Repro British Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry Sabre

I really should be finishing up the last unit of cavalry - British Light Dragoons, no less. However, a reproduction Pattern 1786 Light Cavalry Sabre made by Cold Steel arrived on my doorstep today. The sword was designed with the help of the great British cavalry commander, General Le Marchant after his experience in the Flanders Campaign as a young officer.

Who said you need a big table for Black Powder? Actually, just a photo op, but the 5x6' table will help me decide on what units to use at the game day next Saturday at Fort Steilacoom.

An all-metal scabbard would've been more authentic, but the vendor I ordered this from didn't carry those anymore.

Well, thank you for allowing me to indulge myself (yet again). Kindest regards to you all; and the next post should be the completed Light Dragoon (wielding the Pattern 1796).

Looking for Hoichi

Since the previous post was one with European style armor, it seemed only fair to post one with armor from the Far East. This even more so as the recent games I played were with Samurai. Also, I don't think I've posted one wearing this kabuto. The kabuto is sort of Heian and Kamakura. The helmet bowl with large rivets are Heian (12th C.), but the wide, flaring shikoro (neck guard) is more late-Kamakura - early-Muromachi (13th-early 14th C.). This was a custom helmet made by Iron Mountain Armory. The rest of the armor is later period, 16th C.

Anyway, I got the urge to put on the armor after watching old Zatoichi movies on YouTube; and finishing off a pint of Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. On the painting front, I'm still waiting on a Tamiya 1/48 251/1 Hanomag to arrive from Japan. I couldn't resist the price ($17 USD free shipping); but it's been about three weeks now since I won it off ebay. On the gaming front I need to order a copy of Pikeman's Lament as this seems to be the direction the Rampant group of locals are heading in. I also wouldn't mind building either a Polish or Ottoman force. The Winged Hussars and Janissaries from Warlord Games look pretty  nice. Thank you very much for stopping by.

The Battle of Towton

...was fought on Palm Sunday, March 29, 1461.

Siege of Haengju Setup

Well, I committed to running this game at our local big convention, Enfilade!, during the Memorial Day weekend. God willing, I'm hosting it in four periods. Incidentally, to beef up the Koreans I  ordered some Perry figures. These will be the first figures I've ordered (or painted) in years. Interestingly, I only kept one bottle each of Vallejo White and Flesh - the main colors needed for the figures. I threw out the few bottles of paint I had as they were almost empty and/or dried up. So much for my entry post in 2017 and for several months! Belated Happy New Year to you all!

I ran this game several years ago and figured it was time to run it again. These are some of the few figures I kept after selling off over half of my collection. It actually helped me refocus a bit regarding gaming.

Tosa Clan - Boshin War

Pardon my indulgence, but just a little goofing around with a pair of matching swords - katana and wakizashi, and a $6.00 synthetic "Tina Turner" wig standing in for a red yak haired Shaguma wig.

Haven't picked up a paint brush in a long time, but do plan on hosting a game soon. I may give Poseidon's Warriors a try - but need to find a couple of play-testers. I plan to just GM (i.e. read off the rules while they're being played by others). Anyway, here are a couple more shots of the Tosa guy.

The repro blades are unsharpened and can be used for practice, or for chasing Trick or Treaters away.

The painting below shows shaguma-wearing Tosa samurai at the Battle of Ueno Temple during the Boshin War.

A Boshin War period samurai with a yak hair wig - can't tell what color the hair is, but the Tosa's were red, the Chosu's white and the Satsuma's black.

And everyone's favorite samurai wearing one.

So much for now - apologies again for nothing new on the painting front.

Edit: added shot showing the katana and wakizashi - along with a tanto, tachi and bokken.

Also, an extremely rare Shaguma dog.

Samurai Armor Display Stand for $20

Here's the recently acquired samurai armor displayed on a scratch-built stand. Using an inexpensive ($13.00), but sturdy end table from Walmart, along with left over PVC tubing and a few connectors the final product is quite effective.

This is the traditional way samurai armor is displayed - sort of a seated position. Of course, an armor storage chest is supposed to be what the armor is seated on, but I didn't want to spend $200.00 for it - however nice it was.

I could cover the PVC stand with black cloth, but the back will be against a wall and not be visible.

Not pretty, but cheap and sturdy. Did I say this is part of the Frugal Armoury? :)

The Barefoot Samurai Lives!

It's been quite a while since my last post, and with apologies this new one is not about painting or gaming. However, I am slated to host a Lion Rampant game at the annual big convention, Enfilade!, here in the Pacific NW in a couple of weeks. So without further ado, here is a set of samurai armor that arrived today. I only ordered it a little over two weeks ago from Little Star Enterprises, Inc. - the US retailer for Iron Mountain Armory.  The price is very reasonable and the quality impressive.

Unlike European Medieval armor, I was able to put the entire kit on by myself. The pieces are secured by tying straps and the use of toggles for do/cuirass and sode/spaulders.

The range of motion is as good as if no armor is worn.

All the parts of the armor laid out. I ordered the lowest grade (read cheapest) armor, but the armorer upgraded parts like the haidate/cuisse and kote/armored sleeves for free. The menpo/face mask is one piece - the higher grades have the nose detachable. It's spot welded, so I may try to separate it.

