"Landshneckts on kickstarter" Topic

Look really nice, great stretch goals
link

Does anyone know anything about this sculptor, or about the size of these figures compared to others?

I'm tempted by the Company Group. Looks like they have enough at this point for the stretch goals of a mounted general and artillery group.

Does it really say their goal was only $125 USD?

They're way ahead.

Yes, and so far it looks like the general on horse, 4 knights on horse, and mounted officer are funded.

Hopefully we'll see the artillery men funded as well.

Thing is,there are a lot of Landsknechts out there. I'd like to see more French,Spaniards,and Italians.

The sculptor is Martin Baker, he has done quite a bit of work for various companies.
Once we have the 'greens' back for the latest two figures, we will post up on the kickstarter page

I agree with Hafen,

It's a pity that nobody offers a Landsknecht in pluderhose range for the second half of the XVI century.

Oh,Old Glory does a line in their Wars of Religion range:

link

The foot,at least,are larger than their Italian Wars figures.

I believe someone else does some also,but I can't think of who of the top of my head.

BTW,if you go on the US site,be sure to click to enlarge the pics--the regular pics are "squeezed" for some reason.

These look very nice.Do you have any plans of doing late 16th Ccentury Spanish ?

To be honest, the response to the kickstarter took me by surprise – but it has meant that we will be doing more figures in the range – ideally we want to do some French and Spanish later in the year

Martin is a much overlooked sculptor imho.

John T

I must have overlooked the material. Resin or metal figures?

There appears to only be two dollies/armatures used primarily to sculpt these figures…feet spread and feet closer together. Beautiful figures, and Martin is certainly talented.

The figures will be cast in metal, aiming to have everything finished and ready to ship out by May at the latest.
I do tend to use Martin for most of my figures – good value for money and quick turn around

Swiss, French, Italians and Spanish for the high phase of the Italian wars (15-28) are strangely rather thin on the ground.

Admittedly Landsknecht and Swiss look pretty similar, and the other nations at that era where certainly inspired with that look, too, so one could simply gloss over differences – especially as contemporary sources on these are scarce when compared to the Landsknechts issue (mainly because the artists covering these were largely German and Swiss). Imho a set (or three) for French/Italians/Spanish infantry would probaby sell as well.

Glad to join in :-)

Puster, think your ideas are good, maybe a small range of the other countries.

General ask, does anyone have any pictures of Spanish uniforms and French Gendarmes?

Druzhina is the guy here for original sources. Here's a thread from last year. I was asking about a later period,but he linked his list of 16th century sources:

TMP link

There are other threads too,especially for gendarmes,IIRC. A TMP search should turn some up.

Couple of questions: you list "pike". What sort of poses?
Same question for "pike/halberd attacking". Are any of these leveled pike? That pose is awkward for gaming,and not very popular,in my experience.

At this point, I'd rather burn a couple of stretch goals to have one or two more poses for the grunts.

The pikes are the poses in the kickstarter, open handed so can take pike or halberd – the attacking figures would have the pike/halberd at 45', rather than levelled.

We are looking at a character pack of more 'action' poses – think it is the next stretch goal.

The project is going better than thought, so, if it stays this way, it will enable us to do more poses etc.

At present, Martin is busy with the mounted commander and two knight variants – once these are done, he will be doing the mounted officer.

Any comments/ideas/criticisms are always welcome

Aside from that one issue, I love 'em!

OK,hah! The "Read more" didn't highlight on my phone enough for me to notice in my quick skim. My fault. They do look good.

Saw a comment elsewhere on the feet looking small on some.

I am not really a friend of 45°, as this was not a pose usually used except while lowering or raising the pike. I admit, however, that on the table a unit with levelled pike poses problems of its own – which I usually solve by simply extending the base.

By the way, I pledged for a Company Group, I like the price point thru the kickstarter, and the style of the sculpting.

Ok, we are now at the £2.00 GBP mark, which unlocks the four figure character pack – does anyone have and ideas for what they would like to see? – they will be foot figures

A pikeman kneeling, or maybe a pikeman holding a beer stein.

A different standard bearer, or maybe a musician with horn.

A cook with butcher knife.

A crossbowman with dead birds hanging on one side.

Heck, I'd love to see 4 different crossbowmen.

Thank you GamesPost – forgot about crossbowmen – don't think the project would raise much more, but might add that one in (will probably get a pack done anyway after the project finishes)

I'm envisioning the musician with the horn not having it to his mouth. And instead, he has it strapped to one side, and he's holding a weapon instead, a pike, an arquebus, a partisan blade, or maybe he is the standard bearer, too.

The pikeman with the beer stein, the cook, and the crossbowman with the dead birds could all fit into a camp scene.

I would like a provost, and some ragged /poor landsknechts from a rural background.
Alternatively some tooled up rich city boys.
Grizelled veterans.
Landsknechts with obscure period weapons

Grizzled veterans sounds good, as does the poorer troops.

