Entry #6 to the AHPC - 28mm Italian Wars Bolognese Crossbowmen

I've been suffering through a terrible headcold these past few days but I did manage to get these boys off the table.

This is a unit of crossbowmen from the Italian city of Bologna ca 1500. We see them here, shooting from behind their pavise shields, while under fire from some opposing missile troops.

I chose Bologna for a couple reasons. The first is pure laziness: Bologna's heraldic crest, a red cross on white background, is relatively easy to do freehand. 

A depiction of fighting between militia factions in Bologna, from the Croniche of Giovanni Sercambi of Lucca.

I also I appreciate Bolognese civil politics of the time. It seems that Bologna was the only Renaissance Italian city (and probably one of the few in Europe) who allowed women to excel in any chosen profession, even permitting them to attend the city's university. Also, Bologna was a center of the arts in its own right, with a residence of painters that rivaled that of Rome and Florence during the period. (BTW, In 1506 it was invaded and sacked by Papal armies, its art was stolen and its progressive civil liberties squashed  (yet another tick-mark in the scorecard of enlightened organized religion...).)

...and finally, let's not forget that a good Bolognese sauce is in of itself worthy to fight for...

These ten 28mm metal figures are from the Perry's 'European Wars' range while the pavises (pavisii?) are from their European Mercenaries box set. 

For the stricken crossbowman I used a plastic Perry Napoleonic British casualty figure, shaved off the offending detail, gave him a breastplate (roughly) made with a bit of green-stuff and then added a sallet helmet and crossbow. The city pennon is a repaint of one of the cutouts provided in the Perry box sets.

I often hot-glue a stump, boulder etc. at the back of my large bases to give players something to grip on to when moving them on the tabletop.

The irregularly shaped MDF base was a sample sent along to me from Simon Miller (aka BigRedBat). He's developed these for use for his 'To The Strongest' ruleset. (Thanks very much Simon!)  For the past year or so I've been thinking of creating basing like this and so I was really stoked when I saw Simon's bases on his website. I really like the organic shape of these bases and am planning to do-up my upcoming Italian Wars collection using these in various dimensions. 

Entry #5 to the AHPC - 28mm Modern German (SEK M) Special Forces Frogmen

These five frogmen depict members of the Spezialisierte Einsatzkräfte Marine (SEK M) a German special forces unit which focuses on maritime operations.

The 28mm figures are from Lead Adventure Miniatures. They're bit off-the-beaten-path, but I thought they would be fun to do. While the sculpts themselves are fantastic, the only thing I find a bit odd about them is how they're armed. I believe units of this type are typically utilized for close-in assaults, ship-boarding, hostage rescues, stuff like that, so I think it would more likely that they would be armed with compact MP5 SMGs, or shortened HK416s, rather than the relatively hulking G36 seen here. Who knows, perhaps they are landing on some foreign shore where they may have to stand-off at medium range.

 

Being special forces frogmen, it would only stand to reason that they would be kitted out completely in black, so I had a merry time working with various shades of grey to prevent them from disappearing into the shadows completely. With their bases I tried to create the sense that they are coming ashore (and to add a bit more colour for interest).  In the end they turned out alright, though I might go back and pick-out a few metallic edges on their assault rifles and give their Tag watches luminous dials. 

Entry #4 to the AHPC: 'Zarg the Terrible' for the 'Nostalgia' Theme Round

Zarg the Terrible

I ran into an old girlfriend this past summer. Her name is Lois-Anna. Actually Lois-Anna is not just an 'old girlfriend', she was my first girlfriend, my first girlfriend at the very tender age of 16. 

We made plans to meet for coffee, and a few weeks later we met at a cafe and had a great time, reminiscing about old friends, old haunts and good times gone by. Just as we were about to part she gave me an envelope that contained a few Polaroids from back when we were together.  Among those photos was one of me wearing a cheesy pair of Foster Grants, posing behind a mushroom-topped stump with a trio of little lead miniatures atop it. They were in fact the very first miniatures I had ever painted. I was speechless. I had completely forgotten that this photo had ever been taken and it made me laugh aloud.

'Zarg' in the red circle. I'll pass on the sunglasses but gosh, I wish I still had that hair... ;)

I'll give you a little context to this photo. I was raised in a very, very small town in northern Saskatchewan, where the nearest hobby store was around 120 miles away. My best friend Gary and I mail ordered our 1st edition Players Handbooks, DM's Guide, Monster Manual and several lead miniatures direct from TSR in Lake Geneva.  When they arrived it was like Christmas in summer. I was so excited to paint the figures that I used enamel car paint from my dad's shop and my mom's toothpicks and push-pins to apply it to the figures. Yup. Pretty primitive I know, but sometimes you just can't beat raw enthusiasm.  

Anyway, after I got the photo from Lois-Anna I spent an afternoon searching through my lead shed and managed to find my character figure - the very same as in the photo. Yes, 'Zarg the Terrible' emerged in all his glory. (It's funny, even back then I was a complete cynic as I came up with his name as a tongue-in-cheek reference to my ability as a player.)  Anyway, poor Zarg had not weathered the intervening 33 years very well, so I didn't even bother to photograph him as I found him.  Rather, I just brushed away the paint (yes, the 'benefits' of high lead content and absolutely no primer) and began afresh. So, here he is, 'Zarg the Terrible' in all his splendor, painted by a middle-aged version of that boy from 1982. 

Zarg and Curt 33 years later.

Entry #3 to the AHPC: 28mm Landsknecht 'Handbuchse' Light Gun

I've been promising a Renaissance-themed submission for a while and so here it is. 

This an example of an early heavy rifled musket, sometimes called a 'Handbuchse'. These tripod mounted guns were often too cumbersome and slow for field engagements but would be utilized during sieges, assumably to pick off defenders and make a general nuisance of themselves. I had an opportunity to see one of these weapons close-up on display in Les Invalides in Paris and marveled at what must have been the bravery of its crew. From examining the contraption, its gunners must have been in as much danger from it flying apart as to those they were supposedly shooting at. The risks of being on the cusp of cutting edge technology, I suppose.

These figures are a mix from both Warlord Games and the now defunct Pro Gloria Miniatures (Warlord bought the range a few years ago). 

I recruited a Master Gunner from Warlord's Pike & Shotte range and re-purposed him for this vignette as I liked his pose.

He has a technician/alchemist air about him.

I imagine him as a Spaniard mercenary gunner in Imperial pay who has dropped by to help his German friends sight their 'silly Teutonic popgun'. 

The two Landsknecht and the light gun are pretty much stock from the kit, except for a  bit of careful bending and re-positioning for the vignette.

I thought I'd indulge myself with an autumnal setting for these boys as I thought it worked with their colourful garb. Hmm. I sort of like it and am thinking I might maintain it as the theme for my developing Renaissance collection - we'll see. 

 

'Rodrigo, get that blasted thing out of my face... Niles! Wait! No, not yet you fool!!'

Entry #2 to the AHPC: 28mm Napoleonic British Foot Artillery Officers

Just finished this stand of figures yesterday. Two 28mm British artillery officers from Perry Miniatures. If you want, you can read my engrossing post about them (and see a few more slightly out-of-focus pics) over at the Challenge blog.

If you don't, it will hurt my feelings terribly and make you feel, I'm sure, very, very guilty.

Unless of course you've already seen the original post then naturally you can leave here with a clear conscience knowing my toy soldier ego has been properly stroked. 

I'm sure that made you feel better, right? Well, I certainly do. ;0)


Next: Hopefully something from the Renaissance