The Taproom

Huooommmm .. thanks a lot for that, Master Jdbrownn55, indeed. … I do appreciate your offer …homrhuom …

Yes, their are more dwarves. They are the Warband that would have been released, but how many were actually made is the big question. I don’t know how many we will see, but I imagine that some others will be sold in the future by Mr. Tubb.

huooommmmm … sorry, no news about those tiny dwarves …. ahem, I forgot to ask The Man …
I think it’s a good guess, Master Barliman, …. about twenty, I also think, though the Gondorians and orcs in the later armies were more … huommm …. so, did I really say that, Master Barliman? … rhuom … I cannot recall having received and given any details about missing or non-missing dwarves of that army …. huommm … but my memory might match yours by now.

Fantastic! more dwarves!

I adore the dwarves, although it must be acknowledged that they are well represented in Mithril. In the series “Thorin & Dain” we have a good example of what we can expect from those who appear on the Mw346

when i say “heavy armored” it can most assurely be chainmail…. But most of the elvenchainmails we see in mithril range are “light chain”… There is no need of plate, but chainmail with full chain arms, chain leggings, helms, and gloves (full armor) is very very rarly seen. Most elves have arms unprotected. I have always wondered why almost all elves have “bare arms”, ok for wood elves, but there are not only wood elves

I doubt that elves during the Last Alliance, went to war in such a fashion… and the only “war gear” elves we have are in plate armor…. (which is open to debate), and mostly they are personnalities.

When it comes to the “host of valinor” which is outside Tolkien Enterprise Licence, no matter if it is plate or chain type or armor, but I am most certain it is a “heavy gear” covering all the body including arms, hands, and head.

Celebrimbor and Anatar in the last vignette have a good armor for this purpose, though there is indeed some pieces of plates at shoulders and knees.

nice thing to discuss.

being part of the re-enactment- scene (those freaks doing fighting with swords as part of medieval events) I know, that speed is mostly the key of success. Most close combats are no longe than some minutes as one blow is the final one, which kills or hurts so heavy, that your enemy cannot strike back (sorry, war is a bloody affair). I always thought, that elves must be quickly with their strikes, so that their armour is lighter not to hinder their “speedy” figthing abilities. Wearing mail armour is heavy enough, so that you cannot fight with it much longer than a very few 2 hours- mail seems much lighter to any fighter than plate, which makes you almost immovable. Plate was historically only common for cavalry units and in the latest Middle Ages as the gunpowder weapons became so popular, that mail wa almost useless (and the Royals and the nobility did not want to be killed or hurt heavily ).
As the 3rd Age of Middle Earth is one of secret warfare, where especially the Elves fight with bows and spears striking surprisingly from hidden places, heavy armour would be a “heavy weakness” instead of a protection.
In my mind the evil side is generally better equipped in the 3rd Age than the Free peoples as reflected in Sarumans troops.

Hope to have thrown in some new aspects.

NAMARIE
estel

I am not sure about plate over chain, but some sort of plated armour over mail makes a lot more sense. You can easily have nice polished vambraces and so forth without going all high medieval plate armour. So, far as I can tell, the Imrahil recently released is perfect.

All we need now is a foot model of him.

Gavin

Dear Barliman,

1220-1240 are not the early Middle Ages but the High Middle Ages. But I think you are perfectly right about the armoury of the knights, which tended to be a little bit more plate at that time. Must have been the improved bows and crossbows and the development of the pike used by the peasantry used in the many wars which forced the smiths to create heavier armour for their lords.

I also agree to your second note, that it is the overall ‘feel’ of a Mithril figure’s appearance which leads to give it armour this or that way. For Manwes sake Chris has done mostly what I expected which is a fine thing. Concerning dwarves, I hope to see some day the 13 dwarves without armour, more in a ranger or traveller look (even dwarves would not travel with mail if they do not got to war).

What do the members her think about the look of the Royal Gondorian soldiery, I mean the usual soldier of MT? When I was a boy I found them ridiculous but having grown old I love these figure-designs very much. I do not think the MT warrior in the field should wear much armour, as this would hinder his marching speed on the field and I always had the idea from Tolkiens descriptions, that Gondor has won his battles by large and highly disciplined infantry (and not by TIN-MEN!!).

NAMARIE
estel