Last week I promised an Italian Wars command stand and so with shortened breath I'm delighted to report that I've managed to deliver. In fact I even had time to gild my post with some do-it-yourself cypress trees, but more on those in a bit.
Readers with sharp eyes (and/or benefiting from week-long memories) will have noticed the drummer from my previous post is curiously absent. Well, being a fashion-forward kind of guy (cough, cough...) I realized that the drummer's rather 'busy' purple, buff, green and red outfit just wouldn't work with the clean-and-simple blue and white motif of Lucerne.
So, ordering a quick costume change that would make Karl Lagerfeld proud, I swapped-in a better garbed Swiss piper in the drummer's stead. La! The sartorial splendour of the Renaissance has been maintained. Phew!
So, ordering a quick costume change that would make Karl Lagerfeld proud, I swapped-in a better garbed Swiss piper in the drummer's stead. La! The sartorial splendour of the Renaissance has been maintained. Phew!
The mounted figure is from Foundry's late medieval range while the two foot figures can be sourced from the Perry's somewhat vaguely titled 'European Armies' collection. The flag is from the talented Pete, from the much better described 'Pete's Flags'.
I quite like the forked beard of the Captain. I suggested this to Sarah as a future winter look for me, but strangely she rolled her eyes and returned to reading her book, which I believe roughly translates as, 'Don't, you'll look like a git'.
Right, moving along. In the quest to make my Italian Wars tabletop look a little more, um, 'Italian' I've decided that I needed some proper cypress trees to go with the nice rustic cottages I got from Grand Manner. I looked around the webiverse and found that my friend Simon (BigRedBat) had a wonderful tutorial on this very subject. Please check out his great how-to as I, being a brainless muppet, completely forgot to photograph my work-in-progress. Suffice it to say they are made of twisted pipe cleaners, glued to washers, painted green and liberally coated with PVA and green flock. Here are 5 of the blighters, but I did up a dozen for good measure.
I look at the finished product and feel the need to order a plate of prosciutto, a glass of red and finish it all with the Medici-esque poisoning of my rivals.
Ciao Bella!
Hope to see you soon - Have a great week!
Aha, the cottage returns - With greenery too!
ReplyDeleteYes, well, I need to amortize the effort I put into that little lump of resin. :)
DeleteWhat a fabulous start to my week, excellent post Sir. As for the forked beard, go on, you know you want to and I promise not to snigger. ;)
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Michael, I imagine I'd snigger if I grew one!
DeleteI think that the forked beard would suit you handsomely for winter-wear ;)
ReplyDeleteLovely command group Snowlord! :)
One fork over each should I'd imagine - like a scarf!
DeleteThose are some spiffy Swiss! And so colour-coordinated...!
ReplyDeleteWell done, Curt!
Thanks Ev!
DeleteSpiffing paint jobs once again Mr C! I'm sure your fashion-victim drummer will find himself in other equally exclusive company quite soon. I really like how your command stand works as a unit thanks to the common colour scheme. As I'm currently working on some troops for a (quite some) later Italian campaign I might copy those cypress trees.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick! Yes, I like keeping these bases with a theme, even though I know they were probably quite disparate in reality.
DeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! The banner itself is also splendid and the trees really are brilliant as well...
ReplyDeleteCheers Sander. I can't take any credit for the banner (that's all Pete's work) but thanks for the thumbs up on the cypresses.
DeleteBeautiful brushwork my friend. "Sartorial splendor" indeed. Those stripes on the legging of the piper look particularly sharp! They also remind me why this period is too complicated for me to touch...
ReplyDeleteAh, but Greg I think you'd do a brilliant job with this period. Once you get a few good source documents they you're off to the races.
DeleteMasterclass!
ReplyDeleteVery kind of you, Michal.
DeleteGreat looking command group Curt. As for the bead, why let looking like a git stop you?
ReplyDeleteYou're also a bit behind the times on the crafting supplies. As I recall from Lynne's brownie leader days, "pipe cleaners" are sold as "fuzzy chenille sticks" in Michael's and the like. Mind you at a tobacconists (doe these still exist)....
Cheers
Peter
From one git to another I have to say that your 'fuzzy chenille sticks' will work like crap for this application. Nope, I resorted to the tried and true, burly, manly 'pipe cleaners'. Not a bit of fuzziness in evidence.
DeleteGrand stuff Mr C .. Oh and your Stradiots are a part of my holiday lead clean up
ReplyDeleteThanks Dave. And no rush on those Stradiots. Keep them for a Challenge entry!
DeleteThat is indeed a lovely flag. The whole thing ties together very nicely!
ReplyDeleteThanks Iannick. Pete does some wonderful work with his banners.
DeleteGreat looking command stand, I like the beard and the piper, the pipe cleaners / craft things look great.
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Cheers Iain - thanks for the thumbs up!
DeleteWow these are great and the trees work so well too
ReplyDeleteIan
Thanks Ian!
DeleteSuper stuff - bravo :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike!
DeleteA wonderful looking command stand Curt! Those trees really worked a treat.
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Delighted you like them Christopher!
DeleteVery nice indeed!
ReplyDeleteSince when have you ever been concerned about looking like a git?
ReplyDeleteOh no, wait... that's ME that isn't concerned about looking like a git! Sorry, carry on...
Mmmmm... forked beards....
(The command stand is magnificent, by the way!)
Tim, you would look quite magnificent in a forked beard! :) Thanks for dropping in and the kind words.
ReplyDeleteWell Amanda does keep asking me to grow it out longer... Hmmmm....
DeleteA great step forward for painting and for maintaining standards of Italian fashion. Lovely grouping and I am going to look into the cypress trees.
ReplyDeleteTrust Sarah's judgement and leave the forked beards to young hipsters who don't know any better. Kay tells me the same thing about tattoos.
Thanks Mike! Here, here for Kay and her good taste! I can't stand tattoos as well.
DeleteUm, 'Hear, hear for Kay.' Gosh, I'm such a dullard sometimes....
DeleteFantastic work Curt! A good idea to keep the drummer on a different base - the chaps on this base are really for around 1470-1490, while the drummer is far more 1510-1520s era. And as they are in the command the most certainly would be following the most up to date fashions!
ReplyDeleteThe Cypress trees look great as well - they will really help to add an Italian flavour to your games, you've got me thinking about some now....
Thanks very much Oli. I really can't claim any rhyme or reason to my groupings. Unlike your fine work, my knowledge of the period is fairly prosaic - I just love collecting and painting the figures and hope I don't make too much of a hash of them. :)
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