Miniatures What Middle Earth armies do these historical minis look like to you?

[Vorondil]

Because the official Games Workshop LOTR miniatures are incredibly expensive compared to historical minis, I am using the following sets instead. Do you think they look right for the armies I'm using them for.

Dunlendings/Evil Hillmen
https://www.grippingbeast.co.uk/GBP01_Plastic_Viking_Hirdmen--product--2789.html

Haradrim

GBP04 Plastic Arab Spearmen & Archers | GBP04 | GB Plastics Boxsets

This product contains 40 Hard Plastic GBP04 Arab Spearmen & Archer 28mm miniatures. Inside you will find parts to assemble...

www.grippingbeast.co.uk

GBP05 Plastic Arab Heavy Cavalry | GBP05 | GB Plastics Boxsets

This product contains twelve Hard Plastic GBP05 Arab Heavy Cavalry 28mm miniatures. Inside you will find parts to assemble 12...

www.grippingbeast.co.uk

Warriors of Gondor/ Arnor

Templar Infantry

This box contains twenty-four multi-part plastic Templar Infantry soldiers in heavy armour of the 12th/13th century.

fireforge-games.com

Templar Knights

This box set contains twelve 28mm multi-part plastic Templar Knights with a mix of barded and unbarded horses.

fireforge-games.com

I'm going by the book rather then the movies.

 

[Uthalin]

I'd have used the Gripping Beast Irish/Welsh/Picts as Dunlendings and Fireforge Byzantines/Normans for Gondor.
It's all good though, the differences are mainly stylistic.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I agree on the Dunlendings, who are said to possess very little armor. Early Germanic tribes would be good too, I think.

If you were in the US, I'd recommend Old Glory -- especially with the "Army" membership, which gives you 40% off.

Normans would be pretty suitable for Rohirrim, if you replaced the kite shields with round ones.

And you can use Zulus, or other African tribes, for Far Harad. At least as I envision them.

 

[Vorondil]

I agree on the Dunlendings, who are said to possess very little armor. Early Germanic tribes would be good too, I think.

If you were in the US, I'd recommend Old Glory -- especially with the "Army" membership, which gives you 40% off.

Normans would be pretty suitable for Rohirrim, if you replaced the kite shields with round ones.

And you can use Zulus, or other African tribes, for Far Harad. At least as I envision them.

I would have gone for Saxons rather then Normans for the Rohirrim. I have also thought the Zulus would work as Far Harad.

What would work as Easterlings and the Variags? Going by the Easterlings names in the first age they sound kind of Norse, but Khamul sounds almost Arabic (especially if you pronounce the KH how CH would be in German, which is how KH is supposed to be pronounced).

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I don't recall the names, but wouldn't expect Norse. Description as nonexistent as it is, "Easterlings" could be taken as almost anything, which leaves it open to your imagination. The Battle of the Pelennor Fields is modeled on the description of the 451 Battle of the Catalaunian Fields in Jordanes,, where the "Romans" and their Visigothic allies defeated the Huns and Ostrogoths, so you could certainly justify using those as Easterlings.

But what the heck, you could use Mongols or Chinese, if you have some -- and who's going question you?

"Variag" is Slavic in origin, as with the Varangian Guard in Constantinope, so there's a tenuous connection with Norsemen, but Tolkien may only have been suggesting the idea of a mercenary army that had at one time invaded Khand, eventually ending up serving it.

 

[Uthalin]

Persians or Sassanid, Chinese maybe. Wains and chariots etc.
Saxons are probably closer culturally than Normans but they dressed virtually the same and you won't find any Saxon cavalry miniatures.

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

I can't recall ATM if Tolkien describes the Wainriders riding into battle on their wains a la chariots; possible, but "wain" traditionally meant a heavy wagon. The migrating Gothic peoples traveled with wagons, and would lager them in hostile territory. In fact a wagon lager played a part in the Gothic victory over a Roman army at the battle of Adrianople in 378.

 

[Vorondil]

I can't recall ATM if Tolkien describes the Wainriders riding into battle on their wains a la chariots; possible, but "wain" traditionally meant a heavy wagon. The migrating Gothic peoples traveled with wagons, and would lager them in hostile territory. In fact a wagon lager played a part in the Gothic victory over a Roman army at the battle of Adrianople in 378.

Actually in the Unfinished tales Tolkien describes one of the battles between Gondor and the Wainriders and Easterlings, and he definitely says that the Wainriders heavy battle wains crashed into the Gondorians, and also that there was more cavalry then the Gondorians had expected, so we know the Easterlings had cavalry.

What about these for the Dunlendings.

Germanic Warriors

This set contains 60 exceptionally detailed 28mm hard plastic Germanic Warriors, as well as numerous additional parts which allow you to pick and choose over a hundred different combinations when building your figures. The heads have been designed to capture the fierce look and fighting style of...

www.victrixlimited.com

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Ah, thanks for the reference. I'd forgotten that bit, despite having read it at least a couple of times, years ago. He actually calls them "war-chariots", so that's definite. I have a dim memory of being a little skeptical of chariots "crashing into" formed infantry, and wondering if he'd allowed the invention of tanks to influence his conception, as it has many modern writers, but rereading the text just now, see I was mistaken:
". . . when the chariots and horsemen crashed into his disordered line."

That part is crucial: a disordered line would likely have had thin parts, even gaps, which chariots and cavalry could exploit, leading to collapse and rout, as has happened throughout history.

On the other hand, he also refers to "fortified camps of wagons", so it appears to me that he had two sorts of vehicles in mind. I still think he probably meant "wain" to indicate the heavy, four-wheeled wagon.

Those Germans do fit with my conception, at least, though I'd expect them to have discovered shirts! 😄 You might consider mixing in some of the Victrix unarmored Gauls, for variety.

