Saturday, 7 November 2020

Anglo Danish Huscarls and Fyrd Unit 1

Over the past year, every now and again I've been rebasing my Anglo Danes hoping to build up enough of a head of steam to get me painting the odd unit for this army again. As well as there being a number of different manufacturers they have been painted at various times, a few here a few there, over the last twenty years! Therefore the style of some of the painting might look different from one miniature to the next. It is about time I got the damn army completed so I have dropped the Nineteenth Century stuff for now and I'm going to fit in the odd unit of Anglo Danes . My Normans have got to have someone to fight inhouse! The manufacturers include, Gripping Beast- both out of production and not, Footsore Miniatures and Saxon Miniatures (now sold by Warlord Games).


I have another unit ready to add the texture to the sand/grit and the beginnings on yet another. The former needs a couple of miniatures painted up as well as a small 40mm diameter Command Base and a semi circle Shieldwall Marker, which I will have to do for this unit too. All the units of Huscarls/Fyrd will have Command and Shieldwall Markers along with their Norse allies. More on the Norse in another post.





19 comments:

  1. Most beautiful and fierce looking unit...Cracking job!

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  2. Great work! They look impressive grouped together on a big base.
    Cheers, Richard P

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    1. Thanks. There's more to come. A few figures are awaiting their matt varnish, a few days to go to let the gloss 'settle' first :)

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    2. Out of interest which Matt varnish do you use?

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    3. I use Windsor and Newton Professional Matt Varnish out of a spray can. It is simply the best I have found in over twenty years, though you do have to pay for the quality. I spray it, usually in two light coats over Humbrol brush on enamel.

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    4. Brush on Humbol enamel Gloss Varnish that is :)

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    5. Great thanks for that. I've struggled to find one that doesn't leave a slight sheen to the figures.

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    6. No problem at all. The only one that I have found that has come close was the old Testors Dullcote (in the black coloured cans) before the EU banned it for being carcinogenic! The new formula always left a slightly satin sheen so I stopped using it after a few cans. Apparently there's a MIG Ultra Matt varnish that is supposed to be excellent but I haven't tried it yet. Might be worth looking at too?

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  3. Fantastic work on this unit. Can't believe it's for game. The quality of brushwork and artistic value like for dioramas in museum :)

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    1. I was lucky enough to be in the same wargames club as David Imrie and managed to pick up a lot from him over the years including how to get the miniatures to 'talk' to one another on a stand. Hopefully I have managed to achieve some of that.

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  4. Superb work. Just wondering, the shafts of your axes almost look white. Looks good, but I always default to Foundry spearshaft brown triad. Interested to know your rationale for the almost white looking shafts.

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    1. Some shafts would have been freshly hewn thus the lighter tones. Some older thus the darker tones. I use a real mix on Early Medieval/Dark Ages armies as each soldier was responsible (to the extent that we know) for their own equipment and the age of such weapons would have varied. Well, that's my excuse anyway. It was actually Darren Harding of Gripping Beast who suggested it. He does (still does?) a lot of 11th C Anglo Saxon reenactment as well as being a stalwart of one of the best companies for 11th C/Dark Ages mini's. Hope that helps. One last thing, I don't usually use the Spearshaft triad nowadays as I find it to #vear too much towards red.

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  5. Ahhh.......thanks for the reply. Love to know your paint recipe. I assume your game of choice is now Swordpoint. I have the rules, but have not played a game as yet. Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Not a problem at all Dave. I could talk painting all day long [mega geek alert!]

      Yeah, rules wise I'm leaning towards SP but like you I have yet to play a game! I am well versed in the text of the rules! I was about to start what would have been regular games with an 'opponent' when the virus struck so that really put the kibosh on that ambition! LOL Most of my units, with the exception of the Anglo Danes, where I wanted to keep the cramped Shieldwall look, are actually based a lot deeper then the prescribed. I usually go for 40mm wide by 60mm deep nowadays. If it means I get outflanked more often them so be it lol

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