Achaean 15mm DBA Army

My Homeric 15mm DBA project is now complete.  Having painted up the Trojan army of Priam and Hector, this month I finished the Achaeans - the army of Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ajax and Achilles.  The figures are from the 'Z' range by Museum Miniatures (with the Trojan Horse by Rapier Miniatures) and I think they have done a superb job both in the sculpting, but also in the design - drawing strongly on the archaeological evidence.

"As when a swarm of of clustering bees pours out of a cave, so the Achaean warriors rushed out of their ships and tents, a vast and overwhelming force" (Homer, Iliad)

The Rapier Miniatures Trojan Horse is in 6mm scale, but it works well enough I think.  I painted up a couple of Greeks sallying out.  Their boar tusks helmets are well attested in the archaeological evidence such as this example dating from around 1400 BC, now in the Athens Museum 

The heroic charioteers are depicted in boar's tusk helmets and wearing full bronze armour based on the Dendra Panoply which dates from around 1500BC and can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Nafplion

Agamemnon and his bodyguards.  The big, 'figure of eight' shields are attested in the famous Lion Hunt Dagger - a 16th century BC artefact found in the shaft graves in Mycenae.  It also shows figures with 'tower shields'.

Menelaus and his supporters.  I have chosen to give him a red beard given Homer describes him as 'xanthos' (either blond or a redhead).

Ajax - "the strongest of all the Achaeans" - and his men.  Homer describes him as of immense stature -"valiant and tall, towering above the Argives with his head and broad shoulders".  Black-haired, he carried a massive shield "of seven-fold bull's hide, and on the outermost, bronze" and Museum Miniatures have obliged with a nice tower shield.

Achilles (in Dendra-style armour) and his Myrmidons, with weapons and poses from the Lion Dagger

More Myrmidons.  Museum have based these figures on the soldiers depicted on the Mycenaean Warrior Vase, found by Schliemann in Mycenae and dating to the 13th or 12th centuries BC.

The heroes in battle array

The Achaean infantry are depicted with figure of eight shields, tall spears, and either in Dendra armour, kilts, or nude.

Scots Common 15mm DBA Army

After having painted up Edward II's English army for Bannockburn, I had to complete his opponent's force - Robert the Bruce and his Scots Common Army (Book IV/16).  These were a kind Xmas present from Andy.  The figures are from Donnington Miniatures although the anachronistic artillery piece (which is in the Army List but for the later Scots' armies) is from Essex, and there is an AB Sassanid slinger making up the numbers in the Solid Horde element.  As usual, the figures are gloss varnished.

The pike schiltron

Glaswegian Warband and Scots Archers

Solid Horde on the left, or Fast Horde on the right

The baggage - beer supplies; or perhaps Irn Bro...  And the anachronistic artillery

The Bruce and his knights

Eastern Patrician Roman 15mm DBA Army

Having recently completed an Early Byzantine army, I added some additional figures from Gladiator Games (Equities, Clibanarii, Auxilia Palatina) to morph it into an Eastern Patrician Roman army - Book II/82.

The General (Kn), Clibanarii (4Kn) and Equites (3Kn)

Eastern Legionaries

Auxilia Palatina and Mobile Baggage

Archers and Psiloi

Allied Hunnic Light Horse

Early Byzantine 15mm DBA Army

Having recently re-read Robert Graves' 'Count Belisarius' and seeing the new range of Cromarty Forge Late Romans, I was inspired to paint up an Early Byzantine army for DBA 3.0.

The figures are a mix of Cromarty Forge (for the cavalry), Gladiator (for the huns, light archers and skutatoi) and Forged in Battle (for the auxilia and Goths).  As per usual the figures are painted in acrylics and gloss varnished.

Belisarius (on the left) with his Gothic federate

The army with all the options - essentially the choice is taking 5 x Cavalry or 5 x Light Horse, and the choice of the Gothic knights, or one element of auxiliary

The skutatoi (legionaries)

Allied Light Horse

Belisarius' cavalry, armed with lance and bow - plastic figures by Cromarty Forge