Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Pikes, Muskets and Flouncy Shirts => Topic started by: Curt on May 23, 2017, 09:54:56 AM
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Hi All,
I've had a keen interest in the Italian Wars for quite a few years, but have always been a little intimidated by the seemingly impenetrable history along with the bewildering assortment of uniforms, armour and heraldry. Nonetheless, a couple of years ago I found my courage and took my first tentative steps in building an Italian Wars collection. So with this in mind, I thought I'd use this post as both a journal of my stop-and-start efforts and hopefully give some encouragement to others who may be thinking of getting into this wonderful period, but have been hesitant to do so.
First off, I'll quickly state that I'm definitely not an expert in this period. Nonetheless, I love to do research, and both the library (support your local library!) and the internet are terrific resources for information on the Italian Wars. So for a beginner wanting to get a handle on the history and colour of the period, I'd highly recommend the following sources:
- Thomas F. Arnold, 'The Renaissance at War'
- Michael E. Mallett, 'The Italian Wars 1495-1559: War, State and Society in Early Modern Europe'
- Michael E. Mallett, 'Mercenaries and their Masters: Warfare in Renaissance Italy'
- F.L. Taylor, 'The Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529'
- Blog: 'Camisado' http://camisado1500s.blogspot.ca/
- Blog: 'Je Lay Emprins' http://je-lay-emprins.blogspot.ca/
- Blog: 'Painting Landsknechts' http://paintinglandsknechts.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1
- Blog: the virtually unpronounceable 'Olicanalad's Games' http://olicanalad.blogspot.ca/
Okay, for my first post I have a unit of Landsknecht pikemen.
This unit is composed of around 50 figures mounted on six bases. The figures are an assortment of Wargames Foundry, Artizan, Perry Miniatures and Pro Gloria (now Warlord). The flags are from Pete's Flags and Flags of War.
The irregular shaped bases are of my own design and sourced by the good folks at Warbases. They were inspired by those from BigRedBat of 'To The Strongest' fame.
I came up with the clear acrylic platters as a way to allow players to more easily move units around the tabletop while saving both fingers (from pikemen) and pikemen (from fingers). :)
Well, that's my 'first volley' - I'll try to get some more units posted in the future. Thanks for visiting and I hope a few of you found some of the information helpful.
Cheers!
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Wow - love the figures and the basing is ingenious. Great work Curt.
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Not one to blow my own trumpet but have a look at my Landsknecht blog for tips and inspiration for painting;
http://paintinglandsknechts.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1 (http://paintinglandsknechts.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1)
Stuart
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Beautiful figures! And a great basing idea. Having the individual ones interlock must take a bit of planning.
It's also worth checking out J.R. Hale's "Artists and Warfare in the Rennaissance", it's a great resource.
best regards
Aris K.
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That unit is absolutely gorgeous!
-Michael
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Superb :-*
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An excellent assortiment of figures harmoniously put together! A real eye candy! Superb flags! Congrats for your genuine basing idea!
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All a work of art. Magnificent! :-*
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Superb 8)
www.gallopingmajorwargames.com
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Wonderful, the painting work, the bases, the terrain... :-* :-* :-*
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Thanks for the kind words everyone - it's very much appreciated.
@Stuart: Thank you for reminding me about your excellent Landsknecht blog (the problem with drafting a post at 3am is you have a tendency to slip on important details!). It's an absolutely terrific resource and I've amended my post to include it.
@ArisK: Thank you for the book suggestion, I'll definitely be checking that title out.
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Astonishing bases and the best idea for movement trays I've seen.
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It really is a feast for the eyes Curt. Wonderful work. I hope you'll add all your vignettes too 8)
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Look great very well done.
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Super thread, your work is amazing!! Look forward to seeing more. :)
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Brilliant
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Fantastic work on them! :o
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You are all that's great about our hobby, well done.
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Great stuff, what are the bases listed as with WarBases?? I would love to get some.
Thanks
William
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@William: I had them made as a special order, so they are not part of their regular stock. Nonetheless, they have the designs on file so you can ask Diane to replicate them for you (to your specifications).
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Awesome!! :o :o :o
Great inspiration, thanks for sharing!
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wow that is some amazing work. I love that huge base
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Amazing figures. Can't wait to see some more of your work.
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Hi Folks!
Here is the next addition to the force, a small band of Bolognese crossbowmen. We see them here, shooting from behind their pavise shields, while under fire from some opposing missile troops.
I chose Bologna for a couple reasons. The first was pure laziness: Bologna's heraldic crest, a red cross on white background, is relatively easy to do freehand (though I still could have done a cleaner job, it seems).
I also I appreciate what was Bolognese civil politics at the time. It seems that Bologna was the only Renaissance Italian city (and probably one of the few in Europe) who allowed women to excel in any chosen profession, even permitting them to attend the city's university. Also, Bologna was a center of the arts in its own right, with a residence of painters that rivalled that of Rome and Florence during the period. (BTW, In 1506 it was invaded and sacked by Papal armies, its art was stolen and its progressive civil liberties squashed - yet another tick-mark in the scorecard of enlightened organized religion...).
...and let's not forget that for many Bolognese sauce is itself something worthy to defend - perhaps to the last crossbow bolt. :)
These ten 28mm metal figures are from the Perry's 'European Wars' range while the pavises (pavisii?) are from their European Mercenaries box set.
For the stricken crossbowman I used a plastic Perry Napoleonic British casualty figure, shaved off the offending detail, gave him a breastplate made with a bit of green-stuff and then added a sallet helmet and crossbow. The city pennon is a repaint of one of the cutouts provided in the Perry box sets.
I often hot-glue a stump, boulder etc. at the back of my large bases to give players something to grip on to when moving them on the tabletop (if not using the clear acrylic movement platters).
Thanks for dropping by! I'll try to have a fresh update in a week or so.
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Nice additions! :-*
I meant to ask earlier, when it comes to using them in games, how do you remove single casualties?
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Thanks for your comment, Andym.
