Another Carolingian Knight

The file box I keep my Normans in also contains my very small collection of painted Carolingians from Artizan. I noticed that I had painted five mounted figures so knew there was another one around somewhere.  After a bit of digging around in my "Dark Ages under way" box I found him and finished him off today. Like their successors, the Normans, the Carolingians need a lot of heavy cavalry. Artizan make one more pack of heavy cavalry and I just realised that it is Colours at Newbury next week so maybe I will be able to find it there.

All my Carolingian milites so far

Carolingians had distinctive winged spears so I use the Gripping Beast cast spears, drill a hole in it and insert a cross-piece from thinner brass rod.  A bit of a fiddle but worth it, I think.  Like all Artizan figures that I have bought they are very nice to paint and so if I find them I will probably put them in the pile of Normans I have underway at present.  I think I may have some more infantry somewhere too. 

Artwork for The Song of Roland from Look and Learn, 1971

Key opponents for the Carolingians, from my point of view, were Vikings and Spanish Moors although I am not certain of the differences between the uniforms and equipment of the 11th century and the 9th century for the latter armies.  When, for example did the helmet with the nasal piece appear in Europe?  I first became aware of the Carolingians from a picture series in Look and Learn magazine depicting The Song of Roland.  They are an unusual and distinctive Dark Ages army and, like the Normans, I will continue to work away at them.

Norman Knights

Two Crusader Miniatures figures flank a Conquest Games figure

I've just finished a trio of Norman Knights and, enthused, have based up some more infantry and Bishop Odo today.

I never intended building a Norman army; mainly as several other people at the club already have one, but I continue to paint the occasional figure when I want a break from something else. One of the main advantages of them is that they are quick to paint, especially if you are using Crusader Miniatures chunky figures. On the whole I don’t like the increasingly old-fashioned looking squat appearance but in this case it makes the Normans very purposeful looking.

I have painted quite a few Anglo-Saxons (mainly Gripping Beast) and have always fancied doing Hastings and Stamford Bridge but Normans have a lot more uses than that. They are, of course good for the First Crusade and even the Spanish Reconquista as well as actions in Italy.

The problem I have with the Crusades (and I have thirty Perry Turcoman horse archers painted which I did for a Society of Ancients battle day) is that the Perry figures are so nice but really wouldn’t mix with the Crusader ones. So I would feel that I have to buy the Perries crusader cavalry which would be crazy given I am painting virtually identical figures for Hastings (except the bases would be the wrong colour for the Holy Land). So I am in the position where I am contemplating painting two separate Norman type armies. Madness!

One thing which may come to my rescue are the Conquest Games plastic Norman knights. I have just finished my first one of these and have some more on the way. These look much more compatible with the Perry figures I have so I would be able to mix them in much easier with theirs.

Conquest figure with added shield boss

The only fault the Conquest figures have is that, for some reason, they didn’t put a shield boss on the kite shields. This is easily remedied, however, as they include an equal number of round shields which do have bosses. It is straightforward to cut of the boss from a round shield and glue it onto the kite shield as I did for this one. The treatment of chainmail is not at all bad for plastic, given it’s about the hardest thing to do in this medium, and whilst not as crisp as metal figures is quite adequate.  I have to say that I enjoyed painting this figure, which is something I rarely say for plastics, although filling the seam where the head and neck of the horse joins the body wasn't easy (and in fact I didn't bother on the first one).

Crusader, Conquest, Crusader

Although the horses are noticeably more slender than the Crusader figures I wouldn’t hesitate about putting them in the same unit. The option to have some round shields will be useful as I vaguely recall reading somewhere that some of the Frankish cavalry in the Crusades (the Provencal contingent?) had round not kite shields. Even if there is no evidence for this it is a good way to differentiate them from the Normans. I might do the same with Bretons at Hastings.

Perilously close to being a unit! Conquest figure in the centre.

So I will definitely be buying some more of these Conquest plastics for use in Britain, the Mediterranean and the Holy Land.  Next I hope to have Bishop Odo done.  here I have gone for the recent Foundry figure rather than the Crusader one which I will explain next time.

