We're very pleased, on Saint Patrick's Day no less, to release a line of Confederate Irish, an army of the English Civil War period that has been rather neglected in 15mm scale. These Confederates rebelled in 1641 and asserted their independence (or at least made efforts to do so) from the crown. This independence morphed into a strange brand of royalism when the king made them some (rather dubious) promises in exchange for their help in his fight against Parliament.
Their dress was quite distinctive, so existing ECW models generally won't do.
It's an interesting army because, although weak in horse, it can function as a hybrid pike-and-shot/irregular army, with a potential to have very large numbers of traditional Irish fighting in loose order or skirmishing as "kerns," and may also have a healthy contingent of the fiercesome "Antrim Redshanks."
The line was sculpted, and painted for display, by my Irish Catholic confederate, clibinarium.
Here's a pike-and-shot infantry unit:
And the individual codes:
Confederate Irish pikemen:
Confederate Irish heavy musketeers:
Confederate Irish light musketeers/calivermen:
Confederate Irish pike-and-shot unit command (flag not included):
Confederate Irish with traditional weapons:
Redshanks/Highlanders, mostly with warbow:
Redshanks/Highlanders with musket:
Not yet ready for sale, but being cast now, are:
- Irish pistolier horse (mostly Anglo-Irish, so in more typical European horseman's dress, but still rather shabbily equipped)
- Irish high command mounted (commander in European garb, for Ormonde, etc., plus standard and musician)
- Irish high command mounted (commander in traditional Irish dress, for O'Neill, etc., plus standard and musician)
- Dragoon nag and dismounted horseholder (needed in many popular games to add to bases to convert musketeers into dragoons)
Next step will be to convert the Irish to serve with Montrose, adding broadswords and a few bonnets. Also, some typical Scots pike-and-shot will be made, and some Scottish horse as well, as these made up the bulk of Montrose's force. This expansion will, of course, permit the construction of Covenanting armies as well. We may even make a McColla model, although players might prefer to simply use a 28mm Highlander for that.
The first codes are available now.