Regarding single figure removal: I don't do it. I played Warhammer/Warhammer Historical in the 90s and 00s and really disliked both the fussiness and aesthetic of figure removal. We've been using 'Black Powder' / 'Pike & Shotte' / 'Hail Caesar' for several years now, which I like as you simply have small/medium/large units and can just mark hits/disruptions with a small dice (or a roster sheet). This way the figures stay on the table until the unit itself is made combat ineffective. I know this method is not to everyone's liking, but since I spend a significant amount of time painting/basing my units I prefer seeing them on the tabletop for as long as possible.
I've tarted-up the dice mechanic by making casualty stands for all my units. I don't have any of my Italian Wars casualty markers photographed yet (I gotta get on that), but below are a few images of the ones I created for my Napoleonic collection for use with 'Black Powder'. This should give you an idea of what I'm getting at.
I hope this helps answer your question.
Curt
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That's cool 8) They're like mini dioramas! :-*
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Curt - great work on the crossbowmen!
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Thanks for the nod Simon, much appreciated.
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Wonderful stuff Curt!
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Great work, those units look stunning and it's good to see Bolognese sauce saved for future generations :)
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Thank you :)
I'm new to this period too, after wanting to do something for many years, so your work is inspiring.
I also use this for reference/inspiration too, and thought I'd share: http://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Italian%20Wars
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Great looking unit and fantastic basing!
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Thanks Chaps!
@LCpl McDoom: Excellent catch! James' blog is a great resource for Italian Wars (and other periods). I've added it to the list on the main page.
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Hello!
To mix things up from the past infantry posts, here is a unit of Gendarme heavy cavalry.
These are 28mm metal models from Eureka Miniatures. I found them to be very good figures, providing excellent examples of the bewildering variety of martial fashion and armour design found during the late fifteenth and sixteenth century. The figure packs come with a wide assortment of weapons, horses and plumage, so you can mix and match to your heart's content.
I armed this unit with the classic heavy cavalry lance (instead of sword and mace) as it seemed so iconic to the period. The stock lance that comes with the figures is quite nicely modelled, but since they've been cast in soft white metal, they're very prone to bending and so are difficult to keep straight.
So, with this in mind I clipped off the lance shafts, drilled-out the grips and replaced the lot with sharpened steel rods. It was a bit of a hassle, but I think it pays off in the end (and it allows me to petulantly poke my opponents if things don't go my way during a game). ::) I was planning to paint the lances in the classic 'barber-pole' fashion, but discovered that the painted lances were often reserved for parade events and tournaments, whereas the 'war lances' were typically raw, unfinished wood. This appealed to my sensibilities, as in my mind's eye I think that when one saw these guys arrayed with plain wood lances it would send a message that they weren't there to pick up ladies' hankerchiefs - they were there to get things sorted.
It's easy to think of gendarmes as being a uniquely French formation, but in fact most of the nations involved in the Italian Wars could draw upon heavy cavalry formations arrayed similarly (though the French were reported to have the edge in horses and experience). As such, I wanted to be able to 're-flag' the unit depending on the scenario. I unashamedly stole James Roach's brilliant idea of sleeving the flags so they can be easily swapped in and out. Basically this involves cutting a plastic or brass tube with which to wrap the flag around. Glue a finial on top to complete the ruse de guerre. The flagstaff itself is left bare at the top so the sleeved banners can simply be socketed on as required.
The banners are from Pete's Flags' excellent Italian Wars range.
As many gendarmes were of noble birth I thought it would be fun to tart up the bases with a pack of hunting hounds to add a bit more visual interest and reinforce the sense movement to the unit. I sourced the wolfhounds from Gripping Beast (I did a bit of reading on the subject of sporting dogs and indeed, there were French wolfhounds bred during the period).
The groundwork is the same autumnal theme that I've been using for my other Italian Wars units. Admittedly it's a bit over the top, but hey, it's Renaissance Italy, it should be a riot of colour. This all being said, I've been going through tufts and shrubs like crazy, so a resupply will be needed very soon...
To close off, here is a shot of some poor Bolognese crossbowmen about to serve as a speed-bump for a unit of papal heavy cavalry. Yeah, that's gonna hurt...
Thanks for dropping by! I hope to be back in a week or so with an update.
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Jawdropping! :o
Can't imagine these works of fine art manipulated by a wargamer's fingers!
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Very beautiful work Curt 8)
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Curt,
I've just come across this and, that lot are just stunning. I'm very jealous.
Unpronounceable blog name! Unpronounceable. ;) Olly-carna-lads-games. Olicana is the Roman name for Ilkley, where I live.
I'm glad to see someone else has chosen to use the alternate flagging system using small gauge tubing to keep the 'socket' intact over time. It makes sooo much sense to have as much interchangeable stuff as possible in this period of mercenary / un-uniformed units - I had a chat with Pete (of the flags) just the other day discussing how Landsknechts fought under the banners of their employer rather than the Imperial banners most often seen; flags they burnt at the end of a contract to formally end it, apparently.
Best Wishes
James
P.S. (not wishing to high jack this thread) McDoom, thanks for the blog plug. I haven't posted for quite some time due to being snowed under with painting commissions, writing and such. I've just recently finished some Italian Wars stuff of my own - a few pike and guns - and will post some pics soon.
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I am in awe of your talent, creativity and brushwork :o
I have periodically been tempted by the Italian wars given the intriguing campaign possibilities as well as the tremendous on-table visual appeal. However, I suspect your amazing work will be forever seared into my brain, to be remembered whenever I think of taking the plunge. I know the end result would be so disappointing in comparison that I would probably end up beating my efforts flat with a hammer. Time to accept I cannot have everything and am better off saving the time and money! :'(
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Fantastic Curt well done :-*
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Excellent work, it's an addictive period with so much variety
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Crafty idea, that one with the exchangeable flags.
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Stunning unit and the hounds really gives some additional visual impact.
Love the the flags idea, wish I'd thought of that a few years ago before painting so many different flag bearers for various periods!
