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Creative => Customs Gallery => Topic started by: PMatt on September 13, 2019, 07:30:17

Title: Middle Ages
Post by: PMatt on September 13, 2019, 07:30:17
I never got around to watching Kingdom of Heaven, but upon seeing some scenes on YouTube I was immediately fascinated by the costumes and the overall aesthetics (the shots with tons of banners and flags waving in the wind are nothing short of gorgeous). This, in turn, led to me assembling some crusaders.

(https://i.imgur.com/ruZ6cvG.jpg)

Three military orders are on show, the most famous ones: Knights Templar, Knights Hospitaller, and Teutonic Knights. All warrior monks display luscious beard, as was (unless I made a serious blunder) customary.

(https://i.imgur.com/rU7GlZH.jpg)

Mounted upon his horse a secular knight, a noble maybe, can also be seen.

(https://i.imgur.com/NDjnfTj.jpg)

Though he does not belong to any order, he too sports the cross on his shield.

(https://i.imgur.com/TGWTdz1.jpg)

Now, knights are the fanciest part of crusading armies, but one should never forget the common footmen. This is my take on Genoese crossbowmen, who played a significant role during the crusades.

(https://i.imgur.com/J4rvv6S.jpg)


You might notice all knights look the same with regards to both the clothes and the helmets. I wanted to stick close to a late XII century look: mail hauberk, mail chausse, mail coif, and tabard, with no additional armour. The norman helmet and the kettle hat are the only suitable helmets I could find for the time period: the great helm looks funky I think without any additional shoulder/arm armour, so I ditched it (at least for now).

I have some plans to expand my collection: I purchased some decals (but have no parts to apply them to yet). If everything goes as intended, sooner or later I'll be able to show you Knights of St Lazarus, Jerusalem militiamen, some variation on Templars, and XV century Teutonic knights. Stay tuned!
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Klickteryx on September 13, 2019, 10:33:26
Nice, by great helm are you referring to the 'sugar loaf' helm? The one with a slight point on it though there is one with a crown like top too isn't there? Also good catch with the green jouster, never thought of him as a crusader but he has that cross on his shield and horse's caparison.
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: tahra on September 13, 2019, 12:10:50
Nice soldiers :)
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: PMatt on September 13, 2019, 14:01:56
Nice, by great helm are you referring to the 'sugar loaf' helm? The one with a slight point on it though there is one with a crown like top too isn't there?

My bad Klickteryx, I really wasn't specific enough. I was referring to the flat-top great helm: https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=30-24-4362

As you rightly pointed out, both a sugarloaf https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=30-07-6470 and a "crowned" https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=30-28-4470 version exist too. Unfortunately the sugarloaf wouldn't appear till the end of the XIII century.

What I am hoping to see in Playmo-form sooner or later is more along the line of this https://images.propstore.com/106575.jpg or this https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b4/a8/1d/b4a81d3457fcffd65ecdcebe63c51d36.jpg, the latter either with or without face protection.
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: StJohn on September 13, 2019, 17:27:23
Wow, you're a master, PlaymoCollector - such nice knights! Simple yet original. Very creative. And with some historical background, I'm loving this :love: Thanks for sharing!

Best wishes
StJohn
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: PMatt on September 13, 2019, 18:28:07
Thanks for your nice words, I'm glad I finally have someone to share with!

Assembling these customs is what prompted me to do some research on armour. That did not make me an expert by any means, but it was great fun, and now I'm striving to create klickies from different centuries with period-appropriate gear. I hope I'll have more to show in the near future!
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Macruran on September 14, 2019, 03:45:26
Great stuff! I love Crusader klickies  :knight: ...can you imagine an entire Crusader theme?  :cloud9:
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: PMatt on September 14, 2019, 08:45:25
...can you imagine an entire Crusader theme?  :cloud9:

You bet I can, but I'm under the impression it is highly unlikely – though it would make for some great new parts and klickies, even more so for the Muslim side than the Christian. One can only hope!
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Macruran on September 14, 2019, 16:24:44
True, there's little chance of one...in the meantime the "Graverobbers" subtheme of the original Egyptian theme make decent enough soldiers of Mahomet!
Title: Roland
Post by: PMatt on October 06, 2019, 07:20:35
When I saw Marla's torso from 70076, I immediately knew I had to do something with it. After some thought, I decided to venture into the Carolingian era.

Without further ado, here's Roland, Charlemagne's paladin.

(https://i.imgur.com/bqfe2Sa.jpg)

I was uncertain whether a morion or a kettle hat would better approximate the so-called Carolingian helmet. In the end I went with the kettle hat, and the more I look at it the more it grows on me.

(https://i.imgur.com/Gq02TMj.jpg)

During his last stand at Roncevaux, Roland brandished his two most prized possessions: the sword Durendal, said to have belonged to none other than the Trojan hero Hector, and the oliphant, which he blew to alert Charlemagne's army.

