Burgundian Horseholders - completed.

Finally found some spare time to get the last householder base completed - a little rushed, but great to get the unit done and it's always a feeling of satisfaction when something you plan as a germ of an idea, comes out OK, despite it taking a few months from start to finish.

Here are some pictures of the three bases and with the unit of dismounted archers with riding boots that were started in the summer. They seems to work OK together. I'm working on another combined-arms unit for the Burgundian army in the new year.

I've also converted a coustiller urgently mounted his horse - either as a messenger or to portray the haste with which the Burgundians had to form up at the battles of Morat or Nancy against the fast-approaching Swiss. He's a plastic Perry Light Cavalry figure, chopped up a bit, with a metal Perry mount with saddle and stirrups added.
He's somewhere up the top of the pile on the painting desk.

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Wargames Illustrated - words and pictures

Just a short post, to say that I've an article to be published in the November 2019 issue of 'Wargames Illustrated' magazine (number 385).

It's about how I've assembled my army of Charles the Bold over the last few years, largely using the Perry Miniatures range of figures, along with the conversion and modifications that I've done, in an attempt to recreate the look of a Burgundian army based on the evidence that exists and that I've been able to access.

For those who've followed this blog for any length of time, there's probably very little that is new to you. Writing the article this summer however, has prompted me to revisit this collection - ahead of putting more time and focus on building my Swiss Confederation army - and so the recent bits and pieces that I've done (the mounted longbowmen and their horseholders), or which are now planned, have been a result of this.

Anyway, happy reading for those of you who do buy the magazine...

Burgundian Horseholders (III)

The second horseholder base is complete.

I like the composition of this one and although getting the reins lined up in the page's hands took some time, but I'm happy with the finished base.

For the third base I need to ideally find a slightly different variation on a theme. Current preparation on the horses has removed the reins and added the saddles (stirrups to be added). The page I'm considering is a plastic Perry figure - his top half is from the Foot Knights command sprue, with his armoured legs removed and replaced with one from the Bills and Bows box. Head will probably be another soft hat, which seem most appropriate.

Toodle pip...

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Burgundian Horseholders (II)

The first base has been painted and finished.

The trickiest task was attaching the reins to the spare horses, once I had glues all the models down to my usual 60mm square base. I drilled small holes to accept the wire and I think I've finally got most of them in and glued. I'm happy that the idea has translated OK into the first base.

I've now started work on the second one. The horses are Perry Agincourt and Wars of the Roses, with the page being a Steel Fist Miniatures model, with replacement head. Reins and stirrups were to be added, when I took the picture.

Will post when this one's painted up.
Cheerio for now.

Burgundian horseholders (I)

So to complement my dismounted Burgundian longbowmen,  I've started on the first of three bases of horseholders.

According to the Ordinances of Charles the Bold, it was the role of pages to manage the horses when longbowmen dismounted to shoot. Pages appear to have been the only non-combatants within the composition of the Burgundian lance.

For the first base I've decided to have a page sitting on his own mount, tending horses. You can probably see the Perry castings I've used here and the extras that I've added with green stuff putty. The page is from the plastic Light Cavalry box set, mounted on a metal horse. The other horses are from Perry Wars of the Roses and Agincourt ranges; I have to select those in passive poses of which there aren't too many. Reins have been removed from the horses and saddles added with putty. The trickiest work was the stirrups - these are bent from thin wire, which has had a thin layer of putty added, trimmed to length when dry and then glued on.

Think the overall composition works OK, as I want to do these on my usual 60mm square bases so they align behind the longbowmen. Painting is next, but I'm not looking forward to attaching the replacement reins to those horses!

More anon,
Simon.

Burgundian Mounted Longbowmen

Following on from the last post, these are the painted and based unit of mounted longbowmen.

I decided not to add a captain - I did create and paint a figure holding a glaive in half-armour (with added riding boots), but decided that as my other units don't have one, that I'd be consistent and leave him off. One figure is gesturing forward so he's in charge...

Need to have a review of the army and see what else is needed. I'd like to do some horseholder bases to sit behind these, just to complete the unit. I have some ideas based on finding suitable horses who are static - looks like Perry WotR Heralds and their HYW Mounted Sergeants may fit the bill?

Rear view - or the Swiss Confederation view!

Simon.

These boots are made for walking (and riding)

I'm back tinkering with a new unit for my Burgundian Ordonnance army.

This came about from reading some of the Ordinances of Charles the Bold again. I realised that in relation to the proportion of troop types raised, via the lance system,  I'm currently a little light on the total number of units of longbowmen. There were 3 longbowmen for every crossbowman or handgun and I have about equal proportions. Also many longbowmen were classified as 'mounted' in the Ordinances. This I am sure refers to their capability to ride alongside mounted men at arms on campaign, with all fighting done on foot.

Closer observation of the troops by the 'Master WA '(or 'Master W with a key') which is usually assumed to show Burgundians, clearly depicts all the archers wearing long riding boots, suggesting mounted troops. Riding boots were stipulated in the Ordinances of Charles the Bold for the mounted longbowmen - "Knee length boots should be worn with short spurs and without piked toes, in order to let him walk freely".  So an additional unit of liveried bowmen wearing riding boots it is then.

I used the Perry Miniatures metal bowmen for most of them. I've used these figures already for my ducal bodyguard, but as they had been modified with plumes etc and wore different colour scheme on their jackets, I thought they'd be sufficiently different.

I removed the cast-on shoes and then used knedatite to firstly add the turned-over tops of the boots, then the extra leather which allows the wearer to put the boots on and which is then pulled tight and held down by straps and buckles. (I added the straps but cannot attempt to sculpt buckles!!) A couple of figures have boots which are rolled down further from the knees. I also beheaded the figures wearing a soft hat and replaced with helmets for some extra variety.

On some plastics I added arms with the covered the bows and arrow bags, from the Perry WotR Light Cavalry and Agincourt Knights boxes. I've selected figures to denote a captain and flag bearer, which are work in progress right now.

So they're almost ready for painting and I will need to select a suitable new Ordonnnace flag. Will post them up when done.

Cheerio for now,
Simon.

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