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Curt - my pleasure, I should dig out some more links I've saved to see if any of them are useful to you. I love the bases - so much so that I'll confess I intend to steal the idea :) Everything else I've ever done in 28mm has been single-figure basing, so first time out for some diorama-style basing and this seems the perfect genre to do that.
James (Olicana) - again my pleasure to recommend you, your work and ideas (e.g., flags) have drawn me into this properly now, and I'm still slowly appreciating your HBL rules as well, as I think they really promote the period and will achieve the games I want for this. I look forward to seeing what else you come up with.
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Thanks very much for the kind words guys! I'm delighted you like them.
@olicana: Thanks for the great flag idea and for the interesting information on Landsknecht contracts. Nonetheless, one has to make use of all these lovely Landsknecht banners Pete is making! :) Perhaps I'll make my central banner bearer with a swapable flag for potential contract holders. :)
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Absolutely brilliant Curt - inspirational no less.
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Thanks very much for the kind words guys! I'm delighted you like them.
@olicana: Thanks for the great flag idea and for the interesting information on Landsknecht contracts. Nonetheless, one has to make use of all these lovely Landsknecht banners Pete is making! :) Perhaps I'll make my central banner bearer with a swapable flag for potential contract holders. :)
Indeed. In fact I'm about to use Pete's flags (I have always painted my own in the past for the Italian Wars) to speed up a rush addition to my collection for a big game I'm putting on for the League of Gentlemen Wargamers weekend in Scotland this November. It will be a dozen players fighting on an multi-table 'not to scale map' of Italy - a kind of Italian 'Kingmaker' board game made large. The table, if put together without gaps, will be about 18 feet wide at its widest (Milan - Venice) and about 30 feet long (Alps to Naples) - with one to three players taking the parts of the major combatant states (such as France, Spain, Papal State, Venice, Milan, Florence, etc.), each siding for France or Spain / Empire. With France and Spain off table and the other states able to switch sides no players should ever be 'out of the game'. Players will amass victory points (or lose them) over the two days of gaming: The one with most VP at the end, wins! I'm hoping to field 2000 - 2500 figures.
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Utterly, utterly brilliant!!!!
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Thanks very much chaps!
@ olicana: That game sounds absolutely brilliant. On a similar vein, I've been wanting to use Avalon Hill's 'Machiavelli' (Kingmaker for Italian Wars) for a campaign setting for our Italian Wars collections. Please post pics of your event after the dust settles. Also, what dates will that be? We'll be in the UK and Europe later this autumn as I want to take in Crisis in Antwerp.
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Indeed. In fact I'm about to use Pete's flags (I have always painted my own in the past for the Italian Wars) to speed up a rush addition to my collection for a big game I'm putting on for the League of Gentlemen Wargamers weekend in Scotland this November. It will be a dozen players fighting on an multi-table 'not to scale map' of Italy - a kind of Italian 'Kingmaker' board game made large. The table, if put together without gaps, will be about 18 feet wide at its widest (Milan - Venice) and about 30 feet long (Alps to Naples) - with one to three players taking the parts of the major combatant states (such as France, Spain, Papal State, Venice, Milan, Florence, etc.), each siding for France or Spain / Empire. With France and Spain off table and the other states able to switch sides no players should ever be 'out of the game'. Players will amass victory points (or lose them) over the two days of gaming: The one with most VP at the end, wins! I'm hoping to field 2000 - 2500 figures.
That certainly sounds like a destination game. I'd make a trip just to play in that.
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Wonderful Curt - love the figures, love the painting, love the interchangeable flags and also love the basing!!!
Great inspiration.
Simon
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Thank you very much Simon! That is very high praise coming from you. I'm honoured.
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Here are some Swiss mercenary halberdiers from the canton of Bern, marching along with their commander and a somewhat peckish mascot.
First up is a command stand featuring a huge (no, really, I mean HUGE) brown bear. Bern has a bear as part of its heraldry, and in one of the period manuscripts there is one depicted in battle, mauling some poor French chap (giving the Perry twins the inspiration to do this model). So being that it is a big, ferocious, wild animal I thought I'd add a doughty halberdier to help keep the big fella moving in the right direction.
The canton's banner is from Pete's Flags. It's a beautiful piece of work, being printed on tight-weave fabric. I inadvertently rubbed away some of the inkjet transfer when I was working with it so I had to retouch a bit of it with brush and paint. No worries at all and I still quite like it and look forward to using more of his flags in the future.
Next up is a unit of Bernese halberdiers.
All of these figures are Perry metals from their rather vaguely titled 'European Armies' range. These are fantastic models with loads of animation and character.
Again, I decided to go with Berne for no other reason than I had this great pot of orangey-red paint I wanted to try out and I knew the colour featured prominently in that canton's banners. Yup, completely lame, I know.
For the unit's banner I scanned one provided in the Perry boxed set, printed it off on decent quality paper, molded it to shape using diluted white glue and then repainted it using the same tones I used for the figures.
Finally, here is a group shot of the halberdiers, my recent Bolognese crossbowmen and the 'Bear of Bern' command stand.
Thanks for dropping by folks and have a great week!
Curt
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The bear stand is brilliant!
And I really like your method of picking units to paint, after all this is a hobby where we express ourselves freely.
best regards
Aris K.
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:-* :-* :-* :-*
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Outstanding units. And your basing really adds life to it all.
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More wonderful stuff.
Good to get your PM the other day.
James
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Nice units, and I like the flags. The bear stand is indeed outstanding.
-Michael
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Brilliant work indeed 8)
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These are all absolutely beautiful - really inspiring stuff.
Out of interest, did you cut those bases yourself, or is someone selling pre-cut ones with the irregular edges? Saw some Napoleonics pop up on Facebook with similar basing, and I'm in a copy cat mood.
Edit: ignore me. Just re-read your first post
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Impressive! I love seeing mass groups of miniatures from this period.
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Great looking Bernese!
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I hope these are useful to someone here, but I remembered I had a few maps saved - the original colour 'Machiavelli' map, then the parchment-colour map in a later (2nd?) edition of the same boardgame, and a history map scan I'd also found and saved.
