"And his Chariots were gleaming in Purple and Gold"

With apologies to Lord Byron...

I needed some more 2 horse Assyrian chariots for the earlier years of the Empire.

These are from Old Glory, and fit the bill nicely!

Once again assembly issues arose. the triangular piece above the pole is clearly designed to go the other way around (pointing down), but it just didn't fit!

So, I just went with it as it did fit!

We saw the Purple, so here's the Gold!

I di glue on the extr quivers on the side of the cab. 

The reigns were once again made from painted dental tape. 

In To the Strongest terms, these would be more "Chariots" than Light Chariots or Heavy Chariots. 

I used epoxy to fix the crew into the cab - always a challenge!

Here's the third and last Chariot. 

If you are in the US, it's hard to beat the value of Old Glory!

Chariots are a pain, but they always look super on the tabletop!

Rebasing project for my 45 year old Minifigs Assyrian army underway; the chariots are staying on their original bases - way to difficult to re-do them! Also seen are some new Foundry Assyrians from Richard to add to the army; it seems unlikely that I will get to them until after Historicon!

Rebasing done - nothing fancy, green bases, green turf blend flocking. Have I mentioned that I hate rebasing? 

Sphinx hijinks!

I finished this sextuplet of Sphinxes that I obtained from Acheson Creations earlier this year. 

We are all familiar with the Great Sphinx at Giza, but they were common symbols through the history of Ancient Egypt; notably the 1.5 mile long road connecting Luxor and Karnak, "The Avenuie of the Sphinxes, estimated to have had over 900 of the staues!

The Sphinxes will be appearing on the table at my Egypt vs Sea Peoples game at Historicon. I am often amazed how few people now days are familiar with the famous "Riddle of the Sphinx"... even if that is more Greek in origin!

 

Renewed shall be the chariots that were broken...

Quite a number of years ago, my freind, Ken Baggaley gave me a bunch of old figures, mostly ancients. These became the bulk of my Canaanite Army. In with the assorted figures were a couple of rather battered chariots and a surplus of Sea Peoples crew figures. I have no idea of the manufacturer. 

With the Sea Peoples due back on the table for Hstoricon 2025, I decided to try to resurrect them for service. Unfortunately, when I epoxied the Pole to the cab, I put in on backwards. After I realized my error, I was loathe to risk cutting it of and reattaching it, so I just went with it (green). The second chariot had no remaining pole at all, so I fashioned one from soft wire and a spare  white metal piece from a different chariot set (orange).   

The cabs and horses pretty much needed a full repaint as well, and the crew were unpainted. 

As I have done with my other chariots, I made "reins" out of dental tape painted the appropriate color(s), and glued them in place.

With most chariot models fitting the crew into the cab can be challenging. These smallish figures made it easier than usual.

The chariots got my "desert" basing with fine sand, fine talus, and tufts. 

Historicon Games planned for 2025

Here's the listings for the four games I will be running at Historicon this year, followed by events run by a group of good wargaming friends from across the US: 

Battle of Bosworth Field, August 22, 1485

Henry Tudor has landed in England, with support from his French Allies. Can Richard II defeat the invaders, or fail, effectively ending the Wars of the Roses, and have his body discovered under a parking lot centuries later? Rules are easily learned.

Event Number	141
Where & When(local to convention)	Wednesday from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm CW-12 in Commonwealth Ballroom
Period	Medieval Warfare
Scale	25/28 mm
Rules	Test of Resolve - Wars of the Roses

