Robin Hood Project: Norman Leaders

Following on from my last post with the Norman rank-and-file, this post focuses on the Norman leaders.

We start with the Sheriff of Nottingham. Or should that be Sheriffs?  Part of my plan is to run multiple scenarios simultaneously; for example I will be running 3 different scenarios at once at Historicon 2026. So for some of the characters I've painted multiple versions. The model on the left is from Crooked Dice's Robin Hood range which is based on the depictions in the 1980s British tv show Robin of Sherwood.  I'd heard of, but not watched it, until recently as part of my 'research' for this project.  The one on the right uses a body from Wargames Atlantic's Fantasy Villagers set.  I thought this body looked more like a nobleman so added arms, head & scabbard from their Foot Knights set. Blue seemed like a good color and was different from the other Norman characters. 

Sir Guy of Gisburne or Gisbourne features as the sheriff's right-hand man in many stories. These are all built from Wargames Atlantic's Foot Knight set, each with a different lower body (there are 6 different lower bodies in the set). As inspiration for the colors and shield design I used the 1938 'Adventures of Robin Hood' movie. Basil Rathbone plays Sir Guy in that movie and wears a black surcoat with a similar design to what I put on the shields  The decal is again from DestroyCarthage.  I used the heads in mail without a helmet so they would be easier to tell apart from the other knights.

Prince John (Crooked Dice) is on the right. The miniature on the left is a WA Peasant Levy body with arms from the Perry English HYW set. He represents the Sheriff's head archer, named Gill o' the Red Cap, who competes in an archery contest against Robin in Howard Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883). This book is a great source for Robin Hood stories and I was glad my local library had a copy. Given his name red seemed an appropriate color and the black distinguishes him from the Merry Men.

Both of these villains are from Crooked Dice and based on the Robin of Sherwood show. Abbot Hugo de Rainult on the left is the Sheriff's brother.  He could be used for any of the numerous abbots in the stories. Baron Simon de Belleme on the right is a master of the occult. Both have lots of black highlighted with Vallejo Black Gray. The Abbot's robes are painted with Army Painter Purple Swarm speedpaint.

A fine collection of villains! Still to come: many Merry Men and more civilians.

Robin Hood Project: Normans

A Robin Hood game needs Norman oppressors. Or the defenders of law & order if you side with the Sheriff of Nottingham.  Either way, Normans are an essential part of a Robin Hood game. I chose to use the Wargames Atlantic plastic sets Foot Serjeants & Foot Knights from their Barons' War range. I purchased mine from Spruedude. Each box has 24 miniatures and plenty of variety. The legs and torsos come separate but were easy to assemble and the parts are interchangeable between sets. This project is the first time I've used WA and there is enough detail without overdoing it.  They paint up well.

I painted all of the serjeants first. I primed them with white gesso, then I used a variety of colors but no green as I wanted to reserve it for Robin Hood's troops. I waited to paint the shields while I debated how to organize them for the 7TV rules I am using for this project.  Eventually I split them into 6 groups of 3 or 4 serjeants each. I added a knight to each group and gave the groups identical shields so I had the option of using them in small units. It would also make it easier for players to differentiate their models. I used the excellent decals made by DestroyCarthage. I went with an animal theme, selecting designs with animals such as fox, ram, lion, deer, & boar.

After using 6 knights in the units, and 3 as characters (to been seen in a future post), I had 15 of the box of 24 left.  So of course I painted them too.  I am not sure what I will do with all of them.  I could use them as elite foot in a Dragon Rampant army, or I might sell some of them at the upcoming Historicon flea market.

I already had 8 Crossbowmen that I painted in early 2025. I wanted 8 more, so made 3 from the WA serjeants and added 5 metal Footsore crossbowmen from my lead pile.

These are plastic WA crossbowmen, except for the one loading in the rear right, which is from Footsore.

These are all metal miniatures from Footsore's Barons' Wars range.

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The Sheriff of Nottingham's men assembled to hunt outlaws.

Robin Hood Project: Civilians

 My scenario ideas for Robin Hood require some civilians. I wanted a variety of peasants, townsfolk, monks, barional retinue, etc. I started by scouring my lead stash to see what I already had that might be useful.  Next, I used a sprue of Wargames Atlantic Peasant Levy and a sprue of WA Fantasy Villagers (obtained from Spruedude).  I also had a pack of 3 Reaper Bones Townsfolk that I bought at Siege of Augusta earlier this year.

These peasants and ne'er-do-wells are from a sprue of 6 Wargames Atlantic Peasant Levy.  I used a couple of arms and a head from the Villagers sprue.  They are dressed in various browns.  I intentionally avoided any green or brighter colors because I also used this sprue as the base for my Merry Men.

These are 4 of the 6 WA Fantasy Villagers.  The other two were converted into Maid Marian and the Sheriff of Nottingham and will appear in a future post.  I am sure the drunk man and his puppet have some entertaining stories to tell.

