Punic Wars (1) - The First Batch of Romans

The long awaited Punic Wars project actually has some paint on it now! I've long had an interest in gaming the era and decided to liquidate my 28mm figures in favor of the smaller, more affordable, more "amass-able" 10mm ones. I talked about it during the challenge and mentioned it in the prep stages here but I picked a battle from the Age of Hannibal scenario book and finished purchasing everything for it.

Much like my English Civil War Collection, the entire collection is based on 40mm squares with 1 unit being one base in the Age of Hannibal rules.

First on the agenda is the Roman Army. I originally figured I'd paint a unit for each side and alternate back and forth to keep the project playable as I go but to be honest, I think seeing the roman army finished would be a better motivator than painting nearly 700 figures before calling anything "done"

And here is the first unit type. Velites for the Roman forces.

I don't have step by step photos but they are dead simple.

Prime black, paint the flesh with Pz Aces Flesh Base, paint the Red with Mephiston Red, Spear Shafts are Pz Aces Old Wood and the wolf pelts and shield backs are Leather Brown.
The trick with painting the 10mm figures quickly in my opinion is to prime black and leave a touch of black between colors. This makes them pop just a bit without feeling like I need to highlight. These aren't winning awards but the batch of 25 figures was painted and based in just under an hour and 20 minutes.

I also managed to crack out the first couple bases of Princepes. These figures are 2 strips to a base with a total of 10 figures. The scenario I'll be running calls for 7 bases of these. I have some Celts on the desk now but I think those will be a wip while I complete the first wave of Numidians.

So here we have everything done for the Romans so far. The bases are my usual fair though this time I used Woodland Scenics 2mm grass.

The usual things apply here, in that this is one of a great many projects i have in the works but seeing them come together for these photos I'm very happy with the track I'm on.

AHPC X (1) - Preparation

 

It's that time of year again. Last year I set the (rather lofty) goal of 1000 Points and fell short by about 300. This year however, I'm setting the same goal but beginning the challenge with a plan.

For anyone who isn't familiar with the challenge all the rules can be found HERE.

In short though, each winter a bunch of wargame bloggers get together and pledge a goal to paint over the course of winter. The points per model vary based on scale and subject matter but for reference a standard 28mm foot figure will net you 5 points. In addition to the pledges and painting there are also side duels and themed challenges to earn extra points or show off.

I did the challenge for the first time last year and absolutely loved it. I haven't kept perfect track of it but I believe I've painted more since the challenge began last year than I had in the last five years. Last year saw me complete a Blood and Plunder Native force, an Uruk-Hai raiding party, and a little under 1000 points of Gloomspite Gitz for AoS among other odds and ends. 

Last year, show season kicked off in the middle of the challenge with me going to 3 local shows before the challenge ended. I think I took for granted how busy that would make me and as a result I didn't shift the days I painted those weeks and my output really suffered. The other issue was that, having never participated before, I had no idea what to expect. Models I thought I'd crack out took longer than expected and I received bonus points where I didn't know I could get them. This year I have more of a plan of attack to accomplish my 1000 point goal.

Look at how fancy I've gotten
Above is a spreadsheet detailing my Punic Wars project. At Fall-in This year I purchased another pile of figures from Old Glory to complete this project (and start it) leaving me with one bag of just about everything they make for the era (and then some)
Finishing this list may require a couple orders to some over seas companies like Pendraken for the odds and ends I'm missing but in theory this is achievable. With the horses this project should come out to 701 points and will put a real dent in my goal.

After the Punic Wars (or more likely alongside) Ill be shifting my attention to skirmish forces for a couple games I'd like to try in 2020. In particular, This is Not a Test and Necromunda. I recently took an order of Lead Adventure STALKER types as well as the new Dark Uprising box and hope to crack out the figures as part of the challenge.

If I've done the math correctly that should leave me sitting around 150 points left to complete the challenge which I plan to fill as I get inspired throughout the winter. As mentioned I've started Imperial Fists and more recently Sisters of Battle so perhaps a model here and there will contribute to my total. There's also the matter of terrain for 40k and Necromunda but more on that in a later post.

Either way, wish me luck.