With Guy de Gisburne I was stuck from the very beginning. He's quite a unique character – finding a 28mm model with a little chainmail armour and a 2-handed sword that looked reasonably scary has been a challenge. I have ended up temporarily going for a Reaper miniature. I ordered a box full of Reaper stuff 18 months or so ago and it took an age to arrive (so long in fact that we'd moved house!). When the parcel did arrive I got very excited, but was devastated to discover that their 28mm figures are closer to 30mm and look like giants compared to the models I had already collected.
However, this Mendevian Crusader didn't look so bad and given Guy's intimidating presence it made sense that he might be on the tall side. It's not perfect by any stretch but it will do for now.
For the Nottingham troops I started off, when this project was in its infancy, going to the Perry Miniatures website. They have a great collection of Crusaders that fit the bill perfectly. I then found my way to the Foundry stand at Salute this year and picked up some more suitable Norman soldiers. The newer Norman miniatures have great character, with some more dynamic poses creeping into the range.
The other lower end characters in the Nottingham faction (for now) are crossbowmen. Again, Foundry came up trumps with more great Norman miniatures. Salute became quite a shopping spree this year!
I even bought some of Conquests plastic Norman Infantry but they haven't had a look in yet. They will no doubt surface when I need some soldiers with spears.
When it came to the individual characters for Nottingham things got a bit messy. They're not as well defined as the Sherwood lot, so I've been changing my mind at regular intervals.
Sir Godric from Heresy Miniatures had been my original purchase to represent Gisburne – a long time ago – but his look didn't fit fit Guy's elite nature and so he got relegated. He has become the model to represent Captain Carfax (the inept commander usually depicted by the Gisbourne character in films and tv).
The Sheriff of Nottingham has been a bit of an issue. In game he is dressed in his armour, so I was looking for a Norman commander type that didn't look too confident (the Sheriff can't actually fight!) that I could add bits to. By the same token I didn't want to spend a fortune on a command unit for a single model.
I bought this Henchman Squire from the Otherworld Miniatures stand at Salute this year, originally to be a replacement for Carfax above. However, with a bit of creative greenstuffing I think we have found a suitable Sheriff, perhaps?
For Sergeant Leboeuf, the grizzled front line fighter, I needed a model with the tough attributes of a Dwarf but a bit taller. I have acquired two options here. The first is Ferrus from Hasslefree (above). He came with a 2-handed axe which will need to be replaced with a hammer and shield. He is very heavily armoured and has a cloak, neither of which applies to our Sergeant. Originally this character was meant to be a mirror image of John Lyttle but it has evolved over time to not be so similar. The Hasslefree miniature was bought at the same time as the original John model. Now I'm thinking he's a bit tall.
The alternative is a Male Fighter from Otherworld, a chain clad warrior with an axe and shield. He will need a head replacement I think and his backpack removing (this is no shopping trip!) but is a viable contender. I bought this guy at Salute a few years ago (another possible Gisburne model) but has never left his blister. Difficult decision.
Finally for the Raven characters we have the Bishop of Hereford, grumpy money grabbing clergyman who is a great supporter of Nottingham and an even better target for the outlaws. I mentioned yesterday that clergy were in abundance at 28mm and again I have been left with a tricky decision.
This Bishop, currently on special offer at Mirliton came to my attention after a google search. I think he's my favourite option at the moment, but ordering from Italy could be problematic.
Next we have a Gripping Beast Bishop and Attendant, which again looks the part. These are very reasonably priced (both models for same price as Mirliton bishop).
Perry Miniatures do a Bishop as part of this Clerical Command set. Great models but pricey given that I'm unlikely to use the others in the set.
Finally we have The Bishop from Hoka Hey Wargaming as part of their Border Reavers range. Whether he is accurately attired for the time is largely irrelevant as the posture and character of these models (you get mounted and foot versions) is perfect. The fact that he is hold a goblet of wine is excellent (though I may need to swap out the sword for a bag of gold).
There are a lot more Bishop options but these are probably the main contenders at the moment.
Now, all this searching and 'click to buy' is great, but we need to see some progress on the tabletop. I'd better get my sleeves rolled up!