"Hut! Dich! Bauer Ich Korea!" Designed by Alan and Michael Perry indeed they do! All you have come to expect from the Perry twins is here. Good modeling, interesting poses, good animation and proportion, clean casting. If you wish to see some life-size models for painting up ideas, go to The Royal Armouries, Armouries Drive, Leeds, Yorkshire, LS10 1LT. On the first floor is a diorama of the Battle of Pavia 1525 like the one in the Zurich museum, Switzerland, only better. They may have some post cards of it by this time. If they haven't yet, they ought to have!

Six packs here for review: RENMERC3, 4, 7, 11, 12, and 13. They are all open-handed and supplied with halberds of various patterns. Provide your own pikes. "Feudal Castings" of 15, Quarry Park, Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland, DDT CDR now do solid brass rod for spears and pikes at 25p a length. Brass is softer and much less dangerous than piano wire which is hard to cut and sharp ended when you have done so (don't slam your hand down on the table in exasperation with wire pikes about). I have used toothpicks in the past. They need to be whittled and sanded down. Bamboo ones are just as dangerous as piano wire. Packs E5.50 at the time of writing. There are 15 packs in all and more to come. Foundry work in "deals." The complete "deal" of Landsknects and Swiss including P&P in GB; is E75, Europe f 81, USA/Can E157, AustINZ E90. That's 120 figures.

I will list the packs, comment on the figures, and draw some of them, not to scale. I have two armies in this period (as a Solo player, I have to have!). They are Essex, Dixon, Hinchcliffe and Mirliton (Italy) figures. To date I have considered Essex the best of this bunch. My "other" army is all Redoubt Enterprises. Included on the list is a sketchy painting guide - otherwise use Funken's 3 volumes "The Age of Chivalry" OR Foundry's own "Armies of the Sixteenth Century" by Ian Heath, obtainable from the address above. No color pictures but descriptions and excellent drawings (reviewed previously).

RENMERC3 Landsknechts/Swiss pikemen/halberdiers advancing, charge at the shoulder, "Jaquette." 5 of these samples wear the slashed beret, 3 with feathers. One is bareheaded with his feathered beret slung on his back. One wears a leather skullcap with earflaps. One has a leather pot helmet. They all wear short daggers at their belts on the left. One has a bishop's cape of mail. They all have slashed bouffant sleeves and differentiated hose, the left leg being fuller to the knee in each case. Any pack could represent a company - depending on your figure to men ratio. One could double it - if you are well off.'

RENMERC4 Ditto, back and breast, tassets, charge at waist. These could be the German Landsknechts proper who charged "in the low line" (with shorter pikes than the Swiss or French). These all wear the "peascod" breastplate, or something like it with similarly swelled tassets to allow for the hose beneath. The tassets arch on either side of a stuffed codpiece. All the sleeves are very full and slashed. At their backs they all wear the "cat gutter" sword, hilt to the left. They wear slashed berets in the main. One wears a peaked helm and "bishop's collar" in mail. One wears a leather form of celata. They all trot forward intent on shoving the enemy out of the way or killing him. The Swiss did not take prisoners so the opposition generally reacted in kind. If pay was needed, "Pointe d'argent Pointe de Swiss" - No Pay, No Swiss!

RENMERC7 Landsknects/Swiss. Pikemen/halberdiers, breast plate, standing. They all have a "Katsbalger" sword behind the left hip (if Swiss, call it "Schweizerdegen"). Each of these packs would be a company (Fahnlein). Incidentally, one of the eight appears better dressed and could be the Hauptman or captain. There were 16 companies under an Obersten or Colonel. Most of these men bore the pike, though there were companies of halberdiers to hack the opposition's pikes down. The Fahnricht would be guarded by veterans with two handed swords. Command packs are being brought out by Foundry in the 3rd "deal" I understand. Six of RenMerc 7 have slashed bonnets, puffed sleeves, one of them slashed, hose and cod pieces. One has a burgonet helmet and the last a simple pot helm or it could boiled leather. RENMERC11 Pikemen/halberdiers advancing, half armoured, charge at the shoulder. This really makes them French or Swiss who charged in this way. The Germans had shorter pikes and held them low and at the furthest end for reach. All these guys have laminated tassets. Three wear slashed berets, the others: one has a simple "pot on the head", one a burgonet with a peak, one a plain close burgonet, one a cuir boulli pot and one a face armet with breathers. All have swords cast between their right arm and the base. An excellent group.

RENMERC12 Landsknechts/Swiss pikemen/halberdiers, back and breast plate at porte. Rearish rankers or just advancing at a trot with the pike in a safe position. The Katzenbalger sword is at the waist, across the front, for a right hand draw. No tassets, "fluted" breastplates. 4 berets, 4 pots or cuir boulli helmets. Slashed breeches with hose. Further bibliography: "European Weapons and Armour," Ewart Oakeshott, Lutterworth Press.

RENMERC13 Standing, sword with hat and head variants. 4 with slashed berets (one with feathers too), 3 types of simple pot helmets and one peaked burgonet. One has a "bishops collar" of mail. They all have fluted breast plates and a sword cast between their right elbow and the base for you to cut off and stick the cast lug in the hole provided at each left hip. They have tassets and "cow shoes." Their armour is typically Maximilian, see p. 19, "The Landsknechts" by Douglas Miller, Osprey Men at Arms #58. Halberds are all recognizable models of the real thing.

Bibliography:

"Renaissance Armies" by George Gush, Patrick Stephens Ltd. 1978 'Triumphzug K. Maximilliens I" Taschenbucher #100

"The Age of Chivalry" L&F Funken, 3 vols, Ward Lock

"Armies of the Sixteenth Century" by Ian Heath, published by Foundry books, ISBN 1.901543 005, obtainable from the address above

"The Landsknechts" by Douglas Miller, Osprey Men at Arms #58 "The Archeology of Weapons" E. Oakeshott, Boydell

A variety of heads, hats, helms on all these figures as usual. Now to draw a few of these figures, not to scale:

More Barnes Reviews:

Quartermaster's Store Age of Napoleon Magazine Helion Books
Irregular Miniatures 42mm 7YW, Colonial; 20mm SCW; 15mm WWI Austrians
Foundry 28mm 16th C. Renaissance
Dixon 25mm Wild West