East Frankish 15mm DBA Army

Another army mostly using Museum Z miniatures, this time the East Frankish and the army of Otto the Great - DBA Book III/53.  

King Otto the Great at the head of his knights

The baggage (and Essex Miniatures cart) and peasants (Corvus Belli figures)

Swabian knights on horseback and on foot (Museum Z Normans)

Archers (psiloi) and Frankish Spearmen (Museum Z Anglo-Saxons)

King Otto and his knights

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.

Feudal English 15mm DBA Army

Recently finished a Feudal English DBA army (Book IV list  23).  Notwithstanding his reputation amongst English kings, I opted to paint the army as Edward II's host at the Battle of Bannockburn, 1314.  It was fun to research the heraldry of the knights there present.  The figures are by Essex (with some Corvus Belli peasants mixed in), painted in acrylics and gloss varnished as usual.

Edward II and his host at Bannockburn, 1314

The King and his knights

King Edward II and his bodyguard Sir Giles D'Argentan

Sir Robert Clifford, Sir William de Vescy and Sir John Seagrave

Sir Gilbert de Clare, Sir Humphrey de Bohun, Sir Thomas Grey

Sir William Marshal Sir Henry de Beaumont, Sir Ralph de Monthermer

Longbowmen and Archers

Crossbowmen, Psiloi and Solid Hordes

City Militia Spearmen, North Welsh Pikemen (3Pk) and Hobilars (Cv)

Trojan 15mm DBA Army

Not much time for painting so far this year, but I did manage to finish a Trojan 15mm DBA army which Andy kindly bought me for Xmas.  The figures are the new 'Z' range by Museum Miniatures (with the addition of one Essex miniatures base).  The Heroes in their light chariots dismount to fight as Blades. Just need some Achaeans now to oppose them.  And a suitable baggage/camp element.

The whole army, with alternate elements

Hector in his chariot

Spearmen

Light Chariots (count as Cavalry in DBA)

The dismounted Heroes - Blades in DBA

The light troops - Archers and Slingers - plus Sarpedon's Lycians (Fast Blades)