Thursday, July 26, 2007

First Athenian


I started this figure about two years ago and then gave up on it so it is nice to have finished it now. This is my first Athenian (or any other city state) hoplite and is one of the Foundry ones. I probably shouldn't have painted him with a red tunic as he looks rather similar to the Spartans. Blue for the next one I think.

Spartan Unit Officer

I have painted an officer to go with the first four hoplites. He is armed with a sword rather than a spear as he would have been in the phalanx but it's as good a way to distinguish officers as any. The sword is rather over-large and even after some filing is still out of scale but I suppose it will look alright in a unit.

I am now waiting for the next Spartans release from Artizan as that will provide some musicians; although it is annoying that they are going to package those with King Leonidas. There will be an awful of lot of Leonidas on eBay, I suspect.

Bettany Hughes: would look nice in a peplos

I have just picked up the Bettany Hughes fronted series The Spartans which was written by Paul Cartledge whose new book on Thermopylae I have also just purchased. Hopefully this will keep me engaged enough to keep painting them. If Bettany Hughes can't, nothing can! Bettany's recitation in Ancient Greek of the famous inscription on the monument at Thermopylae ("Go, tell the Spartans..") was one of the sexiest moments ever in history TV!
Bettany decribes racy Spartan women: