u/KenMcKenzie98

I continue to part three of my fencing series with "The Deluge", a 1974 historical drama based on an 1886 book of the same name written by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz. It is set during, and takes its name from, the Swedish invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1655-1658.

Andrzej Kmicic is a fictional cavalry officer and robber who transforms from a cocksure villain to a hero over the course of the book series. He intended to marry Olenka Billewicz, and she him, but his recklessness and the unruliness of his men causes the local nobles to turn her against him and break off the wedding. The ensuing violence culminates in him killing many people, burning down an estate, and abducting Olenka. He later redeems himself in service to his king and country.

Colonel Michał Wołodyjowski is a fictional soldier, fierce and experienced, who has fought and won many battles over the course of his life. He is a brilliant tactician, and one of the finest swordsmen alive with the saber. His reputation is so great that a superior Turkish force retreated upon learning that he was the one who lead the Polish army they faced. During the events of the film he leads the angered nobility in besieging Kmicic at his manor, following the former's brash and violent actions and challenges him to a duel to prevent him from using a powder keg to blow himself and those around him to pieces. Only his strict adherence to chivalry allows Kmicic to survive in the end.

As the third most popular film in the history of Polish cinema, The Deluge has also gained popularity outside of Poland in no small part due to this fight. It is widely regarded as one of the most realistic saber duels ever filmed, both actors put great effort into the choreography, and many of their blows, if not blocked in time, would have struck home, making this duel essentially a real fight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4p_3LE35U8

Here I present a collection of ancient soldiers from the history of Greece, spanning approximately 1000 years from the 13th century to the 4th century BC.

We start off with a Mycenaean soldier as he may have looked during the mythological war for Troy. This is closer to how the men of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" would have appeared if the currently accepted dates are correct. Early armor of this period was often cover in boar tusks however by the late Mycenaean period full bronze scale armor is depicted in art and literature. Iron is not yet in use on a large scale and so both his sword and spear are made of bronze. The shields were large, figure-eight shaped, and made of hide and early-on were slung over the back leaving both hands free to wield a long spear. Later shields became smaller and crescent shaped designs began to appear.

Next we have an early Archaic period hoplite in what has become the iconic look of an ancient Greek soldier. He wears a Corinthian style helmet, a bronze chest plate, and wields an iron headed spear, a short two edged sword called a "xiphos", and carries his trusty shield or "aspis" (also called a "hoplon") decorated with the owl of Athena representing his city of Athens. Despite this being the Iron Age, iron was mostly used for weapons and smaller items, while armor remained predominately bronze. Most depictions of the Trojan War have the characters wearing some variant of this panoply (set of armor).

Continuing into the Classical period with a depiction of a Spartan hoplite. Scholars theorize that the changing methods and strategies of warfare led to Greek soldiers wearing minimal armor compared to the full bronze of earlier centuries. This is supported by artwork of this era depicting hoplites wearing less or no armor, however it is possible this was an artistic choice to emphasize the heroicness of those depicted. As such this Spartan is outfitted with the simple conical "pilos" helmet, his "aspis", a "xiphos", and his spear. Unlike contemporary depictions of the 300 Spartans in media, it is far more likely they faced Xerxes and the Persians with similar equipment to that shown on this mini.

We finish off with a Macedonian soldier of the late Classical and Hellenistic period. While the lightweight linen "linothorax" armor had appeared as early as the 6th century BC, by this point it was widespread. In addition he wears a Thracian style helmet with hinged cheek plates and is armed with a forward-curved single-edged sword called a "kopis". The biggest change is the lengthening of the spear into a 16-20 foot long pike, and the shrinking of the shield to about 24 inches. The shield was worn worn on the shoulder in order to leave both hands free to grip the massive pike.

The cover image is of the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens.

These minis were so much fun to research for and create, I tried to get even the tiniest of details as accurate as possible. All the helmets use the cloche as the base, twisted and pulled with kit bashing into the desired shape.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote and released Treasure Island in 1883 as an adventure book for the youngsters of his day. Drawing inspiration from such literary giants as Daniel Defoe, Sir Walter Scott, James Fenimore Cooper, and Edgar Allen Poe, he carefully crafted what is probably the greatest work of pirate literature in existence. 

Filled to the brim with colorful characters, exciting locations, and swashbuckling adventure, this book and its many adaptations popularized some of the most enduring pirate myths. Buried treasure, hidden maps, pirate captains with parrots, even the well known “pirate accent”.

Adapted no less than 50 times for screen and stage, Treasure Island and its many forms remains an influential story for all ages and generations.

I have endeavored to capture the characters in mostly my own realistic style. Silver is a close recreation of artwork in a 1930s release of the book, most of the others take some loose inspiration from Disney's 1950 adaption. George Merry especially is a near exact recreation of Ralph Truman's portrayal of the character.

What’s your favorite Treasure Island adaption? 

“Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!”

The devious yet lovable antagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson's beloved 1883 novel "Treasure Island", John Silver is a notorious and manipulative, yet likeable, pirate who once sailed under Captain Flint. He skillfully works his way into the good graces of the adventurers searching for Flint's long lost treasure, pretending to be their friend before stabbing them (literally) in the back. Yet despite his cruelty he shows himself not incapable of humanity in his kind and protective treatment of young Jim Hawkins.

His portrayal by British actor Robert Newton in Disney's 1950 film singlehandedly created the myth of the "pirate accent" by using a rather exaggerated version of the actor's own West Country accent. Many great actors have filled the role of Long John over the years, among them Charlton Heston in 1990, Tim Curry in the Muppets, an underrated performance by Eddie Izzard in 2012, Luke Arnold in Black Sails, Wallace Beery, Orson Welles, and the already mentioned Robert Newton in what I consider to be the best version of the one-legged rogue ever put to screen. (Heston and Izzard being my second picks.)

I have wanted to make this mini for a very long time. It is primarily based on the first artwork in the post however I recolored the coat to match the one worn by Robert Newton. Also thank you to Hero Forge community user BashfulRoad for the flying macaw resource!

(I am also working on a series of historically accurate pirate minis of my own creation so stay tuned!)

Cursed by a witch doctor to roam the seas as an undead, Jolly Roger has a singular focus; revenge on his former friend, Jack Sparrow. With an army of skeletons risen forth by his own hand, Jolly is one of the fiercest foes a pirate can face, capable of leveling barricades with a single spell, and a mere twitch of his fingers sucking the life from any hapless swab who crosses him.

The character of Jolly Roger is the primary antagonist of the 2007 MMORPG "Pirates of the Caribbean Online" and its successor the fan recreated "The Legend of Pirates Online". This was my favorite game when I was a teenager and I still play the remake regularly.