"Islemen and Galloglaich in 28mm?" Topic

I just received an order from the gents at Claymore Castings – lovely figures, very fast service:

claymorecastings.co.uk

Who else makes suitably high medieval looking figures for this era? The general appearance is of updated Vikings, often with quite distinctive later helmets.

I'm well up on Vikings 'proper', but this look persists in the C16th, and my knowledge of Renaissance ranges is limited. Any recommendations?

Scheltrum have some.

Bloody Day (ex Vendel) has a nice range, from Sgt. Major Miniatures, sgmm.biz

Thanks, Nick – I found the old Vendel figures at Sergeant Major Miniatures, and could have bought some at Fall In :(

link

Old Glory makes excellent Galloglaich. Foundry has few figures in their 100YW Scotts range. Redoubt has some in their Renaissance range that fit with Vendel/Sgt.Major.

What's suitable depends on what you're doing. The 'updated Vikings' is not really supported by evidence for – say – the 14th Century. If Highland troops had looked noticeably different from Lowland or English troops we should expect that (at the very least) one or other of the more xenophobic chroniclers would have mentioned it. Naturally absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence, but with no evidence of a distinction it would be rash to assume that Highland troops were different to others in any respect – apart, perhaps from being unusually fierce; though even that is more likely to be a cultural prejudice rather than anything else.
Worthwhile to google 'Kilmartin Stones ' – the men depicted are pretty much in line with what you'd expect of heavy infantry anywhere in N. Europe in the 13/14 centuries….mail, padded jacks, helmets, spears an rather ordinary swords – not so much with the claymores and axes.
I could n't see HYW Scots on the Foundry site, but the spearmen are fine, likewise the halberdiers if you have the skill to replace the halberd with long spears/pikes.
OTH if you fancy the 16th Century I think (it's a bit late for me) you have a decent case for men with long-ish mail shirts which would have been a bit old-fashioned, but with burgonet-style helmets, which were not.

Here are some illustrations of Islemen and Galloglaich that may be useful:
12th century Chessmen from Uig, Lewis, western isles of Scotland, portraying warriors
The tomb of Felim O'Connor (d.1265) at Roscommon Abbey
The Burke Galloglaich effigy at Glinsk in County Galway, late-14th century
Lough Henney Helmet, late 14th-early 15th century
Effigy of a gallóglaich at Oronsay Priory, Scotland, 14th or 15th century
. Islesmen or Gallóglaich, 12th-14th Centuries, in Armies of Feudal Europe 1066-1300 by Ian Heath
Four Effigies of armoured warriors from Iona
Effigy of Bricius MacFingone, Iona, late 15th century
Effigy at Iona of Roderick, 7th Chief of the MacLeods of Lewis (d. c.1498)
Effigy of a warrior at Kilninian, Mull, Scotland, early to mid-16th century
Tomb of Alasdair Crotach MacLeod, Rodel, Harris, 16th century
. Gallóglaich, 14th-15th Centuries, in Armies of the Middle Ages, volume 1 by Ian Heath

Druzhina
Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers