Friday, January 23, 2015

Stuff for my Gallic DBA army

So my first DBA army is going to be II/11 Gallic Army 400-50BC. I already ordered the Italeri figures and am waiting for them to come so I can start painting them up. Of course, the Italeri set, while well-sculpted and life-like, contains only warband figures, so I will have to get at least another one or two sets to complete the army. I still need either chariots or cavalry, or both, as well as psiloi and camp followers. These sets: HaT Gallic Chariot, Italeri Celtic Cavalry, and HaT Gallic Command will more than complete my army - except for the psiloi. But it seems a trifle on the ridiculous side to buy a whole set just to get 2 figures!
So, anyway, for a DBA army you need a few things: either a camp, BUA (built-up area) or both, as well as a moving stick, wheel stick, and ZOC (zone of control) marker, which are all optional but helpful.
This is my BUA, the idea taken from the the Fanaticus resource page here. By the way, Fanaticus  is the best site for getting inspiration for DBA armies, terrain, and other pieces. Their galleries are full of great ideas and projects.
I made this BUA out of three pieces of cardboard glued together and sealed with filler. The stone wall was made from porous styrofoam stuff, also sealed with filler, and stuck full of toothpick halves. To make the palisade fences look like real logs, I carved the top of each toothpick and stuck the point end into the styrofoam. The huts were made from a towel paper roll. The thatch effect was made by covering the roofs with filler and using a toothpick to create lines in it.
 This is my ZOC marker. It was made from three pieces of Styrofoam glued onto two layers of cardboard. It was given a dark wash and then drybrushed to create the stony effect. I used a combination of static grass and flock on the base.

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