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Thursday, July 18, 2013

English Knights for Hundred Years War

Quick post up of the last of my HYW figs before I hit the road. These are Perry metals from their Agincourt line. Did I mention that Perrys come in small black boxes, with the figures swathed in cotton?  No? Unpacking them felt a bit elegant so I did it with my pinkies raised.  Seriously thought, it's a nice touch that sets them apart from the crowd.

The heraldry was sourced from the Joan of Arc's Companion in Arms website.  In this round, I cut the AP dip with mineral spirits to keep the knights a step brighter than the foot levy.


Two historical bits for you.  As a huge fan of ancient history, and Roman history in particular, I was fascinated to discover that Vegetius' De Re Militari and Frontinus' Strategemata (Roman classics on military strategy and tactics) were widely read and discussed by knights during the HYW.

Also, men-at-arms fought on foot as often as on horseback. Sometimes, it was due to the loss of a mount but often it was a tactical choice. English armies were generally horsed during the HYW but as a tactical choice, knights and men-at-arms generally dismounted for battle.  

The fellow I'm painting HYW for is a hardcore medieval reenactor.  In a meetup in France this year, three fellows were knocked out cold and had to be revived with smelling salts.  Even a metal helmet can't save you from a hard knock upside the head! Helms off to the crazy fellows entertaining the crowds here.  


33 comments:

  1. Very nice paint jobs, the colors pop out at you! Great stuff!!

    tom

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    1. Thanks Tom! Your avatar tells me you know a thing or two about this era!

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  2. Yep. Love the contrast between the armour and insignia.

    FMB

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    1. Thanks Marcus! Hope you're enjoying the summer!

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  3. Another fine batch of figures. The mounted boys are especially nice. As for the cottonized Perry figures, I remember being equally surprised when I first received boxes and boxes of the AWI Perrys. It was akin to opening small boxes of fine jewelry and really does set them apart.
    Jon

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    1. You nailed it! Seems a shame to recycle such nice boxes.

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  4. Lovely HYW mounted and foot, great job on these Perry figures!

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    1. Thanks Cyrus! Now that they're done, I'm sneaking in some of my own ancients painting.

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    1. Thanks Michael. Your zombie work is greatly envied! :-)

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  6. Those are lovely Monty but don't you find the cotton gets everywhere? maybe it's just me?

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    1. Good point! It is a bit of work to pull off and even after I've primed, I sometimes find a bit tucked here and there. Out come the tweezers!

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  7. You've really got a handle on painting horses and you're developing a style that will one day, be easily recognized as being your own. This is just lovely work all the way around.

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    1. Ok, I'm going to have to save your comments for a day when I'm not feeling the painting mojo. Thanks Anne!

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    2. LOL! Thanks Artar! I hope all is well in your corner of the world.

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  8. More cool knights, i must get some from that range.
    As for the reenactors, i'd rather keep my helm on by the sounds of it...

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    1. Max, thanks! To me, it is crazy to participate in something where you get concussions and maybe even a trip to the hospital...for no pay! It does look like quite a fun scrum to watch.

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  9. Great work Monty...Maybe I'm going to take you some ideas for my future knights!
    All the best,
    Phil.

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    1. Phil! You are deep in the medieval era right now! I'm switching back to my Naked Gauls for a bit. I'd really like to finish them before going on to the next Saga warband.

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  10. Stunning woek !!!

    best regards Michael

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  11. These are excellent Monty, great work!

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  12. Lovely work, especially on the horses; painting the gee-gees has always been my Achilles' fetlock!

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    1. Ev! You completely stumped me with gee-gees! LOL once I looked it up. It was pretty obvious!

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    2. Sorry about that, Monty, this is what I get for being a living linguistic fossil!
      ;)

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    3. No worries! I really need to get out more, like, out of this country from time to time. I now know something I didn't before you so kindly popped over!

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  13. Very nice paint jobs yet again Monty!

    Christopher

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  14. Excellent brushwork on equally fine castings, Monty. Your client sure is a hardcore. I've watched videos of Russian reenactors - they are serious about their hobby. Best, Dean

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    1. Thanks Dean! I'm not too proud to admit that I'm of an age where I'm working to keep my faculties about me and not lose them on a field of battle! ;-)

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