full plastic 100 year war 28mm armies ?

[sundayhero]

Hi,

I bump the topic, finally I decided to go plastic, and build Azincourt armies with Perry boxsets.

I will start with the french, of course, and I decided of this list :

1 crossbow (4pts)
1 foot sergeant (4pts)
1 foot men at arms (6pts)
1 mounted men at arms (6pts)
1 mounted sergeants (4pts)

I plan to buy the french infantry boxset, and a 1450-1500 cavalry boxset, then put everything in a bowl, add some greenstuff, shake well and finally obtain the units I want 


THe questions I have are 2 :

WHat do you think of this list (in terms of fun/playbility, not necessary "performance") ?

For Azincourt cavalry, should I buy the "light cavalry 1450-1500" set, or the "men at arms 1450-1500" boxset to use as my conversion basic cavalry ?  Just seeing the pics, I'm not sure wich set will be easier for the conversion process (I will need 6 azincourt french mounted men at arms and 6 french sergeants, built/converted from the choosed cavalry box and bits remaining for the infantry box).


thanks for your advises !

[Charlie_]

The light cavalry box might be easier to convert. The heavy cavalry have left arms moulded onto the torsos, on the light cav they are separate.

It doesn't have any 'knightly' lances though, just spears.

Are you gonna be chopping the foot knights legs off and putting the torsos on horseman legs?

[sundayhero]

Good question, I just realized that the french infantery box only contains 6 knights, so the mounted men at arms would have to be full converted/sculpted from the cavalry figures. 

But I will have enough remaining infantrymen (considering the army list I built) to make the mounted sergeants...

Considering the 1450 men at arms will probably be easier to convert into 1415 men at arms than converting light cavalry into knights.

So I probably have my answer, I believe ! 

[painterman]

There are some very effective conversions of mounted figures for 1415-30 period here - Perry Light Cav with bodies/helms from the Agincourt boxes.
This may inspire and help your decision?

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=77614.75

Simon.

[sundayhero]

thank you !

FInally I choosed and ordered to go with a french infantry box + light cavalry box, with some green stuff, brass rod and bits I hope to make my budget Azincourt french army 

I'll post results asap !

[sundayhero]

Hi,
I recently recieved my 2 boxes of perry minis plastics : Great sets, and great value for the price (and great store service by the way, I ordered in caliver books, and I'm not paid to say that  ).

I ordered a box of light cavalry (1450) and a box of french Azincourt infantry. I plan to build this list :

1 crossbow (4pts)
1 foot sergeant (4pts)
1 foot men at arms (6pts)
1 mounted men at arms (6pts)
1 mounted sergeants (4pts)


Mounted men at arms will be 6 of the light mounted cavalry, with heavy greenstuff conversion. The sergeants should be an easier conversion, for what I saw on the sprews. To make the things easier too, I think I'll go for a 6 mounted men with short weapons, and 6 with long weapons. I have to see if the spears the light cavalry is using is credible for the 1415 men too.

I already prepared 6 horses, a slow beginning since I'm using plastic cement for these. For the figures, I will use gel cyanocrylate glue, it will be faster.


I'll post pics tommorow

[Mick_in_Switzerland]

Don't use cyanoacrylate (superglue) on plastic figures. The joints will remain brittle. 
Use polystyrene cement such as Revell Contacta Liquid with a brush applicator.
I usually assemble more than one figure at a time.
You can apply cement to a few parts and then assemble them 30 seconds later.

[sundayhero]

thank you for your advise, but I usually glue plastic figures like that, without any problem 

I remember braking a plastic fig arm glued with cyano (to test the glue) : it broke inside the plastic, not the glue join itself ! 

[sundayhero]

So here's my french Azincourt army  

I have a few questions about cavalry organisation (I don't know much about middle age, to be honest), for lion rampant rules.

I'd like to make a sergeants cavalry unit, with lances (an easy conversion from the war of the roses boxset), and a knights cavalry unit, with short arms (like axes, maces, or swords). Is it historically accurate ?

If it is accurate, what kind of arms a mounted knight would carry ? No shield, if I understand correctly ?

Last question is about accuracy, do you have any book to advise on the subject ? Some kind of visual encyclopedia, with lots of color references pictures and illustrations, not some kind of academic history book.


thanks



edit : I found some brass rod with the same diameter of the plastic lances : this way I will use the short plastic lances for the sergeants, and longer brass lances for the knights. It will look like more "middle age" this way 

[Charlie_]

I think a mix of lances and hand weapons on the knights would look appropriate. More so than having them all just with swords, maces and axes. But that's just me!

Do you have any of the Osprey Men-At-Arms series books? Full of great illustrations perfect for wargaming inspiration, nice and affordable little books.
I recommend you check out...

The Armies Of Agincourt
French Armies Of The Hundred Years War
Henry V And The Conquest Of France 1416-1453



Is this the latter-era 100 years war you are planning to do? I.e. early 15th century?

For the early 100 years war (ie later 14th century), there is also...

The Armies of Crecy & Poitiers


Their Campaign series are really good too, I have a few of them. Longer, with very detailed accounts of specific battles. I have the Crecy and Poitiers ones, but not the Agincourt one actually. I also have Orleans 1429 and The Fall Of English France which covers the last few years of the war, both very good. Rather than the illustrations of individual soldiers, these books have fantastic double-page battle illustrations, so you can see the soldiers in action. The one below is from the Crecy book.



Arms and armour changed quite alot over the course of the war.
In the latter period, shields were generally abandoned by knights, both on foot and horseback. Large pavise-like shields were still used by some infantry though.

[sundayhero]

Thank you for your help (I missed your post!). I want to recreate Agincourt armies, starting with the french, with a unit of men at arms with knight lances, and sergeants with "regular" lances (like the ones in the light cavalry plastic set I bought).

I almost found all the documentation I needed, the only thing I still don't know is how a early 15th century knight saddle looks like ?

To be more specific, I found some pics of the front part of the saddle, but not the rear view. I want to sculpt it for my men at arms.

thanks

[Charlie_]

Thank you for your help (I missed your post!). I want to recreate Agincourt armies, starting with the french, with a unit of men at arms with knight lances, and sergeants with "regular" lances (like the ones in the light cavalry plastic set I bought).

I almost found all the documentation I needed, the only thing I still don't know is how a early 15th century knight saddle looks like ?

To be more specific, I found some pics of the front part of the saddle, but not the rear view. I want to sculpt it for my men at arms.

thanks

Hmm interesting question. I am tempted to say much the same as the ones on your Wars Of The Roses era cavalry....

But.. I really don't know!

[Leigh Metford]

Surely buying two plastic sets to create one set of figures would work out no cheaper than metal. You might as well buy the metal figures and save yourself all that time and effort (unless, like the Crusaders, you derive enjoyment and satisfaction from conversions).

[sundayhero]

Thanks for your answers,

The purchases have been done already And it stay a way cheaper than metal ! Conversion and sculpting is not a problem.


I'll improvise a bit for the saddles, we'll see.