A Stannis Baratheon Project Log (Update 30/08, pg 19 - Queen Selyse)

[LordOdo]

Probabaly one of the most interesting characters to scratch-build!
Perfect choice to continue the project!

[HappyChappy439]

Hi again!

Continuing Sellsword Summer I've decided to put together some more members of Vargo Hoat's sellsword company, the Brave Companions (or Bloody Mummers, really), starting off with a block of infantry

When Arya first sees the Mummers in A Clash of Kings she notes how odd the whole eclectic bunch of war criminals look, which provided a basis (and a lot of freedom) to get started on figures to represent the sellswords:

Arya did not know who Bloody Mummers were until a fortnight later, when the queerest company of men she'd ever seen arrived at Harrenhal. Beneath the standard of a black goat with bloody horns rode copper men with bells in their braids; lancers astride striped black-and-white horses; bowmen with powdered cheeks; squat hairy men with shaggy shields; brown-skinned men in feathered cloaks; a wispy fool in green-and-pink motley; swordsmen with fantastic forked beards dyed green and purple and silver; spearmen with colored scars that covered their cheeks; a slender man in septon's robes, a fatherly one in maester's grey, and a sickly one whose leather cloak was fringed with long blond hair.

In the block, I've included a bunch of the named Mummers who appear in the books

First off, the trio of Pyg, Shagwell the fool, and Timeon the Dornishman, a group of horrible types who first appear with Vargo Hoat when he arrives at Harrenhal, but much later have a run-in with Brienne


Next, Rorge and Biter, also thoroughly unpleasant individuals. Rorge was a fairly straightforward conversion to simply cut the nose off a Perry archer's head, and sculpt a scar there, while Biter was surprisingly difficult to find a base model to use!



And finally, the cadaverous Urswyck and the (also reprehensible) Septon Utt. I've given Urswyck a blue/grey colour scheme so that in a pinch he can be used to represent a Frey


For the unnamed sellswords, I've tried to keep them as 'generic' as possible (while still keeping them themed around assorted free cities and places in Essos), so that they can be used in other sellsword companies or irregular forces

For some test figures, I've included two Dothraki swordsmen in the infantry block, based on Perry Azerbaijani figures, with Dothraki painted vests and mustaches sculpted on. I've decided for the project to interpret the Arakhs as just "a large curved sword" rather than the full khopesh situation from the show


As a nice excuse to add some colour to the block, I've added a bunch of Tyroshi swordsmen as unit fillers. Arya specifically observes swordsmen with green, purple and silver hair and beards. In the series sellswords from Tyrosh are a famously colourful bunch, with brightly dyed hair and clothes, so I've tried to reflect that here. I've based the figures on the GW Corsairs of Umbar to give them a bit of a piratical look, so they could substitute for members of Euron's or Salladhor Saan's crews, or other Essosi sellsword companies


There are two spearmen from Volantis in the block, who briefly get alluded to by Arya a couple of times. Seeing as Volantis is more or less the Constantinople to Valyria's Rome, I've used Fireforge Byzantines as a base for the Volantenes. The figures themselves are based on a description Tyrion gives of the Tiger Cloak spearmen of Volantis in A Dance With Dragons:

A squad of Volantene spearmen stood guard at the river gate. Torchlight gleamed off the steel claws that jutted from their gauntlets. Their helms were tiger's masks, the faces beneath marked by green stripes tattooed across both cheeks.

A pair of spearmen attended them, clad in polished helms and shirts of silver mail. Across their cheeks were tiger stripes as green as jade

And finally, I had to include a figure to represent the big ol' bear that Vargo Hoat brings to Harrenhal, this time being led along by a Dornish handler


Let me know how they've turned out!

[Hobgoblin]

These are fantastic! They showcase what I'd imagine just about everyone heard from their parents - that books always contain richer imagery than film or TV adaptations. You've done a brilliant job of getting that richness into 3D form!

[Little Odo]

Agreed - a most unsavoury bunch of ne'er-do-wells brought to life by your wonderfully evocative painting.

[AKULA]

Brilliant work - they really look the part, both the named characters and the generics 

[Grumpy Gnome]

These are fantastic! They showcase what I'd imagine just about everyone heard from their parents - that books always contain richer imagery than film or TV adaptations. You've done a brilliant job of getting that richness into 3D form!

I quite agree with Hobgoblin! 👍

[HappyChappy439]

Thanks everyone! It was fun putting together such a colourful unit, in comparison to my usual Westerosi!

[HappyChappy439]

Hi again!

Another Sellsword Summer post! This time I've decided to make a start on a different company to the Bloody Mummers, and put together some figures for some of the sellswords of the Golden Company



The Golden Company themselves are largely descended from the exile rebels who tried to install the Blackfyre pretenders on the Iron Throne, and spent the better part of a century fighting against House Targaryen, before House Blackfyre died out in the male line with Maelys Blackfyre in the War of the Ninepenny Kings. After that, they resumed being a 'regular' sellsword company, taking contracts in Essos and dreaming of returning from exile.

