You can never have enough Cesare's.

 I am now the proud owner? of three versions of my general, Cesare Borgia. Two are by Willie and one by Wargames Foundry. However after buying this painted Willie general from Tony Runkee, I have decided to make this chap the definitive Cesare, the others are clearly impostors.

 I thought I should include a floozy [courtesan ] and a clerical adviser to emphasize  the status of this figure.

 I am currently working my way through a German television production of the Borgis,titled funnily enough The Borgia. This is a very good series, obviously not as well financed as the British version, but actually still very good. The script has actually attempted to follow the history. The speech is actually in English and is worth a punt. Recommended is the amount of political skulduggery in the production, closely followed by the violence and sex. There is a further two series to view, so I will reserve my final judgement until after I have seen the whole series.

A Blast from the Past.

 Another good thing about the internet is the ability to buy old figures from long defunct ranges. I bought these VULCAN pikemen already painted, but I thought they should get a bit of a makeover.
Possibly not the best sculptured figures but they still have a charm, for me anyway.

 A Willie Renaissance commander, which is the self same figure as I bought from Tony Runkee. I do like the style of him though, so two are better than one.

 Another Willie set, this time the Landsnect punishment group.Willie are still a good range to buy from with some lovely figures after all these years.

The Power of the Internet.

I know that a lot of people look on the internet as a two edged sword, especially so with a lot of inadequates that seem to inhabit the hyper space. But sometimes it can work for good.

In my case it began with a post about one of my favourite wargames photographs, which was of Peter Gilder's Gendarmes in an early Miniature Wargames. [ Post 'Where are they now']

 As I have stated before, that photograph really inspired me, and still does. As a result I posted a question about what happened to the army owned by Peter Gilder. Well I never got an answer, but Andy of Old Glory fame posted that he had been offered some figures from the Peter Gilder collection many moons ago. He then very kindly got in touch with the gentleman who had offered them and what followed is history.

 The chap was one of wargaming's unsung heroes, Tony Runkee, who had been with Frank Hinchliffe and Peter Gilder from the early days, as a modeller and as a painter. I think its well known that Peter Gilder employed a lot of talented painters to build up his collection, Tony was one of the main painters. Anyway he very kindly supplied me with a regiment of the original gendarmes from the Gilder collection and also threw in a unit of Burgundian crossbowmen. 

 Now they are of the time, but I can tell you the photographs dont really do them justice. The Hinchliffe gendarme was always one of their best figures and Tony was able to capture the look, well certainly in my eyes.

The quality has allowed me not to do anything to the gendarmes apart from paint an edge around the wonderful bases, and add one flag to cover some slight damage to a lance. No doubt they will not be to everyone's taste, which is fair enough, but to me they are perfection. I do intend to use them [ albeit rarely] and will have them on show at the Middlesbrough show in November.

 As regards the crossbowmen, I will have to carefully re base them, but I hope to keep a lot of their original bases if possible.

 I also managed to buy a general figure, which is a Willie general, ironically I have just finished painting the self same figure. Tony's is better naturally.I will show him when I have added some figures around him.