Final Goblins and another trebuchet

Hi there!!

This is the final picture of the Gonblins. Not finished as I would like, I wanted to add some grass and rocks to the base but I had no time. Just added a bit of flesh tone to the heads since the last photos... I think I got good (enough) result. 

 And this was the 3rd trebuchet, here with the crew (a small crew). Not the best pictures but I couldn't get better ones.

...and this should be the last post for a while, as I had to move to Canada for a while and the figures were left behind.

Cheers

Goblins update

Latest "moves": green skin (strokes a bit stronger than an usual drybrush) over the previous colour.

 Too green! A mix of skintone and chocolat brown (Citadel Color) over the green. I tried that some of the green remained visible but I don't like the result that much... I think what I had before these 2 steps was better.

Well, it's not over yet...

Shame on me - missed one important date!

No, it wasn't the aniversary of my wife... nor of the wedding!
OK, it's not that important, but considering how I got into this, it matters! A bit...

17 August 1808, British and Portuguese forces had their first win against Napoleon's troops at Roliça.

Not much more to say realy...

This Wednesday is the deadline for the Goblins and a 3rd trebuchet, so, stay tunned (or away!)....

Aljubarrota

No figures today.
This is just to celebrate one of our biggest (and few) victories over the our good neighbours, the Spanish! ;-) Well, Castilians at that time...

14 August 1385, after two years of conflict over the crown succession right, a small army aided by a "few" English archers, defeated an army much stronger (some say 6 times bigger, comprising the best Spanish fighters, some of the Portuguese nobility (traitors!) and French heavy cavalry) in what can be seen as a side event of the 100 Years War. Independence was once more

 So, we had an holy man leading the army, the English with their longbows and the infantry square...

and a baker-woman enraged by the Castilians (they forgot to pay for the bread?). They had no chance!

"During the night and throughout the next day, as many as 5000 more Castilians were killed by the neighbouring towns' villagers; according to Portuguese tradition surrounding the battle, there was a woman called Brites de Almeida, the Padeira of Aljubarrota

 (the baker-woman of Aljubarrota), said to be very tall, strong, and to possess six fingers on each hand, who ambushed and killed by herself eight Castilian soldiers as they were hiding in her bakery trying to save their lives after the battle in the town of Aljubarrota itself."

Medieval siege troops and machines

That's right, not only the guy doesn't finish those bloody goblins and he is already doing something else!!

Yes, the goblins are at the same point and I have some excuses... reasons for that, one being this idea I wanted to see how it worked out.
I was about to start a "full scale offensive" on my medieval diorama... but life plays with us sometimes...
I've read a book I bought last year about the conquest of Algarve by the portuguese kings, and saw that the trebuchets used at Silves were of traction type (man-powered! also called "bricole" by the french), by both portuguese and muslim (defenders) forces. Now that I think about it, can't remember about the ones that crusaders built (yes, we had some help from english, german and... danish or flemmish (I've seen both "versions") crusaders).

Well, scratch built trebuchets, each different from the other, and the figure here is from Orion's Medieval Siege Troops. I must say I am pleasantly surprised with their quality. There's some flash, but the faces are really nice! Well... this one has a somewhat feminine face...

While the previous machine was being reloaded, the next is idle. No crew, nothing. 

 

The Sling staff was of current use as were hand slings (HaT gives us many slingers in their El Cid infantry sets!). I am not sure if this was used at Silves, but I wanted to include it in the diorama. It must have been used! Figures are from the same Orion set but one is from Miniart's Hussites.

 Reloading...

Just fired!