Thanks guys. Very grateful for all the supportive comments along the road which has brought me, finally, to this point.
As long threatened, here are some pics of the whole bally lot plonked onto the tabletop!
To be clear, this isn’t a wargame in progress – I’ve just shamelessly deployed the collection onto the table for the eye candy
The figures are 90% Bicorne and Renegade ECW, with about 10% TAG. There’s a smattering of figures from Redoubt, Warlord, North Star, and Brigade amongst the supernumeraries.
60% of these figures are painted by yours truly, 25% by Baner, and 15% by Redzed. All the basing and flags by me.
About 60% of these figures were painted 10 years ago, the rest over the past six months – hence the resurrection in the title!
They’re all now organised into units of six or 12 for The Pikeman’s Lament, although I've amalgamated many of these smaller units for the purposes of cramming everything onto the board for these pics!
That’s 387 figures, 114 horses, six artillery pieces, and two wagons
(Mere peanuts by big battle Napoleonic collection standards, I appreciate. But quite a lot for little ol’ me
)
There’s a pretty equal split between Royalist and Parliamentarian, although a fair few units could be used on either side as the need arises.
The base boards are my own.
The luxurious hedges by the excellent Debris of War.
The K&M trees must be 40 years old - they have served me well!
The village buildings (just received!) are scratchbuilt by the even more excellent Oshiromodelterrain - except for the church which was scratchbuilt by Silent Invader.
The town buildings are by an assortment of about 10 different manufacturers, several of whom are no longer in existence.
Anyway, here goes…
A general view of the table from one end… The Royalists are defending the town. Parliament is advancing through the outlying farms and fields.
And from the other end…
By accident and some (partly subconscious) design, the Royalist forces are all blues, greens, white and pinks. The Parliamentarians all in reds, browns, yellows and orange. Just the way its panned out.
First of all, it’s important to set the mood with a few props, n'est ce pas?
Behind the Parliamentarian lines…
On the Parliamentarian left flank, Sir Melville Gibson’s shot, Lilburne’s Folorn Hope, and a frame gun start probing forward…
Lilburne’s shot form up in the lane, while Rainsborough’s shot wait to follow up into the line…
Never mind the impending battle. Still time for a chat with a local about the season’s honey yield…
Next along the line, Sir Hardress Waller’s yellowcoat pike and shot…
A slight contretemps between a ranter and a local clubman… His wife legs it...
Behind Waller’s regiment lurks Debden’s Troop of longcoat horse – a shifty crew of moss troopers and ne-er-do-wells…
Here you are, I’ve moved them round for a better view…
Next, forming the iron fist in the Parliamentarian centre, the massed ranks of Ironside horse, backed up by Okey’s dragoons…
Cromwell exhorts his troopers…
Lurking by the midden heap, Caleb Brewer’s storming party probes towards the centre of the Royalist lines…
Thomas Sheffield’s Horse and Sir Robert Pye’s Horse move up, urged on by a God-fearing preacher…
Nathaniel Crowe’s regiment of shot move up between Parliamentarian guns… A falconet and a saker.
On the Parliamentarian right, Sir Pewsey Gallivant’s orange-tawny regiment of pike and shot, and more of Sir Melville Gibson’s trained band, scampering amongst the cottages…
A look back along the Parliamentarian line…
Over to the other side…
On the extreme right of the Royalist line, Sir Ralph Hopton’s ‘blew’ regiment of horse, and his dragoons...
Behind them, Sir Lancelot’s Crawley’s ragbag troops of horse and dragoons, including a couple of stray lancers
To the left of Hopton’s position, Sir Richard Astley’s bluecoat pike and shot. (Never gonna give you up… )
Next to Astley's Bluecoats, two units of Sir Lucius Spoons’ Greencoat regiment of shot, and a frame gun overseen by a portly preening peacock…
In front of Spoons’ men, we find Sir Christopher Quarton’s Greencoat pike and his veteran folorn hope…
Which takes us to the centre of the Royalist line… Where the Royalist ladies watch confidently from the safety of the town as the scurrilous Parliamentarians probe forward…
Coming at it from the other end now…
The view along the Royalist line from their cavalry-heavy left wing…
On the extreme left: Prince Rupert and his lifeguard of horse, and next to them, the dashing Lady Lucinda Knightley, her otterhound, and her purple-coated troop of horse…
Then two units of Sir George Prettie’s lobsters…
And in support of them, Sir Marmaduke Fondling’s pinkcoat horse and dragoons…
Beside them, two units of Fondling’s pinkcoat shot, more guns, and The Marquess of Boscastle’s (just arrived!) whitecoat pike and shot...
Here we see the redoubtable whitecoats in position…
A bird’s eye view of the Royalist left…
And centre…
And that’s about it! Enjoy
(I’m actually playing a genuine game with some of this lot tomorrow, so there may yet be a few more pictures… )