"Grumpy's - 15mm Landsknechts with pluderhosen" Topic

Hi

After a very, very long break, I'm starting to get back into action and release some new figures.

The new figures are 15mm Landsknechts with pluderhosen. I've done a poor quality scan to show them here picture . You'll have to excuse the quality and depth of field from a cheap all-in-one scanner. (Hopefully I've done the link properly :). )

Anyway there's an officer (2 variants), standard bearer (2 variants), drummer (2 variants), fifer, officer's boy carrying zweihander, arquebusier (4 variants) and open-handed pikemen/halberdier (12 variants), also a separate halberd.

As usual the figures will be available from Eureka Miniatures and East Riding Miniatures.

Any comments and (physically possible :) ) suggestions welcome.

Cheers

Vic Pocilujko
aka Grumpy

I have the patterns here already so I'll be getting them moulded up as soon as possible….. though I'm also waiting on new mould blanks – I seem to have gone though a lot on Platoon 20 moulds of late!

Cheers

Tony (ERM/Platoon 20)

Vic,
This is great news! I've been looking for a well sculpted set of 15mm Landsknechts in pluderhosen for a long time. Now I certainly know what my next purchase will be.

A question if I may? How many of them are armoured? I can see a number of helmets but any bodyarmour is hidden by the blur.

Cheers
Daniel

Well Vic, they look good to me. I have your Portugese and think they are first rate.

I love the Grumpy's. They are a joy to paint. Discovered the Yi Dynasty Korean line when searching for somthing to fight my 2Dragons Samurai. Perfect match.

Such a unique line of figures! It is time I looked into purchasing some more of these. Did "East Riding" ever get the Korean foot molds, or must I still go to Eureka for them?

And… welcome back!

I now have the patterns for the rest of the Korean range (thanks Nic). I "just" need to get them moulded up now.

Hmmm… the list of things needing moulding is getting much longer rather than shorter! Golgo Island stuff, Platoon 20 stuff and Grumpy's stuff. All at the same time as getting ready for Fiasco a week on Sunday.

We'll get there!

Hi All

Thanks for the comments.

Daniel S – The only figure with plate armour is the officer, the majority of figures have mail or doublet(cloth covered breastplate??) with mail sleeves, there are a number of figures that have mail capes as well. I did find a good resource for landsknechts with pluderhosen at <a href="http://hss.ulb.uni-bonn.de/diss_online/phil_fak/2003/seggern_birgit_von/0285.pdf" target="_blank" title="Go to >large_PDF</a> which is a large German language PDF chock full of woodcuts on early and later period Landsknechts (cross fingers that I got the link done properly this time :) ). Looking through this plate armour didn't seem usual for the rank and file. My favourite woodcut is the one legged arquebusier with lady friend :).

Cheers

Vic Pocilujo
aka Grumpy

Vic,
Thank you for the reply. I was curious as to wether I could use figures as Swedish Royal Household foot from the 1560's but those gentlemen wore full foot harnesses
picture

Armour was actually common among the Landsknechts according to the muster rolls & other documentation. For example 40% of the landsknechts in French service in 1562 wore a "knechtharnisch", a 3/4 armour with either with full plate arm defences
picture
picture

or with mail sleeves
picture
picture

The Imperial regulations of 1570 laid down the following organisation for a 400 man landsknecht company
Each 400 man company of Landsknechts were to have 100 "fully harnessed" pikemen (armed with pistols!) 50 of these were doppelsöldner. Another 50 men with full armour, two-handed swords or other good polearms such as halberds also armed with pistols ("Good and experienced men to guard the standard") 50 unarmoured pikemen and 200 shot with firearm, good 'rapiers' and helmets.

Complete sets of armour was made by the thousand by the smiths of Augsburg, Nürnberg and a host of other well less known places. Most of the common soldiers armour has since been melted down as scrap or otherwise lost but the Landeszeughaus (armoury) in Graz has an incredible collection of the stuff. (Despite having disposed of a lot of items the armoury still retains enough arms&armoru to outfit 5000 horse&foot.) Excellent photos of the Graz armoury can be found here
link

Dr. v. Seggern's work is a great resource but her focus has led her to focus on the images of unarmoured landsknechts rather than those showning armoured landsknechts. For example almost none of Jost Ammans many images of armoured landknechts from the 1550-1580 period is included in the work.

Armoured or not I'm going to have a great time painting two regiments of Landsknechts for my 1565 Danish army. I had almost given up hope that I would ever get accurate figures for them.

Hi

Daniel S – Thanks for the great post. When you say the Guard wore full foot harnesses, from the picture it looks like 3/4 armour ie protection for the thighs, which is similar to the officers I'm releasing, one wearing helmet and the other the 'top hat' style. How many Guard figures are you looking for?

Cheers

Vic Pocilujko
aka Grumpy

Hi all

So what period are these particular best suited for?

Thanks

Kelvin

Hi kabrank

The figures are from the period 1550 – 1585 so would fit in with French Wars of Religion, Late Italian Wars, early 80 Years war, early Northern Wars, Sebastianic Portuguese, etc.

Cheers

Vic Pocilujko
aka Grumpy

Vic,

My apologies for the unclear translation. The Germans used the terms "fully harnessed" or "full armour" when describing the 3/4 foot armour show in the picture. What they meant was "fully equipped".

I was looking at painting up a full Spanish Fury Actions! company=36 figures including officers & drummers. The landsknechts required some 48 front rankers in similar armour according to my notes but I'll se if I can convert/ paint the doublets as armour.