Benno's Figures Forum

Posted by **steve_pickstock** on 03 Jun 2015, 12:01

So last night I made a start on making an Amazon Wargames army. It will be in 1/72nd using the Dark Alliance Amazon sets - images of which have already posted.

I have some ideas of how I want to do this but thought I would canvas the group for ideas. In terms of date it will be end of the Dark Ages/Heroic Ages and the beginning of the Hoplite period.The army will be designed for use with Warhammer Ancient Battles buit because we use a standard base size it will work for most rule sets. It will be a quite "girlie" army with bright colours and pastel shades.

I'm planning a mounted leader/general with some mounted Companions, 4 or 5 Companions to make up a spearhead of skilled fighters. There will be one mounted contingent (10 or so) of light cavalry armed with javelins and one armed with bows (also 10).

Because of the figures I have available I am going to do most of the foot figures in the army as peltastoi - lightly armed agile fighters with javelins, and others armed with bows. These will be in big units (16's at least - there is no percentage in small units in WAB, unless they're really, really hard, which makes them expensive points wise anyway).

I would love to have some sort of phalanx but there are no appropriately armoured figures only very lightly armoured ones, I can source hoplon shields for them, but I'm not sure about this one.

I was looking at the figures last night and it occurred to me that I'd really love to use a Mycenaean style chariot or two - any thoughts.

Posted by **SKORRA** on 03 Jun 2015, 17:01

Hi,

Interesting!

Wich list will you choose for your army (Wood elves?) or will you make one on your own?

Posted by **steve_pickstock** on 03 Jun 2015, 18:15

I'm making my own best guess list, based on a mix of myth and history - assuming the Amazons were a Dacio-Scythian peoples from the western end of the Black Sea. Because of this - and fitting in with the figures (and actual Scythians) they wear a mix of Greek and Scythian items, armours and weapons, but not strictly so. Thus the cavalry carry shields which early Greek cavalry didn't and there is a greater use of the bow, than was found in Greek armies. What there will not be is a contingent of heavily armed Hoplites - Alliance haven't provied a suitable figure, but I would like a Sacred Band type unit, so I'm looking into what I can do there. In essence I am cherry picking iconic Greek and Scythian types of unit.

I'm not too bothered about percentages of troops, just going with what I have. It's not a competition army, just a fun one, so there's no need to keep tuning it and tweaking it. the rules system will be Warhammer Ancient Battles (the preferred Ancient rules of the group I belong to).

Posted by **SKORRA** on 04 Jun 2015, 08:19

Well, sounds good.

For the elite troops (Maidens?) you can maybe be inspire by a troop like naked berserkers, I mean High value fearless stuborn fighting troops but with no armor (maybe just a shield).

Posted by **Howlin** on 03 Apr 2022, 06:19

how did this project go? I have been enamored with scythians and the amazons lately.

Posted by **steve_pickstock** on 03 Apr 2022, 14:33

Howlin wrote:how did this project go? I have been enamored with scythians and the amazons lately.

To be honest it got scaled back a bit.

Originally I was looking to do an army for Warhammer Ancient Battles. Unit sizes would be 12+ possibly even as many as 20+ - there is no percentage in WAB for small units, big ones survive better and deal more damage.
However, soon after I began this, the guys I play with Embraced Osprey Publications' Rampant series of rules - Lion Rampant, historical rules, and Dragon Rampant, the fantasy version. In these rules the unit sizes are 6s and 12s maximum, so producing an army becomes more do-able.

Then things started to morph a bit - the Amazon project metamorphosed into a Dark Ages/Heroic Greek thing, and with it being Dragon Rampant there were monsters to be accommodated, as well as Trojans, Achaeans, Minos's people anda whole host of other things.

So the army became the Queen's Guard, the Maiden Guard - two six figure units, the Queen's Guard - aka te Pony Club - 6 elite riders, effectively the knock out blow. The Maiden Guard are a 6 figure elite foot unit, sort of an anchor unit. There is a unit of Beligerent Foot 12 - The Girls - berserker types who will rock and roll at the drop of a hat. Under the rules they are allowed 'Shiny armour' which increases their armour protection - the things is, though they don't wear armour. They don't wear anything, which acts as a distraction to their foes - Hey! They's nekkid! - and it puts off anyone trying to hit them.

