Belated St Patrick's Day

Should really have tried to have the first Irish ready for St Patrick's, but hey ho.  It's a rainy and misty day, so the pics are a bit dark.

Here is Sir Thomas Fitzgerald of Laccagh, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and his standard-bearer.  Both are built off some "Standing Commanders" from the Perry AO range, with modifications to reflect the rather antiquated appearance and condition that seems to have typified Irish armors.  The pointed coifs, old-fashioned armors, and the ubiquitous baldrics can all be seen on tomb effigies from around 1500.  I was really not keen to grind the sword-belt off Fitzgerald's waist and resculpt the armor, but after some 'encouragement' from the nice folks at the Lead Adventure Forum I went through with it.  I have a hard time getting crisp edges with GS, which means, among other things, that the plate around the waist looks a little clumsy.  All in all, though, I'm pleased, and I think I managed to make them look different from the original miniatures.  For the bannerman, I ground off the rolled-down hose around his calves and reshaped his helmet a bit to bring him more in line with fashions of the day.

Here is the first of the Irish troops from the Pale - hence the basically English appearance.  I know the red hair is a little stereotyped, but I love painting red hair!

Sneak peak of a WIP attendant for Fitzgerald.

John de la Pole

Here he is, the Earl of Lincoln himself.  He might be the most complex bit of freehand I've done yet.

Still Here

I have been steadily plucking away at my Yorkists, and here the results.

Men-at-arms, still missing a Lovell banner-bearer.

Archers, complete.

Billmen, complete.

Close-up of the flags.  The one on the right is a heraldic banner for Lincoln featuring the cadet form of his father's lion badge.  Both Lincoln's father and brother were known to have used such an emblem, so I think it's quite likely that he did as well.  The nearer flag is a more speculative adaptation of one of Richard III's banners, 'updated' for Lincoln.  It also carries the de la Pole lion (I believe it was inherited through the Chaucer line), as well as the de la Pole panther heads, the White Rose of York, and one of Richard's mottos.  In both, the lions have a forked tail. Lions were believed to beat their tails against the ground when enraged, and the "queue fourchE" represents the tail whipping back and forth in anger.

 I am very pleased with the face of the drummer, which comes out a bit clearer here.