 

[OldFattyLumpkin]

Ahhh, I had many Wildmen miniatures back in the day. I actually made them from orc or goblin models converted with putty stuff (can't remember what is was called!) so they had beards and cloth etc. Cheaper as they were plastic ones.

I think the first suggestions have a bit too much armour for Wildmen. Templars are pretty bang-on for Gondor, maybe just paint the tree on instead of the cross.

 

[Vorondil]

And which army do you think the Vikings could be? I was thinking apart from the Dunlendings, they could maybe Northmen from in and around Dale.

 

[Vorondil]

maybe just paint the tree on instead of the cross.

I actually printed out a whole lot of Trees of Gondor on ordinary paper and stuck them onto the shields, it worked surprisingly well.

 

[OldFattyLumpkin]

Ah yes, those vikings could definately be Northmen and lakelanders I think

 

[OldFattyLumpkin]

I actually printed out a whole lot of Trees of Gondor on ordinary paper and stuck them onto the shields, it worked surprisingly well.

Would love to see a picture!

 

[Vorondil]

Would love to see a picture!

I should be able to take some tomorrow.

 

[Uthalin]

There are some brief descriptions of the troops from Gondors fiefdoms to add more flavour,

‘Forlong has come,’ Bergil answered; ‘old Forlong the Fat, the Lord of Lossarnach. That is where my grandsire lives. Hurrah! Here he is. Good old Forlong!’ Leading the line there came walking a big thick-limbed horse, and on it sat a man of wide shoulders and huge girth, but old and greybearded, yet mail-clad and black-helmed and bearing a long heavy spear. Behind him marched proudly a dusty line of men, well-armed and bearing great battle-axes; grim-faced they were, and shorter and somewhat swarthier than any men that Pippin had yet seen in Gondor. ‘Forlong!’ men shouted. ‘True heart, true friend! Forlong!’ But when the men of Lossarnach had passed they muttered: ‘So few! Two hundreds, what are they? We hoped for ten times the number. That will be the new tidings of the black fleet. They are sparing only a tithe of their strength. Still every little is a gain.’ And so the companies came and were hailed and cheered and passed through the Gate, men of the Outlands marching to defend the City of Gondor in a dark hour; but always too few, always less than hope looked for or need asked. The men of Ringló Vale behind the son of their lord, Dervorin striding on foot: three hundreds. From the uplands of Morthond, the great Blackroot Vale, tall Duinhir with his sons, Duilin and Derufin, and five hundred bowmen. From the Anfalas, the Langstrand far away, a long line of men of many sorts, hunters and herdsmen and men of little villages, scantily equipped save for the household of Golasgil their lord. From Lamedon, a few grim hillmen without a captain. Fisher-folk of the Ethir, some hundred or more spared from the ships. Hirluin the Fair of the Green Hills from Pinnath Gelin with three hundreds of gallant green-clad men. And last and proudest, Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, with gilded banners bearing his token of the Ship and the Silver Swan, and a company of knights in full harness riding grey horses; and behind them seven hundreds of men at arms, tall as lords, greyeyed, dark-haired, singing as they came.

 

[Vorondil]

There are some brief descriptions of the troops from Gondors fiefdoms to add more flavour,

‘Forlong has come,’ Bergil answered; ‘old Forlong the Fat, the Lord of Lossarnach. That is where my grandsire lives. Hurrah! Here he is. Good old Forlong!’ Leading the line there came walking a big thick-limbed horse, and on it sat a man of wide shoulders and huge girth, but old and greybearded, yet mail-clad and black-helmed and bearing a long heavy spear. Behind him marched proudly a dusty line of men, well-armed and bearing great battle-axes; grim-faced they were, and shorter and somewhat swarthier than any men that Pippin had yet seen in Gondor. ‘Forlong!’ men shouted. ‘True heart, true friend! Forlong!’ But when the men of Lossarnach had passed they muttered: ‘So few! Two hundreds, what are they? We hoped for ten times the number. That will be the new tidings of the black fleet. They are sparing only a tithe of their strength. Still every little is a gain.’ And so the companies came and were hailed and cheered and passed through the Gate, men of the Outlands marching to defend the City of Gondor in a dark hour; but always too few, always less than hope looked for or need asked. The men of Ringló Vale behind the son of their lord, Dervorin striding on foot: three hundreds. From the uplands of Morthond, the great Blackroot Vale, tall Duinhir with his sons, Duilin and Derufin, and five hundred bowmen. From the Anfalas, the Langstrand far away, a long line of men of many sorts, hunters and herdsmen and men of little villages, scantily equipped save for the household of Golasgil their lord. From Lamedon, a few grim hillmen without a captain. Fisher-folk of the Ethir, some hundred or more spared from the ships. Hirluin the Fair of the Green Hills from Pinnath Gelin with three hundreds of gallant green-clad men. And last and proudest, Imrahil, Prince of Dol Amroth, kinsman of the Lord, with gilded banners bearing his token of the Ship and the Silver Swan, and a company of knights in full harness riding grey horses; and behind them seven hundreds of men at arms, tall as lords, greyeyed, dark-haired, singing as they came.

I could always make it so that each unit (10 men) represents a different fief.

Does anyone know what the uniforms of the ordinary warriors of Gondor looked like?

 

[Uthalin]

I'm not too sure Gondor had ordinary regular troops. Minas Tirith had the Guard, but I think the rest was from the Fiefs. Dol Amroth and Belfalas sent full(ish) muster but north and south of Minas Tirith had their own battles, so sent few. (For Pelennor)
Garrisons would manned locally. Cavalry was supplied from Dol Amros and Rohan.
If you want to field regular Gondor troops separately I'd use Norman infantry to give more of a uniform pose.