There are two more 6 figure cavalry units, a unit of three Caesar Mycenaean Chariots crewed by Linear A Amazons, more units of warriors, 12 figures in each. Some 6 figure units of Amazon scouts, and one of a huntress who goes by the name of Feral Cheryl who hunts with a pack of warhounds.

Queen's Guard

Maiden Guard

Warriors

'The Girls'

Scouts

Feral Cheryl

And then along came Monmouth, because nothing says fantasy like a war-mammoth.

There are other monsters involved in this project, though all of them - except Monmouth have a Greek Myth theme - Gary the gryphon, a minotaur or three, centaurs, Cyclopses.

Hope this helps.
If it helps you look for The Amazons by John Mann and the Amazons by Adrienne Mayor, both very useful sources.

Posted by **Kaiphranos** on 03 Apr 2022, 14:39

There's a Mycenaean chariot set available from Caesar if you choose to go down that route!

Posted by **steve_pickstock** on 03 Apr 2022, 16:16

I used them.

There is a figure in the Linear A set flailing about whip some sort of whip, so I use that figure with a more conventional warrior with her.

You can see the chariots on the left of the army as we look at them - the crews weren't ready at that point.

Posted by **Konrad** on 03 Apr 2022, 16:57

Nice Steve.
Really Nice.

Posted by **Howlin** on 03 Apr 2022, 20:23

!!!!! these are really fun and incredible! A war mammoth? I love it. and with amazons to boot.... thanks for sharing.

is the mammoth scratch built or a war hammer model?

the Mycenae chariot is one of Caesars best, and I would get it just for the special plate armor troops that come with it.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Posted by **MABO** on 03 Apr 2022, 20:39

The Mammoth is from Speira, I suppose?! Super army with boot and booty.

Posted by **steve_pickstock** on 03 Apr 2022, 22:35

Howlin wrote:!!!!! these are really fun and incredible! A war mammoth? I love it. and with amazons to boot.... thanks for sharing.

No problem, thank you for asking about the army. When this current project is finished - I will take some better pictures, using the set up I use now.

Howlin wrote:is the mammoth scratch built or a war hammer model?

As Mabo says it is a Spiera beast but the howdah/panniers are scratch built from sheet styrene, and paper clips, the amazons are glued to a piece of styrene and drop in.

Howlin wrote:the Mycenae chariot is one of Caesars best, and I would get it just for the special plate armor troops that come with it.

Yes, completely agree.

Mabo wrote:The Mammoth is from Speira, I suppose?!

Yes, but I have one by Mixvs MinimaX as well. I wanted like to make one of the mammoths from the game Skyrim and like most of my projects it just snowballed.

Posted by **Howlin** on 04 Apr 2022, 07:10

I also like your bases and considering using magnets or not... , it looks like units are removable for loss of unit strength in gaming. are you using one of those circular leather punches on a sheet of styrene?, then gluing a full sheet on the bottom? so the plugs from the punch then are usable for the minis? I could see them causing some distortion but how else are you getting that precise cut n fit? thank you.

Posted by **steve_pickstock** on 04 Apr 2022, 10:17

For the movement trays I use these mdf laser cut trays from Warbases, and choose a 12 slot (or six, depending on the unit), 2mm deep.
https://warbases.co.uk/product/dux-brit ... 0mm-slots/
These get a couple of coats of yellow ochre craft paint, being careful not to get it on the inside face of the slot. Then I dress up the movement tray to match the figure bases.

For figure bases I use 20mm bases from Renedra
https://www.renedra.co.uk/product/20mm- ... ing-bases/
or I use some 20mm wooden discs that I get from a discount book shop/craft shop here in the UK - called The Works.

I tend not to make movement trays or bases myself anymore not when they are so readily available, and I also don't use coins, because - well, I don't.

I haven't used magnets because the fit of the vases in the trays is sufficient to keep the figures in.