Spring Clean Challenge Sassanids Revived

Finally got a matt coat on all of the cavalry and elephants who have been sitting with their shiny AP Soft Tone Dip finish.  I use Testors Spray Lacquer, the rattle can version of Dullcote.  This has gone out of production and fortunately I have a fair amount left, enough to finish the Persians at least.

Firstly the Grivpanvar – Persian extra heavy cavalry cataphracts.

The horse archers.

Shahanshah on elephant.

Troop elephant.  All bases have been completed too.  Jarvis flock in patches before the matt spray and then tufts of various size and colour in a colour way from straw coloured dry grass to brown.  Mostly Tajima1 but also some from the Gamers Grass Dry Steppe Set.

Finally got a matt coat on all of the cavalry and elephants who have been sitting with their shiny AP Soft Tone Dip finish.  I use Testors Spray Lacquer, the rattle can version of Dullcote.  This has gone out of production and fortunately I have a fair amount left, enough to finish the Persians at least.

Firstly the Grivpanvar – Persian extra heavy cavalry cataphracts.

The horse archers.

Shahanshah on elephant.

Troop elephant.  All bases have been completed too.  Jarvis flock in patches before the matt spray and then tufts of various size and colour in a colour way from straw coloured dry grass to brown.  Mostly Tajima1 but also some from the Gamers Grass Dry Steppe Set.

I love a flat matt finish on my models, especially historicals.  However, I also like a durable finish on my painting so use AP dips.  This gives everything a super shiny finish and it takes a really good matt varnish to cover this without shine through.  I’ve tried all manner of acrylic matt varnishes before and ended up settling on Testors Spray Lacquer (the rattlecan version of Dullcote). I was very sad when Rustoleum decided to stop production last year and everywhere sold out almost immediately – no surprise really,  this is the go to choice for scale modellers too.

Long story short I’ve been looking for a replacement ever since.  Gerry’s matt varnish exposee recently was helpful but I prefer a rattle can – not had much luck with varnish through the airbrush – it always gums it up and it’s a pain to clean again.

I got a recommendation from a scale model shop to try Mr Hobby’s Mr Topcoat.  Here are the test pieces on the Sparabara (Aventine Miniatures).  First the old reliable Testors.

Then Mr Topcoat.

I can’t tell the difference in the final results.  Wonderful.  I’ve finally found a replacement 🙂

Sassanids Army List is in the Classical Armies book pp. 49-50  1000pts

Commanders: (Max 6) Two

Shah – 50pts

Noble – 20pts

Cavalry: (Min 50%) Total 518pts

16x Cataphracts (27 +1 barding +2 Stubborn) 8 bases 240pts

16x Horse Archers 8 bases 152pts

12x Huns 6 bases 126pts

Elephants: (Max 1 per 400 pts) One

Elephant (3 crew) (64+4) 1 base 68pts

Infantry: (Up to 50%) 200pts

Militia Spearmen (Mixed Formation) 6 bases Spearmen, 6 bases archers with Spara (+2) 176pts

Kurdish Skirmishers (Th Sp +1) 3 bases 24pts

Allies and Vassals: (up to 33%) 144pts

Daylami (LgSh +2, ThSp+2, Stubborn +2) 4 bases 84pts

Arab Camelry 3 bases 45pts

Arab Skirmishers w slings & shields 3 bases 15pts

The Persian Levy are complete.  I love the effect of Contrast Talassar Blue over the zenith undercoat.  I think it looks like silk in the sunshine.  I’m super happy with the overall effect but 48 miniatures in a single unit just brings joy to the heart of any wargamer (apart from my opponent probably).

The Swordpoint rules allow for the unit to be made up of 50% spearmen and 50% archers and to use the spara shields to form a static shieldwall which is lost if the unit moves, hence being mounted on separate bases from the troops themselves.  The unit also can have large shields which is why the front rank have the bigger wicker shields and the rest the pelta style.

Aventine made the large spara.  The front rank have Wargames Factory shields and the rest are using Wargames Atlantic with transfers from Relic in Canada.  Transfers on the standards are from Victirx.

The remaining infantry units are finished.  First the Daylami:

The Persian Skirmishers who can stand in for Kurds too:

Two units of Arab allies are done.  Some slingers and camel archers.  The camel are great for disrupting enemy cavalry and have the added bonus of ensuring my cavalry are ‘used to’ camels.

First the slingers, Footsore miniatures with a couple of plastic Perry Mahdists who have borrowed a couple of sling arms from the Warlord plastic Caesarean Romans.

Matal shields with a hide pattern painted using Gerry’s sponging technique to look a bit like goat hide.  Helps to give an irregular feel to the Arabs and differentiates them from the highly decorated shields carried by the Persians.

These camel archers are very well researched and look exactly how I imagine the pre-Islamic arab tribal auxilliaries might have looked.  Relic Miniatures from Canada.  Took a while to get here given worldwide postal disruptions but well worth it.  They are true scale 28mm which means proportions are accurate so they look a bit smaller and slighter than their colleagues but mounted on the camels this is hard to spot and doesn’t cause me any concerns.

Same shields as the slingers, this time tied to the side of the saddle, help to link the units together visually.

The Huns are the final unit for this force.  Nearly ran out of steam but really wanted to see the army finished, and it is!  Foundry miniatures, lovely Perry brothers sculpts.