Steelfist Test

I've bought quite a few models from Steelfist as front rank, ensigns and command but I actually haven't gotten round to painting any until yesterday. I was feeling bored so I crunched out this armored pikeman and I have to say he was leaps and bounds above Foundry's. Both are nice, but I think Steelfist takes the cake, their models are so characterful of the period and I love it.

I've got some more on the way

Foray into Foundry

After waiting nearly two months to get a Foundry order I placed during the buy 8 get 2 free deal, I have finally gotten to put paint on these models. I have to admit these are a joy to paint when compared to Warlord's plastic kit which can get pretty monotonous and lacks the crazy slashed jackets and hose Landsknecht are iconic for. I have 28 leveled pike, 2 drummers, and 2 champions which will serve as the front rank of my two nearly complete pike blocks.

I have some work to do, but these are quite easy to churn through. Unfortunately, my lead pile will be growing with Foundry's current 25% discount, but it will all be painted anyways!

Unleash Hell!

One of my favorite parts about the Italian Wars period is the introduction of gunpowder into warfare. There's something romantic about two massive armies sitting a hundred yards from each other, pouring shot after shot into the opposing formations. Cannons being the epitome of ranged destruction, a well placed shot into a tightly packed pike formation spells devastation for the receiving end.

Unfortunately this led me to buy 6 cannons, 2 OOP GW Empire cannons and 4 Wargames Foundry cannons. The former is quite big, and I swapped it's wheels out for some Old Glory wheels to bring it in line with the rest of the collection. Their size has led me to discern these 2 as the heavy guns while the rest (while being big themselves) will be my medium guns.

Without further ado,

Behold, the complete artillery battery!

I was missing 2 crew members but I managed to buy some OOP GW Empire crew and they should arrive soon.

Pushing On

Just a quick update since it has been awhile. I've finished one block of standing pike, and while waiting for a Wargames Foundry order I figured I should get the second block of pikemen going. Watching the project come together is incredibly satisfying, but I have a long way to go as indicated on the right by my progress tracker. The three pike blocks are the biggest endeavors so most of the list will be red until I get those done. The rest is a cake walk in my opinion. Can't wait to get these based and on the table!

Sculpting Plumage

While Landsknecht's were a force capable of turning the tide of battle to your favor, the price was not cheap. The wage of one Landsknecht foot soldier was 4 guilders, and Doppelsöldner being 8. For a company of 4,000 soldiers, their wage would equate to 32,000 guilders per month, plus whatever officers and staff that company employed. Landsknecht companies were contracted for a minimum of 6 months adding up to 96,000 guilders which according to the International Insitute of Social History (link) is equal to €8.5 million today. 

Francis I had 20,000 Landsknecht under his command during the Battle of Novara, and 17,000 during the Battle of Marignano...

Just a quick update here, the last step of my gendarmes is to sculpt feathers for all their helmets in some crazy and outlandish style. Here, Steel Fist Miniatures is a big inspiration, I'm using the models I have of theirs as guidelines

Love to just give it a crack, can't wait to see this unit when I'm done - and which will be the next update for this unit

Royal French Gendarmes

France entered the sixteenth century with its gendarme companies being the largest and most respected force of heavy cavalry in Europe, feared for their powerful armament, reckless courage and esprit de corps. As the fifteenth century waned, so did the tactical practices of the Hundred Years War, and the gendarmes of the sixteenth century returned to fighting exclusively on horseback, generally in a very thin line (en haye), usually two or even just one rank deep, so as to maximize the number of lances being set upon the enemy target at once.

-Excerpt from Wikipedia's "Gendarmes in Battle in the Early Sixteenth Century", author not listed

This is an update I have been very excited to make for the past few weeks. I had half this unit done for some time now but I was focussed more on finishing the pikemen, now I am at a pause with them as I have plans to speed paint them using a system I quickly wrote up.

I have changed the focus of my project. I opted for complete plastic units with upright pike just for ease of play but after some thought units with 45 degrees and leveled pike just look so much better. This leaves all the upright pike I own at the moment as rear rankers so I'm not gonna put too much effort into them anymore.

I'll go over the details of how I'll be speed painting a 3-layer method in a future post.

Only the feathers left to sculpt. I've taken inspiration from Steel Fist Miniatures renaissance knights, so they should be appropriately exuberant for Royal Knights

A lord and his unfinished retainer to be carrying his device

Rear Rank Done

When the Emperor Maximillian I was in need of an army the steps to form one were very quick and very simple. A letter (known as a Bestallungsbrief or "ordering letter") would be sent to a renowned Colonel along with details of the conditions of which Landsknechts were to serve. Once accepting the appointment, would appoint his second-in-command as well as the captains to lead the company (or Fähnlein). Drummers would be sent to beat for recruits and if the colonel's reputation was considerable enough, armies would be raised incredibly fast. Franz von Sickengen was able to raise a band of 20,000 soldiers in a matter of two weeks.

-Excerpt from Osprey's "The Landsknecht" by Douglas Miller and G.A. Embleton

I am incredibly happy how these models came out. I have been collecting equipment, paints, and models for so long and to see my work come to fruition is unbelievable. A reason I chose Landsknechts is the creative freedom I have to paint the models in essentially any way I want using typically unusual colors.

However, the work is far from done. I hope to finish about 5 more bases + a command stand then I can start working on the arquebusiers and knights. Once I get a sizable army I'll reach out to some local wargaming clubs to see if I can arrange a game, otherwise, I'll try to use these guys as Empire of Sonna for the 9th Age.