Friday night update

 A week on from the last post and I've made good progress. The Trapezuntine Byzantines are done apart from some base work and the flags. First up, 2 elements of 4 Bow.

2 elements of 3 Auxilia.

2 elements of Psiloi.

And to finish up the knights.

And the whole army lined up.

 Its been a bit of a challenge with the colours. Given that most of our knowledge is based on snippets of first hand accounts and surviving frescos where we have no idea how limited the artists access to paint pigments were, and how well they age. So green and red are popular and I've gone with blue/red white striped sheilds as they seem to be popular in Byzantine  armies.

Oh and the limits of working in a scale with limited figure options.

One down

 On the finished pile this week, I've finally got the DBA Ottoman Turk army done. I had to finish some more Akinji LH and an artillery stand.

Ottoman artillery always seems to be represented on table with huge fixed bombards as used at the siege of Constantinople. This has never made sense to me, not least shifting a fixed emplacement round the battlefield. In my last Pendraken order I asked for some western medieval atillery pieces to replace the 16th centr atilley pieces. I am assuming that the Ottoman army would put any guns captured back to use against their former owners. Unlike modern weapons with fixed ammunition, all you need is a metal ball of the right diameter and gunpowder and Bobs your aunties live-in lover. The base needs a bit more greenery and I'm also going to put some pavises out the front. when the next order turns up.

So heres the finished army. Its missing the Serb Kn, but I can live with them missing at the moment.

I've also been working on the Trapezuntine Byzantines. So far I've finished the LH and the spear stands.

The LH are from the TB range which has the mounted figures cast in 2 pieces with the dividing line being at the riders waist.

This gives flexibiity on the basing.

And a base of spearmen that actually looks like a body of men and not a boy band. I managed to squeeze 18 figures on the base without really trying.

At the moment I'm working through the Kn, Ax and Ps stands and these should be done next week.

Wheres the month gone?

 A month on from the last post and while I've been panting cosistantly there doesn't seem to be much to show for it. I have basically completeed the Prussians (bar the grenadiers) For V&B and made a start on the Trapizuntine Byzantines for DBA. Time for some pictures.

The Prussians are all organised for the "Road to Glory" scenario system. So 6 infantry divisions (3 brigades with regular, reserve and landwher troops) with artillery.

 2 cavalry divisions plus the brigade of Heavy cav for the yet to be purchased guards

Finally the commanders. Based up with 2 figures for Divisions, 3 for corps and 5 for the big cheese.

I must sit down and do the research to allow me to put names on the bases.

Apart from this there's been online meetings organised by Keith again during our countries lockdown, though being essential it's not much different for me apart from masks at work.