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Figures - Book 2 Armies

Page history last edited by Rob Brennan 12 years, 4 months ago


Three Kingdoms  Chinese by Duncan Head

> I'm looking for a miniature range that covers the chinese three
> kingdoms army list.
> Do you know if there are suitable miniatures?

The Essex Northern/Southern figures are probably the closest available, if you ignore the cataphract and the later style of leather armour worn by figures like PCH3.

This is what I replied to a similar question in 2007, before the N/S range was released:

> I'm thinking about morphing possibilities for a Han Army (the new
> Essex Han figures) and was looking at the Three Kingdoms list.
> Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best figures to add in
> for the NW Rebel pikes,

No description in the sources except for their long spears, so you
could do more or less anything you like - helmets or not, armour or
not, shields or not... The simplest thing would probably be CHN 15
or 17, the Qin long-spear guys

> the armoured and unarmoured spearthrowers (auxilia)

Drawings of a few of these in Chris Peers' Osprey "Imperial Chinese
Armies I". Normal dress of the period, often with a flat cap; either
the usual flat-bottomed Han-style shield or one that looks like
wicker; sone have scaled armour and segmented helmets.

Essex CHO17 might pass for the unarmoured ones, though he is bare-
headed; I can't think of a convincing figure for the armoured ones
though you could just use HCH10 and cut the spears down.

> and the dare to die (blades (F) and (O)) troops?

Don't see why the Essex Han and/or Qin swordsmen figures shouldn't
do at a pinch, though the "double armour" for the Bd(O) would be
tricky, especially since we don't know what it was. And they should
really have longer ring-hilted swords, but in 15mm, who's looking?

> I think that I can use the spear, crossbow and cavalry to fit in
> for the majority of the force, but would be interested on thoughts
> on that.

Should do. No-one does specificaly 3K figures. Differences from Han
seem to be baggier trousers, simple flat caps or conical caps with a
turned-up neck-flap, and the splinted helmets.

See http://www.belfun.com/Amaury/photogallery/20010811%20Jiayuguan%
20Brick%20Mural%20Tombs%201.jpg
and
http://www.belfun.com/Amaury/images/20010811%20Jiayuguan%20Brick%
20Mural%20Tombs%202.jpg
for a couple of reproductions of the Wei or
Jin (Ts'in) cavalry mural from Jiayuguan.

Classical Indian

Bullock Carts by Jim webster

http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=121305

Guptas by Duncan Head

Indian Horse Archers


On (b), Gupta coins show mounted kings with bow - see
http://www.shivlee.com/kumaraguptai/k1horsemantypecoins.html under Kumaragupta I
or Prakasaditya.

Contemporary Vakataka paintings from Ajanta show beardless native Indian horsed
archers in Skythian-style trousers and caps. Can't find any on the web though
compare the horseman at http://tinyurl.com/5uocavx

So I wouldn't use AEA6, myself, I'd try to find a beardless guy in pointy hat.
Minifigs do an Indian horse archer code 3AIC, but I haven't seen it.

 

Ch'iang and Ti by Duncan Head


We don't really know very much about what the Ch'iang (Qiang) looked like, but for possible representations:

- Chris Peers, Osprey "Imperial Chinee Armies (1) 200 BC - 589 AD": plates D3, E2 (the hairstyle at least may be Ch'iang); figures on p9 (c), p19, p20, p38 (c).
- The infantry in http://www.chinapage.com/dunhua54.gif (6th cemtury)
- http://tinyurl.com/36zkq5s
- This chap - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HanForeigner3rdCentury.jpg - is one of the Chinese figurine types that _might_ reflect Ch'iang or Di

Nobody does Ch'iang figures as such, nobody does the 6th-century angular shield of the type illustrated at Dunhuang (the first weblink above), except David Brown's Southern Dynasties range; (Essex have chosen a shield for their Southern Dynasties foot that's really too early, but it wil be fine for the 3rd-4th centuries) or the right scale-looking armour. I would be inclined to just use a mix of Chinese figures and paint up in irregular colours. The only Qiang I've seen on the table, in Thom Richardson's Late Xiongnu army, are based mostly on Gladiator Qin figures with card shields of the angular type added.

A mix of Essex PHC4a and 4b in the new N&S Dyn range, and CHO18, might do for unarmoured infantry; something like HCH10 (with his spear cut down a bit) and HCH12 for the armoured ones.

 

List 49 - Marian Roman 

Hunnic/Hephthalite Appearance by Tom Admonson

> How much did the Hephthalites go native in India and start looking like the

locals or did they keep their central Asian look?

>

The conquests in India were only a small part of their lands. Coins of

Hepthalite rulers in India (they only ruled for 30-50 years) show some Indian

influence on a basically Persian style. Very similar to succeeding states in the

region.

 

Remember they were Iranian Central Asians, not Turko-Mongol.

List 81 - Sub-Roman British

 

 

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