Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Medieval Adventures => Topic started by: Old Hob on January 24, 2023, 01:28:11 PM
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Hi folks. This one's been a bit of a slow burner. Essentially, I'm a bit pushed for space at home, so if I want to play a massed battle game at 28mm I need to drive over to my mate's (which does have the advantage of him also owning loads of lovely scenery). So the object here is to paint up a couple of early medieval armies at a smaller scale that will be able to duke it out on a rather long but quite narrow kitchen table.
The obvious solution would have been DBA-style basing, but 3-4 guys stood in a line just doesn't do it for me. I thought maybe I could fill up a 40x20mm base with 10mm minis instead to get that 'warband' look, but having bought some packs of the lovely Pendraken Late Romans I realised my eyes just couldn't take it. Damn!
Plan B was to increase the base size and go with 15mm. 60x30mm bases is definitely the upper limit of what will work in the space I have, but at least I'd be able to cram the minis in. I bought a couple of packs of the Forged in Battle Saxons to get me started: WE-GX01 noble infantry, who look suitable for late C4th feoderati types onwards, and WE-GX05 armoured raiders, who are a fair bit heftier than the nobles and look useful for C6th-C8th. I painted the base on the left around December 2021 and then instantly got sidetracked kit-bashing goblins for the next 12 months. I finally got around to painting the base on the right over Xmas 2022.
(https://i.imgur.com/4lKMj0P.jpg)
As I hadn't left room for a die holder, I painted up the lad with the draco to use as a cohesion marker for one of the bases.
(https://i.imgur.com/Z4Yf0Cg.jpg)
Now that I was clearly on a roll I could totally justify picking up a sample pack of Wiglaf minis. I really like the FiB minis, but the Wiglaf sculpts are just incredible. I'm not sure I'll ever fully do them justice. The banner is from LBM. I half wondered if the design might be a bit anachronistic for the C7th (I honestly don't know), but as the Sutton Hoo and Staffordshire horde gear is covered in squiggly beasts I'm happy that it's at least plausible.
(https://i.imgur.com/Zeq9Qa0.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/2vaXv6R.jpg)
The issue I have now is that the 18mm Wiglaf chaps are noticeably larger than the FiB lads. I'd like to say that I'm going to split them up into two separate armies, using FiB as Early Saxons. That's certainly the plan, but given the rate of progress to date we'll have to see how we go.
(https://i.imgur.com/SB6hDn2.jpg)
Next up will be some more Wiglafs: unarmoured/ordinary warriors. Hopefully before next winter...
As ever, advice, top tips and constructive criticism are most welcome.
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Really beautiful work there! It's seeing 10-15mm miniatures like these that got me into buying 15mm Ancients in the first place (all from FiB). Thank you for sharing, and I hope we more soon! :D
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Excellent work 👍🏽
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They look great :)
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Very nicely done :)
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I first doubted those were 15mm, but 28mm. Very well done.
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Class. A great idea too. I just wish my eyes would be as enthusiastic as my brain!
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Brilliant work on those Late Antiquity/Migration period battle lines!
I started with 10mm some years ago under the same spatial pressures as you and then after a couple of years upgraded to 15mm. The extra half centimeter or so is a lot and make painting individual models much easier.
60x30 is a nice size for the bases. And taking more than a base for a unit you can basically play what you want: Lion Rampant, Warhammer Ancient Battles etc. will all work nicely when you switch inches to cm.
Suddenly a normal Ikea kitchen table of ideally 120cm by 120cm (or if you must also 90cm x 90cm) will become an enormous battlefield for your warriors with space to maneuver and outflank opponents!
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These look really nice. Great collection coming together, and with quality figures and painting like this, who needs 28mm? :)
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Good work, I like what you have done with them. They look the part. I have some yet to be painted.
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Cheers lads. I'm really chuffed that you like them and really appreciate the encouragement. Thank you.
Suddenly a normal Ikea kitchen table of ideally 120cm by 120cm (or if you must also 90cm x 90cm) will become an enormous battlefield for your warriors with space to maneuver and outflank opponents!
