From PeterD Pict Commanders (45 points)

I am hoping to get another unit finished plus the typical last week shelf soup stuff, but this will be my last Thorsday post.  I have a trio of Pict command stands.  All figures are metal Gripping Beast, most from their Pict range plus one (the standard bearer with the round shield) coming from their Arthurian range.

First up are two commanders on foot with standard bearers.  A couple of the helmets look a little late for 370CE but they are sufficiently early dark ages for my purposes. Shields are free handed based on rock carvings and blatant stealing from LBMS images.  The flags are also freehanded  based on mythical marine creatures on rock carvings. 

The upper left most is known as the Pictish Beast 

 

Next we have a Pict Warlord in Chariot.  I'm not sure how late in time chariots were used by the Picts, but they would be among the last users of chariots.  The last recorded use of Chariots comes from Agricola's 84 CE campaign, and by 700CE the Picts are shown riding horses. While army lists allow (or even require) chariots up to about 500CE, I find it doubtful other than for ceremonial purposes. However, a Warlord would want to ride into battle with great ceremony and therefore I figure it's fine to give him a chariot. Plus, it is a great kit with lots of action and character.

I made the mistake of fully assembling and basing the vehicle with horses before painting, which I regretted almost as soon as I started painting. I was debating breaking it apart when my glue gave out and it fortuitously broke into more easily painted constituent parts for me. The cart has two horse and carries driver and chieftain. I put the big guy on a cut down plastic base for ease of painting so that he could be removed as a foot figure (I even figured out to do this from the first).

There are no skulls on this base, but I will note the fine collection of 7 severed heads.  There's three aside of the car plus the one brandished by the Warlord.  He's one short of a Joe Pesci comedy.

I have almost run myself out of Picts.  I have more on order including cavalry, but I delayed placing the order until the UK got it's postal issues in order.  They are a fun army to paint, I'll be interested to see how they do on table.  In the WRG 6th edition Army List, Phil Barker describes the armies follows.  

The strongest points of this army are its ability to operate in difficult terrain, the ability of its infantry to endure if organised in sufficiently large units, and the puzzlement that its diverse but related threats may cause an opponent! 

Points wise I believe that the light chariot and two horses counts as 10 points plus 6 foot figures for a total of 40 points.

Thanks to our Thursday Minion Teemu, who has provided us with a steady stream of FFF (Fun Finn Facts) and kept us in line. 

From TeemuL: Lovely Picts, and scoring the chariot is always tricky. As you have already passed your initial target, I'll give you the points you requested, even though I could have given a few more. But I still give you 5 extra points for the shields and flags, the total is probably quite right now. Glad you enjoyed the FFF. :)