add some mosaics or graffiti. 

Black Tree design Gladiators

cheers

Matt

Gladiators Dust and Shadows Part two

 Dust and Shadows part two

As discussed I have been painting more gladiators for my collection here are the first three, no names yet though! 

The miniatures are from the Black Tree range of Gladiators, a little fantasy is explored, they are still available I believe. 

Gladiators we salute you

cheers

matt

Terrain Tuesday Gallic Village and buildings Part 1

Gallic buildings

My next terrain project is to get back to building some ancient terrain, first thing to complete is some Gallic buildings that can be stand alone or part of my hill fort build.


Inspiration will be taken from our local museum and the archeological report from Moulay Gallic fortress, the oppidum / hill fort is about 5klm from our house.


When wargamers build typical Gallic building they predominantly build round ones, looking at the archeological report on the 60HA site at Moulay only 10% were round and mostly animal shelters, workshops or storage. The majority are rectangular and some are quite big and include a theatre /council amphitheatre in Greek style, and a shrine.

I plan to build a number of buildings for residential, central buildings theatre and shrine and maybe a workshops area and some farms on the exterior of the Gallic Oppidum fortress. 

typical Gallic buildings

artist impression of the workshops

Gaulois building typical at Moulay 53BC

Gaulois building typical at Moulay 53BC

Theatre

one of the buildings was a theatre or perhaps a parliament council, or sale yard, I want to add this model to my village.

Gallic Farms

Gallic Farm steas with it own boundary ditch and walls, these are all along the roads leading into the village along the route of the modern motorway

Gallic farm model

Gallic Head Hunter Shrine

Moualy does have a shrine but no evidence of a head hunter shrine as the current church is built over the site, the Diablintes and Cenomani may of taken heads so I will add one I think.

Gallic head hunter shrine near Tours

Stone pillars the heads were placed in the hollowed out pieces

Excited to get cracking on these!

cheers

Matt

Caesarian Roman Project Part 1 fort

Caesarian Roman Project 

Part 1 Fort/Encampment

One of my major projects this year is a Caesarian Roman army to match my Gaulois project from last year. My plans are to build 28mm Caesarian Romans additions to my current republicans, I want to do another legion.....either the 6th or 13th, I have purchased most of the figures but need a box or Warlord figures and some artillery additions.

When you play impetus you normally need a camp for your table that the enemy can assault and take, I like to build pieces for all of my armies normally with a small scene that tells a story. With that in mind I purchased some figures and the wall pieces from First Corps Miniatures to make this encampment, with legionaries replacing a wall section and digging the trench deeper as a new centurion has arrived "and we must keep them men busy".

Roman Marching Fort

Roman Fort, the walls are interlaced wood filled with earth

The Roman ditch workers, accessories scratch built

Roman soldiers digging

I do plan on adding the 6 remaining walls and four corner towers and two gates at some stage in the future to make a complete square marching camp for my Punic wars and Gallic Wars roman armies collection. 

We have the remainders of three marching camps from the Gallic wars and Caesar's conquest of western Gaul within 40 mins of the Maison. Two in particular are impressive and were used by successive armies up to the early medieval period. One was located in 2010, the clearing of a forest found the remains of the walls and ditches, they suspect this was the fort that was sieged during Caesar's invasion of the west...... A guided tour is available to visit these forts, the Roman Museum and also wargame the Gallic wars at L'hotel de Hercé in our "Salon de Guerre". 

Full details are here

"walk the battlefield in the morning and wargame in the afternoon"

cheers

Matt

Republican Roman command II

 

 Republican Roman Command

Earlier last week I was getting a little jack of Medievals, tree renovation and Napoleonics, so I switched and opened up my project drawers and looked at my early republicans and decided to complete some more of my commands as I like to have spares in case of civil war etc for my early republican four urban legions. All figures are First corps figures except the dog who is warlord I think, decals VVV on the Roman shields, Impetus markers are Gallic pieces hand painted.

First up is a mounted Equites with his faithful dog, as a commander of my foreign and mercenary cavalry

A Simple legion commander base 

A foreign legion commander

Impetus disorder markers (as I like to do some every time I paint Ancient figures......)

and a supply train, more medieval than roman, a mix of brands and scratch built pack saddles

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt

Aulerci Cénomani V Gaulois tribesmen

 Aulerci Cénomani V Gaulois tribesmen

More tribesmen, again I have tried to make them look a little different from their neighbouring tribe of the Diablintes. With this unit I am just short by two miniatures of the 300 figure mark for Aulerci federation army. Still need to add the remaining 80 odd figures to finish it off. Again all Victrix figures, I also started painting up a Warlord general who will be off the desk this week also. Thinking about getting some chariots for the northern part of the Federation for the Aulerci Éburovices (modern Normandy). I think the Nobles rode chariots into battle as a taxi rather than some wild charging beast that we all think of as wargamers. 

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two

cheers

Matt

Republican Roman Command

I like to paint commands first when I start a new army, so I have some 28mm First Corps Republican Roman command to go with the upcoming Wargames Factory Caesarian Romans. A little small to match but ok until I pick up some Foundry or Warlord figures. One consul with lictor and standard and one foot tribune with standard.

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two

Cheers

Matt 

Aulerci Cénomani I

 Aulerci Cénomani (Auerques Cénomans)

The next Gallic tribe I am beginning is the Aulerci Cénomani, the largest of the Aulerque tribal confederation, the Oppidum and the capital of the Aulerci federation was known as Vindinon, or Vindunum as mentioned by Ptolemy, today we know it today Le Mans. 

Vindunum is a Gallic word 'Vindo" white and dunum citadel fortified mount, or the White Citadel, it is thought from the latest archeology that the site may of been in the location of the current cathedral and Plantagenet city, south of the current city is Allones which had a sanctuary sites to the Gallic god March Mullo.

I plan to paint 80 miniatures for the tribe and will make them a little different. Miniatures as usual are from the Victrix plastics range

cheers

Matt

Sarmation Cataphracts

Sarmation Cataphractarii

One of my goals during lockdown is to complete my project drawers are part started figures in between painting my main projects, this last few weeks I have really put a dent in it emptying a drawer almost completely in preparation for my workspace rebuild and also start preparing to refill for next years upcoming projects.


I do plan to add at some stage some more Sarmations and build some German tribes to fight my middle imperial Romans, but for now these figures will join my Imperial Roman army.


The figures are from the warlord range, a bit of a pain as they are two part figures, but after pinning and adding green stuff I am quite happy with the results.

 cheers

Matt