Sea Peoples in de Nile,1274 BC Pharoah Mereptah, son of Ramses II, faces an attack on the heart of Egypt by the invading Sea Peoples, who are supported by their Libyan allies. Fast p[lying rules that are easily learned Event Number 575 Where & When(local to convention) Thursday from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm CF-6 in Commonwealth Foyer Period Ancients Scale 25/28 mm Rules To the Strongest!  Theme Game No At the gates of Nineveh The strength of the Hittite Empire is waning, but its last King, Suppiluliuma II, attempts to take advantage of a moment of weakness on the part of the rising Assyrian Empire,. launching a surprise attack on Nineveh and the forces of King Ashur-nirari III Event Number 565 Where & When(local to convention) Friday from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm CW-32 in Commonwealth Ballroom Period Ancients Scale 25/28 mm Rules To the Strongest! Theme Game No Wellington Attacks! The Battle of Salamanca, July 22, 1812 Known for his defensive battles, Wellington observes Marshal Marmont's army becoming separated as they march along parallel routes, and attacks! Event Number 440 Where & When(local to convention) Saturday from 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm FF-05 Games in Freedom Foyer Period Napoleonic Wars/War of 1812 Scale 25/28 mm Rules Field of Battle, 3rd edition, modified The first three games filled up within 36 hours; Due to space crunch this year, the Salamanca game was not allotted table space until yesterday, and has plenty of open spots.  Preliminary maps for the  game: Other Games run by friends from the Piquet/Field of Battle/To the Strongest camp Eric Burgess: Battle of Sabis River - 57 BC The Battle was a dramatic clash between Julius Caesar's Roman legions and the fierce Nervii tribe, part of the Belgae confederation. The Nervii had allied with neighboring Atrebates and Veromandui tribes and they devised a cunning plan to ambush the Romans. Event Number 726 Where & When(local to convention) Thursday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm HF-2 in Heritage Ballroom Foyer Period Ancients Scale 15/18 mm Rules To the Strongest Vauban's Wars This game will be an introductory siege game using Vauban’s Wars rules. If will be loosely based on a siege from the SYW pitting the French(garrison) vs the besieging Allies (British, Hanover, Brunswickers, and Hesse-Kasel). Can you reduce the fortress or can you hold out as the garrison commander? Event Number 646 Where & When(local to convention) Saturday from 1:00 pm to 6:30 pm HF-2 in Heritage Ballroom Foyer Period 18th Century Scale 15/18 mm Rules Vauban's Wars Jim  Mauro **Clash of Titans: The Battle of Grunwald 1410** Refight one of the largest battles of medieval Europe. The Teutonic Order, under Grand Master Ulrich v. Jungingen, face off against the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, under the Polish King Jagiello and the Lithuanian Grand Prince Vytautus. Event Number 542 Where & When(local to convention) Friday from 9:00 am to 11:30 am CW-32 in Commonwealth Ballroom G Period Medieval Warfare Scale 15/18 mm Rules To The Strongest! **Hussite Wars: The Battle of Kutna Hora 1421** At Kutná Hora in the early winter of 1421, the Hussites are encircled by the superior forces of the Holy Roman Empire under King Sigismund. Sigismund's elite heavy cavalry face off against the Hussite Wagenberg led by the indominable Jan Žižka. Event Number 543 Where & When(local to convention) Saturday from 9:00 am to 11:30 am CW-14 in Commonwealth Ballroom Period Medieval Warfare Scale 15/18 mm Rules To The Strongest! Theme Game No Milton Soong: To the Strongest! - Battle of Cannae Come try out the popular fast play ancient rules: To the Strongest! There will be many TTS events in this convention, and this is a good chance to come learn the rules via the most famous battle in ancient time! Beginners welcome, All ages welcome, but under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Event Number 662 Where & When(local to convention) Thursday from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm CF-6 in Commonwealth Foyer Period Ancients Scale 15/18 mm Rules To the Strongest! Theme Game No Jeff Grein: Raphia - 217 BC The Wars of the Successors led to the establishment of three Hellenistic Kingdoms: the Antigonids, the Ptolemies and the Seleucids. Antiochus III looking to restore his crumbling empire marched on Egypt looking to defeat Ptolemy IV. They met at Raphia on the Egyptian frontier. Event Number 672 Where & When(local to convention) Friday from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm CW-35 in Commonwealth Ballroom Period Ancients Scale 25/28 mm Rules To the Strongest Historicon should be a great show again  this year!