(https://i.imgur.com/yf9Fj3d.jpg)

I based Roland's look on multiple depictions of Frankish armour, which you can see below.

(https://i.imgur.com/zHLII7G.jpg)
Title: Re: Roland
Post by: tahra on October 06, 2019, 14:09:25
Without further ado, here's Roland, Charlemagne's paladin.

He's beautiful :love: :love:

I've been hunting those too (torso+arms), but my customs are not historically accurate ;)
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Luftgaengerin on October 07, 2019, 22:23:56
Very nice  :)
Title: Warrior Bishop
Post by: PMatt on November 29, 2019, 15:20:39
At long last, a new entry joins the ranks of my High Middle Ages knights: here's a warrior bishop, ready to charge into battle.

(https://i.imgur.com/m7GoV97.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/OxMa7Uv.jpg)

Being a sensible person who appreciates the value of not getting one's own head caved in, he's not wearing just a mitre.

(https://i.imgur.com/03Q4TCf.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/iX8gYAP.jpg)

(I might have had some slight change of heart about "hard" customizations lately.  :-[)

Since the great helm + mitre combo would have looked ridiculously oversized, I based my custom on the images below:

(https://i.imgur.com/3icxJVW.jpg)
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Tiermann on November 30, 2019, 22:57:46
Very nice. looks just right.
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: StJohn on December 01, 2019, 08:45:13
Well done, what a splendid warlord/bishop! I'm curious how he would he look with an angry face. And you cannot go wrong with some red shoulder pads, just to give the figure a bit more volume.

Happy Sunday
StJohn
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: PMatt on December 02, 2019, 21:26:02
Thank you for your feedback!  :)

I'm curious how he would he look with an angry face. And you cannot go wrong with some red shoulder pads, just to give the figure a bit more volume.

That's a fitting remark, shoulder covers would better support the rather cumbersome headwear. Got to get hold of some!
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Macruran on December 17, 2019, 18:21:48
Brilliant idea, delightfully executed!  :inlove: :cheerlead:

(https://i.imgur.com/FvZczRf.jpg)
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Jimbo on December 17, 2019, 19:32:01
Most excellent. :clap:
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Ackie on December 17, 2019, 20:05:00
I’m really really liking the look of  your costumed warrior bishop PlaymoCollector.
Title: Assorted Knights
Post by: PMatt on April 18, 2020, 20:00:17
Thanks to the unexpected delivery of an order which I thought had gone missing over a month ago, I was finally able to put together some knights from various centuries. Taking inspiration from Osprey illustrations and the likes, I tried to attain a realistic look without overlooking the aesthetic of the klickies themselves. Without further ado, here we go. (Click over pictures to enlarge them)

Black Lion:

(https://i.imgur.com/fcIM62O.jpg)

Red Griffin:

(https://i.imgur.com/f13A03i.jpg)

Yellow Wyvern:

(https://i.imgur.com/dhTsz66.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/RktzmZ0.jpg)

Black Serpent:

(https://i.imgur.com/rV02S5F.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/NZfXtkD.jpg)

Red Falcon:

(https://i.imgur.com/YhpmXuz.jpg)

I am not entirely convinced about the Black Lion one. I really want to like that helmet, but it hasn't grown on me just yet. Still, great helms are an iconic look, so one cannot leave them out entirely.
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: tahra on April 19, 2020, 09:33:29
They all look great, but I REALLY like the red headed purple dragon  :love:
(yes, I know, not purple, and not a dragon.. old habits die hard :P )
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: GrahamB on April 19, 2020, 11:32:05
That one (orange hair, green laurel wreath) reminded me of Michael Palin as the Roman Governor in Life of Brian. "Welease Wodger!

Very nice customs Playmocollector. I love the fortified mitre in your November 30th post!
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: PMatt on April 20, 2020, 11:08:15
They all look great, but I REALLY like the red headed purple dragon  :love:

I'm delighted to hear that! I wanted to go for a "tournament-winning knight" look, something slightly less martial than the rest.

That one (orange hair, green laurel wreath) reminded me of Michael Palin as the Roman Governor in Life of Brian. "Welease Wodger!

Very nice customs Playmocollector. I love the fortified mitre in your November 30th post!

"This man commands a cwack legion!"  :lol:

Thank you, I'm real glad you liked them!
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: Basie10 on April 26, 2020, 03:08:28
Great work :o but there is something slightly perverse about a warrior bishop...no offense against the klicky which looks brilliant.
Title: Re: Middle Ages
Post by: PMatt on April 26, 2020, 08:16:23
Great work :o but there is something slightly perverse about a warrior bishop...no offense against the klicky which looks brilliant.

I understand your sentiment, though history gave us many an example: Anthony Bek, Hermann of Dorpat, Guglielmino Ubertini to name a few.