I have been on holiday for three months in Australia, the weather was fabulous and it was great to catch up with friends. I had great intentions of painting some figures whilst I was there, however I really did not devote any time really in between family commitments. This is one of the few I actually had time to complete.
King Shapur II, possibly the greatest and longest serving king of the Sassanid empire and a pain in the side to Rome and her allies in the east. The miniature is from the aventine range along with the two retainers and standard, the horse however id from the A&A range and fits in nicely. This vignette almost completes my Sassanid army for Impetus, I would like to buy some more foot, heavy infantry and archers and I will be done.
As I have decided to add more Napoleonics to my collection this year, one of the armies you may of noticed last year was my Grand Duchy of Baden. The miniatures I will be using for the army are from the Murawski miniatures range.
A ideal army for wargaming at 1/20, as it is a nice small Division sized army with supporting cavalry, artillery and light infantry. As with most of my armies I like to research and pick a year or battle to focus on. As 1809 is a great campaign period for Baden I will build the army for this period so they can fight against my Austrians.
I will also plan to add a train, Gendarmes and possibly some militia types too which will require some green stuff to complete!
My plan is to build this year
General staff (mostly completed in 2021)
Baden garde du corps 4 figs
Guard Infantry
3 Line Infantry regiments
1 Jager battalion
Garde du Corps
Dragoon Regiment (completed 2021)
Hussar Regiment (using plastic Perry hussars)
1 foot Artillery battery (completed 2021)
1 horse artillery battery
Train
Gendarmes (completed in 2021)
Militia Infantry and artillery. (possible Jager company, artillery company and veteran battalion inclusion)
Historical Organisation 1809-10 Baden elevated to an electorate in 1803, then a Grand Duchy in 1806, with the population with the additional lands acquired reaching one million people by 1810. The extra territory allowed the state to raise 10,000 men for the army of Baden. It served in the Grande Armee in the 1805, 1806, 1807 1809, 1812 and 1813 campaigns.
Ministers of War 7 March 1808 to 17 September 1808 Karl von Geusau 1808–1814 Karl Friedrich von Fischer 16 August 1814 to 4 Dezember 1833 Konrad von Schäffer
Music
Some regimental music I have found
Parademarsch der königlich Bayrischen Grenadier Garde
March of the Swabian County Regiment, Durlach-Baden (c. 1700, oíd version)
Thought to be designed by the chinese and moved west by the 6th century the Mangonel was used widely as a siege engine across europe and asia. The engine was simple to build leverage system and used pulleys and ropes to launch the rocks or rock at the enemy walls, some drawings exist of a torsion type rope system with a pin which would create more energy to release stones further. The Mangonel was replaced by the trebuchet by the middle of the 13th century when stone tower and wall fortifications became the norm for fortifications in the middle east and europe.
I am not certain where the Mangonel comes from but the crew are Mirliton 13th century figures with with new arms. I am intending adding twisted wire or cord at some stage when I get back into 13th century medieval later in the year.
I have painted the plastic Victrix gaul to represent the Gallic Chieftain Virdovix, he lead the Uenelli, Aulerci and Lexovii federated tribes (all local western tribes in cotentin peninsula and Normandy) in rebellion against the Romans incursions in 57BC and 56BC.
Three Roman legions lead by Quintus Titurius Sabinus campaigned in the peninsula in 56BC to put down the local uprisings by the Uenelli, Lexovii and Aulerci Federations after they had removed their tribal senators and rebelled against Caesars treaty. Sabinus then built a 3 legion encampment at Petit-Celland (close to modern Avranches) to control the area overlooking the Vire valley.
Virdovix, wth his federated army besieges the Romans but Sabinus refuses to be drawn to battle, the gauls daily taunting his cowardice for several days trying to draw him out to fight them.
Sabinus deceives the gauls that he was departing the encampment by sending a gallic auxiliary deserter to convince theVirdovix that the majority of the Roman army was in fear, had low morale were lacking in food and were deserting. Sabinus was withdrawing the following morning early to join Caesar in the south who was fighting the Veneti ( Nantes). Sabinus however places one legion at each gate in along with auxiliary cavalry.
The following morning the Roman commence the apparent departure and the gallic assault commences, Sabinus coordinates the two other legions departing from the encampments other gates to assault the flanks and the rear of the gallic attackers by the auxiliary cavalry. Many of the Gauls were killed pressed between the fortifications and the Roman legions on each flank. The Auxiliary cavalry follow up the fleeing gauls turning it into a slaughter, Virdovix is killed in the fighting at the battle of Vernix and the tribes sue for peace.
The Scimitar, also known as the Sith Infiltrator, was a heavily modified Star Courier and the personal starship of Darth Maul. Along with its deadly armament, the Scimitar was equipped with a cloaking device, powered by rare stygium crystals from the planet Aeten II, that allowed it to disappear from view and any pursuing ship's sensors. Owing to the craft's experimental ion engines, which were of questionable design radiator fins on the ship's wings were required to be open during flight in order to expel excess heat.
The kit is Revell 1/285th scale so it fits two other models they make, I will use it for my own Galactic space rules I use. It was simple build, a quick airbrush and paintbrush job with a oil filter.
