Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Siege of Malta, 1565 - Barbary Corsair Spearmen and Archer Command Stand


Okay! So, switching tack from the Grim Dark Future to the sun-kissed Middle Sea, I thought I'd finish off a few more figures for my 1565 Malta project which have been sitting half done since the winter Challenge.

Here are half a dozen spearmen to add to Turgut Reis' slowly growing contingent of fierce Barbary corsairs.



These models are from Footsore Miniatures' excellent Caliphate range. Similar to my previous efforts, I had great fun using a lot of colour with these guys. I may get another pack later to bulk-up the unit, but this group will stand as a good start.

The full unit of spearmen.
I also did up a command stand for one of my corsair archer units which was bereft of one. 


The piper and standard bearer are from Brigade Games, while the leader is a Footsore model. I did a small modification to have him holding a crossbow along with a small targe, just to make him a little more distinct from his bow-armed comrades. 

The archers with their new leader.
At first I just had the three figures on the base, but for a bit of additional colour, I decided to give them a banner as well (I figure you can't have enough flags on the tabletop).


These 9 models will give me another 45 points, for a grand total of 135.

Thanks for popping in for a visit!

-Curt

11 comments:

  1. So good Curt, I just love the colours of this period.

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    1. Thank you Michael, they were a lot of fun to work on.

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  2. These are great Curt, I love the vibrant colours mixed with the more drab ones. They will fit really well in the besieging forces of Malta!

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    1. Thanks Oli, I'm delighted you like them. Now, on to a big mob of ilayar fanatics - wish me luck!

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  3. Brilliant work. If you've not seen it yet you need to watch ottoman rise of empires on Netflix

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    1. Thanks Martin! Yes, 'Ottoman' was brilliant and provided great inspiration for the project (and also got Greg all riled up to do a bunch of Genoese mercenary defenders).

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  4. Wonderful work as ever my friend! Love all those punchy colours.

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    1. Sorry I missed you comment, Nick. Thanks a bunch.

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  5. Hi beautifully painted
    this might be of interest a great siege of Malta dio we worked on as a team https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-08-31/local-interviews/Modellers-painstakingly-recreate-attack-on-the-spur-of-Fort-St-Michael-on-15-July-1565-6736141327

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    1. Thank you David. I remember seeing this article a few years back - very impressive! Is the diorama still viewable at the President's Palace? My wife and I visited a couple of years ago and very much enjoyed our time there, but did not get a chance to see the public spaces at the palace.

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  6. The diorama is at the Maritime museum Birgu

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Thanks for your comment! As long as you're not a spam droid I'll have it up on the blog soon. :)