Progress Update Legion VIIII Hispania - 10/25/2010

Legion VIIII Hispania - 10/25/2010
Cohors I	20	Legionaries	90%		need base detailing & shields
Cohors II	20	Legionaries	90%		need base detailing & shields
Cohors III	20	Legionaries	90%		need base detailing & shields
Cohors IIII	20	Legionaries	95%		need shields
Cohors V	20	Legionaries	0%		TBD
Cohors VI	20	Legionaries	0%		TBD
(Cohors VII)	24	Legionaries (Recuits)	45%		working on base coats
(Cohors VIII)	20	Legionaries	TBD		future order
(Cohors VIIII)	20	Legionaries	TBD		future order
(Cohors X)	20	Legionaries	TBD		future order
Legio Eques	6	Legionary Cavalry	TBD		future order
General	2	(foot / mounted)	0%		TBD
Aquilifier	2	(foot / mounted)	0%		TBD
Tribunes	8	(foot / mounted)	TBD		TBD
Cohors I Velites	12	Velites	0%		TBD
Cohors II Velites	12	Velites	0%		TBD
Ala Eques Praetore	12	Roman Guard Cavalry	50%		horses done, figures not started
Ala Batavi seniores	12	Batavian (German) Cavalry	35%		horses assembled, figures not started
Ala I Gallica	12	Gallic Cavalry	50%		base coats done
Ala II Galica	12	Gallic Cavalry	50%		base coats done
Ala Numidia	12	Numidian Cavalry	90%		need base detailing & shields
Ala Syriae dromedariorum	9	Dromedarii	0%		TBD
Cohors I Batavi	20	Aux. Infantry	0%		TBD
Cohors II Batavi	20	Aux. Infantry	0%		TBD
Cohors I Syriae sagittarii	12	Eastern Aux. Archers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors II Syriae sagittarii	12	Eastern Aux. Archers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors Tunguri sagittarii	12	Western Aux, Archers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors I Balaerica funditorii	14	Baleric Slingers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors II Balaerica funditorii	14	Baleric Slingers	90%		need base detailing
Cohors I Numidia sagittarii	12	Numidian Archers	0%		TBD
Cohors II Numidia sagittarii	12	Numidian Archers	0%		TBD
Balistarii	1	Heavy stone thrower	100%		done
Balistarii	1	Light stone thrower	25%		on hold for bases
Balistarii	2	Ballista	25%		on hold for bases
Balistarii	4	Scorpio	100%		done

Roman Onager

Years ago I purchased a "Roman Stone Thrower" in 28mm. It was a nice metal kit with seven or eight crew. The model seemed to be a medieval catapult with Roman crew. Over the years I would pull it out and work on it a bit, then put it back in the 'TBD pile'.

The stone thrower had wheels, which I have never seen any evidence for on a Roman onager and the crew were a bit chunky (think Michelin tire man).

During my recent painting spree I decided to take a look at the onager again. Sometime in the past I had assembled (mostly) and primed it and the crew. I was unhappy with the wheels... they weren't well cast and they seemed out of place to me, so I removed them. Removing the wheels lowers the height, which makes the crew a bit to tall and the winch 'wheels' sit on the ground. I used some balsa wood to make a frame to raise the onager back to the proper height, added a few details and mounted it on a base.

I decided to not use all the crew, while I am sure an actual onager had more than the five I am using, mounting more on the base made the whole thing look like a Chinese fire drill (chaotic).

This is a work in progress, I am still not happy with it, but here it is in all it's glory

From the left side


3/4 view from right front

Tim, they call him...

Crouching Romans

Here is a cohort I recently finished that I am proud of. The figures are made by Foundry and I was always intrigued by the crouching pose.

I originally had ambitions of making these guys into a testudo, but it occurred to me that I really liked the way they looked and they would be wasted as a testudo.

These guys were the first cohort I painted that kicked off my 'painting spree'. As I painted and organized them I hit a pretty big snag; they had no command figures!

I quickly scoured the Foundry site and found they don't make a crouching command. An email to them confirmed this. So I would have to make my own.

The Centurion was simply a matter of attaching a transverse crest.

The Signifer and the Cornicen were a bit more work.

First, I had to cut away and remove all traces of the gladius in their right hands. Both hands had to be re-oriented (bent) to accommodate the signum in one case and the cornu in the other. I had to rebuild the Cornicen's left hand with green stuff since he wouldn't have a shield.


Then I had to remove their heads and do a head swap for one with the animal pelts covering the helmets (wolves in this case). I spent some time researching wolves to come up with an appropriate color pattern (I will have to take a picture of the wolf pelts, they really turned out nice).

Lastly I had to modify a signum and cornu to fit and put the whole thing together. I am proud of these guys; they look nice and the conversions were not too difficult and have a lot of character.

Tim, they call him...

Roman Banners

I am trying to come up with some banners for my Caesarian Roman army. I want to give the cohorts a distinctive banner as well as something for the legion (besides the eagle). I have drawn up my current choices and options. I would appreciate any opinions or suggestions.

Click on the image above to enlarge it.

Tim, they call him...

Painting Log - October 12, 2010

Progress Update

Progress!

