Lead Adventure Forum

Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Red Orc on July 13, 2014, 04:46:54 PM

Title: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Red Orc on July 13, 2014, 04:46:54 PM
I'm considering a new project, and I'm looking for some 'knight' figures that would go with the LotR ranges - in terms of sculpting style at least, even if not necessarily styles of dress (my fantasy world is cosmopolitan enough that different styles of dress are fine but I'd prefer to stick to more realistically-proportioned minis than the standard Warhammer-esque chunky monkeys). I could use the Knights of Minas Tirith or Dol Amroth I suppose but I'd rather have some knights that look a little less uniform - they have a 'corporate' look to them which is fine for an order of 'Knights of the Swan'/'Knights of the Tree' or something but not so good for knights that are not part of a military company. My knights are going to be more like the idea of the holders of feudal manors mobilising for war (each with a small warband of their own followers), rather than members of an order as such.

So, suggestions are welcomed for knights that could work together (and with the general scale of LotR minis) but are not uniform. Thanks in avance for your collective wisom, chaps and chapesses!
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought
Post by: Comsquare on July 13, 2014, 04:53:38 PM
Red Box works nice scalewise with the LotR minis
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought
Post by: Ray Earle on July 13, 2014, 04:58:51 PM
Ebob has some nice Knights.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought
Post by: Red Orc on July 13, 2014, 05:21:36 PM
Comsquare, there are indeed some lovely minis at Red Box who could happily serve in the warbands of the knights... but due my utter failure to communicate properly (because I know what I mean, therefore everyone else must) I will have to change the title of the thread to 'recommendations for mounted knights sought' as it's cavalry figures I'm after (though foot and mounted would probably be most useful).

Ray, I presume I'm supposed to be looking in the 'Rebellion' range. A mix of their 'Heavy Cavalry' and 'English Knights' might work for what I have in mind, especially if I can sort out some foot versions that I didn't even know I needed until Comsquare made me think about it...

Thank you both for the suggestions, and to anyone else, please suggest any other ideas you may have...
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: commissarmoody on July 13, 2014, 06:21:58 PM
I am going to toss Claymore's Anglo-Scottish Wars range into the mix.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Ray Earle on July 13, 2014, 08:00:22 PM
That's the one Red Orc, apologies but I couldn't think of the name of the range off the top of my head.

It's been the Highland gathering here today so I'm attempting to block everything Scottish out.  ;)
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Red Orc on July 13, 2014, 08:36:48 PM
Corby steelworkers in full flow,the streets awash with Irn Bru and Tennant's Super? I don't envy you.

I can't talk, my family is from Dundee.

Commissarmoody, I found the Claymore Castings site ('claymore minis' typed into google got me rather more sites trying to sell me landmines than I'm generally happy with) and they do have a few mounted figures, and again a wide selection of foot as potential warband members, so thanks for that.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: commissarmoody on July 13, 2014, 09:13:42 PM
Crazy search engines. Happy you where able to find there sight.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Duff on July 13, 2014, 09:33:27 PM
Since much of the LotR range is made up of Perry sculpts, wouldn't the various Perry historical ranges fit?
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: area23 on July 13, 2014, 09:41:17 PM
Perry crusaders, Foundry Normans or late roman cavalry, Crusader Mini's mounted Saxons, Normans, Byzantines or even 2nd Crusade knights
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: carlos13th on July 13, 2014, 10:02:15 PM
Perry or fire forge?
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Paleskin on July 14, 2014, 12:19:16 AM
Ebob lovely stuff but don't mix with other ranges too well as they are quite slender/small,great if whole force are ebob but not if you are mixing
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Red Orc on July 14, 2014, 10:44:45 AM
Duff, I know little of historicals. Which is why this was posted on the fantasy board and I put 'knights' in quotes. I don't care really if they're vaguely historically accurate (even so I'll end up mixing periods and nations I suspect, I've been looking at some El Cid-era minis that look very cool, but not sure whether anyone else would think they mixed well with William Wallace and his contemporaries) or high fantasy, as long as height-and-build-wise, they scale OK with the LotR humans that are likely to be forming the bulk of the foot (and a few Rohan horse too). Perry miniatures would logically be a good choice - I've looked around the Foundry ranges and there are a few things that might suit. Not sure what other ranges they've sculpted to be honest.

Area23, I've been looking at the Crusader ranges, there are loads of great minis there, and they provide a really good selection of lightly- and more heavily-armoured figures. The El Cid range, that you don't mention, I think has some really interesting cavalry figures, as does the Byzantine. I don't know what 'Second Crusade Knights' are, but some of the 'Later Crusades' figures are pretty cool (there you go, just what I said to Duff, I'm quite happy to consider mixing El Cid with the Hospitallers with Saxons, and the LotR minis...)

Carlos 13th, those Fireforge minis do look interesting. Plastic is always good, and their Templars are maybe different enough from each other to get over the 'corporate' problem I have with the LotR minis. Perhaps a box of 12 Templar cavalry and a box of 24 Templar Infantry would give me the mounted-and-dismounted versions I'm after, with a nice collection of 12 infantry sergeants for the Knights' retinues. It would be good to find out how they scale with the LotR figures.

