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

Prussian Reserve Regiment 12, 1st Battalion

1st Battalion 12th Prussian Reserve Regiment 

I finally sat down and based these also this week. I plan to build the first and second battalions with a mix of Wargames Atlantic figures with Perry plastic  commands and the third fusilier battalion with Perry metals and plastics. This is the 1st battalion of the 12th Regiment in 1813, I did think about adding a flag but I decided to follow historic procedure and not give them one.

cheers

Matt

Gladiators Dust and Shadows Part one

We are but Dust & Shadows

Terrain Tuesday Gladiator Arena thoughts

Model at the Museum of Jublains

While I was suffering painters block a few weeks back I turned to movies, books and local adventures to put me back on course. All of the options however added some more kit to my painting and construction tables, and some ideas were moved to the front rather than at the back, moj is back happy to say and going through a purple patch now!

On one of the tours we visited our local Amphitheatre at Jublains, the former Roman capital of the Diablintes tribe about 10 klms away from the Maison. This gave me inspiration for two things. One was the Gallic farm buildings (see previous post) and the other was gladiators.

I am yet to build the amphitheatre, however I want it to be around two x two foot tile, oval which will look a little different, with a removable rear wall so I can remove it then also add a straight section and second corner for chariot racing on the big table.

The arena tile will then also fit on my chess table for extra transportable use around the house.
I have six gladiators already completed for around 10 years or so, but also had a lot unpainted gladiators, animals and chariots, so this week I added another 20 odd to the table front and centre, and most will be off the table this week over the coming days while the blood is up!


I am yet to find a suitable set of rules which would be good for French Wargame Holiday evening games, looking at Steve Barbers gladiators set and possibly the old board game set, any other suggestions ?



Jublains Amphitheatre 1st Century AD

Artists Impression of Jublains Arena I will build something like this with removable wall

Cheers
Matt

Prussian Reserve Regt 12 2nd Battalion

 2nd Battalion 12th Prussian Reserve Regiment 

These guys have been breaking my back for about six weeks and I finally sat down and based them this week. I plan to build the first and second battalions with a mix of Wargames Atlantic figures with Perry plastic  commands and the third fusilier battalion with Perry metals. First off the table is the second battalion of the 12th Regiment in 1813. 

Cheers

Matt

Colonel Ythier-Sylvain Prive, 2nd French Dragoons

 Colonel Prive 2nd Dragoons 

As always when I commence a new dragoon regiment I paint the colonel first, however this chap had to wait for a new Mount to join his regiment.  

I have painted him on a rare coloured horse called in French “isabelle” bay, the Americans and Australian a Buckskin. Not a very common colour, in Europe,  a specialty however of the Swedish kings and the Prince Conde de Bourbon in the 17th and 18th century. 

The miniature is a Elite figure which makes up 80 odd percent of my French Napoleonic collection. Hope to crack on and have this unit completed before December. 

Cheers

Matt  

Oh la Vache (holy cow!)

 Oh cow! 

One of my more favorite local French curses! After almost three weeks of low motivation I am back at it, completed a lot of all jobs and two large projects over the last two days.

First up cows, I know however I do use them in a few games and I now have a modest herd of 12 beasts, which will serve well my purposes plus can be used as table clutter for bigger games. Miniatures are from First Corps range but I cut off the neck hump which is more of a southern thing on cattle. 

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

Captain Tom

 Captain Tom

Completed the warlord captain Tom NHS figure for my mate Mike. A nice figure to a great man.

Cheers 

Matt

ZULU DAWN!

 Zulu!

As I have started to plan projects for next year to add to the build project list I am thinking of revisiting some colonial gaming, which I have not done for 7 years at least. With that in mind I dug into my drawers of unpainted kit and come up with two pieces that would be fine little dioramas for my new display case in the "Salon de Guerre!" and give me a taste of future thinking and a taste of things to come. I enjoyed the flesh tones on the Zulu figure and with a bit more work I feel I would get it very close.

Salute Zulu diorama

Empress Miniatures

cheers

Matt

Soviet Motostrelki Motorised Infantry part 2

 

 Soviet Motostrelki 

Finally after finishing some more house renovations I have managed to sit down and complete some miniatures. last week I completed another soviet motorised battalion for my cold war collection. The figures 20mm from the Elhiem Miniatures range, I plan to paint another three battalions to complete my Armoured Division collection. Taking a break from camo this week as I get back to completing Prussian and Baden Napoleonic Infantry, plus a few medievals.

My cold war collection is growing rapidly and may soon surpass my ww2 collection for "completed kits" and figures. I am planning a big Able Archer game, multi divisional gaming weekend in Autumn 2022 for four to six players hopefully in the apartments with a 26-30m table, over a full weekend of modern wargaming. I will release the details in November for the event and our 2022 calendar. 

Soviet Motostrelki Command

Soviet Motostrelki Elhiem miniatures

Soviet Motostrelki

Soviet Motostrelki

Soviet Motostrelki

Soviet Motostrelki

I need to add Anti Air, 81mm and 120mm Mortar and HMG coys 

cheers

Matt

Aragonese Mercenary Crossbow Guerre-Folle

Aragonese Arbalète - Crossbow

 At the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier, Aragonese contingents were sent by Ferdinand of Aragon to support the Breton Cause. The documents have 1000 mercenary Aragonese landing at Quimper to join the Breton Army under two captains, Pere de Queralt commanding a unit of Arbalète and Gimenez  Soler (a Aragon Jewish captain who had fought with Edward Woodville) a unit of spear men. The crossbow unit are complete and the spear unit not far behind. I have used the red cross on a green field the field sign of the Aragon contingents at the siege of Montpellier in 1479.

Again Perry miniatures based for impetus

Aragonese Arbalete -Crossbowmen

Cheers

Matt

Terrain Tuesday Tree Renovations - Part 11 Bigger is Better

Bigger is Better when it comes to Trees

As my collection is predominantly 28mm (4500 odd painted figures) I have decided to up my anti and build 28mm scale trees particularly for my Gaulois collection and dark age/early medieval before the fields really started to be tended locally, plus really good for my larger forest stands. These trees are made using my usual practice of oven dried hedge clippings then rubberised horse hair and then woodland scenics powdered flock, basing products, and a large washer on a 50mm base so it fits the magnetic tree base.

Very happy with the first six, now I need some more flock !

28mm Trees

The Bigger trees are from 18-26cm tall, with magnetic bases to go into the forest bases.

Cheers
Matt