Fugger Landsknechts

Landsknechts carrying Fugger Banners

 Following on from my work in progress post for the Pro Gloria Landsknechts, here they are completed. They are bearing the banners of the Fugger Family, bankers who helped finance the Holy Roman Emperor Maximillians wars, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Fugger . These excellent figures are from http://shop.progloria.com/ and the flags are, as usual, Petes excellent cloth flags http://thegreatitalianwars.blogspot.co.uk/ although they are also available from Pro Gloria . Some alternative Fugger banners can be seen here on Stuarts site http://paintinglandsknechts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/flags-banners.html . Its been a while since I've painted any Landsknechts but I always find them fun to paint, although I do find I use the same colour schemes over and over again. I am working on the advancing figures at the moment and will post an update when they are completed. With Salute next weekend I will be stocking up on some new figures for the collection.

Pro Gloria Miniatures Landsknechts

Pro Gloria Miniatures Landsknechts

Pro Gloria Landsknechts

The Borgias!



Cesare Borgia and entourage

This post is not about the TV series but a chance for me to assemble my collection to represent the army of the infamous Cesare Borgia. As he was at the peak of his power from around 1499 to 1503 it's a great opportunity to use late medieval and early renaissance figures together and as he also employed a wide variety of mercenaries and auxilliaries it means I can use loads of the figures from my collection in one army. Being from a Spanish noble family he employed Spaniards as well as Italians from the Papal States with Swiss and French troops being sent to him at times as he was a French Duke, the Duke of Valentinois.
The excellent flags are by Pete, http://thegreatitalianwars.blogspot.co.uk/ . I love the one with one of Cesares mottos, a play on his name, shown in the first photo below: "aut caesar aut nihil". The Borgia red bull is displayed prominently on them, along with the fleur de lis for Cesares title of Duke of Valentinois and the Papal Keys or Tiara as he was the Papal Gonfalonier. The detail on them is fantastic.
You will notice the force is not too different from those used in my "War for Naples" post a while back, however I have been able to add my mounted Crossbowmen and Arquebusiers that I have completed since then along with the Perry miniatures Cardinal, some priests and Italian Infantry. Being the commander of his father, Rodrigo Borgias', Papal army I thought it would only be fitting to show these ecclesiastics along side the troops. For the very early Italian wars I think the Perry Italian figures fit in really well, especially when mixed in with the Italians by The Assault Group.

Cesare Borgia



Borgia crossbowmen

Stradiots, French Horse and Borgia Italian Horse

Elmeti and Mounted Arquebusiers



Borgia Elmeti



Borgia Light Horse and Mounted Crossbowmen

Papal Arquebusiers and Sword and Buckler infantry

The Borgia Army

A closer look at some of the Borgia flags

The host from behind

The Borgia host

WIP - Pro Gloria Landsknechts



Pro Gloria Miniatures Landsknechts

I thought I would post a quick update of what I am working on at the moment. These are the Landsknechts from Pro Gloria miniatures, http://shop.progloria.com/ and they are excellent figures, a real joy to paint. They will match up perfectly with the old Perry Wargames Foundry figures in terms of size and the period they are for. I love the fact the drummer is wearing a pair of renaissance spectacles! I need to do the pikes and bases, never a task I enjoy, and then I will begin work on the advancing pikemen. Pro Gloria currently have Gendarmes in the pipeline which I am sure will be equally as good. 

Pro Gloria Miniatures Landsknechts

Pro Gloria Miniatures Landsknechts

Venetian Archers

Venetian Archers

Today I have taken some photos of the first infantry I have painted this year. They are the excellent Venetian Archer figures by The Assault Group. I love the distinctive look of the figures. They are clearly based on the St Ursula Cycle by Vittorio Carpaccio, a series of wall paintings done in 1493. These pictures feature in the Osprey Fornovo Campaign book. I have included a couple of them below so you can see the similiarity to some of the figures. I particulary like the way some have doublets with lace up sleaves and the shirts below showing, others have laced on sleaves and the shirts hanging out below the doublets. I really think it gives them a particurlarly Italian feel for this period. I would love to see some pikemen in this style.

I think the Venetian Archers did see service on mainland Italy, especially during the start of the dangerous War of The League of Cambrai when pretty much every other power was allied against them. As they date from the very late 15th century I suppose they are most suitable for Venices war against the Ottomans from 1499-1503. Combined with some Stradiots they would be perfect for the garrison of a fortress in the Venetian Maritime Empire. Infact I am tempted to have another go at my Ottoman Army to face them but I think this will have to wait. I reckon these figures would also be good for the militia forces aiding the Knights on St John in 1522 at the Siege of Rhodes.