I am working on:

• 13 Eastern Auxilia Archers (in the 'touch up' phase, 'dip' and base detailing and they are done)
  
• Roman Catapult (I have to decide where this is going to go. It is a large model so I think I will spend some time detailing the base)
  
• Twelve man Roman cavalry unit (horses are at the detail stage and are based. Troopers need to be prepped and primed)
  
• My second 20 man Roman legionaire unit (need to attach the swords, 'dip' and do the bases)
  
• My third 20 man Roman legionaire (prep stage)
• My third six team SS-Panzergrenaider unit (base coats done, detailing work needed).
• My second six team SS-Panzer-pioneer unit (primed).

Tim, still obsessed they call him...

WAB Painting List

Wait...what was I just doing?

One thing that gets me frustrated and bored is painting the same thing over and over (Think Roman legionaries). The past few days I have been switching off between my Romans in 28mm and my SS in 15mm. Different styles & colors among other things gives me a break from one to the other. OK, I know you are saying "Duh!", but this is the first time it has worked for me.

In the past few weeks I have:

• Finished my six tube SS-mortar platoon (100%)
• Finished my three gun SS PaK 38 platoon (100%)
• Finished my first 20 man Caesarian Roman legionnaire unit, sans shields (90%)
• Painted & based my four gun SS PaK 40 platoon (100%)
• Rebased & detailed 29 Baleric slingers
• Rebased & detailed 14 Eastern Auxilia archers
• Finished 12 Western Auxilia archers (100%)

I am working on:

• 14 Eastern Auxilia Archers
• Roman Catapult
• Twelve man Roman cavalry unit
• My second 20 man Roman legionnaire unit
• Two gun SS light infantry gun (leIG 18) platoon

I am pretty pleased with all this.

Tim, obsessed they call him...

We're painting, we're painting...

Ironically my painter's block seems to have been cured. So far in the past five weeks or so I have painted two 20 man legionaire units. The first started off as a lark. I had a handful of Foundry's "crouching legionaires" (IR087). I really liked the figures, but they had no command. For the heck of it I decided to modify three of the figures into a centurion, cornucin and signifier. Much to my surprise my conversions worked! I still have to work out shields for these guys (classic imperial or Caesarian), but they are done but for that and look great!

I also painted and completed a unit of the Foundry Caesarians. I have left the shields off these guys too, cause I haven't decided what I want to do with that yet.

More to follow.

Tim, they call him...

Once Bitten...

In the past few weeks it seems I am suffering from what some might call a malady. I have caught the painting disease! Short of breaking or bones or putting out of the eyes (or a visit from Elizabeth Hurley) there is no cure for this. So much the better.

The sub-type of my illness seems to be confined to Ancient Rome and even further to figures I have already purchased. A rare sub-type indeed.

I am painting, re-painting, re-basing my entire Roman army. Currently I am working on both 1st century AD "Caesarian" Romans and 2nd century AD Imperial Romans. Oddly enough based on some reading I have done about the Kalkriese battlefield, the transition was not as clearly defined as I thought.

In a nutshell at Kalkriese, a number of lorica segmentata were found with the other effects. This places the introduction of the lorica to at least 9 AD and possibly earlier. This changes a bit my perception of what a 1st century legion looked like, but no matter.

Many years ago I purchased some beautiful Caesarian Romans from Wargames Foundry. I organized them into units and then put them in a box. I am determined to paint them up and field them.

Lets see where this gets me...

Tim, they call him...

XM-HELL

Recently in the course of my employment I was called upon to edit a small xml file. The file was loaded with bad programming practices and clumsy patches. I shouldn't be too critical, after all I am not a programmer and this file has been edited over the years by at least four people.

That being said given my personality I fixed it and then re-wrote it. It was frustrating and annoying (just like my hobbies and friends). In the middle of this, it occurred to me that Army Builder 3 uses xml files as the basis for its database.

So I took the tiny amount I learned and decided to tackle the job of writing the WAB 2.0 army list files. Four days later they are ready for testing. I am still finding things to edit and given my natural ADD & OCD I am sure I will do a complete re-write of them soon as I get some feedback.

So far I have data files for Early Imperial Rome, Dacian, Briton, German, Gallic and generic Barbarians.

Now where is that paintbrush?

Tim, they call him

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;

I used to be good at this... I really did! Painting is an interesting process; like writing you can have 'blocks'. I used to think that if you forced yourself to do it, that it would flow once you overcame the initial inertia.

Wrong...

It can't be forced it either works or it doesn't. Lately for me it hasn't been. Once I figure this out I will update my blog more. It does have a way of keeping me on-track. I do know that I am not going to buy any more miniatures (yeah, right!) until I paint what I have...

Ok I am not going to buy any more miniatures until I complete what I am working on...

OK, OK, I am not going to buy any more miniatures until I complete my Caesarian Legionaries (24) and Western Auxilia Archers (12). I am gonna try to get more than that done too (baby steps)...

Maybe there is a program for this...

Hi, my name is Tim and I am a miniatures painter...

Tim, they call him...

Painting Again!

I have been in a real slump as far as painting is concerned. Since Gateway (9/2009) at LAX I have not picked up a brush or opened a bottle of paint. Thought about it a lot... Sat down to do it... Something always got in the way.

Well two weeks back, I made up a list to play Flames of War with and realized that my SS-Panzergrenadiers had no support. I had some PaK40's base coated and mortars primed and standed. So I went to work on them. Ten days later the mortars are 95% completed and the PaK's are 70% done.

Hurray for our side!

Once I get the PaK 40s and the mortars done, I am going to work on a pair of PaK 43s, some 37mm FlaK43 guns and a SS-MG teams.

Pictures to follow.

Tim,they call him ...