Conte Viking Set No. 2 - Part 8 Wounded

If there's a battlefield, there's casualties, and in our miniature battle scenes we almost can't have enough of them. I was tempted to call this figure 'gut shot' but there would probably be an arrow sticking out of him. Nope, instead I think this guy got run through either by sword or dagger. 

Along with the attention to the clothing details I also really enjoyed that each figure has a different motif on their shields. A BIG thanx to Robert over at trainsandtoysoldiers.com for the opportunity to review these figures. Our next post will show you how I played with these. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Conte Viking Set No. 2 - Part 7 Spearman

Here's a pose - along with the archer - that one could use quite a few of on a minitaure battlefield, a Spearman. He too has a sword and dagger hanging at his side. Ya know, I noticed that the belts on all of these figures are over-long, perhaps needed to asccomodate heavy winter outer garments. And really, it's not like they can amble into the nearest Wal-Mart and pick out a size 48" (or whatever)  :-) Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Conte Viking Set No. 2 - Part 6 'Charge'

Now here's a familiar pose and one which has probably been repeated a million times in real life as leaders urged their men on to combat. You can see the similarities to the Britains Union Officer posted a couple of years ago - sword held high in the right hand, head slightly to the rear, left hand busy holding things. Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina

Also, now is a good time to talk about the helmets or helms you see on these figures. The Tehnolog Vikings we reviewed acouple of weeks ago have a helmet popularised by Wagnerian operas in the 1800's but they are totally historically incorrect. Since the mid-1800s the image of a Viking with horned helmet has been infused into our culture. The latest foray into horny helms one may recall, is the fairly recent spate of Capital One credit card commercials featuring bewildered Vikings - many in horned helemts - asking us "what's in our wallet?". ummmm, let's see, what's in my wallet is money to buy THE CORRECT HELMET hahahaha The fact is those horns could, at the very least, be a hindrance or at most fatal, to the person wearing them. They would be easy to grab onto by an adversary pulling the warrior and unbalancing him thus allowing the foe to get an edge in battle. While on board their ships the horns would likely get caught in the rigging.

Conte Viking Set No. 2 - Part 5 Axeman #3

Here's the third of three axemen included in this set. You'll notice that all three are also armed with a sword at their side. In addition, this guy and archer #2 both have daggers. They're not leaving much to chance! Enjoy! Opa Fritz and Oma Bettina