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Saturday, June 22, 2013

Gallic Chariots on Parade

I suspect the Gauls were not so different from us. Then and now, people want to be entertained. Chariots massed up and on the move would've been high entertainment in an age without TV and internet.  Perhaps the Gauls pulled their chariots out of storage for nonmilitary events.   Gallic chariots driven up and down Main Street in front of a cheering crowd might have been the original May Day parade.

I highly recommend Splintered Light Miniatures chariots, shaggy ponies and all. Great figures and great service over at Splintered Light. To tie these better into my Naked Gallic army, I filed away the pants' line on the drivers and painted them au naturel. With the upper body shirtless and the lower half mostly hidden from view, this trick worked well enough!
The original Pimp My Ride.  

In Field of Glory, Light chariots are a must have tool for the Gallic toolbox. They don't get missile fire but they do get 2 dice per front base in melee, which is a bonus over most other unit types.  If you're going to run Gauls, make sure to add light chariots to your list. Then whoop and holler when you send them crashing into your opponent's line.  And remember that as a Gaul, pants are optional!
Gallic May Day parades often ended badly. 

29 comments:

  1. Spiffy, Monty. I think you need racing stripes, though.

    FMB

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  2. Brilliant Monty, colored and inspired work on these chariots..."Chargez, par Toutatis!" can I hear from here!
    Cheers,
    Phil.

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    1. Thanks Phil! I had to build off of your Gallic-Roman reenactment day.

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    2. In fact, I would have liked to see some of them in these days...could be very impressive!

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    3. I was thinking about how a light chariot would not have any shocks and the horses pulling you over an uneven field. It might be tough on the old back. It would be lovely to see. Thanks Phil!

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  3. Marvelous work, Monty. The look of them en masse is truly superb. I agree that they would love to have paraded around - sans pants if needed too. Warm Regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks Dean, I appreciate it. 12 is quite a lot but I wanted to be able to run loads of chariots when I field my Gauls. I'm hoping the sheer numbers might cause my opponents fits.

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  4. What a spectacle those would have been! And you have captured them very well.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan! Gallic chariots would be fun to paint in 28mm one day. I just have to find a partner like you in that scale.

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  5. Greate work !!!

    Remember mn that I to have a 15mm Ancient british FoG army...havent used it in several years...

    Best regards Michael

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    1. Michael, thank you! I've got to check out your ancient Brits. I know you don't do 15mm any more but your work in that scale was superb! Let's see if I can find them.

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    2. Thanks Monty.

      Suppouse that I start to get old as I find it harder to paint the 15mm nowerdays...

      You can find some pictures of them at my old blog: http://metrobloggen.se/dalauppror/ancient_british/

      Best regards Michael

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  6. Very nice Monty, it's like the Gallic Royal Ascot down there!

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  7. That's quite a covey of chariots, Monty! Very colorful and cleverly ranked by chariot color. Aesthetics must have been important to the ancient Gauls. Are these for your own collection or commission work?

    Jon

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    1. These are all mine! Each "unit" is made up of 4 chariots so the units will be mixed. I've learned to be careful with my palette with Gauls to avoid the "clown army" look. I chose 4 colors and then repeated them in the clothes of the riders to keep a loose but not too lose palette. Who knew painting could be so risky? ;-)

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  8. Now THAT could be interesting. Thanks Andrew!

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  9. These guys are amazing. I've not painted 15mm ancients myself, but these lads show that it's definitely worth the effort. Well done!

    And I think you've avoided the 'clown army' effect quite admirably. That said, if one of those chariots pulls up and twenty-odd warriors pile out with seltzer bottles and buckets of whitewash, questions will need to be answered...
    ;-)

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    1. LOL, that was fabulous! I wish I had a cream pie to deliver as a prize for that comment, Ev!

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  10. They look great Monty! All those colors look super!

    Christopher

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    1. Thanks Christopher! In 15mm, I subscribe to the "you can't be subtle" color theory!

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    1. Thanks Cyrus! I look forward to joining you in painting 28mm Ancients one day in the future.

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  12. Naked men on racing chariots, what's not to like? ;)

    Great work!

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    1. Serious LOL. Just as motorcycle riders insist on riding without helmets so they can feel the wind through their hair, the drivers insist on riding without pants so they can feel...I better stop here!

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  13. Now that is seriously impressive Monty. wonderfully bright and vivid use of colour.

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  14. Good stuff Monty, the world is always in need of nicely painted Gallic chariots :-)

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