ALY MORRISON'S "BUTTERFLY" ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD OF WARGAMES AND TOY SOLDIERS

Tuesday, 11 April 2023

Butterfly Moments…Lion Rampant… A Viking in the Sun.

Greetings…

I said last time that I would post some of my ‘Butterfly Moments’ that I have given the ‘Green Light’ to…

So here we are the first one…Lion Rampant… A Viking in the Sun.

I had originally started to work on these figures with the intention of creating a couple of Hail Caesar armies… Norman and Byzantine.

And then the Lion Rampant…A Viking in the Sun supplement came out.. My butterfly went straight to it.

Of course I already had all the necessary reference material…


My intention is to put together a few factions from A Viking in the Sun…although I will still reference some of the force compositions from the Hail Caesar Army Lists…

Here is my first Norman unit…




These fellows could represent a medium or heavy infantry unit… or two dismounted knight units.

The Mail is… Citadel… Iron Hands Steel.
Trousers are… Foundry… Moss Light 29C.
The Tunics are… Mixed shades of green.
The Belts are… Citadel… Doombull Brown.
The Scabbards are… Citadel… Skrag Brown.

As always everything was given a coat of Aly’s Brown Liquid and then highlighted with the original colours.

The figures are Crusader Miniatures.

The shield and banner designs are from Little Big Men.

The paints are Wargames Foundry and Citadel...

The bases are as always…

I have a unit of Byzantines primed and waiting for some paint.
Hopefully over time I will be able to put together Normans, Byzantines, Italians and Moors… this should give me loads of gaming possibilities.

All the best.  Aly




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36 comments:

  1. Phil Robinson11 April 2023 at 22:29

    A momentous butterfly moment there Aly, most splendid. I look forward to seeing the Byzantines in due course.

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    1. Aly Morrison11 April 2023 at 22:35

      Thank you Phil…
      When the butterfly is good… It is good.

      All the best. Aly

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    2. rross12 April 2023 at 02:32

      Some very nice fluttering there, Aly. Always like early medievals in chain mail like these guys!

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    3. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 06:42

      Thank you Keith…
      They are nice and easy to paint.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  2. Jonathan Freitag11 April 2023 at 22:59

    Excellent start, Aly! Wargamers need more Butterfly Moments. You set a good example for all to follow.

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 06:43

      Thank you Jonathan…
      Sometimes it fun to let the butterfly flutter.

      All the best. Aly

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    2. Jonathan Freitag12 April 2023 at 23:20

      Indeed, it is. The world needs more butterflies.

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  3. Rodor12 April 2023 at 04:55

    Very nice Normans, and the decals on the shields help give them some character. And what a great collection of Osprey books! What exactly is "A Viking in the sun"? A set of game rules? Since their opponents are the Byzantines, let's assume that the setting is southern Italy...

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 06:50

      Thank you…
      A Viking in the Sun is an expansion for the Lion Rampant rules following the adventures of Harald Hardrada when he was a member of the Byzantine Varangian Guard.
      And yes he spends time in Southern Italy.

      All the best. Aly

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  4. Unlucky General12 April 2023 at 05:55

    A handsome unit and famous start. I succumbed to the call of Norman years back and must update the basing and add some extras ... it's on the list. As someone with Anglo-Norman heritage I can only applaud your choice.

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 06:51

      Thank you Greg…
      The Normans should make for a nice looking force…

      All the best. Aly

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  5. David12 April 2023 at 06:33

    A splendid start to a new project Aly.

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  6. Matt Crump12 April 2023 at 07:13

    Your Normans are so beautiful Aly. Crusader figures take the paint so well. Obviously a period I enjoy a lot I do hope somewhere in my past posts I might have encouraged the butterfly even if only a little 😀

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 17:59

      Thank you Matt…
      I think it is safe to say that you have some responsibility for this flutter 😁.
      All the best. Aly

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  7. Rob12 April 2023 at 07:56

    Go Normandy! Got to love the Normans even though many seem to object to them just because they were so successful.
    Also, Go Butterfly! I'm currently fencing with my own butterfly, but Pikeman's Lament rather than Lion Rampant (I'll probably mash-up various Osprey rule-sets). The imagination is being seduced by Tudor Ireland.

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 18:08

      The Normans in Italy may not have lasted as long as their cousins in England… But personally I think that their history is more interesting.
      The Tudors in Ireland would be perfect for Pikeman’s Lament as is the Marian Civil War in Scotland…
      https://stuartinschwargames.blogspot.com/search/label/Marian%20Civil%20War
      Do it…you know it makes sense 😈

      All the best. Aly.

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    2. Rob13 April 2023 at 07:33

      Thanks for the pointer to the blog, I'd not visited that one before. If I did do Scotland in Tudor times I think I'd opt for the earlier 'Rough Wooing' period - Henrician rather Elizabethan to work in some Landsknechts.

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  8. Pan Janek12 April 2023 at 08:11

    Lovely units Aly! I'm really fond of the Normans. I think mostly due to watching the Robin of Sherwood series back in the 80's. One of the few TV series that reached us from beyond the iron curtain ;-)

    As to the new Lion Rampant I must give this game a go as I have some vikings painted for Saga.

    Best wishes,
    Jan

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 18:15

      Thank you Jan…
      I was hooked by the Normans looking at a reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry in an old encyclopaedia at my Grandmother’s house…
      I really like Lion Rampant so you won’t catch me doing anything to discourage you.😁

      All the best. Aly

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  9. Peter12 April 2023 at 08:41

    Wonderful looking Normans the shields certainly stand out.

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 18:16

      Thank you Peter…
      Little Big Men transfers do all the hard work for you…

      All the best. Aly

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  10. Steve J.12 April 2023 at 10:41

    What a splendid unit to start off with there Aly! I'm tempted to get the book but already have so many projects 'on the go', that it might be too much of a distraction. Mind you it would make a nice Father's Day present...

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    1. Aly Morrison12 April 2023 at 18:17

      Thank you Steve…
      Yes A Viking in the Sun would be a perfect Father’s Day gift.

      All the best. Aly

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  11. The Jolly Broom Man12 April 2023 at 11:12

    Not so much a butterfly Aly as a massive moth!

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  12. Rob Young12 April 2023 at 11:59

    Nice to find something that just takes off - keeps the interest going!

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  13. Mark Strachan13 April 2023 at 09:57

    Fabulous work Aly.

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  14. Rick Priestley13 April 2023 at 10:49

    Those look great - as always - nice to know the butterfly thrives ;)

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    1. Aly Morrison13 April 2023 at 18:02

      Thank you Rick…
      The butterfly does indeed thrive… unlike me sometimes 😂

      All the best. Aly

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  15. caveadsum147114 April 2023 at 12:57

    Lovely looking Normans, whatca good butterfly!
    Best Iain

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    1. Aly Morrison14 April 2023 at 20:22

      Thank you Iain…
      The butterfly sometimes lands on gold.

      All the best. Aly

      Delete
  16. StuartInsch15 April 2023 at 10:09

    However nice your figures are the bases always set them off to best effect too.

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