steel fist

Progress report

2012-01-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hi just a quick progress report, i have not been online really for a while now due to some commitments, however progress has been made...
firstly i have commisioned a website and that will be done before to long, then my figures will be able to be bought through the site.
as to sculpting i have two more near compleat figures that i will show very soon...plus a further four at varying stages of compleation, then the first samurai commanders will be realeased, three packs in total and more to come...

the next commander you will likely see is tokugawa ieyasu, in a very elaborate armour!

sakakibara yasumasu

2011-12-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

This is sakakibara yasumasu, he was one of tokugawa ieyasu's most loyal retainers one of the four heavenly generals. I have chosen to sculpt him wearing a black namban-do or european influenced armour that
was given to him by ieyasu. there are still one or two little things to refine on him yet but nothing much, he will be realeased as part of set including tokugawa generals and there will also be a set of toyotomi loyalist's.

here are a couple of clearer pics of the hairy guy and one of the finished mitsunari

knights now avalible!

2011-11-29T10:01:00.000-08:00

just to say the knights are now in stock and ready to order,
also all pre-orders are also being sent out now.
if you wish to order just email me what you want and i will send you a paypal invoice.

i am also having a proper website designed now but that will be a couple of months off

thanks
oliver

generic diyamo in hairy armour

2011-11-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

hi everyone this is the second of the samurai figures he could be used for any samurai diyamo from the sengoku period,
i really enjoyed making this figure, i will be makeing quite a few more i think..
his armour is based on a real suite, but i added some horns to make him look more fierce, what i really like about this one is the beard on his mask, i also love the black bear fur that covers his armour.
his swords and sword hand will be cast separately and fitted with sockets so they can be glued in. as i hate seeing the huge fat scabbards cast on to many figures,
sorry for poor photos

i will correct this soon

ishida mitsunari

2011-11-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

this is still a work in progress really one or two things left to refine and improve, he represents ishida mitsunari, who led the western army at sekigahara and supported toyotomi hideyori, i could only find references for the helmet, so the rest of the armour is conjecteral, ishida mitsunari was a favorate of toyotomi hideyoshi he got this favor not from being a skilled leader but from being a master of the tea cerimony! which hideyoshi was fanatical about, he served in korea though doing nothing special apart from becomeing hated by many lords, who never viewed him as a real military commander and hated his political schemeing, this was what caused his defeat at sekigahara where he was unsupported and betrayed.he is the first of a number of samurai lords im working on

finished! and up for pre-order

2011-10-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

15th century nobles pack A

15th century nobles pack B

15th century nobles pack C

these are the metal masters of the knights, they are 28mm and contain lead and will require some minor assembly they will be sold in 3 seperate packs, weapons included. they are priced at £9.00 for a pack of three figures. i have no website at the moment so if you want to pre order please send me an email of the packs you want and i will send a paypal invoice to you and will ship as soon as i get them, they sould be ready in two weeks. my email is
ollyj24@gmail.com

also the bottom pic is of the back of the last knight in highly fluted gothic plate he is particularly sutable for continental armies.
my next figures will be a few sengouku samurai lords

nearly there...

2011-10-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

hi this is one of the last two knights, the last one is currently having his arms worked on, should be done by the end of the week.
this knight is wearing a heraldic tabard, he probley depicts a senior noble urgeing his men forward like edward did at towton and other battles so i will probley paint him as edward the 4th... there is still one or two adjustments to do on him, again he wear a west european harness, with a richly ornamented helmet i may still add a plume to this.
thanks for looking

next knight

2011-09-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

this is the 7th knight only 2 to go both nearly done, there are still one or two things to finish and tidy on this one.
he represents a tough veteran man at arms knight or mercenary captian,in an italian armour. he has chose an open face sort of helmet favoring more vision and air, this was probly quite a common practise despite the dangers involved, also he has lightend his armour further by wearing boots,
i have chosen to arm him with two weapons a light hammer and sword so he may be ambidextrous, i also think it makes him look tougher!

