I've not posted in a while but that doesn't mean that I've been slacking. This summer, the family and I will be holidaying in Hastings. The boys and I are looking forward to visiting the battlefield, it's a great excuse to buy a book on the battle while I'm there in the name of education. In the mean time I've been trawling the web soaking up as much info as I can, I've also been reading a fictional account of
Hereward the Wake which is very entertaining. My own heritage is of an Anglo-Norman origin and my wife's maiden name even appears in the Domesday book (in it's original latin form) which suggests Norman ancestry. However, I've always had a soft spot for the Saxons, I live in a historically Saxon county (
Essex) whose emblem is the three Seax (a Saxon sword).
My next sculpting project is therefore some late Saxon warriors suitable for Stamford Bridge and Hastings. The eight sculpts will be of four Fyrd with round shields and spears and four Housecarls with kite shields and Dane axes.
I sculpted the kite shields around an old pot of GW ink to give them a convex shape the round shields was sculpted onto the lid. I then used a simple 'press' mould to replicate the original. You need to take your time ensuring the mould is filled properly, the finished items require a little finishing but a interesting experiment.
Finally, I had an interesting idea to create spears. I used a straightened paper clip, flattened the end using two hammers (one as a makeshift anvil) and used my trusty sharpening stone to form a point. The finished result was good but a bit skinny for 28mm, so I may use this technique if I branch out into any smaller scales. I shall be using these spears as a base to sculpt onto.
These pics are all a couple of weeks old and I'm actually close to completing all eight sculpts. Expect some finished images soon.
