Kitbashing Empire Free Company Militia with Frostgrave, Oathmark and FireForge scale comparisons.

[@eddiecheetham7138]

Honestly man, your videos do more for me than anything else for making informed purchases. Especially around scale. Thanks once again for posting!

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@eddiecheetham7138 you’re welcome and thank you 😊

[@JoeCapurso]

Paul - love this channel - what great tips on assembly!

[@Karlmakesstuff]

Awesome! I love the FC militia kit - still remember when they were first released as mordheim mercenaries in '99 - but I also dig the extra cutthroat flavour you've got going on here!

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@Karlmakesstuff thank you. 😊 The Mordheim Mercenaries was perhaps the best plastic kit GW ever made. I also remember a Mordheim sprue that came with extra bits and pieces which was great for converting.

[@Karlmakesstuff]

@PaulStanleyauthor the one with the treasure chest, lamp post and stuff yeah? That was super useful, they used to include it even when they repackaged them as free companies at the turn of the millennium.

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@ yes that’s the one. I wish they still did that sprue.

[@looselycollected7505]

Sadly I've almost used up the last of my Mordheim box set bits. Might be a few stray pieces here and there left. Not much. Great stuff that needs made available again.

[@Tim1000064]

Such a useful video, thank you for making this! I love the compatibility between the two kits and the Oathmark and Fireforge ones work nicely too. The Foundry pirates are great for leaders and personalities in the units as well. I'm surprised and impressed with how well they all scale together!

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@Tim1000064 thank you and I was quite surprised too. They go together far better than I expected.

[@Proletariat1337]

Fantastic content. Thanks for beginning this channel

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@Proletariat1337 thank you 😊

[@danharris8805]

Ahhh spectacular timing! Just sat down with a cuppa! Haven't even watched it but already know it's great! Cheers mate!

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@danharris8805 thank you and enjoy 😅

[@LoyalWatcherX]

Great inspiration! Been building the last of my Empire army recently, thinking to my self, "why oh why can't I just follow the instructions..." Saving the head for last is the best tip for building any multi-part model

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@LoyalWatcherX thank you. I tend to glance at the instructions and then forget about them 😅 only picking them up again when something has me defeated.

[@shockerck4465]

Wargames Atlantic has a new Peasant box set.

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

It’s on my bucket list. Especially when I next get ready to work on my Bretonnians again. 😅

[@pietrayday9915]

Those look perfect to me! Some other kits, bits, and bobs that IMHO should mix in just fine with these guys include: - Frostgrave Cultists (male and female) - The male Frostgrave Cultists are mentioned at the beginning of the video, but a kit of female cultists have recently been released, too, and would be a great supply of female character bits for models that would mix in just fine with the GW stuff, as the Frostrave kits are very close in sculpting style, proportions, and fit to GW's classic stuff. - Reaper "Bones USA" Build-a-Pirate modular pirates: These seem to have been Reaper's answer to the hard plastic multipart kits like GW's stuff, but unfortunately suffer a bit from the higher pricing of Reaper's refinements on what used to be a pretty inexpensive vinyl plastic RPG mini format: they run about three US bucks and change per mini, and there aren't a huge number of options, but the proportions look pretty much identical to GW's figures, the sculpting is nice, and the bits should mix-and-match nicely with these other kits. - Wargames Atlantic Peasant Levy: The sculpting is a little more slender on most Wargames Atlantic kits than you get from GW,, and the heads fit the bodies differently, but for those of us in the USA, these guys are a little easier to find and noticeably more affordable than the Fireforge peasants, while filling more or less the same niche. WA's peasants should look pretty good mixed in among those Oathmark light infantry, at least, and the arms will probably mix and match well enough with the light infantry. - Wargames Atlantic Conquistadors (infantry and cavalry): Again, WA's sculpting is a little more slender and realistic than GW's classic kits, but the Conquistadors sets should be a great source of useful bits, like matchlock guns and so on, and costuming which wouldn't look out of place at all among a mob of swashbuckling hooligans. Of special interest in the Conquistador Cavalry kit is a pack of heavy war dogs! (If you like WA's Conquistadors and/or Peasant Levy, then you might also like their medieval Sergeants and Knights kits, and probably the upcoming fantasy peasants and guards kits and upcoming Renaissance heavy cavalry and Infantry too, all of which could surely find a home in the Warhammer setting, somewhere!) See also Archon Studios Dungeons & Lasers Town Guards (from "Townsfolk Miniature Pack") - the sculpting for these is more realistic and slender than GW's, and the figures are designed to be assembled only one way (so the bits probably won't mix well with other kits), but the equipment and costumes are similar enough tot he WA Conquistadors that the figures will blend in with each other perfectly. - Oathmark Dwarf and Elf Light Infantry: maybe not necessarily a perfect fit in an all-human army, but if your Free Company has any place in it for Dwarves and Elves, then the Oathmark light infantry kits are a great source of Dwarf and Elf bits suitable for commoner militia, conscripts, bandits, pirates, and the like! (You might also be interested in Wargames Atlantic's Halfling Militia or Mantic's Halflings, in that case....) - Frostgrave Wizards (male and female): Mostly these are best suited for spellcaster types, but a little outside-the-box thinking can recast many of these figures into a mob of scallywags and ruffians, and the kits should come with a great selection of heads and unusual accessories; the female Wizards kit is another of those hard-to-find sources of bodies for female characters and their heads, too. In a similar vein, see the Frostgrave Knights (male and female kits): these are more appropriate for a heavier infantry, but the variety of heads and odd adventuring gear are a nice addition to your bitz assortment, and the female knights might come in handy. - Great Escape Games Gunfighters (both the men and women ): This might seem like a weird choice at first glance, but to start with, these gunslinger bits are pretty much identical to GW's sculpting and proportions, and the assorted bits and pieces should mix very well with both the GW kit and the Oathmark figures. Drop the revolvers and other obvious Western bits, and swap in some swashbuckler weaponry instead (and perhaps some fantasy heads too, though most of those cowboy hats should work better in a fantasy setting than you might be inclined to give them credit for!), and these guys will fit in just fine with the Free Companions. The female gunslingers in particular, most in practical adventurer-friendly dresses and trousers - ought to be of interest here, as a rare source of bodies for female characters of this sort! Some bits of interest in these gunslinger kits include bundles of dynamite, coiled rope, saddlebags of loot to sling over shoulders, and lanterns. - Stargrrave Scavengers (male and female): Another less-obvious option, the bodies of these scavengers look quite a bit less sci-fi than usual for Stargrave's setting, and most of the major bits in these scavenger kits would fit right into a fantasy setting, if you have a source of fantasy weapons to replace the sci-fi guns. (The alien heads that come with these kits are a nice touch, too - maybe not useful for a human army, but most of those alien heads could translate well into a fantasy setting too, and could perhaps be traded off, along with the Frostgrave Cultist undead bits, to someone with a Chaos army or something....) I think my favorites out of the above for this purpose would be to start with the Frostgrave Crewmen and GW Free Company, with a supply of cultists and gunslinger bodies and bits mixed in for variety. Meanwhile, an all-female mercenary mob might be a fun project instead, using female Frostgrave soldiers and cultists,, female gunslingers, and female scavengers, spruced up with a healthy dose of Free Company and/or crewmen arms/weapons. And then again, a company of ranger types using WA peasants and Oathmark human, elf, and dwarf light infantry might be fun, too....

