Buckingham Trained Band WIP

Here's the latest from the muster on Aylesbury common. Two sleeves of shotte are forming up to await the arrival of the pike block 

I had to be really careful with these standards after my last experience, but I took it really slow and there were no accidents. It's nice seeing the Buckingham swan fluttering around. For this reason I didn't crunch the standards up too much, as I wanted to make the most of the swan in the middle. The swan emblem dates back to Anglo Saxon times when Buckinghamshire was known for breeding swans for the king. Ironic that this regiment will fight against king 

More picture frame tassels, they seem to work well and are a lot easier than drilling the proper lead flag tassels. The lead flag tassels from 1st Corps are great and a lovely little extra put into the standards pack, but they are fiddly to drill. The picture wire is so much easier to do.

Flags on parade. The newly done Garrison troops join the line up. I do like the simple Buckingham standards, they look quite Elizabethan in design, especially with the swans.

You can see here how much bigger the Trained Band's bases are compared to a standard regiment. For Victory without Quarter, I may give the large Trained band regiments an extra wound. However, they can't have it all their own way and the enemy will probably get a +1 to hit such a large formation. The same as it would for shooting at a column of march.

The real danger I see for this poorly trained unit. is being broken by artillery. Units in VwQ can be routed by failing a moral test, no causalities are needed for a roll. A direct hit from a cannon ball is enough to cause a morale check. An easy to hit, poorly trained regiment will not fair well I fear.

Is the purpose of tassels to help tie the standard around the pole when not in use?  I came across this picture and the thought did cross my mind.

The buff jerkins of the Trained Band's help to give them a distinctive look and separate them from other regiments. Now to crack on with the pike block. I ordered my pike block from Redoubt miniatures as they do some nice buff jerkins.

 They're ranks are not the tidiest and this is reflect their  poor quality.