ECW project - For King and Parliament

[OldenBUA]

Very interested to see your take on these as I am still painting the same figures. Not for ECW though. It does seem you have a different approach. I always start with the skin, then clothes, then belts etc. So painting from the inside out, if you understand my meaning.

And maybe I can ask you as well. What do you think the flag bearer from the command set is holding in his hand? It's the figures on the outside in the last row in the centre section of your example unit. Next to the drummers. To me it looks like a Colt .45 handgun, but I'm pretty sure that's not what it is. 

Cheers, Alex

[paulr]

OldenBUA, I use quite a bit of dry brushing so would get 'overshoot' onto skin etc hence I take an outside in approach

I'm also intrigued by what the flag bearer is holding. I've gone with a belt helping to support the end of the flag pole. Zippee looks to have painted his flag bearers this way as well

Once these are based I'll be looking for feedback and suggestions

[paulr]

Figures washed

Bases labeled and numbered to make returning figures to the right sabot easier

[pierre the shy]

Here's a couple of concept shots of Argyle's cuirassier bodyguard* and a typical highland clan unit that I am going to be using for my Scots W3K stuff. The sabot bases are for FK&P rules and mean that units can be easily adjusted to represent small or large sized units or have a central block of pike inserted if required to represent say a "regular" highland levy regiment such as the Strathbogie regiment that fought for Montrose in 1644/45 campaign.

Highland Batallia


Argyle's Bodyguard


* According to the BCW Wiki this unit did exist: http://wiki.bcw-project.org/covenanter/horse-regiments/marquis-of-argyll-s-lifeguard and besides, what gamer will say no to such a unit 

Any thoughts on layout/figure distribution etc?

 

[d_Guy]

Indeed, Peter! Everybody needs cuirssiers! This is, after, all suppose to be fun. I have a small unit (which I was tempted to use at Fyvie but probably will be used at Kilsyth). It can be flagged as either Hasslerig's or Argyle's. I Like the way you guys are planning to do the basing.

[d_Guy]

I'm also intrigued by what the flag bearer is holding. I've gone with a belt helping to support the end of the flag pole. Zippee looks to have painted his flag bearers this way as well

I've always interpreted this figure's left hand to be gripping the pommel/guard of his sword with his waist sash bunched up in front. The flag has a short staff with (I think) a suggestion of a ball on the butt, an arrangement used for flourishing and tossing.
It is somewhat like an inkblot test! 

[paulr]

Pierre the Shy, looking good

One observation, you should have some 40x20 spacers you can use with Argyle's Bodyguard rather than multiple 40x9s

[paulr]

Thanks d_Guy, the sash/sword hilt makes more sense

It's interesting that you mention the short flag staff...

[paulr]

I've had three minor challenges:

• I managed to over wash one of the figures, fortunately only on the pike head and upper shaft, a quick repaint has sorted this (may need a rewash)
• Some how I managed to miss painting one side of the pike heads on half the pikes The light grey undercoat may have been giving a NMM effect Now painted, will need a wash
• The flags I've developed and printed for the foot are too big for the flag staff

The information I'd found gave the size of foot flags as 6' so I sized my flags to be 10mm. After some test fitting it looks as though the biggest flag I can get on the flag staff is 7mm
If I've got my arithmetic right that's 3'5" in 1:150 scale, how big are the Pendraken flags

Time to resize some flags and reprint

My 5mm cornets for the Horse do fit

[OldenBUA]

I also found that flag staff a little too short. What I have done in some cases is to cut the staff. Then fit the flag on the bottom bit of the staff, and insert the rest of the staff at the top. A bit fiddly, but works for me. The Pendraken flags that I have are 11mm tall, 13.5mm wide.

[pierre the shy]

Yes did find the bigger inserts at the bottom of the pile thanks Paul.

Nice idea if using slightly bigger flags OldenBUA 

I have found some good online Covenanter flags but at correct scale (about 10mm as Paul says) the "for Covenent, crowne and countrie" (or whatever it is) writing on the "saltire" type flags tends to be largely illeglible and I'm only showing the scrolls on the colonels flags not the actual mottos, though their heraldic devices still show up OK. The unit will be identified correctly on the label on the back of the base. 

[mollinary]

I also found that flag staff a little too short. What I have done in some cases is to cut the staff. Then fit the flag on the bottom bit of the staff, and insert the rest of the staff at the top. A bit fiddly, but works for me. The Pendraken flags that I have are 11mm tall, 13.5mm wide.

Where this is a problem I have also done the  same. To prevent creasing I often fill the middle section with a short piece of fuse wire.  I reckon that, to be in scale, the flag should be at least 12 mm.

[paulr]

• I managed to over wash one of the figures, fortunately only on the pike head and upper shaft, a quick repaint has sorted this (may need a rewash) Sorted, did need the rewash
• Some how I managed to miss painting one side of the pike heads on half the pikes The light grey undercoat may have been giving a NMM effect Now painted, will need a wash Sorted
• The flags I've developed and printed for the foot are too big for the flag staff Flags resized

Thanks for the suggestions on flag size, I'll have a chat to Pierre the Shy tonight about the Foot flags and staff lengths :-
I'll also print off my resized flags to see how they look, I also came up with a better way of dealing with the 'bit between the two flags, that wraps round the staff'

Figures have had their final dry brush and bases painted

I've also prepared 6 horse units for when the painting rods free up tomorrow

[paulr]

Flags resized again, this time to 12mm, will print them tomorrow and experiment with extra wire

6 units of Horse undercoated

First two units based

[paulr]

The weather was kind today so

• flock touched up
• flags added
• varnished
• pictures taken