Conquest Games Plastic Normans: 1

I picked up a box of these at Warfare last weekend. It wasn't really an impluse buy as I have been steadily painting small groups of Crusader Normans for some time. I'm usually not too bothered about the price differential between plastic and metal but for a Norman army, where you need a lot of cavalry, 12 figures for £18 looks pretty good compared with the Crusader cost of £34 for the same number of figures.

I hope to assemble some at the weekend but first thought I would see what is in the box. The box itself is servicable (certainly not up to Immortal standards!) but, not that it really matters, the cover painting is a bit weak. The back of the box shows some painted figures done with the dreaded Army Painter but at least it gives me a target!

Inside there are four sprues of figures (three identical rank and file and one command) plus a sprue of bases.

The bases are 2.5 cm x 5cm for the four singles and 5cm x 5cm for the six doubles (so you get enough bases for 16 mounted figures). One of the double bases would take the casualty figure as well. I use just this size for my bases but never have multiple figure stands (partly because I don't like them and partly because I base my figures first and then paint them - with multi figure stands you need to paint first and then base). I probably won't use the double bases.

Standard Sprue

The standard sprue contains:

Four bodies (without legs). Three in chainmail (two identical) and one unarmoured. All with integral saddles.

Six horse halves. Three left, three right of which there are two of each half with one other; meaning two designs of left and two of right -this would make it possible to build four different horses as each half fits with any other.

Three different horses heads. This gives, then, the opportunity to build 12 different horses, given the four different horses.

Six different helmeted heads. Four with chainmail coifs, one with a cloth coif and one with no coif. So you have choices for the four bodies.

Three kite shields. Two have arms attached. None of them have shield bosses (unlike the Crusader ones)

Three round shields. Two have arms attached. All have shield bosses.

Three right arms holding spears. Two overarm grip, one underarm.

Three right arms holding swords.

One right arm with an open hand.

One left arm. For attaching to a shield.

Command Sprue

This is largely identicl to the standard sprue as regards horses, weapons and shields. However the top section is different and contains:

A one part casting of a fallen knight on a dead horse.

Three bodies. Two identical in quilted armour and one in scale armour.

One head (identical to one on the main sprue).

One right arm holding a lance with a pennon.

One right arm holding a horn.

One right arm holding a club.

One sword.

I have to say that they have really thought about the contents of these sprues. Apart from the fact that you can field twelve different horses you also have the option to field 12 figures in mail as well as having some other non-armoured or different armour options. Also you can give evryone a lance if you wish and everyone either a kite of round shield. Too often you find that there aren't enough components to equip your troops in a uniform way (Warlord Games celts spring to mind). If you are building a big unit you also have enough components to just build rank and file troops as you have enough bodies that you don't need to use the command figure components.

Next time I will assemble a figure, look at the quality and see how it compares with my Crusader ones. So far, however, I am impressed!

Gripping Beast Plastic Vikings

The words "Gripping Beast plastic Vikings" were, for me, the wargaming equivalent of the words "Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz in lesbian love scene" for the cinema. Gripping Beast Vikings were the first 28mm metal figures I ever bought. They were also the first metal 28mm figures I actually had a game with. So they were, therfore, the one "must buy" from Salute. Sadly, like the aformentioned Johansson/Cruz scene, they have proved to be something of a disappointment. I have built several and painted one and have the following thoughts.

Four sprues of ten figures each

The standard sprue

Firstly, what do you get in the box? Four identical sprues with each. Each sprue also contains:

10 bodies all in chainmail (five different types; 2 of which have left arms attached)

10 shields (plus one with attached spears)

6 swords in scabbards

2 double handed axes

2 single handed axes

6 scram knives

4 pouches with attached scrams

14 helmeted heads (10 different)

4 right arms holding a sword

2 right arms holding single handed axes

5 right arms with spears

4 hands holding swords

4 hands holding single handed axes

2 arms designed to hold a double handed axe

5 left arms

Detail of the main sprue

This sound like a good varied selection but I have a few issues:

I would have liked a few more left arms: as four have them attached to the figures and you get only five more then it means that one of your figures per sprue has to be a double handed axeman.

