I started tinkering around with rules for the era a few years back after being dissatisfied with Warmaster, not that interested in Black Powder/Pike and Shotte, and being so-so with Impetus/Baroque. The plan was to move into a 6mm project for the idea, but that puttered out as I quickly found that 6mm wasn't quite to my liking.
The project lay dormant for a few years, but I've returned to it in recent months with a move up to 10mm scale. I'm finding I like it much more and am more apt to spend time painting than I was with 6mm.
Here's two recent units: a big blob of schwarze reiters (100x100mm) and a small skirmishing base of Irish gallowglass, kern, & shot (50x50mm).
Figures are a mix of Pendraken and old GW Warmaster (for the cavalry).
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-23-07-30-ffdf-1022x1024.jpeg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-23-07-30-yellow-reiters-side-1-1024x1024.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-23-07-30-gallowglas-side-1024x1024.jpg)
More photos can be found on my blog:
https://tabletop.willphillips.org/2023/07/10mm-reiters-and-irish-gallowglass-kerns/
As well as my history Instagram and Facebook pages:
https://www.instagram.com/rebelsorbeggars/
https://www.facebook.com/rebelsorbeggars
Will be posting updates here as the project churns along. While I look to revise the rules I was working on eventually, my goal right now is just getting units painted.
There's a lot of fiddly pikes to worry about for this (which I have yet to really feel confident in a solution for)!
They look rather tasty, I especially like the striped cloak on the Irish base.
Those are fantastic!
Great work on these two units - really like the mix of figures on the bases.
I think you said on LAF that the cavalry was a mix of GW Warmaster and Pendraken - and I am now starting to pick out some of the Empire pistoleers in that big mass of horse.
Good stuff
Very impressive work
Thank you for the kind words.
The painting itself is really pretty fast and loose, aiming for speed and a tabletop standard. My poor photography helps obscure the lack of details!
But the nice thing is, en masse and at this scale, I'm finding my eye doesn't pick up on what I've ignored. The mass of figures as a single, cohesive vignette is what I focus on.
Quote from: fred. on 02 August 2023, 07:20:12 AMGreat work on these two units - really like the mix of figures on the bases.
Thanks. I really want some variety to my units, which is something I appreciate in Leon usually providing an alternate pose or two.
Quote from: fred. on 02 August 2023, 07:20:12 AMI think you said on LAF that the cavalry was a mix of GW Warmaster and Pendraken - and I am now starting to pick out some of the Empire pistoleers in that big mass of horse.
Yep! A big larger than Pendraken and usually sporting the plumes on hats and helmets.
But I find the size variations are not a visual problem at arm's length on the tabletop.
:-bd =D> :-bd =D> :-bd
Have recent written a short tutorial on the fast-and-loose approach I'm taking to basing my small scale project.
In case anyone else is intimidated by it, here's what I've figured out as a fellow newcomer to the small stuff.
https://tabletop.willphillips.org/2023/08/easy-small-scale-basing-flocking-tutorial/
Using this newly finished 50x50mm base of Forlorn Hope as an example:
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-230803-07.jpeg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-230803-08.jpeg)
Your stuff looks excellent Will :-bd
Is the black area for the units label - unit name, troop type, strength etc?
Quote from: pierre the shy on 03 August 2023, 09:10:22 PMYour stuff looks excellent Will :-bd
Is the black area for the units label - unit name, troop type, strength etc?
Yeah, it's a magnetic strip. so I can affix a metal-backed label on top.
Since the plan is to build out enough generic-ish units to field two armies and then fight hypothetical/generic pike and shot era battles as well as historical re-fights, I need to keep them generic.
Plus, having a lot of units on the board, it'll be helpful to easily identify them at a distance.
:-bd =D> :-bd =D>
Excellent stuff.
Looking great! I love the late 16th century (French Wars of Religion anyone?). Beautiful brushwork and basing.
Very nice
I like those, a lot ! =D>
At the risk of being sacrilegious, I will mention that Warmonger has a 10mm range of fantasy/historical late 16th century sculpted by Bob Naismith. Landsknecht in pluderhosen, reiters, gendarmes, etc. i think they are intended to be used for Warmaster armies. They are cheap however. I had a heap of them but ended up selling them off. They were decent sculpts but for whatever reason I wasn't too keen on them.
'Fast and loose painting'
:'( :'( :'(
I'm going to give up painting - just print flats from now on, as I will know you exist!
(Crossposted from my gaming blog: https://tabletop.willphillips.org/2024/04/10mm-pike-shot-militia-levy-and-irish-skirmishers/)
Emulating the battles of the pike and shot era has been something of a white whale. I've quickly gotten intimidated by – or otherwise disinterested in – the sheer scale of such an undertaking each time I've embarked on the idea.
First time in 6mm. Then in 10mm. I last worked on this project during the summer of 2023.
After I stalled out on a recent smaller-footprint, hex-based skirmish project in the era (not posted here – see my Rebels or Beggars Instagram), I've come back to this.
