Punic Wars goodies

My Newline Designs Ancients order came through last week. As ever good service from Newline, they really are very easy to deal with. A good, easily navigable website, easy and clear order and account system, good postage rates and always speedy to get your goodies to you.

My order consisted of 1 pack (30 foot/12 horse/3 elephants) of each of the following (codes in brackets):

Roman Hastati (10R12)
Roman Princeps (10R11)
Roman Triarri (10R10)
Carthaginian Elephants (10CA04)
African Heavy Infantry (10CA01)
Libyan Heavy Infantry (10CA02)
Numidian Cavalry (10NU02)
Numidian Infantry (10NU01)
Samnite Infantry (10SA01)
Celtic Warband (10CE01)
Spanish Scutarii (10SP01)
Greek Hoplites Advancing (10GR02)

That gives me around 300 10mm figures to paint.

To support this new project I've been raiding the county library service and digging out the few titles from my collection.  Here they are in all their glory.

The butterfly calls

I refer to my posts of  15/07 and 22/07 where I talk about my next projects. I have to confess that in the last 7-10 days the wargames butterfly* has visited and although Vietnam is still very much in the frame I've started a different project. And it couldn't be more different to those mentioned on 15/07. I've started a Punic Wars project. 

Quite a diversion from the Vietnam War. I've started ordering library books, researching on the web, bought an Osprey and even ordered a few hundred figures without my usual agonising about it. 

I blame reading.  On the work commute I'd been reading the excellent Marathon by Christian Cameron. I had read Killer of Men earlier in the year and similar to then I started thinking about Ancients. I had already dug out the pack of Newline 10mm Hoplites (bought on a whim last year) as a bit of practice to try and decide on scale for the Vietnam project.  I think the stars aligned or something but coupled with reading Marathon and Newline's summer sale it all happened very quickly. 

I'd looked at the Greek/Persian wars before when I had some long since eBayed Immortal Hoplites and had decided not to collect. But the Punic Wars has a lot going for it. Hoplite armed infantry, Numidian and Celt allies, elephants, Scipio and Hannibal - what more could a lad want I ask you?

I have a lot of research to do and I very enthused. However, I haven't abandoned the Vietnam project at all. I'm going to order some Pendraken Punic Wars and when I do I'll get some 'Nam samples. And I'm going to split my research time between the two. Strangely I think they will complement each other as my autumn/winter projects. Terrible to think like that when it's only just August but the way the weather was at the beginning of the week it has made me think that way.

*wargames butterfly - thanks to Mike Hobbs mikehobbs.co.uk for naming the condition. I came across Mike's blog a few years back and recognised a fellow sufferer. 

What's on the table - August 2016

Here's the list of what's on the table as we start August:

• Privateer Press Hordes Satyr Shadowhorn (bought 2015) 
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers - Ferret Rogue, Fox Brigand and Mouse Knight, (bought 2016)
• Airfix 1/76th Cromwell Mk IV (bought 2014)
• Revell (Matchbox)1/76th Sherman Firefly (bought 2016)
• Cromwell 1/76th Pz IV H (bought 2014)
• Airfix 1/76th Opel Blitz (bought 2015)
• Revell 1/144th Bf-109E (bought 2015) 
• Revell 1/144th Hawker Hurricane  (bought 2015) 
• Newline Designs 10mm Greek Armoured Hoplites (bought 2015)

I only managed to complete the 2 figures in July.  For August my aim is to complete the Cromwell Mk IV, Sherman Firefly and Opel Blitz as a minimum and also make some real progress with the Oathsworn Miniatures figures. 

What's on the table - July 2016 UPDATE

Updates to the original list:

• Privateer Press Hordes Titan Gladiator and Cannoneer – COMPLETED - HURRAY!!!
• Privateer Press Hordes Satyr Shadowhorn – no further progress
• Oathsworn Miniatures Burrows and Badgers - Mouse Knight, Ferret Rogue - no progress Fox Brigand – good progress, all base colours complete
• Cromwell 1/76th Pz IV H – no progress
• Airfix 1/76th Cromwell Mk IV – minimal progress, 2^nd base coat applied
• Airfix 1/76th Opel Blitz – no progress
• Revell 1/144th Hawker Hurricane – minimal progress, primed
• Revell 1/144th Bf-109E – minimal progress, primed
• Revell 1/76th Sherman Firefly – minimal progress, 2^nd base coat applied

 Additional items I worked on:

• Newline Designs 10mm Greek Hoplites - good progress, cleaned and primed

Titan Cannoneer