With the Akkadian army now tweaked to fit in with the latest lists (i.e. with the new, slimline infantry units) I decided to go through all my armies checking that I had everything that I could need.

First pause for purchase were the Assyrians: I have all the core troops but could do with some more light archer units as the one that I had was almost certainly not enough.

Most of the existing Assyrians are from Essex, so it was off to their website I went to get some more. After all, as the madaxeman says on his blog:

Essex have a vast range of 15mm figures in all periods and are often seen as the "baseline" for all other manufacturers - whatever army you are looking to buy Essex will have a figure range for it, and the decision you need to make is "can I find any manufacturer of figures I like better than those from Essex?" (or maybe "everyone will have these Essex figures - I want my stuff to look different as it will then give the impression that I have a personality of my own!"). IMO their figures are always to a good standard, take paint nicely but are sometimes accused of lacking a little in "personality" or animation. Very good consistency and compatibility throughout the entire range.

Wise words!

Essex also have excellent service: I ordered on a Saturday and by Tuesday the figures were sitting on the painting table ready for a bit of attention.