AHPC XI: From Mike W, - 28mm More Undead Egyptian Archers

 After my last post on this army, I was stumped trying to find a source for additional shields to fit out the few skeleton figures that I had in my spares box. Thanks to everyone for your ideas and offers!

Newly rediscovered Warhammer Tomb King Boxes! 😀

 

One of the things I like best about this annual challenge is that it forces me to go through my metal and plastic mountain and find models to paint. To that end, I took a trip into my loft on Friday night to check what  could find...

Completed unit of archers, add that to the 10 I did a couple weeks ago,
then a sizeable missile force.

... Tucked away in the dark recesses was a storage box that I'd forgotten about, when opened it turned out to be an Aladdin's cave of Warhammer boxed sets and unpainted figures!

Another view of the completed Archer Unit

Specific to this army there were unopened boxes of unopened Tomb Kings infantry, a box of three chariots plus some frames of the original Mk1 skeletons and three Mummies from one of the Games Workshop boxed games (HeroQuest I think). 

A close-up of five of the boney blighters

As an aside, there were also a bot of unmade Lizardmen, a pile of undercoated Lizardmen and a box literally crammed full of undercoated Orcs. Hopefully I will work through these in the remaining weeks of the challenge as well as getting some more historical figures completed as well. 

Five more skeleton archers

Well as a starter for 100, I've made-up a new unit of 20 Skeleton Archers, outfitted and dressed as per the unit I did early in this challenge and added a scratch built musician and a standard bearer / champion. I made the drum from two round shields glued together and a paper strap, for no other reason than I could and it will differentiate the Archer units from the spearmen units with their musicians carrying a horn.

I've also started work on the Chariots and some spearmen - but that is for another post.

The third set of five skeletons in the unit

Once the figures were built and undercoated in a light earth colour I gave them a wash of Army Painter Dark Tone before dry-brushing with Screaming Skull. I maintained the light / dark blue colour theme by doing bows and quivers in light blue and straps and details in dark blue, then washed in a diluted blue ink.

The unit's Command section, Big Bass Drummer to keep up the rhythm of firing off arrows and a Standard Bearer come Champion.

All trim was done in gold and washed with dark tone ink. Everything was then covered with a matt varnish

Bases were painted with a light sand paint and then a fine sand, I held off on the electrostatic grass at this stage as I'm running short and awaiting a new delivery, plus not every figure in the army needs the tufts to maintain the look and feel.

AHPC XI: GrahameH. Austrian Armoured Cavalry and Cold War British 15mm

Having finished the army I was intending to paint for this year challenge, I decided to try and finish another army. So I have completed  Cold War British (well apart from 2 Milan teams I have just in the bottom of the box 🤬), but thought I’d give myself a treat and paint some Austrian cuirassiers from the late 17th century before I started. 

Both units are 15mm Essex figures and Barry Hilton kindly supplied the flags, even though they are not on his website. Each unit is 18 strong and I even tried a head swap on one the musician. I do love this period. (36 mounted figures 144 pts)

Having been suitably spoilt I then charged (Pun) straight into my Cold War British again, all 15mm.

Two British helicopters. The first a Gazelle and a Lynx, both are from Battlefront. I have since sorted out the transfers that appear a bit silvery in the photos. (16pts)

 

 

Next the tanks. 8 Chieftain (Battlefront) and 8 Challengers (Skytrex) (112pts)  or rather the other way around Challengers and then Chieftains

 

 

Four Warriors (Skytrex) (32pts)

Next my AA unit. A Saxon (Skytrex) 2 Mobile Rapiers (Butler 3D prints) and 2 M548 (Butlers) 40pts

Next one tonne land rovers and trailer (24pts)

An Abbot Battery a Ferret OP (QRF),  2 Abbots (Battlefront) a Ammo Carriers 32pts

Refuel unit (two 4 ton lorries, one ton Land Rover) 24pts

Royal Engineer Unit (40pts)

Field Artillery Battery. This is made up of two guns, 2 prime movers and an FO group.These are from various manufacturers, the guns and crew are from Army Bits, they are probably for a later army but painted up for the mid 1980s. (56pts)

Again probably for a slightly later period, but I had them so I’ve painted then are two MLRS from Battlefront (16pts)

A Battlefront FV 432 with Cymbeline Addon Radar kit (Army Bits) (8pts)

Two Battlefront CVR (T) FV 120 Spartans with Milan. These were just two kits I had left over (16pts)

Finally all the stuff I purchased and don’t need, but dare say I will find a use for them one day (9 vehicles 72pts)

And having got a big bored painting green and black, two Essex Bavarian mounted officers for my 1870 army (8pts)

That’s it for this post, now the total. Although I have only managed to get two or three posts done this year, I have got the final points total wrong so here hoping I have remembered how to count. 

