The Adventurer: Huscarls
Added 2024-08-27 16:17:53 +0000 UTCHere’s a small preview of what the new tier will include. We’ve created 8 miniatures: 4 with spears and 4 with Danish axes.
This is Adrian’s first month on our sculpting team, and we’ve focused on teaching him things like fitting, proportions, and the level of detail we seek in our miniatures.
That’s why these miniatures aren’t as modular as you might be used to. We’ll be taking that step next month with the Bondi warriors.
Considering this is his first approach to our way of working, I can say that I’m very pleased with the work he’s done, even though he still needs a bit more time to reach the level of our other ranges.
I hope you find this interesting! :)
Comments
People tend to like helmets when they do buhurt or codex belli, in a time where probably no one wore one they grab what they can. I have overheard an archeologist say that the Gjermundbu helmet seems to be part of a viking age kit, from a dude reenacting the (earlier) "Vendelzeit" (they had these opolent gilded helmets with dragons and so on). Same with hand protection. I recommend Dimicator here at patreon, a chanel dedicated to early medival combat with sword and shield. Roland explains in a couple of videos, if you use your (round)shield properly in small scale combat situations you do not need helmets nor hand protection. With more evolved battle tactics more helmets (plain nasal ones) appear which can be seen at the bayeux tapestry. The funny thing about maile is, most of the time there is no padding. In temporary art, you can see the contours of arm muscle. I think a mini in the style of manesse codex would be challenging. More or less a 3d interpretation. The leather I ment is a "Vikings" (the tv series) motorcycle/fetishist leather combo. And with this most ugly prop piece comes normally a "Heidschnucke Schulterfell" (a race of sheep from North Germany with 30 cm long hair) and to round everything up the actors have to stand ankle deep in mud. Because. This is the picture which triggers me so much. All my points however are not helping to design interesting minis. One thing I must add though. Before 1920 it was very uncommon to leave the house without a hat. So if you try to give everyone in your miniature lines a kind of head cover they would look a bit more convincing. And convincing is the most important in a fantasy setting.☺️
Philip [bathokh]
2024-08-29 22:35:22 +0000 UTCI totally get it, and I appreciate that we're having this discussion purely for the love of it—it keeps things interesting and helps us both grow. What we find particularly curious about historical constructs is how the Gjermundbu helmet, of which only one exists, has become the universal symbol of Viking helmets, while the lamellar armor from Birka is considered a rare exception. It's fascinating how these two unique pieces receive such different treatments in historical depictions. The real challenge with ancient civilizations is the scarcity of materials, especially the softer ones like fabrics. That's why we assume that in a multicultural environment like that of the Vikings, who traveled across much of Europe, they likely adopted elements from various cultures. Our miniatures are heavily influenced by Eastern Europe, particularly the Rus' area, which is why they differ from many others that focus on the Anglo-Saxon perspective. Regarding leather, we agree—there's a tendency to overuse it. But it’s also true that in a miniature, you define the material. I've noticed that when you paint our miniatures, the quilted elements are often interpreted as leather, but when we paint them, they’re usually colorful because we envisioned them as wool or linen with padding. What we aim for in our designs is to ensure the miniatures have different textures. A miniature with only fabric can often look dull, no matter how much effort we put in. But if we combine metal, fabric, fur, and a cloak, everything becomes more visually appealing and interesting from a design perspective. Thanks for your feedback—let’s keep the conversation going!
Last Sword Miniatures
2024-08-29 13:08:59 +0000 UTCthey are perfect for a Norsca themed army indeed. just ad some chaos stars and call it Warhammer. (wich is as far as i know more or less what GW did.)
Philip [bathokh]
2024-08-29 08:15:40 +0000 UTCi do not want to discuss the plausability of shoulderpelt, mud and leather, nor the singularity of the Gjermundbu helmet, really not. Although i also do understand your last point, concerning a miniature (game) aspect. My main point however was, i personally do not like them because of mentioned appearance, i think you are making amazing sculpts, but there is (very tiny) space to improve, and everyone improves with critique. so we can both grow on our conversation here ;) My main Problem with all these history stuff in general is, the more i learn, the more i get headache from the "main media depiction". Be it mud and leather, no people older than 30 - because this was then (insert any year before WW I) life expectancy or a crane to mount horses as a armored knight and so on. And sometimes i cant help myself to point my frustration out. sorry for that.
Philip [bathokh]
2024-08-29 08:12:29 +0000 UTCThese are more fantasy than historical mini's. More Hollywood style. We have a clear enough view how a warrior from 8 to 11th century would have looked like. That said, I will certainly subscribe, I will not use them for my historical projects as there are better and more historical appropriate alternatives, but these are great to expand the human part of your fantasy range. So love it that it is happening, but not for historical tabletop wargaming (imo ofcourse).
Tonny
2024-08-28 20:02:08 +0000 UTCI understand your point of view, and it is true that the number of archaeological finds for certain items like helmets and lamellar armor from the Viking Age is extremely low, making it difficult to definitively state whether they were used or not. However, this doesn't mean it’s impossible that these items were in use. For example, the case of helmets is particularly interesting: the only relatively complete Viking helmet that has been found is the Gjermundbu, which suggests that while rare, their existence or use in combat cannot be ruled out. Regarding lamellar armor, although evidence of its use in Scandinavia during the Viking Age is minimal and mainly associated with foreign contacts (such as in Birka), we also cannot dismiss the possibility that some warriors, especially those with access to foreign influences or luxury goods, might have worn this type of armor. History, after all, is built on the interpretation of available evidence, and the absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence. Additionally, it’s important to highlight that the historical interpretation of these items has been influenced by Anglo-Saxon and Norman sources, leading to a somewhat distorted representation of Viking equipment. Therefore, the historicity of certain items, like helmets and armor, remains open to interpretation and debate. This leaves room for different approaches in historical reenactment and miniatures, depending on which aspects of the past one wishes to emphasize. Our miniatures are not meant to be 100% historically accurate, as without having been there, historicity depends on the source and the interpretation of the time. What we have aimed for, however, is for them to be 100% plausible. Uniforms are a thing of the modern age, and unfortunately, if we limit ourselves only to proven elements, the resulting miniatures would be identical, and equally distant from reality.
Last Sword Miniatures
2024-08-28 16:34:31 +0000 UTCSadly fantasy vikings with gambeson, lamellar armour and shoulderfur and bracers.. I would have preferred more historic minis, so you lost me for these. If you like the renactorism look how ever they are great, just not my cup of tea.
Philip [bathokh]
2024-08-28 08:56:18 +0000 UTC
