28mm Renaissance Swiss Pikemen

Hi Guys, my apologies for lack of posting and for not visiting your blogs I have been busy and well...um.. here are my long over due 28mm Swiss Pike block(s) part of a large project I will be working on during the next few months. The miniatures are by Old Glory 25's - The Italian Wars range. Even though I have painted 25mm ACW figures last couple of years, It has been a long time since I last painted mass 25/28mm miniatures units I'm talking about the late 1970's early 80's painting 25/28mm Napoleonic's regiments... ah the memories.... 

anyway on to the figures, 
A bit of a slog  to prep, clean and paint these buggers ;o) The two units of Swiss Pike Blocks for French Service? :o) mounted on 40mm x 40mm stands. Each unit consists of 24 figures 8 Heavy Pikes, front rank, followed by 2nd and 3rd ranks of 16 Light Pikemen. These units may be used with any rules sets, or for my conversion ;o) of Commands and Colors - "Renaissance" board game engine/system ;o)

I like the Old Glory miniatures and I'm thinking about getting more packs i.e. Swiss, Italian and the Landshnechts (did I spell that correctly? ;o) to enlarge the pike blocks from 24 figures to 48 figure.....anyway... um.. I'm not to sure but I may have botched the Pikemen color schemes. Do these guys look historical painted to you guys? After looking at some of my photos some of these guys should have Swiss "crosses" on their shirts and legs?

IV/18 Lithuanian or Samogitian

1132 AD - 1435 AD

DBA 2.2

Army Composition: 1 x (Gen) 3Cv or 2Lh, 6 x 2Lh, 1 x 3Cv or 1 x 2Lh, 2 x 3Ax, 2 x 2Ps 

Historical Enemies: Early Polish, Early Russian, Estonian, Prussian, Teutonic Orders, Mongol Russian, Mongol Successors, Ottoman, Wallachian, Moldavian and Later Polish

During the 13th through 16th centuries Samogitia played a central role in Lithuania’s wars against the crusading order of the Teutonic Knights (Knights of the Cross and Knights of the Sword). Invasions started in Lithuania in 1229. Combined military forces undertook numerous campaigns against Samogitians and Lithuanians. Saule (1236), Skuodas (1239), Durbe (1260), Lievarde (1261) are just a few of the battles that took place. Since Žemaitija was the last pagan region in Europe left to be invaded and christened, the Teutonic Order set their sights on this last mission. 

Between 1345 and 1382, the Knights of the Cross attacked from Prussia some 70 times, while the Livonian Knights of the Sword made 30 military forays. Year after year, fortresses were attacked, farms and crops were put to the torch, women and children enslaved and men killed. Despite all their effort, the Žemaičiai managed to defend their lands until the 1410 decisive Battle of Grunwald or Žalgiris, where united Polish-Lithuanian forces defeated the Teutonic Order and ended their crusading days.

Anyway.....on to the figures

Another Cavalry Nation Army painted up to face their fierce rivals the Poles, Russians, Mongols and the Teutonic and Livonia Orders. I decided to give these guys a winter-snow look. I used Baking Soda for my bases to get that smooth snow effect which is fine, but there's a problem, I wouldn't dare and try to travel with this army to visit friends/club tournaments because the baking soda will crack,flake off etc. I need to find, have been for a few years, a good solid sealer to protect and secure the baking soda from falling apart! :o) This snow "flocking" method is not entirely secured and it was put together for visual appeal only.

Army Arrayed

General as 3Cv or 2Lh

General as 2Lh

General as 3Cv

Skirmishers 2Ps

Spearmen 3Ax

I/6b Early Bedouin

3000 BC - 312 BC

DBA 2.2

Army Composition: 1 x (Gen) 3Ax, LCh or 3Cm, 6 x 3Ax, 5 x 2Ps

Historical Enemies: Early Egyptians, Mitanni, Canaanite, Ugaritic, Kassite, Later Babylonian, New Kingdom Egyptians, Hittite, Assyrians, Hebrew, Philistine and Later Aramaean.

This Army took me no time at all to prepare/clean and paint the figures and it was fun finishing off these guys. I used Craft smart Brown Acrylic paint as the primer of the bases and light Ivory for the dry brushing and used white paint over the little stones/rocks. I think I may went over board again with the tall "bull grass" ;o)

anyway, I found out that in the up coming DBA 3.0 rules/army list the Early Bedouins (b) are completely different in composition to the DBA 2.2 army list!..oh well.. I'm not that fussy ;o)

DBA 3.0
1 x General (3Cm)
4 x Camelry (3Cm)
4 x Javelinmen (3Ax)
1 x Archers (2Ps)
2 x Slingers or Javelinmen (2Ps)

I need to put together 4 more Camel elements (12 more figures) I tried using camel cigarettes that didn't work :op but um...anyway.. I based the Chariot model on a 40mm x 60mm stand as an experiment, a test, to see what it would look like with the extra room for the chariot to fit in nicely, not bad, easy to handle and little more appealing, but under the 3.0 army list a Bedouin General cannot be a "Chariot or Auxilia" so by joining the chariot and Auxilia elements together this will represent my camp for the army!

Army Arrayed

General as Light Chariot

General as Mounted Camel

General as Auxilia

Auxilia (Spearmen)

Psiloi - Slingers

Psiloi - Archers