WotR WIP - unit of light cavalry added (21/1/13)

[Silent Invader]

After asking lots of questions and receiving very helpful answers I've started painting my first warband.

With painting just started I wanted to be sure that I'm not way off the mark in terms of livery colours and comments would be appreciated.

This is an entirely fictitious colour scheme using Vallejo Prussian Blue and GW Scab Red for a West Ham scheme that became more washed out when adding white for highlighting.  The first warband is an experienced group who are well-funded and so I've gone for a 'uniform' look.



As it happens, this 'warband' will be the prominent component of my army, being led by the Lord's son with and wearing the same colours as the Lord's own personal retinue. To give you some idea of the composition*:



I've mostly gone for the "no one knows so do what amuses you" (I paraphrase ) approach but I still want to be historical rather than Warhammer (if you know what I mean  ).

One thing I'm not sure about is banners.... I've read that livery colours didn't match coats-of-arms but would I be wrong to use my livery colours for the flags?  

Cheers

*PS: Those who know me won't be surprised that the 250-mini army has been organised via spreadsheet and is bagged-up into the respective units and awaiting assembly!  

[JollyBob]

Its certainly striking. 

I'm not sure I would have done the whole figure in livery that bold, just jackets or trousers depending on what they were wearing, but I can see where you are coming from with the "wealthy, fully uniformed" look. Once the other details are in to break it up it'll look fabtastical.

Regarding the banners - from what I've seen, they didn't necessarily match liveries, but some did and some didn't and I have taken my own liveries from the main colours of the banners because it looks nice to me on the tabletop. I think it's another "see what looks best and go with that cos nobody has a definite answer" moment.

Nice work so far, mate. 

[Mr.J]

Very nice. I have a box but never get around to doing anything with them. Yours look like they've got off to a great start.

[Malamute]

Great stuff Steve.

[Dan]

Nice work so far, but baby blue and pink? Not sure I'd want to field an army looking like that. Maybe some stripes in a darker shade would tone them down a bit.

[Captain Blood]

Some very nice figure builds there, Steve, and some bits and pieces of conversion too 

I do agree though, that the pinky-blue is coming up a wee bit pale for the true Hammers claret-and-blue look...
Maybe start with a slightly darker basecoat so your top coat isn't quite so pale?
It is very hard to get right. I've been painting some figures this morning, and it's almost irresistible to hold back from adding just one more highlight, then another one... And before you know it, you've ended up with a much lighter shade than you meant to... 

Glad to see you giving full rein to your OCD though, having precisely spreadsheeted every tiny detail of the entire project in advance
That's the spirit - like so many other things in life: the anticipation is every bit as rewarding as the fulfillment! (If not more so)

[Arlequín]

One of the Grey family iirc (Anthony?) used pink as one of his livery colours (The other was 'ermine' I think. He was a major show off at jousts though, so had an 'image' to present... his badge was a unicorn). Let's face it, by 1475 all the most obvious combinations had been done to death. Sons/brothers often had their own livery colours too, which I'd imagine would be more likely if they held land in their own right. The Earl of Arundel and his son, Lord Maltravers did, as did the Bourchiers and a couple of others that slip my mind.

Personally I'd have gone for a darker blue and confined livery colours to the jacket, or alternated the hose colours to the opposite of the jacket, but that's just me.

Some nobles did use their coat of arms as livery colours, some didn't. Badges could be based on items appearing as part of the coat of arms or sometimes not. You were associated with your badges back then, more so than your coat of arms (which were quite complex designs by the 15th Century), so 'manly devices' were favourites. Being nicknamed 'Hammers' would be ok.. but I imagine nobody chose daisies or pansies much as the chief design.

Looking good though!

 


P.S. I too 'over-plan' (sounds better than obsessive). Organising figures pre-paint several times is usual for me, but haven't progressed to spreadsheets (yet). Sometimes prominent figures have a background created before they are undercoated.

 

[Bugsda]

The claret colour is easy to go overboard with, I'd stear well clear of adding white.

I add a tiny bit of flesh or plaka vermilion for the highlight.

[janner]

Nice work so far, but baby blue and pink? Not sure I'd want to field an army looking like that. Maybe some stripes in a darker shade would tone them down a bit.

Obviously the WotR had the drop on 18th Century Cav...

[Captain Blood]

I've got most of the metal minis but (HORROR!  ) I've found I prefer working with the plastics as they go together very well indeed.

My experience exactly 
(Reinforced by the fact that the casting on some of the metal range is frankly awful...  )

[janner]

My experience exactly 
(Reinforced by the fact that the casting on some of the metal range is frankly awful...  )

Yeah, casting is the Perry's achilles heel and it's not as if they are old moulds

[valleyboy]

They look quite striking but surely if they are painted in West Ham colours you have to wonder if they'll ever win anything

[Paul]

Great colours...I like it..more!! 

[Phil Robinson]

Yeah, casting is the Perry's achilles heel and it's not as if they are old moulds

I would say they probably need a new caster, but having said that the Perry stlye is quite angular and fine I have always thought and must be a bugger to mould up and cast.

Nice colour combo on the livery, but I would make them a little less "powdery" I keep thinking of two tone babygrows

[OSHIROmodels]

Looking good  though I might pick out the faces a bit more (highlight on the cheeks, nose and chin etc  ).

cheers

James