Some re-basing and extra horse

So after discussion with Mitch, we've agreed to go to 4 models per base for the horse. This helps with costs and the actual number of models is not really relevant, just the number of bases of cavalry for the rules. This meant that the 3 regiments already done would need some re-basing and an additional 10 cavalrymen were completed to bring me up to 5 regiments. I even mixed a couple of the Peter Pig horse with the plastic warlord figures for one base and they look a good match.

The base on the right is a mix of Warlord and PeterPig

I also took the opportunity to complete another piece of artillery from the plastic Warlord sprue

So now I have 2 more regiments of horse and some commanded shotte on the painting table and then back to the last two regiments of foot for Newcastle,

Richard Kirkbride's Regiment of foote and a 'project too far'

Finally managed to get the 5th Regiment of foote completed that I need for Newcastle's Royalist army of the north. This time I picked out Richard Kirkbride's regiment which was raised in Durham. In all likelihood most of Newcastle's regiments would have been combined into larger formations. In a slight change I went with a darker grey coat, both the coat and flag are pure conjecture. I just went with what I liked, hence the addition of the blue flag.

So just 2 more foote regiments to go. For the horse I have decided to change the number of figures down to 4 instead of 5, the commitment to a new project has forced this to help reduce the required number of horse figures by around 120.

So new project, well a re-fight of Marston Moor. The aim is to get everything done in time for the Border Reiver show in 2024. I managed to persuade myself and Mitch into the mammoth undertaking. We do have 1 other club member who has so far committed to do 5 regiments of foot for Ruperts' army. For myself I need to complete Newcastle's army and the Northern Association. This works out at 11 foot regiments, 31 cavalry regiments and a handful of dragoons and commanded shotte. Mitch has committed to the Eastern Association and the bulk of Rupert's army. This just leaves the Covenanters, not helped by the fact that Warlord is yet to produce any in epic scale. We have found some free STLs that will give us the bulk of the cavalry and musketeers. The main issue is the pikes are too brittle in resin, we may have to either proxy the current warlord pike or source some suitable small 15mm metal pikemen. Below is a full list of what we need.

Horse	66
Dragoons	8
Dis. Dragoons	8
Foot	39
Cmd. Shotte	6
Artillery	6
Comanders	18

For the larger infantry units on each side I have added bases of commanded shotte to represent their higher strength, these are then paired up to form the regiments listed above. This works out at nearly 3,500 foot and 600 mounted figures. At least we don't need much scenery apart from a handful of buildings and some hedges. 

Wish me luck.

The Northern Horse

A catch-all name for the Royalist horse regiments recruited in Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire as part of the Marquis of Newcastle's army. The Northern horse had a reputation as hard fighters but poor discipline. So I just had to add a couple more troops to the Kings cause. First up is the last of the Warlord Games Plastic cavalry. Seemed to paint up a little better this time.

The next unit is from Steel fist miniatures. They are a good match size wise with the Warlord cavalry, but boy are they superior sculpts. can't wait for the next two regiments to arrive in the post. I'm awaiting some flags that I can subsequently add to the unit. I also like the lack of breastplates and a reliance on buff coats. Obviously supply issues in the Royalist army.

L to R - Warlord, Steel fist

As I have a couple of spare figures left over I've done a small order to Peter Pig to see how they match size wise, including some better looking officers. I'll be able to mix these with Warlord and Steel fist in a 6th regiment.

Sir Marmaduke Langsdale's Regiment of Foote

This is the 3rd regiment of foot I've completed for this project. Much prefer painting these to the cavalry. This time it is Sir Marmaduke Langsdale's regiment. Like most of the Northern army uniform details are very scare so once again I went with predominantly white coats with the odd figure in blue for a little variety. For the flag the only information I found was of black, so that'll do for me.

Sir Marmaduke Langsdale

The Pike

The musketeers

Pretty happy with how the infantry is turning out. 3 down and 1 to go. I've also picked a ready painted unit to add to the collection. It will just need re-basing. It has got me thinking of completing the whole Northern army at some point.

Force so far

Now it is back to the plastic cavalry, as once finished I can begin work on the Steelfist miniatures.

Re-Purposed buildings

Many, many years ago I scratch built a few buildings for use in my WSS collection. They saw some service until I switched to 6mm to represent villages. Compared to modern 15mm buildings they were on the slightly small side so ended up stuck in the bottom of a box gathering dust. With getting into Epic Pike and Shotte my mind as usual switched to gathering suitable scenery for my games. I looked at the Sarissa buildings that come as part of the boxed set. Now they are lovely buildings, but a bit steep in price for the number I will eventually want. It was then I remembered these buildings, so dug them out, arranged them on some bases, bit of sand and static grass and they are ready for action. Perfect for the first few games trying out rules etc. Now the paint work is rather shabby, but nostalgia kicked in and they will stay as they are for now.

Placed on MDF bases from Warbases

A little village green added

A decent size match

In other news I do have the 3rd of my infantry battallia nearly complete, just need their bases completed. Then I can make a start on the 2 cavalry troops I need to get done. The Steelfist miniatures arrived and they are gorgeous models, so much so I promptly ordered 2 more packs of the Royalist horse. I think the thought of painting 1 more regiment from the Warlord plastics makes me feel like I deserve it.

Royalist horse

So the project sees another completed unit. This time a regiment of Royalist horse, they still need to be named. These are all plastic figures from the Warlord epic sprue. The figures are nowhere near as good as the infantry models. The only benefit I see is you also get commanders, artillery and commanded shotte. The horse seem to suffer from being 1 piece castings as some of the detail is lost. They were not a pleasure to paint and thankfully only a few more to do. They will though still look OK from 3 foot on the gaming table.

I also added one of the smaller artillery pieces and a Brigadier, he suffers the same issue as the rest of the horse.

My horse figures from Steel fist miniatures have arrived and they are full of detail and a good match for the epic figures. Looking forward to getting them on the painting table.

Lord Widdrington's Regiment of Foote

So I finally got the second Royalist infantry unit completed. I've decided to model my force around the Royalist army of the North under the Maquis of Newcastle. Why you may ask, well because I'm a northerner and many of the regiments were raised from Northumberland and the surrounding counties. I've also obtained the order of battle for Marston Moor which gives plenty of details of the regiments, though many were small and would have been grouped together to form larger units. The estimate is around 7 infantry units.

So after the Maquis' own regiment I went for the Lord Widdrington's regiment. Widdrington is a village 10 miles or so north of where I live. The only uniform details I have are 'unknown', same with the flag so plenty of opportunity to paint them how I like. So I went with White coats with a handful on each base in red coats to represent soodiers from another regiment, giving a nice ragged look. The flag is pure conjecture, picking yellow as the sheet of flags from Warlord games simply names it as a Royalist flag.

Quite happy with how they have turned out. It has also given me an idea for the other 2 units I need to do. I think I will stick with white coats and just add in a few men in a different colour, say 1 unit in green and 1 in blue. Will also help with the aura of the 'Whitecoats'. I am also awaiting a couple of orders for the mounted arm. Should give me 3 horse regiments, 1 Dragoon regiment, a couple of cannon and some commanded shotte.