Last week's project was to knock the dust and rust off. Here's a 100x50mm pike & shot unit, same footprint militia levy, and a 50x50mm unit of Irish skirmishers. Mostly Pendraken with a smattering of old GW Warmaster figures and – for the militia – some Forest Dragon.
One of my longer term* interests is to bring a wargame of a battle from the Dutch Revolt or French Wars of Religion to an SCA event as something of an interactive class on warfare during the pike and shot" era of the 1500s and 1600s.
Lots of units remain to be based and painted, including three monster sized 100x100mm tercios. Oof.
That said, here are some photos. I remain a bad photographer.
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-22-HERO.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-22-pike-shot.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-22-militia.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-22-irish.jpg)
Next up? Two 100x50mm bases of Stradioti and a small 50x50mm base of shot.
I'll be posting progress pics on my history-focused Instagram and Facebook pages named Rebels or Beggars:
https://www.instagram.com/rebelsorbeggars/
https://www.facebook.com/rebelsorbeggars
Mods, if this thread should be in the Painting Diaries subforum, please do move it with my apologies!
Just seen these over on LAF - but good to see them again. Great work, really like the big bases full of 10mm figures
=D> :-bd =D> :-bd =D>
Really do like the painting style and overall look of the units. Very nice.
Blimey, those are superb
VERY spiffy !! :-bd
Thanks, guys. Kind of you. Nice to be back painting this project.
Those look excellent!
:-bd =D> :-bd =D> :-bd
Very nice indeed!
Much appreciated, guys.
Work continued on the late 1500s big battles project this weekend.
Slowly, but surely, but... slowly. Two bases of stradioti light horse and a single, small base of shot.
With the exception of some old Warmaster figures in the base of shot, all other figures are from Pendraken.
Frustratingly still having a – for lack of a better work – painterly effect with my Pixel 6's camera. Looking into clip-on macro lenses that may resolve this issue.
With that said, apologies for the underwhelming photos!
https://tabletop.willphillips.org/2024/04/10mm-stradioti/
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-strat-together.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-croats-front.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-croats-rear.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-hungarians-front.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-hungarians-rear.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-shot.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-shot-rear.jpg)
https://tabletop.willphillips.org/2024/04/10mm-stradioti/
Very cool
:-bd =D> :-bd =D> :-bd
Brilliant work yet again!
Absolutely terrific !! :-bd
More great figures.
Regarding the macro lens - my experience with these is they aren't great for taking photos of figures - they don't have enough depth of field. They are designed for taking photos of things like coins that only have the slightest 3d.
Macro mode on the phone/camera (often a flower symbol) does tend to work well as they are intended for close-up work, rather than true macro (eg flowers!)
Quote(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-shot.jpg)
(https://tabletop.willphillips.org/wp-content/uploads/10mm-log-24-04-29-shot-rear.jpg)
Most impressive, Is the flag of the
Vlissingen Musketeers a flag of
Vlissingen or of the
Staten General?
Quote from: fred. on 30 April 2024, 07:27:19 AMMore great figures.
Regarding the macro lens - my experience with these is they aren't great for taking photos of figures - they don't have enough depth of field. They are designed for taking photos of things like coins that only have the slightest 3d.
Macro mode on the phone/camera (often a flower symbol) does tend to work well as they are intended for close-up work, rather than true macro (eg flowers!)
That's really helpful info - thank you! I feel very much out over my skis with mini photography.
Quote from: hammurabi70 on 30 April 2024, 09:34:16 PMMost impressive, Is the flag of the Vlissingen Musketeers a flag of Vlissingen or of the Staten General?
The flag on the label is a common variation of the "prinsenvlag" that was in use in the Dutch Revolt. I'm not sure it'd be quite accurate to call that particular variety the official flag of the States General.
I'm using it as wholly fanciful yet plausible army symbol for my mostly generic and fake Dutch States / rebel geuzen army that will be facing off against the Habsburg royalists.
With great apologies to Leon, my order of pikemen from Warprinter's Theatrum Europeum came in today.
(https://rebelsorbeggars.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/meme-10mm-fortune-teller-1.jpg)
If I'm to have any luck keeping momentum going with this large battles wargame project, then frustratedly cussing my way through affixing separate pikes to tiny 10mm scale figures isn't the way forward.
I've found that's just not something I enjoy, and the cast-on pikes are too delicate to make that an option I'm interested in, either.
So while a solid 90% of this project is Pendraken figs, most all of the pikemen moving forward are probably going to be these guys.
(https://rebelsorbeggars.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10mm-log-24-04-30-table.jpg)
(https://rebelsorbeggars.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/10mm-log-24-04-30-tercio-b-1-1200x1200.jpeg)
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6ZPpW-RrOB/
Your photos of your figures look good.
You are presenting them enlarged - i.e. the figures on the photos are bigger than they are in real life - while this looks great, it will magnify any issues beyond what is seen normally.
Given the number of pixels most cameras capture vs the small size needed for use on the web, you can easily take a photo of figures that only half fills the frame, then crop this to show what is needed. You may already be doing this, as in your photos the figures always fill the image, which suggests some cropping.