Showing posts with label preparation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparation. Show all posts

Tuesday, 24 November 2009

Suddenly "next year" doesnt sound so far off

Every year the Society of Ancients put on a "battleday", in which a famous historical battle is re-played in a number of wargame formats, with expert speakers. Next April the battle of Zama will be coming to Bletchley, near Milton Keynes.


My involvement in this started in early summer, when I enquired about a possible WAB game. I'd naively hoped that the overall organiser, Dave Lockwood, would cheerfully say "yes, so-and-so is doing that and would welcome another player". Things didnt quite work that way, and somehow I ended up volunteering to put the game together.



A number of volunteers stepped forward - I'll name check them on a future blog - and I was also delighted to be offered the loan of the remaining elements of Gripping Beasts Zamaday demo army. Thus encouraged I put together a provisional order of battle - around 8000 points per side - and build the tracknh website for the progress on unit assembling and painting


www.miraclemodels.co.uk/zamaday/intro.asp





I also thought aout what figures and units I wanted to contribute - I aimed to finish up with a Carthaginian army anyhow, as well as getting some older stuff finished.



Lastly, Tony Reidy of Wargames Factory promised (and delivered) a large number of his excellent Numidians - they'll be taking part both as Numidians and as Carthaginian citizens.



Which brings me to the end of November and my painting efforts.







3 units of Gauls - 90 in total. I thought these were done when I committed them, but when I got the boxes out they were far from finished, and almost all without weapons and shields. Oh well, I've had them 4 years so its about time they got done. Figures mostly a Foundry Christmas offer, some Warlord, a few Renegade and Wargames Factory.






My first unit of Numidians assembled and ready for undercoating then painting. It takes a little while to get the knack of assembling them in reasonable poses - there are a few strange ones mixed among the back ranks.












Half-complete Gaul comand tableau. Not sure about the ASB - I didnt quite get either the assembly or the painting right. Chief is Renegade, musicians Foundry, ASB and other guy Wargames Factory.






The immediate painting queue. I'm a frequent insomniac, so I try to have something fully prepped and ready for paint on the workbench at all times. Here theres some part-done Gripping Beast Carthaginian veterans, the numidians and some Carthaginian horse in the background. I also have some "african spearmen", more Numidians and Numidian horse awaiting assembly