I'm still loving the basing, and rolling that design style around in my head, contemplating ;)
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Thanks for all the kind words folks, the encouragement is very much appreciated.
LCPl McDoom: Wonderful maps! Thanks for for posting those. I have the 2nd Ed of 'Machiavelli' and have been thinking of using it as a campaign setting for our Italian Wars collections.
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Another Landsknecht unit for the Italian Wars roster. This time a it's a passel of handgunners.
I apologize for placing all the images at the bottom of the post, but Photobucket decided to become complete fascists with their image hosting service, so I had to upload these directly to the LAF.
The majority of these figures are from the venerable but excellent Wargames Foundy range, with the fellow laying down and feeling poorly sourced from Artizan Designs. A few slight mods here and there, but nothing too fancy. The banner is from Pete's Flags.
Like most of the units in my Italian Wars collection, I've done the groundwork in an autumnal theme (dunno why, I guess I just liked the punchy colours when I started). The whole group is mounted on a single irregular-edged base, made up for me by the good folks over at Warbases. It's approximately 180mm x 60mm. I often put in a large rock or stump at the rear of the base to give players something to grip on to when picking up the unit.
Thanks for dropping in, it's much appreciated. And to my fellow Canadians: Have a wonderful Canada (150) weekend!
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Nice choice of colours, and not too many on each figure, which is good to see.
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Nice choice of colours, and not too many on each figure, which is good to see.
Thanks James! As I'm sure you're aware with your impressive collection, it's easy to get carried away on these sartorial over-achievers. Great fun to paint though.
This reminds me, I have some figures to get to you... On that. :)
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A bit of an update on my project. Below is a unit of Spanish Rodeleros or Escudados. Translated as 'shield bearers', or simply shield-and-buckler men, they were an interesting troop type which saw brief prominence during the late 15th and early 16th century.
Though they had a short time of glory in Italy, Cortes' campaigns in the New World was largely made possible by having a host of rodeleros at his back.
This unit is made up of an assortment of 28mm figures from The Assault Group (TAG), Foundry and Eureka Miniatures. I really like the Spanish/Portugues conquistadors from Eureka. They have a great sense of spirit and animation - the commander exhorting his men, seen below in the center, is from the Eureka range.
The TAG castings were somewhat smaller than the rest, so I made a small rise for them running along the center of the base to serve as a crest, to help mask their slight statures.
Historically, these bravos probably wouldn't be carrying their own banner, but I like my units to have flags, so they've been gifted one from Pete's Flags to hoist in the breeze.
There you go! Thanks for visiting folks, I hope you have a great week!
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Love these. :-* :-*
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Really like these, you have such good use of colour on the figures. And the large bases really set them off so well.
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This thread is beautiful to watch and full of inspiring ideas.
Brilliant Curt !!
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Incredible looking units.I shall be keeping a close eye on this thread.
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Wonderful miniatures!
The metal armour and shields are so well done, impressive.
A.
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Love them and such an interesting basing method!
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This assorted mix of poses gives them such a movement and life!
And above all, the big base allows you to put them in non-symmetrical distance between them, which enhances the reality!
For the paintjob of all your collection, any word loses its value :o :-*
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I have started to use this basing style with the GIW variant for To the Strongest. It also seems to be a great way of protecting the figures.
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cant stop looking at these wonderful figures, i have plunged into getting some plastic landsknecht figs from warlord to start with, looking at yours i will be getting metal pikes as they look a lot better, keep up the good work as its truly inspirational
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Thanks for all the encouraging words everyone - It's very much appreciated!
@Leman: Yes, absolutely. The larger bases reduce the instances of accidents, allow tarting-up into little vignettes and they are super-quick to move on the tabletop.
@skip: The Warlord Landsknechts have their pikes modelled directly on the arm, so it will be a little bit of work to replace them with metal pikes. But they would look great!
Curt
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Hi All!
First, before I start, I wish to apologize in advance for having all the images at the bottom of the page. You see, I'm holding fast, refusing to pay Photobucket's ransom demands, so please bear with me until something better is found.
Below are two command stands that I completed a few months back. They are my renditions of the opposing commanders at the Battle of Pavia (1525), Francis I of France and Fernando d'Avalos of Spain.
Francis is seen here with his helmet under his arm, discussing the proposed dispositions of the French siege with one of his advisers, Montmorency, Marshal of France. The two men have recently arrived in front of the city and have placed a map of Pavia on a makeshift table made from a wagon wheel set on a tree stump. A pair of Francis' hunting dogs, Alaunts (a breed now sadly extinct), are at his side. His banner-bearer, bored out of his mind, stands at the rear, holding the Royal Standard. Francis' attendants have brought out a stool with a refreshment of wine in pewter goblets.
The figures of Francis, Montmorency and his standard bearer are from the very talented Oliver James over at Steel Fist Miniatures. These were part of a Kickstarter which I participated in a year or so ago.
The two Alaunts were sculpted by Steve May as a private commission for Simon over at je Lay Emprins, who kindly provided me with a couple sets (Thanks Simon!).
The tree stump, wagon wheel, stool, wine bottle and goblets I printed off on my 3D printer (I LOVE that thing).
Francis' brave banner is from Pete's Flags.
Next, we have a fierce Spaniard, Fernando d'Avalos, the victorious Imperial commander who defeated the French and whose forces captured Francis I at the Battle of Pavia.
The mounted figure is from Warlord Games, and while the casting itself is listed as being from their 'Wars of Religion' range, I thought he serves quite nicely as a early 16th century Spanish commander (I quite like his elegant soft cap, with its jaunty feather).
The dismounted knight at D'Avalos' side is from Steel Fist Miniatures. He is in full harness (probably shedding more than a few pounds, trying to keep up), wearing the distinctive conical 'kettle' helm often favoured by Spanish noblemen of the age.
The standard bearer is a venerable Wargames Foundy casting, holding a banner from Pete's Flags.
...and we have the same two Alaunts, who apparently will switch switch sides to whomever has the best treats (very fitting for the age, I think). ;)
Thanks for dropping in folks and have a great week!
