Grand Dreams in 15mm

As I getting back into painting thoughts naturally turn to projects done and projects yet to be finished.  The plan is that I will one day have enough painted 15mm figures to re-fight any of the scenarios in Phil Sabin's Lost Battles, Hydaspes and (perhaps) Cunaxa excepted.

Now is probably as good a time as any to take stock of where I am on that, and to think about the best painting strategy to take into the future.

Classical Greeks.  I need two Greek armies.  These I have purchased, but I may need to add more hoplites to this force eventually.  Only light troops painted. 15% done.

Persians.  I need a large Persian force. The figures for this I have also purchased.  Unpainted except for the horse archers, but there are 18 bases of them.  10% done.

Macedonians and Successor Kingdoms.  I really do need two pike armies.  I have one painted - the heavy infantry done by Fernando in Sri Lanka - and another purchased.  Another pike block and more cavalry needs to be painted up.  65% done.

Carthaginians.  I have enough Carthaginians for all my Second Punic War needs, though purely for vanity's sake I would like to get more of Hannibal's veterans in Roman armour.  95% done.

Spanish.  I need these as Second Punic War allies, for skirmishes amongst themselves, and for Sertorian battles.  Purchased and the rest are on the painting table now.  75% done.

Gauls.  I need Gauls for Sentinum, as Carthaginian allies, and for fighting Caesar..  Figures are purchased and mostly prepped but yet to be painted.  5% done.

Italian City States.  I need a smattering of these guys as allies and for Sentinum.  80% purchased, 60% painted.

Polybian Romans.  I need a large force of these guys, and have it.  Painted.  100% done, but I do have another army to build because, well, you can never have enough Polybian Romans!

Marian Romans.  I need two large armies so that I can do the civil wars of the late Republic and sundry examples of imperialist aggression.  Purchased and mostly painted after an ebay score.  They just need tidying up, another 140 infantry and 50 cavalry painted, and to be put into units and based.  70% done.

Parthians.  I have a small Parthian force to allow me to do Carrhae in half scale, but when I say small I do mean small - only 22 bases!  100% done, but these do double duty as horse archers for my Persians and cataphracts for my Successors, so calling them a separate army is cheating.

So, of the thirteen armies I need to finish this project, only five are currently tableworthy.  There is clearly much work to be done!

The first task is to finish off the Spanish.  After that I'd like to knock the Marians on the head as that will open up a whole new range of possibilities for civil war battles.  In doing those I'll have to paint up Gallic cavalry, so that will get me some way into the next project, which should probably be Gauls.

Then it will be time for the Successors, though I really enjoy Successor battles, so may bump some phalangites up the queue.  Ideally, I'd send this lot off to get painted as well, but conscience won't allow that at this time.

And there we are - that's the state of play in the 15mm ancients Mediterranean project.  The thing is that almost all the purchasing has been done.  Apart from some more hoplites and Italian troops, I've got pretty much all I need.

Now, if I could only get them painted...