Detail of the St Ursula Cycle, Martyrdom of the Pilgrims

St Ursula Cycle, Pilgrims Arrive at Cologne

Venetian Archers

Venetian Archers

Venetian Archers

Venetian Archers

Venetian Archers

Mounted Arquebusiers

Mounted Arquebusiers

This weekend I have finished my next troop of horsemen. They are 12 Italian mounted arquebusiers from The Assault Group. I have been waiting for some figures to suitably represent this type of combatant for ages so I was really pleased when they released these last year. I wanted a group that were all stationary and was not too keen on the figures they did firing from the saddle as I am unsure whether or not this is how these guys fought. I have always envisaged them more as early dragoons who would dismount to fight and then ride off. From an aesthetic point of view I didn't like the idea of some in the group firing off to the side either. It looks neater with them all in more passive poses on the standing horses.
I bought 2 packs of them standing ready and 2 packs of the mounted crossbowmen in the same pose. For the crossbowmen I bought extra arquebuses and then removed the quivers from the figures to turn them into arquebusiers. I tried turning one crossbow quiver into a pouch with green stuff but wasn't too keen on the result so I removed the rest. I also made quite a few head swaps as I wanted as much variation as possible. I used Perry Tudor heads and also a couple of heads from their plastic Wars of the Roses set. I am shocked that from the 36 Perry Tudor heads I bought I now have about 3 left, its safe to say that the set came in useful for this collection!
One strange thing about these figures is that although they are mounted none are wearing riding boots. In fact they are wearing footwear that looks extremely unsuitable for riding. I have left some in the original footwear but I have used green stuff to model riding boots on about half. Below is a photo of the riders before they were glued on the horses to show the head swaps and green stuff additions. To be honest the boots is just a minor gripe and I think they are great figures. I love folllowing what The Assault Group are releasing and I am very tempted by the 1540s figures they have on the way.

The Arquebusiers



Mounted Arquebusier in riding boots



Mounted Arquebusier in riding boots

Mounted Arquebusiers

Mounted Arquebusiers

More Elmeti and Jinetes



Milanese Elmeti



To the start the year off, while I am recovering from a crushing hangover, I thought I would post some pictures I took over Christmas. They have come out rather dark as it rained constantly and I didn't get much natural light for them. The last set of figures I painted were the new Elmeti and Jinetes from The Assault Group. I already have regiments of these by TAG so I added these extra figures for more variety and I am pleased with the result.You may notice I have changed the sword for one of the Elmeti to an axe, I didn't want them all carrying swords. I have used some of Petes cloth flags to show them as a Milanese troop of horsemen.

Elmeti



Milanese Horsemen



Mialnese Horsemen

Milanese Elmeti

Milanese Elmeti

 Below are a few snaps of the new Jinetes. They look great added to the figures I already have.

Jinetes

Spanish Jinetes

Spanish Jinetes

Spanish Jinetes

Jinetes


Finally I added the commander and standard from the Perry Light horsemen I converted to my Mounted Crossbowmen to see what they would look like riding under a Milanese banner. I don't think they necessarily need a standard I was just seeing how the figures fit together.

Up next should be The Assault Groups Mounted Arquebusiers, I have been waiting for suitable figures for these for years so I am keen to paint these up.

Happy New Year

Milanese Mounted Crossbowmen



Milanese Mounted Crossbowmen

Cardinal Matthäus Schiner

Cardinal Matthäus Schiner

At the moment I am working on a few bits and pieces while I am waiting for a new batch of figures. I have just painted up the Perry Miniatures Cardinal set. As I had the Freezywater Flag for the Bishopric of Sion I thought I would put the two together to show the particularly bellicose churchman who incited the Swiss into attacking the French at Marignano in 1515; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matth%C3%A4us_Schiner. His name seems to be spelt differently in places so I have gone with the wikipedia spelling, I remember reading it as Mathias Schiner. These figures could be used for all sorts of early 16th century scenarios, when the Papacy was directly involved in the Italian Wars.

For the Reisläufer Standard bearer I have taken the head off an old Foundry Landsknecht and replaced it with one of the Perry Swiss heads. I have added a beard with greenstuff to bring him more into the 1510s rather than the late 15th century. I have also replaced the Katzbalger with a plastic perry miniatures sword, again to make him more of a Reisläufer than a Landsknecht. I am really pleased with how this miniature turned out and may attempt more small conversions like this so I can add to the ranks of my Swiss Mercenaries.

The Cardinals flag is not that exciting so I have also taken a few shots of the standard bearer with some of Petes excellent cloth Swiss flags. I think these look much more the part than the Freezywater paper flag.

Cardinal Matthäus Schiner

Cardinal Matthäus Schiner on foot



Swiss standard bearer with the Confederations field sign




Swiss standard bearer with Schaffhausen Banner