Tuesday 1 February 2022

Scots Pike


Whilst Pete's excellent flags have flown over my collection for many years today's post puts Pete's first miniature releases in the spotlight. These Scottish pike are superb figures of which there are currently 16 sculpts, four command and twelve different open handed pikemen. They are available from Pete's Ebay shop: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255257595473. They represent lowland Scots infantry and each pack of four pikemen miniatures comes with four different targes and four polearms. I am particularly fond of the polearms which not only include a bill and a halberd but also the more unique weapons of the Anglo-Scots border, the Jeddart Stave and Lochaber Axe.

Sculpted by Nick Collier these figures are wearing a clever selection of headgear that makes them suitable for Flodden in 1513 up to the Rough Wooing in the 1540s. There are lots of great details in the sculpts with bonnets worn over simple scull caps, chains added to the soldier's doublet and hose to protect them from cuts, woolen cloaks and socks pulled up over their hose for extra protection against the wet and cold. The 36 shown in the photos below are painted up as pike but if armed with the polearms described above these figures can be used to represent borderers or northern levies. I am currently working on another 36 that will be armed as such.

The below photos show my first unit of these great figures. The first three show them with no modifications at all save the swapping out of some of the targes with ones from the old Dixon Miniatures Flodden range. The two captains at the front of the unit carry a Jeddart Stave and Lochaber Axe. To give some idea of how they fit in with other ranges there are then a couple of photos of them with my armoured generic front rank pike. Up until now I have been using these figures to represent Scots in my games with simple banner swaps, http://camisado1500s.blogspot.com/2016/02/picard-pikemen.html, so finally having some specific figures for the Scots infantry is great. As these figures are suitable up until the 1540s, when the fighting between Scotland and England escalated into an attempted occupation, the last few photos show them facing off against the Assault Group 1540s English, also sculpted by Nick Collier. I am really looking forward to seeing more figures from Pete.

28mm Scots pike by Petes Flags.

Scottish pikemen under a Lennox banner.

28mm Scots pikemen.

Petes figures with a front rank made up of Wargames Foundry, Assault Group and Perry Miniatures.

The pikemen with an armoured front rank.

The pikemen facing 1540s Tudor English from The Assault Group.

English bill and bow vs Scots pike.

26mm mid-16th Century Scots and English.

18 comments:

  1. Lovely unit. Those are great figures and very tempting

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    1. Thank you Peter - they are really great sculpts.

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  2. Great brushwork and great sculpts, indeed! I must have forgotten that Pete was commissioning figures.

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    1. Cheers Jonathan, I am really pleased he did commission these!

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  3. Great painting and great figures. I am painting Scotts myself, now, but 100 or so years later, for the ECW era.

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    1. Cheers Peter - I think they were a much more formidable force by the 17th century compared to the 16th!

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  4. First class unit, splendid colors and impressive pikes!

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    1. Cheers Phil, I enjoyed keeping quite a muted palette for this unit.

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  5. These look very nice indeed - do I need more Garrison Men for my Border Reivers collection - NO, I dont - but thats no guarantee I wont be tempted!

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    1. Thank you - I think you should pick some up as they are perfect for troops on both sides of the border.

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  6. Magnificent!! It's a pity that they end up as pin cushions at Flodden!

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    1. Thank you John, yes they didn't do that well at Flodden I agree - but games like Linlithgow Bridge and the Assault of Norham in 1513 are in the pipeline and they will be great for these!

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    1. Cheers Pete - I am really pleased you commissioned these superb minis and I am excited to see what comes next!

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  8. Great unit Oli, I really like the muted palette you've used, they look cold, wet and hardy !

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    1. Cheers Stuart - they are ready for some disastrous defeats on the gaming table!

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  9. Splendid looking Scots pike! Lovely figures and finish!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thank you Iain, they will be great for the games set on the Anglo-Scots border

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