15mm and 25mm Ancients

25mm Syrian Chariot by Ral Partha. Ral Partha was one of the first manufacturers in the U.S. to make good historical miniatures widely available. Most of my older figures are "Parthas". I was so fascinated by their chariots that I bought five of this model. Four of them are still unassembled.

15mm Assyrians by Chariot Miniatures. It wasn't until I put this gallery together that I discovered my penchant for chariots! These figures are from one of my first DBA armies. Figures from this manufacturer tend to be slightly built but their army packs were priced right. I went on a Biblical kick one weekend and purchased DBA armies for Assyrians, New Babelonians, Early Persians and Later Hebrews. I got only the Assyrians painted before being tempted into another period (typical!).

Darius and Porus confer about their Macedonian problem. All the figures in this photo, except the Indian Maiden Guard (far left), are produced by Essex. The Maiden Guard are made by Chariot Miniatures. Most of my 15mm figures are by Essex. They have a large range of figures and most of them are painstakingly accurate in historical detail. It seems to me that Essex relies quite heavily on the Osprey Men-at-Arms books for most of their interpretations. This is fine with me as I've been known to purchase the same books simply because they're illustrated by Nick Sekunda.

Another sign of my chariot fixation. The scythed chariot on the left is by Essex. The one on the right is by Alternative Armies. The horses for the Alternative Armies chariot are outstandingly animated. This is one of my favorite figures in my collection. If anybody knows where in the States I can obtain more of Alternative Armies' historical figures, please e-mail me. I wish I'd bought more at the Historicon where I found this beauty.

What's a Persian army without hordes of horses? More 15mm Essex figures, mostly Persian cavelry with a few Scythians horse archers on the far right. I think just about all Essex horses are in the same pose. However, the figures are still made from the traditional lead/tin alloy and are easily bent to add a little variety to the poses. Remember, don't eat toxic toys!

Galations Galore! The nice thing about gauls it that they fought with everbody. If you're in doubt about which ancient army to build next, choose the gauls. These are 15mm Falcoln Miniatures. Not bad at all, though I was disappointed that when buying a pack of 24 figures, there were only 2 poses. Arranging the figures with care can produce a suitably irregular look.

The Macedonian Secret. More Essex figures: The vaunted Companions (center), Prodomoi (left), and Allied Greek Horse (Right). Mixed in is a mounted Hellinistic leader. For some reason I like to mount my leaders on individual stands.

The Macedonian Strength. The Alexandrian Pikes (top) are unusually small for Essex figures. This is something you occasionally discover with Essex figures. The shield design is from a mural in Philip II's tomb. I chose red for the tunic color because it is known that red was a popular color with Greek soldiers and mercenaries. I don't know if it's been determined whether the Macedonians wore a uniform color or shield designs. It makes it a lot easier to paint a unit if they're all identical, though. In the lower picture are some "citizen spearman", presumably Punic (center), and some Greek hoplites. On the far left, some nondescript psiloi.

25mm Ral Partha figures. One of my first purchases when I started getting serious about miniatures was a 25mm Macedonian army pack and a corresponding Persian army from Ral Partha. From top left, clockwise: Alexander the Great on Bucephaelus, Phillip II and Tisserphernes, Greek standard bearer and musician, another shot of the same.