We inherited the table from my wife's family. While it's 6' long, it's only 28" wide (about 71cm). Using 6cm base widths for movement I reckon every man and his dog will be getting stuck in by turn 3. Kitchen battles look set to be short and bloody affairs. Mind you, that does feel pretty accurate. ;)
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Looking forward to getting my own force painted up and getting stuck into the kitchen battles!
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They look great. Keep up the work - the kitchen table game will look great
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Cheers lads. I'm really chuffed that you like them and really appreciate the encouragement. Thank you.
We inherited the table from my wife's family. While it's 6' long, it's only 28" wide (about 71cm). Using 6cm base widths for movement I reckon every man and his dog will be getting stuck in by turn 3. Kitchen battles look set to be short and bloody affairs. Mind you, that does feel pretty accurate. ;)
So true!!! lol lol
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We inherited the table from my wife's family. While it's 6' long, it's only 28" wide (about 71cm). Using 6cm base widths for movement I reckon every man and his dog will be getting stuck in by turn 3. Kitchen battles look set to be short and bloody affairs. Mind you, that does feel pretty accurate. ;)
You don't have to play along/across the table; you could have oblique deployment areas instead, with a suitable distance between armies?
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Looking forward to getting my own force painted up and getting stuck into the kitchen battles!
Yes mate! Can we use your terrain? ;)
They look great. Keep up the work - the kitchen table game will look great
Thank you.
You don't have to play along/across the table; you could have oblique deployment areas instead, with a suitable distance between armies?
I read this while I was having my morning coffee at said table and immediately moved the kids' breakfast out of the way to check it out. lol That is genius. It's so obvious, but would never have occurred to me. Good call.
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Always happy to bring terrain! (*looks at materials pile and starts plotting smaller terrain peices...)
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You don't have to play along/across the table; you could have oblique deployment areas instead, with a suitable distance between armies?
I read this while I was having my morning coffee at said table and immediately moved the kids' breakfast out of the way to check it out. lol That is genius. It's so obvious, but would never have occurred to me. Good call.
The only real "downside" to this is that each player may end refusing an opposite flank if the forces are big enough to mostly fill the deployment area, but you can rotate the angle to lessen this and give each side a deeper deployment zone too.
Radial zones from diagonally opposite corners is another possibility, as are "L" shaped corner deployments. In fact, I think playing around with the options and even mixing them up can produce some interesting choices for the start of a game. :)
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The game War and Conquest included angled deployment zones in scenarios, similar to what Major Gilbear described. I never found a local opponent to try the rules with, so I don’t know how the changed deployment zones impacted games, but it seemed like it would provide some interesting variation.
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Shock progress update - first base of Wiglaf unarmoured Saxon warriors completed.
That's 2 units in the same calendar year!
Another 3 or 4 of these and I'll be dangerously close to having a playable army.
As always, constructive criticism welcome.
(https://i.imgur.com/i96Qvrs.jpg)
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You’ll get no criticism from me, that base looks excellent! Seriously, I don’t think I would change anything. I like the palette you chose and the figure arrangement on the base works great. Do more of this!
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The same here! Only criticism might be that you live too far away to visit for a nice game with such lovely models!
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Those are so cool and most inspiring!
Still waiting for my Wiglaf miniatures order to arrive...
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Thanks for the very kind comments, folks.
Pattus Magnus - the colour palette is based loosely on an experimental archaeology piece I read about dying textiles. Apparently greens, yellows, browns and blues are all fairly straight forward, while reds are a bit of a pig and likely used more sparingly. I felt the sky blue on the chap on the far right of the front rank was a little off, so I changed the recipe to grey-blue for the chap in the back rank, which I'm a lot more happy with. Trying to base the back rank so they don't look like they're stabbing the front rank was a bit of a challenge, mind.
DivisMal - It was all the cool 15mm armies on the fantasy board that gave me the boot up the bum I needed to resurrect this project, so thanks for posting!
guitarheroandy - They are really lovely sculpts. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with them.
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Brilliant painting, very impressive. I also thought they were 28mm and a tad large for the kitchen battles until I realized they are in fact 15/18mm. I will second Pattus Magnus regarding the choice of color palette.
