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Miniatures Adventure => Age of Myths, Gods and Empires => Topic started by: Jjonas on April 02, 2021, 08:35:18 PM
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I promised a while ago that I would actually build a unit of Wargames Atlantic Persian archers. I decided to make 12 Mardian archers with Median caps. Plus I decided to make an extra standard bearer since the fox cap head dress is nice.
Mardians (the tribes of Amardii) were part of the Upper Median Satrapy along the southern Caspian Sea, so the Median caps are as good as any guess. I'm going with mixed armor. Currently they are based for painting on 25mm washers. Their leg stance makes them difficult to place on 20mm rounds. I'm expecting to run these as light infantry which can skirmish, which seems to be their role at the battle of Issus against Alexander's Macedonians. Hopefully I can can do some work in progress updates and then add it all to my website. I also have a intent to compare these to the Victrix ones that recently came out.
The models were sprayed black as their base primer coat. Then some antique white was semi dry brushed around so that should give plenty of tooth for the paint layers. Nest step is determining the palette. Red, golden-rod, green? I don't know yet.
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Looking good, will be interested to see how these turn out. I always use a white undercoat so I can see the detail...
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Nice. I'll be interested to see the progress. I've got these and the Victrix Persians and I'd say they're equally good quality and compatible scale too.
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Can't wait to see the finished product so I can steal all your ideas! lol
I've got like three boxes of these guys I got on a super sale a while back. The options are just crazy. I've built a couple units of archers I haven't primed yet, and I've slowly been using the quilted armor bodies for my "Bactrian spearmen" unit I'll be done with in about 2055.
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Same here, I'm waiting for someone to have a really good pop at them plastic Persians...
then I'm going to copy 'em, just like back in 'skool'!
lol
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Step 2: Blocking in some colors, testing shades, deciding on colors. I decided the caps (Golden-rod) and the trousers (Rose Madder), will be the unifying color. Tan, Green, and Golden-rod, tunics. A brighter look for the standard bearer seems best.
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looking great already
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The hammer one of the warriors is toting, was it all metal, including the shaft?
???
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The hammer one of the warriors is toting, was it all metal, including the shaft?
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If it was at all like the Scythian ones, then probably not.
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The hammer one of the warriors is toting, was it all metal, including the shaft?
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Nope- The warhammer is called a sagaris. Some were hammers, some small axe points, and some picks. I think some were wood some were covered in bronze, or stained/painted. There is one ceremonial one with a shaft made of bronze.
These figures are in progress showing what I had gotten done at the moment, so weapons and armor, straps and details not complete. Also there is another layer of tunic color.
Here is another variant I did finished this time:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0657/9717/products/Wargames_Atlantic_Persians_01152010_003s_1800x1800_ed31e1d8-8495-4084-b4f9-52f45d9157ea.jpg?v=1589457571
Pick or axe:
http://www.worldfinancialreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Fig1.jpg
Re enactor with iron hammer, some are depicted as bronze:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6a/2a/56/6a2a569ccf8a8f0c00d79b283402bdd3.jpg
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Great work so far. Looking forward to seeing them finished.
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An interesting paint work here :)
I can hardly beleave, the standard bearer's yellow is based on the black and white priming. :o
What kind of colours did you use for this effect?
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"I can hardly believe, the standard bearer's yellow is based on the black and white priming."
The yellow was straight out yellow from Ceramcoat. I then used some Citadel Ivanden yellow contrast as a test, since I don't get to use such a bright highlight. Then I did little bit of hilites. This photo shows the colors a bit truer from the phone cam.
It will certainly prove to be a go to style for yellow cloaks.
So yes, as stated some areas have been given a test shade over the thin base color, it is not entirely "just the primed undercoat" (but the undercoat does help pop colors ;)
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Thank you for sharing this.
I am going to have to try that black with heavy light colour drybrushing with Contrast Colours.
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Very effective, Jeff!
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Excellent!
Do they fit in with Foundry Persians?
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Excellent!
Do they fit in with Foundry Persians?
I would say they are close to later Foundry in size. The older archers are almost true 25's, but the officers and standing figures are closer than you would think. I do have this size compare on the article:
https://ancientbattles.com/Wargames_Atlantic_Persians_28mm/Wargames_Atlantic_Persians_28mm.html
With this picture:
https://ancientbattles.com/Wargames_Atlantic_Persians_28mm/WA_Persians/Wargames_Atlantic_Persians_01222020_001.jpg
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Thx
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A very nice choice of paint palette and close up shots. It DOES make the weapons seem sturdier than they really are.
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A very nice choice of paint palette and close up shots. It DOES make the weapons seem sturdier than they really are.
So far so good on these. I haven't broken any while painting. However the notching arrow arm was so thin I broke two just trying to clean the sprue tab. I decided to scrap those and make another arrow out of the spear shaft. It is a lot less flimsy. I have zero luck with plastic spears. But they look so nice. !SNAP!
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So far so good on these. I haven't broken any while painting. However the notching arrow arm was so thin I broke two just trying to clean the sprue tab. I decided to scrap those and make another arrow out of the spear shaft. It is a lot less flimsy. I have zero luck with plastic spears. But they look so nice. !SNAP!
Drats,I was afraid of that. I had forgotten how brittle and flimsy plastic spears were (I've been just replacing all spears with pushbroom bristles), but I've been working on a a kitbashed unit where I use a bunch of victrix hoplites recently...I swear I've broken half the spears just by looking at them!
