28mm Vikings

Today's post features my 28mm Vikings.  I painted them for use with the SAGA rules.  In addition to the Vikings, I have Anglo-Danes, Normans, Scots (my favorite) and Crusaders.  Only the Anglo-Danes have been posted to this blog, along with some buildings.  I intend to document the others over the next few months.

Sadly I no longer have any local opponents, so I only play at conventions.  It is one of my favorite games over the last 5 years, I painted my first army (Scots) in late 2012.  There was a recent announcement that a 2nd edition will be released in 2018, I am interested to see what changes will be made.

I have 7 points of Vikings, games are usually played with 6 points so having an extra unit gives some flexibility.  My army consists of:
1 Warlord (free)
3 units of  4 Hirdmen (3 points of Hearthguard)
1 unit of 4 Berserkers (1 point of Berserkers)
2 units of 8 Lesser Hirdmen (2 points of Warriors)
1 unit of 12 Thralls (1 point of Levies with bow)

Most of the miniatures are from Wargames Foundry.  There are 1-2 Hirdmen by Crusader and one Old Glory model in the Lesser Hird.  The bowmen are Old Glory except for 2 which are from Foundry.  I use the same 12 bowmen in my Saga Anglo-Danes.

The shields are mostly Little Big Men Studios transfers with a few hand-painted ones.  You can spot those by looking for the simpler ones.

I chose this model to be the warlord in large part due to the helmet.  He just looks like a leader.  I have chosen to base my Vikings in Orkney, there were several renowned Jarls that ruled there such as Sigurd the Stout (980-1014 AD) and Thorfinn the Mighty (1014-1065 AD).  It doesn't make any difference in game terms but does make it more interesting for me.

The 1st unit of 4 Hirdmen.  The one on the right is by Crusader (available from North Star).

 

The 2nd unit of 4 Hirdmen .

 

Just to break up the Hirdmen, here are 4 Berserkers.  These Foundry models have a lot of character.

 

The 3rd unit of 4 Hirdmen.

 

The 1st unit of 8 Lesser Hirdmen.  This group has one of my favorite models.  The center axeman with the wolf pelt and large belly immediately made me imagine a retired berserker who tells his companions stories around the campfire about how in his day the loot was better and the battles more blood-soaked.  The one in the back row wearing leather armor is by Old Glory, the rest are Foundry.

 

The 2nd unit of 8 Lesser Hirdmen.

 

12 Thralls armed with bows.  The 2 wearing mail are from Foundry, the other 10 are by Old Glory.

 

Shieldwall!  Jarl Thorfinn takes his rightful place at the center of the line.

As a side note, I have another Viking army for sale  (7 points, same units) that I painted alongside this one.  I separated them out during painting so there were no duplicate models.  I will dig them out and take some pictures soon, it has never been used and is yearning for battle.  Drop me a line if you are interested.

Thanks for looking,
Jason