Just my opinion but I don't think the disparity in size between FiB and Wiglaf is too noticeable, and will probably be less you when you are pushing lead on table. As for your choice in Dux Bellorum for rules, it's one of my favorite sets and it really gives me the feel of the period. I ended up doing them in 10mm with the beautiful Pendraken sculpts. I still need to finish all of my armies but your brushwork might just inspire me to get it done!
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Glad that it’s partly my fault that your most excellent armies got resurrected!
That paper you read sounds interesting! Do you still remember where it was published? I have both a professional and a hobby inerest in things like that.
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Brilliant painting, very impressive. I also thought they were 28mm and a tad large for the kitchen battles until I realized they are in fact 15/18mm.
Thank you for the kind comment. Although I put a lot of effort into the paint job, I still think it's the quality of the sculpts that's shining through. Mr Mersey describes the Wiglaf minis as 'Travel 28s' on their website, which I think is pretty good description.
I'm also coming round to the idea of maybe mixing Wiglaf and FiB minis in the same armies. I will certainly be using FiB for an opposing army. I'm very tempted by their Scots-Irish, and I have an idea of using the early Saxons for the Gewisse. Again, the FiB range is a vast improvement on old school 15mm bobble-heads and they also paint up really nicely.
That paper you read sounds interesting! Do you still remember where it was published? I have both a professional and a hobby inerest in things like that.
I had thought it was on EXARCH.net, but having looked back through their archive I seem to have misremembered that (well worth a visit all the same). For what it's worth, I also used online photos of dyed wool taken from A Heritage of Colour by Jenny Dean, which I found really helpful.
More bits and bobs are currently in prep (including some Vendel culture lads), so hopefully I'll have something new to share in the next few weeks.
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I'm also coming round to the idea of maybe mixing Wiglaf and FiB minis in the same armies. I will certainly be using FiB for an opposing army. I'm very tempted by their Scots-Irish, and I have an idea of using the early Saxons for the Gewisse. Again, the FiB range is a vast improvement on old school 15mm bobble-heads and they also paint up really nicely.
Are Forged in Battle the same size as Wiglaf Miniatures (please :) )?
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Are Forged in Battle the same size as Wiglaf Miniatures (please :) )?
Slightly smaller by maybe a couple of mm. There's also a bit of variation across the range (the Saxon Raiders are, in general, larger than the Saxon Nobles for example). I wouldn't mix the two manufacturers on the same base, but I think the scale will be 'close enough' on the same battlefield. There're some useful comparison shots on James Morris' blog https://mogsymakes.net/2022/02/26/small-far-away-part-3-more-15mm-dark-ages/
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Thanks! Now I’m really keen to see those Vendel dudes :-*!
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Slightly smaller by maybe a couple of mm. There's also a bit of variation across the range (the Saxon Raiders are, in general, larger than the Saxon Nobles for example). I wouldn't mix the two manufacturers on the same base, but I think the scale will be 'close enough' on the same battlefield. There're some useful comparison shots on James Morris' blog https://mogsymakes.net/2022/02/26/small-far-away-part-3-more-15mm-dark-ages/
I don't know why I didn't think of looking at James' blog o_o lol
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true.
nice work btw
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nice work btw
Thank you. I'm slowly getting the hang of painting the little fellas ('slowly' as ever being the operative word).
Next up we have a second base of the Wiglaf unarmoured Saxon warriors (on the right).
(https://i.imgur.com/zvh8K2N.jpg)
True story: one of the spears has actual human blood on the tip! I had a butter-fingers moment which resulted in two spears being knocked off the front rank and the rest of the base being suspended in the air by another brass spear pierced through my thumb. May Woden and Thunor accept the blood sacrifice and favour us in battle!
I also took a size comparison shot next to the Forged in Battle Saxon armoured raiders (although the wee lad on the left of the front rank is from the Saxon noble infantry pack). I hope someone finds it useful.
(https://i.imgur.com/vAsV131.jpg)
I've also made a second cohesion marker for the FiB bases without die-holders. Maybe not my best effort, but he'll do the job.
(https://i.imgur.com/YDBtG4E.jpg)
And finally, 1/8 of a base of Vendel culture unarmoured warriors. This was kind of the 'test' mini, but now I've done one hopefully his comrades won't be far behind.
