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Wednesday, April 8, 2015

I ride a light horse...

Out of the corral today ride the Numidians.  To pop off of the brown basing and horses, I went with a lighter skin tone that what I suspect the ancient Berbers had.  If I've learned one thing painting 15mm, it's that you can't be subtle.

These West Wind figs get a big thumbs up for the variety of poses.  The hair is nicely modeled with a look that could be described as proto-dreadlock. Big shields are a plus for scratch shieldwork.



I'm reaching into the Way  Back machine for this, all the way back to my very first blog post.  In it, I adapted Woody Guthrie's classic, “I Ride an Old Paint”  to the ancient battlefield.  
I ride a light horse, 
I lead a fast pack, 
I’m heading round the flank,  
I got a camp to sack,
We feed on stragglers,
We water in the draws, 
Our tails are all matted, 
Our opponents are raw,

Old man Giso, 
He had two sons, 
One joined the cavalry,
and the other went wrong, 
his boy, he died on the plains of Cannae, 
but still he keeps singing all of the day

Ride around light horse, 
ride around real fast, 
hold the enemy by the nose and 
kick 'em in the ass

Below are the Numidians  who couldn't afford a pony.  These skirmishers have plenty of variety as well.  Now I'm onto the Spanish and then Carthaginians to finish out the project!



I've had a great run of luck at The Miniatures Page lately. Last week, I scored an unpainted 28mm Gallic army by Foundry.  8 chariots, 150 foot and 30ish cavalry = a BIG fall/winter project. I'd like to paint and base them for Impetus. I'm thrilled that I get to paint Foundry and ancients in 28mm for the first time.  Finally!

This week, I've been painting to the superb audiobook Lost to the West by Lars Brownworth.  As Fortuna would have it, I also found a large unpainted Thematic Byzantine army by Gripping Beast. Even though I don't have a solid plan for them, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity.  With this, I can now muscle up to the painters bar, hold my head up high and brag about my lead hill!  

46 comments:

  1. Great work Monty! I'm about to paint some in 10mm so your shield designs are giving me ideas to borrow. Is that an Afrika Korps palm tree motif on the cavalryman at the rear left of the formation? :-D
    Best wishes,
    Jason

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    1. Good eye, Jason! I wondered the same. The "original" Afrika Korps!

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    2. Good one! There are very few Carthos icons that fit on a 15mm shield. So yes, it's the original Afrika Korps.

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  2. That is a horde of Numidians! All expertly fitted out too. Great looking troops.

    Say, do I sense a bit of swagger in your words regarding great 28mm scores on TMP and your growing Lead Pile? Can't wait to see what you do with Gauls in 28mm.

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    1. You're correct, Jonathan! I've got a deep bench for painting now. Very exciting!

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  3. Stunning work as always, Monty. Love the shield patterns as well as the ones with fur still on. I got some very good deals off the TMP marketplace before. In fact, some very generous TMPers gave me stuff free of charge too - didn't want anything in return. Awesome bunch there.

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    1. Dean, thanks! Our hobby is filled with excellent people (and bloggers), isn't it? :-)

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  4. Lost to the West is terrific, isn't it?

    FMB

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    1. It is fantastic! I'm hitting the dark times now, after the sack of Constantinople by the crusaders. I want to do a deeper dive on Byzantine history.

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  5. Nice job Monty, they look great. Now, get back on that horse... ;-)

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    1. Thanks Pru! Hey, and good luck with your painting as well!

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  6. Thats alot of lovely looking Little minis... great work.

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  7. Damn that's impressive! How do you churn these out so quickly at such a high standard? My guess is you went to a crossroads at midnight and made a pact with a particularly shady character! Beautiful work :-)

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    1. Paul, thanks! If I was going to trade my soul, I'd hold out for something better. I'd at least insist on becoming a painter of the caliber of say Kevin Dallimore. ;-)

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  8. Cracking work mate. You are making we want to get back to my stalled project along the same lines! Good to hear the lead mountain is growing too. Respect!

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    1. Thanks Millsy! You probably need some R & R to stave off tendinitis. And yea, I'm thrilled to be building up a queue of lead.

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    1. Thanks Cyrus, I can't wait to join you (and others) in the world of 28mm ancients!

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  10. Fantastic work, like always! I love that Numidians,

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    1. Thanks Michal, you've been on fire with your Dark Age painting!

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  11. They look great Monty, love the variety of the poses and your paintjob...very impressive Numidians!

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    1. Thanks Phil! I just remembered that in ADLG, Numidian skirmishers in the Carthaginian list can be taken as elite. Nice!

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  12. "Massinissa! The Numidian Kid!"

    "Smile when you call me that, stranger."

    Out of the West(ern Sahara) they rode...!

    Gotta love a good light cavalry unit, especially when they get their own theme song. Top shelf stuff as usual, Monty!

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    1. Evan! That sounds like the makings of a Mel Brookes Western. ;-)

      Oh, you need to look at Caliban's latest project, Numidians in 28mm!

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  14. Fabulous work !
    your modified song is just great! will it be available on a download platform?

    Kicking the enemy's ass and holding in the same time his nose !!! you'll need to be a yoga specialist or a new Mike myers "love gourou" to do it.

    joke apart, a Gallic army in 28mm! now it's time to give a go to The Kevin's book and the Foundry triads, take your time and enjoy it !
    (Base them for Field of Glory on 6cm width, it will be more adaptable to other rulesets like ADLG, Hail Ceasar, etc...)

    an excellent way to train with the painter's bar is to try the Joe Weider's training"!

    Cheers

    Gilles "no paint! no game!"


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    1. Gilles! I've got Dallimore's book right next to my PC. If I get stuck, I'll reach out to you for tips.

      My son will be in Paris for 4 weeks of electronic music school. I wish I could fit into his suitcase and visit. One day!

      And yea, I may have lifted that line about the nose from Patton.

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  15. Great stuff, Monty - can't have too many Numidians!

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    1. Says the fellow painting a whole army of them in 28mm! That is so awesome.

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  16. These look fantastic Monty, great work! The shields in particular are very impressive.

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    1. Jonas, thanks! I hope all is well in your corner of the world.

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  17. Outstanding yet again Monty! Your output always astounds me!

    Christopher

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    1. Christopher, thanks! I'm rushing a unit of Spanish warriors for SAGA through my painting queue. I got stuck for ideas. Thanks to Google, I found and love your El Cid project. Outstanding to look at!

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  18. Wow these look really nice for 15s!

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  19. Top looking troops Monty, love the bold colours used.

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    1. Thanks Ray! I hope you and your club have adapted to losing Fran. I hope he's doing well too!

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  20. Fantastic brush work all around! I especially like the spots of red you added to the infantry. This really makes them pop. These Westwind sculpts also seem to be pretty decent.

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    1. Thanks Moiterei! The natural colors can be a little plain so I had to sneak in some brightness.

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  21. Such an impressive amount of well painted minis !!! Lovely to see !

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  22. Very Nice! Individually they look great...en masse, they look formidable!!

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