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@pietrayday9915 thanks for a very comprehensive breakdown and useful tips. I’ve covered some in previous videos and the other suggestions you’ve made are definitely food for thought.

[@ZaarZaar-]

A lovely video Paul! I had it on while doing a bit of admin and I am sure the work flow got a small boost. Do keep them videos coming. 🖌

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@ZaarZaar- thank you 😊

[@myfarawaytales]

Loving this. Some painted would be nice

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@myfarawaytales I’m looking forward to splashing some colour on these as soon as I get the rest of my Empire plastics. 😅

[@paulwalker5221]

I agree the Frostgrave pirates are execellent minis with lots of potential for kit bashing any number of minjs. I am looking at the new Victrix Arab minis and the WA Afghans kits for bits to go with the pirates kit. Another great review wigh lots of ideas. BTW i often change the heads of 3 d printed minis for example Medbury Minis.

[@the98themperoroftheholybri33]

I think the Oathmark militia might also be useful for free company militia. It just depends which region of the empire you're playing as. I'm planning on using oathmark goblin slaves and doing a bit of neck conversion to make empire prisoners, forced to fight or given the opportunity to fight in exchange for freedom, I'm going for a "tyannical mad count" vibe

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 that sounds very cool. I’ll have to see if I can get done Oathmark militia. They are great kits.

[@TheJankmaster]

The head of the guy with the billhook(?) is awesome. Can’t place it yet, but resembles an old actor. Maybe John Houston…I have to get that kit at some point

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@TheJankmaster I often wonder if heads in kits like these are based on real people because I see a face I recognise every now and then. 😅

[@TheJankmaster]

@ lol

[@dm51964]

Some superb conversions and also great for Mordheim

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@dm51964 thank you and yes my thoughts are wandering in that direction already 😅

[@jacobgard9404]

This is super helpful, do they scale well with the Cities of Sigmar miniatures?

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@jacobgard9404 thank you 😊 I’ve yet to try any Cities of Sigmar minis. I have been looking at them and I’m trying to decide which would be the best to purchase.

[@rossdiggle]

The North star barbarians may kit bash well for Northern provinces or kislev free company

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@rossdiggle great idea. I did build some Frostgrave barbarians a few years ago. The size is good and I might look at kitbashing a small unit in another video.

[@manofaction1807]

Torches, or Pitchforks... Now You Can Have BOTH!!!

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@manofaction1807 I know, it’s pretty cool. 😁 wargaming has never been such fun.

[@RolandoRatas]

This is GREAT, I'm generally a puritan but if I get desperate e.g. model not available and I need it or ebay scalper prices are through the roof then I resort to alternatives or my 3d printers.

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@RolandoRatas third party minis are always great for adding a bit of variety or for filling out the back ranks without breaking the bank 😅

[@mjhsinclair]

I feel like these would be a really good match for a naval province like Nordland? Just been reading the Salzemund WFRP book.

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@mjhsinclair great suggestion. Kitbashing with Ghost Archipelago Crewmen definitely gives a nautical feel and I quite like the colours of that province.

[@Nightreveller1992]

Интересно, какие ещё есть идеи для конверсий?

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@Nightreveller1992 I hope there are many more. 😊

[@manofaction1807]

What size base's do you use with this new Fantasy?

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@manofaction1807 if you mean Warhammer Old World, humans are on individual 25mm x 25mm square bases. Never mind the Billhooks Fantasia, I’ll be basing 5 or 6 miniatures on a base 60mm x 45mm.

[@LynxLord1991]

The Shako is a bit to far in the future for me but they all look great

[@PaulStanleyauthor]

@@LynxLord1991 I did think it wouldn’t be for everyone but I couldn’t resist the temptation 😅

[@LynxLord1991]

@@PaulStanleyauthor Thats fair XD

[@ClintOrris]

I am seeing a severe lack of wheelchair and visually impaired soldiers. This is a crime against DEI