Curt
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Stunning vignettes and wonderful armies you're building - nice to see the hounds painted up!
Simon.
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Lovely work as usual, Curt. Is the Francis I set available for sale to us hoi polloi as well ?
Re the Photofuckit issue, PostImage looks like a very good substitute :
http://postimg.org (http://postimg.org)
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Wonderful little vignettes.
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Beautiful work. Just amazing.
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Jaw dropping, as usual! :-* :-* :-*
Perfect paintjobs!
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Great stuff - I am a big fan of command vignettes.
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Brilliant! :-* Its one thing I love about this type of gaming, all the wee dioramas kicking about the battle field. Dioramas for command, dioramas for artillery and those wee special ones for that something different. I've seen ones of guys being hanged and field hospitals. It always makes for an interesting view at games days.
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Superb work!
I love how each vignette conveys a whole mood, static vs. mobile.
best regards
Aris K.
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Great work on this thread! Very epic units with a sense of drama
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I like how the two command stands are so different. The French are static, discussing plans whereas the Spanish are on the move, possibly following an attack.
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Thank you all very much for the kind words. It's a great encouragement.
@Simon: Cheers! And thanks so much for providing the hounds (I have a penchant for including dogs, whenever I can). They were a delight to work with.
@Arthur: Thanks for the PostImage tip - I'm going to check that out. To what are you referring to when you ask about the Francis I set? The figures are from Steel Fist, the dogs are from Simon over at je Lay Emprins and the rest of the bits I 3D printed.
@Steel fist: Oliver, lovely figures mate! You've got an amazing talent. I absolutely love working on these castings.
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To what are you referring to when you ask about the Francis I set? The figures are from Steel Fist, the dogs are from Simon over at je Lay Emprins and the rest of the bits I 3D printed.
I thought they were exclusive Kickstarter figures reserved for people who'd backed the project but I've found them on the Steel Fist website now.
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@Arthur: Yup, they're real beauties. Wonderful to work on.
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Excellent painting on those wonderful dioramas. The staging and lighting are great too.
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Excellent painting Curt
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Really nice job on the figures!
I'd have some questions if you don't mind. You use the Perry XVth century figures for the Italian War - don't they look old/outdated? I'm asking mostly because I'm looking to recreate the conflict in 1:72, where good pikemen are not too common for the period - using some Burgundian War Swiss would certainly help a lot.
Thanks in advance for the answer, and keep up the good work.
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Have a look at stuartsworkbench.blogspot.co.uk - Stuart uses green stuff to modify Perry figures to make them more suitable for the earlier Italian Wars. His work is particularly useful for producing English and French armies of 1513, but his techniques would also be applicable to Italians and Spanish at that time.
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@zirrian: Yes, you're absolutely right, they are a little early for the Italian Wars proper, but not by much - only 17 years separated the two periods (the wars in Burgundy ended in 1477 and the Italian Wars began in 1494). I freely admit, I'm not too much of a pendant on these matters, but I think military fashion (i.e. puff and slash sleeves, etc.) took a bit of time to filter through the ranks. Others may argue with me, but I'm fine with using them. :) This all being said, I agree with Leman's comment that Stuart's modifications are gorgeous and are a credit to the hobby, - just too time consuming for my butterfly attention span. lol
I will sin once again as my next submission uses Foundry 15C Swiss sculpted by the talented Dave Andrews. Yes, I'm completely shameless... ::)
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Well, just found this thread and I'm glad I did.
Great work and beautifully posed units and stands, truly inspirational (though I do 15mm....).
I see some rulesets were mentioned early on so what will you be using for this little lot?
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Smirnoff, thank you for the kind words.
We use a slightly modified version of 'Pike & Shotte'. It gives a nice, quickly flowing game which always seems to provide entertaining results. I don't have our mods directly at hand, but they benefit from James' good work available here:
http://olicanalad.blogspot.ca/2017/07/italian-wars-unit-characterisation-for.html
and here:
http://olicanalad.blogspot.ca/2017/06/battle-of-garigliano-river-29-december.html
I seem to remember that we also limit the Heavy Cavalry charge bonus to their first impact only due to the expenditure/shattering of their heavy lances. The fun thing with the rules is that they are very tweakable.
I hope this helps!
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Well, I accept your reasoning, and as I don't really want to make another two armies to play the Burgundian wars, I think I'll take my Swiss and maybe convert them a bit to serve as mercs a couple of years later.
Thanks for the answer!
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Superbly painted models & vignettes!
Following. :)
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Some great stuff here! As an reenactor of early 16th century it warms my heart.
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(https://s20.postimg.org/6zo7zmn0d/IMG_7467.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Here is another unit recently added to my Italian Wars collection. This time out we have a mob of Swiss pikemen from the cantons of Bern, Appenzell and Solothurn.
Usually I prefer to paint my own figures, but I’m a relatively slow painter and I wanted to get this collection to a playable state sooner rather than later, so I've enlisted some help from a few pals from around the globe to assist me in moving this project along. Those who come back later will see some of the other work I've received from friends along with more of my own efforts.
(https://s20.postimg.org/t04kg95od/IMG_7474.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
The majority of figures from this unit were commissioned from the very talented John over at 'Jacksarge Brushes & Battles'. As I enjoy doing the composition, banners, pikes and basework, I had John focus on painting the figures and I took care of the rest. I just added a wash here and there and a few spot highlights so they better blended with the rest of my collection - I'm very pleased with how they turned out.
(https://s20.postimg.org/9shfjnnct/IMG_7460.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
These figures are Dave Andrews sculpts from Wargames Foundry. While they may be a little long-in-the-tooth I find that they are really lovely castings; nicely proportioned and conveying a wonderful sense of movement. Being designed for the Burgundian period they are perhaps a bit early for the Italian Wars, but I reason that only 17 years separated the two periods and the charm of the figures outweighs the sin of being somewhat sartorially old-fashioned.
