28mm Gallic Warband - Saga Part II

Back in early January this unit was my first entry for the 2026 Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. It was a unit purchase from Black Tree Design that has been sitting in my pile of lead for ages. As I wrote I did not find any shields and I placed an order with Warlord Games. Both the shields and decals came in and this is the result. This was first attempt using waterslide decals in decades. I hope to improve with the next group of figures. 

Late Roman Levy - Slingers

This project began on Thursday evening after I signed off work and was intented as an entry in the recent Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Twelve Late Roman slingers, or a Saga Levy. The work was completed in 15 stage, at all hours of the day or night. From the first application of paint applied to the trousers (AV Game Color 72.037 Filthy Brown to the final stage of a coat of Mod Podge applied to provide a sealant for the Meadows of Purity Krautcover Scenics. I just wanted to see if I could push it throught in about 60 hours.

28mm Gallic Warband - Saga

My first entry for the 2026 Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge are twenty Gallic Warriors. This is a unit purchase from Black Tree Design that has been sitting in my pile of lead for somehere between 15 and 20 years. The unit deals, and even the Gauls are no longer available on the BTD website.

20 x 28mm BTD Gaul - Warriors

These are an easy additional to my SAGA Gallic Warband but are displayed here on prototype movement trays for a concept test for Infamy Infamy. Graham, a fellow gamer here in Montreal created these 3D prints for use with Sharpe's Practice. 

On New Year's Eve I discovered I had no shields for these figures, which I imagine are lost in the mists of time. I placed an order to Warlord Games for shields that I hope will work with these figures. I ordered a unit of 16 Javelinmen at the same time. 

28mm SAGA Warband - Age of Vikings - Norman

Thursday night was the first time in almost a year that I had my Norman Warband in action. Since they were readily available  I was able to photograph the units for the Blog. The Calvary were Black Tree Design Miniatures that I repurposed for SAGA. They were originally based for DBX games. The figures of Bishop Odo and William the Conqueror are from Footsore Miniatures and Games. The remaining infantry are from various manufacturers. Some were purchased 10 or 12 years ago and I simply don't remember where they were from.  

Bishop Odo and William the Conqueror

Hearth Guard

Mounted Norman Warriors

Two units of Norman Warriors on Foot

Levy Bowmen

Crossbowmen 8 Warrior or 12 Levy

Levy Spearmen

Levy Slingers - I need 4 more

All the infantry figures were painted between Sept 2023 and early 2024 in order to get this Warband onto the tabletop. Meeting up with the  Montreal Historical Wargaming Club put a focus back into my painting which had been dormant for almost two years.

25mm Bombard

 The final project I had in mind to complete on last weekend's Paint and Chat was this bombard and crew from Black Tree Design. It was given to me but a fellow gamer at the Club two months ago. It fits in with my Scots for SAGA and that is where it shall be stored. 

HYW1019 - Bombard and Crew

Saracen DBA/HOTT Part IX: Arabian Myth Flying Carpet

 While searching my pile of lead, for something, which now escapes me, I found a Flying Carpet. I think it was a Black Tree Design purchase to serve as an additional element for my Saracen HOTT army. However it was a perfect item upon which to test my idea for the overall look of the some new desert elements. As well as establishing a new look I also test drove the Army Painter Speedpaints Starter pack. 

I first hammered a clear plastic push pin through the centre of a LITKO 3mm thick plywood base. I then clipped the point off the tack as close to the wood as I could. This provided a solid element to work with. A 25mm metal washer was superglued to the flat head of the pin. Finally green stuff was used to adhere the figure to the washer. 

I had a previous Flying Carpet as part of the army but I was not content with its base. I had used a clear Warhammer Flying stand and it didn't withstand the treatment I dished out. The figure broke off  a couple of times. I am sure that the photo below was the third time it was rebased. Today's addition appears to be much more robust than my previous effort. 

PS. I am unable to locate the figure on the current Black Tree Design online catalogue.  

Inspector Spacetime, Not!!

 Located in the Town of Mount-Royal/ Ville Mont-Royal is a red telephone booth. Directions to reach it using public transit can be found here. I am not sure if this is a true picture or not, I have passed by a couple of time but have never stopped to take a photo.

The reason I bring this up is as a household, we have recently started watching Community during our supper hour. We have gone through stages. Rowan Atkinson in Maigret, Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, as examples of our viewing tastes. This is my first experience with Community and earlier this week I was introduced to Inspector Spacetime. 

It reminded me I had recently acquired a new TARDIS from Black Tree Design. The previous one was resin, and has been travelling since taking part in a Time Tripper Game at Cangames in Ottawa in 2019. She will return when ready. 

