Elven Peltasts ~ What?

This is a little conversion that I've been thinking about for a while. I've read The Silmarillion often and it always makes me think of ancient history and the battles make me think of ancient battles. Not Dark Ages or Medieval - Ancient. Last year I was painting and listening to the Silmarillion audiobook and I heard the words: "Elven phalanx." That really got me thinking...

So sticking with that train of thought I decided to make some Elven Peltasts. It's a unit I've never seen before and I thought I might be interesting. But... How to make them?

I decided to use the Oathmark Light Elf Infantry. I had a few sprues and thought it will keep them thematically in line with the rest of my elf army.

I had some round shields in my bits box and found that the spear arms of the Oathmark Heavy Elf infantry would work too. I just cut the arms off at the edge of the glove. and glued them onto the light infantry arms. I also used some of the short swords on the elf sprues and some swords from the Fireforge Sergeants in my bits box. 

The javelins are the shaft of the heavy elf spears but I cut off the spear blade, shortened the shaft and cut the lance heads off some Warlord Napoleonic French Lancers (you can see them in the background) which I glued onto the spear shaft.

I wasn't sure about a colour scheme. I didn't want them in deep forest greens or standard elfish blues and white. I opted for a stone-green with dark purple trim and a blue-black cloak. The shields are pretty garish and boring but I wanted to get the figures painted and I can always change them later.

So there they are. A new elvish peltast unit already in the line of battle and waiting to take part in the next test game of my rules. (I might even have a second unit by the time that happens.)

P.S. I was going to call them Elevn Theurophoroi and really screw around with peoples' perceptions of how fantasy should be.