THANKS & VINTAGE20MIL

To everyone who sent messages and posted here. Your kindness is touching and much appreciated.

All the armies have now gone except for one small(ish) Macedonian force that formed part of the enormous Alexandrian army used at Granicus etc. I also have boxes of unpainted figures of every description, so if there is anything you are looking for let me know. You can get in touch directly at

harrypea@btinternet.com

I'm also pleased to say that thanks to Chuck Gibke Vintage20Mil is now back on line. You'll find it here

http://www.vintagewargamingfigures.info/rblack/index.html

MERCENARIES FOR HIRE

Well, for sale actually.

Sadly due to a whole raft of events too boring for Herodotus to have bothered chronicling, I am selling off my armies. Quite a lot of the lads have already shipped out, but several thousand still remain here at HQ - Greeks, Macedonians, Celts, Persians, Indians and Carthaginians.

I'm selling them at 75p for foot, £1.50 cavalry, £8 for chariots/elephants and will offer discounts for bulk purchases.

If you're interested get in touch with me via the blog and I'll send a list.

Thanks for your company over the years. I've enjoyed it.

I'll leave the blog up here for reference and - to end on a positive note - I'm pleased to say that very soon the original vintage wargame figure site, Vintage20Mil should be up and running again thanks to a nice chap in Texas.

Salut!

The Quivers of Anita Ekberg*

I'm not quite sure how it's happened but I seem to have ended up with dozens of Minifigs Pb range Palmyran archers. I have a feeling I may use them as late Roman auxiliaries, probably to take on a ravening horde of Picts and blue Hurons in some sort of 4th Century Northumbrian skirmish-ish scenario.

These javelin men are the PB125 Roman Light Infantry of the later 2nd, 3rd and early 4th centuries. They are Palmyran in style.

A Palmyran archer converted into a standard bearer.

I've got a few Palmyran cataphracts somewhere too, though sadly the Palmyran camelman figure has thus far eluded my clutches. I wonder if any wargamers ever actually deployed a Palmyran Army? A game against Mark Antony's forces would be colourful.

*Anita Ekberg was cast as Queen Zenobia of Palmyra in late fifties Italian epic Nel Segno Di Roma.

Navy Blue Seals

For those of you not familiar with The Eagle these are The Seal People.

Where is all you angels

 

Now the figureheads have fell?

 

 

You're probably wondering what the splendid, if semi-literate lyrics of New Romantic yacht-sailing fops Duran Duran and a load of S Range Woodland Indians have to do with Ancient Wargaming.  The rather eliptical answer is to be found in the film The Eagle (which I watched again last night - and damned wonderful it is too, from the scythed chariot of the wild-eyed druid to English actor Mark Strong's excellent decsion to affect a New York accent to play a Celtic Roman legionary).

The film's star turns are the "Warriors of  The Seal People". These blue-faced, fur clad, Mohican sporting, tooth-necklaced bedecked young chaps always put me in mind of the Wild Boys from the Duran Duran video (Though the chief looks more like a drug-addled escapee from Trainspotting)

Leaving aside the Vivienne Westwood/ Irvine Welsh touches, the other thing that is plain to see is that The Seal People owe quite a debt to the Iroquois and other North American Woodland Indians. The figures above might easily be converted into Seal People. And don't think I'm not tempted.

An Unexpected Bonus

Searching through a box of figures yesterday I came across this little chap - an S range mounted gladiator by the look of him. I've stuck him on one of the PB range late Roman horses I had lying around.

Maybe it's just me, but there's something about the gladiators helmet and mask that always puts me in mind of those novelty salt-and-pepper cruets in the shape of men in bowler hats.

Be that as it may, or may not, I've just aquired a copy of the Italian gladiator boardgame/figure game hybrid Gladiatori. When I've figured out the rules I will give it a try with the s-rangers.

Making Plans

Inevitably in January thoughts turn to wargame projects yet to come (best not to think of wargame projects that were once to come, but somehow never did, or we shall be here all week - the other day I found a list of Minifigs Carolingians I must have made 25 years ago and never got round to ordering). One of my regular opponents is leaving Northumberland in August and so I feel our long promised restaging of the Hydaspes must be done before he leaves (after all as far as my little Macedonians are concerned Stephen is Alexander). That means finally knuckling down and painting the Indians. After that I am casting around for something new. Presently I lean towards late Romans in the style of one of the fellows above, probably 5th Century. Battling them...Sassanids I think, since I already have lots of armoured Persian cavalry that can serve and a mighty herd of elephants. The Sassanids are, I suspect, more interesting than the Goths or Vandals, and require less tattooing than the Picts. Others may have better ideas and I am always willing to be swayed....