Margaret of Anjou

I have been thinking about the principal characters I want to include in my collection, and the retinues I want to represent. Studying the standards, banners, and liveries of the various combatants has been instructive, while considering the livery badges, banners, and standards available from Pete’s Flags, Little Big Men Studios, and included in the Perry Miniatures plastic sets.

I have been quite taken by Athena Miniatures’ Margaret of Anjou, and decided to buy it. It’s a lovely miniature, complete with a fellow on foot leading the Queen’s horse by the reins.

I am now thinking to model Henry VI’s queen, and their son, Edward, Prince of Wales, and probably Henry himself – perhaps he will become an objective. I’ll probably add Buckingham to this little group too.

Athena Miniatures’ Margaret of Anjou in the middle, with Perry Miniatures’ horse and foot figure to left and right .

Ragged Staff Miniatures 3D resin prints

I’ve been interested in these characterful miniatures for a while, and curious to see the quality of 3D printed resin for myself I ordered four … and now they have arrived.

I ordered Watchful Lord, Captain of Archers, Knight Baronet with helm, and Loyal Standard Bearer. These are delicate, finely detailed prints, with no visible trace of the production process. The pole weapons are a little bit too flexible, so I will probably substitute these with plastic versions. They sit very well with my Steel Fist Miniatures and Perry Miniatures castings though, so I am looking forward to thinking about which retinues they will be recruited to.

Top: Watchful Lord, Captain of Archers, Loyal Standard Bearer, and Knight baronet with helm. Bottom: on the left Steel Fisst Miniatures dolly with Perry Miniatures plastic head and arms; on the right Perry Miniatures metal casting.

A few more gunners

I’ve added a couple more crew figures, one of which is a minor conversion of a Copplestone figure.

The handful of Copplestone figures I have are so distinct – in terms of their physical attitude – that I wanted to make them different enough from one another, but also to work with the Perry and Steel Fist figures.

The pointing figure holding a canon ball got a different head from one of the Perry plastic sprues, while one of the figures holding what I think is a rammer, had this removed and the left hand replaced with one gesturing something like ‘wait’.

Left-to-right: a comparison of Copplestone, Steel Fist, Perry metal, Copplestone, Perry plastic …

… and again.

Steel Fist Miniatures’ dollies

Perry Miniatures’ late medieval plastic sets are generously provided with heads (seventy different apparently) and arms bearing all kinds of weapons from bills to bows to various pole arms, swords, maces, etc. Consequently there will be plenty of spares after assembly of the plastic figures from each box.

Cue Steel Fist Miniatures with a range of headless and armless ‘dollies’, designed to fit with the Perry Miniatures range. I ordered five sets, initially to augment my mercenary crossbow and hand gun armed figures, and to fashion gun crews for my Front Rank canons.

As you will see, the sculpts are very finely detailed, and, I would say, very slightly shorter and very slightly leaner than Perry Miniatures’ plastic and metal figures. This is an observation rather than a criticism, and I am really looking forward to assembling a few of these to see how they look when combined with Perry’s heads, arms, and weapons.

Steel Fist Miniatures’ standing retainer dollies …

… crouching and kneeling retainer dollies …

… retainer dollies in brigandines …

… dollies in padded coats …

… and men-at-arms dollies.

Steel Fist Miniatures (centre) compared to Perry Miniatures’ plastic and metal figures – very slightly shorter and slightly leaner.