There was a time when I held an aversion to painting and fielding a huge force of naked warriors.
There was a time when I requested orders to Black Tree Design to include "no naked Celts, please." BTD happily obliged too!
With thoughts of recreating the Battle of Telamon on the tabletop, those aversions had to be brushed aside so that the goal could move forward.
Given that, off the painting desk today are two dozen, naked Celts. This is a good start for the battle participants, but more will be needed. Figures are Newline Designs and the sculpts are some of its best, I think.The gaming schedule saw a slight break this past week with three gaming sessions as opposed to the more recently frenetically paced four games. This slight easing allowed a little more time at the painting desk. A few more units were finished off to be paraded soon. Back to gaming, along with the WWI aerial game accounted already, the week saw a return to playtesting Rein-Bow Warriors and the Battle of Trenton. Details for both of those encounters await chronicling. As a teaser, the Trenton outcome matched the historical battle uncannily.
Nice work on the Celts. I've got some of those for my own collection from Newline and they are lovely figures
ReplyDeleteThanks, Neil. These are great sculpts, indeed.
DeleteNice unit, on first looking, I assumed that the nakedness allows for a much faster painting regime, but on reflection, hair, faces shields, weapons and belts etc are just going to take the same time, so perhaps overall, more marginal gains.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Norm. These are actually two Impetvs-sized units. Having no clothing does speed up the painting process somewhat. I plan to add a few more of these figures if I can catch Newlines' next sale.
DeleteGreat work Jonathan. Really love that Celts.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Michal!
DeleteThey seem to all have the same barber too!
ReplyDeleteAn imposing bunch Jon! Have to agree, some very nice sculpts.
They DO all have the same barber! You have a sharp eye!
DeleteGreat looking Celts! Mine are Black tree design, also nice sculpts.
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thank you! The BTD Celts are really good and I have lots but they are no longer in production. Are they?
DeleteNo I don't think they're in production any more,I picked mine up in a sale at a show.
DeleteBest Iain
For BTD ancients, I still have a pile of Germans waiting for a project expansion...
DeleteThey look very menacing, even with all that exposed flesh. Nicely rendered too.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Phil!
DeleteLove the post title Jon! A great looking unit, but I hope their Mum's didn't know they had no trews on;).
ReplyDeleteThank you, Steve! Like segments of today's youth, they probably left home with clothes only to ditch them along the way to be cool...
DeleteNice job Jonathan. If Napoleon had ordered his troops to fight naked I'd have finished my French army by now. I read somewhere that, contrary to received wisdom, Telamon may actually have been a one-off for the Gaesati who disrobed due to their clothes getting caught on prickly bushes. Given that they came from the Alpine region it makes sense to me that they wouldn't have made a habit of fighting without clothes.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated, Lawrence!
DeleteI read similar accounts of Telamon. At the time, I thought I would prefer the brambles catching my clothing than my skin. Ouch!
I think I would have been putting more cloths on if the bushes were that prickly 🌵
DeleteMe too!
DeleteThose lads would be cold in Cumbria at the moment the thermometer is floating around 3-4 degrees c
ReplyDeleteMatt, they would be cold here too! I just got in from shoveling snow.
DeleteWonderful looking unit which is very fearsome from the front, but less so from the back.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Peter! Yes, I am unsure which end is more frightening.
DeleteGreat looking warband of feisty Celts, Jonathan. Interestingly, the first Celts/Gauls I painted up were Old Glory nekkid guys. The reason being I didn't want to spend extra time and effort on clothing (plaids, etc.). Just flesh and a wash and decals for the shields.
ReplyDeleteDean, you are very kind when compared against your fine brushwork. The naked Gauls do speed up the painting process a bit. One reason I should buy more!
DeleteLove the rear picture “don’t look Fiona” 🤣
ReplyDeleteYeah, that is a good look, isn't it?
DeleteSplendid stuff Jonathan…
ReplyDeleteI don’t think the naked fighting style worked well for them.. they only seem to have done it a couple of times and from what I remember… they came second.
Also charging through brambles is bad enough… but on the other side of that there were men in armour with pointed objects… a bit daft really 😁
All the best. Aly
Thank you, Aly! Clearly there are many gaps in the knowledge of what happened and how these warriors fought. What remains is conjecture.
DeleteI’m glad most of them have got strategically placed shields. 😁
ReplyDeleteMe too!
DeleteDo we know if the Amazons had any gaestatae in their ranks Jon?! I am sure at least one manufacturer will be producing them in 28mm! Lovely work on these wild Celts.
ReplyDeleteI cannot answer your question but thanks for your comment! My hunch is that if Amazonian Gaesatae were fielded, manufacturers would be making them.
DeleteYou have done a great job on these figures.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteVery naked very nicely painted Gauls. Great work!
ReplyDeleteVery naked, for sure!
DeleteA very cheeky post Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteBa da boom!
DeleteThe post could have been fleshed out a little more…
Nice looking unit! That rear photo is hilarious. Can’t imagine going into battle naked. Just the sunburn potential alone…😊
ReplyDeleteThanks, Stew! I could not resist putting in the last photo although Ray thinks it a bit “cheeky.”
DeleteLooking very savage Jonathan!
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Savage, indeed, Christopher!
DeleteThey look superb, and motivated!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Phil!
DeleteGreat work on this unit Jon! From a historical perspective though, I just cannot fathom how anybody could consider going into battle that way!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mike! From a practical perspective, I question the same.
DeleteGreat unit Jonathan I love the effect of the shield colours! I've been out of the loop for a bit I'm miles behind
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tony! Great to see you back! Hopefully, you have time to catch up!
Delete