Paleskin, as I find the LotR figures smaller and more slender than the standard 'heroic' scales that everyone seems to be doing, are Ebob really that much smaller?

Thanks very much for all the suggestions oh lovely and helpful peeps, it seems I need to find some scale-charts to work out what my options are; but based on recommendations so far, I think for sheer choice of ranges, Crusader are looking good, and for versatility and ease-of-use, Fireforge are definitely in the running too, though all of the ranges suggested so far have their plus points.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: westwaller on July 14, 2014, 11:14:58 AM
It might be a bit of a faff, but what about getting a box of Gripping Beast Vikings and a box of Fireforge knights and building some 'custom' knights from these? The LOTR armies have a quite a Norse/Germanic look to them so it might work?

Blacktree do some good knights and men at arms too in their various historical ranges.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Red Orc on July 14, 2014, 01:10:54 PM
'Lack of faff' is probably where I'm trying to take this to be honest! But there are some really nice minis on the Gripping Beast site that I can see working well with the Rohan troops especially. Though, to be fair, I already have Eomer foot and mounted if I need a Rohirric-type knight...

What I've decided I 'need' (this is of course a 'wargames definition' of 'need' here, ie as a normal person would say, what I want) is...

10+ mounted knights (heavy-ish armour), and dismounted versions of same;
the same number of mounted 'squires' (with lighter/no armour, bare heads, no horse-armour or other differentiation from their bosses to say 'horsemen of lesser seniority/status'), and again dismounted versions.

Any extras I obtain (such as potentially about 12 extra men-at-arms from purchasing the Fireforge boxed set of infantry) can be used as captains of foot, and end up leading Gondorian, Rohirric or Numenorian footsoldiers; or maybe they become the footsoldiers of one or two knights while other knights have footsoldiers derived from those LotR nations.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: carlos13th on July 14, 2014, 01:45:37 PM
I beleive this is a comparison between a fire forge and a Warhammer knight. Not 100% sure though.

(http://www.warseer.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=140223&d=1337020082)
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Red Orc on July 14, 2014, 02:44:50 PM
Thanks for that carlos13th, that does suggest that the Fireforge figures are smaller than the WH ones, which is a good start.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Gandalf the G on July 16, 2014, 06:01:44 PM
I can't get you pictures, but I compared my Fireforge figures with some LotR ones, and the knight looks too big compared to a plastic Uruk-Hai(Two Towers), while Gandalf(from the original boxed set, i think) looks quite normal, if a bit thin, when put next to the FF knight.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Red Orc on July 16, 2014, 09:12:30 PM
OK, thanks for that G-the-G.

I think I might just start taking pit-luck with this. Currently, I'm thinking I'll order a few Crusader blisters and start with maybe 3 knights, the foot versions and perhaps do the same withe their 'squires'. If they look OK fine that's the start of my force of knights - if they don't, I'll just flog them on...
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: fitterpete on July 16, 2014, 11:13:30 PM
With my admittedly limited knowledge of GW LotR model size(I have a few mtd Haradrim and the Kataphrakts from the Easterlings) I think Crusader are going to be too chunky.
I think you would be closer size and girth wise using Perry miniatures.Their metal horsemen I used(Sudan range tribesmen and Crusaders) match the above mentioned LotR cavalry perfectly.I would assume the plastics would too.
If your looking for a little more armor the Agincourt range is one of their best.
Pete
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: julesav on July 17, 2014, 10:18:20 AM
It might be worth taking a look at Front Rank miniatures - they have knights (foot and mounted) for both 100 Years War and Wars of the Roses eras. Size wise they seem to match well with old GW castings like the 'Dogs of War' pikemen I have.
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Argonor on July 17, 2014, 10:39:48 AM
I shall be watching this with much interest, as the scale/proportion problem is also my biggest gripe when using my LotR-stuff alongside other minis!  :)
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: rumacara on July 17, 2014, 02:30:43 PM
Hello all

Hope this is usefull.

King Theoden (LOTR GW) versus Ebob miniature (Highlander).
I dont have a Ebob knight glued yet but they are about the same size as GW LOTR mounted figures (perhaps with some of the horses slightly taller).

Cheers

Rui
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Lowtardog on July 17, 2014, 03:48:44 PM
No one mentioned Thunderbolt Moountain and their Arthurian range, lovely looking minis

http://www.thunderboltmountain.com/collections/all/25mm-legendary-figures

Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Red Orc on July 24, 2014, 10:50:46 PM
Thanks everyone for all the recommendations.

When I've got some decent scale comparisons, I'll start to make some decisions (though the comparison with Ebob looks fine for me, cheers for that rumacara)
Title: Re: Recommendations for 'knights' sought - particularly mounted
Post by: Sinewgrab on July 25, 2014, 02:14:55 AM
No one mentioned Thunderbolt Moountain and their Arthurian range, lovely looking minis

http://www.thunderboltmountain.com/collections/all/25mm-legendary-figures



I was just going to suggest these myself - a touch small by today's standards, but absolutely gorgeous.