Thursday, January 31, 2013

From TamsinP: 15mm Swiss Crossbowmen & Revolting Peasants 'Enfants Perdu' (64 points)


From Tamsin:
I was originally going to submit these separately, but ended up finishing them off at the same time, so they're submitted together. These are the first of my 15mm Swiss in the Challenge - sixteen crossbowmen and sixteen armed peasants. The crossbowmen have been painted with tunics in the colours of the 8 cantons of the Old Confederation, with one pair per canton. 




When I complete my Swiss army for FoG:AM, there will be another 12 bases (24 figures) and my plan is to have every canton's colours represented across all the troop types, roughly in proportion to the canton's contribution to the Swiss force at Morat.
The armed peasants are based as light foot to represent "enfants perdu" (lost children) who are recorded as participating at Laupen (1339), throwing stones down onto Austrian troops. I can't find much else about them in the medieval period, but similar units appeared as light troops alongside mercenary Swiss pike contingents during the early Renaissance period. 



I figured they were most likely camp followers and servants, so would be carrying whatever they could lay their hands on that might be usable as a weapon. In FoG:AM they are classed as Poor, Undrilled, Unprotected, Light Foot with Javelins. In other words not much use, but a reasonable use of 16 spare points if you're already maxed out on handgunners.
Expect some more Swiss in a couple of days, then some more a few days after that!
Niice! I love this period and have always had a soft spot for revolting peasants - they're just so... so... so charmingly ardent (and as doomed as doomed can be).

These two units of Swiss will give Tamsin 64 points, allowing her to leapfrog Fran, John and Andrew to place her in the Top 10. Well done! 

Bring on the pikes!

From JamesB: 15mm WWII British Paratroopers (53 points)


James breaks ranks from his usual 28mm painting to show us this collection of 15mm British Paras. 

From James:
Just a quick entry, not good pictures, but 37 15mm WW2 Paratroops. These are a commission and the customer is basing them himself.



James, what you lack in loquaciousness you make up with your skill in painting. ;) These are excellent and I particularly admire the tonal shading you've achieved on their uniforms. Well done. Question: Are these Battlefront castings?

This group of paras will give James 53 points.