I have added a comparison photo, the figures next to Warlords/Pro Gloria – they are roughly the same height etc

Just had lunch so some additionals:
Forlorn Hope
Engineers/pioneers
Renegades_ meroderbruder or peasants revolt
scouts

I would pledge more if I could pick up more figures other than what is already committed. Is there going to be an opportunity thru the pledge manager or some other way to add to the base level pledge at some point?

GamesPost – I'm relatively new to this – what did you want extra? – if it's units deals, I can add them to 'pledges'. After the kickstarter, then deals advertised will be available through the website, by slightly more expensive.
Let me know what else you wanted

Westfalia used a process where after making an initial pledge for one of the amounts provided, then a person could go in and add figures to the overall pledge.

With yours, as an example, it looks like you're making the various types of soldiers in blocks of four. So as an example, if I could add 4 more hand gunners and 4 more great swords into my pledge I would.

And I'd love to pick up additional cavalry figures in sets of four as well, and crossbowmen if the campaign gets to that point. Plus, the Company Group has no provision for the attacking pikemen, and I could see myself maybe getting 8 of those.

And what happened to the 4 artillery men? I'd enjoy picking up extras of those, if they are going to still be produced, and much prefer that over the idea of 4 "resting soldiers".

Ok, thank you for that – I will add a subsection to the 'pledges', where people can add to their initial interests, but only after they have 'pledged' to one of the groups – hope that makes sense.
They will be added on in groups of four.

>crossbowmen

Not sure on these. Crossbows were not used militarily by Landsknecht, except in (well) exceptional cases, like sieges with a supply of crossbows around and a shortage of powder, or hunting on forage. So one mini for a camp scene would be fine, imho, but crossbow landsknecht units always look atypical to me (like Pilous slugging around a BAR, to use a WW1 analogy).

If I recall, Westfalia's were in groups of 5, except for things like buying an extra leader or priest figure. Yours makes sense to have folks buying in groups of 4. And yes, after a pledge is made.

True, there does not seem to be much, if any, evidence of the use of crossbows by German Landsknechts. There is a drawing or two, maybe more, of a German mercenary using a crossbow from horse back, circa 1465, although not yet wearing the Landsknecht style clothing. And there is a painting by a German named Hans Holbein with a crossbowman in Landsknecht style clothing, circa 1516, although the reason for this is perhaps only a guess.

So according to the updates, we can now add sets of 4 infantry or 2 cavalry for 5 pounds each. It mentions that we add to our pledge in those increments and then email regarding what we want added, and I've added 30 pounds for 1 set of 4 swordsmen and 4 handgunners, as well as 2 sets of 4 pikeman attacking (8 total figs) and 2 cavalry (4 total figs). I couldn't find an email address to send along a list of my "add ons", yet will if some one can point such out.

Ok, got that, at the end of the project, I will email everyone for what etc they would like (I've already looked yours and a couple of others)

Heard from one hobbiest who'd like to know if there can be a pledge option for the collectors, skirmish gamers, and RPGers in the hobby, where they could buy one of each figure that is being made? I've seen this kind of option before where they must pledge an amount accordingly.

Ok, interesting idea, I will have a think about how best to give that option

Have put up a 'skirmish/collectors' pledge for £40.00 GBP – 1 each of the figures designed, including head variants, plus entitled to the stretch goals

Ok, I've posted on more than one site regarding this campaign, and I'll update folks on the collector/skirmish/RPG option, and the idea that folks can add groups of 4 for 5 pounds each, after they've made a pledge of some kind. Both ideas might encourage more folks to pledge, but we'll see.

Just read from the collector/skirmish option that the handgunners are only going to have 2 poses with head swaps possible when the rest will have at least 4 poses.

Staying with the company deal – it seems that any mini except the assaulting pikemen are in there, and I will not miss them if their pikes are at 45°.

Looks like the campaign hit 2,500 pounds when two folks pledged for the collectors/skirmish option, yes!

It needs 3,000 pounds for the 4 crossbowmen, and 3500 for a mounted priest … let's support this project!

Thank you for the support through this project

Someone might ask Bill to cross-post this to one of the Renaissance boards.

The artillery crew is back on the list!

The stretch goals have been updated further.

The campaign is at about £2,800.00 GBP, and this means only £200.00 GBP more to the 4 crossbowmen!

And I'd love to see the campaign make it to the artillery crew at £4,000.00 GBP

It was noticed by one person interested in pledging that there is a significant difference between the Company Group and the Army Group 65 pounds for 56 figures and 160 pounds for 148 figures. It was being wondered if there could be a level of pledging somewhere in between?

Some examples …

For 72:

8 Command
16 Armoured Pike
16 Unarmoured Pike
16 Handgunners
8 Two handed swordsmen
8 Attacking pike/halberd

For 92:

12 Command
16 Unarmoured pike
16 Armoured pike
16 Two handed swordsmen
16 Attacking pike/halberd
16 Handgunner

By the way … almost at 3,000 pounds, acquiring the 4 crossbowmen is nearing!