First scenic items

My plan is for rural features: a small farm, river, bridge, maybe a ford, trees, that sort of thing.

I recently bought Renedra’s Medieval Cottage and Wattle and Daub Outbuilding, and I am waiting on the release of Victrix’s Dark Age & Medieval Farm Animals for their Pillage range. I’m also quite taken with Gripping Beast’s Flint Stone Church. Victrix’s Market Stall may be serviceable too, for farm and camp items.

While at Partizan last May I stumbled upon the Trevor Holland range, and was impressed by one of the river sets (TH63). I now have this, and it’s quite literally a mixed bag. The short lengths and short curves are pretty uniform, but the two longer curves are much thicker and the surface detail is quite different. I think they will need quite a bit of work to achieve uniform thickness and appearance.

I’m considering a fleece games mat; I like the look of the Geek Villain mats, but I really want a larger one.

Renedra’s Medieval Cottage and Wattle and Daub Outbuilding.

Trevor Holland’s river set TH63, full set and detail.

Spear tips and standard bearers

I seem to be on a bit of a roll, which makes me happy. I have a lot of figures ready for painting and I assembled a few more this week.

Ready for undercoating are a pair of horses, a holder, and a standard bearer for Clifford’s Flower of Craven dismounted archers, and standard bearers for Wenlock’s bill men and archers. I made a couple of short spear armed fellows too.

I have never liked the shape of the tips of wire spears, so I have been cutting the tips off of plastic flag staffs, drilling them and glueing them to carefully shaped wire tips.

Needing more than were on the sprues of the Perry Miniatures sets that I have, I ordered North Star’s plastic spears (NSS 111). A set of 40, these are perfect; I am also using them complete.

North Star’s very useful set of plastic spears, which I am using intact and just the tips.

Flower of Craven mounted archers

I have started Clifford’s Flower of Craven, beginning with the mounted archers. I am planning eight mounted and eight dismounted figures, with a base of a couple of horses and a horse holder.

My intention is to match the dismounted archers as closely as possible with their mounted counterparts, so I selected two similar figures from the Perry Miniatures’ Wars of the Roses Light Cavalry and Infantry sets, and sculpted long riding boots and spurs for the dismounted figure with Green Stuff. I’m no sculptor, and this is my first time using Green Stuff (I like it), but I’m reasonably pleased with the result.

I have also assembled two horses with their holder and a standard bearer. Now I’m really looking forward to getting paint on them.

The first pair of archers, the horses and horse holder, with standard bearer. The horses are from Claymore Castings, the standard bearer is Steel Fist Miiniatures, and the horse holder is a Perry Miniatures archer.

A bit of momentum, at last!

I have finally finished the two long spear (pike) armed companies, which join the French mercenary contingent.

I’m working on a representation of Pierre de Brézé, first cousin of Margaret of Anjou, to command the mercenaries. Margaret of Anjou’s command group is coming along, and Baron John Wenlock’s command group is ready for undercoating. I’m trying to decide whether the man at arms is imploring Wenlock to don his helmet.

I’ve also prepared two companies of bill men and one of archers for painting. One company of bill men and one of archers will comprise Wenlock’s retinue. I’ll get on with painting these while assembling more figures.

Two companies of French mercenaries armed with long spears.

Baron John Wenlock considers donning his helmet.

A small host of figures ready for painting, along with Margaret of Anjou, Edward Prince of Wales, Baron John Clifford, and Edmund Earl of Rutland. Since taking the photo I have blocked-in the flesh.

Getting organised

I’ve been thinking about buying a rack for my paint for a while, and finally got around to it.

I also needed some more hydro foam for my wet palette, and some new sculpting tools for modelling long boots for Clifford’s mounted archers, so I sought these out at Green Stuff World. Overall, including shipping, this worked out ten quid cheaper than Amazon.

The rack is easy to assemble, and with a bit of wood glue for good measure the result is sturdy and stable. It looks neat, and has capacity for 60 17ml bottles.

Tidy!

French long spear armed mercenaries

Happy New Year to my readers, wherever you are in the world.

I had planned more progress with painting over the Christmas period, but influenza had other ideas. I am recovering, and now well enough to do a bit painting.

I have almost finished painting the first two ranks of the long spear (pike) armed French, with just a bit of detailing to do.

I have received another delivery from Steel Fist Miniatures, one of the figures – a flag bearer – is destined for Clifford’s company of dismounted archers. I am looking forward to starting these.

Slow but steady progress with the French mercenaries, a satisfying mix of Perry Miniatures and Steel Fist Miniatures.

Lancastrian limber ready for action

The Lancastrian cannon and limber are ready to join Margaret of Anjou’s army.

This model was inspired by Graham Turner’s painting The Hard Road to Tewkesbury in the fabulous The Wars of the Roses: The Medieval Art of Graham Turner, a similar model shown on the inspirational Full Harness blog, and informed by a bit of internet research looking at contemporary drawings and paintings.

The limber is from Perry Miniatures’ American War of Independence range (AW117), while the cannon is by Mark Copplestone. The figures are Perry Miniatures with one by Mark Copplestone holding the horse.

Graham Turner’s painting The Hard Road to Tewkesbury.

The model from the Full Harness blog.

My finished model, which isn’t as shiny as it looks here.