This is a nice metal model, which came in 5 pieces, So as I titled this post, Inspector Spacetime, Not!!

28mm TRAJANIC Roman Army - Part I

This is the third Roman Army I painted since I discovered the WRG Ancient Rules in the mid to late 1970s. The first was an Airfix Roman army. The 2nd was a 25mm metal army I purchased and fought with from the early 1980s until I moved to Montreal. By the years 2000 to 2010 my 2nd Roman army were entitled to retire after 25 years of honourable service.  The figures that were now available looked fantastic when compared to the primitive sculpts from the 1970s and early 1980s, which comprised my Legion. Most were painted and entered service before I started my blog. They were never done justice. Most of the new Legion were recruited from the Warlord Games, Wargames Foundry Miniatures and Black Tree Design areas of the Empire. 

1) The Legionnaires, the first wave of units - 4 Cohorts each of 24 Figures

2) The 2nd wave of Legionnaires - Three cohorts, each of 24 figures.

3) The AUXILLIA - 5 Units of Auxiliary Javelin/Spearmen - each of 16 Figures.

4) Auxiliary Archers - 3 Units - 2 Eastern Empire - 1 Western Empire -Total 56 Figures

5) PSILOI Units - 12 x Balearic Slingers and 12 x Light Archers. These are 25mm Ral Partha and RAFM Figures I obtained after I started rearming my Legion.

 

That is enough for today. Part two will be siege equipment and Cavalry.

Norman Knights (II)

I painted a unit of 12 Norman Knights during the summer of 2013. The figures were by Black Tree Design, and I was happy with the results. However their shields were pretty drab and the bases had not received their full treatment. This fall I placed an order to Gripping Beast to purchase a pack of their Norman shields and to order some  Little Big Man Studios ' transfers. I think the results speak for themselves. Something now has to be done about William the Bastard's banner.

WW2 Soviet 57mm AT-Gun ZiS-2 Model 1943

This post about the ZiS-2 57mm AT Gun is an update from August 2009. I was not happy with the previous presentation  of this excellent piece of Soviet equipment and remounted it on a 60mm x 80mm base, so the gun and the crew were both on the same element.

Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery

Spartacus: A Game of Blood and Treachery is a fast paced board game set in Ancient Rome. The game includes backstabbing schemes, fierce bidding and bloody gladiatorial combat. It is designed for 3-4 players. 

Game Box

Among the many playing pieces included in the game are four plastic Gladiator figures that look to be about 28mm scale. The expansion, The Serpents and the Wolf, allows up to 6 players in the game and includes two additional Gladiator figures.

I was introduced to the game at Stack Académie III, a local weekend long board gaming event held last May. I thoroughly enjoyed playing the game and picked up both it and the expansion for my bi-weekly Friday night gaming group. We were going to play it last month but ended up with 5 players.  I had just ordered the expansion, so we played Eclipse instead. 

 

So if all goes according to plan tonight is the night and the figures are painted.

I also had a wicked idea and present Spartacus: The Bad Wolf Clan for the games….

Spartacus: Bad Wolf Clan

Norman Knights

Another quick post. I recently finished painting a group of 12 Norman Knights. This is about 1/3 of the figures I need for a DBA army. I have blogged before about the infantry that I painted.

These figures are by Black Tree Design. I found them to be a very clean and easy to work with. I like the fact that the spears are incorporated into the figure. Shields need to be attached. I still haven't decided what to do about the shields. Do I paint them myself or do I order a sheet of decals? For this reason they are not attached. 

The standard bearer had the top half of the pole broken off. I removed the bottom half, drilled a hole through the figure's hand and added a replacement. The banner itself was downloaded from another gaming blog about 18 months ago. I cannot find the reference. Please let me know if it is your design and I will link to it.

I found the horses to be bigger than expected. I had to cut down the bases of two of them to fit on a 40mm deep DBA element. They still had to mounted at angles to insure a proper fit. It also took some trial and error to make  sure that the elements could line up together as the heads and tails of the horses extend quite a bit beyond the front and rear base edges. 

Regardless, I think these is a nice looking unit. 

Heroes of the Soviet Union Part 1

I present my latest platoon of Soviet Infantry based for the WRG War Games Rules Armour & Infantry 1925-1950 © 1973.  I already have 3 Soviet platoons (28mm figures) mounted on individual stands and felt like doing something retro with this group of figures. It consists of

1.   A three man command stand
2. Two three man LMG stands
3. First Rifle Squad with 3 four man Rifle Teams
4. Second Rifle Squad with 2 four man Rifle Teams and 1 four man SMG team

Command and LMG Teams

This rule set has always been a favorite of mine. I've been playing with them practically since they were first published. Over the decades I have played  with many other WW2 rule sets, and I even own a number of them. I keep coming back to this set for a quick and simple game.  

