ECW Naseby Project (13.5mm)

[Helge]

Greetings

While still in the midst of my 28mm Waterloo project, I impulsively bought into Warlord's 13.5mm Epic range for Pike and Shotte. Like my Napoleonics, I want to anchor the collection on a real event and in this case selected the Battle of Naseby in June 1645. Unlike Waterloo, there don't see to be a readily available order of battle with unit strength so I had to do some digging. Below you find my attempt at unit strength estimates and their translation into Epic 60x20mm bases.

Sources are indicated for reference. Some of the strength are easily available online [1], but the rest required estimates based on Royalist strength in May 1645 [2], payroll estimates from a paper [3], and snippets from a book about the battle [4]. Experts on the forum, feel free to correct where I may have made mistakes.

For the conversion to basis, I am grouping cavalry as one base per division (roughly 150-300 men). The infantry battalia are a bit more complicated because the Shot to Pike ratio varied. For simplicity, I settled on categorizing battalia as:
 - Pure Shot: 4 Musketeers (two Royalist battalia apparently had no pikes at all)
 - Small (<600): 2 Pike, 2 Musketeers (this would be most of the Royalist formations)
 - Standard (600-1200): 2 Pike, 2 Musketeers, 2 Commanded Musketeers
 - Large (1200+): 3 Pike, 2 Musketeers, 3 Commanded Musketeers
This gradually increases the Shot to Pike ratio with larger battalia while still giving me the visual of a deep pike block even for the small battalia.

Using this approach, the combined armies would be represented by 6 Cuirassiers, 41 Harquebusiers, 3 Dragoons, 32 Pikes, 32 Musketeers, and 20 Commanded Musketeers. Lots of sprues...

Comments and suggestions are most welcome.

[DivisMal]

What an interesting approach! I’ve been severely tempted to buy into this range for some 30 Years War wargaming. The sprues look quite nice.

What rules do you want to play with? Or is it just a modeler’s project?

[Radar]

Neither Lord General's or Whalley's regiments of horse were cuirassiers - they were both formed from troops from Cromwell's horse (which was raised as harquebusiers). Rupert and Maurice you could go with artistic licence for cuirassiers, but both very likely to be harquebusiers. This is 1645, horses capable of carrying a cuirassier would have been very expensive and limited availability.

May I enquire as to which book you have used?

[Helge]

DivisMal - I mostly paint and collect. But I think the Warlord Pike and Shotte rules should work fairly well with this collection.

Radar - You are absolutely right. I am using the "Cuirassier" label here for visual variety and sprue-pragmatism. The Warlord P&S range comes on only two sprues. Formed pike and muskets on one, everything else on the other. Each sprue contains 2 Cuirassiers, 10 Harquebusiers, 3 Dragoons and 6 individual Musketeers (plus dismounted dragoons and guns). To make decent use of these models, I am planning to mix in the odd Dragoon with the Regiments of Horse and use the Cuirassier models for Cromwell's Ironsides. Not perfectly accurate, but otherwise I am throwing a lot of models into the bin...

Regarding sources, I listed them at the bottom of the outline. Reproduced below with [4] being the book.

[1]   Primary accounts of Naseby (misc)
[2]   Estimates based on strength in May 1945 from http://wiki.bcw-project.org
[3]   Payroll estimates (https://djblackmore.wordpress.com/home/articles-2/counting-the-new-model-army-2/)
[4]   Triumph of New Model Army (https://vdoc.pub/download/naseby-1645-the-triumph-of-the-new-model-army-4t05697itkj0)

[Radar]

I am very familiar with the Epic sprues having been sent some by Warlord to review (KeepYourPowderDry). The Epic sprues are, by their very nature, a compromise.

You may find it easier buying Peter Pig Scots heads to convert some Epic for use as Newcastle's RoF. They wore Scots blue bonnets not simply blue hats (as Warlord show). PP heads are spot on for use with Epic (I tried).