These 3 are Reaper Bones Townfolk: a beggar, the local blacksmith (who will be working his market stall from my previous post) and a friendly local.

Last are 3 miniatures I already had: a monk from Footsore's Crusader range and 2 very old minis of unknown make.  They came as part of a secondhand purchase in a mixed bag and are a softer metal.  If anyone knows their origin, let me know in the comments.

The traditional group shot.

I am currently finishing up the last 10 or so miniatures for this project, so there are many more photos to come.

Robin Hood Project - More Town Market Pieces

My Nottingham town market needed more pieces.  I purchased 2 market stalls and a wagon from Miniature Building Authority at Siege of Augusta in January, and another wagon and some carts from them at Carolina Conquest, a new convention in Charlotte, in May.  It was a good first con and they will be returning in 2027.  Plan on attending if you're within driving distance!  I thought it would be enough to round out my market area.

First , frequent readers may recall that I posted a photo of this gibbet back in December 2025.  It is now new and improved!  My friend Mike mentioned that it would look good with a skeleton in the cage.  I agreed, remembering that I had a sprue of Wargames Atlantic skeletons tucked away.  They come as separate skull, torso, arms, & legs.  Since I had already glued the gibbet together, it would take some maneuvering.  I glued the skull onto the torso, and painted that and the arms & legs separately.  I was able to squeeze the skull/torso piece through the opening, then had to glue the arms and legs on with tweezers once it was inside.  I think it was worth the time, I'm very happy with the result.

A merchant stall with some trade goods from Miniature Building Authority.

A blacksmith stall. Conveniently I also have a blacksmith on the painting table.

An ox-drawn wagon. The seat was missing but it was easily replaced with a piece of scrap mdf.  I painted the oxen with the darkest brown I have, then drybrushed a not so quite dark brown over that.  I can picture this (and the other wagons) full of taxes collected from the Saxon peasantry.

Horse & wagon. I kept the horse separate for flexibility.

Two small wooden carts.

Robin Hood Project: Town Market

I wanted to be able to set up a medieval town market for my Robin Hood project.  Fortunately enough, Victrix has a Market Stall set.  I purchased one directly from Victrix.  There are 2 market stalls, tables, and a lot of small items in the set. Everything assembled and painted up quickly.  I glued the foods and dishes to the included tables so they wouldn't get lost.  It also made the painting easier..  For some of the more fragile items such as the stools and smallest table, I glued them onto a 25mm round base.

There are a variety of foods, perfect for a market.  Also some beehives (back right) and my favorite part, two chickens in wicker baskets.

More food and some pottery.

Two clay ovens and two cooking fires on 25mm round bases.

The set also comes with a lot of sacks and barrels. Most of them come in two halves, but they fit together well with no gaps.

Recent Purchases & Future Plan

A package of items from Noble Knight arrived today.  Along with the Renedra bases and Deep Cut Studio dirt road were 3 miniatures for my next project.  My original gaming groujp has started playing Dragon Rampant with a mix of new and old armies.  While I no longer live nearby, I have been bitten by the DR bug.

In the early 1990s we played Warhammer 3rd edition.  I still have my Dark Elf army from that era though I haven't looked at it in decades.  I am still working on my Robin Hood project but I've decided that the Elves will be my next project.  

When I took a closer look I noticed that the general and wizard were missing.  They are probably in another box somewhere.  While I was browsing at Noble Knight I found a leader and 2 wizards by Reaper that will be added to the army.  We will see if I can paint them in the same style as 30+ years ago!  I should start in late spring or early summer.  I plan on freshening up the bases (but not rebasing) and limited touching up so hopefuilly a quick turnaround.

Robin Hood Project: 28mm Wolves & Bear

 Work on my Robin Hood Project continues at a good pace. Last week I painted 5 wolves and a bear. Many creatures lurk in the depths of Sherwood Forest. I purchased all of these miniatures in January 2026 at the Siege of Augusta convention. Four of the wolves are metal from Miniature Building Authority. The fifth is from the Reaper Bones line and came in a pack of animals including the bear.

When I paint animals I do two things: do a Google search for images and check my friend Mike's blog to see if he has painted that species. He does an excellent job, much better than I can manage.

Since wolves were hunted to extinction in England in the 17th century, I decided to go with gray wolves. I primed them with white gesso, then a coat of medium gray. Next came a drybrush of light gray all over, a drybrush of off-white heavier on the lower half, and a drybrush of black along the top. To finish them I painted the nose and mouth black, the teeth ivory, and the eyes a pale yellow with a dark brown pupil.

I like that all four of the MBA wolves have different poses.

This wolf is resin. It is slightly smaller than the others but mixes in well. The bear is also resin; both are from Reaper's Bones line. I primed the bear with white gesso, followed by a coat of GW Mournfang Brown, tan on the muzzle, and finished with a dark brown wash. I painted the claws and teeth ivory. The eyes are white with a dark brown pupil.

A view of the entire wolfpack.  Beware wandering alone in Sherwood Forest at night!