Converting Freforge Mongols to Saracen mounted archers

Hey, friends, super long time no post. I just thought you'd like to see my conversion of Fireforge Mongols into Saracen mounted archers.

I wish I had a great artistic breakthrough here, but it's really straightforward. I just popped some extra heads I had from my Gripping Beast Arab spearmen and archers on the Mongol bodies and I was pretty much there. While I'm sure a cultural anthropologist would disagree, from a historical mini gaming perspective there don't seem to be any major costume features that separate Saracens from Mongols from the neck down. At least, as I painted these dudes, I completely forgot they were ever supposed to be Mongols,

 Yes, I realize that Gripping Beast does plastic Arab cavalry at about the same price point. Fireforge's Mongols appealed to me more. You get more scimitars with them. 

I dig these guys with their full head wraps.  Note that I made one of these dudes leaning as far back as possible to take a Parthian shot to the rear.

 I decided, since I ran out of fully-wrapped heads, that I'd do some more colorful riders wearing small turbans. I think the full-face wrap guys are Bedouins and the turbans are more urbanized Arabs or Seljuks.

 I didn't realize while I was assembling them that most modelers place a horse archer's quiver at his hip rather than on his back. That's too bad, because I like to model the pose of reaching back over one's shoulder to draw the next arrow. Can anybody speak to the historicality of quiver on back vs quiver on hip?

 Had to let this adorable figure get in on this post. He's a stray Castaway Arts infantryman. If you are an ancients/medieval 28mm wargamer and you don't know Castaway Arts you should really give them a look. They're Australian, but it's cheaper and faster to order stuff from down undah than you'd think... no worse than ordering from England (I'm located in Virginia).

A Warning from the Caliph

In the name of God the all-powerful, the merciful, the compassionate, the incomprehensible; he who raises beggars up and lays sultans low; he who shattered the peaks and flattened the steppes; the architect of oceans and anthills, whose blessing is sunshine and honey sweet dew, and whose scorn is earthquake and plague, I speak. 

O Kings of the North, my spies relate that clumsy, creaking vessels full of what pass for soldiers in the lands of the unbelievers creep towards our shores. Woe betide them!

Their masters have told them that the lands of the Faithful are rightly theirs, and that they should board their rickety ships and take them by force. Can they believe it?

Know that these lands are peopled by men who love Truth, Heaven, and the Book. Know ye also that these men would gladly die to defend this truth, and feel no fear when they look upon your bristling spears. Know ye that the men of the South have spears of their own, yea, and sharp swords, and quivers of arrows, and stout mail, and swift horses and camels.

Although you are apostates and heathens, we feel some compassion for you as our fellow men and creations of God. Therefore we beseech you: Turn your lumbering barques and return to your freezing lands. Or come and stay briefly, as our guests. Let us teach you our ways: mathematics, poetry, bathing; and then return to your homes, richer not in looted treasure, but in knowledge and culture. 

If you thirst for war, consider this: you will die in this holy war. The sands will drink up your blood, jackals will gnaw your bones, and scorpions will make their homes in your eye sockets. Is that what you desire? The yellow haired, immodest, painted harlots that you love so well will mourn you briefly, and then take other men to bed. You will not pass down your swords to your sons. Consider it. 

If you are still committed to war, ask yourselves this: are you prepared to face a nation of warriors favored by God? Has there ever been a battle in which God has favored the wicked over the righteous? Or does not the God of the Prophet strike down every vainglorious king who ever dared stand against Him, and all of their lackeys besides?

 Do you imagine that your mail will deflect the truth? That your swords can parry destiny? That your shields can turn aside the wrath of the One True God?




I see now that there is no sense in you, that still you come. It saddens me -- but soon my sadness will turn to anger, for the anger of the righteous is like the sirocco, the desert wind that will sour the heathen, the idolator, the infidel from our lands.

More Saracens

Members of the Richmond Leisure society haven't seen me in a few weeks. But I'm still out there, lurking, painting, looking forward to my next clash with the infidel. Behold: my growing army of Saracens.

I'd like to add some captions of badass Muslim war-cries but I'm afraid I'd end up using keywords that would land me on an NSA watch list. I'll just give you some oud music instead, to listen to as you click on and gaze at my pics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF-kgZf2nFI

This force is far from battle-ready because it is all foot soldiers and Saracen might derived largely from their fast, agile cavalry (mounted on mares!) And don't worry, my Frankish friends, I have plenty of horsemen, and they will be pretty enough for a 28mm scale battlefield soon. Meet me at Acre, at Edessa, at Jaffa. The streets will run with the blood of the unbelievers!

I'm looking to do some Middle Eastern city features & buildings, too. My results sculpting buildings in the past have been so-so. 

Saracens!

Looks like I'm going to be getting neck-deep into the Crusades in the near future. I'm planning to write a couple of semi-historical comics about the pilgrims' road to Jerusalem. And to go along with my new interest, why not paint a Saracen army? Here's 21 swordsmen/archers -- this army's going to have a lot of this sort of soldier, which I love, because I can take my position and arrow away at you all day, and if you feel like closing to fight with swords: hey, lucky you, we brought swords too. These guys' outfits might be a little too colorful to be historically accurate, but I don't care. Who wants to paint a hundred brown tunics? These are festive Saracens.

 Sometimes its fun to check out what army everybody else is building, and then build their primary opponents. Everybody likes to paint medieval knights, so everybody should be spoiling for a Crusade. Right? Nothing beats dying in the sand and having vultures eat your eyes.