AHPC XI: From Mike W, 6 x 28mm Late 17th Century Ottoman Deli Light Cavalry

 This batch of figures started out as a job lot I purchased from eBay that came without horses, I was a little disappointed with the detail and moulding on the figures when they arrived and I think that they are old Hinchcliffe figures but I am no means certain.

These guys have been on my workbench for a while now
but I decided it was time to get them completed!
The Mexicans in the picture, leap frogged ahead of them in the queue...

 

Nevertheless I decided to see what I could do with them, by adding horses from my favourite source for my Ottoman Armies - Hat 28mm plastic Arab sets!

The horses' saddles and bellies needed some carving to allow the riders to sit on their backs and I used quite a lot of putty to cover the inevitable gaps by extending fur cloaks etc.

Finished unit showing the feathers & wings added to eth basic figures to give variety

In Turkish 'Deli' means daring or audacious and these light cavalry dressed the part, making extensive use of leopard skin furs, feathers and even wings from birds of prey to exaggerate their form and provide their distinctive look.

Contemporary drawings of Deli Light Cavalry
more info <HERE>

On the field of battle they were used to disrupt enemy formations prior to them being engaged by heavier cavalry types.

Close-up #1

So having added the riders to the horses, I undercoated them al in white before painting up the horses and then the riders. Each rider has a mail shirt, a leopard skin cloak and a leopard skin hat decorated with bird wings.

The riders carry a lance and shield (again decorated with a bird's wing and I added a number of feather decorations to three of the models that were typical of the time - a feather collar and decorative wings on the horses.

Close-up #2

These guys are for my Siege of Vienna armies and would have fought against the Polish Winged Hussars, my understanding is that no-one is quite sure who invented eth 'wings' idea but it was used by both sides in the conflict.

I used Dark Tone Army Painter dip on these guys and then applied a mat varnish when dry. Bases were covered with fine sand, electrostatic grass and a selection of tufts.

A final view of the figures, overall I think they're OK but not great!

I think I'll be a little more fussy on the figures I get in future, these seemed a bargain but the quality wasn't great....

AHPC XI: From MIke W - 22 x 28mm Elizabethan Irish Kerns

 In today's post, I am 'show & telling', I am posting about a batch of Wargames Atlantic, plastic 28mm Irish Kerns. The set is marketed as Dark Ages / Medieval period figures but these generic fighting times remained largely unchanged in Ireland for centuries - thus I am calling them out as Elizabethans.

The completed batch

These figures are simple to build, coming as a frames of six figures which typically ae full torsos plus an arm. Thus when building these you just need to add a weapon arm, a head and a shield.

Another view

And another...

There are many other detailed parts to opt (or not) to apply to the figures, including cloaks, knives, swords etc. Once built I glued them to 20mm round bases and undercoated in white.

A close up of five of the little guys.

Overall a quick way to bulk out any Irish Army at a reasonable cost.

Five more

I used an old pot of Citadel Bubonic Brown for the distinctive ochre coloured dress that these guys wore and then added a random number of coloured jackets. Flash was then added and then spear-staff and Shields were coloured in.

Five more, the guy in the red jacket would likely be a higher status individual

When painting completed and mistakes rectified, I gave the skin areas a watered down Army Painter Flesh wash and then the rest of the figure a watered down Strong Tone wash.

Final close-up batch, seven figures with the leader in a cloak out front.

Figures were completed with a Matt varnish and the bases were covered with fine sand and electro-static grass.

How they started, I nearly forgot to take a photo -
so here undercoated and a couple with initial paint applied

AHPC XI: From Mike W - 12 x 28mm Mexican Fulisiers, The Alamo 1836

 In the first if this week's posts, I present 12 Mexican Fusiliers from the attacking force at the Alamo. I have quite a big 'Alamo' collection, covering this, the Texan Revolution and I'm starting to dabble in the later Mexican American War as well.

Figures in their pack before undercoating

These fabulous figures are from 'Boot Hill Miniatures' and under my own home brew rules, this represents a company of men (8 figures) plus command elements that will help a player to control and motive the unit.

Completed Company of Mexican Fusiliers

I undercoated the figures with a linen shade and then dry brushed white, red trim was then added to the jackets to give a representation of Mexican Summer Uniforms that were present in the Alamo Campaign.

