Thursday, June 1, 2017

Elephants!

While P.T. Barnum & Bailey may have shown their last elephant, I have not!
Off the painting desk is a lovely Aventine Miniatures' elephant and crew with three Libyan runners from Renegade Miniatures for the 28mm Punic Wars project.
The Carthaginian contingent can now field two such WMDs when next seen on the battlefield.
Based on a 120mm frontage as all mounted troops in Impetvs, each elephant will command the attention and battle line of its foes.  Adding the runners alongside the beast not only reduces the need for mounting two elephants on one stand but also adds interest to the dioramic concept. 
When will the Punic Wars project next see action on the gaming table?  Good question!  In the intervening years (yes, years.  A little more than two years by my count.) from the last game (see: Punic Wars BatRep: Impetvs), most of the force build has been on the Carthaginian side of the ledger.  The Romans would likely enjoy some new recruits.  Enough Roman infantry remain in The Lead Pile to field, perhaps, two units of foot.  Unfortunately, they have not made it into the painting queue.  C'est la guerre.  

37 comments:

  1. 'Nellies' - amongst my favourites. very much enhanced by the dynamic poses of the foot light spear.

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    1. Among my favorites as well! Who does not like seeing a war elephant? Your kind comments much appreciated.

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  2. Lovely work on these elephants, the runners and basing are great too.
    Best Iain

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  3. Awesome job, these elephants are splendid and the bases are just perfect!

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    1. Phil, you are always so kind with your comments!

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  4. Great work. You can just about feel them lumbering towards you!

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  5. Nice paintwork as usual Jonathan. Have you acquainted yourself with BI2.0 yet?

    tichy@landandnavy

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    1. Thank you!

      Yes. BI2.0 has seen one outing and more are planned.

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  6. Excellent looking piece! I like the addition of the runners. It definitely helps the Impetus stands look good without being overwhelming with Chariots and Elephants.

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    1. Thanks, Jake! I thought two elephants on one stand would be too much so opted for this approach. For the Assyrian project, I am considering rebasing the King's chariot to a double wide base with runners.

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  7. They look great, Jon! Would Impetus basing work for Too the Strongest?

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    1. Much appreciated, Scott! Impetvs basing should go perfectly with TtS. We should give it a try some time.

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  8. "Hephimalumps" (the odd word that we use to refer to pachyderms in our group, gawd knows where it came from)--always impressive in effect, doubly so given the intimidation factor given your brushwork and mounting (the runners are a very nice touch).

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    1. I bet your "heffalumps" originated from Winnie the Pooh!

      Ed, your supportive comments are always welcome. Thank you!

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  9. Excellent ellies Jonathan! The Aventine elephants are the best.

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    1. Thanks! The Aventine Ellie's are terrific, for sure.

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  10. Fantastic models Jonathan. I like the way the heads tilt. I have been up relatively close to these animals in the wild I can imagine how it must have felt to have a dozen of fhese charging against your line.

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    1. Thanks, Mark! The tilting head conveys the slow, walkng motion of the beast, I think. For those not accustomed to seeing these animals, an up close and personal interaction must have been frightening.

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  11. Ok, I'm a bit late, but... wonderful paintjob !

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    1. Never too late, Phil! Comments always appreciated!

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  12. Almost missed this one and glad I checked back as it looks wonderful! I'll also use one ellie with some runners when I do mine as it works.

    Christopher

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    1. Christopher, I am glad you did not miss "seeing the elephant" either!

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  13. Whoa, Nellie, those are massive beasts! Bravo, Jon!

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    1. Thanks, Peter. It will be fun to see these guys deployed on the gaming table.

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  14. Beautifully painted and based Jonathan. They'll make fine tabletop 'units' as well as being marvellous pieces of military modelling!

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  15. I love these oliphaunts ... the grey brushwork of the skin is so well done. I hesitate to ask, but are those transfers on the shields on the howdahs? It is an awkward question, not meant to belittle your painting skill in any way.

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    1. Thanks, Michael!
      The shield on the howdah is, indeed, a transfer. I have no skill to reproduce such a design.

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