Month: October 2020

Maps of Europe – 1550 and 1650

Two of my main projects are the Italian Wars in the early 16th Century and the Khmelnytsky Uprising in the mid 17th Century, both in 28mm. For my planned hobby room, I wanted to have some maps on the wall showing how Europe looked in these periods. Hence my search for maps of Europe – 1550 and 1650 that would look good on a wall.

I found an artist called Cyowari on a site called Redbubble. The subdued colors of the prints were just what I was looking for. I ordered the small size of 21.9″ wide by 16.4″ high for around $25 a print. Although this size is the smallest it is still quite a reasonable size to put on the wall, especially as I was looking for two complimentary maps. There are two larger sizes available with the largest being 44″ x 33″ for approximately $50 each. The larger sizes would have been too big for what I was looking for, but I am sure that they would look great in the right situation. Shipping was an additional $6.

The 1650 map

Both the 1550 and 1650 maps.

I then went to Framesbymail to order the frames and matting. The frames were actually significantly more expensive than the maps themselves. There are certainly cheaper options for framing available, but I was looking for a quality product.

I am very happy with how the maps look. The two of them together show how Europe changed and was shaped during the 16th and 17th centuries. The maps allow me to see how some of the many conflicts of the period related to each other. They also will look great on the hobby room wall. I would recommend these Maps of Europe – 1550 and 1650, as well as other maps by the same artist.

Polish Cossacks of 1651

This week I completed my units of Polish Cossacks. There are four units each of 8 figures. Along with the three units of Polish Pancerni and five units of Pospolite Ruszenie, I now have the bulk of the Polish cavalry completed (about 100 figures). I just have one unit of Reiters and one unit of the famed Winged Hussars to complete.

For the Polish Cossacks I used figures from The Assault Group. About two thirds of the figures were from their Polish Cossack range. The remaining figures I took from their Polish Pancerni range. However, I did not want to use the horses that normally come with the Pancerni, which have a lot of decorative horse coverings. Instead I wanted to have them on the same horses as the rest of the Polish Cossacks. Pete at the Assault Group assured me that the Polish Pancerni figures would fit on the Polish Cossack horses and was able to swap out the horses when I ordered them.

For the Pancerni type figures I used the lance on some of them, on others I put the musket into their hands instead. Unlike the figures that I used in the Polish Pancerni units, I did not use lance pennants on these figures. I wanted these units to have a less formal appearance.

For the flags I used sheets from Battle Flags and Adrians Wall. One of these sheets had a green Polish Cossack flag. This flag is almost identical to that shown in the Osprey book on the Polish Armies. For the rest of the flags I used more general Polish flags.

I still need to put some grass tufts on the bases but otherwise they are complete.

I am looking forward to moving on to the Reiters and Winged Hussars to complete the Polish Cavalry. The Winged Hussars should be an especially fun unit to paint.