As they are based, I’d have no problem using these figures for Blitzkrieg Commander, the most recent ruleset I've purchased for this scale of game.

In my opinion the front line soldiers of the Red Army deserve the title “Heroes of the Soviet Union”. Regardless, if they were conscripted or volunteered:  they overcame frightful losses, often due to the incompetent leadership during the early war period, and later war attitudes  which allowed Soviet generals to squander thousands of lives knowing  they had the manpower and a belief at the top, that the ends justified the means.

First Squad

Without a doubt to paraphrase the Right Honourable Winston Churchill, “the Russian Armies tore the guts out of the German Army.” 

His words may be read here, in their entirety, in his report on the War Situation given to the House on August 2^nd 1944.

2nd Squad lead by SMG Team

Martyrs of the Seawolves

Black Tree Design Monks.

My planned posting on “Martyrs of the Seawolves” was beaten as a headliner today by the author of the Land of Lead. On that blog there is fantastic description of a small “Viking Raid on a Monastery”, well-illustrated with photographs.

The Viking Age is considered to commence with the raid against the monastery of Lindisfarne on England's east coast in the year 793 AD and is documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.

According to Wikipedia:

“Her wæron reðe forebecna cumene ofer Norðhymbra land, ⁊ þæt folc earmlic bregdon, þæt wæron ormete þodenas ⁊ ligrescas, ⁊ fyrenne dracan wæron gesewene on þam lifte fleogende. Þam tacnum sona fyligde mycel hunger, ⁊ litel æfter þam, þæs ilcan geares on .vi. Idus Ianuarii, earmlice hæþenra manna hergunc adilegode Godes cyrican in Lindisfarnaee þurh hreaflac ⁊ mansliht. “

“In this year fierce, foreboding omens came over the land of the Northumbrians, and the wretched people shook; there were excessive whirlwinds, lightning, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the sky. These signs were followed by great famine, and a little after those, that same year on 6th ides of January, the ravaging of wretched heathen people destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne.”

A slightly more detailed description is recorded in “History of the Church of Durham” by the monk Simeon:

On the seventh of the ides of June, they reached the church of Lindisfarne, and there they miserably ravaged and pillaged everything; they trod the holy things under their polluted feet, they dug down the altars, and plundered all the treasures of the church. Some of the brethren they slew, some they carried off with them in chains, the greater number they stripped naked, insulted, and cast out of doors, and some they drowned in the sea.

Vikings 28mm Wargames Foundry Part I

I'll begin this posting with some light entertainment by the Muppets about our fun loving Norsemen.

While I was painting my Seljuk Turk DBA army I thought I could kill two birds with one stone. Every time I dipped a brush into paint for the 15mm figures, I would use the same brush and colour on a larger scale figure. I looked around and saw that I had a clear plastic storage box with a collection of Wargames Foundry Viking figures already cleaned and primed. I won them on eBay about 5 years ago.  In total there are about 80 Figures and I thought that I would work on a quarter of them at a time.

Six Elements of 4 Blade

1 Element of 3 Aux (ulfhedinn)

2 Elements of 3 Blade/Aux

Since I prime my minis usually with 4 or 5 foot 28mm figures on a craft stick at a time I figures that this was more a more sensible approach then trying to paint 80 large figures at once. My attention does wonder, especially in summer. Like much of the northern hemisphere in Montreal we experience our first real heat wave of the summer. With the humidix the temperature was in the mid-40s C most of a week. It’s hard to paint in that type of environment.

Possible Choices for General (4 man Blade)

1 Element Bow, 1 x 2Ps (Scouts)

Recently I was checking out the troop types needed for a Viking army due to my recent 2nd place finish at Cangames and the resulting prize. The 80 Foundry figures should provide enough figures for a DBA Viking Army. The Foundry Figures are just too chunky to base on the standard 20mm deep element. So this army will be fielded with Blades with a 30mm depth

Painting Totals for the Month of July

39 x 28mm Vikings

43 x 25mm Colonial Gunners

1 x Siege Engine

18 x 15mm Seljuk Turk Cavalry

18 x 15mm Seljuk Turk Infantry

Some Other Odds and Ends that were also Painted

1 x 15mm Baueda Wargames Tent

7 x 15mm Essex Medieval Cavalry (Came with the tent)

1 Element 4Kn (Eastern)

1 x 3 Cv (General)

6 x 28mm Medieval Cavalry (Mix Revenge/Black Tree Designs)

A Couple of Young Rakes Showing Off the Lastest Style of German Armour