15mm Essex Hoplite Refurbishment (WIP)

Once upon a time, when my wargaming interests finally expanded outside the Twentieth Century World Wars, it came to pass I had to [just had to] try and paint an ancient Greek DBA(ish) army - knowing not quite what even a hoplite was. As it was in those days I picked up a few random packets of Essex miniatures at a wargames show and "experimented" (see below, please note how unashamedly naively I mixed up my Ancient Greek and Macedonian painting schemes - I owned not one Osprey at this point [don't tell the wife that as she would say "happy days"]):  

 

Note !the horrid stylised throwing posture of the spear", in fact the spear is an infeasibly large trunk of a spear (yuk), the inadvertent 'bendiness" of the spear after the first handling of it on a wargames table (it was never ever straight again) was hated and then there was small matter of the shield - you either had basic hand painted symbol or simple decal shield designs [no Little Big Man works of art here]]. I cursed these figures as I superglued the spears onto their tiny little hands (and off they came and on they were put again ... etc ... )! I also made the classic rookie mistake of basing them first, undercoated them and then tried to paint them - awkward .. but eventually they were finished and even flocked. But I hated them and only used them as matters of last resort as I moved onto other figure ranges .. I think it was the chunky spears I hated. About a dozen times I think I came close to throwing them out (see below, some twenty years later I decided a quick change of spear to the wire, like I had used for the Xyston boys may, just may, rejuvenate them - with little sense of expectation I started the renovation): 

Instantly they "felt" (or rather 'looked') better. The eye was not drawn to the horrific spear, The un-Greek blue and green colour schemes and ugly shield decals were over-painted with Airfix Acrylic primer and with old hands but better skills new Vallejo paint licked their surfaces (see above and below, they suddenly looked half decent - so "washes" were applied and highlights made):   

Although a little touching up is still required - I think the shields will get a free-hand basic symbol - they are "wargames table passable" to my eyes (see below, they will certainly do as "filler" hoplites for me .. in service of Greek .. Macedonian .. Persian "overlords" [delete as applicable]):  

In total I have nine stands of Essex hoplites and the throwing out of the old Essex spear for new brass wire IMHO has given them all a new least of life!