Just in case folks are thinking: "Hello, another Blogger run out of steam..." tis not the case - just work and painting/modelling and writing been getting in the way....
Leaving work (paid) out of the picture (despite previous suggestions by drinking buddies this is NOT a pic of me with work colleagues...).
I have been painting my 1/72 schilton (Strelets bods, with plastic broom handle bristle "lang spears") and getting bods & buildings converted and painted up for my "Was going to be Summer but looks like Winter" Jewish Revolt project....
The schiltron is bigger than I'd planned (the ol' "mission creep" - a serious fault of mine...) but getting there.
My Jewish Rebel army is apparently going to be, um, an army (mission creep again) - and not just a skirmish-level force (I have around 600 1/72 Romans, legionaries & auxiliaries - with more half-painted; but no way will I match those numbers in rebels.... We don't mention how many Western Barbarians I have. Seriously. We don't....).
I have (among other things) been sticking Roman heads & shields on good ol' Robin Hood bods and generally going mad; with variants of all types to make the rebels look a hotch-potch.......
The buildings will be a mix of cheapy, self-assemble MDF adobe types & some posh, purpose-built Roman building kits bought online. Plus scratch building.
Cheap palm trees should be en-route. Civilians also being processed (Strelets Roman bods mainly).
I also want to make a more Mid-eastern-looking teddy-bear mat at some stage, but this may wait a few months.
Research-wise I've been reading up Josephus etc. and gawping at Google Street View (pic) and maps for terrain ideas and sketching maps. My campaign map may be in zones, like my "This Ain't Siluira" effort....
Writing: I've been asked to put out my House Rules as a PDF, but of course that means I tweak them, then test the tweaks, then tweak again etc. etc .etc........ New rules for schiltrons developed - and also to allow for that that pesky business of why making some formations 8 to 16 ranks deep is a plus (having been squashed into combat impotence in shieldwalls only four ranks deep I DON'T buy into the "they're all pushing" myth.....).
I have also been writing some scenarios - and "Tax Collecting" ("Get the cash - but please try not to kill anyone this time") rules; of which more later...
And so it goes.....
Bunging Roman helmeted heads on airfix Robin hood bods ...good idea to make roman auxilaries let alone rebels.
ReplyDeleteSo true.. That old Arfix set, with its HaT reissue, has been SO useful over the years. Good, basic poses (OK, the lad holding his quarterstaff up above his head sometime needs some cutting about, but...) with some lively/characterful individuals good for "personalities" (various Tucks have become dignitaries, converted to other faiths - one even ended up as a wizard).
ReplyDeleteThe good number of bare heads and that basic kit of mid length tunic, simple hood and purse is almost timeless.. Some my really old (pre-revival of interest) lads from that set saw themselves transformed, with minimal cutting about/additions/hats -and sometimes with just a paintjob - to medieval artillery crews, Ancient & fantasy peasantry, smock-wearing (16th-19thC)English villagers, Arab/middle eastern/North African "other ranks" and gunners - and the bodyguard of a Hausa warlord...
Probably one of my favourite sets of bods - with some of my original Airfix figs from the 60s still in service..... :)