Captain Blood's Perry Mounted Men at Arms. P.156 Scots pike block painted

[vcina]

Lovely work on the tokens

[AKULA]

An excellent, if somewhat grizzly post Richard.

Funnily enough I’ve been pondering exactly this subject matter for my GoT project, so the timing couldn’t be better from my own perspective.

The “how-to” aspect is particularly helpful, so thanks for sharing

 

[Captain Blood]

Thanks chaps

Too many words 

There are pictures too, O He With The Attention Span Of A Gnat With Attention Deficit Disorder.
(Some people find explanations HELPFUL James  )

I take it the Zulu guy is influenced by the Towton Mass Grave Project?
The findings that the bodies were stripped and mutilated, possibly after capture and prior to their deaths. (There's evidence of mutilation before death on some of the skeletons)

Yes, I had that in mind.
I remember seeing the facial reconstruction of one of the Towton mass burial-pit bodies. He looked just like the builder working on my house at the time: a bald-headed heavyweight thug, with a face like an old-school prizefighter.

Bye the bye, since you have decided to do these perhaps you will consider having a few bashed in heads. I know it sounds ghoulish, but I understand that the head was a favored target in this time.

Thanks Ray.
Yes indeed, way back somewhere near the start of this thread, when the Perry plastic mounted men-at-arms first appeared (8 years ago - ) I made up this little diorama, which subsequently appeared as an article in Wargames, Soldiers & Strategy magazine.
Entitled 'the Towton Tap', it depicts the rout after the battle, when thousands of the defeated Lancastrians were ridden down in the Bloody Meadow and crossing the Cock Beck (which allegedly ran red with blood for a week afterwards).
A number of the exhumed skulls bore neat, quadrilateral punctures in the top of the cranium - evidence of a favoured killing blow being delivered with the sharp beak of a reversed warhammer, brought down on the unprotected skulls of the fleeing footsoldiers by the pursuing horsemen.

It's been a long time, so I'm going to crave your indulgence and re-show the pics of that grisly little diorama again.
Here we go...









Actually, looking at these again, some more running men (Arnie style!) would also make good markers. So maybe I'll kitbash up a few more of those too 

[Eric the Shed]

beautiful work...

[Mason]

Well, that is the kind of indulgence we can all put up with!
 

[Bearwoodman]

Wonderful modelling and painting! The casualty tutorial was interesting, and the principles can obviously be applied to pretty much any setting. The poses of your figures are lifeless (a compliment!). And painted up by you they are appropriately unsettling.

[Ray Rivers]

It's been a long time, so I'm going to crave your indulgence and re-show the pics of that grisly little diorama again.

Oh thank you, kind sir. A lovely diorama that. 

Up to that point in my life I had no idea how utterly devastating that hammer could be in warfare. And just the other day I was watching Robin Hood, played by Russel Crowe, and sure enough in the final battle I noted he was carrying one of those:

[Plynkes]

I don't know much about medieval stuff, but isn't the 12th Century a tad early for war hammers? I was given to understand that their emergence was a response to the introduction of plate armour. Oh, Hollywood...

[Atheling]

I don't know much about medieval stuff, but isn't the 12th Century a tad early for war hammers? I was given to understand that their emergence was a response to the introduction of plate armour. Oh, Hollywood...

Yes, in the West. But obviously not by the time of the Wars of the Roses where defeating full harness was paramount on the battlefield.

[OSHIROmodels]

There are pictures too, O He With The Attention Span Of A Gnat With Attention Deficit Disorder.
(Some people find explanations HELPFUL James  )

 

[Captain Blood]

I don't know much about medieval stuff, but isn't the 12th Century a tad early for war hammers? I was given to understand that their emergence was a response to the introduction of plate armour. Oh, Hollywood...

I think you're right Dylan. That was pretty terrible movie though, in a number of ways 

[Ray Rivers]

Oh, Hollywood...

You Brits should be used to that by now, surely.   

I mentioned it not because it was so good, but because I don't think I have ever seen a movie where the main character was carrying a hammer.

Is there any other?

[AKULA]

I mentioned it not because it was so good, but because I don't think I have ever seen a movie where the main character was carrying a hammer.

Is there any other?

Thor 

[Cubs]

Dammit Cap, that little base is so good. I'm inspired now to also do casualty/fleeing type models.

Odd isn't it, how the war hammer has become so Warhammer (TM) in the hobby, with dirty great lumps of iron the size of an anvil being merrily wielded about. I like the idea of realistic looking weapons of a more realistic proportion (although a little exaggerated, because actual proportions look tiny sometimes) on models. I also like the idea of more fighting men using primary weapons such as war hammers, maces, axes, spears, etc.. rather than swords. 

[Hobgoblin]

Fantastic stuff!

I mentioned it not because it was so good, but because I don't think I have ever seen a movie where the main character was carrying a hammer.

Is there any other?

I find Braveheart's historical manglings and dreadful costuming too painful for a rewatch, but I seem to dimly recall Mel Gibson wielding a teetering-on-the-edge-of-anachronism warhammer in one scene.