Wednesday, October 14, 2009

I/52(e)/(f) Early Hoplite Greek DBA Army

I'm gradually putting up images of armies I've painted on this Blog, and this time it's the turn of the Early Hoplite Greeks. I painted these about 3 years ago. The figures are Zvezda, which are really nice although they insist on moulding designs on the shields. So I carved them all off (adding a few more scars to my thumb in the process) and painted on my own designs. This is an Athenian phalanx, so I added a scattering of alphas and triskeles (the triple running leg design) on the shields to give a sense of this. The DBA list for I/52(f) gives options for LH, Cv, Ax and Bw, so I plan to get around to adding these eventually. I also want to make a camp perhaps depicting Miltiades arguing with his fellow strategoi prior to the Battle of Marathon. For now however I present the unwieldly beast of a phalanx with a couple of elements of Psiloi in support.

Here they all are:


The general's element is on the right. Most of the shield designs were sourced from Athenian red and black-figure pottery, and I'm particularly pleased with the hydra and pegasus here.


The thetes (poorest citizen class in Athens) run out in front of the phalanx to harass the enemy.


I don't have a historical opponent for this army, but Early Achaemenid Persians and Corinthians are on my list...



5 comments:

  1. Hi Alan,

    They look brilliant! Those shield designs are amazing!

    I've based up my Zvezda Greeks as an Athenian army as well, though I only took the pattern off the Spartan shields. 'Course, mine are still unpainted!

    Well done indeed.

    Nick

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  2. Thanks Nick! Perhaps one day they shall meet in battle....

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  3. Mine would be the one that's fighting without paint!

    Nick

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  4. No, surely +1 - they'd be lighter on their feet after all! :-)

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