Two peas in a pod - Pavisiers and Crossbows

My Hundred Years War commission is moving along!  First up are 12 French pavisiers.  A pavisier is a spearman carrying a large convex shield called (surprise!) a pavise.  These fellows were a feudal militia raised by a French nobleman, city or place.  The heraldry on the shields reflects they were raised in the cities of Paris, Lyon and Soissons. Crossbowmen typically operated behind the protection of the pavisiers, with the large shields providing them cover during the long reloads.  

These are Perry metals paired with the superb LBMS transfers.  They're done in a dark and dirty style befitting their low position in life.  I brought the red and blue shield colors into the livery on some figures to tie the unit together just a bit.

Pity the poor French crossbowmen.  These fellows suffered in head-to-head matchups with the English longbowmen.  Crossbows had a rate of fire of 1–2 shots per minute while the longbow could manage 5-6 or arrows in the same time with superior range. Insult to injury, crossbowmen were also known to suffer at the hands of their own side.  At Courtrai and Crecy, French knights rode down their crossbowmen, first because they feared they'd take all of the glory and in the second instance because the crossbowmen performed poorly. Able to kill the greatest knight with a single bolt, crossbowmen could expect no mercy if they fell into enemy hands.  

These Perrys were painted and dipped to be dark and dirty.  That just might describe their tenuous existence on the battlefield!  

I've got a stack of knights to finish out the HYW commission and then its back to Saga painting. We're hitting 90 degrees lately, turning my painting room into a painting sauna.  If you pop by for a visit, knock before entering as I'm likely stripped down to my skivvies. I might need to put up a sign that says "No shoes, shirt, pants...No Problem!"