Sunday 8 February 2015

Antigone: Greek Heroine

Introduction

It's been a few days since my last post.  I had intended to show some figures in the middle of last week and had even got as far as taking photographs of them.  However, when I looked at the pictures on the computer they were not very good, having been taken at night under artificial light.  At this time of year, the only time I see natural daylight at home is over the weekend; during the rest of the week it's dark both when I leave for work and when I return.

Today I've re-photographed the same models, but this time under natural light.  So, later than I had intended, here are some more legendary Greeks...

Antigone

The ancient Greeks were not well known for their equal opportunities for both sexes.  With very few exceptions, women in both the myth and reality of classical Greece were either sorceresses, wives & mothers or damsels in need of rescue.  Just about the only one I can think of who didn't fit this pattern was Atalanta, who was an accomplished huntress (not a warrior, mind) - and even she was resented by some of the male hunters!

However, when I saw this model from North Star, I knew that I had to have it.  Of course, it helped that the model was on sale at the time!  I've named this adventuress "Antigone" after a respectable young woman from Greek myth who stood up to her uncle Creon (though she died horribly as a consequence).  In my alternate world, she's a seeker after truth and justice who has decided to take up arms against tyranny by joining the Argonauts.

I'm somewhat tempted to buy another of these figures to convert into an enchantress such as Circe, Medea or Pasiphae.  The shield is a separate part, so that wouldn't be a problem.  I'd need to convert the spear into a staff or wand, but that should be simple enough.  The big part of such a conversion would be to remove the helmet and rebuild the hair.  Hmm.

Psiloi

I realised some time ago that my Argonauts needed a mixture of troop types.  I already had some heavily-armoured hoplites, but was missing any light troops - javelinmen, slingers or archers.  To fill this gap, I recently purchased a box of Wargames Factory's Numidians; despite the name on the kit, these models are a good basis for pretty much any Mediterranean light troops from the classical period.

My first 4 javelinmen are here; they may not be capable of killing many monsters themselves but should be able to distract and harry them.  Or maybe they'll just sit on the sidelines and act as cheerleaders for the real heroes!

I have plans to build a number of different figures from this box of Numidians.  As well as skirmishers for the Argonauts, I'll make some with helmet and shield to act as another human force, either to oppose the Argonauts or as neutrals.  So many possibilities...

Finally, here is one of the less-than-perfect, mid-week photos that was taken under artificial light.  'Nuff said!

Conclusion

I've got a bunch more of these Greeks on the painting table, but they're not ready to show yet.  Additionally, I'm making a determined effort to tackle some of the long-standing, part-complete models that clutter up my workbench.  It would be nice to finish off some of these and release that space; you may see some of these models in future posts.

Oh, yesterday, my sons and I played a large game of All Things Zombie.  Expect a report on this sometime soon!



22 comments:

  1. I do like Antigone. Her shield, in particular is stunning. Is it a water-slide transfer? If not then much respect. If it is, then it's a good choice.

    I'm very much looking forward to your ATZ batrep. Bring it on!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah, it is indeed a transfer and not freehand painting! Mind you, I think I'm getting better at applying these decals; my first Greeks had a lot of silvering on their shields whilst Antigone's is perfect.

      Delete
  2. Lovely work on them all. As Bryan points out lovely job with Antigone's shield it really stands out, Yes Pictures are a pain this time of year even when you get an opportunity the weather says otherwise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, I'm not even that happy with the pictures I've published here, let alone those taken mid-week. I'm even beginning to wonder if my brushwork is deteriorating rather than it being just the pictures...

      Delete
  3. Great job C6! Antigone's shield is superb. Can't wait to hear about your latest ATZ adventure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Bob. The ATZ story is next in the queue, but it might take a little while for me to sort it out.

      Delete
  4. Lovely work on your Antigone - as mentioned above the shield motif is superb! Those WF Numidians are very useful for all types of conversions - as done here too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dean. I'm quite pleased with the way that Antigone turned out, even if she is quite anachronistic.

      Like many of W.F.'s kits, the Numidians are a bit of a pain to put together because they have separate arms, bodies, heads, equipment and so on. Of course, all the separate parts add considerably to the conversion potential!

      Delete
  5. Quite the distraction for the Argonauts, having a female amongst them.
    Great looking figure annd the psiloi add another dimension too the the mix.
    Good to know you're still playing ATZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, the original Argonauts had Atalanta with them, though she wasn't really interested in distracting them. If/when I find a suitable huntress figure I will include her also.

      It's only lack of time (and initiative!) that prevents me from playing more ATZ! Some of my fondest gaming moments come from All Things Zombie :-) .

      Delete
  6. Great work and the shield trasnsfer make the model stand out ....Nice :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. Shield transfers certainly do make it easier!

      Delete
  7. What can I say that has not already been said.? Other than the Amazons females in Classic Greece there are very few examples of female heroic characters. Which is a shame so it is nice to see you addressing the balance a little.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't forgotten the Amazons, but if anything their place in the myths is as a morality tale ("look what happens when women don't have men around - they go all fierce and barbaric!).

      There are the Maenads as well, but they're probably best not spoken of...

      Delete
  8. Great work! I especially like Antigone, very nice paint job and a great addition to your Argonauts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I did have some trouble with the decoration around the hem of her dress - it really didn't come out quite as I had hoped.

      Delete
  9. Antigone is beautiful, and these javelinman excellent as well, great job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm quite pleased with Antigone, though I don't think that the javelinmen are amongst my finest works...

      Delete
  10. Great work as usual, Colgar! I really like the Antigone. Not that the javelinmen are bad, but they really aren't as flashy as the mighty hoplites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mathyoo. You're right, of course - a grubby peasant with a pointy stick is never going to look as impressive as a proud citizen spearman :-) !

      Delete
  11. Excellent set of figures there C6!!! The Numidian set looks really useful for classical armies, although putting together multiparty plastic is a bit of a chore sometimes. I have a box of wargames factory skeletons and I think even the feet are seperate parts! Not sure if I will ever get round to building them....... :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's certainly a lot of conversion potential with the Numidians, though I think the sculpts aren't quite as good as some of their other models. Separate feet for the skeletons sounds very fiddly. At least the Numidians don't have that!

      Delete