Lots of mini Elephants!

It's OK, I'm not really losing the plot just finishing off my 3mm Carthaginian army for DBA with two elements of tiny beasts. Much as I love 15mm elephants a single beastie never quite cuts it in the same way as a herd of the things does it? So 20 models rampaging towards the Roman lines who can only throw out a screen of Velites to chuck javelins at them (Psiloi can't be killed by Elephants in DBA!). 

In DBA terms this army comprises:  3 bases of heavy infantry (Sp), 3 bases of fast warband Guals - Wb), 1 base of auxiliaries (Ax), 1 base of skirmishers (psiloi, probably Spanish slingers - Ps.), a base of Light horse (LH) a base of cavalry with general  (Cav/Gen) and the two bases of elephants (El.).

What I like is that when you take a step back it does look more like a massed army than 15mm or 28mm figure ever can when playing DBA? I'm now working on the Polybian Roman opponents, very much a blade based army with some spears. That said I do still like the 15mm versions too and so I'm just about to start both Roman and Carthaginian armies in this scale too, simply because I love painting them!

Before I moved on I knew I had to do something about the 16 Hoplite mercenaries for the 15mm Late Persians because the bendy spears and awkward position made it really hard to rank them up properly and it was getting on my nerves. I bit the bullet and removed the spears before bending the arms down and forward, twisting the hands carefully with pliers in order to hold the replacement spears upright. A  tricky job but luckily no breakages and just some paint lost on the arms that was easily touched up. The replacement spears are from Arcane Scenery 50mm cut down to 35mm and complete with nicely shaped spear head. I just need to paint them now carefully and the result is I am so much happier with them. I will no doubt do a complete Hoplite army in the future as I'm enjoying doing ancients.

15mm figures by Essex Miniatures and 3mm figures by Magister Militum.

Well, I know the African Elephant was smaller than the Indian Elephant but......