Unleash the Kraken! (That never gets old...)

Greyjoy Elite Household Warriors

Asha with banner on left, Victarion on the right

Well, I've finally started moving things forward with this Westerosi project. Sometimes it's Dux Westerosum and sometimes it's Lion-Stag-Direwolf-Dragon Rampant. Here is the first unit - plus important leaders - of my Greyjoy core retinue.  I will expand with a few units from other Ironborn houses over time - after I have 24 points painted.  Shown here are six foot men-at-arms led by Victarion and Asha Greyjoy.

This retinue is built around an imagined longship crew of 48 men and leaders.

2 x 6 elite household warriors (foot men-at-arms in Lion Rampant)

2 x 12 sworn warriors (fierce foot in Lion Rampant)

2 x 6 scouts (bidowers in Lion Rampant)

They operate in two war parties of 24 - 6 elite/12 warriors/6 scouts.

Ultimately, this retinue will also work as a proxy for Saxons in Dux Brianniarum. i.e. 2 elite units of 6 and 3 units of 6 warriors.  My Lannister and Stark forces will also have enough models to proxy for Romano-Brits.

Victarion and his banner-bearer off their command sabot

Asha and command sabot

Three of six household warriors of House Greyjoy

Remaining 3 of 6. Figure in center will double as his lord's champion in DB - on a 30mm sabot

Six of 12 Ironborn Warriors (Fierce Foot) primed and ready for the brush

Six Scouts (Bidowers) waiting to mount the paint pots of transformation (West Wind Saxons with Pict heads)

Next Steps...

I'm working in groups of six to avoid burnout, alternating model types.  Six warriors, six scouts, six elites (still being assembled/primed) and then another six warriors, and six scouts.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

Behind these, I have STARKS.  :-/

Banner Bearer Test Model

Foot Serjeant Test Model

Until next time...

Lannister Retinue - Shipping out!

Discretion is the better part of valor...

Well, as I have more money than time and more hobby ambition than sense of reality, I've decided to expedite this project after almost 2 years of languishing following its promising launch. That tale of woe is memorialized below in some of the earliest posts, but now it's "Excelsior" - onwards and upwards...

To achieve that, I am swallowing my pride to pay someone else to paint my models. My good friend Jay (Jay's Wargaming Madness) has done this for years, despite being a very talented painter in his own right. The problem is, when I started to do this a year ago, the painter he recommended (Steve Dake) was booked solid for the rest of the year thanks to...that's right - Jay (and my other friends from that circle).  Couldn't get a model in edgewise.  Well, everything in it's own time.  Now that I have my window, off go my Lannisters (while I paint the Greyjoys)

I will explain the design logic of my Westeros project in its own post soon (aka Direwolf, Stag, Lion and Dragon Rampant), but for now, the Lannister aesthetic is late 15th cent. Europe/WotR with visual unity through predominantly sallet style helmets and heater shields.

24 points of Lannister goodness (or badness)

House Lannister Retinue

This will be the core household retinue of what might become a larger force as I add diverse other bannermen houses as units in their own livery - Clegane, Brax, Crakehall, Marbrand and Lorch

6 pts - Knights of Casterly Rock

4 pts - Mounted Crossbowmen

4 pts - Foot Serjeants 

6 pts - Foot Crossbowmen with pavise

4 pts - Tribesmen from the Vale (fierce foot)

Horse

Perry plastic WotR MAA with Fireforge capes and heater shields
Perry WotR mounted crossbows no modifications

Foot

Perry Agincourt Heavy Infantry
(Pavises to be replaced with heater shields)

Black Tree Designs Ancient Germans
Appropriately shaggy and primitive! 

Bog standard Perry WotR crossbows with pavise

I'm very anxious to see how these come back. My good buddy had his Perry plastic HYW painted by Steve (the one's on his blog now) and they look great up close.  We're agreed if both of us enjoy this exchange, a Tully retinue is takes the same trip to Michigan in a couple months while I work on House Stark.