From BenF: And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept. 15mm Macedonians...(88 pts)

Excuse the Die Hard quote in the title, but the last few weeks have been a little crazy. After initially getting a surprising amount of painting - and sleep - in, my free time has recently been swallowed up by work commitments and baby Evie, who is now 6 weeks old! Its amazing how quickly she has changed, and she's now smiling, mimicking us, and looking pretty excited when I get home from work. Now, if only she would sleep through the night. :)

Anyway, my mate Steve wanted a trial game of Basic Impetus this weekend. While I have a completed 15mm Mid Republican Roman army ready to go, I'm a sucker for punishment. I've had a 15mm Macedonian army sitting at around 90% completed for something like 18 months now. As I began basing up the force, I realised that I needed to paint up a few extra bits and pieces for the game. I must say it was great fun painting up some ancients after all the Cold War gear, and my Achaemenid Persians have jumped towards the top of the painting queue. 

First off, some allied Greek hoplites. Alexander did use some allied Greek hoplites from the Corinthian League, though more Greeks fought with the Persians than with the army of Macedon. I did a speedy paint job on these, and tried to make it fit in with the remainder of my army which was painted for me by Dan Dunbar back when he was taking on commission work. I went back over the metallics after varnishing to give them that sheen, and this together with the stunning Little Big Men Studios shield transfers make them 'pop' on the tabletop. I did have a bit of a struggle getting the decals to conform to the rounded hoplon shields. I found that using my wife's hair dryer on hot setting melted them onto the shields without any creases or crinkles. The figures are all from Forged in Battle.

Next are the foot commanders. Forged in Battle always includes a few extra figures in their packs, which has allowed me to paint up these commanders. While these commanders are relatively generic, I painted these up with specific personalities in mind.

First, Craterus, commander of the phalanx and Issus and rearguard at Hydaspes, as well as several independent commands. Craterus is based as a commander of the elite hypaspistoi, the foot guards of Alexander's army. Craterus has already won his first battle, commanding the Macedonians today in their triumphant debut against Steve's Romans.

Next, Parmenion, the grizzled veteran who had been the chief advisor to Alexander's father Philip. Parmenion is a tragic character. He was brave, capable, and loyal to a fault, a fact which did not save him from assassination after his son, Philotas, was executed for treason. Alexander himself gave the orders, believing it too dangerous to let Parmenion live after the execution of his son. Parmenion is ready to command the phalanx of the army, steady and dependable, if not very glamorous - just like Parmenion.

Finally, Cleitus the Black. Cleitus saved Alexander's life at the Granicus, and was promoted for his actions. It didn't do him much good in the long run, as Alexander threw a javelin at him in a drunken fury, killing yet another loyal off-sider. Cleitus is painted with a 'black' theme, and could double as a commander for the allied hoplite contingent.

Now, the glamour boys of the Macedonian army. Firstly, Hephaestion, Alexander's closest friend and commander of the Hetairoi, or Companion Cavalry. Hephaestion is painted up silver armour, suitably flashy for this high ranking favourite.

Finally, it's the man himself, Alexandros III Megalos, better known as Alexander the Great. One of the titans of military history, this sculpt captures the brilliant and mercurial king very well. I spent a bit of extra time on Alex and his companions, and i'm quite happy with how the leopard skin came out. 

That's it for this entry. By my count it is:

33 x 15mm foot = 66 points

5 x 15mm mounted = 20 points

I've got a few Star Wars Legion figures and some extras on the painting table, and after that I might paint up a few Achaemenid Persian cavalry figures. Not sure if i'll make that before the competition wraps up though.

Yippee ki-yay indeed! Another gorgeous entry, Ben. I really like that iconic purple. I appreciate the tip for getting the transfers to stick around the convex shields. I'll award a few extra points for the handpainted leopard spots, and for the Evie update.

Barks