(https://s20.postimg.org/i6x27qoe5/IMG_7464.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
To be honest after my previous Landsknecht pike unit I wasn't really keen on doing another formation in a charging pose as they are complete swine to base and take up about twice the space as a regular unit, but I couldn't help myself when I came across these models while browsing the WF catalogue. Oh well, I reason that these levelled-pike units can be used to denote veteran or particularly large-sized units so I'm happy with having a few in the collection.
(https://s20.postimg.org/51hk1muil/IMG_7491.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Not happy to leave well enough alone, I painted up a few more models to help round-out the unit. There's a standard bearer buried in there that's mine, along with the horn player in the rear rank, the mounted hauptmann overseeing the lads and the poor landsknecht out in front, having a little lay-down.
(https://s20.postimg.org/wasxg4vlp/IMG_7444.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
(https://s20.postimg.org/sbr4jkhkt/IMG_7448.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
(https://s20.postimg.org/ghnyzo8ot/IMG_7482.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
The banners are a mix from Pete's Flags and a few resized from the Perry boxed Mercenary plastic set.
(https://s20.postimg.org/fd33ls0zh/IMG_7476.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
In this last shot you see the pikeblock being screened by a unit of Bernese halberdiers I painted previously, and led-in by their somewhat peckish mascot, 'Daisy'.
(https://s20.postimg.org/p6b473ocd/IMG_7501.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Thanks to John for the great collaboration on this unit - it was a lot of fun to work on.
Thank you for dropping by folks – I hope you all have great day!
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super animation to your vignettes, love it, all your figures together must make a realistic looking battle
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Excellent stuff
I would be great to see all the units arrayed in battle formation
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:o
I particularly like your realistic basing of the formation it really conveys a mass of men well.
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Agreed, the basing style is superb.
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Gaming gems, one after another :-* :-* :-*
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Another great unit. This project is coming on in leaps and bounds. Keep it up, please.
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Beautiful & great functionality.
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That's definitely determined me for a rebase - nowhere near enough chaps in my units.
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Fantastic! This topic is pure gold. Love the bases and the painting you've done to miniatures. I especially like those Spanish rodoleros, those are some amazing figures. Premium stuff!
I myself just starting doing Italian Wars, @Curt, and I must say it's been a wonderful project thus far. Also, I've been reading the book you mentioned at the beginning of this topic 'The Italian Wars 1494-1559: War, State and Society in Early Modern Europe'. Very informative and useful to get a sense of what type of period we're working on. That to me is really valuable to know, as I myself took the project from another angle and created an alternative timeline in which after the War of Cognac, the 7th Italian War, the whole of Europe (except for the Papal States and Tudor England), turn their swords against Charles V and try to take back the lost lands to him. It's fascinating tale to be egaged with and your work has proven to be all the more motivating. Thank you, cheers, Curt!
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I would also recommend (if you can find a copy) The Art of War in Italy 1494-1529 by F L Taylor. Although written in 1920 it is an absolute mine of information on the weapons and tactics of the time and concludes with an in-depth study of the Battle of Ravenna 1512. It has been reprinted a number of times over the years - my copy being published by Greenwood press in 1973, but it has certainly been reprinted since then.
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Thanks for the encouraging words chaps!
@Siegfried: I'm delighted you're enjoying the thread and are having fun with your new project - your alternate 'what-if' timeline sounds very interesting and should provide rich inspiration for gaming.
@Leman: Great book suggestion. I'll pop that recommended title on the first page's biography listing and start looking for a copy for myself. :)
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I would also recommend (if you can find a copy) The Art of War in Italy 1494-1529 by F L Taylor.
You can get that one for free via archive.org: https://archive.org/details/artofwarinitaly100taylrich (https://archive.org/details/artofwarinitaly100taylrich) . I read it a few years back and it is a good suggestion.
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Books in English have always been few and far between. I have these - list with a few notes:
https://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/my-16th-century-book-list.html (https://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/my-16th-century-book-list.html)
The Taylor book is a good one.
Hope that's of use,
James
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That's a great resource, thanks James!
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Thanks @Curt! I'll try to post some pictures and let you know how it all goes.
As for the books, I thank you, @Leman and @Olicana for those great recommendations. That list of material you shared with us, Oli, is simply pure gold. Now I'll have goodness to fill my free time with. The one written by Taylor, 'The Art of War in Italy' is particularly easy to find on the web, just like Aaron mentioned it's on Archive site. It certainly is a life-saver for me, as it has most of the information I was curious about when I first started this project. From the armies' composition to the various tactics in deployment used by the generals at the time, it's truly the goldmine you decribed it to be. Can't wait to get it printed and start reading it! Thank you once again, chaps! I wish to all of you the best.
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Marvellous thing the web. When I ordered my copy of Taylor, in 1978, from a now extinct bookshop in Liverpool, I had to wait for it to arrive from the US.
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Well there you go; that's the Mallett and Shaw book ordered. Many thanks Oli.
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Just been tipped off about this masterclass in imagination, creativity and all round brilliance. Superb! Thanks for sharing
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(https://s20.postimg.org/hexxkxa7x/IMG_1911.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Here is an example of an early heavy rifled musket, often called a 'Handbuchse' or 'Doppelhaken' or 'Springald', etc. These light carriage guns were often too cumbersome and slow for field engagements, but would be utilized during sieges, presumably to pick off opponents at long range and make a general nuisance of themselves. I had the pleasure to see a few examples of these weapons on display at both Les Invalides in Paris and the Musée de l'Empéri in Salon-de-Provence during a recent trip and marveled at the size of them. They must have been absolute brutes to use with any accuracy - the risks of being on the cusp of cutting edge technology, I suppose.
(https://s20.postimg.org/gqp31zbi5/IMG_1949.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
These figures are a mix from both Warlord Games and the now defunct Pro Gloria Miniatures (Warlord bought the range a few years ago).
I recruited a Master Gunner from Warlord's Pike & Shotte range and re-purposed him for this vignette as I liked his pose.
(https://s20.postimg.org/z51yidczh/master_gunner_green.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
He has a fun technician/alchemist air about him.