Helmets were painted black, as were boots and bayonet scabbards. Flesh tones and hair were then also added along with oily steel and brass buttons and badges etc.

Four Fusiliers, all marching

A couple of figures ere then given light brown trousers, to break up the informality of the unit.

The other half of the company

A watered down Army Painter Dark Tone was then used to shade all uniform areas, with undiluted Dark Tone used on muskets and helmets. Flesh tone was used on skin areas before allowing to dry and completing with matt varnish.

The Company Command figures,
left to right: NCO, Standard Bearer, Drummer & Officer

I used a Mexican National Tricolour for this Standard Bearer, taken from a flag seen on the internet.

Fine sand and dried grass tufts were used to finish off the figures.

The Hanover Hangover #1

Weekly Agony Uncle Column

Hello blossoms

Its me, Your local Agony Uncle: Jolly John Bull, here to share your troubles and offer some words of advice once again. I am not sure what is happening to make it so busy but it’s been a bumper postbag this week, so let’s go straight to our first letter:

Dear Jolly John

Och what am I to do? I live by the sea and I woke up the other day tae see a funny looking little foreigner has moved into my village. He speaks a foreign language and daes nae eat oats for his brekkie but prefers pasta. When I offered him a pint a heavy he said in his squeeky girlie accent that he would rather hae a glass o’ chianti!. He has a few friends with him, rather effete looking clansmen not from round here, and they talk endlessly about marching to London and sing their foreign songs until late at night and right scare the tarmigans. How can I deal with this upstart foreigner?

Tavish McSporran

Lochcarron

Oh Tavish, it does appear that you have met with that jolly japester the Bonnie Ponce Charlotte (so named after his affectation as a young man of wearing girls dresses and playing hide the haggis with the stable lads). He is a funny fellow and set to cause a bit of trouble this year I wouldn’t hazard. 

Bored of doing the rounds on the continent and irritating his fellow continentals with his endless  whingeing and cross dressing I had heard he was heading over here to try it on in the north. We can seek some inspiration on how to deal with him in the amusing anthem written about him a few years ago by that popular chamber quartet “Queen”:Oh yes I'm the great Pretender (ooh ooh)

Pretending I'm doing well (ooh ooh)

My need is such I pretend too much

I'm lonely but no one can tell

Oh yes I'm the great Pretender (pooh pooh)

Adrift in a world on my own (pooh pooh)

I play the game but to my real shame

I only ever roll double ones

Too real is this feeling of make believe

Too real when I see my porridge congeal

Ooh ooh yes I'm the great Pretender (pooh pooh)

Just laughing and gay and a clown (pooh pooh)

I seem to be what I'm not (you see)

I'm wearing a pigs arse like a crown

Pretending that I can stick around

Yes Bonnie Ponce Charlotte is a bit of a bore, but is sad and lonely really. We all know how to deal with sad lonely people don’t we Tavish?...we turn our backs to them and ignore them whilst engaging with much more interesting and worthwhile people around us. Don’t you worry Tavish, there is a Cope-ing strategy and it is heading north with several thousand bayonets, you will have much better company soon.

Dear Jolly John

I am so excited as I hear that Butcher Cumberland is coming soon and I am really eager to meet this  great humanitarian. I think he is so handsome and brave, how can I be sure to be invited to a ball so I  can have a ball?

Miss Chastity Delayed

Edinburgh

Well hello Miss Chastity

Yes, I have heard the rumour too that the well known raconteur Butcher Cumberland is heading back  to these shores. It is worth remembering how that celebrated humanitarian won his sobriquet: because of his famous enormous sausage (unlike the Bonnie Ponce Charlottes rather miserable wee floppy sausage) and his habit of handing out large quantities to the locals. Famous on the continent for ensuring the very best cuts of meat from his kitchens are mixed into a fabulous spicy sausage the charming gent hands out fists full of the fine charcuterie at every stop on his journeys. So famous are his generous sausage-fests that he earned the nickname “The Butcher”. Fabulous!

I can see exactly why you would be excited Miss Chastity. Fear not, when Butcher Cumberland is in town there is sausage enough for all the girls!

Dear Jolly John

I live on the south coast and am always concerned at what is happening over the horizon. I hear that the French are plotting against us, what are we to do?

Good Upstanding Citizen of Brighton (possibly the only one!)

Dear Good Citizen of Brighton

The French are always both an amusement and a worry but all good Hanoverians know how best to deal with them. If any of our readers can’t remember exactly who the French are here is a useful map showing how best to engage with them