Wooden Wars: English Civil War pike commission

“Charge those pointy things! “

                 ~ Attributed to Prince Rupert

Pikeman of Prince Ruperts, Wooden Wars style

Wooden Wars: English Civil War pike commission

 While trying to get Galleys Guns and Glory out the door, I’ve been lucky to get a couple of commissions, and I have to admit I’ve been jazzed by the challenge of each of them.  This post is about an English civil war pike man in plate.  This was a fun piece to do, and a challenge to make the armor translate on a flat surface. 

Really this fine fellow could be used for 30 years wars as well.

Sword is a separate piece, as is the plume. This gives both depth
and options.

 

Pointy bits and lots of plate

I prototyped a few different designs making the plate a separate piece, but in the end the breast plate and tasses looked best on the model. I did the same with the helmet which could have gone either way- but kept it on the model for ease and strength. If I had more time to create this piece, I might have gone with a woolen cap as the base and had several helmet types to add on.  One of the things that excited me about this commission is that I’m working on doing a Napoleonic heavy cavalry model, such as a Cuirassier. This is good practical practice.

Always interesting what "blends in" when painted.

 

 Keeping in line with my other models, the back piece is separate and gives detail of the back plate and jacket skirt.  Here I deviated from my normal designs and made the sword and hangar separate- because it just looks cooler!

 

The pike is 146mm tall, which is double the height of the soldier if you measure from feet to eyebrow. I worried that if it were much longer it could become too fragile- and these things get balls tossed at them don’t forget. The current height “reads” pike especially to those who don’t have them.

 

Painting NMM

I seem to be a bit of a masochist when it comes to painting my Wooden Wars models, as I don’t like using metallic paints. I kind of have it stuck in my head that the designs are based on period prints and etchings and as such I keep to the idea of print at the time.  When I started painting the armor on this guy, I covered it all with a thinnish base coat of REAPER Rainy grey. Honestly I could have just stopped there- it looked great all one color with the etch lines coming through and contrasting a bit with the reddishness of the burnt wood. 

 

 If I were doing simple paint jobs I could call it a day. But I wanted to push it further.  I went back and forth a few times on the armor building it up and bringing it back down- and although the outcome is good, I don’t think I hit the right notes yet.  Luckily I know where I can get more to paint J

this model was painted by the gentleman who commissioned the piece
I believe he is done up as one of the white companies.

 

If any of you out in Blogland have some good tips on large surface metal NMM- please comment! Entice me enough and I’d be happy to send you a model with which you can show your technique!

 Cheers!