I imagine him as a Spanish mercenary gunner in Imperial pay who has dropped by to help his German friends sight their 'silly Teutonic popgun'. His clothing is a little late for Italian Wars, but its a conceit I can live with (He's a trendsetter, folks! Hot off the Madrid catwalk.).
(https://s20.postimg.org/qpa1ogkxp/IMG_1935.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
The two Landsknecht and the light gun are pretty much stock from the kit, except for a little bit of careful bending and re-positioning to better fit the vignette.
(https://s20.postimg.org/4em6ohnnh/IMG_1953_1.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
(https://s20.postimg.org/4del7hb0d/IMG_0105.jpg) (https://postimg.org/image/657k2dud5/)
Thanks for dropping by folks - Have a great week!
Curt
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Hi there love your work hope to see more
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Loving that work as well. On another good note, I've heard that Simon Chick is taking over Steelfist Miniatures so production will continue and expand.
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Here is an example of an early heavy rifled musket, often called a 'Handbuchse' or 'Doppelhaken' or 'Springald', etc.
What an absolutely beautiful vignette! The figures, the painting and the basing are all just amazing. :-*
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Damn. I want one now.
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Thanks for the kind words folks, they're very much appreciated.
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That is: Very, Very Nice! :-*
I keep meaning to pick up half a dozen of those heavy arquebus pieces, especially for Marignano scenarios (where they employed hundreds of them). Of course, when I say meaning to pick up, I mean it in the same way as I mean to pick up some moulding rubber so that I can drop cast the war cart I made for Ravenna scenarios back in 2011 - ho hum, so much to do, so little time.
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B4_tsoeQmNo/Ttk1K1nMshI/AAAAAAAADjI/yLdaCnMbY_g/s200/IMG_5913.JPG)
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And that is a terrific war cart. You should get it in production as there is a gap in the market for it.
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@Olicana: Yes, I'd be up for one or two of those lovely carts. Great work!
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(https://s20.postimg.org/l3bnp7kj1/IMG_0080.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
I've returned to my Italian Wars project to add a bit of artillery support to the collection.
(https://s20.postimg.org/y7h81w4v1/IMG_0115_1.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
This is a German-crewed culverin (or bombard?) mounted on a adjustable split-tail carriage. In modern terms this is not a particularly large gun, but to those living in the 16th century this would have been quite an impressive piece of artillery. (With it probably being near as much a danger to its crew as it was to their intended targets.)
(https://s20.postimg.org/cl27kvtfx/IMG_0062.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
The figures are from Redoubt Enterprises and while they are a bit ill-formed and perhaps a tad lumpish, I find they have a certain charm about them and they posses a wonderful dynamism, especially in how their various poses convey a sense of movement. These fellows really reinforce the idea of them frantically trying to realign their gun while in the midst of combat.
(https://s20.postimg.org/nxet2nuf1/IMG_0124.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
I tried to match the groundwork to the rest of my bases, which are all autumnal, so a wide assortment of brown foliage, late blooms and a generous carpet of fallen leaves are all there. If it weren't for the big freakin' gun and its boorish crew of beer-swilling Landsknechts, perhaps it would be a nice place for a quiet repast with a bottle of Chianti, a loaf of fresh bread and a plate of prosciutto. Ah, bellissimo!
Have a great day everyone!
Curt
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Very nicely done - lovely piece. I'd completely forgotten about the Redoubt range and this model.
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That’s a splendid vignette Curt :-*
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Splendid! Impressive! A vignette very well done! Gongrats!
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Storytelling at its best! As well as the great PJ, the groundwork is amazing! :o
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Is the two-tone gun carriage based on a contemporary picture? I like the look of it.
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@FierceKitty: Sorry for the delay in responding. While the carriage colour is conjectural, it is based on period evidence suggesting that it was not uncommon for weapon furniture to be painted. The 1512 'Zeugbuecher', the 'Book of Arms' of Maximilian I has several images of carriages and other weapons painted in Imperial colours. Also, there are several documented instances of handguns being painted as well, so it's not beyond the pale.
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(https://s20.postimg.org/4xulyg999/IMG_0402.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Here's a vignette that I've been wishing to do ever since I began my Italian Wars project a few years ago: a Swiss alphorn player calling out to his reisläufer camarades.
A very unique instrument, the alphorn has its roots extending back to antiquity, with theories believing that it originated with the lituus war horn from the Etruscan period. Early medieval alpine myths frequently refer to the horn being used as a signalling device between mountain villages, while the first documented reference of the word 'alphorn' is in a 1527 account book of a Cistercian abby, where an alphorn player was paid two Batzen for his playing (or perhaps to stop). ;)
(https://s20.postimg.org/ierkhc6q5/IMG_0406.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
So with this in mind, I've extrapolated that if the alphorn was a fairly common instrument amongst the Swiss from at least the early medieval period, one could conjecture that they would have used them in their military campaigns, for signalling purposes and, like the highland pipes, to raise the morale of their fighting men.
(https://s20.postimg.org/84p5i394t/IMG_0410.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
As there are no alphorn figures in the market (a shocking oversight, I know) I made my own by bisecting the torso of a Perry Swiss musician, removed his existing instrument, and reposed him (aided with a liberal amount of wire and green stuff) to accept his 10 foot alphorn.
(https://s20.postimg.org/jh1r05crh/photo_2-2.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
The alphorn itself was made from a length of plastic rod with greenstuff wrapped around it and then sanded to shape.
(https://s20.postimg.org/vix4u0jcd/IMG_0394.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
For a bit of fun, I've accompanied the alphornist in a somewhat mismatched duet with a Landsknecht flautist, while a few onlookers are taking in the concert, enjoying a refreshment.
Thanks for dropping in!
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Wonderful vignette. :-* :-*
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Wonderful vignette. :-* :-*
Well thought, well set up and perfectly painted, a wonderful piece! Many congrats!
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lol lol that’s genius! Very nice indeed :)
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Absolutely brilliant Curt. Love it :-*
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wow, a really nice vignette!
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The whole thread is magnificent, I am in awe of your skill.
