Hoplites!
Yes, even more hoplites! I’m begining to think I’ll be painting hoplites until Christmas. Here’s the fourth completed unit:
The Mantineans
The city-state of Mantinea was located in the central region of the Peloponnesus. The Mantineans were even mentioned in Homer’s catalog of ships in the Iliad. Mantinea’s patron diety was Poseidon and the trident is a common motif on hoplite shields.
In the Summer of 418 BCE, Sparta launched a campaign against the “evil” encroaching into the Peloponnesus, a democratic alliance. The battle was fought near Mantinea, giving the battle its name. Since the battle was fought on their land, the Mantineans were given the position of honor, anchoring the rightmost end of the phalanx. Though there are no specific numbers, it is estimated the Mantinean contingent was comprised of about 2,000 hoplites.
In playing Rally Round the King, this would be four units or stands representing the support from the depth of hoplite ranks. If I were playing the newer To Be King rules, I would only need two units to represent the Mantineans.
The Figures
Each stand is 3 inches wide and 4 inches deep. I chose this size to avoid spears overhanging the edges. Each hoplite stand contains 9 figures. The figures are 28mm from Victrix, Wargames Foundry, Thistle and Rose, and Black Tree Design. Shield transfers are from Victrix/Little Big Men Studios. The basing material is Soil of Sparta from Krautcover with a few additional tufts from Army Painter.
Mr. Demille, we’re ready for our close-ups:
Well, at the rate this one-eyed floozy is painting these days, it might actually be Christmas before I can play the Battle of Mantinea using the Rally Round the King rules from Two Hour Wargames. While I’m not really banging these out (I take lots of breaks for snacks and naps), I am happy with the way they are turning out.
Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated.
Oh, before I go, have any of you had any experience selling figures to Noble Knight Games? I have a lot of unpainted & partially painted figures to sell off.
Atomic Floozy Adventures 
Comments
2 responses to “From the Painting Table – June 29”
They look sensational! All the more for the mix of figures on your bases and the resulting ‘animation’. Brilliant.
Best wishes, James
Your steady stream of painting is always an inspiration! I’ve managed to get 3 GW Pegasus Knights done (except for the bases) this year and that’s it! I’ve sold games to Noble Knight and while you can probably get a higher price on eBay the sheer convenience makes it worth it to me. I’ve sold 3 lots of games to them as I have been downsizing and it’s always been a good experience.