(https://i.imgur.com/5f4h8Bx.jpg)
Cheers
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Beautiful work! And the FiB are a good match for Wiglaf it seems, thank you. :)
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Those all look excellent! As before, I really like your choices for the colour palette and how the figures are arranged on the base.
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Thanks both. Very kind.
And, yeah, the first photo was really me getting an idea of how the battle line will look once I get a few more bases done. I think it's heading the right direction: the warriors are organised enough to show that they know what they're about, but not regimented. At least that's what I'm trying for anyway.
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They look spectacular! :o the colors are well chosen and look just right.
I’m also pleased to find out that FiB and Wiglaf seem to be close enough to be part of the same battlefield.
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They are looking really good!
Very inspiring too, as I've just added spears and undercoat to my Wiglaf Miniatures East Anglian army and am about to start splashing some paint on them - as a dyed-in-the-wool 28mm guy I need all the help and inspiration I can get!
Looking forward to seeing more...
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Thank you both.
I’m also pleased to find out that FiB and Wiglaf seem to be close enough to be part of the same battlefield.
They're not too far off and FiB does has the advantage of multiple packs for all the factions you could ever want. I still wouldn't mix them on the same base as Wiglaf though.
Very inspiring too, as I've just added spears and undercoat to my Wiglaf Miniatures East Anglian army and am about to start splashing some paint on them - as a dyed-in-the-wool 28mm guy I need all the help and inspiration I can get!
Awesome. I'm really looking forward to seeing your take on Raedwald's mob. I'd never painted 15mm historicals before this project, so I'm also making it up as I go along.
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18mm Vendel Culture unarmoured warriors resplendent in their battle dressing gowns. Clearly breakfast time was a serious business in the 7th century.
(https://i.imgur.com/Y3xnkC8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/rZgkCYS.jpg)
I'm a bit annoyed at myself for leaving the shields plain. I thought it would look cool, but now it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity. Next time, eh?
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Lovely work Hob 8)
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Love the faces. Well done
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Great looking unit!
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Thank you all. Always very much appreciated.
Love the faces. Well done
Faces and bases hide a multitude of other sins. ;)
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These are very nifty - love ‘em 8)
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Thanks mon capitaine. Getting there slowly, but the fact I'm getting there at all is probably due to all the inspirational eye-candy I see on LAF.
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Great stuff! I can see what you mean about the shields but it doesn't spoil the overall effect.
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I agree about the shields - lower rank unarmoured warriors could easily have used relatively unadorned shields. The unit as a whole still has lots of visual interest from the differences in clothing, hair, and even the faces (amazing sculpting Copplestone does, achieving individuality on 15mm figures!).
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There are some superbly painted Wiglafs on display in this thread - love it!
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Thanks all. I have enough Vendel lads for another base, so I can try swirly shield designs next time round.
There are some superbly painted Wiglafs on display in this thread - love it!
It a fantastic range Daniel. I've thoroughly enjoyed colouring them in. I hope that the range has started to pay for itself too and that there's more in the pipeline, as I'm intrigued by your design notes for the Welsh. If you make 'em, sir, I will definitely buy 'em.
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Thanks for your kind words Old Hob, and again I just marvel at the lovely brushwork. I posted this on Instagram a little while back and thought it worth adding here too:
"When is Wiglaf pack XYZ coming out?"
I get asked this a lot! At the moment, we're still working on the mounted Anglo-Saxons.
It takes more time for Wiglaf to produce new packs than many other companies because a) its just me (with Mark Copplestone sculpting the minis), b) I'm doing a LOT of new research rather than just following old wargaming motifs, c) I want the minis to be great rather than rushing them out to maximise profit, and d) I need to fund it all!
You can help me with the final point by buying more Wiglafs, but for the rest ... please be patient and watch this space!
(By the way, I really do appreciate the support and kind words that Wiglaf customers give the range. Thank you!)
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Thanks for your kind words Old Hob, and again I just marvel at the lovely brushwork. I posted this on Instagram a little while back and thought it worth adding here too:
"When is Wiglaf pack XYZ coming out?"
I get asked this a lot! At the moment, we're still working on the mounted Anglo-Saxons.
