Friday, October 6, 2017

Perry European Mercenaries - Averland, er...Uri Crossbowmen

These are the crossbowmen from the box of European Infantry 1450-1500 'Mercenaries.' Wanted them in fairly simple, but also eye-catching livery, and settled on the yellow and black scheme of the Swiss canton of Uri. Troops from Uri participated in many battles, including the Battle of Sempach in 1386 to the Battle of Marignano in 1515. They also were on the winning side at the Battle of Kappel in 1531 during the Reformation in Switzerland. Oh, and the livery is also that of Averland...
The figures were block painted, then given a Minwax stain, followed by Testors Dullcote, and finally a bit of highlighting.
Not sure if they participated in any Wars of the Roses battles, but wanted the livery to stand out against the usual English colors of reds and blues.
They can also be part of a Dragon Rampant warband, since there was interest after the Lion Rampant game day last week.
A mixture of white, black and blue was used to highlight the black. Adding a bit of blue gives it a nicer tone, in my opinion, than a gray if only black and white is used.
So far, I've had good results using 3 figures per 40mm squares. They speed up movement and only need 2 casualty markers before removing the entire base.
The last unit from the box are the 12 pikemen. Not sure what livery colors to paint them as, but only a little will be showing as they are more heavily armored.

32 comments:

  1. Yellow and black looks great! I need to remember that combination.

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    1. Thanks, Jonathan. Leave it to the Swiss to come up with cool color combos. Warm regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks, Peter. These Perry plastics are a favorite to paint up. So cleanly sculpted and proportioned. Best, Dean

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  3. Excellent painting - those colours really work.

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    1. Thank you, Dan! At first I was worried the yellow as too bright, but the stain toned it down. Kind regards, Dean

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  4. Amazing crossbowmen, lovely colors!

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    1. Thanks, Phil! You're too kind! Warm regards, Dean

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  5. Good job, Dean! The enemy does not escape from their deadly arrows 8)

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    1. Lol! Indeed. In fact, in Dragon Rampant, they can have "Weighty Projectiles" which shortens their range to 12", but the units cost 1 pt less. :) Warm regards, Dean

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    1. Thanks, Rodger. I think a whole retinue dressed up in these colors would look quite nice on the battlefield. Best, Dean

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    1. Thanks, Christopher! Pikemen are next up. Warm regards, Dean

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  8. Wow Dean, I think you've landed on that fuzzy spot somewhere where it's comfortable to churn out the figures for gaming and still have them looking good. The simple schemes and miniwax are working for you.

    Cheers
    Kevin

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    1. Ah, thank you very much for your kind compliment, Kevin! Yes, I have no problem with these guys being moved about the gaming table. In fact, these plastics are more durable than metal in someways. For instance, I dropped a couple of them on the floor - after they were already based and they were none the worse. Perfect for storage and transport too. Best regards, Dean

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  9. Very nice! Were you feeling crossbow envy after our LR game? I was. In addition to Dragon Rampant, you could use these in an early 16th c. list for Pikeman's Lament.

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    1. Lol! If not crossbows, at least bows - more missile units. I definitely should pick up Pikeman's Lament and TMWWBK also. I like the basic mechanics of the LR "family." Peace to you, Dean

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    1. Thank you kindly, Mike! Best regards, Dean

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  11. They are simply beautiful. I really like the idea of 3 to a base for a loose order formation.

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    1. Thank you very much, Norm. 3 per base - staggered also allows all of the figures to be more clearly seen. And another bonus is less figures needed for the same "frontage" so to speak. Warm regards, Dean

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  12. Replies
    1. Thanks, Aaron! Appreciate the visit and kind words, as always. Best regards, Dean

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