Tuesday 11 December 2018

The Elizabethan English So Far

So here are the English so far. As I look at them its not as many as I initially thought but its a decent start.

The Demi-lancers are 4 of a unit that will eventually be 6. They are all the same figure from Timeline miniatures but with head swaps and the lance in different postions. I have used mainly Perry Plastic Wars of The Roses horses with one from Redoubt. I have ordered the last two figures from Redoubt which will hopefully be here before the new year, the Demi-lancer has no picture on the website so a complete guess if it will be useful but I have another of the below figure in reserve just in case. The Officer ordered is a Reiter but shold fit in with this crew fairly well if and when it turns up.
The Border Horse I have had for a while and were the original inspiration to expand out from the Anglo-Scottish border into Ireland. The are all Graven Images figures from Jim Bowen, full of character on a mix of different manufacturers horseflesh.
Two units of 6 is plenty of these guys, with their better weapons, armour, horses an the use of stirrups they had a significant advantage of the native Irish horse. I have a dismounted character painted to match each of the mounted figures not pictured here.
As it was a significant pastime in both Ireland the Borders I have a small herd of cattle for the troops to rustle from each other, I also have a dog handler with his pack of hounds.
Here is where I thought I had more figures these 14 shotte give me one unit and the start of another, I want to have 3 so planning to pick up another pack from Foundry, one from Hoka Hey and have also ordered some of The Assault Groups Dutch Militia which should give me the balance I need.
Eventually the pike will be a fairly even split between the Foundry Swashbucklers and the Graven Images figures, just two of the below are Foundry. Alhtough there are only 1 unit below I intend each unit to have at least 3 command figures so this means I am well on the way with unit 2 of the Pike as I have 8 or so command to mix in with these guys.
Seven gentleman swordsmen. Now I am not sure how Pikemans lament will allow me to use these but armies of the period certainly benefited from gentlemen volunteers and reading "Elizabeths Irish Wars" recently a forlorn hope of shotte would cover another forlorn hope of swordsmen when clearing trenches dug across roads or trees felled to block the advance of an English force so they must have been useful, I will have to figure out how to use them in the game though I think.
Longbows were being phased out by the late Elizabethan Period but for the conflicts in the 70's and 80's were still in use, I reckon I will need more than the single one I have so far mind!
This first command group is probably my favourite, the officer has a bit more care and character to his face and I particularly like the standard bearer and the halberdier.
The next command unit are also very nice, I prefer this drummer and like the officer with his fashionably short cape.
And here they are all together. Two completed units of horse, one of shotte and one of pike, a forlorn hope of swordsmen and a further unit of each well on the way.
I have plenty of figures for 3 units of pike and with the addition of what is on order plus a couple more packs of shotte I should end up with 10 units available in total.

That should be plenty for either a pikemans lament or a Sharply Buffed game. I also have some very nce terrain peices on the way but more of that another time I think.

Cheers.

12 comments:

  1. Many gorgeous figures here, they look splendid!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely report and pictures.
    Am I right in thinking that the Hoka Hey figures are the Graven Image figures under a different name?
    Also, are the Foundry figures a good fit with the Hoka Hey? I ask because I like the chunky look of the Hoka Hey.
    Finally, which you probably know, Ebob do some nice horses.
    Thanks .. dexey

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Dexey, yes Hoka Hey are the old Graven Images by Jim Bowen and are lovely, they also do their own Elizabethan range which fits for size but is not as nice in my opinion. The Foundry are a litttle smaller but not by much and fit reasonably well. I am happy to mix them. Ebob I know do horses but didnt realise they do Elizabethan ones I will check them out. Cheers.

      Delete
    2. I don't know that EBOB do Elizabethan horses. I thought horses were horses unless they are ponies and then they are little horses. :0)

      Delete
    3. The Irish didnt use stirrups and had a pad instead of a saddle and the English would have used earlier looking tack to that of the Ebob horses. Its not a big deal really but as there are horses for the period available I tend to use them where I can.

      Delete
  3. Fantastic looking group- well done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A splendid little collection...
    They look a right bunch of ruffians and ner do wells.

    All the best. Aly

    ReplyDelete