It takes more time for Wiglaf to produce new packs than many other companies because a) its just me (with Mark Copplestone sculpting the minis), b) I'm doing a LOT of new research rather than just following old wargaming motifs, c) I want the minis to be great rather than rushing them out to maximise profit, and d) I need to fund it all!
You can help me with the final point by buying more Wiglafs, but for the rest ... please be patient and watch this space!
(By the way, I really do appreciate the support and kind words that Wiglaf customers give the range. Thank you!)
I’ve read and liked thaton IG. And if I may say so, that is what makes this range special!
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Hi Daniel. Thanks for reposting your update from IG (I'm not on any of the big Social platforms, so it's very much appreciated). When the mounted Saxons are ready to be released I'll definitely be picking up a few packs.
I totally get that Wiglaf is a labour of love and being funded out of your own pocket. I think we all understand why releases will take a little longer and I am perfectly happy to wait. If nothing else, it means I might actually make a decent sized dent in the already-accumulated lead pile before getting distracted by new toys. ;)
And now you mention it, I really could do with a few more packs of unarmoured Saxons...
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We inherited the table from my wife's family. While it's 6' long, it's only 28" wide (about 71cm). Using 6cm base widths for movement I reckon every man and his dog will be getting stuck in by turn 3. Kitchen battles look set to be short and bloody affairs. Mind you, that does feel pretty accurate. ;)
Is it the space around the table that's a problem? Surely you could just get three 48” x 24” plywood boards laid long side to long side to convert it to a 6 foot x 4 foot table?
Superb painting btw :)
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Is it the space around the table that's a problem? Surely you could just get three 48” x 24” plywood boards laid long side to long side to convert it to a 6 foot x 4 foot table?
Superb painting btw :)
Thanks Armchairgeneral. With regards to 'space', 4' wide would make it very difficult to squeeze in down the sides, especially given my increasing girth! Tbh I'm happy with the base sizes and the short, bloody battles that will likely ensue. This project is aimed more at 'beer & pretzel' gaming, where I don't need to drive home afterwards. For a more tactically nuanced game I can always play on my mate's table.
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Hi folks. After another lengthy break spent painting goblins, I'm heading back to the Dark Ages. As a New Year's resolution I promised myself that I'd paint all the bits and bobs I'd already bought for this project before buying any more (a promise that I may have already broken...). Anyway, here's another base of Forged in Battle early Saxons culled from the lead pile. In the spirit of using stuff up, I used some shield transfers I found lurking down the side of a LBM banner sheet. Now there's fancy.
(https://i.imgur.com/E5dr4j8.jpeg)
Next stop, the 7th century and some more Wiglafs.
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Beautiful work! The figures and basing all look great. Is that a 60x30mm base? The figures fill it really well.
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Excellent work Old Hob :-* :-* :-*
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As always thrilling to see progress! Lovely base.
I once stoped to buy 15mm until i paint more and only to buy big rare dragons.... lets say i have a little dragon infestation on my lead pile lol
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Those are amazing.
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Thanks for the kind comments, all. Always appreciated.
Beautiful work! The figures and basing all look great. Is that a 60x30mm base? The figures fill it really well.
Yep, back on 60x30s. I like that you can get more minis on the base without it looking overly cramped, which I feel would have been the case if I'd gone with standard DBA basing. Mind you, that may be down to decades of scale creep as much as anything else. The FiB lads are certainly a bit more substantial than 'true 15s'.
Excellent work Old Hob :-* :-* :-*
Thanks Atheling. It's probably not particularly obvious, or especially well done, but I remembered what you've said previously about minis on a multi-base having a dialogue and tried to apply it. It definitely helped with deciding who got glued where.
I once stoped to buy 15mm until i paint more and only to buy big rare dragons.... lets say i have a little dragon infestation on my lead pile lol
I feel your pain. lol
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There was the merest whiff of sunshine this afternoon, just long enough to grab a couple of snaps of the latest unit of Vendel culture warriors I finished a few days ago. Inspired by Pattus, I bought a copy of the Jon Hodgson backdrops book and tried my hand at taking fancy photos.
(https://i.imgur.com/0L4bvCI.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/W32RDOO.jpg)
Next up, some geegees.
