Faithful readers, you recall that my big project for 2023 was to create the forces for a Battle of Kadesh scenario with my post-production rules; In Strife and Conflict. Of course, it took me a while to get this project started as I needed to first decide on a project!
Once decided, I quickly went to work and ordered a Hittite and an Egyptian force from Baccus 6mm and some 60mm x 60mm bases to put them on. I have to admit, ordering from across the pond and getting through the Brexit blockades took a bit longer than I expected. However, the models all made it through and looked great. To give you an idea of the size of this order below is a picture of the Egyptian army all bagged up!
Of course, the Hittite side is just as large! This armies are going to look the part once they hit the table. The Egyptian force was estimated to be about 16K infantry and 2K chariots! The Hittites had even more chariots at the battle, with ranges from 2.5K to 10K chariots! Then there was another 16-25K infantry too. For an ancient battle, those are some large armies!
Now, In Strife and Conflict is naturally a scale and model agnostic game. It is unit-vs-unit, so the basing doesn't matter too much. I really like the look of 60mm x 60mm bases in these Unit-vs-unit games as the units look great and are easy to move all on 1 base. However, the rules themselves don't care. A unit, is a unit, is a unit. Therefore, I began to sort my Egyptians into their respective units and bases prior to painting. I wanted to get a feel for the size of the army once it was complete.
That, is a lot of units! Plus, each base could have between 30-56 minis on it. That means we are looking at around 884 minis! Thankfully, painting a 6mm mini is very different than a 28mm mini.
This give the Egyptians the following force org:
- 3 Light Chariots
- 1 Elite Sherden Guard
- 2 Spearmen units
- 4 Mixed spearmen/archer units
- 2 Axemen units
- 2 Mixed Axeman/Archer support
- 4 Bow armed skirmish units
- 6 Archers
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| Greek Successor Armies in 6mm |
As mentioned, painting 6mm troops is very different than 28mm troops. The details are far less important. If you put some flesh where there should not be flesh on 1 of the 884 miniatures no one will really notice. However, you do need 6mm troops to really stick-out and look good as a block of troops. Therefore, good, strong contrasting colors and good use of the primary colors is important. Basing is also very important as more of the base will be seen than in 28mm models. Really, painting 6mm models is like batch painting x100 as you are painting large groups of models essentially the same way.
So, I sat down and got started! I started with the Axemen/Bow mixed units. Why? No idea! However, the process was very simple. I actually glue all the strips to popsicle sticks with Elmer's White Glue so I can manage them easier. Then, I undercoat with a watered down Pavement from my cheap acrylic paint sets.
From there, is a simple, Tanned Flesh with the occasional Monster Brown on a random model for flesh tones. Then, basic white on the clothing, skeleton bone on "leather" items, and bronze on axe heads. Lastly, there was a Blue or Yellow emblem on shields and their banners. Finally, I paint the base of their strips Territorial Brown. I used a mix of cheap acrylics and Armypainter. No Speedpaints on these guys.
To me, the hardest part of 6mm models and armies is the basing. I like to use the 60 x 60mm bases as it makes the army look like big units. Basing is critical to get the right effect. As you can see, 6mm are up on strips. I need something to help absorb those bases and look more flush to the ground.
I have found a good, locally sourced solution is using Spackle as my basing material. It can be found at the local hardware store. I also use a type that starts out pink, and then slowly changes color as it dries. This makes it much easier to work with. Spread it on the base, and stick the models in it.
Once dry, I just paint it territorial brown, drybrush some Khaki brown, and maybe a few washes of green and brown to help it out. The hardest part is getting into the thin spaces that inevitably appear between the models. You need a brush with a long, thin reach to pull it off.
The first two units of the Egyptian army are done. These represent a Levy unit with Bows in the rules. Only 20 more units to go in the Egyptian army and probably an equal number or more in the Hittite army! I haven't even tackled sorting them out yet. However, not a bad start to my Battle of Kadesh project.
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| Egyptian troops on the march to Kadesh! |
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