Sui Test Paints

Some more test paints, and I am starting to get a lot happier. The dynastic colour was yellow, and I am trying a very restricted palette for the dynastic troops. So here they are.

Sui Spearman, who will eventually be part of the Bow stands (DBx elements).

I am going to drill out the hands on a few of these guys so I can do banners for most of the stands.

Crossbow specialist, or Pu-Ping Bowman, who will be mixed with the Spearman above

Archer Specialist, (skirmisher)

Allied Light Horse

Cataphracts with some additional detail

Heavy Armoured Cavalry

Seven elements done, so maybe 10% of the army, plus the test foot elements. I also have some other Crossbowmen, plus the local light horse archers, artillery and ships. Other cataphract regiments are supposed to have been 'black' and 'white' so I will try two elements of each colour for a total of six cataphract stands (including a general), in red, black and white.

Landwaster

Just back from Landwaster.. a lot of fun and I think 16 or 18 players, using DBA 2.2, (even if those Sydney-siders did come and steal the silverware). The Inca chalked up wins vs French Ordonnance, Free Companies, Warring Kingdoms (Wei) Chinese, and Later Imperial Roman.

David giving the briefing..

All important first beer of the day circa 10.30am..

Part of the Sydney contingent

 Unfortunately - lost to the Poles being outdiced in combat and pips.. 

Mark Baker's very attractive Early Polish. My Auxilia couldn't kill spear in bad going, and my PIPs stalled me completely. Oh well.

 And then to Thematic Byzantine (felt I should have won this one.. 1 was 1 element plus camp up (Psiloi end run) 3-0 and then rolled disastrously in a series of combats to go down 6-3 (admittedly I was at a disadvantage in most.)

Psiloi End Run vs Thematic Byzantine..   shortly after this I looted the camp and then proceeded to roll 1s to lose my general then several others..  At least I earned my opponent the 'Executioner award.

 OTOH - can't complain as the previous game saw mano-a-mano General combat at 4s, and I rolled the 6, and he rolled the one.. first combat of the game. Sorry Gregorius.

Deploying vs the Free Companies.

Murray (Later Imperial Roman) traditionally snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, being unable to flee a Psiloi (off table) with a Blade element, allowing me the time to have a fantastic combat round and finish up at 6-3 in my favour. Sorry Murray.

I think the Incas can now be retired, as I won a lovely Peter Pig Samurai army as the Magister Militum (highest placed by handicap). So maybe they will be the next lot to get painted.. after the Sui. Some sort of Eastern theme emerging here..

Inca Finished

So with a competition looming on Sunday, I managed to discipline myself enough to be finished with a couple of days to spare.

These are a mix of Falcon, Minifigs and I think a Naismith Litter. I haven't done my best work, and I keep looking at them and thinking I need to add a wash to feathers, or more decoration, but they are perfectly acceptable for tabletop use.

The competition is for DBA, but these will also see duty in our upcoming 'Ozpocalypto' competition intended to mark the end of the Mayan calendar, and for which we are going to use DBMM 100. So rather more figures were needed than the standard DBA sized army.

Sui Drafts

Have been working on a couple of elements for the planned Sui army for Cancon. All Essex figures, I have reached a point where I am not sure what else I should do to them. I am tempted to try some characters on breastplates in yellow, and some trim, as Yellow is supposed to be the dynastic colour. But here they are anyway.

Sui Armoured Heavy Cavalry, Cv(S) in DBMM speak.

Sui Super Heavy Cavalry, Kn(X) in DBMM speak.

Inca Redux

So I had got distracted from the Inca, painting up a couple of test bases for Sui Chinese, planning a Battle of Britain game using 1/350 aircraft, some more SAGA stuff, you know how it is.. anyway..  look around and you suddenly realise time is getting away from you.

So the last day or so, I made a concerted push to get the Inca to the 'Satisfying' stage. (For me, the 'Satisfying' stage is where each colour you add makes the figure look better and better, instead of just being another block of colour on an unfinished masterpiece. Sort of the bit when you start to see the shape the building is going to be...)

And time is running out. Ozpocalypto to celebrate the end of the Mayan Calendar is sometime mid December, and I foolishly promised I would run Inca at the Landwaster DBA tournament on the 25th of November. What with party season, and having to go out of town next week, I am getting very short of time to polish these off - and of course when these are done, I hit panic mode to get all the Sui completed to play DBMM2 for 'The Worlds: Cancon' at the end of January 2013.

So while they are still a long way from finished, I am starting to really enjoy painting these guys. The bases are now complete except for dry grass flock as per the litter, (flocking comes last), and some of the simpler figures are now getting close to completion with things like some additional tunic patterns, headband and ink for the hair to go.

So here they are so far..

 The big Cahuna, with some of his elite regiments, in front the wildmen...

And now the lot...