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Those look awesome! Your previous pictures were quite good, but I do like these new ones with the backdrop and the riff-raff charging through the weeds. I am sorely tempted to purchase some Wiglaf figures to add to my 15mm projects, and your figs are not making it easy to keep resisting.
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I’ll add, I like the shields a lot on this batch. The colours look good and the geometric designs work well to give each warrior some individuality. The ones with curved lines are snazzy - might just do something similar on some future Copplestone Barbarians when I paint them!
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Agreed with pattus- very snazzy :D
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I'll definitely take snazzy. Thanks guys.
Pattus - maybe you just need a few Wiglafs as an ally contingent. You know, definitely not a new army or anything... ;)
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That sounds like a very slippery slope…
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I’ve been looking at the Wiglaf line for Lion Rampant, but I already have two lines of models for that in 28mm. However, this is getting me interested in Wiglaf for Dux Ballorum.
IIRC, the basing tables in the rulebook lists measurements for 15mm and smaller as well as 20mm and larger. 18mm is right in the middle? Are you using one of those guidelines or your own thing?
Great paint job on these models! Definitely an inspiration.
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Old Hob, if your table is too narrow can I suggest you buy a pack of loftboard sections. These are normally 4' wide and lock together, and are pretty easy to store. They are quite cheap but you do need some form of covering to protect the table top. They are what I use to convert my dining table into a 6 or 8' x 4' gaming table.
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Hi Mr White. I went with the 20mm+ base size (6x3cm), but then tried to cram as many minis on as possible (I don't really like the look of DBA basing with only 3-4 guys). This has worked a treat with the Forged in Battle miniatures as they have more static poses, but if I was starting over again and only using Wiglaf I would maybe use 6x4cm, as getting that second rank on is a bit tricksy.
Thanks SJWi. That's a good shout. As it happens, I re-read the rulebook recently and set up is between 3-5 BW from the centre line. So having thought my table was too small, I now realise it is perfect! :)
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Nicely done.
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Missed this thread. Nice work. Will help inspire my recently sorted (with some orders winging there way my way to round it all out) Viking figures, different sources than yours. Big difference will be mine will be individually based to focus on raiding games rather than army-versus-army battles; have lots of civilian figures for the raids - and three different 'armies' to defend against the Vikings: Norman, Saxon, and Pict/Celts. Just three raiding parties of 36 figures each so not overwhelming - plus some captive figures and casualties to spice it up just a bit - the civilians are multiple use as are the other armies. May try and hunt down some 15 mm figures specific for Viking casualties - any you can point me to would be appreciated.
Need to go check out Wiglaf miniatures. See if I am tempted to action though I have to hope not - too many figures already (in too many periods). Have some Forged in Battle figures - not Vikings, would be my first choice for figures now - and buildings. If FIB ever release Japanese and Marines with some appropriate terrain bits I think I may actually add figures - but not until a lot more get painted!!!
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Hi FifteensAway. Blue Moon do 15mm Viking, Saxon and Norman casualties. I get the impression these are 'big 15s' but I have never seen any up close. Would they work for you?
https://www.oldgloryuk.com/15mm-vikings/50/252/611/662
https://www.oldgloryuk.com/15mm-anglo-saxons/50/252/615/663
https://www.oldgloryuk.com/15mm-normans/50/252/616/664
Cheers
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Old Hob,
Those might work.
You are right, Bluemoon do tend to the larger end of the "15" mm spectrum, closer to 18 mm. They tower over Peter Pig, can work with Essex generally but closest to Irregular or Lancashire's larger ranges. However, they are nice figures once painted and on the table and most codes have all unique figures or maybe two of each on occasion which makes them the most diverse ranges for most periods they cover as far as diversity of poses - and that is regardless of figure size, 2 mm right through 54 mm. Might be a few very limited ranges that have more - but not many.
The biggest benefit of Bluemoon is their cost per figure can be half or less of many other ranges, at least here in the USA, with the use of an Army Card, bought a large number of figures and some structures and ships/boats using that 40% discount. Finally allowed mine to expire - just don't have much need for more - and my Vikings are different manufacturers so not much need, though did buy 2 packs recently at full price to finish off one collection, Three Musketeers.
Thanks for the reply to my question.
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Lovely work on these! I really should do some more 15's.....
