Swiss

Following on from my previous post, I thought I would just share some close up images of the first Swiss pike block in the army of Capriccio.

But, just before that... the answer to the question posed last time about where the name "Capriccio" comes from (and thanks to those who commented and guessed... and no, it's nothing to do with me ever owning a Ford Capri!)

When I was starting to plan this army, I happened to be listening to some music, and there it was; Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien. A lively and evocative piece of music which I first discovered when it was one of the extra tracks on a CD of the 1812 Overture that I frequently listened to whilst painting (it's a wonder I didn't get into Napoleonics!).

Anyway, that's the source of the Grand Duchy of Capriccio. The name somehow seemed to fit with a renaissance Italian state.

Now on to the Swiss.

For these I used the plastic Landsknechts from Warlord Games. Whilst their accuracy can be questioned by those more knowledgeable than I on the subject, I think they fit the bill for our NMTB armies. I simply decided to paint them as Swiss as I believe that by the early 16th century there was very little to choose between Swiss and Landsknechts in terms of clothing styles.

Talking of clothing, I have dispensed with the cantonal livery associated with the earlier Burgundian Wars Swiss armies, with which many readers may be familiar. Depicting a later style, I decided to go with a Swiss red theme, with just a hint of the cantonal colours of Berne for this unit.

On another matter, entirely. I know there are those who like to do large pike blocks containing many dozens of figures. And that's great. I myself have done so in the past with 54-figure pike blocks back in 2003-2005 when I previously did an Italian Wars project. However, before writing off or dismissing the 2-company (24-figure) pike blocks represented here, it's important to remember the NMTB armies are merely representative, and the system gives a great game, so we're going with it!

Right, here's those pictures:

The full unit:

The fourth rank:

The third rank:

The second rank:

The front rank:

Skirmishers:

That's all for now folks...