| Baccus 6mm | 25 Apr 2018 4:33 a.m. PST |
After I'd done a couple of the big based ECW infantry battalia, I'd been curious to see what would happen if I gave some Horse the same treatment. Judging from emails and questions at shows, so are a lot of others. I decided to base the unit on the contemporary drill books. Here we have a troop drawn up in 3 divisions:
I worked out that I could fit two of these on a standard base, and the end result was this:
Which I thought was quite spiffing, so I knocked out another one and took some pretty pictures:
All of which has given me an idea for a project. And as anyone who knows me will tell you – I am dangerous when I get an idea…
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| Guillaume deGuy | 25 Apr 2018 7:04 a.m. PST |
Really like those! Painting the horses with realistic color variation along with excellent basing really adds to the effect. Hard to beat units done in 1:1. |
 BigRedBat  | 25 Apr 2018 7:34 a.m. PST |
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79thPA  | 25 Apr 2018 10:57 a.m. PST |
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| Mollinary | 25 Apr 2018 11:47 a.m. PST |
Look brilliant! At 2/3 scale, with two ranks instead of three? Interested in this, because I think your foot battalia retain six ranks? If they are compatible, wouldn't the foot units have four ranks? Puzzled of Bury St Edmunds |
| Timmo uk | 25 Apr 2018 12:57 p.m. PST |
Me also. Why two ranks and not three? |
| BigRedBat | 25 Apr 2018 1:09 p.m. PST |
I wasn't going to say it, but I was also thinking that a single unit in three ranks would look wonderful. |
| 14Bore | 25 Apr 2018 2:55 p.m. PST |
Great job on those little guys |
| Baccus 6mm | 26 Apr 2018 1:47 a.m. PST |
Ok… I did the layout for three divisions in three ranks and it didn't look right. The aesthetics (to my mind at least) didn't achieve what I was after. Too much space and not enough menace. The two rank divisions still enable me to to put the command figures in the correct places, but also gave a nice feel of a double line of units. I am doing the groundwork here for a projected 30YW game and these bases will be representing c500 troopers. I think that the layout that I used gave more 'oomph' to the final outcome. The foot battalia that I have done are indeed in 6 ranks, but to be honest should have been in 8 ranks and 2-3 time wider. As that would have resulted in units measuring 600mm by 250mm I transported that concept to Planet Improbabilty and compromised on what you have seen. I opted for 6 ranks as it enable me to show the unit doing a pretty good representation of correct period fire drill. Rather than the usual random assortment of poses and ill disciplined mobbery, the first two ranks of shot aredrawn out in advance of the body, with the front rank giving fire and the second loaded and ready to take their place. The rear ranks behind are frantically making ready (in the correct sequence). By doing it that way it makes sense of all those funny little woodcuts that wargamers look at in period drill books, but don't quite understand. The base I take to shows has been a great educational aid in the last few month. |
| Mollinary | 26 Apr 2018 2:44 a.m. PST |
Thanks, Peter, knowing the thinking behind it is very helpful. I certainly agree on the aesthetics of it. One mor equestrian if I may? I had thought that by the English Civil War the foot were usually drawn up 6 deep. I have read speculation that the Parliamentarian foot at Edgehill drew up eight deep, but nothing later than that. Have I missed something? Somewhat more enlightened of BSE! |
| Baccus 6mm | 26 Apr 2018 5:47 a.m. PST |
I don't think that there is a definitive answer to the number of ranks used by Foot during the ECW. I suspect a lot was dependent on context and numerical strength. An understrength battalia could maintain frontage at the expense of depth, or a missive on number of ranks may come down from the officer in charge. I will have to dig out my copies of Monk and Elton to see what they say on the subject, but at them moment I can't really give a strong reply either way. |
| Baccus 6mm | 27 Apr 2018 1:25 a.m. PST |
Both Monk and Elton, (produced post ECW, so possibly reflecting practice at the end of hostilities, specify 6 ranks for foot when drawn up. The caveat being that Monk is a very theoretical work and is for the most part, 'this is how I think things should be done, with some very strange ideas being put forward. Elton can also come up with some strange concepts. |
| Alan Lauder | 29 Apr 2018 6:24 a.m. PST |
Hi Peter, A very interesting experiment – and I have to add how great your minis and pain job looks as well. Can I ask which manual you were working from (assuming it was neither Monck or Elton?)? I have a small (ha ha) project in 2mm in which I am basing the blocks using deployments from period manuals.
link
For this project, the stranger the ideas the better!
Cheers
Alan |
looks at a fast-assembly naval kit for the Age of Sail.