wars of the roses knights part 3

2011-09-08T03:09:00.000-07:00

this is the 6th wars of the roses knight, he is wearing a very heavy late 15th centry italian harness, with a type of armet and large flanged haute pices defend his shoulders and a hefty two hand sword, would make a useful commander of a defensive group, his armour will fit the late wars of the roses and early tudor or other similar continental wars, his sword is in the cork, i may also add a daggar to his side, the next figure will be finished in two weeks

knights part 2

2011-08-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

here is an update of what i have been sculpting,
the top knight is wearing a very fluted and cusped western european armour, he would be a knight of the highest status the armour would be sutable till the 1520s i wanted his helmet slightly open because i think it makes him look a little shady also like this it would protect him from arrows but also allow him to breath better.

the second knight is a better pic of the one already preveiwed again in western european harness with a transitional helmet that mixes a sallet and close helmet, this knight is also good until the early 16thc

the third knight is also new he wears a ribbed and ornate western european armour with a helmet crest of an acorn and oak leaves that would have been made in brass. the sword that will come with him is in the cork the one in hand just shows how it will fit again this kind of armour would have been worn until the early 16thc.

the final one is a sligthly reworked version of the one in the first post, i have removed the haute pieces from his shoulders to make him look slighty earlier, the armour now is virtualy identical to an extant 1450s milianese armour made in the french style and worn by a german noble.

there are 4 more knights on my work bench the next should be ready in a week or so. probly they will all be availble in 2 months.

Wars of the roses knights part one

2011-07-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of two knights i have been working on for the last few months there are also a number of part finished ones on the bench to come.
The first one with the plume, is wearing an armour that would be sutible for early tudor period knights, his helmet is a rare form of helmet known from damaged surviving examples and the beauchamp pagent, it is a cross between a sallet and close helmet that emerged toward the end of the 15th centry, i have equiped him with a fierce hammer designed to smash and puncture armour. his is in a defensive stance so could be used for a standing unit or attacking one the pictures have unfortunatly come out slightly squased as im haveing some camera trouble at the moment but new ones will be taken of the master figures in due course but im very pleased with him.
The second one holds an alsphiss an evil weapon for punching though armour, he also wears a late 15th centry armour with a high sallet,

Progress has been slow of late but mabey the next one will be finished in 3weeks

Diehard lancastrian nobles

2011-06-15T02:29:00.000-07:00

this was my entry in a recent steve dean painting comp, they made it to the final but were defeated by kevin dallimores entry, they represent lord clifford and viscount hungerford. both with the family arms.

Lord clifford was killed in the towton campaing he was know to be quite a experianced leader, being from the borders, and also quite a violent man who bore a grudge, an example being the killing of the young earl of rutland having said that this kind of behavior was rampant in those days. i have chosen to use a figure without a gorget for clifford as he was apparently killed by an arrow in the throat.

hugerford i know less about other than he was a loyal lancastrian who was beheaded after the battle of hexham the flags are hand painted on brass sheet, and some of the figures are converted. unfortunealy i was unable to properly crop the pics on the computer im using, but i may be able to correct this later

Welcome to steel fist

2011-05-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings welcome to my blog on late medieval painting and sculpting, this blog will showcase my painting and sculpting projects, at the moment im very slowly working on a wars of the roses army. This project will comprise of stands of ten figures, men at arms stands will have 2 nobles with standards and mixed retainers also there will one stand of archers for every nobles stand, i know this is not proportionate but im only painting for visual not gaming. they will all be hand painted including standards many conversions are also planed and i will be producing my own knights and nobles to increase varity they will be made avalible to purchase at some point but more on this later. Anyway here are the first pics...they represent the earl of northumberland and sir andrew trollope who were both killed at towton. The earl wears and english harness with an armet and sir trollope is in a more conventional english harness with sallet, the knight in the middle is one i made wearing a very protective great bacinet of about 1450 with a big two hand sword of the same date, his harness is italian made in a slightly more english style, also his lance rest is removed and he has a matching right pauldron for foot combat. I have decided to update the figure though and the new one will be availble when the rest are out, he is cast in metal and potentialy avalible however if anyone really wants one.