Only five spears per ten figures and no separate spears. Vikings fought primarily with spears in a shieldwall; I find that two many swords and axes make it more a sort of Warhammer look.

There are no swords which either aren't in scabbards or have hands attached. The idea is that you cut a hand off an arm holding an axe and replace it with ahand holding a sword (and vice versa). I have done this and it works OK but you have to make sure you cut at exactly 90 degrees
.

Command sprue (x2)

Next there are two identical command sprues these contain:

2 bodies in chainmail (the same as two of the figures on the main sprue)

2 heads. these are different from the main sprue: one in ahelmet, one bareheaded.

2 shields.

1 right arm holding a horn.

1 left arm holding a sword.

1 right arm holding a sword.

2 swords in scabbards.

One cloak with an animal skin on it.

My issues with this are:

It's a shame that they couldn't have done some new bodies.

There are only two left arms and one is holding a sword so you can't have your hornist holding a shield as there aren't enough left arms.

Overall I would have liked to see: more variation in bodies, more bare-head options, more spears and more left arms. So, the set is not as flexible as it could have been.

Also included is a brief set of instructions (mainly concerned with the assembling of the two handed axemen and some (rather small) paper flags.

First painted plastic. Its is quite tricky to dry brush the rather shallow plastic chainmail detail

The figures go together quite well, although gaps between the arms and torsos can't be filled because of the pattern of the chainmail. I did find on some arms that I had to trim off some of the arm to get it to fit properly. There is only one real assembly problem and that is to do with the scabbards. Most of the sleeves come down so low that there is no room to fit a scabbard (especially if it includes the sword's grip). A number of the figures are depicted with over the chest belts from which swords would have hung but getting them in place is a real problem; you have to make them stick out at odd angles.

One of the few arm/body combinations that permit the scabbard to hang correctly

If the sword hilt is attached you have to angle the scabbard like this

Couldn't get a scabbard in at all on this one as the sleeve comes down too low


L to R: old Gripping Beast metal, New Gripping Beast plastic, Artizan Designs and Foundry

Size wise, they are smaller than many of my old Gripping Beast figures but are similar to the Artizan and Foundry ones which make up the bulk of my army. Certainly you could mix them in with no problem. Two things I don't like: the spears are very fat (compared with, for example, the Immortal Miniatures plastic Greeks spears) and are fatter than the Gripping Beast cast spears I have used on my other Vikings. Secondly, they definitely have a slight case of big head syndrome (some more than others) which is a shame as most plastics are edging towards more normal proportions (Perry, Immortal). In short they are rather more cartoon -ike than I would have expected from the Gripping Beast of old. To be fair I need to get some more painted up and see what they look like en masse but I would give the whole box a slightly disappointing 6/10.

Dark Ages Size Comparison 2

Left to right: Early GB Viking, 2nd incarnation GB Viking, 3rd incarnation GB Viking, Artizan Viking, Crusader Norman, Foundry Viking, 4th Incarnation GB Viking.

The one on the right is a character (Harald Hardrada) who was a strapping chap so you would expect a bigger figure but he is 32mm foot to eye.

Norman Archers

Baguettes at ze ready!

I finished the pack of Crusader Normans I bought at Warfare last month. They didn't take too long, about two days all in all. The bows are a bit hefty and I probably should have replaced them with the Gripping Beast ones, which are more in scale, but I couldn't be bothered!

I'm looking to do William's Army for Hastings and although we don't have any details of the exact number and composition of his army I am going to follow the Osprey by Christopher Gravett where he estimates 1,500 archers. I'm going to do these armies at a ratio of 1/50 so that will give a total of 30 figures altogether. Crusader also do archers in armour (there are a few illustrated on the Bayeaux tapestry) so I will buy one pack of those and two more of unarmoured archers.

Some more Normans

I ordered some more Normans from Crusader last week and picked up some more at Colours yesterday.

Despite being in Poland most of the week I managed to finish another five figures today. I got some LBM shield transfers but won't use them on every figure as I think they are too ornate for every soldier.

