Pictured: freshly painted ECW figures alongside less freshly painted ones.
I’ve been on more of a painting and organizing kick than a gaming kick lately. We are often trying to declutter and minimize our “things” all around, so the itch goes towards my hobbies as well.
I’ve had a few musketeers and pikemen in my painting tray for several months, so I needed to get them finished and ready for duty. I also had a couple of Perry Hundred Years’ War figures waiting for the same treatment. Since I’m procrastinating on painting up my peasants for my 15mm project, I figured I’d clean up the tray and have fun doing it.
Primed, with leather and grey clothes added. The pikeman looked so statuesque and the quality of his sculpt shined after the black primer.
Almost ready for the finishing touches.
I found an old paper clip no one was using for a sturdy pike.
A view that gives the muskets some love as well. All the figures have been given green socks, and I really fancy the idea of them being members of “Virgil’s Green Socks”, whether that’s a mercenary group, royalist, parliamentarian, or the like.
Here they are, completed and varnished with that lovely high gloss that is fitting of men of their stature.
Here’s the Perry boys. One wields a sword and buckler, the other a longbow. I think I’m going to use them for skirmishes as henchmen to a previously completed knight (whose lucerne pole-hammer was tragically broken and must be repaired).
Regarding both organization and Perry minis, my wife gifted me with a pair of hobby snips that she found amongst her old things, and I was able to clip and organize all the parts from my two kits of Perry figures into a small box! Now it’s as simple as glue and paint.
As an aside, does anyone know of an entertaining and concise history of the ECW or the Williamite/Jacobite revolts? I’m not well-versed in 17th and early 18th century history, aside from the American Revolution. To be honest, it’s a bit daunting, and I can’t tell the difference between one group of dudes in flouncy shirts and another. Thanks in advance!
Try the Osprey books, they have good short histories and lovely uniform plates.
ReplyDeleteI do love those, I’ve definitely eyed up their books about the Hussites before!
DeleteVery nice! I like the pink/purple clothing, coloration you don't often see.
ReplyDeleteAs for books... hm. For ECW I might suggest Peter Young, who formed the Sealed Knot reenactment group and also wrote the classic wargame Charge! He was well known for his ECW histories and has a readable, occasionally humorous style. Two reprinted editions of his The English Civil War published 1974 are available free on archive.org.
Christopher Duffy's Fight for a Throne: the Jacobite '45 Reconsidered has no equal, and Duffy is an extremely competent writer with loads of 18th-century background - but if you are looking for an overview of the entire period 1688-1746 you'll be disappointed, though of course he provides plenty of background necessary to understanding the '45. It's published by Helion and may be a new edition of his earlier The '45: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Untold Story of the Jacobite Rising.
Helion is generally good - their books are short but punchy, a bit like a more scholarly version of Osprey. (Actually, Osprey Histories might not be a bad place to look - they do much more than just uniforms and hardware these days!) I've enjoyed several of Helion's volumes on individual Jacobite battles or topics (On Gladsmuir Shall the Battle Be in particular), but it doesn't look like they have a generalist title yet.
Wikipedia reveals Bruce Lenman, who wrote The Jacobite Risings in Britain, 1689-1746. It's from 1980 so may be out of date. I found a short volume by him on archive.org called The Jacobite Cause, published in 1992 under the auspices of the National Trust for Scotland, so that may be a useful option - it looks like it might be an abridgement of the 1980 book. There are plenty of illustrations.
Leave it to the Librarian Gamer to have a great list of books and authors! Lol! I think Peter Young will be a great option, thanks!
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