Sunday, May 17, 2015

Perry Miniatures Wars of the Roses foot men-at-arms

Large unit of 36 late medieval foot men-at-arms using the Perry Miniatures kit, with a few components from their mounted men-at-arms kit and the command frames from the Wars of the Roses archers / billmen set.



They look more impressive en masse than in smaller groups (as pictured elsewhere), though the lack of base treatment spoils the effect.  The odd splash of colour here and there from livery coats worn over armour adds interest.  I've also painted some of the leatherwork in brighter colours, rather than the red/tan that I normally employ.




The 'left wing' split off to show 18 of them deployed in line - or as near as medieval troops get to being lined up.  I've tried to keep a mix of pole weapons / swords to reinforce that this is not a unit in the modern sense, but rather a grouping of the best close-quarter fighters - equipped the way they want to be (or can afford!).  Part of the joy of plastic kits is this easy variation - I know some wargamers like lines of identically-posed troops, but I'm not such a fan of this where medieval armies are concerned.  With metal troops, even a really big range, you're mostly only talking about a handful of poses (sometimes with head variations).  Of course, you can mix ranges... but where the height and build differences are not a problem (people naturally vary in size!), explaining away the difference in levels of detail or style of sculpting is less easy.




The right wing, with the front rank showing four different examples of two-handed swordsman.  The yellow-coated chap doesn't look entirely comfortable to me.  He's meant to look ready for action, but next time I combine these components (upright body, two handed sword arms) I'll twist the arms to give him a less horizontal guard.

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