Best
Ben
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Oh yes, I love that Alphorn too :-*
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Absolutly wonderfull thread...makes me want to dig out my Italian Wars stuff....:)
The alphorn is a fantastc idea... :-*
Thanx,
Don
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No Renaissance wargames army should be without one of these alphorns (not sure how I'm going to work it into my 1513 Henry VIII army, but I'm sure something will come to me - a group of wandering minstrels perhaps.....).
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Lovely idea, but I think the flautist is going to rupture his lungs trying to be heard at horn-appropriate distances.
I take it that Hornblower has won the affections of the waitress, who is dropping him a hint with a free drink? If so, is this the origin of the epithet horny?
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She seems to be plying the crossbowman with drink - possibly in the hope that he will shoot one or other of them and make them shut up?
I wonder if there is a Swiss equivalent of the old British saying: "A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the bagpipes....but never does."
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Fantastic stuff. Hate to put a grain of salt into the candy, but the flag on your first unit with the Spanish Pillars of Gibraltar and the Imperial eagle combines milk and oil. No Imperial or Spanish unit would bear the emblem of the other side. Their only connection was the Burgundian Duke becoming Spanish King becoming Emperor. While both side used the Burgundian cross, neither used others side symbols (and violent incidents between both sides were common).
Whenever I see that Flag, it shouts "wrong" to me - like a Soviet unit in WW2 using the Stars & Bars (or Union Jack) on their Red Banner. I have no idea who has created that flag ...
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Thanks for the kinds comments folks, it's very much appreciated.
@puster: Thank you for your information on the banners - that's interesting to know. If you had read the post that the images were attached to you would have discovered that the flags come from either 'Pete's Flags' or 'Flags of War'. I can't recall which vendor produced that flag, but if you have a problem with the accuracy of this product I suggest taking it up with whichever one of them created it (it'll be on one of their websites). Otherwise, this heraldic sin does not bother me or my gaming group's sensibilities, nor does it mar the enjoyment of our games. Pearls before swine I guess. :)
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The Imperial Eagle and Pillars feature on Charles V’s Coat of Arms;
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As mentioned in the Osprey Landsknechts book, I took this with a pinch of salt so looked for original woodcuts as above
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Its true that Charles - as both Kind of Spain and Emperor - had both symbols in his personal arms. There is even a small Spanish town that uses these, in reference to Charles personal arms, but that has no bearing on their usage by 16th century units.
In my research I never found a depiction of pillars (or any other Spanish emblem) on any Landsknechts flag, nor can I imagine that any Spanish unit would ever bear the Imperial eagle. Both were allied by their allegiance to Charles, but apart from that there was a lot of ongoing rivalry with several bloody incidents.
I would be (really) glad on any information to the contrary (regarding arms and emblems), though.
Alas, that flag even made it into the plastic set of Warlord Games. Which, on the other side, kind of fits...
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That’s the thing with Osprey books, they’re a great resource but they can sometimes set off a trend.
One wonders whether the source for the banner in there is conjectural from woodcuts such as those above or if there are also other (overlooked or not mentioned) sources showing such a banner in a unit. It doesn’t however automatically mean that it did not feature and there’s some reason to it so who knows ?
The other habit of tearing banners st the end of a campaign hasn’t helped us either ! Why did they do that ?
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And this, purporting to be from a set of 1932 postcards, purports to depict a personal standard of Charles V :
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/1932-Historic-Flag-Card-Standard-of-Charles-V-Holy-Roman-Emperor-/352253866852?hash=item5203f77364
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Having viewed and read the above and having had a look at some of the visual sources I think it's reasonable to assume a banner with the Imperial eagle between the pillars of Hercules would likely be carried. Possibly not by a unit of Landsknechts but by someone who looked like one and mebbee only when the emperor was present.
There at least three portraits I've seen that look like this: (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-asG7maPKc4k/WoCaPqn8C1I/AAAAAAAABng/OZypRix8yuMECO_P5Q41o7rO5VwtOQligCLcBGAs/s1600/charles%2Bv%2Bpillar%2B2.jpg)
Charles V had it on his tent: (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8rG6LZ2bCKw/WoCaic0ajtI/AAAAAAAABnk/dAtL6F9nLigujUNyo-M67Am4LAHCsRz_gCLcBGAs/s1600/chrles%2Bv%2Bpillars.jpg)
and there's this image from the Battle of Pavia tapestries that puts a spanner in the works as has a banner with the Imperial eagle followed by the tinderbox and St Andrews cross of Burgundy within the pillars of Hercules (left hand top corner): (https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbO1ONpxV-M/WoCa38u5YSI/AAAAAAAABns/rBmaDUDMqhkZGar2TUIz2FGW0mcGPboyACLcBGAs/s1600/imperial%2Bflag.jpg)
My personal view is Renaissance princes never lost an opportunity for self promotion and if they could do it they would, cheers Pete
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Good research there.
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Having viewed and read the above and having had a look at some of the visual sources I think it's reasonable to assume a banner with the Imperial eagle between the pillars of Hercules would likely be carried. Possibly not by a unit of Landsknechts but by someone who looked like one and mebbee only when the emperor was present.
I assume that a unit bearing his personal emblem would be directly attached to Charles. I have, however, not heard of any guard infantry units, and he rarely was present in the field. The Vienna campaign of 1532 (without battle), Tunis 1535 or the Schmalkaldian war could be candidates (though for the latter two the unit on the front page is a bit on the early side). It probably would make a good flag for a command group, though.
EDIT: Perhaps we can assume that this particular bunch of Landsknechts was recruited in the (then) Imperial city of Besancon?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Besan%C3%A7on
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EDIT: Perhaps we can assume that this particular bunch of Landsknechts was recruited in the (then) Imperial city of Besancon?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Besan%C3%A7on
Good call! Perfect justification for it. ;)
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(Jolts awake from his stupor.)
'The Landsknechts of Besancon'. That's gotta nice ring to it. So, we're all happy then? Brilliant. Well, I'm glad that's all cleared up.
We'll move right along, just give me a moment to finish gluing some pretty imperial eagles on my British line standards... :)