Alexanders Companions

This is the final unit to finish my Basic Impetus Macedonian army, the mounted companions. These are a compulsory unit for Alexanders army, and a very strong unit in Impetus, but I can never bring myself to like the helmet. A bit part of the appeal for me of a Greek/Hellenistic army is the look of the Greek equipment. The linothorax armour is for me one of the iconic images of the classical era, the phrygian helmet is cool and the common image of a Greek helmet, the Corinthian with full vertical crest ( none of your Spartan transverse crest guff) is probably the coolest piece of military kit in the ancient world. The boetian helmet however looks like an up-turned soup bowl with none of the military menace of the Corinthian, its the bicycle helmet of the Greek world, soldiers only wearing it because their mum made them.

With Alexander at their head.



How the unit will look for Impetus

 I was pleased how the unit looked over all. The xystons are cut down pikes from Black Hat, the same ones I used for the foot companions, but with a bit taken off so they would not be overly long. They only have one point of contact, the hand, so they are not very secure. I went with the reverse of the colour scheme I used on the Prodromoi. I only realised when I was finished that I had used different colours on Alexanders base, so a quick repaint was called for. I used a P3 yellow called sulphuric yellow for the cloaks and horse fittings. I bought this paint a good while back on a whim and hadnt used it , but since starting the Macedonian army, it has seen more use than Sean Beans grim reaper loyalty card.

That is the army finished for Basic Impetus. I have one unit of pike left to do and a successor general painted but not based yet, so I can do Pyrrhic and successor armies with these figures. I will have to add Cataphracts and Argyraspids as well when finances allow, so I can do Later Selucid to face the Romans. When I have the last few elements done, I will post a few pics of the whole army laid out together. Next up after that is some GW Imperial guard.

Phil