Footsore Miniatures Welsh Archers

My latest entry in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge is 12 early medieval Welsh archers from Footsore Miniatures.

These were part of a Kickstarter they ran in late 2021, with pledges shipped out early this past autumn.

I got 3 packs of 4 archers, 4 different poses, as I was building units with Lion Rampant and Saga in mind.

The minis feature great faces and hands; very easy and enjoyable to paint.

I have a number of other packs as part of my pledge and they all look as great as these bowmen.

Saxons, Sassanids and More Khand For The AHPC

 To a degree, more of the same as my last two entries: 15mm Sassanids and a Charioteer of Khand, and similar to last year, some 28mm Dark Ages figures.

Bit of a mish-mash of subjects but at least they are connected by being mounted. A couple of stands of Sassanid mounted archers.

I cannot recall the manufacturer; I bought them second hand online a year or two ago.

I also got started on my Saxons from Bob Murch's 1066 Kickstarter; two mounted Thegns:

These are wonderful figures; great sculpts, very easy to paint and nice, clean casting.

Being Thegns, I probably should have added a bit more trim to the tunics but I was in a bit of a rush to get them done by Thursday

Finally a chariot for my small band of Khandish mercenaries:

 

Like the previous batch of GW's Warriors of Khand, this unit is a little rough in spots.

As you can see, the whole model almost fits on the base it comes with.

Next on the painting desk are some Welsh archers for the AHPC.

15mm Sassanid Elephants and Archers

 Once again (for the third winter running) I am taking part in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. Last year I focused on Dark Ages, GW's Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game and ECW, all in 28mm. This year will be similar with a one or two dips into 15mm as I add to my small 15mm Sassanid force.

Having most recently added some Command stands, this time I did up a couple of elephants and some archers.

All figures are Old Glory. The sculpts are a little old and clunky when compared to newer ranges such as Forged in Battle's War and Empire range, they paint quickly and easily.

Like the archers the elephants are Old Glory. Although at first I wasn't looking forward to painting them, once I got started I really enjoyed them. I could have taken a little more time with the beasts, but I wanted them done  quickly.

I don't think I have a lot more to add to this army. Definitely some skirmishers, both foot and mounted,  and probably some  more cataphracts.

I thought I would include a couple of photos of the MESBG figures I am also painting during this challenge. They will be most likely be used in Warlords of Erehwon as barbarians.

I don't think this is a very popular range for MESBG players. It is GW's take on Tolkien's Variags of Khand.

Not really how I pictured them when I read the books as a kid but I do like the mish-mash of medieval Korean, Chinese and Japanese aesthetic. 

    

More Sassanids and Variags on the workbench at the moment; I may move onto some Saxons or Welsh shortly.

15mm Sassanid Command Stands

 Another important ingredient missing from the Sassanid army I purchased were command stands. An order from Forged in Battle and some figures I already had in my collection were recruited to do the job.

These are based on 2mm MDF for Field of Glory. I went with different figures per stand for two reasons: I wanted to differentiate between an Inspired Commander (or even just the Army General) from the Field Commander (2 figures) and the Troop Commander (1 figure). Secondly, I couldn't find  a figure suitable to accompany the Troop Commander in my collection. Ideally I think I would like a foot soldier just for variety.

I do not know the manufacturer of the figure above or the figures on the stand below (possibly the extinct Corvus Belli range as I bought a few blisters online ages ago).

The main command stand is comprised of the command figures from Forged in Battle's Cataphracts.

They are wonderful figures; cleaner sculpting and casting than the other 3 miniatures. Very easy to paint, especially with the straight forward iron barding. 

This blog entry comes just a few days before the start of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. I have more Sassanids planned as well as some Dark Ages figures, ECW, MESBG Warriors of Khand and (possibly) some Black Templars. 

The League of Augsburg English Civil War Cavalry

 Warfare Miniatures (better known as the League of Augsburg) are primarily known for their late 17th century, early 18th century 28mm figures. There are plenty of awesome photos of their figures in action on the excellent League of Augsburg blog. They do, however, have three blisters of ECW/TYW cavalry in their shop.

I don't recall seeing many of these in the collections of other ECW war gamers and as I really like their other figures (I am desperate for a reason to order some of their Ottoman Sipahis) I ordered one of each blister out of curiosity. The riders have a ton of detail, very well sculpted and cast. I loved the faces.

I painted most of the riders in dark, almost blackened armour. I did try my hand at russeted armour but I think it needs a bit more work..

Although the riders are great the horses were a little rough; lots of pitting and some of the detail of the tack was less crisp than similar detail on the cavaliers. As these are the same mounts for their already existing cavalry ranges I imagine the moulds may be getting a little tired.

Although most of my horse are in pairs on 50mm square bases or singles on 25mm by 50mm bases I chose to do these as triplets on 75mm by 50mm stands since there were 9 figures.

I will cobble together another stand of 3 from other manufacturers, probably TAG or Bicorne so that the unit will be my customary 12 figures.

Bloody Miniatures: The Squire's Men

 Another fantastic pack from Bloody Miniatures: BM006, The Squire's Men. 

On the one hand I see them as loyal, down to earth folk with Parliamentarian leanings...

... on the other hand, rural communities tend to be fairly conservative, suspicious of new ideas...

... so perhaps they don't see the need for change: they have a good life, their employer treats them well.

Then again, maybe their lord, eager to improve his standing, supports Parliament. Otherwise indifferent, their loyalty to him ensures their loyalty to parliament. 

One thing is for sure, they do not appreciate belligerent cavalier types intruding on their lord's property.

New Direction: 15mm Sassanid Army

 Generally I like to paint and collect 28mm miniatures but quite a few of my fellow wargamers collect and game in 15mm. So I decided to branch out and purchased a second hand 15mm Sassanid army a few years ago. I say an army but it was about 22 stands of cavalry- no infantry. So as part of a group order I picked up some levy spearmen and some archers from Old Glory. First off the painting desk are the spearmen.

 I have to say I didn't take my time with these; there was no reason to rush, I just wanted to get them painted (I even shirked on the prep as you can see):

                                                                                  

 

It turns out I had purchased a handful of Sassanid spearmen from a business that was getting out of historical figures; I am not sure what make, possibly the now defunct Corvus Belli historical range.

Here is a shot of the two different manufacturers side by side (Old Glory on your left):

Most of the Sassanid shields I have seen follow Angus Macbrides excellent depiction in Osprey's MAA 175,  Rome's Enemies (3): Parthians and Sassanid Persians, but I chose to mix it up a bit. 

Also in the Old Glory order along with the aforementioned archers were a couple of elephants. I hope to get to them this fall some time. Worst case scenario they will be prepped and primed for the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge.