The Gok Wan archer company.

So we have light at the end of this long tunnel. I will receive my first injection this week and it feels good. The next few weeks will probably be the longest of this lockdown but hopefully the weather will improve enough to get outside. Im only two units away from completing my Wars of the Roses project. Due to space issues [not the space] I know I cant keep painting units for Never Mind the Billhooks.   

So these well dressed chaps are my peasant unit with a couple of hounds thrown in for good measure. I found these Perry figures smaller than others of their ranges and I needed to create some interest and fill in the base a bit.

Next my final unit of levy archers resplendent in a livery designed by Gok Wan**. I had a jar of deep pink?? so I thought why not. Obviously no self respecting levy would be as well dressed as these chaps, but I do like them. In the background is another large tent where Wan worked his magic again. Dots are the new fashion for the spring. 

I fished out another Marcus Hinton figure and used him as a standard bearer. I know the levy wouldn't be given such a thing but I was a figure short and I wanted colour.

Just in case anyone is wondering, I have taken myself off Facebook. Certainly for the foreseeing future. As a recruiting system for my blog it was a huge failure and unfortunately the karma was becoming stressful from various sources. Wargamers are no issue and the vast majority are great, but its other lost souls who have become an issue. Its no big deal. 

** For overseas viewers, Gok Wan is a fashion advisor to lost souls like myself. He enjoys bright colours etc. So heres to all wargames shows post lockdown. 

 

Bretonnians anyone?

I was never a follower of Games Workshop and couldn't understand the attraction with Warhammer etc; however I always found their figures a work of art. As a consequence I collected and painted up a Bretonnian army using their early and later ranges. I must admit I made a good job of the figures but then ended up selling the whole lot after one game. Another sale I now regret. Anyway I was looking around for some figures to make into a levy archer unit for Never Mind the Billhooks and chanced upon some old plastic Bretonnian archers on E Bay. The rest is history. I still had some heads from my original Bretonnian army so chopped a few heads off to give them some variety.  

I couldnt bring myself to make them look too levy like and painted them in a semi uniform attire. I like them. Yes they are fantasy figures, yes they dont look like a motley crew but Im happy with them. So happy Ive started another unit of archers.  

Oh and by the way, I was shocked at just how much Bretonnian figures now cost second-hand. I wouldnt like to think how much my old army would have been worth some twenty years on.

I also had a few spare? Citadel mounted men at arms, so cobbled together a second unit of mounted knights, just in case I fight a large battle. The Perry plastic knights are slightly bigger than the Citadel ones, but I can live with it just about.    

I said I wanted a figure to represent the Irish peer, the Earl of Kildare, so pushing reality a tad this is my Kildare, resplendent as a Irish chieftain. Totally inaccurate, but I thought why not. To reinforce the Irishness? I added a Redoubt Kern.

Finally I had some spare Perry men at arms so knocked out a spare? unit for the wards I have. Not the best Ive painted, but they look okay. All I need now is to fight some games and blood the damned army.

 

Nearly completed.

In nearing completion of this lttle project. I have really enjoyed the painting exercise although some of the figure painting was marred by having to stand as opposed to sitting. Not recommended. The first images are Kildare's completed ward, minus Kildare which I havent started painting yet. In reality he never left Ireland and sent his brother across instead where he was killed at Stoke Field along with the kern and gallowglass. The Irish who werent  killed on the battlefield were hung when captured. Strange how we seemed to do that regularly.

I had another large Marcus Hinton figure going spare so painted him up  as a standard bearer.

A  review of the army minus the cavalry which aren't completed yet. Considering Andy Callan recommends a 100 point battle as the norm, I overdid the whole thing. Still one cant change the habit of a lifetime. It does mean John and I can use them for Pike and Shotte as well. 

                              

Many years  ago I had some lovely medieval tents created by Hales Models, like most things I sold them and regretted it later. I have managed to locate something similar but not as detailed. The one in the background is the first of what will be the camp.

  

A lot of the armies during the wars were classed as a levy. This is the first one made up of various archer figures. I couldn't help myself by giving them a fairly uniform look. Its my OCD I think.

So a very pleasant painting interlude albeit a tad expensive, stil it has kept my mind off the Covid bollocks.

 

Kildare's ward nearly completed.

Well I'm on the home stretch now as these belong to my final ward for Never Mind the Billhooks project. These colourful chaps belong to the Earl of Kildare who fought for York in the later attempts to seize the throne. One thing I've noticed about the Wars of the Roses is there isn't a lot of books about the period. Yes one can obtain a couple of decent general histories but apart from that there isn't too much meat to go at. Well that's my reason for adding Gallowglass and kern to this ward. In my mind, they are from Ireland and who wouldn't want decent quality mercenaries when you go on campaign.

I hope to finish the said mercenaries very soon, depending on back pain, procrastination and the like. I must admit I am tempted to paint some figures in red and white stripes in tribute to my local team, but given they are still struggling to get out of the mess they find themselves in, I better not push my luck.

This chap is an early Marcus Hinton figure and very nice he is too. I was lucky enough to locate a few and chopped the implement he had been holding out of his hand. The trumpeter is a Perry plastic just to add a bit of interest.

I had? to paint some heavy cavalry to use in this period, although given the number of gendarmes and the like I have in my Italian Wars armies, they really weren't needed. I'll be very honest I still think the old Citadel range of figures for the Wars are amongst the best even though they must be 40+ years old. If only they were the same price as when they were first released. Foundry now charge £5.00 per cavalryman which is a bit steep considering their age etc. I managed to scrape a few together courtesy of E Bay, but even they were pretty expensive. But I really wanted some, its pathetic really. 

Kildare's new units resplendent in red and white. It reminds me of the Stadium of light pre Covid. Happy days.