Haggis Rampant Men at Arms on Foot (Taken from La Journee Blog)

I think that the converted straps for the shields have come out rather well overall which is very pleasing. I did want to sculpt straps to the models holding their shields and bucklers in their hands (Fierce Foot) but time constraints put the kibosh on that idea.

I've got another couple of units painted that just need the basing to be painted and some grass tufts applying. With all of the retinue I've got for a bit of heather on the bases as all the fighting will be taking place on the border region of England and Scotland (in the event that the title of the post hasn't given this away!). I do often wonder if there was any, wargaming miniature appearances aside, real difference in appearance between that of the the Scottish soldiers of the borders and English? The answer I suspect is very little if anything at all. There may well have been an appreciable difference in the quality and quantity of a soldier serving in the retinue of a Captain/Lord than that of a general levy but as a series of articles in Hobilar 103 and 104 have pointed out, this was often much more nuanced than we might imagine. For those not familiar with Hobilar journal, it is the journal run by the Lance and Longbow Society. you get six journals per annum and at £22 a year it is money well spent if you have more than a passing interest in Medieval Warfare.

And lastly a a group pic:

Haggis Rampant Campaign Mini miniature Conversions

I've added some straps to the shields and around the torsos of these mini's including buckles as I want them to appear to be supporting their shields whilst wielding their might choppers! Pro Create was my putty of choice. The mail has been painted in as has the fur trim around the Lord's cloak.

The rest is ready on the painting table for when I get back from London in five days time.

Cannot wait to get stuck into them properly as the castings are excellent and Mr Hicks has once again weaved his magic and breathed life into the little fellows.

Unaltered Mini's:

Mini's with added Straps and Buckles:

Haggis Rampant: Fierce Foot Unit I (Taken from La Journee Blog)

When re-sizing the pictures I noticed that the lighting had left quite a few of the miniatures looking a little satin in finish. This is not the case as they are fully matted down with Windsor and New ton Professional Matt Spray. I usually leave 24 hours between gloss varnish (for protection) and matt. Just to make sure that the layers are all completely dry. I also wait 24 hours after painting before I gloss them to let the Acrylic paint dry properly. If you varnish too soon any moisture residue in the paint will lead top the paint coming loose and 'chipping' on the models at a later date,

In Lion Rampant a Fierce Foot unit is more akin to an Early Medieval Warband than a Retinue, raised with some care so I decided to paint the mini's in very muted tones with only the odd bright colour. I also added a conjectural livery to one gambeson and the bucklers and shields. As far as I'm aware there is no evidence at all of armies from the Isles wearing liveries (though of course that does not mean that it was not so). If anyone has any evidence pointing to the lords of the Isles using liveries and/or bagdes I'd be very interested to hear about it.

Here's the pics- enjoy and try ignore the satin look- I'm really going to have to sort the lighting out!!