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I would agree on the plastic spears/javelins. If “accurate” they always feel too flimsy for my ham-fisted handling. I built an entire Victrix Celtic war band and sold it because I was nervous about fielding them.
I also have Victrix Numidians but am minded to keep them due to lack of decent alternatives.
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The gods be praised, I have not run into this problem on a wide scale yet.
I think I have broken one spear and it was a Hypaspist spear when assembling.
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Still a long way off, but I am at least making steady progress.
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So far so good on these. I haven't broken any while painting. However the notching arrow arm was so thin I broke two just trying to clean the sprue tab. I decided to scrap those and make another arrow out of the spear shaft. It is a lot less flimsy. I have zero luck with plastic spears. But they look so nice. !SNAP!
Aha! I was wondering why the arrow was so thick... ;)
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Thanks for sharing. I was contemplating a Persian army for my 2022 project. This was very helpful!
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Mardians finished and ready for the write up. Thanks for your comments.
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Excellent :o
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Brilliant work!
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Looks beautiful. Thanks for the tips.
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I have been able to post the final version of these at
https://ancientbattles.com/Wargames_Atlantic_Persians_28mm/Wargames_Atlantic_Mardian_Archers.html
I was able to incorporate many of your excellent questions and comments. Thank you for the help and comments.
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Amazing work, Jeff, especially those shields! The arrow shafts look good, too - might bristles from scrub brushes or similar provide another option? Finally, why did you use laminated card for the standard? And thanks for the outline tutorial!
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Finally, why did you use laminated card for the standard? And thanks for the outline tutorial!
You are welcome, I hope the steps inspire folks to find their own preferred painting methods. I have made bowstrings out of melted sprue, but they never last for gaming figures. My guess is the arrows will be very fragile in games. One reason why I did 13 is that if I use the standard bearer I can keep the model notching one provided in the kit safe in the glass case.
I get a lot of promotional printed cards in the mail, often coated (laminated). I repurpose some of them as paint palettes and sometimes as small flat items. Plastic card is better but I often run out The seemingly never ending supply of clear coated cardstock takes the paint and doesn't warp. So really its just because it does not warp and is stronger than paper. These particular banners were created out of thick felt, so they did not wave in the breeze and explains why when depicted they seem to wobble independently like stiff cards. Achaemenid Persian standards were also a square about 30 cm across atop a pole 2-2.5m long. Mine may be a bit large. My design is just made up from ideas from Persian designs, but the most common one is the two color (often depicted as black and red). Wargames Atlantic has some that can be printed:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0078/4764/1186/files/Peter-Dennis-Persian-flags-noscale.jpg?v=1588853595
Persian banner:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/61034/61034-h/images/i_070.jpg
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Great work Jeff! Any Victrix on the painting desk?
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Yes. I have a sprue of Victrix Persians to compare and contrast, thanks to my Swedish Connection.
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It appears to me that WA have gone with a multi purpose box set, whereas Victrix have been quite specific and already have 4 separate sets with 2 cavalry on the way.
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It appears to me that WA have gone with a multi purpose box set, whereas Victrix have been quite specific and already have 4 separate sets with 2 cavalry on the way.
I can't wait for those cavalry, I just hope they've solved the scaling issue.
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I'm somewhat iffy about the Victrix cavalry myself- the size of the Macedonian cavalry jumbo men on jumbo horses kept me from painting more than one.
I am pursuing another cavalry project that I dug out of the closet full of figures. These old metal Cappadocians by Newline are getting reinforcements from Thistle & Rose Persians (from the old Vendel line). I am fussing with heads and horses. I also have some Casting Room metal Persians ready to paint also- so there are a lot of older gooder figures in the queue as far as Persians go!
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Sorry if I missed it, but did you ever do a review of the Victrix Persian infantry?
I hope the Victrix cav isn't ginormous.
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Sorry if I missed it, but did you ever do a review of the Victrix Persian infantry?
I hope the Victrix cav isn't ginormous.
Sorry, Persians fell off my "to do" list. Currently I have been cleaning out my Roman collection. It was clean these up and game with them, or give them the Marie Kondo boot.
So that is taking quite a while, but I have game planned with them. We will see how much joy they actually will spark. I do want to get those sprues done.
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I saw a notice that the V armored cav is shipping. Hopefully someone will receive theirs soon and post some size pics of them.
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No one here has bit on them?
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I bought a sprue of the infantry and also found them a little too large for my needs, so for cavalry I'm using Thistle and Rose and Foundry Casting Room. I'm very taken with the Wargames Atlantic infantry.
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No one here has bit on them?
I'm going to pass. Too big. I learned that from the Companion cavalry set. Simon (BigRedBat) and I have similar tastes- I too am going with my Old Vendel (with newer Thistle and Rose additions), and Casting Room, because A) metal B) fit with my collection. And as much as I enjoy plastics- the sprues pile up in bin boxes because I detest assembling them. Do I learn- no. But this time I have not pulled the trigger of Victrix. Plus the shipping costs are ridiculous- plastic figures are supposed to be a bargain, what was I thinking?
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The Victrix look very impressive- well thought out and sculpted with lots of conversion possibilities. If I was starting Persians afresh I'd be tempted to do a whole army but as with Jeff, they don't fit in with what I already have.