From MIke W - 22 x 28mm Elizabethan Irish Kerns (110 Points)

In today's post, I am 'show & telling', I am posting about a batch of Wargames Atlantic, plastic 28mm Irish Kerns. The set is marketed as Dark Ages / Medieval period figures but these generic fighting times remained largely unchanged in Ireland for centuries - thus I am calling them out as Elizabethans.

The completed batch

These figures are simple to build, coming as a frames of six figures which typically ae full torsos plus an arm. Thus when building these you just need to add a weapon arm, a head and a shield.

Another view

And another...

There are many other detailed parts to opt (or not) to apply to the figures, including cloaks, knives, swords etc. Once built I glued them to 20mm round bases and undercoated in white.

A close up of five of the little guys.

Overall a quick way to bulk out any Irish Army at a reasonable cost.

Five more

I used an old pot of Citadel Bubonic Brown for the distinctive ochre coloured dress that these guys wore and then added a random number of coloured jackets. Flash was then added and then spear-staff and Shields were coloured in.

Five more, the guy in the red jacket would likely be a higher status individual

When painting completed and mistakes rectified, I gave the skin areas a watered down Army Painter Flesh wash and then the rest of the figure a watered down Strong Tone wash.

Final close-up batch, seven figures with the leader in a cloak out front.

Figures were completed with a Matt varnish and the bases were covered with fine sand and electro-static grass.

How they started, I nearly forgot to take a photo -
so here undercoated and a couple with initial paint applied

POINTS 

22 x 28mm Foot Figures @ 5 Pts ea.  = 110 Points

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They look like handy fellows in a scrap! I like your choice of colourstoo

Cap'n W

From Mike W - 28mm Elizabethan Irish Kerns and Gallowglas (85 Points)

Today's post sees me flitting back to my Wargames Club's current project - Border Ruffians & Elizabethan Wars in Ireland to paint 15 x 28mm foot figures. I'm so shallow that any reason to change my focus from one project to another will likely distract me!

The Lot as it arrived from eBay

Seven of these little guys represent Gallowglas warriors whist another four represent Kern skirmishers and a final four represent a group of musketeers.

The finished figures

The figures were sourced from an eBay lot that I acquired over the summer but did not have time to paint at the time, three of the Gallowglas figures came without heads so I sent away for some resin Elizabethan heads and added these heads to these figures.

Four of the Gallowglas, all in mail shirts and wielding large axes

Interestingly, I did not realise that at this time the Gallowglas were typically Scots mercenaries that were used to stiffen the forces of the various Irish warlords. In fact in Irish Gaelic, 'Gallowglas' means Foreign Warrior! It was only that I picked up and flicked through a book on the subject that I found out and that was enough to divert me to do these little guys...

Rear view of three of the Gallowglas that have
additional two handed swords to play with...

The three Gallowglas figures who had head transplants!

The four kerns have a variety of weapons, typically javelins, although a couple have swords. The guy the red tunic would be of higher status.

The four Kerns armed with Javelins, Shields and Swords

Finally I have done four guys with muskets, these guys would have been better paid than regular Kerns and they would have spent their money on better clothes - as per the guy in the red cloak and breaches, or protective helmets etc.

The four musket armed figures with sexy hats, pants and cloak!

Most of these figures arrived undercoated black, I added my own white undercoat and then painted on the generic light brown / ochre coloured cloth. Oily Steel was applied for helmets and chainmail before flesh colour was added for bare skin areas.

Other detail was added as needed before applying coloured washes from Army Painted to add shading. This is a different approach to how I have painted other figures in the collection, where I used a simple Dark Tone wash or Dip to add the shading, I like the results - a brighter, seemingly cleaner resulting figure.

I have a box full of these Irish to do but they would be ineligible for the challenge as many are already pre painted - my task (one day) is to take them off their group bases, repaint to integrate with my existing collection and then put on to single bases.

One day...

POINTS

17 x 28mm Foot Figures @5 Pts Each = 75 Points

From Mike W [Hall or Traps] Irish Scallywags leading the good Father astray! 35 Points

This is my third Challenge (excluding the interim Lockdown Challenge last summer) and it feels good to be back! I hope everyone has stayed (and will stay) well and thanks again Curt for organising this diversion from the real world...

My topic for today and the initial one for this challenge, is a small vignette depicting two Irish Kerns leading a travelling priest astray, this is for the first chamber of the Challenge XI Dungeon - The Hall of Traps . The Priest is a Gripping Beast plastic monk from their Anglo-Danish set, whilst the Kerns are both form the Wargame Atlantic plastic 28mm set.

You'll likely see many more figures form these sets in coming posts during this challenge as I build upon my Anglo-Danish forces for my Hastings 1066 project and the ongoing Elizabethan Wars project we have going at my local Wargames Club.

So the premise of the vignette is that we have one kern directing the travelling priest off the well worn road to a position where the two scallywags will rob the priest of his golden cross and other religious artefacts.

L to R: Wargames Atlantic Irish Kerns, 1st is pointing the way.
2nd is encouraging the priest with a spear. Gripping Beast Priest

The priest is in a brown habit, with little of worth about him except his crucifix and holy staff, the kerns are in traditional 'ochre' type coloured garb.

Spear Armed Kern, before washes applied

As usual I have undercoated all figures in white then painted on (in this case) quite a lot f flesh and then their clothes before  detailing weapons, shields and belts etc.

Priest, pre-washes

All finished off with various coloured washes - which I'm currently experimenting with, and then varnished with a matt finish.

The other Scallywag - pre washes

So I used Flesh wash on all skin areas, cut 50/50 with water to tone down the pigment. On the priest's robe I used uncut brown wash, to help give the cloth a richer, darker feel and I used a brown wash cut 1/2 with water on the Kern's cloths to give a light brown shade. After washing the figures I applied a little base colour as highlights.

Final Vignette: Priest being diverted off the main track

Final Vignette: From another angle

Final Vignette: Priest has his 'bling' on view, encouraging the Scallywags!

Final Vignette: Priest trying to ignore the Kerns

Final Vignette: A Kern with spears behind you is never good....

Points:

3 x 28mm Figures @ 5 Points Each   = 15 Points

Hall of Traps Bonus                            = 20 Points

TOTAL 35 Points