Kingdom of Heaven (KoH)

[Gregorius]

After watching the DVD of KoH for the xth time I finally realised what inspired the producers to clothe the KoJ soldiers in blue. On the cover of WRG's Armies and Enemies of the Crusades the figure holding the KoJ's banner has a blue surcoat. BTW anyone have a recommendation for 15mm 12th century knights? I would like a mix of spanghelm (sp?), flattop helmets and conical helmets with face masks.

[ October 31, 2005, 00:29: Message edited by: Gregorius ]

[Timurilank]

Greg,

I have bought Crusader figures from Old Glory/Battle Honours and they do have a good mix of Knights and barded horses, however, these all sport the Barrel Helm. In addition, they offer the Knights of Christ with surcoats. For the Flattop helmets I believe Essex might be of help.

cheers,

[Jospee]

For my Later Crusaders i went

For secular knights - Gladiators Feudal range - 1175 knights pack. 3 helmet styles - 2 flat top and one conical with a forward slant - 2 shield styles. No face masks though :( - No surcoats or caparisons, i believe this to be accurate for knights until early 13thC which is the reason i chose them.
For Military orders (or Secular kinghts if you want them with a surcoat) - Essex, I replaced the lance on each figure and replaced the head and shield on many of them aswell, but otherwise they're fine and the conversions (including some turbans!) make them look very good.

J.

[Snowtiger]

Donnington miniatures has a very good selection of crusaders in their "crusaders"range. Mostly 11th-12th C miniatures. They also have an extensive range of the enemies of the crusaders. The advantage of donnington is that you can buy horses seperately from the riders, so you can have a mix of armoured and unarmoured horses.

My own crusader and ayubid armies are entirely made up of donnington miniatures.

[Jospee]

Not wishing to offend... but i'd NOT rate Donnington Islamic/Turkic figs to the same level as Essex, quality wise. Their horses in particular have a 1980's look about them... There are some gems amongst the ranges though - some very nice medieval crossbowmen for example, so it may pay to buy a sample of each code you're interested in, they sell single figs.

J

[derek]

Hullo
I would agree with the comment on Donnington horses. Some of their Dark Ages and armoured horses are alright. However figures vary greatly from range to range. Some are very nice. Others were disappointing. Apparently they have used different sculptors over the years. I would go with Essex for this period. My second choice would be Museum or Gladiator. For Islamic armies I would go with Essex and Outpost Wargames Service.
Kind Regards
Derek

[Snowtiger]

The quality of the donnington miniatures varies between and in ranges. I like their crusader range which happens to be very accurate. For the ayubid egyptians, the barded horses are nice, only little variation. It is all a matter of personal taste. Their crossbow and Sp are indeed good. If ya Like Jon, i'll mail you some pictures of the crusader and or eastern range that i painted (10 years ago).

[ October 31, 2005, 13:17: Message edited by: Snowtiger ]

[Boy Jon]

So Snowtiger would you heartily recommend Donnington? I have been unsure since I got some Goths a long time ago. I am interested in thier Easterners Range have you, or anyone else had any experience of them?

JB

[Gregorius]

Thanks to all who replied. Jospee, when you said that you replaced the shields on the Essex knights was this a difficult proposition? Does this mean that the Essex figures come with a separate shield? These important questions need answers :D .

[Jospee]

The Essex knights all come with cast on shields.

Some of the codes i bought to use as Miltary orders come with Kite shields and Barrel helms. Now a few kite shields is ok for a Hattin era force, but not a lot. So i cut the shield off with a very fine razor saw and replaced with a large heater/kite -ish shield sold separately by essex. Fairly easy, the shield is at a nice angle to be cut.
The barrel helms i removed with a jewlers saw and a pair of angled cutters, then decapitated some spare Armenian Cavalry figs and some Arab Horse archers and wagon drivers and pinned those heads onto my headless knights.
I replaced all the lances (much too early for the style of lance they come with) with pins or added a sword here or there, and finally i removed a few kettle helms that some of the figs had hanging from their waste. Hey presto, lots of variety!!!

oops, long-winded response, sorry!!!

J.

[Boy Jon]

Thank you all very much for your advice in the matter of 12-13 century Easterners. Anton, if you can E-mail them I would very much like to see these figs of yours. If not let me know and I'll let you have my personal address. So, Essex you say, I am always put off by the limited variation within troop types, though the ranges are very extensive. I have to get myself a couple of armies to paint up, it'll be the first time I've painted anything this century and more!(and that includes the house!) What about Serbs and Hungarians of the period?...(Yes, and the bedroom dear wife)
graemlins/thumbup.gif
JB

[ November 01, 2005, 06:14: Message edited by: Jonny Boy #1 ]

[Gregorius]

Jospee,

Thanks for that info. I will store it away and bring it out once I have done my Neo Hittites, Dark Age Greeks, Early Arch Persians and Knights of St John :eek: .