I am sure that a number of sources will volunteer that we don't know when the Army Newly Modelled actually got their Venetian red coats. We don't, but we do know that suppliers were very efficient at turning around very large orders for clothing for the army (not uncommon for a fortnight turn around for 500 coats judging by the receipts transcribed by Mungeam), so on balance there is a high probability that the majority of the NMA were in red. Please also ignore the Fairfax's men were distinguishable by blue linings to their coats (an error by Frith, exaggerated by Gentles and almost everyone in between). The linings comment in Perfect Passages is the only contemporary mention of coloured linings about the NMA in general - the contracts appear to suggest that regiments were distinguishable by the colour of tapes (Reid suggests that tape was possibly used to hem the coats, or used as fastenings). There is a request from the Essex Committee to raise men and equip them with red coats lined blue "as is the fashion" for service in Lord Fairfax's army (note army and not regiment). But I digress.

A number of Royalist RoH had mounted dragoons fighting as cavalry rather than dragoons.

I would strongly suggest that you pick up a copy of Glenn Foard's "Naseby the decisive campaign" (the Osprey you have used, whilst one of the better Osprey W3K volumes, is somewhat dated). Foard is excellent.

[Helge]

Radar, thanks a lot for the feedback and advice. I shall revel in your blog

Just to clarify, by "Newcastle" you mean the 4 divisions of "Northern Horse", right? And the Peter Pig heads are these:

I already placed an order from Peter Pig and Steel Fist to augment the Warlord plastics, so the heads will get added to the lot.

Thanks again for the advice.

[Radar]

Apologies, completely ignore the Newcastle's comment. One of my neighbours has over indulged on the cooking sherry and is playing really awful opera much too loudly. Driving me potty somehow I'd veered off into Marston Moor territory.

The Royalist Northern horse are an interesting bunch. There's a good book (Rabble of Gentility). They'd be a good destination for some dragoons.

[Helge]

Ah, no headshuffling then. That said, based on your review(s) of the Warlord cavalry sprue, I went and bought some more Peter Pig/Steel Fist cavalry models. That cuts down on the needed Warlord sprue and also balances the model supply. Sprinkle the Warlord dragoon models into the Northern Horse and everything works out.

Of course the whole thing exploded from "buy a small Warlord box" to a multi-manufacturer orgy... but what else is new.

[Radar]

I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed with the 'cavalry' sprue, as the 'infantry' sprue is rather good.

Warlord told me that the first cavalry sprue was faulty, sent me another which was practically identical. I've seen several others and seen little discernable difference. Let's just say that they are not for me (I've given all those that I had away). Then of course there is the slightly more worrying issue that the images of the sprues in the webstore are different from the ones being produced: most obvious difference is the larger artillery piece - website shows the carriage open in the middle, those being produced have the carriage completely filled in (I understand and accept moulding and casting limitations, but why is it full thickness? It's a b****r to remove). I did approach Warlord for comment but they have ignored my questions.

I must admit that I was a bit surprised by the make up of the cavalry sprue. The Epic business model seems to be basic/standard troops on a plastic sprue, and more esoteric figures available as separate releases. I would have expected cuirassiers and dragoons to be firmly in the 'esoteric' category, essential yes, but not in great numbers (certainly for the W3K, 30YW a different matter). At the moment I am wondering what extra boxes Warlord will be able to sell after this initial release (plenty of esoteric 30YW stuff I guess), Covenanters maybe?

[Metternich]

My son solved the Epic cavalry sprue problem - he replaced them with Steel Fist cavalry which are compatible in size with Epic.  The Epic infantry works well however.

[Sparrow]

Hi.

To get some inspiration/insight try reading this https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/naseby-decisive-campaign/author/glenn-foard/

Enjoy your project!

Regards

Ian

PS Sadly no cuirassier at Naseby 😉

[Helge]

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I read in a few places that there were more Cuirassiers at Naseby then previously estimated - more than "none" I guess - so I am going to take the liberty to include a few for the Lifeguard regiments.

Steel Fist was ordered as well as more Peter Pig. Both are needed because the scope of the project has grown. After some consideration, I decided to double up the cavalry to two bases per division. Plus some reshuffling of the infantry. All units will be based on 60mm x 40mm bases - twice the depth of the EPIC system but some frontage - with the following breakdown of units. Except the straggling Steel Fist order, everything is now de-sprued, scrapped and cleaned. A big spray painting party awaits next weekend...

[Timmo]

It’s extremely unlikely that any of the Royalist lifeguard troops wore cuirassier 3/4 armour especially at this stage in the war.