Swordsmen

[Andrew May]

Oh my! These are some of the best yet!

[Ratnik]

[Za Zjurman]

  please stop it I'm going bankrupt. 

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Yeah, bucklers!!

[Bugsda]

Excellent work    My paintbrush wants to make love to these 

[Ray Earle]

Excellent work    My paintbrush wants to make love to these 

Eurgh... 

Great sculpting as usual.

[mweaver]

Yea!  Very nice.

[Sangennaru]

impressive! So many of those, i would love to see them painted from some of the tops in LAF!

(btw, some of the swords look quite like icecream sticks... or it's just me? )

[Prof.Witchheimer]

(btw, some of the swords look quite like icecream sticks... or it's just me? )

no, that's correct, some of them were looking like sticks indeed:

[Sangennaru]

They shure used to eat huge icicles!

[Lowtardog]

no, that's correct, some of them were looking like sticks indeed:

Would it be more likely to have a pointed end (I guess this is a replica) as otherwise it would only be any good as a slashing weapon rather than a stabbing weapon

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Would it be more likely to have a pointed end (I guess this is a replica) as otherwise it would only be any good as a slashing weapon rather than a stabbing weapon

Sure, it's a replica. Katzbalger (landsknecht short sword) was often rounded at the tip and it was best suited for hacking and slashing than stabbing.

[Lowtardog]

Sure, it's a replica. Katzbalger (landsknecht short sword) was often rounded at the tip and it was best suited for hacking and slashing than stabbing.

Interesting, I have only ever looked at sword and buckler men from a spanish perspective with toledo blades used much like a gladius

[Captaingeneral]

These are fantastic sculpts and will be joining my mercenary band (along with the fantastic artillery) just as soon as payday rolls around

The Katzbalger, in battle, was used as a close in-fighting weapon secondary to the Landsknechts' main armament, i.e. Pike or arquebus. Particularly when it came to a pike push and the crush of the melee made the pikes useless.

I suspect most of the time the soldiers used them for personal protection and score-settling in the camp, durng a life that was often brutal and short.

It was deliberately modelled on the Gladius and was usually around 18" long

The swords on these marvellous models look a bit bigger to me(?) although clearly not a 'zweihaender' they seem to be carrying shields or bucklers.
The shield bearers in the triumph of Maximilian are carrying swords more like a cross between broadswords and rapiers, and carry slightly smaller bucklers.
You can see it all here:
http://www-classic.uni-graz.at/ubwww/sosa/druckschriften/triumphzug/


In my version of this alternative Renaissance universe they will probably be part of a Generalissimo's bodyguard.
CG