Levies for SAGA: What models to use?

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

Hi gang. My hearthguard and warriors are made from the Gripping Beast plastics. As yet I haven't made any Levy units for either my Vikings or my Saxons, but I think I will need some shortly.

First of all, bows or slings? Which do people think would be more common during the viking age?

Secondly, which manufacturer will mix best with the GB plastics? I'm looking at getting some GB metal archers, but also looking at Artizan Designs. Will the Artizan models mix well with the GB plastics? Or if I want to blend some slingers made from the GB Dark Ages Warriors will they stand out as being from different manufacturers?

Are there any decent generic plastic archers that would fit the bill? The Conquest Games ones are a bit naff.

Thanks in advance!

[Atheling]

Crusader Miniatures, Artizan Designs, Gripping Beast all make great 'levy' models with slings and bows. you can often mix and match between Norman, Viking and Saxon ranges (including kite shields IMHO) so I wouldn't feel too constrained about buying archetypal stereotyped nationalities. Gripping Beast to stirling work with their plastic 'generic' bow of Germanic warriors, alas without slings and bows as far as I know).

It's probably a common misconception that England "Knew not the bow" as the rest of Europe seemed to make good use of it around 1066. It's more likely that Harold had to leave his archers, who in general would probably not have owned horses behind in the race to get down to face William the Bastard threat.

My point is, all armies would have made use of the selfbow to some degree and it's really up to you as to what you think is historically correct based on the evidence out there.

I don't mean to sound like I'm on my high horse (I really don't want you to think I am being too haughty) but the information is out there if you look for it. The internet is actually your friend in this regard and there are plenty of books available on the various theaters of war that pertain to Saga. The Norman Conquest and other 'Periods' are well served, here's just a few samples:

Google books:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5xnvEVqzUlMC

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_English_and_the_Norman_Conquest.html?id=Su1IbQKzocsC&redir_esc=y

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_English_and_the_Norman_Conquest.html?id=Su1IbQKzocsC&redir_esc=y

also, there is a great deal in print, for example, one of my favourite all time books is The Byzantine Wars, John Haldon, which is a gem for the battles fought right up to and including Manzikert.

Darrell.

[braxenk]

Conquest Games has released a box of plastic medieval archers that could be totally serviceable.

You might look for a couple of sprues on ebay to limit the costs.

[braxenk]

actually, I will have a couple of spare that I am happy to trade or part with for a reasonable fee. Each box contains 40 archers, I just need 24, so 16 spares.

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

I don't mean to sound like I'm on my high horse (I really don't want you to think I am being too haughty) but the information is out there if you look for it. The internet is actually your friend in this regard and there are plenty of books available on the various theaters of war that pertain to Saga. The Norman Conquest and other 'Periods' are well served, here's just a few samples:

Google books:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5xnvEVqzUlMC

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_English_and_the_Norman_Conquest.html?id=Su1IbQKzocsC&redir_esc=y

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_English_and_the_Norman_Conquest.html?id=Su1IbQKzocsC&redir_esc=y

also, there is a great deal in print, for example, one of my favourite all time books is The Byzantine Wars, John Haldon, which is a gem for the battles fought right up to and including Manzikert.

Darrell.

Thanks for the reply! You're not coming off condescending, it's just that I'm quite time poor between work and family commitments and it's hard to know what's a good resource to read until you're halfway through it and by then you've already wasted a couple of hours...

The Dark Ages is all kind of new to me. I'm only just now discovering the excitement of 9th century England and it's all so interesting! I've long been fan of the ancient Romans and can wax lyrical about the ratios of auxiliaries to legions, or the various schools of thought on scutum construction or the likely colours of a legionaries tunic, but ask me if dark ages Saxons use slings or bows or javelins and I have no idea!

Against my better judgement I've decided to pick up a box of the Conquest medieval archers and see what I can make from them. Mixed in with some slingers from the GB Dark Ages warriors set and I think I can come up with something.

 

[Atheling]

Thanks for the reply! You're not coming off condescending

Phew.... I was a little worried about that

it's just that I'm quite time poor between work and family commitments and it's hard to know what's a good resource to read until you're halfway through it and by then you've already wasted a couple of hours...

I fully understand....

The Dark Ages is all kind of new to me. I'm only just now discovering the excitement of 9th century England and it's all so interesting! I've long been fan of the ancient Romans and can wax lyrical about the ratios of auxiliaries to legions, or the various schools of thought on scutum construction or the likely colours of a legionaries tunic, but ask me if dark ages Saxons use slings or bows or javelins and I have no idea!

Then you almost certainly know more than I about the Roman army. Not my cuppa until late in the Empire- in particular the Byzantine Empire.

Against my better judgement I've decided to pick up a box of the Conquest medieval archers and see what I can make from them. Mixed in with some slingers from the GB Dark Ages warriors set and I think I can come up with something.

Unfortunately I'm not great with the GB plastic box sets- ask me about any of their other ranges and I can wax lyrical as I used to paint for them a few years ago.

I have used the heads from a plastic box set to convert the Early Anglo Saxons into their more modern counterparts but that's about it .....