Next I'm going to paint some archers befre doing a couple of cavalry. However, I'm in Bristol and Bath most of this week and then off to North America for three weeks so they will not be finished until Christmas.

First Norman

I bought a batch of Crusader Miniatures Normans on eBay recently and they arrived this week. While I was finishing my Early Saxons today I filed, based and painted this one as a test. It was really quick to do (yes, I know, it looks it) but I should be able to churn out some of these quite quickly.

So on the workbench for Dark Ages we now have 5 Norman infantry, six new Foundry late Saxons and four more Early Saxon Gedriht. That should keep me busy for a bit when not doing Napoleonics!

First Gedriht

Well, needless to say it took me a lot longer to get these painted than I thought but I had no idea that I was going to get hijacked by French Napoleonics!

But here are my first five Gedriht which were as easy to paint as all Musketeer Miniatures figures. These are my leader's hearth guard (I haven't painted him yet) and are a hefty 18 points each (15 for the figure and 3 for the mail armour) so we have 108 points straight off!

These have got me back into Dark Ages figures again so I will get the next few undercoated and do what I did with these add odd colours as I paint other figures.

Battle of Stamford Bridge

My Gripping Beast Vikings

My little boy had to write an essay about the Battle of Stamford Bridge this weekend and mentioned that it would make a great wargame. Quite right too! I am sure that some of the magazines have had scenarios before and maybe it was covered in one of the WAB supplements (Shieldwall?). Can't check as I am in Dubai at the moment. At least there is no temptation here to start up another army just becuse I am visiting somewhere!

So maybe I will have to put my Early Saxons on hold and paint some late Saxons! For wargaming purposes I split the Saxons into three periods: Early Saxons from the Romano-British period (Musketeer make the best ones by a mile), early Anglo-Saxons to take on the Vikings (Kind Alfred period) and late Anglo-Saxons (1066 period). Unfortunately they all look different and finding figures I like for the later period isn't easy. Gripping Beast do some but the range isn't very large. Crusader have a nice range but they are from one of his shorter figure ranges. I have some Black Tree Design ones but they are very variable. I quite like the new Foundry figures but they don't have any kite shaped shields (although GB do them). Maybe I will get some of the Foundry Saxons and give some kite shields (I have a few anyway) as the look stylistically similar to my Foundry and Artizan Vikings.

The Vikings are easier as I have Foundry and Artizan which go well together but also Gripping Beast which are more historically accurate (especially as regards the shields and in-scale weapons) but the range isn't that big.

Gedriht Unit now based

Despite the enormous distraction (distractions?) of Ola Jordan in a backless, low-cut, skin-tight, shiny leopard-print catsuit on Strictly Come Dancing on Staurday night I managed to base up the big unit of Gedriht.

Ola! Distracting!

Next stop is to do the filler on the bases and undercoat them. I'd forgotten what really nice figures they are (like Ola!). Suddenly enthused by Dark Ages again, in fact I have put all my Ancients away as I was getting stressed by the number of based but unpainted units.

Some more Early Saxons

I picked up some more Musketeer Miniatures Early Saxons at Colours last weekend. I bought a bag of 20 Gedriht even though I already have some based so I will try to get the rest filed and based this weekend. I usually clean-up and base figures whilst watching TV with the family on Saturday evening and Strictly Come Dancing starts again this week; one of my guilty pleasures.

It will be even more pleasurable this year as Rachel Stevens is in it: well worth launching a longboat full of warriors in order to capture her!

Rachel: worth pillaging from a village!

First Early Saxon Unit

This is my first completed Early Saxon unit for Age of Arthur: a unit of Duguth, which I finished today. The figures are Musketeer Miniatures with Little Big Men standard and shield transfers. The house in the background is by Grand Manner. I have another one down from the loft ready to start. These were great to paint and I have already bought some figures for my next unit, which will be Gedriht, in chainmail, then I will do another unit of Duguth and then a unit of Geoguth. The unit is only 175 points for WAB and for these sorts of warriors probably needs to be bigger to keep rank bonus. Once I have got a few more units done I can add another file or two.