Christopher
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Well done Old Hob!
Painting and basing are awesome! :-*
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Thank you guys. Appreciated.
Lovely work on these! I really should do some more 15's.....
I've just checked out your 15mm Normans on your blog from many moons ago. They're lovely and if you decide to knock out some more 15s I would be very interested to see them.
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Hi folks. Just finished off the first unit of Wiglaf Saxon cavalry (still a bit shiny from the varnish). Really nice minis.
I've got some Forged in Battle heavy Welsh cavalry lined up next, so once I'm done I'll post up some compare and contrast photos. Cheers.
(https://i.imgur.com/DCpHKnV.jpeg)
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Great job on those! Your painting and basing is excellent on them.
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A nice stand of cav. Thank you
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:-* great start for some mounted units
cant wait to see more
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Thanks for the kind comments folks.
After a couple weeks of doing who-knows-what, I finally slapped some paint on the Forged in Battle Welsh heavy cavalry. Not my best effort, but better than bare metal. I'm calling them done and moving on.
(https://i.imgur.com/NfrIukn.jpeg)
As promised, here are some size comparison shots between the FiB Welsh cavalry and the Wiglaf Saxon cavalry. It should be noted that FiB are sold as 15mm and Wiglaf as 18mm, so you'd expect the Wiglaf chaps to be taller and more buff. The question is can the two ranges work together? Looking at the horses first, I think I can live with the Welsh horses being smaller mountain pony-types, with the Saxon horses being larger due to being bred in lowland Britain. I did have concerns when I compared the riders, though. The Welsh riders only come up to the Saxons' armpits.
(https://i.imgur.com/vzKaws7.jpg)
Maybe once the minis were painted and based the difference wouldn't be so pronounced? Here are the two ranges side-by-side. As you can see the end result is... a bit silly. Knickers!
(https://i.imgur.com/mGeizmW.jpeg)
Back to the drawing board, I suppose. I can still use the FiB Welsh against my FiB Saxons no worries, but I really want to find some suitable opposition for the Wiglafs. If someone happens to have any of the Blue Moon Dark Ages range and some Wiglaf minis, a size comparison shot would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.
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Fantastic work on the paint jobs and thanks for sharing comparisons pics.
Can you use Copplestone’s Barbarica range as opponents to the Wiglafs in Dux Bellorum? I understand they’re pretty comparable. Granted the table wouldn’t be pure historical.
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I like how your Welsh cavalry turned out. I certainly wouldn’t have any complaints about the painting!
The FiB vs Wiglaf size comparison is very informative, thanks for providing that. I don’t have any Blue Moon 15s, so can’t comment on their size. I wouldn’t be put off by the difference in size if I was playing a FiB army against a Wiglaf army, but I am fairly laidback about that (as long as the game is fun!). I’ll keep thinking about potentially compatible ranges. There must be something out there!
(Of course, an option is to buy two armies of Wiglaf figs and pit them against each other. Rumor has it that the actual Saxons beat on each other fairly often. Just to keep in shape, you know!)
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Thanks chaps.
Can you use Copplestone’s Barbarica range as opponents to the Wiglafs in Dux Bellorum? I understand they’re pretty comparable. Granted the table wouldn’t be pure historical.
It's a reasonable suggestion, but my inner pedant would have a melt down. It could also spiral into a separate 18mm fantasy barbarian project... The lead pile is bad enough already.
I wouldn’t be put off by the difference in size if I was playing a FiB army against a Wiglaf army, but I am fairly laidback about that (as long as the game is fun!).
Yeah, that's a fair comment. I think the trick here is to finish the Wiglaf army first, then finish another army (tbc), then smoosh them together whilst drinking a few beers with friends. I was losing sight of that, so thanks for the gentle reminder.
(Of course, an option is to buy two armies of Wiglaf figs and pit them against each other. Rumor has it that the actual Saxon beat on each other fairly often. Just to keep in shape, you know!)
They did indeed seem to spend as much time kicking the stuffing out of each other as anyone else! Then again, Penda often had Welsh allies...
EDIT: someone elsewhere has suggested the blinkin' obvious: I just need to build up the base slightly so they're the same height. D'oh! I'll try that next time.