I shortened the laces of the kusazuri/tassets by tying the laces together on the inside. I plan to modify the straps for the haidate/cuisse so they are worn like suspenders instead of being tied around the waist. I may also add ties to the back of them too, to keep them from flapping around while moving.

The nodawa/throat guard is laced to the menpo - so it's all or nothing with the face and neck guard.

Batter up!

Cheers from the Frugal Armory!

War Hammer Refurbished

Finished refurbishing the war hammer. I used some metal epoxy to secure the head and butt cap onto the handle. Since it was a snug fit, and it's mainly a display piece, this should be no problem.

I nailed brass tacks into the epoxy to cover the holes and make it look like they're fancy topped rivets.

After removing the original finish with Citristrip, I rubbed down the handle with Old English furniture oil. Don't know why they painted the handle, as the grains are pretty nice.

A timeless piece. Cheers from the Frugal Armoury!

Refurbishing a War Hammer - WIP

Started refurbishing a war hammer. It was only $45 (free shipping), and was put together by underpaid folks in India. So, although the parts themselves are pretty good, especially for the price, the overall craftsmanship was a bit lacking. The rivets were not lined up very well, and the spike was off center as well as the butt cap. I used a Dremel to cut off the ends of the rivets (actually really big nails), and pounded them out with a hammer and Phillips Head screw driver. I also wanted to remove the ugly dark brown stain/paint from the handle. I did some Googlin' and picked up some Citristrip to remove the stain/paint (I hope) - I'm waiting for it to do its work.

 With the metal parts removed after cutting off the rivet/nails with a Dremel cutting tool.

The handle coated with Citristrip. I placed the handle in a plastic trash bag to keep it from drying out too fast - another tip from YouTube.

Here it is before removing all the metal parts - you can't really tell from this image, but the spike and butt cap were not aligned with the handle. You can probably see that the dark brown stain/paint is pretty ugly though.

 

Well, just a quick update to keep this blog alive. Cheers!

Pole Axing and War Hammering on a Saturday Morning

Just a bit of toying around this morning with the new pole axe, and also a recently acquired war hammer.

Left off the greaves and arm harness to give it a more 15th C. Man at Arms look.

The war hammer is very heavy and quite solid. I plan to take it apart and remove the paint from the wooden shaft and refinish it with the same Dark Walnut as the pole axe shaft. I used a Dremel to cut off the two rivets for the spike - tried to straighten it as it pointing a bit off center. Still not perfect, but a work in progress.

I've found that I like fingered gauntlets a lot better than these mitten style ones. It's hard to pick up stuff with the mitten gauntlets.

Well, thanks for visiting - this interlude has me looking forward to running a War of the Roses game at Enfilade in May.

Cheers from the Frugal Armoury!

15th C. Medieval Pole Axe - Repro Finished

Finished the shat and mounted the axe head today using some fancy brass upholstery tacks. Still needs an end cap or butt spike though. The Dark Walnut stain is a bit redder than I had expected, but should look okay with aging.

As mentioned in previous posts, the axe head is made by Get Dressed For Battle, and the shaft is a fence post from Lowe's.

The upholstery tacks aren't as strong as nails or rivets, but since this is only a display piece they're sufficient.

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you like the newest addition to the "Frugal Man's Armoury."

15th C. Medieval Pole Axe - WIP

Using a piece of inexpensive ($2.25) fence post - 1.5" X 1.5" X 4', I started work on the shaft of the weapon. Here it is after taking an oscillating sander to preliminary work with a hand plane. Still rough, but not bad for about an hour's worth of effort
after work.

The sides of the lower half of the shaft will be beveled down a bit. I need to get something like roofing tacks to secure the axe head onto the shaft.

The image below shows the shaft after using a hand plane on the upper portion.

Even without adding a butt spike, the overall length looks good. The shaft looks proportionate to the axe head.

Thanks for visiting!

WIP Shots of a Couple of Unreleated Projects

Just a blogger update to let folks know I am still among the living. Here are images of a Pole Axe  head that arrived today. Needs a wooden shaft to go with it - hopefully I can finds something at Lowe's or Home Depot.

It's more of a display piece than an actual reenactment weapon. The axe head is nicely detailed, but the hammer side's grooved facing is rather thin. They should be pyramid shaped, although for $52.00 USD including free shipping, I can't complain. Here's a shot with a small dog for size comparison.

Also, I started work on an old Space Marine Whirlwind kit I had swapped for a box of Warlord Parliamentarians a few years ago. I added a 2 ounce fishing lead inside the front of the vehicle to balance the weight of the rocket and turret which are made of lead.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter!

Flammenschwert Zweihänder - Gesundheit!

Here's a repro flame-bladed two-handed sword used in the early 16th C. most famously by German Landsknechte.

As you may see, I forgot to take off the protective plastic tip.

The sallet is pushed back as was fashionable at the time. Only the left arm is armored, and the greaves have been removed from the leg harness.

Landsknechte trained in the use of these two-handed swords served in the front ranks to break pike formations, supposedly by cutting off the ends of the pikes. They received double pay for this work, thus earning the moniker of Doppelsöldner.

Best to you all from the Empire!