Baccus 6mm Macedonian Phalanx Influx

Between doing things with Cath on my week off I managed to get these boys started and finished. I have speeded up a few stages which has really shortened the time scale of getting a unit done.

These are as the title states Baccus and I have by this stage had more than a little experience painting these rather excellent phalangites, I combine AMA01 and AMA03 packs to form two blocksfrom two boxes so that's £6.60 per base. Still cheaper than building a block in 15mm but rather pricey compared with my other 6mm units. However the effect is well worth the outlay and as I don't need large amounts of units it can remain quite an economical project.

Not that I stuck to just one unit as it saves time to paint up a couple together. That's 192 figures it total. Not bad for a few hours work (OK a bit more than a few).

The mix of the two packs means you can build a unit that has real depth and having the two front ranks with pikes pointing forwards gives a far more dramatic look than all at advance. Using 60x60 bases means I can do this without the pikes sticking over the base edge by more than a whisker.

Part of the speeding up of the painting means a quick drybrush of the leather cuirass which on close inspection is a bit hit and miss but still looks fine from a reasonably close distance. Given the planned scale of this project that is perfectly OK with me.

I have added dice holders to the new blocks, these will be great for Hail Caesar which is the rules I am planning on using. The only negative is that due to having to have the figures almost flush with the rear of the base I have had to mount the holders at the front of the units. Like the bases themselves, these great little holders are supplied by Warbases and the smallest size costs £1.00 for 15 which are perfect for the tiny dice I am using.

So that's five units painted up so far, I mentioned above how it could be quite economical, well not in this house baby. I am aiming for 20 of these units by the time I have finished building the army. It's quite possible I will look to increase this if we end up putting on a game sometime ;-)

 That would equate to £136 just for the pike alone. However I think the end result would look stunning. I started this project with no clear aim to game with them, just a vanity project but Lee took up the challenge and has started to build a Roman army. Matt may find himself going down the route of 6mm via his club as well, so they should get some game time after all.

All the pikes are cut down sweeping brush bristles, I picked mine up at a show for about £2.50 and have enough for about 50 units. It would be great to run out LOL. Sticking them to the figures is easier than you would think. I did the two units in about one and a half hours including cutting them to size.

Once I have a few more units finished I am thinking about starting the Persian opposition for these guys to give us more gaming options. The Persians give me a chance to be REALLY colourful. Obviously I am not sticking to 100% accurate colours and finishes for this army, I am more aiming for visual effect.