Odd poses and free figures...

The latest additions to my Italian Wars collection is a base of mounted crossbowmen. They were received from TAG as part of my initial order for the Papal States Starter Army. There are two packs in the catalogue for the Italians, one firing and one standing at ease. I got the former in my package. Now I’ll state right off that both the horses and figures are decent sculpts and nicely cast. There was little cleaning up required and the separate crossbows fitted the figures reasonably comfortably. The problem is in the pose when you come to base the figures as the men are sitting firing to the right of the horse meaning either the horse looks forward and the men are firing to the right or the horses are places parallel to the base front to facilitate forward fire, but look strange when on the move, rather like equine crabs! It would have been nice to have them posed firing forward really from a game aesthetic point of view. Judge for yourself anyway ~

In the initial order I also received two free female figures. Freebies always welcome and nothing wrong with female figures either, but one woman with a basket and four Perry Miniatures clerics are my total civilian population in future games right now. The second free figure I’ve assigned to my gun vignette as she looks suitable in pose to add variety to the look of the base. There doesn’t appear to be a civilian pack or two yet in the TAG catalogue. Are any planned I wonder? Here she is anyway ~

While I’m having these thoughts on figure poses and choices, it would be nice if there were
Command figures for the non armoured types such as my Mounted Crossbow unit or indeed the Foot Crossbows I’m painting now. Bases look odd to me with full and three quarter plate armoured figures on bases of essentially unarmoured figures like those. Here’s a photo of the base in question as a work in progress which I hope makes my point ~

I got my letter from the Hospital yesterday confirming my Date with Destiny for the 10th March at 7.30 a.m. No going back now as they say. I wonder how many more figures I can finish before I’m made even more bionic? Could I be on course to become Britain’s £6.00 Man I wonder...? Well, austerity and all that...