Top brush master, Mr. Michael Lane has just finished some Kardaka hoplites, suitable essentially for only one battle, Issus in 333 BC. But it is a very famous battle and features in the glorious Alexander Mosaic found in Pompeii. Stare in wonder how our brush sensei describes the process.

After a seemingly interminable wait for my final set of decals, I have finished two 28mm units of Later Achaemaenid Persian Kardaka hoplites to use as part of Darius III’s Persian Army that fought Alexander the Great and his Macedonian Army at the Battle of Issos in November 333 BC. The figures are all from Wargames Foundry and have been awaiting the application of a paintbrush for twenty years or more.

The colour scheme is based on Duncan Head’s books, though in his book on the Achaemaenid Persian Army he (or his excellent illustrator) craftily shows only the reverse of the Kardaka shield. Unluckily for Duncan he was sat opposite me at the Society of Ancients Annual Dinner at this year’s Convention, so I naturally took the opportunity to ask him. 😇. He suggested something similar to Greek designs would suit so I chose mainly equine designs – Persians were a great horse people – and to allocate each unit a basic shield colour of red or white. These were Veni Vidi Vici shield decals which predominate among the figures I painted. I also saw that Little Big Man do actually supply decals for the Kardaka but only in 15mm scale. I ordered some as there are some smaller shields on some of the command figures. The command group in each unit therefore has more elaborate shield patterns than the common rankers – as indeed they should!

Thanks to Duncan for his books and his help when I cheekily almost spoilt his dinner!

Michael Lane

Paint advisor to the Cardiff Dice Studz

November 2024