With that origin in mind, the idea I had in my head for the Golden Company is that they would have a broadly Westerosi style of equipment left over from the exiles, but would have over time integrated armour and fashions from the Free Cities in Essos. With the idea being that they would look (and fight) in a more Italian way, with a lot of infantry wearing mail, brigandines and helmet wraps.

The figures themselves are all unconverted Claymore Castings Italian spearmen, which I felt fit perfectly for how I'd imagined them, the 14th/15th century look fits in with the rest of my Westerosi figures, while also having enough Italian design features to visually separate them from the other factions





Here's a few of the individual sellswords slightly more up-close. I've tried to keep the unit with a common visual theme without them being exactly uniform to try and reflect how the Golden Company is notably disciplined compared to other sellsword companies, but also retaining a little sellsword individuality. Every member of the unit has some gold accents their helmets, breastplates or knee/elbow plating, while every miniature in a brigandine has the studs painted gold. The serjeant has a pointier bascinet and a full suit of plate armour to make him look more like a man-at-arms from Westeros, but has an Italian style shield to still tie him to the Free Cities



I hope they came out ok!

[LouieN]

 They are lovely.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Great work yet again mate! I wish you had been able to influence the costuming decisions on the tv series.

[HappyChappy439]

Thanks for the kind words!

That said, painting all those gold studs on the brigandines sure is a task 

[HappyChappy439]

Hi again!

Continuing Sellsword Summer, as a follow-up to the Golden Company unit I've decided to (finally) add some Targaryen-adjacent content to this project! Rewinding a full 40 years before the start of the main series, I've put together a figure to represent Maelys Blackfyre, or Maelys the Monstrous as he's often referred to as. He's the last of the Blackfyre pretenders, who was killed by Barristan Selmy during the War of the Ninepenny Kings. He's a claimant to the Iron Throne and captain general of The Golden Company (by virtue of murdering his cousin to take control of it), which makes him a serious threat to House Targaryen's rule

Famously, Maelys had a small second head on his throat, and, having gigantism, was physically huge. So to get that imposing size across, I've used a Warhammer Chaos Warrior as the base for the figure, on account of how much larger they are than the historical ranges.



As a descendant of the Targaryens, I've given Maelys the silver-gold hair, and purple eyes of the family.

Here's a slightly closer view of Blackfyre and its scabbard. Being the ancestral Valyrian Steel sword of House Targaryen passed down from all the kings since Aegon I, I've painted the scabbard in Targaryen black and red, with rubies down the length of it.

For the sword itself, given that Valyrian steel is basically magical Damascus Steel in-universe, I've tried to give it a rippled Damascus-y look and the dark grey coloration that Valyrian Steel is usually described as.



And a view of Maelys' cloak. I've given him a gold skull tied to his cloak to represent his cousin Daemon (given that Maelys pulled his head off). I feel like even though Maelys killed him and took over his sellsword company, he'd still feel a little bit of obligation, as a fellow Blackfyre, to take Daemon back to Westeros with him



Here is King Maelys I with his royal squire (and later captain-general of the Golden Company), Myles Toyne.



I feel like in response to the discrimination that he would likely have faced since birth, Maelys would put a very deliberate emphasis on his name and lineage, to draw attention to his legitimacy and his claim. So to reinforce that, he's styling himself as King Maelys I, carrying the sword Blackfyre, and taking a squire from a famous Westerosi noble house. His armour and cloak are painted in red-and-black dragon colours, with gold accenting, and a gold skull on the breastplate to highlight his rank and status in the Golden Company

For a closer look at Myles, with his stylish House Toyne doublet, carrying Maelys' helm and the banner of House Blackfyre.



It's not been confirmed at all, but I like to think that Myles Toyne was Maelys' squire, and was alongside him during the War of the Ninepenny Kings, but being only a young squire, was left alone by Barristan Selmy, giving him a chance to take Blackfyre and Maelys (or his skulls at least) back to the Golden Company lines. As a parallel to Jon Snow's position as the Lord Commander's steward set him up for leadership of the Nights Watch

And here's Squire Myles Toyne with his older self, as Captain General of the Golden Company



Hopefully the figures have come out ok! (Incidentally, dragon banners are very fiddly to paint, I've found, I probably won't make a habit of it!  )

[AKULA]

Brilliant work mate - Maelys looks like a real villain.

Love the ripple effect on the Valyrian steel, and the dragon banner looks spot on

 

[HappyChappy439]

Brilliant work mate - Maelys looks like a real villain.

Love the ripple effect on the Valyrian steel, and the dragon banner looks spot on

 

Thanks a lot! I'm glad the steel has turned out ok! I'll probably be using that sort of pattern going forward for other characters with Valyrian steel swords!

[Rosie]

Amazing work on Maelys and the Golden Company!