Mounted Sergeants-At-Arms (FireForge Games) aka Mounted Crossbowmen for my Impetus Renaissance Army.

After all this work on micro (1/3000) scale stuff I had the urge to put together some 28mm plastics (aka the "big stuff" that I can see better - 15mm scare me these days) together and chose the FireForge Games Sergeant-At-Arms (mounted) as it was on top of the "stack" (a "last-in" but "first-out" of data structure). Nice kit and I have been waiting to do these for some time. The box is a direct copy of the Mounted Sergeants but it has a 'sprue' of six crossbowmen which was the deal breaker as it will be ideal to give me an extra Impetus stand (or two, if I hide a sword armed chappie in the midst of the block of four and get eight from six .. a cunning plan) for my Maximilian 'Italian Wars' Renaissance Army (see below, notice how there are only two sprues of bodie parts to make up eight men, strange at first I thought I was going mad as I thought I had counted twelve, I then thought it must have been a packing error. I then found out I was the victim of a childish prank by my eldest for pulling him out of PS4-land making him see natural sunlight - silly as he obviously forgot his birthday is coming up soon .. looks like the Physics or French text book it is then! So all is well I have twelve to play with):

So the horses went together sweetly, very reminiscent (in a good way) of Games Workshop standard troop types that will lend themselves well to good brush stroke painting, The mounted crossbowmen were cool to put together although I cannot vouch for the poses I chose given the horses were all going at the gallop. The boys might in reality "fall off" in real life (see below, there are eight here but now that I have been reunited with the missing 'body sprue' I have another four axe, sword, spear and mace ones to make):

They are a good but and together with the Mounted Sergeants (FireForge Games .. still to assemble), the Men-At-Arms (Perry's Miniatures .. still to assemble) and the Teutonic Knights (FireForge Games .. assembled but still to paint) I have more horse than I can shake a stick at (or should that be 'pike at'). I do still have the mad urge to get the Perry, Light Renaissance Horse too, but that is because I am getting a little "28mm mad" seeing everything that comes as plastic in a box circa £20 as a bargain!

Impetus: Renaissance Man (of Pike) "Wish List"

My Italian Wars (and maybe Charles V HRE versus Imperial Swiss) Renaissance Army for Impetus "needs" the following:

Four little Harquebusiers (Sk unit) [needed for Charles V versus Swiss] which are almost finished, just a few facial details and their 'jackets' [figure mid-section] to address (see below):

Four crossbowmen (Sk unit) [for the earlier Italian Wars period], thus allowing for various Order of Battle permutations (see below, not really started yet).

These are required to screen my army's infantry frontage as they advance like all good pike armies do. More of the same Harquebusier are needed to make another full Shot unit (see below):

I also need to build a third rank of Pike [for the Charles V Spanish Coruna using old GW Empire Spearmen] (see below, note the interested" hand of a small child in the background):

This formation needs to be festooned with a unit of nasty (for the other side) skirmish "Dopplesoldners" (Sk with Impact) (see below):

Finally there is the the HRE himself with courtier (see below):

Longer term I'll need more pike, a third at least. I have one from the Perry's excellent plastic range to make a full pike block (see below):

I think these will be much quicker to paint than pike block number four, made from Wargames Foundry metals (again another full pike block, but will be a labour of love so to speak) whcih I have in a box in the loft. In anticipation of this I am in the process of creating another "front pike unit" with lowered pike and leader/swordsman types. Here they are in the first stages after undercoating is to give them a rough base colour (see below):

Once I have 'bulked out' the infantry the plan is to return back to the cavalry wings ;)

Four Mounted Men of Renaissance

Four Renaissance "mounted harquebusiers" finally are completed (see below):

These are from the Redoubt Enterprise Renaissance range and are lovely little things. In Charles V's Impetus Holy Roman Emperor's army list they are Skirmish capable but for some reason in the Italian Wars they are Medium. They are much more useful in the former role as they can shield the heavies (Burgundian or Men-At-Arms) from unwanted harassing attention

Nice to finally get them done :)

Painting Tray

A variety of toys on table (see below):

• Fairey Battle (mostly made and with it's base coat of paint)
• Renaissance Crossbowmen (Painted and Based)
• Mounted Renaissance Harquebusiers (slight bit of basing work to be done)
• Chaos Space Marines (Primes, Washed and in the throes of an experimental Gold and Red colour scheme)
• Five Mini Plaster Cast Lego Star Wars Figures (say no more)

They are cluttering up the bathroom shelf at the moment so I need to get a move on ;)