A Song of Ice and Fire in 25mm

[sukhe_bator]

I know you jest DG
With a downturn in the weather I spent the day painting and since the muse took me I seized the opportunity to work on my Perry Westerlands mounted Men At Arms. I have to be in a rare frame of mind to do horses which is a real shame since I like cavalry-based armies!
With so many shieldless and in sallets or full face helmets I opted to try painted helmets in at least the main sigil colours. It seemed the best way to show affiliation without resorting to full heraldry 
The plan is to have at least 1 mounted figure representing each of the 12 major houses per faction. The North will only have 12 cavalry in total but will have access to some extra generic cavalry, but the others will ultimately have 12 knights representing captains or chief characters, plus one mounted MAA per house distinguishable through house colours/heraldry.
My approach to painting/modelling is somewhat scattershot/brained, so I have lots half finished or half built. I'm hoping to take the opportunity of the lockdown to finish off a number...

[sukhe_bator]

A few more days into lockdown and a few more modelling sessions later and I have reached a milestone. All my cavalry figures have now been built and allocated to respective houses. Most are as a result only partially painted, but the factions are beginning to emerge. The reuse of my Bretonnians was an opportunity to have horse bardings displaying the sigils of the houses..
Apart from a special unit of 6 unallocated mounted archers (Perry) the line up is as follows...
The North: 12 to 18 mounted representing all the major and some minor houses with sigils mentioned in the books - predominantly converted GW Rohirrim and Warlord feudals.
The Vale: 12 mounted knights predominantly converted GW Bretonnian and Battlemasters mashups to act as a flying column as in the HBO series. I can't imagine Martin would leave these in the wings for the whole cycle so I am anticipating them being involved in my campaign to some degree.
The Reach: 12 mounted knights 50/50 Battlemasters and Perry MAA, and 12 HYW/WoTR Perry MAA. These have to be at least as strong as the Westerlands.
The Riverlands: 12 mounted knights and 12 MAA mostly Warlord feudals and Black Tree Design HYW/WoTR MAA.
The Westerlands: 12 mounted knights mostly GW Bretonnians and Warlord and 12 Perry MAA.
The Crownlands: a mounted medley of 6 from Perry, Warlord and other sources.
Targaryen Invasion (the book version) Targaryen standard bearer, Aegon in full harness and Jon Connington (GW Bretonnian and Battlemasters mashups, with 6 mounted MAA Perry WoTR as Golden Company, plus 12 to 18 Dornish allied cavalry (Gripping Beast Mozarabs).
As you can see that adds up to a ton of horseflesh and more sigils, bardings, shields and banners than you can shake a stick at so it will be a while before I have any completed units, though some are nearly there...
The handful I have left over will join my Vargo Hoat and 6 Dothraki to become freeriders.
All of these were tucked away in tins so it came as something of a shock to see them all at once... would you guys be interested in a few shots of them all - even only half completed?

[AKULA]

would you guys be interested in a few shots of them all - even only half completed?

Yes please 

[HappyChappy439]

Yes please 

Agreed! Definitely on tenterhooks with the build-up the last few weeks!

[Lau]

yes! More pictures! :-D

[sukhe_bator]

A quick work in progress shot of the 12 mounted figures from the Reach that I have now confirmed. My process is to install the heraldry first to the figures and then paint the figures to completion, hence the varied states of completion... It took me somewhat longer than planned to do the sigils on the horse bardings, shields and lance pennons. Figures are predominantly Battlemasters knights with lengthened lances and some variation in detailing with a second conroy of Perry WoTR and a rogue GW Empire knight.
Houses represented are from left to right Tyrell and Oakheart (Front Row), Ashford, Rowan and Merryweather (2nd row), Fossoway of New Barrel, Leygood, Footly and Crane (3rd row) and Fossoway of Cider Hall, Caswell and Tarly (rear)...

[sukhe_bator]

A further shot showing (hopefully) more detail of the sigils - L R Ashford, Tyrell, Rowan and Merryweather (Front row) and Leygood, Footly, Oakheart and Crane (rear row)

[Mr.J]

Great to see you still working on this, excellent project well executed.

[HappyChappy439]

Looking great so far! I've never been quite brave enough to try painting the Merryweather Horn-of-Plenty!

[Argonor]

Wonderful and inspiring work, all around!

[sukhe_bator]

I've never been quite brave enough to try painting the Merryweather Horn-of-Plenty!

For me the heraldic sticking points are the Tarly striding huntsman and the Darry ploughman... hard enough to do on a banner, let a lone a shield or a lance pennon!

I've also taken the opportunity (as others here have done) to include lesser houses and Semi-canon sigils amongst the mounted Men at arms since the major houses are all well represented in the 12 x 12 man infantry contingents. The rot set in with my Crownlands contingent since I could only find 4 active houses with sigils in sufficient detail in the books but needed 6 to complete the conroy. So as well as Rykker, Rosby, Stokeworth and Hayford, I have included semi-canon arms for House Mallery and Buckwell.

[AKULA]

Great work as always, I love the mix of Houses you’ve achieved.

It would be great (post-Pandemic) if somehow we could all of the Westeros projects together on one (very large) table...I’m not saying we’d get a game played...I suspect we’d just be drooling over the figures

 

[sukhe_bator]

That would be some table...!!!
I've just totaled my Westerosi and it comes in at around 1,000 infantry and 100 cavalry

[AKULA]

That would be some table...!!!
I've just totaled my Westerosi and it comes in at around 1,000 infantry and 100 cavalry

Puts my 700 infantry and 60 cavalry to shame...that’s good thing about LAF, there is always a bigger megalomaniac out there

I must try harder 

Would love to see a group shot at some point...I think you did some photos a while back, but it sounds like your force has grown considerably since then.

[sukhe_bator]

Puts my 700 infantry and 60 cavalry to shame...

A fellow addict! . It kinda snuck up on me as I have the factions all squirreled away in tins and I've never had the entire extent out at the same time... The idea was to have a breadth of forces to play different scenarios but mushroomed into a sigil-collecting quasi-campaign... The only unifying feature of them is the extent of their incompleteness.