I’m back with some updates to this project. First of all, I rebased the figures in the original post that were mounted on three 40mm square bases to two 60mm x 40mm bases so that the individual bases are now compatible with DBx. I don’t intend on playing DBx games, there is another set of rules that uses DBx basing that I intend to play called L’Art de la Guerre.
Units in L’Art de la Guerre (LADG) correspond to a single base in DBA with the exception of Heavy and Medium infantry which are two DBA bases combined one behind the other. The recommended number of figures per base is the same as DBA to make it easy to identify troop type, so four figures per base for spear armed heavy infantry (two ranks deep in LADG). LADG recommends 60mm base width for figures 20mm to 25mm and 80mm base width for figures over 25mm (DBA base width is 60mm for figures 20mm to 28mm).
Based on what I have read online most LADG players are sticking with 60mm base width for 28mm figures and I decided to do the same that way these units can also be used for Impetus which uses 120mm base width for a unit of 28mm figures. The Hail Caesar suggested base width for a standard unit of 28mm figures is 160mm but these rules are very flexible, the only hard rule being that the base width for a small unit is half as wide as a standard unit. So for Hail Caesar my standard unit base width will be 120mm and small units (mostly skirmishers and light horse) will be 60mm.
As I'm using 60mm x 40mm bases I decided not to use the LADG recommended number of figures per base. I have seen examples online of eight 28mm figures on a 60mm x 40mm base, but the Warlord Games Plastic Hoplites do not lend themselves well to this type of basing. Interestingly, the LADG rulebook includes many pictures of painted units and where 28mm Hoplites are shown they are always six figures per base, including a picture of the Warlord Games Plastic Hoplites which appears in the Classical Greek Army List section of the rulebook.
I mounted the figures in the front rank close together and the second rank close behind with the files slightly offset as if they are filling in the gaps in the front rank. This gives the unit a bit more mass compared to how I based them originally.
The second update to the project is a new unit of Spartan hoplites. As I mentioned in my original post I'm modeling these figures for the Peloponnesian Wars. As I read more about this conflict I've been drawn to the Battle of Mantinea in 418 BC as the inspiration for the units I will paint - this battle was one of the rare instances where the entire Spartan army took the field.
In the last decades of the fifth century BC the Spartan hoplites abandoned the enclosed helmet, cuirass and leg greaves used during the Persian Wars in favor of the open
pilos helmet as their only form of protection other than the
aspis shield. This gave the Spartan hoplites a greater degree of mobility to better deal with the light infantry that had become a larger part of Greek armies in the second half of the century. To reflect this I only used unarmored figures for the Spartans. Each Immortal/Warlord main sprue includes two unarmored bodies wearing the wool tunic called a
chiton. The Spartan upgrade sprue includes one body wearing the
exomis tunic with the right arm uncovered which was popular with Spartans in the Peloponnesian War. I took my time painting the crimson tunics to achieve strong contrast between the highlights on the folds of the cloth and the shade in the creases, hopefully that comes across in these pictures.
The Spartan upgrade sprue also has the heads with pilos helmets and shaved upper lip, however there is something missing - the long hair! There is an explanation for this however, in
Osprey Elite #66 The Spartan Army we are told that on warrior statuettes from the fifth century the long hair is swept back under the helmet.
The second base includes a figure with a
pilos helmet with a crest which distinguishes him as an officer. Also included is a piper from the Ancient Greek Hoplite box who plays the marching tune that the Spartans used to keep the line in step while advancing (this figure is not included in the Spartan Hoplite box). The officer can be a commander in LADG - commanders can be included in units, granting the unit a bonus at the risk of losing the commander in battle. Commanders can also be based separately as in Hail Caesar so at some point I will also make separate commander bases.
The Spartan upgrade sprue also includes a right arm wielding the Spartan short sword which was smaller than the swords used by most hoplites. You can see the short sword on the figure on the corner.
That's all for now, I have many more units to paint for the Battle of Mantinea including more Spartans, the Sciritae (a Spartan auxilia unit usually represented as light infantry) and Sparta's Tegean allies, as well as the opposing Argives and their Mantineian and Athenians allies. I will also need to pick up some light infantry/skirmishers and cavalry. I'm looking at Victrix for both of these, so more to come.
Any comments or feedback is appreciated.