2021 Basing & Re-Basing Part 2 - Saga Age of Hannibal Figures

This group of figures includes everything I've painted in the past 14 months for Saga Age of Hannibal that I've just completed basing. When I started painting for Age of Hannibal I wasn't sure which army or armies I wanted to play, so I started with several mercenary units from the back of the rule book. A couple of these can do double duty in some of the armies as non-mercenary units as well. 

This first unit consists of eight Ligurian warriors. These can serve as the Ligurian mercenaries in several armies, but I would also feel completely comfortable fielding them as contingent warriors in a Carthaginian force. I'm sure Hannibal recruited plenty of these guys on his trip through the Alps. These are Old Glory miniatures with LBMS shield transfers.

The next group of figures are eight Samnite warriors. These are Old Glory figures, with Aventine shields and homemade shield transfers. This unit was a failed experiment in using GW Contrast paints for the tunics. The Old Glory figures just don't have enough texture on the main tunics to allow the Contrast paints to work well. I also was not happy with the vibrancy of the colors. I toned them down a bit with an additional Army Painter Soft Tone wash, but still, I do not like these even half as much as my traditionally painted Samnite Colorful Legion units painted using traditional methods.

Next up a unit of eight Balearic Slingers cast by Gripping Beast. This unit I consider a successful application of GW contrast paints. With the exception of the flesh, these figures are painted entirely with GW Contrast paints. To get the more muted ancient tones in the cloth I blended most of the primary colors with some of the browns, and then thinned to my preference with glazing medium. I probably could have used GW contrast medium but I don't own any.

This unit, the dreaded Cretan Archers. These were originally painted up for Hannibal at the Gates back in 2003. This was prior to that rule set's de-emphasizing of skirmish troops. Since I had five stands for HATG and only really need a couple of stands now, I re-based these for Saga Age of Hannibal where they will see use in several of my armies, particularly the Romans. These are Old Glory figures. I un-based three stands from my HATG force comprised of three figures each and I found a tenth in my 'dead lead' collection already painted up. This was probably as a result of a previous re-basing. I only need 8 for Age of Hannibal, but I based up all ten. With a couple of command figures they can press into duty as a 12-man levy bow unit if needed.

The final unit in the group are twelve Gaul archers. These are from Warlord Games SPQR line from their 'Tribal Archers' box. These are resin single-piece figures that I quite enjoy painting despite their light weight. These were painted primarily with traditional paints although the hair and furs were done with GW Contrast paints. Learning when to use the contrast paints and when not to I believe is the BIGGEST part of the learning curve with these new paints. They are not a one-size-fits-all solution for us historical painters.

Next up, figures I based up for my 28mm Finnish skirmish army.