Games Workshop Rohan v Musketeer Miniatures Early Saxon

Someone on TMP asked how they compare. Very different styles but I love them both!

Dark Age Irish

I decided to finish my first Crusader Dark Age Irish figure, which I had used in the comparison photo below. So here he is. The spear is cast on and is much bigger than the brass ones I am using now. The problem with the WAB Irish army is that the individual troops' points values are so small you need bucket loads of them for an army. Eventually he will be desitned to take on some Vikings.

Dark Ages Size Comparison

Left to Right: Musketeer Early Saxon, Artizan Viking, Gripping Beast Early German, Foundry Viking, Crusader Dark Age Irish.

I am very fussy about mixing different manufacturers but all of these are fine. Two comments: The Musketeer characters are a bit bigger than the rank and file troops (in the case of the General and Standard bearer quite a bit bigger but as the head and hands etc are all the same size it just means that they are big strapping chaps). Secondly, I have always found the Crusader Dark Ages stuff a bit smaller than the other manufacturers but proportion wise and head size wise they are compatible.

Duguth Standard Bearer

This is the Musketeer Miniatures Duguth Standard bearer with Little Big Men standard. I've now got 15 figures painted for the first Duguth Unit but won't put it up until I finish the next five figures which will complete an initial basic unit of 20 figures. Probably I need bigger units than that but 20 figures seems to be the WAB Dark Ages standard at Guildford so it's a good start.

The main thing is that I have painted 16 figures in a month which shows I enjoy working on them. I have now ordered some more officers and some Gedriht. Musketeer have recently issued some missile armed skirmishers which don't seem to have been employed a lot historically but they only cost four points each and I have found slingers can be quite effective in WAB as they get two shots if they don't move.

Early Saxon Army Standard Bearer

Here is the army standard bearer. Musketeer Miniatures with Little Big Men flag and shield transfer (actually a Varangian one). I decided to give him a big shield as he is a big chap, towering over the Duguth. Also at 113 points he is worth more than the other 10 figures I have painted! This is my first attempt at mounting a LBM flag on a foil (tomato puree tube) backing rather than paper but it was worth the extra effort.

There really should be a prize for Steve at LBM for transforming Ancient and Dark Ages wargaming with his beautiful shield transfers and banners.

Maybe some of the banners are a little too splendid for a grungy Dark Age army; this one is gorgeous: It's so gold and scarlet that if it was a girl it would be Scarlett Johansson!

 

See the similarity! Gold! Scarlet! Full bodied! Would look nice on a pole! Maybe I've had too much Wolf Blass Chardonnay this evening!

More Early Saxons

I finished another five Musketeer Early Saxons today and have nearly finished the Army Standard Bearer (probably tomorrow). I've now painted ten figures for my first Duguth unit and they certainly pass the "don't get bored painting them" test. This is just as well as this lot amount to a paltry 85 points.

I don't seem to have enough bucklers for the figures I have got, however, so will order some more I think. Don't know if I lost them or if they weren't included in the last packs I bought (which I suspect). Never mind, the bucklers will be useful to enable me to put some Gripping Beast Early Germans (of which I have quite a lot) in to bulk up the units.

Musketeer Early Saxons

I finished my first group of Musketeer Minaitures' early Saxons at the weekend. They are lovely to paint and suitably barbaric looking. These are Duguth, experienced warriors. Spears are Perry.

http://www.musketeer-miniatures.com/store.php?r=11&rule=Historical&id=35

I notice that Gripping Beast have just released some Early Saxons as well (thanks to the Age of Arthur WAB supplement) so I will get some of them to see how they look.

http://www.grippingbeast.com/shop.php?CatID=281

Gripping Beast produce some Arthurian Romano British and Welsh types very much modelled on Bernard Cornwell's excellent Arthurian trilogy but for Saxons you had to use early Germanics.

http://www.grippingbeast.com/shop.php?CatID=17

Now we seem to be getting some proper historical figures too with the new trendy bucklers. Hopefully the two ranges will be compatible: certainly the Germans worked with the Musketeer figures (see post below) so I am quite hopeful!

The next five are based up and ready to go..